Continuous synthesis of Zn2SiO4:Mn fine particles in supercritical water at temperatures of 400-500 °C and pressures of 30-35 MPa

Sub-micron sized Zn₂SiO₄:Mn²⁺ phosphors particles were continuously synthesized in supercritical water with a flow reactor. Colloidal silica or sodium silicate was used as the Si source. Zn and Mn sources were chosen from their nitrates, sulfates, and acetates. The syntheses were carried out at temperatures from 400 to 500 °C, at pressures from 30 to 35 MPa, at NaOH concentrations from 0.014 to 0.025 M, and for residence times from 0.025 to 0.18 s. Sodium silicate formed α- and β-Zn₂SiO₄:Mn²⁺ phases regardless of the Zn and Mn sources, while colloidal silica formed phases dependent on the type of Zn and Mn sources used in addition to the use of alkali. As the reaction temperature increased, the crystallinity of α-Zn₂SiO₄:Mn²⁺ phase increased and the Mn substitution into the Zn sites of the α-Zn₂SiO₄ phase decreased. Of the conditions studied, the most highly crystalline α-Zn₂SiO₄:Mn²⁺ was produced at a temperature of 400 °C, a pressure of 30 MPa, a NaOH concentration of 0.14 M, and a residence time of 0.13 s with Zn and Mn sulfates and colloidal silica as starting materials. The α-Zn₂SiO₄:Mn²⁺ fine particles synthesized were round in shape, had an average diameter of 268 nm, and exhibited a green-emission with a peak wavelength of 524 nm.     

Preparation of Ba2YCu3O7-δ Thin Films with Preferred Orientation through an Organometallic Route

Superconducting Ba₂YCu₃O_7-δ thin films were prepared through an organometallic route. Single-phase Ba₂YCu₃O_7-δ thin films with preferred orientation were successfully prepared on SrTiO₃ (100) single-crystal substrates at 800°C by a dip coating method using partially hydrolyzed Ba-Y-Cu organometallic solutions. Preferentially oriented Ba₂YCu₃-O_7-δ thin films were also prepared on MgO (100) substrates. By controlling the partial hydrolysis conditions, a coating solution for precursor thin films was kept accurately at the stoichiometric composition. The use of ozone gas during the pyrolysis of the precursor thin films was found to suppress the formation of BaCO₃. Ba₂YCu₃O_7-δ thin films with c -axis orientation perpendicular to a SrTiO₃ (100) substrate, which were heat-treated at 900°C for 15 min, exhibited a superconductivity transition with an onset of 90 K and an end of 75 K.     

Chemical‐Free Approach for Z‐Isomerization of Lycopene in Tomato Powder: Hot Air and Superheated Steam Heating above the Melting Point of Lycopene

Z‐isomers of lycopene exhibit higher bioavailability and antioxidant capacity than those of the all‐E‐isomer. Therefore, it is important to develop an efficient and environmentally friendly procedure for Z‐isomerization. The current methods for Z‐isomerization of (all‐E)‐lycopene use toxic chemicals such as organic solvents and catalysts. This study is aimed to develop a chemical‐free method for Z‐isomerization of (all‐E)‐lycopene in tomato powder by hot air and superheated steam heating. The Z‐isomerization reaction is promoted by heating above the melting point of lycopene. When heated with superheated steam, the thermal decomposition of lycopene is suppressed compared to that when heated with hot air. When tomato powder is heated at 240 °C for 5 min by superheated steam, the total Z‐isomer content and remaining lycopene are 69.0% and 90.7%, respectively, while with hot air heating, the total Z‐isomer content and remaining lycopene are 69.9% and 68.0%, respectively. These results indicate that the thermal Z‐isomerization of lycopene occurs in the molten state and heating in a low oxygen atmosphere suppresses the thermal decomposition of lycopene. Practical Applications: Tomato powder rich in lycopene Z‐isomers is an important ingredient for the food and animal feed industries. Since Z‐isomers of lycopene are more soluble in solvents including ethanol which is a low‐toxicity and environmentally friendly solvent, the efficiency of lycopene extraction with ethanol can be improved by using the Z‐isomer‐rich tomato powder as a raw material. The obtained Z‐isomer‐rich extract has a high added value because the Z‐isomers have higher bioavailability and antioxidant capacity than those of the all‐E‐isomer. In addition, since lycopene Z‐isomers exhibit higher accumulation efficiency and better color improvement in hen egg yolks than those of the all‐E‐isomer, Z‐isomer‐rich tomato powder is an effective animal feed.     

Effects of calcining conditions of kaolinite on pore structures of mesoporous materials prepared by the selective leaching of calcined kaolinite

This paper describes the effects of calcining conditions of kaolinite on pore structures of the porous materials obtained from the selective leaching of calcined kaolinite using KOH solution. Mesoporous -Al₂O₃ was the predominant crystalline phase in the samples calcined in the temperature range between 950°C and 1050°C for 24 h. The mean specific surface area of these samples was approximately 250 m² · g^–1 and the mean total pore volume was approximately 0.8 ml · g^–1. The pore size distribution curves of these samples showed a sharp peak at around 2–3 nm pore radius. This peak was sharper for the sample calcined at 1000°C for 24 h. On the other hand, the pore sizes of the sample calcined at 1100°C for 24 h increased abruptly to 10–20 nm and this change corresponded to the formation of mullite in the sample. The pore sizes of the samples calcined at 1100°C varied with calcining time. The specific surface area and total pore volume decreased, the longer the calcining time of the samples, and this was correlated with an increase in the amount of mullite in the samples.     

Liquid‐phase sintering of highly Na+ ion conducting Na3Zr2Si2PO12 ceramics using Na3BO3 additive

Na₃Zr₂Si₂PO₁₂ (NASICON) is a promising material as a solid electrolyte for all‐solid‐state sodium batteries. Nevertheless, one challenge for the application of NASICON in batteries is their high sintering temperature above 1200°C, which can lead to volatilization of light elements and undesirable side reactions with electrode materials at such high temperatures. In this study, liquid‐phase sintering of NASICON with a Na₃BO₃ (NBO) additive was performed for the first time to lower the NASICON sintering temperature. A dense NASICON‐based ceramic was successfully obtained by sintering at 900°C with 4.8 wt% NBO. This liquid‐phase sintered NASICON ceramic exhibited high total conductivity of ~1 × 10^?3 S cm^?1 at room temperature and low conduction activation energy of 28 kJ mol^?1. Since the room‐temperature conductivity is identical to that of conventional high‐temperature‐sintered NASICON, NBO was demonstrated as a good liquid‐phase sintering additive for NASICON solid electrolyte. In the NASICON with 4.8 wt% NBO ceramic, most of the NASICON grains directly bonded with each other and some submicron sodium borates segregated in particulate form without full penetration to NASICON grain boundaries. This characteristic composite microstructure contributed to the high conductivity of the liquid‐phase sintered NASICON.     

APPLICATION OF THE UNIFIED STATISTICAL MATERIAL DATABASE FOR DESIGN AND LIFE／RISK ASSESSMENT OF HIGH TEMPERATURE COMPONENTS

Statistical manipulation of material data was conducted for probabilistic life assessment or risk-based design and maintenance for high temperature components of power plants. To obtain the statistical distribution of material properties, dominant parameters affecting material properties are introduced into normalization of statistical variables. Those parameters are hardness, chemical composition, characteristic microstructural features and so on. Creep and fatigue properties are expressed by normalized parameters and the unified statistical distributions are obtained. These probability distribution functions show good coincidence statistically with the field database of steam turbine components. It was concluded that the unified statistical baseline approach is useful for the risk management of components in power plants.     

Hydrogen concentration on mirror surfaces of neutron bottles

Concentrations and depth distributions of the surface hydrogen and the surface deuterium in vacuum evaporated nickel layers and beryllium plates have been investigated by the ERDA method. It is shown that if the evaporation vacuum pressure is kept better than 10⁻⁶ Torr, the hydrogen adsorption from the residual gas during the evaporation is negligible and the hydrogen from residual or atmospheric gases after the evaporation is the main source of the surface hydrogen. Commercial beryllium plates are found to have surface hydrogen of about 10¹⁶ atoms cm². Deuterium treated samples, either in D₂ gas or heavy water, do not show more than possibly a partial replacement of hydrogen. The influence of substrates is small if the thickness of the evaporated nickel layer is more than 2000 Å. The measurements are in good agreement with previously published results.     

An Approach to a Higher‐Power‐Density Power Supply for a 380‐V DC Distribution System

A methodology for realizing a higher‐power‐density DC‐DC converter has been proposed for a power unit installed in a 380‐V DC distribution system. The possibility of the converter design will be strengthened by using the series–parallel connection topology for isolated DC‐DC converters. A converter prototype with a power density of 10 W/cm³ has been fabricated, and the feasibility of the converter design has been confirmed experimentally. This result contributes to the realization of a highly efficient and highly space‐saving 380‐V DC distribution system. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 186(3): 51–62, 2014; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22494     

Suppression of inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and amelioration of lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury by polyphenolic compounds in Eucalyptus globulus leaf extract

Eucalyptus leaf extract (ELE) is rich in hydrolyzable tannins. We examined the effects of ELE and its constituents on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced liver injury in mice. Mice fed a diet supplemented with 1% ELE were intraperitoneally administered LPS. Six hours later, the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were significantly lower in the ELE-supplemented mice than in the controls; LPS-induced hepatic inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression was also suppressed. ELE lowered LPS-stimulated iNOS expression in cultured RAW 264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, the aglycones of hydrolyzable tannins, gallic acid (GA) and ellagic acid (EA), inhibited iNOS induction to a greater extent than did ELE (15-fold higher). When mice were fed a 1% GA or EA diet, the increase in the serum ALT and AST activities and hepatic iNOS expression in response to the LPS challenge were significantly attenuated. Thus, hydrolyzable tannins in ELE ameliorate LPS-induced liver injury.