Removal of citric acid from aqueous solution by catalytic wet peroxidation using effective mesoporous Fe‐MCM‐41 molecular sieves

The presence of citric acid in decontamination waste can cause complexation of radioactive cations, resulting in interferences in their removal by various treatment processes such as chemical precipitation and ion exchange, and may pose a potential danger to the environment. Mesoporous Fe‐MCM‐41 molecular sieves (Si/Fe = 25, 50, 75 and 100) were synthesized hydrothermally and characterized by X‐ray diffraction, N₂ adsorption studies, diffuse reflectance UV‐visible spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance and transmission electron microscopy to evaluate the removal of citric acid from aqueous solution by the wet peroxidation method. The effect of time, pH, Si/Fe ratios of Fe‐MCM‐41 and temperature has been studied to achieve efficient removal of citric acid from the aqueous solution. Unlike homogeneous Fe³⁺ catalysis, more mineralization of citric acid was achieved by heterogeneous catalysis with Fe‐MCM‐41 with the percentage removal of total organic carbon of citric acid following the order Fe‐MCM‐41 (Si/Fe = 25) > Fe‐MCM‐41 (Si/Fe = 50) > Fe‐MCM‐41 (Si/Fe = 75) > Fe‐MCM‐41 (Si/Al = 100). Moreover, it was also observed that during the reaction only a minimum amount of iron is leaching from Fe‐MCM‐41. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Hybridization of CMOS With CNT-Based Nano-Electromechanical Switch for Low Leakage and Robust Circuit Design

Exponential increase in leakage power has emerged as a major barrier to technology scaling. Existing circuit techniques for leakage reduction either suffer from reduced effectiveness at nanometer technologies or affect performance and gate-oxide reliability. In this paper, we propose application of a specific carbon nanotube (CNT)-based nano-electromechanical switch as a leakage-control structure in logic and memory circuits. In case of memory circuits, we demonstrate that the proposed hybridization can be employed to reduce both cell leakage and bitline leakage, thereby improving the read noise margin as well. Due to the unique electromechanical properties of CNTs, these switches have high current-carrying capacity, extremely low leakage current, and low operating voltages. Moreover, they can act as nonvolatile memory elements, which can be exploited for data retention of important registers and latches during power down. Simulation results for a set of benchmark circuits show that we can obtain several orders of magnitude improvement in leakage saving in logic circuits at iso-performance compared to existing multi-threshold CMOS technique. In memory circuits, simulations show reduction in standby leakage and reduction in bitline leakage compared with the best existing techniques.     

Pulsed Anodic Anodisation of Porous Silicon Films

Porous Silicon is conventionally made by dc anodisation of silicon. In this paper we have studied the luminescence of porous silicon made by pulsed anodisation as a function of duty cycle and HF concentration. Specifically we show for the first time that the luminescence can be tuned over a wide range in energy.     

A finite element analysis of quasistatic crack growth in a pressure sensitive constrained ductile layer

Polymeric adhesive layers are employed for bonding two components in a wide variety of technological applications. It has been observed that, unlike in metals, the yield behavior of polymers is affected by the state of hydrostatic stress. In this work, the effect of pressure sensitivity of yielding and layer thickness on quasistatic interfacial crack growth in a ductile adhesive layer is investigated. To this end, finite deformation, finite element analyses of a cracked sandwiched layer are carried out under plane strain, small-scale yielding conditions for a wide range of mode mixities. The Drucker–Prager constitutive equations are employed to represent the behavior of the layer. Crack propagation is simulated through a cohesive zone model, in which the interface is assumed to follow a prescribed traction–separation law. The results show that for a given mode mixity, the steady state fracture toughness |K|_ss is enhanced as the degree of pressure sensitivity increases. Further, for a given level of pressure sensitivity, |K|_ss increases steeply as mode II loading is approached.     

Feedback active noise control based on forward–backward LMS predictor

In this paper, a new feedback active noise control (FBANC) system based on forward–backward error LMS (FBLMS) predictor is proposed. The misadjustment of the FBLMS predictor is about half that of the forward error LMS (FLMS) predictor. The new ANC system employs FBLMS predictors both for its main path (MP) predictor and for the noise canceler (NC) for the secondary path (SP) identification (SPI). To realize the MP predictor based on the FBLMS concept, a new FXLMS structure is proposed. But for the NC for the SPI, the FBLMS predictor is directly used. The MP predictor based on FBLMS reduces its misadjustment. Further the use of FBLMS predictor for the NC, as it gives a good prediction of primary noise component in the error (residual noise), improves the SNR for SPI. Thus, the improved SP estimate and the reduced misadjustment for the MP predictor achieved result in a significantly better overall noise reduction (of about 8 dB) over the ANC that uses the MP predictor and noise canceler for SPI, both based only on the forward error LMS algorithm. The computational load for the proposed algorithm is about twice that of FBANC that uses only forward error.     

A Three-dimensional Numerical Study of Mixed Mode (I and II) Crack Tip Fields in Elastic–plastic Solids

The stress fields near a crack front in a ductile solid are essentially three-dimensional (3D) in nature. The objective of this paper is to investigate the structure of these fields and to establish the validity of two-dimensional (2D) plane stress and plane strain approximations near the crack front under mixed mode (combined modes I and II) loading. To this end, detailed 3D and 2D small strain, elastic–plastic finite element simulations are carried out using a boundary layer (small scale yielding) formulation. The plastic zones and radial, angular and thickness variations of the stresses are studied corresponding to different levels of remote elastic mode mixity and applied load, as measured by the plastic zone size with respect to the plate thickness. The 3D results are compared with those obtained from 2D simulations and asymptotic solutions. It is found that, in general, plane stress conditions prevail at a distance from the crack front exceeding half the plate thickness, although it could be slightly smaller for mode II predominant loading. The implications of the 3D stress distribution on micro-void growth near the crack front are briefly discussed.     

A finite element study of the indentation mechanics of an adhesively bonded layered solid

The objective of this work is to study the mechanics of indentation of an adhesively bonded layered solid. To this end, several (plane strain) finite element simulations of wedge indentation of a ductile strip which is adhesively bonded to a rigid substrate are conducted by varying the properties of the adhesive layer. The stress fields below the indenter tip and at the strip-adhesive interface are examined for various depths of indentation. The effects of the adhesive properties on the above features of the finite element solution, as well as on the hardness versus penetration characteristics, are investigated. The above results are also compared with those for an unbonded strip resting on a frictionless surface. It is found that once yielding commences in the adhesive layer, the state of stress in it is comprised of a shear stress and a superposed hydrostatic compression. Also, it is observed that increasing the yield strength of the adhesive layer significantly delays the onset of the decreasing phase of the hardness versus penetration curve, whereas, changing the elastic modulus of the adhesive has negligible effect on it.