Synthesis and Properties of New Cleavable Cationic Surfactants Containing Carbonate Groups

A novel series of cleavable alkyltrimethylammonium surfactants with different hydrocarbon chain lengths (C8–16) were synthesized. A carbonate break site inserted between the polar head and the hydrocarbon chain makes these compounds hydrolyzable. The reagents used are renewable, (bio)degradable, or reusable. The hydrolysis of these cleavable surfactants will lead to the generation of fatty alcohols and choline, which is an essential biological nutrient. The surface activities in aqueous solution of the synthesized carbonates fulfill the requirement of being good surfactants. In addition, the cleavable compounds containing n-decyl and n-dodecyl chains showed similar or higher antimicrobial activities when compared to a non-cleavable analog.     

Speciation of copper in high chloride concentrations,in the context of corrosion of copper canisters

Canisters with a cast iron insert for mechanical strength and a 50-mm thick copper shell as corrosion protection are planned to be used for disposal of spent nuclear fuel in Sweden and Finland. Chloride can be considered “beneficial”, as it promotes active dissolution of copper rather than passivation (which might result in pitting), but a high concentration of chloride in solution would increase the driving force for corrosion through the formation of soluble copper chloro complexes. Thermodynamic calculations are performed in this study with the PHREEQC software and three of its accompanying databases, and a comparison with experimental data is performed to select the database to be used when evaluating repository performance. The activity coefficient models are given special attention. For the assessment of chloride-assisted corrosion of a KBS-3 canister, chloride concentrations pessimistically up to 5 mol/kg are used (in Finland and Sweden, the groundwater and bentonite porewater chloride concentrations are not expected to exceed 1 mol/kg). The resulting copper solubilities are then considered in different mass transport cases.     

Improving water retention of chicken breast meats by CaCl2 combined with pulsed electric fields

Frozen poultry meat is the most widely consumed animal-based food. However, water loss often leads to quality loss of poultry meat. Therefore, the present study sought to investigate the combined effect of calcium chloride (CaCl₂) and pulsed electric fields (PEF) treatment on chicken breast meats and the mechanisms underlying protein degradation. The results showed that the synergistic effect was superior to the single treatment. Compared with the untreated group, the combination of CaCl₂ and PEF increased water holding capacity of chicken breast meats by 16.61% and decreased cooking loss by 28.93%. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) results indicated that the synergistic treatment promoted water molecules' binding capacity in myofibrils of poultry meat, which exhibited higher immobilised water. Additionally, the combination of CaCl₂ and PEF led to increased degradation of proteins of high-molecular weight and surface hydrophobicity of myofibrillar protein. Furthermore, the extension of the protein molecule and microenvironmental changes promoted interaction between protein and water. In conclusion, the synergistic treatment of CaCl₂ and PEF enhanced water retention and improved physicochemical properties of the myofibrillar protein in chicken breast meats.     

A new systematic firefly algorithm for forecasting the durability of reinforced recycled aggregate concrete

This study presents a new systematic algorithm to optimize the durability of reinforced recycled aggregate concrete. The proposed algorithm integrates machine learning with a new version of the firefly algorithm called chaotic based firefly algorithm (CFA) to evolve a rational and efficient predictive model. The CFA optimizer is augmented with chaotic maps and Lévy flight to improve the firefly performance in forecasting the chloride penetrability of strengthened recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). A comprehensive and credible database of distinctive chloride migration coefficient results is used to establish the developed algorithm. A dataset composite of nine effective parameters, including concrete components and fundamental characteristics of recycled aggregate (RA), is used as input to predict the migration coefficient of strengthened RAC as output. k-fold cross validation algorithm is utilized to validate the hybrid algorithm. Three numerical benchmark analyses are applied to prove the superiority and applicability of the CFA algorithm in predicting chloride penetrability. Results show that the developed CFA approach significantly outperforms the firefly algorithm on almost tested functions and demonstrates powerful prediction. In addition, the proposed strategy can be an active tool to recognize the contradictions in the experimental results and can be especially beneficial for assessing the chloride resistance of RAC.     

Manganese oxides treated with organic compounds as catalysts for water oxidation reaction

Manganese oxides of different crystalline structures: α-MnO₂, δ-MnO₂, α,γ-MnO₂ and Mn₂O₃; were treated with the organic compounds picolinic acid, ethylenediamine and pyridine; and were applied as catalysts in the chemical water oxidation reaction using Ce(IV) ammonium nitrate as sacrificial oxidant. The treatment led to modifications in the oxides properties, such as reduction of the particle size, increase of surface area and partial reduction of Mn⁴⁺ to Mn³⁺ for the Mn(IV) oxides, or of Mn³⁺ to Mn²⁺ for Mn₂O₃, because of favored interactions of the organic molecules with the lattice planes with higher d spacing. Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) tests showed the superior catalytic activity of the treated Mn(IV) oxides, for instance α,γ-MnO₂-en presented TOF five times higher than pure α,γ-MnO₂. The increase in surface area as well as the higher Mn³⁺ content caused by the treatment of the Mn(IV) oxides were correlated with the improvement in the OER catalytic activity.     

离子色谱-电导法检测酱油中氯化钠的含量

该研究采用灰化预处理+离子色谱-电导法检测酱油中食盐的含量，并与莫尔法、电位滴定法进行比较。结果表明，莫尔法存在滴定过量问题，电位滴定法对温度等外界环境条件和仪器操作要求苛刻，而离子色谱-电导法具有操作简便快速并具有较好的准确度和精密度。实验结果表明，氯化钠含量处于11.56～11.61 g/100 mL之间，回收率实验结果为96.00%～102.10%，相对标准偏差为0.089%。干扰实验对结果无明显影响，且能同时测定多种离子，可用于成品酱油中氯化钠含量的检验。     

Evaluation of atmospheric galvanic aluminum corrosion in electrical transmission towers at different sites in the Valparaíso region,Chile. Wire-on-Bolt Test (CLIMAT)

This study evaluates environmental aggressiveness and atmospheric galvanic corrosivity categories in Chile (Classification of Industrial and Marine ATmospheres test) by installing bolts in electrical transmission towers in the Valparaiso region across four exposure sites: Playa Ancha, San Sebastián, Las Vegas, and San Felipe. Classifications of marine corrosion index (MCI), industrial corrosion index (ICI), and atmospheric corrosion index (ACI) used different galvanic couples: aluminum/steel for MCI, aluminum/copper for ICI, and aluminum/polyethylene for ACI. Corrosion indices varied by season (summer, autumn, winter, and spring), for which couples were exchanged every 3 months. Intraseason variation depended mainly on the meteorochemical variables of the zone, the Cl⁻/SO₂ ratio, and the presence of general and pitting corrosion in the aluminum. The results indicate that, regardless of environmental condition, the aluminum in Al/steel (MCI) and Al/copper (ICI) couples presented a higher corrosion rate than when not forming a galvanic couple (ACI). Moreover, under higher environmental chloride, these differences increase. The Playa Ancha station presented the highest ACI.     

Gradient doping of Cu(I) and Cu(II) in ZnO nanorod photoanode by electrochemical deposition for enhanced photocurrent generation

This study describes the synthesis and characterization of Cu-doped ZnO nanorods (NRs) by an electrochemical method in the presence of two different Cu precursor (Cu⁺² and Cu⁺) in order to improve photocurrent generation. Analyses of the resulting materials by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–Vis and electrochemical photocurrent (ECP) spectroscopy confirm the formation of well-aligned ZnO Würtzite nanostructures in the form of hexagonal rods. For both doping source with a concentration of up to 0.5%, the following changes were observed: a distortion of the ZnO morphology, an increase in transmittance to 96% for ZnO doped with Cu⁺², and a reduction of the energy gap from 3.36 eV to 3.06 and 3.02 eV for ZnO doped with Cu⁺² and Cu⁺, respectively. From photoelectrochemical tests, the photo-current density was improved up to 0.05 mA cm^-2 in the presence of Cu doping, which is twelve times superior to that of undoped ZnO nanorods, which means that the incorporation of Cu+2 or Cu + significantly improves the separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. These results can be considered promising for optoelectronic and photocatalysis applications.