Photocatalytic oxidation of low concentration 2,4-D solution with new TiO2 fiber catalyst in a continuous flow reactor.

Environmental pollution by low concentrations of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is a concern these days due to ever increasingly stringent regulations. Photocatalysis with immobilized TiO2 fiber is a promising oxidation method. Laboratory experiments on photocatalytic degradation of 0.045 mmol l(-1) 2,4-D with the world's first high-strength TiO2 fiber catalyst were carried out in a continuous flow reactor in which the degradations were, in general, similar to those with high 2,4-D concentrations investigated elsewhere. Degradation and mineralization of 2,4-D were significantly enhanced with no initial pH adjustments. The rate constants for total organic carbon (TOC) without pH adjustment were about two-fold bigger than the pH adjustment cases. CO2 gas measurement and carbon mass-balance were carried out for the first time, where about 34% organic carbon converted into CO2 gas during four-hour oxidation. 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), phenol, benzyl alcohol and two unknowns (RT = 2.65 and 3.78 min.) were detected as aromatic intermediates while Phenol was the new aromatic in HPLC analysis. Dechlorination efficiencies were high (> 70%) in all the cases, and more than 90% efficiencies were observed in chloride mass balance. Bigger flow rates and solution temperature fixed at 20 degrees C without pH adjustment greatly enhanced 2,4-D mineralization. These results can be an important basis in applying the treatment method for dioxin-contaminated water and wastewater.     

Structure and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Lanthanide Borate Glasses

The third–order nonlinear optical susceptibility, χ⁽³⁾, of lanthanide (lanthanum, praseodymium, neodymium, and samarium) borate glasses has been measured by the third harmonic generation method. The structure of the present glass system has been studied by infrared and Raman spectroscopic methods. The network structures of the present Ln₂O₃–B₂O₃ glasses have been confirmed to be basically similar to each other. Praseodymium, neodymium, and samarium borate glasses exhibit χ⁽³⁾ values that are larger than lanthanum borate glasses, because of the optical resonance effect, in accordance with the f – f transition. Especially, the χ⁽³⁾ value for 30Pr₂O₃·70B₂O₃ glass is 1.8 × 10⁻¹² esu, which is a factor of ∼60 larger than that of SiO₂ glass. This striking enhancement of χ⁽³⁾ is mainly attributed to the large transition moment to the first excitation state.     

Slow eye movement as a possible predictor of reaction delays to auditory warning alarms in a drowsy state

In recently developed intelligent vehicles, warning alarms are often used to prompt avoidance behaviours from drivers facing imminent hazardous situations. However, when critical reaction delays to auditory stimulation are anticipated, the alarm should be activated earlier to compensate for such delays. It was found that reaction times to an auditory stimulus significantly increased in the presence of slow eye movement (SEM), which is known to occur frequently during the wake-sleep transition. The reaction delay could not be attributed to temporal effects such as fatigue and was invariant regardless of response effectors (finger or foot). Moreover, it was found that applied pedal force decreased immediately after an auditory stimulus interrupted SEM. Consequently, it was concluded that SEM can be a good predictor of reaction delays to auditory warning alarms when drivers are in a drowsy state. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: The present study demonstrated that simple auditory reaction time significantly increased when SEM emerged. In the design of vehicle safety systems using warning alarms to prompt avoidance behaviours from drivers, such reaction delays during SEM must be taken into account.     

MAGIC抛光方法及其研究进展

MAGIC(MAGnetic Intelligent Compounds)是由包含磁性颗粒和磨粒的磁性流体固化形成的新型抛光材料。MAGIC中磁性颗粒形成的特殊排列可使磨粒均匀分布,因而MAGIC抛光可高效地获得小粗糙度的表面;另外,MAGIC可浇铸成形,故可用于复杂型面及狭小内表面的机械化抛光。简要介绍了MAGIC磨石的组成、制作方法、抛光效果以及目前的研究进展情况。     

Fabrication of 80 mm diameter-sized solid oxide fuel cells using a water-based NiO–YSZ slurry

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are very attractive for their high energy conversion efficiency and low emissions. Generally, a supported layer of SOFCs is fabricated by tape casting, using an organic solvent. Recently, a slurry based on water instead of an organic solvent has been sought in order to avoid environmental pollution. In this study, the anode of SOFCs was fabricated by aqueous tape casting, and the electrolyte and the cathode were deposited by screen printing. The I–V characteristics of the cell thus obtained were evaluated. As a result, an 80 mm diameter-sized cell with a power density of 0.33 W/cm² at 800 °C was successfully fabricated by controlling sintering conditions.     

在线实时浓度监测减少环境压力，降低总体拥有成本

随着半导体制造业的不断发展，对现场浓度测量的需求也不断增加。化学品浓度细微变化都会对晶圆缺陷等级造成不良影响，最为重要的是会对产量产生影响。另外，减少液态化学品废弃物流，使其对环境的影响最小化面临着不断增长的压力。     

Electrochemical oxidation of chlorophenols at a boron-doped diamond electrode and their determination by high-performance liquid chromatography with amperometric detection

Anodically pretreated diamond electrodes have been used for the detection of chlorophenols (CPs) in environmental water samples after high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) separation. The anodization of as-deposited boron-doped polycrystalline diamond thin-film electrodes has enabled the stable determination of phenols over a wide concentration range. Prior to the HPLC analysis, a comparative study with ordinary glassy carbon, as-deposited diamond, and anodized diamond was made to examine the oxidative behavior of phenols by cyclic voltammety and flow injection analysis with amperometric detection. At anodized diamond electrodes, reproducible, well-defined cyclic voltammograms were obtained even at high CP concentration (5 mM), due to a low proclivity for adsorption of the oxidation products on the surface. In addition, after prolonged use, the partially deactivated diamond could be reactivated on line by applying a highly anodic potential (2.64 Vvs SCE) for 4 min, which enabled the destruction of the electrodeposited polymer deposits. Hydroxyl radicals produced by the high applied potential, in which oxygen evolution occurs, are believed to be responsible for the oxidation of the passivating layer on the surface. When coupled with flow injection analysis (FIA), anodized diamond exhibited excellent stability, with a response variability of 2.3% (n = 100), for the oxidation of a high concentration (5 mM) of chlorophenol. In contrast, glassy carbon exhibited a response variability of 39.1%. After 100 injections, the relative peak intensity, for diamond decreased by 10%, while a drastic decrease of 70% was observed for glassy carbon. The detection limit obtained in the FIA mode for 2,4-dichlorophenol was found to be 20 nM (S/N = 3), with a linear dynamic range up to 100 microM. By coupling with the column-switching technique, which enabled on-line preconcentration (50 times), the detection limit was lowered to 0.4 nM (S/N = 3). By use of this technique, anodized diamond electrodes were demonstrated for the analysis of CPs in drainwater that was condensed from the flue gas of waste incinerators.     

Size reduction in crystal grains in LiNb0.5Ta0.5O3 thin films by controlling nucleation density during thermal plasma spray chemical vapor deposition

Two approaches were applied to thermal plasma spray chemical vapor deposition (TPS CVD) in order to reduce crystal grain size or/and surface roughness of LiNb_0.5Ta_0.5O₃ thin films while retaining the advantages of this method, such as high deposition rate. The first method consists of a two-step deposition, where the nucleation density is controlled in the first step and the film with high crystallinity is deposited in the second step. The surface roughness and grain size could be reduced from 1 nm to 7.7 nm, and from 200-350 nm to 120-180 nm, respectively. In the second approach, employing a one-step TPS CVD process, the conventional precursor was substituted by a double-alkoxide precursor and grain size in the deposited films could be reduced to 50-80 nm. Both approaches adopted in this work permitted to reduce the optical propagation loss.     

Sloshing suppression control of liquid transfer systems considering a 3-D transfer path

In plants in many industries, there exist a lot of transfer systems with vibration mechanisms. While transfer without residual vibration is usually demanded in these plants, this requirement necessitates large numbers of sensors and complicated models for control design. Therefore, This work presents a trajectory control design method to suppress residual vibration in transfer systems without the need to directly measure vibration. The proposed method consists of two parts. First, the frequency characteristics of the controller, comprised of control elements with simple structures such as a notch filter and a low-pass filter, are shaped as needed to suppress vibration. Next, various parameters of the control elements are determined by solving an optimization problem with penalty terms expressed by the constraints of both the time and frequency domains. The proposed method is applied to a liquid container transfer system, with special consideration given to the suppression of sloshing (liquid vibration) as well as to the maintenance of a high-speed transfer on the container's three-dimensional transfer path. The obtained controller demonstrates good performance for all demands. The effectiveness of the control design method is shown by experiments.