A variety of homogeneous or layered hybrid nanostructures are fabricated by electric field-directed assembly of nanoelements. The nanoelements and the fabricated nanostructures can be conducting, semi-conducting, or insulating, or any combination thereof. Factors for enhancing the assembly process are identified, including optimization of the electric field and combined dielectrophoretic and electrophoretic forces to drive assembly. The fabrication methods are rapid and scalable. The resulting nanostructures have electrical and optical properties that render them highly useful in nanoscale electronics, optics, and biosensors.

An automotive component is produced by hot forming and press hardening a hardenable steel alloy having a tensile strength of at least 1700 MPa. The hardenable steel alloy, in addition to a balance made up of iron and melting-related impurities, has the following alloy elements carbon, niobium, and titanium. The automotive component is coated by a thermal coating process.

The present invention is directed to devices and methods for assembling particulates through the use of non-contact electrokinetic forces applied to polymeric, organic, non-organic, and metallic micro- and nano-particulates in an aqueous solution. The present invention features an electrode comprising a conductive substrate with a layer of photosensitive polymer disposed on it with a plurality of windows etched into the layer. The plurality of windows expose certain portions of the conductive substrate. Applying electric signals to the conductive substrate (e.g. by a function generator) causes materials to attract to only the exposed portions of the conductive substrate. The materials may comprise a plurality of organic, non-organic, and metallic micro- and nano-particulates disposed in an aqueous solution.

In one aspect, the invention provides a coating process system including a continuous conveyor, a first end defining a loading station for loading work pieces to the conveyor, and a second end defining an unloading station for unloading work pieces from the conveyor. A series of workstations is configured to render coated work pieces and arranged at a first level to extend between the first and second ends. A cure oven is arranged at a second level above the first level, the conveyor making a plurality of runs between the first and second ends at different sub-levels within the second level. A first post-oven run of the conveyor extends from an outlet of the cure oven to the unloading station. A second post-oven run of the conveyor extends from the unloading station to the loading station.

A coated titanium material includes a titanium material and a coating film formed on a surface of the titanium material. A Ti-based oxide is included in an interface between the titanium material and the coating film. The Ti-based oxide is one or both rutile type TiO.sub.2 and Ti.sub.2O.sub.3. In a case where a cut surface of the coating film is formed by using a SAICAS method under conditions that a horizontal speed is 2 μm/s and a vertical speed is 0.1 μm/s, on the cut surface, an area percentage of the Ti-based oxide is 30.0% or more in a region having a distance of 15 μm from a reference line specified on the basis of a boundary line, which is an intersection line between the cut surface and the interface, to a coating film side.

A method for manufacturing a cover member for electronic devices according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure may comprise: a step for forming a magnesium plate; a step for performing primary CNC processing on the magnesium plate using a predetermined cutting oil; a step for performing a primary pretreatment on the magnesium plate using chromate or micro arc oxidation (MAO); a step for performing a primary surface-treatment on the magnesium plate by bake-coating or electrodeposition coating; a step for performing secondary CNC processing on a first region of the magnesium plate using an alcohol-containing cutting oil; a washing and drying step; a step for performing a secondary pretreatment for preventing oxidation on the first region; and a step for performing a secondary surface-treatment on the first region by bake-coating or electrodeposition coating.

Nanoarchitectures comprised of subwavelength metal nanosphere oligomers with uniform narrow gap spacings for plasmonic and metamaterial devices are described, as well as methods of fabrication thereof, a biosensor system based thereon, and methods of detection of pathogenic or other organisms (e.g., bacteria) using the same.

Nanoarchitectures comprised of subwavelength metal nanosphere oligomers with uniform narrow gap spacings for plasmonic and metamaterial devices are described, as well as methods of fabrication thereof, a biosensor system based thereon, and methods of detection of pathogenic or other organisms (e.g., bacteria) using the same.

A coating system includes an electrocoat (e-coat) bath having an e-coat fluid with a first amount of dissolved gases, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers mounted on at least two sides of the e-coat bath, a carrier frame and control circuitry. The control circuitry is configured to control a trajectory of a metal part dipped in the e-coat bath using the carrier frame, control the plurality of ultrasonic transducers to direct a plurality of acoustic waves at a defined ultrasonic operating frequency and at a first intensity to cause a plurality of localized pressure drops in the e-coat fluid, the first amount of dissolved gases is reduced or removed as bubbles from the e-coat fluid of the e-coat bath based on the directed plurality of acoustic waves, and increase the first intensity of the directed plurality of acoustic waves over a defined time period to accelerate dispersion of an e-coat pigment.

A coating system includes an electrocoat (e-coat) bath having an e-coat fluid with a first amount of dissolved gases, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers mounted on at least two sides of the e-coat bath, a carrier frame and control circuitry. The control circuitry is configured to control a trajectory of a metal part dipped in the e-coat bath using the carrier frame, control the plurality of ultrasonic transducers to direct a plurality of acoustic waves at a defined ultrasonic operating frequency and at a first intensity to cause a plurality of localized pressure drops in the e-coat fluid, the first amount of dissolved gases is reduced or removed as bubbles from the e-coat fluid of the e-coat bath based on the directed plurality of acoustic waves, and increase the first intensity of the directed plurality of acoustic waves over a defined time period to accelerate dispersion of an e-coat pigment.