Dielectric and thermal characteristics of gel grown single crystals of ytterbium tartrate trihydrate

Dielectric and thermal characteristics of gel grown single crystals of ytterbium tartrate trihydrate have been carried out. The dielectric constant has been measured as a function of frequency in the range 2 kHz–1 MHz and temperature range 30–300 °C. The dielectric constant increases with temperature, attains a peak near 215 °C, and then decreases as the temperature exceeds 215 °C. The dielectric anomaly at 215 °C is suggested to be due to phase transition brought about in the material. The dielectric behaviour of the material is correlated with the results on thermal analysis. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis have been used to study the thermal characteristics of the material. The experimental results show that the material is thermally stable up to 200 °C. The decomposition process occurs in two stages until ytterbium oxide is formed at 700 °C. The non-isothermal kinetic parameters e.g., activation energy and the frequency factor have been evaluated for each stage of thermal decomposition by using the integral method, applying the Coats–Redfern approximation.     

Hydrogen adsorption studies in micro-size cobalt dots

Hydrogen desorption curves were obtained from a sample composed of a square arrangement of Co dots with average diameter of 4.4 μm, separated by a distance of 11.6 μm. A macroscopic sample of Co dots grown on a 2.5 × 2.5 cm Si substrate was made by standard lithographic techniques and used in these experiments. Thermal programmed desorption (TPD) was performed under ultra-high vacuum conditions. Hydrogen TPD curves were obtained from a 1 × 1 cm Co dots samples displaying a maximum of intensity at 425 K. Hydrogen TPD curve was also obtained from 1 cm× 1 cm samples of Co films and Co foils for comparison. The hydrogen TPD curves have decreasing intensity from the Co foils to the Co dots and finally to the Co films. This indicates that there are more sites for hydrogen adsorption on the Co dots than in the Co films. This is a surprising result because there is approximately 8.7 times less Co atoms exposed in the Co dots that in the Co film sample. A desorption energy of 27 kcal/mol was obtained for the Co dots suggesting that hydrogen is adsorbed on an hcp hollow site of the Co dot crystalline structure.     

A review on the synthesis of in situ aluminum based composites by thermal,mechanical and mechanical–thermal activation of chemical reactions

The aim of the present paper is to review the recent progress in the synthesis of in situ particle reinforced aluminum composites using thermal, mechanical and combined mechanical-thermal activation of aluminothermic reduction reactions. The combination of combustion synthesis (CS) and mechanosynthesis (MS) is the most recent development in the processing of advanced materials like micro and nano aluminum based composites. The combined mechanical thermal synthesis (MTS) has widened the possibilities for both CS and MS. MTS holds great potential for commercial viability and offers exciting processing route for the synthesis of advanced materials. Enhanced reaction kinetics and extended concentration limits in MTS are demonstrated by illustrating the synthesis of aluminum based nanocomposite involving Al–CeO₂.     

Preparation and antibacterial activity of novel fluoroalkyl end-capped oligomers/silica nanocomposites-encapsulated low molecular biocides

Fluoroalkyl end-capped N-(1,1-dimethyl-3-oxobutyl)acrylamide oligomer [R_F-(DOBAA) _n -R_F] reacted with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and silica nanoparticles in the presence of low-molecular weight biocides such as hibitane, hinokitiol, and hinokioil under alkaline conditions to afford R_F-(DOBAA) _n -R_F/silica nanocomposites-encapsulated these biocides in excellent to moderate isolated yields. Fluoroalkyl end-capped N,N-dimethylacrylamide oligomer [R_F-(DMAA) _n -R_F] and acrylic acid oligomer [R_F-(ACA) _n -R_F]/silica nanocomposites-encapsulated hibitane were obtained under similar conditions. Dynamic light scattering measurements showed that the size of these fluorinated nanocomposites-encapsulated biocides thus obtained is nanometer size-controlled. Additionally, these fluorinated nanocomposites were shown to have a good dispersibility and stability in methanol and water. Of particular interest, these fluorinated nanocomposites-encapsulated biocides were found to have a good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, and these nanocomposites were applied to the surface modification of traditional organic polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate).     

Preparation of gold nanoparticles (GNP) aqueous suspensions by a new method involving Tiron

A new method is proposed to produce gold nanoparticles (GNP) by in situ reduction of a gold salt dissolved in water. The reducing agent used is Tiron instead of the citrate anion most often mentioned in literature. The influence of various parameters has been investigated, such as the content of Tiron with respect to that of the precursor of gold HAuCl₄, or the initial pH of the solution after mixing of reactants. It is shown that Tiron also exerts a positive influence as a dispersant, which impedes agglomeration of gold nanoparticles. The typical average size of GNP synthesized in the present work is close to 7 nm.     

Fluorescence and IR characterization of epoxy cured with aliphatic amines

Cure reactions of the stoichiometric mixtures of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and two very low molecular weight aliphatic polyether diamines (PED) were studied by using fluorescence and mid- and near-IR spectroscopic techniques. As the cure proceeded, the primary amine groups in PED are converted to the secondary and the tertiary amines. Near-IR spectral analysis was used to calculate the concentration of the three amine groups as a function of cure time. The decrease in the fluorescence intensity of DGEBA at about 307 nm was observed due to more effective quenching of the tertiary amine groups in PED, in comparison to the primary and the secondary amine groups. A large decrease in fluorescence intensity at 75 and 95 °C cure was observed. The amount of all the amine species was estimated from NIR spectra to shed light on the cure kinetics of PPO (polypropylene oxide) in comparison with PEO (polyethylene oxide) epoxy, as well as to explain their fluorescence behavior.The fluorescence intensity changes were correlated to the extent of epoxy reaction obtained by mid- and near-IR spectroscopy.     

Dynamic vulcanisation of EPDM/PE-based thermoplastic vulcanisates studied along the extruder axis

Simple blending and dynamic vulcanisation of EPDM/PE blends using the resol/SnCl₂ system was studied in an extruder using a series of sampling devices. The melting of the PE pellets occurs just in front of and in the first kneading zone. Upon complete melting of the PE phase, the EPDM/PE blends reach very quickly their final morphology. Crosslinking of the EPDM phase to high levels occurs already when the PE phase is not yet fully molten. The higher the EPDM content, the higher the viscous dissipation, the higher the melt temperature and, consequently, the higher the crosslinking rate. For the EPDM/PE (50/50; w/w) TPV a transition from continuous via co-continuous to fully dispersed EPDM is observed, which is driven by crosslinking. Although the degree of crosslinking of the EPDM rubber is very high, this does not prevent phase inversion of the blend. The EPDM/PE interface is rather blurred, because PE crystalline lamellae are growing into the EPDM domains, probably because of the high compatibility between PE and EPDM (60 wt% of ethene). This study shows that dynamic vulcanisation in extruders proceeds quite differently from that in batch kneaders, where melting, mixing and crosslinking are separated in time. In extruders mass and heat transport, melting of the thermoplastic, morphology development (including dispersion and phase inversion), distribution and dissolution of (crosslinking) chemicals and crosslinking of the rubber do not occur as independent phenomena, but mutually and/or continuously interact.     

Stimulation of negative magnetoresistance by an electric field and light in silicon doped with boron and manganese

It is experimentally ascertained that light stimulates the negative magnetoresistance observed in a high electric field in silicon doped with boron and manganese. The optimum conditions (the electric field, temperature, illumination, and resistivity of the material) for observation of the largest magnitude of negative magnetoresistance in (Si:B):Mn are determined. The dependence of the negative magnetoresistance on the concentration of compensating impurity is established.