Titania NOx sensors for exhaust monitoring

Oxide semiconductors have been examined to develop NO_x sensors for exhaust monitoring. Titania doped with trivalent elements, such as Al³⁺, Sc³⁺, Ga³⁺ or In³⁺, has a good sensitivity and selectivity to NO between 450 and 550 °C, and shows rapid response. A sensor probe for monitoring exhaust NO_x has been fabricated. Many kinds of interference gases, such as C₃H₆, CO and SO₂, have been found to have only a slight influence on the sensor response to NO. The influence of O₂ and H₂O is also negligible, except for the cases of 0% H₂O and fuel-rich conditions. In accordance with these results, the sensor probe operates satisfactority in the exhaust gas of various combustion conditions without interference from the various kinds of gas species in the exhaust gases.     

Pseudo-binary system Bi2O3-TeO2 in air

The phase equilibria in the pseudo-binary system Bi₂O₃-TeO₂ at 600° 950° C in air were examined by solid-state reaction techniques and X-ray powder diffraction method. Four pseudo-binary compounds appeared, i.e., -Bi₂O₃ type solid solution having a compositional range of (1-x)Bi₂O₃·xTeO₂ wherex=0 0.4 a new compound Bi₆Te₂O₁₅ which has an orthorhombic cell of a=2.27(4) nm, b=1.06(1) nm and c = 0.539(8) nm, 2Bi₂O₃ · 3TeO₂, and an unidentified phase Bi₂O₃·2TeO₂. The formation of the phase Bi₆Te₂O₁₅, in which all the Te ions are hexavalent, was confirmed by the thermogravimetry and by the Mössbauer spectra. The liquidus curves for whole system were determined by DTA method.     

Correlation of electrical properties and internal friction in mixed conduction glasses containing ionic and electronic conduction (1) Fe2O3-Na2O-P2O5 glasses

The electrical properties and internal friction in (40–x)Fe₂O₃·xNa₂0.60P₂O₅ glasses were measured. Two or three peak on internal friction were observed in the temperature range of –100 to 300° C at a frequency of about 1 Hz. The peak area of internal friction could be explained quantitatively by the additivity law of diffusion of Na⁺ ion and hopping of electrons which are carriers similar to those of dielectric loss. Activation energy, peak temperature of dielectric loss and internal friction showed almost the same value. Both relaxation phenomena have the same mechanism which is due to the diffusion of Na⁺ion and the hopping of electrons between Fe²⁺ Fe³⁺. The high-temperature peak is assumed to result from the interaction between protons or alkali ions and non-bridging oxygen.     

Electrochemical characteristics for redox systems at nano-honeycomb diamond

Electrochemical characteristics for several redox systems at diamond films with highly ordered nanometer-scale cylindrical pores (‘nano-honeycombs’) were examined with cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance measurements. The cyclic voltammetric anodic-cathodic peak separations for these nano-honeycomb electrodes were in the same range as those for polished polycrystalline diamond films, indicating that the involvement of the oxygen-terminated surface of the nano-pore walls, which should give rise to large peak separations for certain redox couples was only slight. Moreover, the peak currents in the CV were not enhanced to the extent expected on the basis of the roughness factors of the nano-honeycomb films. Ac impedance plots results indicated the existence of a concentration gradient of the reactant in the nano-pores, which is in agreement with theoretical predictions for charge transfer reactions in porous electrodes. The average concentration of the reactant (Fe^2+/3+) inside the nano-pores was a factor of ca. 80 lower than that in the bulk electrolyte. The results of the impedance analysis also indicated an increase in the reaction resistances with decreasing pore diameters.     

Surface active N-acylglutamate: I. Preparation of long chain N-acylglutamic acid

Long chain N-acylglutamic acid was prepared in a high yield by a reaction of glutamic acid with fatty acid chloride in a mixed solvent of water and a water miscible organic solvent such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, dioxane, tetrahydrofuran,t-butyl alcohol or cyclohexanone. In this reaction the composition of the mixed solvent influenced the yield of N-acylated glutamic acid and the best yield was obtained when the reaction was carried out in the mixed solvent comprising 30–60% v/v of the organic solvent. Long chain N-acylaspartic acid was also obtained in a high yield by the same method. As the other method to obtain N-lauroyl-D L-glutamic acid, it was examined that N-acyl-α-aminoglutarodinitrile which was obtained by a reaction of α-aminoglutarodinitrile with fatty acid chloride was hydrolyzed with an aqueous alkaline solution. The salts of long chain N-acylglutamic acid are known as the surface active agents that react mildly on the human skin.     

Effect of Silicon Dioxide on the Thermal Diffusivity of Aluminum Nitride Ceramics

The thermal diffusivity of AlN ceramics was significantly decreased by the addition of SiO₂. The AlN ceramics with 4 wt% SiO₂ could not be densified by pressureless sintering in the temperature range 1400° to 1800°C. The thermal diffusivity of these samples was very low because of their porous structure. The AlN ceramics containing 2, 4, and 8 wt% SiO₂ were densified by hot-pressing and also had low thermal diffusivity. In these samples, the grains of the 27R polytype that resulted from the reaction between AlN and SiO₂ were dispersed, obstructing the conduction of heat. The relation between the amount of 27R polytype and the thermal diffusivity of the AlN ceramics was determined.     

Fabrication of Nonadditive Mica Ceramics by Hot Isostatic Processing

Powder compacts of synthetic mica (fluorphlogopite) encapsulated in a boro–silicate glass tube were isostatically hot–pressed in a Roy–Tuttle–type pressure vessel. Synthetic mica was sintered to a density of 2.60 g/cm³ (91.2% of theoretical density) without additives under 98 MPa of water at 800°C for 45 min.     

Reverse osmosis separation of hydrocarbons in aqueous solutions using porous cellulose acetate membranes

A physicochemical parameter, represented by the symbol Σs^*, based on molar solubility in water and molar attraction constants of Small, has been developed to express quantitatively the relative hydrophobicity, or nonpolar character, of the hydrocarbon molecule. The value of Σs^* can be calculated for a hydrocarbon from its chemical structure. The scale of Σs^* is consistent within each group of aromatic, cyclic, and noncyclic hydrocarbons. Reverse osmosis data have been obtained at 250 psig for single-solute aqueous feed solution systems involving low concentrations of 39 different hydrocarbons (including 13 aromatics, 10 cyclic, and 16 noncyclic compounds) and several samples of cellulose acetate membranes of different surface porosities. The effect of operating pressure on membrane performance has also been studied for two aromatic hydrocarbon solutes. The values of Σs^* for the solutes used were in the range of 425 to 924 for aromatic hydrocarbons, 521 to 931 for cyclic hydrocarbons, and 369 to 960 for noncyclic hydrocarbons. The reverse osmosis data have been correlated with Σs^* for each group of hydrocarbons studied. In all cases, positive solute separations were obtained, and the ratio [PR]/[PWP] was less than 1. With respect to each film, solute separation increased with increase in Σs^*, and decreased with increase in operating pressure. Also, solute separation decreased in the order aromatic hydrocarbon > cyclic hydrocarbon > noncyclic hydrocarbon at any given value of Σs^*. At a given operating pressure, for low values of Σs^* (～500 or less) solute separation increased with progressive decrease in average pore size on the membrane surface. For high values of Σs^* (～800 or more), solute separation initially increased with decrease in average pore size, then passed through a maximum and minimum with further decrease in average pore size, and again increased with still further decrease in average pore size. The results are discussed on the basis of preferential sorption of solute at the membrane–solution interface under the experimental conditions studied.     

Reverse osmosis separations of polyethylene glycols in dilute aqueous solutions using porous cellulose acetate membranes

Reverse osmosis separations of eight polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutes in the average molecular weight range of 200 to 6750 in single-solute dilute aqueous solutions have been studied using porous cellulose acetate membranes at the operating pressures of 50, 75, and 100 psig. Diffusivity data for the above PEG solutes have also been obtained from experimental data on intrinsic viscosities. From an analysis of all experimental data, numerical values for the parameters representing the polar (?ΔΔG/RT), steric (δ^*ΣE_s), and nonpolar (ω^*Σs^*) forces governing reverse osmosis separations of PEG solutes have been generated. These numerical values are useful for precise characterization of cellulose acetate membranes for whose specifications sodium chloride is not the appropriate reference solute because of its low or practically negligible separation under reverse osmosis operating conditions. This work also illustrates that solute separation in reverse osmosis can predictably increase or decrease with increase in operating pressure depending on experimental conditions.