Phase formation of Mn-doped zinc silicate in water at high-temperatures and high-pressures

Phase formation of Mn-doped zinc silicate (Zn₂SiO₄:Mn²⁺, ZSM) in high-temperature and high-pressure water was studied by in situ observations with a hydrothermal diamond anvil cell (HDAC). Precursor was prepared with zinc oxalate dihydrate, manganese oxalate, and silica, where the Zn/Mn/Si molar ratio was 192/8/120 to 199/1/120. Conditions of particle formation were at temperatures up to 650 °C and at pressures up to 1250 MPa. Precursors dissolved at temperatures of 145–203 °C and needle-like particles formed through homogeneous nucleation at temperatures from 357 to 374 °C, close to the critical point of water. The needle-like particles grew at growth rates of 0.5–3.8 μm/s and were identified to be ZSM as evident from their green luminescence. ZSM synthesized in supercritical water (400 °C for 180 min) by batch reactions had comparable luminescence with that of ZSM produced by solid-state reaction (1200 °C for 240 min) using the same precursor. The key finding in this work is that the precursors can be made to dissolve in near-critical water and that this allows ZSM to form via a homogeneous nucleation process.     

One-step phenol production from a water–toluene mixture using radio frequency in-liquid plasma

The objectives of this research were to understand the process of converting toluene into phenol in a one-step process directly from a water–toluene mixture using the plasma in-liquid method.Experiments were conducted using 27.12 MHz radio frequency(RF) in-liquid plasma to decompose a solution of 30% toluene. Based on the experimental results as evaluated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry(GC–MS), along with additional analysis by the Gaussian calculation, density functional theory(DFT) hybrid exchange–correlational functional(B3LYP)and 6-311 G basis, the phenol generated from toluene was quantified including any by-products.In the experiment, it was found that OH radicals from water molecules produced using RF inliquid plasma play a significant role in the chemical reaction with toluene. The experimental results suggest that phenol can be directly produced from a water–toluene mixture. The maximum phenol yields were 0.0013% and 0.0038% for irradiation times of 30s and 60s,respectively, at 120 W.     

Controlling Interface Intermixing and Properties of SrTiO3‐Based Superlattices

By combining state‐of‐the‐art microscopy, spectrosccopy, and first‐principles calculations, atomic‐scale intermixing behavior at heterointerfaces in SrTiO₃‐based superlattices is investigated. It is found that Nb is confined to a unit‐cell thickness without intermixing, whereas Ba diffuses only to the adjoining Nb‐doped SrTiO₃ layer. It is revealed that the intermixing behaviors at the heterointerfaces are determined by not only the migration energy, but also by the vacancy‐formation energy and the Fermi energy of each layer. Based on these results, we find a method to control the atomic‐scale intermixing at the nonpolar heterointerfaces and clearly demonstrate the property improvements obtained by constructing an abrupt heterointerface.     

SUPERHEATED STEAM DRYING OF SINTERED SPHERES OF GLASS BEADS UNDER VACUUM

Drying of sintered spheres of coarse glass beads with a wide sintering range in superheated steam under vacuum was studied.

In samples with sintered angles of 7.5° –27°, the experimental normalized drying rates in superheated steam at pressures of 7.3-7.9mmHg were smaller than those for 56.0-767.6 mmHg in the vicinity of the critical moisture cotents for 56.0-767.6GmmHg. As reported in an earlier paper, there were     

An application of thermal microscopes to the measurement of thermal effusivity of films

The application of thermal microscopes to the measurement of local thermal properties has drawn considerable scientific interest. We report on the application of a thermal microscope to the measurement of thermal effusivity for films comprising alumina deposited on a substrate, which were fabricated by an electrophoretic deposition method. The measured data was analyzed to consider the undulations on the sample surface The thermal effusivity of these samples was approximately 1×10³ Js^?0.5m^?2K^?1; this value is smaller than that for dense alumina because the alumina grain makes contact with a point. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20227     

Drying Rate Curves of Porous Solids in Steam and in Air under Low-Pressure Conditions

Drying of porous solids such as sintered glass beads, baked clay, and cemented glass balloons in both steam and air streams was investigated under low-pressure conditions. There was no significant difference between the normalized observed drying rate curves in air at low pressures of 0.71-1.19 kPa and those in steam at low pressures of 0.97-0.99 kPa. However, lower critical moisture contents and higher drying rates in superheated steam at subatmospheric pressures of 8.27-8.33 kPa were observed compared to those in steam at pressures in the range of 0.97-0.99 kPa. Moreover, two models were validated for the prediction of drying rate curves of sintered glass beads at subatmospheric and low pressures. The patterns of the drying rate curves, which depend on the drying medium and its pressure, were common to these materials.     

High-Frequency Induction Heating of Needle-Shaped Mg-Ferrite for Ablation Therapy of Human Cancer

For application as a novel ablation therapy of human cancer,the heating property of a needle-shaped Mg-ferrite prepared by a sintering technique was studied in a high-frequency induction field at 370 kHz.When inserted into cylindrical clay,the increase in temperature(AT)was 31.2℃for the specimen with a 1.5 mm diameter,while the1.0mm diameter specimen exhibited aΔT value of 15.7℃after the induction time of 1200s.TheΔT exhibited a high value of 57.9℃during the simultaneous insertion of 31.5mm diameter specimens.In the computer simulation images,the relatively lower magnetic flux density and concurrent negUgibly low current density were observed from the surface to the internal regions,being different from the behavior of a ferromagnetic Ni-rod with the same size.     

Oxidation of methane over Pt and Pd supported on alumina in lean-burn natural-gas engine exhaust

Catalytic oxidation of hydrocarbons in lean-burn natural-gas engine exhaust has been studied for Pt and Pd supported on alumina. A Pt–Pd/alumina catalyst exhibited higher and longer-lasting hydrocarbon oxidation activity than Pt–Rh/alumina, Pt/alumina, and Pd/alumina catalysts. Increasing the palladium content in Pt–Pd/alumina catalyst increased the oxidation activity and had more durability. While increasing the platinum content a little bit also improved the activity, adding much more did not. Supporting the platinum on alumina retarded the sintering of Pd and PdO, thus lengthening the oxidation activity of the Pt–Pd/alumina catalyst.     

Hypoalbuminemia is an important risk factor of hypotension during hemodialysis

Hypotension during hemodialysis (HD) is an important problem in patients on HD. To investigate the risk factors that contribute to the hypotension during HD, we compared background factors of hypotensive (HP) patients during HD. Among 58 patients undergoing HD in Tamura Memorial Hospital, 12 patients could not continue full HD because of hypotension. We compared the data of ultrafiltration volume, cardiothoracic ratio (CTR), total protein (TP), serum albumin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine, total cholesterol (TC), hemoglobin (Hb), blood glucose (BS), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and cardiac function between HP patients (HP group; n=12) and sex- and age-matched control patients (NP group; n=12). There were no significant differences of age, sex, and duration of HD between the 2 groups. Cardiothoracic ratio is bigger and BNP is higher in the HP group compared with the NP group (CTR: HP 55.8+/-2.9% vs. NP 47.7+/-1.1%, p=0.0165; BNP: HP 602+/-171 vs. NP 147+/-38, p=0.0167). Serum albumin in the HP group is significantly lower compared with the NP group (HP 3.2+/-0.1 g/dL vs. NP 3.5+/-0.1 g/dL, p=0.0130). However, there were no significant differences of ultrafiltration rate (UFR), BS, TC, Hb, and cardiac function between the 2 groups. There is a significant negative correlation between changes of systolic blood pressure (delta systolic blood pressure) and serum albumin in these patients (r=-0.598, p=0.0016). From these data, we conclude that hypoalbuminemia is a major risk factor of hypotension during HD.