Association by Spatial Interpolation between Ozone Levels and Lung Function of Residents at an Industrial Complex in South Korea.

Spatial interpolation is employed to improve exposure estimates and to assess adverse health effects associated with environmental risk factors. Since various studies have reported that high ozone (O3) concentrations can give rise to adverse effects on respiratory symptoms and lung function, we investigated the association between O3 levels and lung function using a variety of spatial interpolation techniques and evaluated how different methods for estimating exposure may influence health results for a cohort from an industrial complex (Gwangyang Bay) in South Korea in 2009. To estimate daily concentrations of O3 in each subject, four different methods were used, which include simple averaging, nearest neighbor, inverse distance weighting, and kriging. Also, to compare the association between O3 levels and lung function by age-groups, we explored ozone's impacts on three age-related groups: children (9-14 years), adults (15-64 years), and the elderly (≥65 years). The overall change of effect size on lung function in each age group tended to show similar patterns for lag and methods for estimating exposure. A significant negative association was only observed between O3 levels and FVC and FEV1 for most of the lag and methods in children. The largest effect of O3 levels was found at the average for the lung function test day and last 2 days (0-2 days). In conclusions, the spatial interpolation methods may benefit in providing individual-level exposure with appropriate temporal resolution from ambient monitors. However, time-activity patterns of residents, monitoring site locations, methodological choices, and other factors should be considered to minimize exposure misclassification.

Oxide Semiconductor-Based Flexible Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Thin-Film Transistors Fabricated on Polydimethylsiloxane Elastomer.

We demonstrate flexible organic/inorganic hybrid thin-film transistors (TFTs) on a polydimethysilox- ane (PDMS) elastomer substrate. The active channel and gate insulator of the hybrid TFT are composed of In-Ga-Zn-O (IGZO) and blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF- TrFE)] with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), respectively. It has been confirmed that the fabri- cated TFT display excellent characteristics: the recorded field-effect mobility, sub-threshold voltage swing, and I(on)/I(off) ratio were approximately 0.35 cm2 V(-1) s(-1), 1.5 V/decade, and 10(4), respectively. These characteristics did not experience any degradation at a bending radius of 15 mm. These results correspond to the first demonstration of a hybrid-type TFT using an organic gate insulator/oxide semiconducting active channel structure fabricated on PDMS elastomer, and demonstrate the feasibility of a promising device in a flexible electronic system.

Photolithography-Based Patterning of Liquid Metal Interconnects for Monolithically Integrated Stretchable Circuits.

We demonstrate a new patterning technique for gallium-based liquid metals on flat substrates, which can provide both high pattern resolution (∼20 µm) and alignment precision as required for highly integrated circuits. In a very similar manner as in the patterning of solid metal films by photolithography and lift-off processes, the liquid metal layer painted over the whole substrate area can be selectively removed by dissolving the underlying photoresist layer, leaving behind robust liquid patterns as defined by the photolithography. This quick and simple method makes it possible to integrate fine-scale interconnects with preformed devices precisely, which is indispensable for realizing monolithically integrated stretchable circuits. As a way for constructing stretchable integrated circuits, we propose a hybrid configuration composed of rigid device regions and liquid interconnects, which is constructed on a rigid substrate first but highly stretchable after being transferred onto an elastomeric substrate. This new method can be useful in various applications requiring both high-resolution and precisely aligned patterning of gallium-based liquid metals.

Flexible Organic Thin-Film Transistors Fabricated on Polydimethylsiloxane Elastomer Substrates.

In this study, we fabricated flexible organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on a polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) elastomer substrate using blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and amorphous conjugated polymer poly(9,9-dioctylfuorene-co-bithiophene) (F8T2) as the gate dielectric and semiconducting layer, respectively. All the processes were performed at elastomer-compatible temperatures of below 100 °C. We confirmed the basic properties of the P(VDF-TrFE):PMMA blend film on the PDMS substrate, and the characteristics of the fabricated flexible OTFTs were also evaluated. A subthreshold voltage swing of 2.5 V/decade, an Ion/Ioff ratio greater than 10(5), field-effect mobility of 1.2 x 10(-3) cm2 V(-1) s(-1), and a 10(-11) A gate leakage current were obtained. These characteristics did not degrade at a bending radius of 1 cm. For the OTFTs, the endurable maximum strain without degradation in the field-effect mobility of the PDMS elastomers was approximately 2%.

Fabrication of Stretchable Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Thin-Film Transistors on Polyimide Stiff-Island Structures.

In this study, stretchable organic-inorganic hybrid thin-film transistors (TFTs) are fabricated on a polyimide (PI) stiff-island/elastomer substrate using blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and oxide semiconductor In-Ga-Zn-O as the gate dielectric and semiconducting layer, respectively. Carrier mobility, Ion/Ioff ratio, and subthreshold swing (SS) values of 6.1 cm2 V(-1) s(-1), 10(7), and 0.2 V/decade, respectively, were achieved. For the hybrid TFTs, the endurable maximum strain without degradation of electrical properties was approximately 49%. These results correspond to those obtained in the first study on fabrication of stretchable hybrid-type TFTs on elastomer substrate using an organic gate insulator and oxide semiconducting active channel structure, thus indicating the feasibility of a promising device for stretchable electronic systems.

Blood levels of cadmium and lead in residents near abandoned metal mine areas in Korea.

We analyzed national data on blood lead levels (BLL) and blood cadmium levels (BCL) in residents living near 38 abandoned metal mining areas (n = 5,682, 18-96 years old) in Korea that were collected by the first Health Effect Surveillance for Residents in Abandoned Metal mines (HESRAM) from 2008 to 2011. The geometric mean BCL and BLL were 1.60 µg/L (95 % CI = 1.57-1.62 µg/L) and 2.87 µg/dL (95 % CI = 2.84-2.90 µg/dL), respectively, notably higher than levels in the general population in Korea and other countries. We found significantly higher BLL and BCL levels in people living within 2 km of an abandoned metal mine (n = 3,165, BCL = 1.87 µg/L, BLL = 2.91 µg/dL) compared to people living more than 2 km away (n = 2,517, BCL = 1.31 µg/L, BLL = 2.82 µg/dL; P < 0.0001) and to the general population values reported in the literature.

Low-voltage-operated organic one-time programmable memory using printed organic thin-film transistors and antifuse capacitors.

We demonstrate an organic one-time programmable memory cell formed entirely at plastic-compatible temperatures. All the processes are performed at below 130 degrees C. Our memory cell consists of a printed organic transistor and an organic capacitor. Inkjet-printed organic transistors are fabricated by using high-k polymer dielectric blends comprising poly(vinylidenefluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) for low-voltage operation. P(NDI2OD-T2) transistors have a high field-effect mobility of 0.2 cm2/Vs and a low operation gate voltage of less than 10 V. The operation voltage effectively decreases owing to the high permittivity of the P(VDF-TrFE):PMMA blended film. The data in the memory cell are programmed by electrically breaking the organic capacitor. The organic capacitor acts like an antifuse capacitor, because it is initially open, and it becomes permanently short-circuited by applying a high voltage. The organic memory cells are programmed with 4 V, and they are read out with 2 V. The memory data are read out by sensing the current in the memory cell. The printed organic one-time programmable memory is suitable for applications storing small amount of data, such as low-cost radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.

Electrical properties of solution-deposited ZnO thin-film transistors by low-temperature annealing.

Flexible oxide thin-film transistors (Oxide-TFTs) have emerged as next generation transistors because of their applicability in electronic device. In particular, the major driving force behind solution-processed zinc oxide film research is its prospective use in printing for electronics. A low-temperature process to improve the performance of solution-processed n-channel ZnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated via spin-coating and inkjet-printing is introduced here. ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using a facile sonochemical method that was slightly modified based on a previously reported method. The influence of the annealing atmosphere on both nanoparticle-based TFT devices fabricated via spin-coating and those created via inkjet printing was investigated. For the inkjet-printed TFTs, the characteristics were improved significantly at an annealing temperature of 150 degrees C. The field effect mobility, V(th), and the on/off current ratios were 3.03 cm2/Vs, -3.3 V, and 10(4), respectively. These results indicate that annealing at 150 degrees C 1 h is sufficient to obtain a mobility (µ(sat)) as high as 3.03 cm2/Vs. Also, the active layer of the solution-based ZnO nanoparticles allowed the production of high-performance TFTs for low-cost, large-area electronics and flexible devices.

Controlled charge transport by polymer blend dielectrics in top-gate organic field-effect transistors for low-voltage-operating complementary circuits.

We report here the development of high-performance p- and n-channel organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and complementary circuits using inkjet-printed semiconducting layers and high-k polymer dielectric blends of poly(vinylidenefluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Inkjet-printed p-type polymer semiconductors containing alkyl-substituted thienylenevinylene (TV) and dodecylthiophene (PC12TV12T) and n-type poly{[N,N'-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-naphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide)-2,6-diyl]-alt-5,5'-(2,2'-dithiophene)} (P(NDI2OD-T2)) OFETs typically show high field-effect mobilities (µ(FET)) of 0.2-0.5 cm²/(V s), and their operation voltage is effectively reduced to below 5 V by the use of P(VDF-TrFE):PMMA blends. The main interesting result is that the OFET characteristics could be tuned by controlling the mixing ratio of P(VDF-TrFE) to PMMA in the blended dielectric. The µ(FET) of the PC12TV12T OFETs gradually improves, whereas the P(NDI2OD-T2) OFET properties become slightly worse as the P(VDF-TrFE) content increases. When the mixing ratio is optimized, well-balanced hole and electron mobilities of more than 0.2 cm²/(V s) and threshold voltages below ±3 V are obtained at a 7:3 ratio of P(VDF-TrFE) to PMMA. Low-voltage-operated (∼2 V) printed complementary inverters are successfully demonstrated using the blended dielectric and exhibit an ideal inverting voltage of nearly half of the supplied bias, high voltage gains of greater than 25, and excellent noise margins of more than 75% of the ideal values.

Effect of curing temperature on nano-silver paste ink for organic thin-film transistors.

Silver (Ag) metal electrode having 20 microm channel length was printed by reverse offset printing (ROP) using nano-silver paste ink for the source/drain of organic thin-film transistors (OTFT). Specific resistance and surface roughness of printed Ag electrodes with increasing curing temperature were investigated, and surface morphology and grain growth mechanism were systematically verified using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) in order to obtain an optimized ROP Ag electrode. The Ag electrode was applied to fabricate top-gate/bottom-contact poly(3-hexylthiophene) OTFT devices, which showed reproducible OTFT characteristics such as the field-effect mobility, threshold voltage, and an on/off-current ratio of -10(-3) cm2/Vs, 0.36 V, and -10(2), respectively.

Remarkable enhancement of hole transport in top-gated N-type polymer field-effect transistors by a high-k dielectric for ambipolar electronic circuits.

A remarkable enhancement of p-channel properties is achieved in initially n-channel dominant ambipolar P(NDI2OD-T2) organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) by the use of the fluorinated high-k dielectric P(VDF-TrFE). An almost two orders of magnitude increase in hole mobility (~0.11 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) ) originates from a strong interface modification at the semiconductor/dielectric interface, which provides high-performance complementary-like inverters and ring oscillator circuits.

Antimony selenide phase-change nanowires for memory application.

Synthesis and device characteristics of highly scalable antimony selenide nanowire-based phase transition memory are reported. Antimony selenide nanowires prepared using the metal-catalyst-free approach are single-crystalline and of high-purity. The nanowire memory can be repeatedly switched between high-resistance (approximately 10 Momega) and low-resistance (approximately 1 komega) states which are attributed to amorphous and crystalline states, respectively.