Importance of emulsions in crystallization—applications for fat crystallization

Emulsions and crystallization are two independent research topics which normally do not overlap although a combination of the two could be applicable to many areas. Here, the importance of emulsions in the field of fat crystallization is described. Three applications with industrial relevance were chosen for investigation: fat fractionation, the solidification of phase change materials and solid lipid nanoparticles. For fat fractionation and phase change materials, emulsification can be applied as a tool to improve the fat crystallization process, and thus the product quality of the crystallized fat. Furthermore, the use of emulsification creates new application fields such as solid lipid nanoparticles in the area of fat crystallization.     

Transparent Al–In–Zn–O Oxide semiconducting films with various in composition for thin-film transistor applications

Al–In–Zn–O thin-film transistors were fabricated. To examine the effect of In composition, we adopted a co-sputtering method using Al–Zn–O and In₂O₃ targets. The sputtering power of In₂O₃ was varied to 200, 150, and 50 W. The mobility and turn-on voltage of each device were 27.8 cm²V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and −4.2 V, 4.5 cm²V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and −3.5 V, 0.7 cm²V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and −3 V, respectively. We also investigated instabilities under negative gate bias stress (NBS) and negative bias illumination stress (NBIS). While the NBS was not influenced by the In contents, the NBIS characteristics were optimized for the device with In₂O₃ sputtering at 150 W.     

A modified Stöber process for the production of mesoporous Sub 2 micron silica microspheres; applications in HPLC

Mesoporous silica microspheres in the 1–2 μm range with good size monodispersivity were synthesized by ammonia catalysed hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate using methanol as solvent and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as surfactant porogen. The mesopore diameter was subsequently expanded from <20 Å to ~200 Å by a postsynthesis hydrothermal treatment in a water–amine emulsion system followed by controlled dissolution in aqueous alkali. XRD, TEM, and N₂ sorption measurements were used to characterize pore properties. Particle size measurements in conjunction with SEM were used to establish morphology and size distribution. Preliminary chromatographic results are presented which demonstrate the applicability of these particles in High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The particle size, porosity and chromatographic performance of the particles are compared to commercial HPLC silicas.     

A new method for the investigation of fluid-fluid mass transfer—II. Mass transfer in liquid-liquid systems

A new dynamic electrochemical method for the determination of liquid-liquid mass-transfer coefficients in a stirred cell and in a mixer cell is described. Current transients are recorded for different flow conditions and evaluated applying a non-linear regression analysis. The resulting mass-transfer coefficients correlate linearly with the stirring rate but the mean values over a long time period are considerably low. The extent of the investigated initial time dependence of the mass-transfer coefficient decreases with increasing electrolyte concentration.     

Conversion of zeolite—A in to various ion-exchanged catalytic forms and their catalytic efficiency for the synthesis of benzimidazole

Zeolite-A was synthesized and converted into various ion-exchanged catalytic forms successfully. These catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) surface area measurement and thermal programmed desorption (TPD). Their catalytic activity was tested on the synthesis of benzimidazole using o-phenylenediamine (OPDA) and aldehyde at room temperature. The reaction proceeds efficiently under ambient conditions. The catalysts gave a high isolated yield of benzimidazole in a shorter reaction time at room temperature and were recycled several times.     

Standard pH values for potassium hydrogenphthalate reference buffer solutions in acetonitrile—water mixtures up to 70 wt% at various temperatures

Reference value standards, pHs, for 0.05 mol kg⁻¹ potassium hydrogenphthalate (KHPh) reference buffer solutions in 30, 50 and 70 wt% acetonitrile—water mixed solvents at temperatures from 288.15 to 308.15 K have been determined from emf measurements of the reversible cell Pt|Ag|AgCl|KHPh + KCl|Quinhydrone|Pt, in which the H⁺-reversible quinhydrone electrode replaces the ill-behaving hydrogen electrode. Values of the first ionization constant of the o-phthalic acid (H₂Ph; benzene-1,2 dicarboxylic acid) in these mixed solvents have also been determined from analogous measurements. The consistency of the present results with the previously determined pHs values in 5, 15 and 30 wt% acetonitrile—water mixtures is analysed by multilinear regression of pHs as a function of both solution composition and temperature. These smoothed standard pHs values are used to optimize the parameters of an equation predicting pHs values in different aqueous organic solvents.     

A new method for the investigation of fluid/fluid mass transfer—I: Mass transfer in gas/liquid systems

A new dynamic electrochemical method is introduced to investigate gas/liquid mass transfer in mechanically agitated contactors. Current transients were recorded and evaluated with a linear regression analysis in two contactors at different rotation rates. The volumetric mass trasnfer coefficient a₁k₁ and Henry's constant can be calculated from these experiments. Reliable results are obtained over a wide range of hydrodynamic conditions.