Magnetron sputtered Dy_2O_3 with chromium and copper contents for antireflective thin films with enhanced absorption

Dy_2O_3 is a rare earth oxide having a number of advanced applications in various fields including protective or antireflective coatings, Main objective of this novel research work is to check the effect of Cr and Cu addition on different properties of Dy_2O_3 and achievement of antireflective thin films with enhanced abso rption. Thin films of these materials we re deposited using DC magnetron with reactive cosputtering. XRD studies reveals the crystalline nature of thin films having Dy_2O_3(222) reflection in all samples with Cr_2O_3(116) and CuO(111) reflections in Cr and Cu containing compositions. Field emission scanning electron microscopy demonstrates the homogeneous deposition of thin films with uniform shape, size and distribution of grains. Refractive index, extinction coefficient and absorption coefficient significantly increase while optical reflectance decreases with Cr and Cu mediation corroborating an improved antireflective mechanism. The imaginary part of dielectric constant is found to increase slightly with low tangent loss for Cr containing composition co nsidered favorable for energy storage applications.     

Effect of temperature and thermodynamic quality of solvent over unperturbed chain dimensions of nylon 6

A nylon 6 sample having average molecular mass 4.825 × 10⁵ g mol^?1 was fractionated into five different fractions with respect to molecular mass, which ranged from 3691 to 999,000 g mol^?1. The light scattering and intrinsic viscosity measurements were made in m‐cresol and its mixture with 1,4‐dioxane. The second virial coefficient, radius of gyration and Mark Houwink's constant and unperturbed chain dimensions were determined by light scattering and viscosity measurement. It has been observed that all these parameters are composition of solvent and temperature dependent. The solvent having composition of 97% m‐cresol and 3% dioxane, was best and it deteriorated with the increase/decrease in percentage of 1,4‐dioxane in m‐cresol. However, its thermodynamic quality was enhanced with the temperature. Such variation in quality of solvent was reflected in all the estimated parameters and showed maxima at this composition of solvent. The unperturbed dimensions obtained by different methods though, differed in values but showed same trend and NA‐MKB method gave close results to the one obtained through [η_o]. A new expression has also been proposed relating k_o to solvent quality and temperature and the data obtained by us for nylon‐6 and the one obtained from the literature for dextran obeyed this expression up to large extent irrespective of the solvent composition and temperature. The proposed equations have also been applied to dextran/methoxy ethylene and dextran/ethylene glycol systems and worked well. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011.     

The influence of temperature and interface strength on the microstructure and performance of sol–gel silica–epoxy nanocomposites

A series of silica–epoxy nanocomposites were prepared by hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane within the organic matrix at different processing temperatures, i.e., 25 and 60 °C. Epoxy matrices reinforced with 2.0–10.0 wt% silica were subsequently crosslinked with an aliphatic diamine hardener to give optically transparent nanocomposite films. Interphase connections between silica networks and organic matrix were established by in situ functionalization of silica with 2.0 wt% γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS). The microstructure of silica–epoxy nanocomposites as studied by transmission electron microscopy indicated the formation of very well-matched nanocomposites with homogeneous distribution of silica at relatively higher temperatures and in the presence of APTS. Thermogravimetric and static mechanical analyses confirmed considerable increase in thermal stability, stiffness, and toughness of the modified composite materials as compared to neat epoxy polymer and unmodified silica–epoxy nanocomposites. A slight improvement in the glass transition temperatures was also recorded by differential scanning calorimetry measurements. High temperature of hydrolysis during the in situ sol–gel process not only improved reaction kinetics but also promoted mutual solubility of the two phases, and consequently enhanced the interface strength. In addition, APTS influenced the size and distribution of the inorganic domain and resulted in better performance of the modified silica–epoxy nanocomposites.     

Thermal conductivities of alumina-based multiwall carbon nanotube ceramic composites

Composites incorporating various vol.% (0.0, 1.1, 6.4, and 10.4) of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in alumina were consolidated by the spark plasma sintering. Their thermal transport properties were investigated over the temperature range 300–800 K as a function of nanotube contents. It was observed that the temperature-dependent effective thermal conductivity decreases with the addition of MWCNTs in alumina. This behavior was analyzed in terms of phonon mean free path, elastic modulus, average sound speed, and interface thermal resistance. Compared with 1/T behavior for pristine alumina, a subtle decrease in temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of the composites with the addition of MWCNTs is observed, indicating the presence of extra phonon scattering mechanism beyond the intrinsic phonon–phonon scattering. Simulation of experimental results with theoretical model shows that the large interfacial thermal barrier between MWCNTs and alumina plays a dominant role in controlling thermal transport properties of the composites. In addition to dominant interface thermal resistance other secondary factors such as nanotube agglomeration, processing defects, porosity also contribute for low thermal conductivity at the higher volume fraction of MWCNTs in the composite.     

Lipid oxidation products of heated soybeans as a possible cause of protection from ruminal biohydrogenation

Heating oilseeds has been shown to improve the milk fatty acid profile when given to dairy cows, compared to raw oilseeds. However, results from published studies are conflicting. The conditions of heating and storage of the oilseeds could be responsible for these differences, probably partly through their effects on lipid oxidation, the products of which could act on ruminal biohydrogenation (BH). Thus, 15 different treatments were applied to ground soybeans: three levels of heating (no heating, 30 min at 110 or 150°C) × 5 ambient storage durations (0, 1, 2, 4, or 6 months). Soybeans were incubated in vitro with ruminal fluid for 6 h. Triacylglycerol (TAG) polymers, hydroperoxides and hydroxyacids (HOA), aldehydes, and fatty acids were assayed in soybeans and ruminal culture. No TAG polymer was detected in any treatment. Soybeans stored for a long time had a high content of HOA, whereas those heated at 150°C, whatever the storage duration, had high aldehyde contents. The percentage disappearance of cis‐9,cis‐12 18:2 and cis‐9,cis‐12,cis‐15 18:3 in incubates decreased significantly in cultures with heated soybeans, especially at 150°C, suggesting that this partial protection of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from BH was at least in part linked to the aldehyde content of the heated soybeans. Practical applications: Oilseeds given to ruminants are often heated, and heat treatment is known to generate oxidation products. Knowing what oxidation products influence ruminal biohydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids could result in technological processes allowing a better transfer of unsaturated fatty acids from oilseeds to ruminant products.     

Study on the preparation and properties of novel block copolymeric materials based on structurally modified organometallic as well as organic polyamides and polydimethylsiloxane

Some novel ferrocene‐containing polyamide‐based block copolymer materials with telechelic polydimethylsiloxane oligomer and their organic analogues were prepared by solution‐phase polycondensation of ferrocene‐based organometallic and terephthaloyl‐ as well as isophthaloyl‐based organic acyl chlorides with a series of semi‐aromatic diamines having ether linkages together with variable aliphatic character. The corresponding polyamides of the synthesized materials, without polydimethylsiloxane segment, were also prepared for comparison of physicochemical properties. None of the synthesized organometallic and organic block copolymers along with their respective polyamides melted below 300 °C and their structural features were confirmed by their physical properties and spectroscopic studies. The weight‐average molecular weights and molecular parameters of all these materials were determined by the static laser light scattering technique. The materials were soluble in sulfuric acid and partially soluble in common organic solvents, and yet became readily soluble upon N‐trifluoroacetylation. The synthesized materials were further characterized by their water absorption characteristics, X‐ray diffraction studies and surface morphology (SEM and AFM) and thermal (DSC and TG) analyses, and their structure–property relationships were elucidated from these studies. The energies of pyrolysis for these materials were calculated by the Horowitz and Metzger method. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Studies with inorganic precipitate membrane: evolution of thermodynamically effective fixed charge density and test of the most recently developed theory of membrane potential based on the principles of non-equilibrium thermodynamics

Electrical potentials developed across nickel, manganese chromate and cupric iodide membranes using various 1:1 electrolytes are reported. Thermodynamically effective fixed charge density, which is an important parameter governing the membrane phenomena, has been evaluated by the recently developed theory of Nagasawa et al. Most recently developed theories of Toyoshima and Nozaki based on the principles of the irreversible thermodynamics has been examined to predict the bi-ionic potentials developed across the membranes. Theoretical predictions were borne out quite satisfactorily by our experimental results.     

基于模糊语言变量的动态目标无线网络选择技术

Even though various wireless Net-work Access Technologies (NATs) with dif-ferent specifications and applications have been developed in the recent years, no single wireless technology alone can satisfy the any-time, anywhere, and any service wire-less-access needs of mobile users. A real seamless wireless mobile environment is only realized by considering vertical and horizontal handoffs together. One of the major design issues in heterogeneous wireless networks is the support of Vertical Handoff (VHO). VHO occurs when a multi-interface enabled mobile terminal changes its Point of Attachment (PoA) from one type of wireless access technology to another, while maintaining an active session. In this paper we present a novel multi-criteria VHO algorithm, which chooses the target NAT based on several factors such as user preferences, system parameters, and traffic-types with varying Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Two modules i.e., VHO Necessity Estimation (VHONE) module and target NAT selection module, are designed. Both modules utilize several “weighted” users’ and system’s parameters. To improve the robustness of the proposed algorithm, the weighting system is designed based on the concept of fuzzy linguistic variables.