111 research outputs found
Jewish hydra, German Heimat, and ‘the Jewish question’: Judaism and subjectivity in Lazarus Bendavid, Berthold Auerbach and Karl Marx
No full textThis dissertation examines aspects of the Jewish encounter with modern discourses of subjectivity. The project follows three interventions into discourses of Jewish subjectivity, two by Jewish authors who grapple with the question of how to speak as Jews in the modern German context, the third a discourse of radical social critique that strategically deploys flagrantly anti-Semitic stereotypes. Chapter One examines Lazarus Bendavid\u27s caustic pamphlet On Jewish Characteristics of 1793; Chapter Two explores the early career of Berthold Auerbach from his first literary activity until his breakthrough into literary stardom as a Heimatdichter with his Black Forest Village Stories of 1843; and Chapter Three investigates the function of Jewish figures in Karl Marx\u27s 1843 “On the Jewish Question” and The Holy Family of 1845 and compares Marx\u27s rhetorical construction of “real Jews” to his treatment—in part invention, in part discovery—of the proletariat. Highly politicized discourses on subjectivity proliferated in Germany in the period between the French Revolution of 1789 and the failed revolution of 1848. In this climate, Jews and Judaism became a privileged discursive site for interrogating subjectivity with the political imperatives this interrogation implied. The nexus of discourses on Judaism and subjectivity differed substantially in the two moments examined. Within Bendavid\u27s Kantian paradigm, the universal subject was essentially isomorphic with humanity at large as a moral-political community, and the “Jewish question” (avant la lettre ) was about the deficient yet potentially redeemable subjectivity of the Jew. The Young Hegelian social ontology of the self that was important for both Auerbach and Marx in the 1830\u27s and 40\u27s understood subjectivity as an obstacle to the realization of collective humanity. Each chapter explores the figuration of Jews as discursive objects in the works of the chapter\u27s central author and in key intertexts. I also investigate the three central authors from the standpoint of a problematics of enunciation. That is, I ask not only how each author speaks about Jews, but also how he does so in order to authorize his own speech. Bendavid and Auerbach each speak as a certain kind of Jew in a cultural and discursive field that made Jewish speech a treacherous undertaking. Marx deploys the figure of the obscenely “real Jew” in an effort to construct a viable locus of enunciation for his radical social critique
RuO2-coated vertical graphene hybrid electrodes for high-performance solid-state supercapacitors
No full textHybrid electrodes consisting of ruthenium dioxide (RuO<sub>2</sub>) and graphene hold great promise in the development of high-performance supercapacitors. However, the present methods for fabricating RuO<sub>2</sub>/graphene hybrids are complex and costly, preventing their widespread applications. Here, we demonstrate a simple, scalable and cost-effective method to prepare hybrid electrodes composed of RuO<sub>2</sub> and vertical graphene (VG). VG is used as the support to offer several unique features, including a three-dimensional (3D) porous structure, a large surface area, good mechanical rigidity and high electrical conductivity. With a solution-free reactive magnetron sputtering method, RuO<sub>2</sub> can be uniformly coated on VG with controllable loading. Solid-state supercapacitors assembled using the binder-free RuO<sub>2</sub>/VG hybrids and a polymer gel electrolyte possess a high areal capacitance, low electrical resistance, good frequency response, and excellent capacitance retention after 10[thin space (1/6-em)]000 cycles of charging and discharging. Our results demonstrate the potential of RuO<sub>2</sub>/VG hybrids in developing high-performance solid-state supercapacitors in a cost-effective manner, paving the way towards the commercialization of various Ru-based energy storage devices
Stress engineering of boron doped diamond thin films via micro-fabrication
No full textIn this paper, a novel approach is presented to tailor the stress properties of diamond thin films via boron doping and micro-fabrication of bridges using focused ion beam milling. The experimental data, based on detailed confocal micro-Raman investigations, are supported and interpreted through finite element method calculations of the stress distribution at mechanical equilibrium. These results indicate that appropriate design of microbridge geometries, together with boron doping, would allow the material stress to be largely enhanced or diminished compared to non-patterned thin films. Our approach, together with a deterministic incorporation and positioning of diamond color centers, may open novel opportunities to tailor the optical and spin properties of diamond-based quantum devices through stress engineering
Oriented Graphenes from Plasma-Reformed Coconut Oil for Supercapacitor Electrodes
No full textThe utilization of vertical graphene nanosheet (VGN) electrodes for energy storage in supercapacitors has long been desired yet remains challenging, mostly because of insufficient control of nanosheet stacking, density, surface functionality, and reactivity. Here, we report a single-step, scalable, and environment-friendly plasma-assisted process for the fabrication of densely packed yet accessible surfaces of forested VGNs (F-VGNs) using coconut oil as precursor. The morphology of F-VGNs could be controlled from a continuous thick structure to a hierarchical, cauliflower-like structure that was accessible by the electrolyte ions. The surface of individual F-VGNs was slightly oxygenated, while their interior remained oxygen-free. The fabricated thick (>10 μm) F-VGN electrodes presented specific capacitance up to 312 F/g at a voltage scan rate of 10 mV/s and 148 F/g at 500 mV/s with >99% retention after 1000 cycles. This versatile approach suggests realistic opportunities for further improvements, potentially leading to the integration of F-VGN electrodes in next-generation energy storage devices
Making light work: designing plasmonic structures for the selective photothermal methanation of carbon dioxide
No full textEffectively engaging light to induce catalytic activity requires the careful selection of a catalyst support with appropriate and beneficial properties. On this basis, black, plasmonic TiN was employed as a Ni catalyst support for the CO2 methanation reaction under illuminated-only conditions. The positive effects of light illumination were found to be defined by the Ni deposit size and the Ni–TiN interaction. At a high Ni loading (40 wt%, 70 wt%), simulated sunlight induces plasmonic heating through the TiN support which is sufficient to initially in situ reduce the Ni deposits and initiate CO2 methanation. Photothermal effects from TiN and the metallic Ni, combined with reaction exothermicity, then continue to further reduce the Ni and amplify the methanation reaction. At a lower Ni loading (10 wt%), the Ni deposits are smaller and more dispersed. In this case, the topmost Ni deposit surfaces are more strongly influenced by the TiN support due to their closer proximity to the metal–support interface. DFT calculations revealed that this condition can facilitate the migration of light induced plasmonic hot charge carriers from the TiN towards the exposed Ni surface, altering the surface charge of the Ni. The adsorption strength of *CO is subsequently enhanced to enable further reaction rather than desorption as product, thereby boosting CH4 selectivity. The findings discern between the different phenomena (plasmonic heating and hot electron migration) invoked by plasmonic excitation and offer new insight on the contribution these phenomena make to governing catalyst activity and selectivity.Yi Fen Zhu, Bingqiao Xie, Jodie A. Yuwono, Priyank Kumar, Abhinav S. Sharma, Michael P. Nielsen, Avi Bendavid, Rose Amal, Jason Scott and Emma C. Lovel
Trimming the electrical properties on nanoscale YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 − x constrictions by focus ion beam technique
No full textNanohybrid TiN/Vertical graphene for high-performance supercapacitor applications
No full textTransition metal nitrides are promising materials for supercapacitor electrodes owing to their high electrochemical capacity and good chemical stability. However, it remains challenging to control crystallinity, electrical conductivity and electrochemical active sites in the common routes of synthesizing these materials. Here we use a one-step and scalable transferred arc method to prepare TiN nanoparticles, which possess a well-defined cubic crystal structure with a nano-size distribution of 5–20 nm. The TiN nanoparticles are then deposited onto plasma-produced vertical graphene (VG) support materials to form hybrid TiN/VG electrodes for supercapacitors. In aqueous Li2SO4 electrolyte operated at a voltage window of 1.0 V, the TiN/VG hybrid displays areal capacitance more than four times higher than that of commercial TiN deposited VG hybrid. As the voltage window is expanded to 1.8 V, the TiN/VG electrode can achieve areal capacitance of 9.0 mF cm-2 at a scan rate of 100 mV s-1 while maintaining 89.5% of the initial capacitance after 10,000 cycles, which are among the highest values reported for TiN nanoparticles. These results indicate that TiN nanoparticles produced by the transferred arc technique are highly promising for energy storage applications.No Full Tex
Influence of interaction energy between Si-doped diamond-like carbon films and bacteria on bacterial adhesion under flow conditions
No full textDiamond-like carbon (DLC) films, especially modified DLC films with doped elements as biomaterials for medical devices have been attracting great interest. In this article, the bacterial adhesion behavior on DLC films, Si-doped DLC films, and stainless steel 316L was investigated with Pseudomonas neruoginosa ATCC 33347, which frequently Causes medical device-associated infections. This was done under laminar flow conditions in a flow chamber at 37 degrees C. The contact angles of the coatings and the biofilm were measured. Polar liquids of distilled water and ethylene glycol, and apolar liquid of diiodomethane were used as a probe for Surface free energy calculations. The electron donor component gamma(-) of surface energy of Si-doped DLC films increased with increasing the silicon content in the DLC films. The experimental results showed that the surface energy of the coatings and the interaction energy between the coatings and bacteria in water had significant influences on bacterial adhesion. The extended DLVO theory was used to explain the adhesion behavior. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 93A: 133-139, 2010</p
Ammonia sensing characteristics of carbon-nanotube yarns decorated with nanocrystalline gold
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