Catalytic and photocatalytic ozonation of phenol on MnO2 supported catalysts

Different series of manganese-supported catalysts containing 10 wt.% of manganese, as oxide, on TiO₂ have been prepared by the sol–gel method and by the traditional method based on the impregnation of the support with the metal precursor on commercial and sol–gel supports. The samples were characterized by measuring the specific area (S_BET), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), electrophoretic migration (IP) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The catalytic and photocatalytic activity was measured in a batch reactor using ozone as the oxidizing agent. The catalytic behavior, expressed as constant rate, in absence of irradiation did not show significant changes for the manganese-supported catalysts. The only exception was the cogelated Mn/TiO₂ catalyst, which showed higher degradation activity, the main product being benzoquinone. On the other hand, all the irradiated systems showed an increase in the phenol degradation, being CO₂ and small organic acids the final product.     

Solution of a nonlinear diffusion type problem in doubly-connected domains of complicated boundary shape

Variable transformation and the conformal mapping methods are invoked when solving a nonlinear diffusion type problem in doubly-connected domains of complicated boundary shape. Results are presented for prisms with concentric, circular perforations. The results are in good agreement with numerical predictions obtained with a finite element code.     

Pore structure and function of synthetic nanopores with fixed charges: tip shape and rectification properties

We present a complete theoretical study of the relationship between the structure (tip shape and dimensions) and function (selectivity and rectification) of asymmetric nanopores on the basis of previous experimental studies. The theoretical model uses a continuum approach based on the Nernst-Planck equations. According to our results, the nanopore transport properties, such as current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, conductance, rectification ratio, and selectivity, are dictated mainly by the shape of the pore tip (we have distinguished bullet-like, conical, trumpet-like, and hybrid shapes) and the concentration of pore surface charges. As a consequence, the nanopore performance in practical applications will depend not only on the base and tip openings but also on the pore shape. In particular, we show that the pore opening dimensions estimated from the pore conductance can be very different, depending on the pore shape assumed. The results obtained can also be of practical relevance for the design of nanopores, nanopipettes, and nanoelectrodes, where the electrical interactions between the charges attached to the nanostructure and the mobile charges confined in the reduced volume of the inside solution dictate the device performance in practical applications. Because single tracks are the elementary building blocks for nanoporous membranes, the understanding and control of their individual properties should also be crucial in protein separation, water desalination, and bio-molecule detection using arrays of identical nanopores.     

Toxic elements at a disused mine district: Particle size distribution and total concentration in stream sediments and mine tailings

Heavy metal and metalloid pollution at a disused pyrite mine was investigated. Five solid samples collected in the area (three stream sediments with different soil texture, a background soil sample and a mine tailing) were characterised by mineral and element composition, particle size distribution (by wet and dry sieving and laser diffraction) and total concentration by acid digestion (Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Hg, Cd, Sb and As). X-ray and element analyses denoted a common mineralogical and chemical composition of mainly quartz, clinochlore, muscovite, anorthite, and hematite. Particle size distributions of the five samples showed that stream sediments were characterised by larger percentage of sand range classes (2000-60 microm) while background sample and tailing are mainly characterised by gravel particles (>2000 microm). Wet and dry sieving procedures gave different particle size distributions, which can be interpreted by laser diffraction analysis and represented by Rosin-Rammler model. Concentrations of Zn, Cu and Cd were higher in the stream sediments than the tailing and background soil, while Mn, As, Sb and Hg are mainly concentrated in the tailing sample. Metal concentrations in the three stream sediment samples are correlated with both particle size dimensions (D(63.2)) and concentration of geochemical normalizers (iron and aluminium). These correlations are observed also for the pollutants that are mainly concentrated in tailing sample (Mn and As), denoting the importance of surface interactions also for the binding of these elements onto stream sediments.     

Optical Gating of Photosensitive Synthetic Ion Channels

4‐oxo‐4‐(pyren‐4‐ylmethoxy) butanoic acid is used as a photolabile protecting group to show the optical gating of nanofluidic devices based on synthetic ion channels. The inner surface of the channels is decorated with monolayers of photolabile hydrophobic molecules that can be removed by irradiation, which leads to the generation of hydrophilic groups. This process can be exploited in the UV‐light‐triggered permselective transport of ionic species in aqueous solution through the channels. The optical gating of a single conical nanochannel and multichannel polymeric membranes is characterised experimentally and theoretically by means of current–voltage and selective permeation measurements, respectively. It is anticipated that the integration of nanostructures into multifunctional devices is feasible and can readily find applications in light‐induced controlled release, sensing, and information processing.     

EPICS based low-level radio frequency control system in LIPAc

The IFMIF–EVEDA (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility – Engineering Validation and Engineering Design Activity) linear accelerator, known as Linear IFMIF Prototype Accelerator (LIPAc), will be a 9 MeV, 125 mA continuous wave (CW) deuteron accelerator prototype to validate the technical options of the accelerator design for IFMIF. The primary mission of such facility is to test and verify materials performance when subjected to extensive neutron irradiation of the type encountered in a fusion reactor to prepare for the design, construction, licensing and safe operation of a fusion demonstration reactor (DEMO). The radio frequency (RF) power system of IFMIF–EVEDA consists of 18 RF chains working at 175 MHz with three amplification stages each. The low-level radio frequency (LLRF) controls the amplitude and phase of the signal to be synchronized with the beam and it also controls the resonance frequency of the cavities. The system is based on a commercial compact peripheral component interconnect (cPCI) field programmable gate array (FPGA) board, provided by Lyrtech and controlled by a Windows host PC. For this purpose, it is mandatory to communicate the cPCI FPGA board from EPICS Channel Access [1]. A software architecture on EPICS framework in order to control and monitor the LLRF system is presented.     

Characterization of Non-Metallic Inclusions in Superelastic NiTi Tubes

Non-metallic inclusions have been shown frequently to lead to crack initiation in superelastic Nitinol fatigue specimens. While prior studies suggested that both carbide (TiC) and oxide (Ti₄Ni₂O _x ) inclusions can develop in superelastic Nitinol alloys, questions remain on whether or how the chemistry and morphology of these non-metallic inclusions are affected by the melting and subsequent tube manufacturing process. In the present study, samples of Ti-55.8wt.%Ni alloy were taken from tubes fabricated from materials of various VIM and VAR melt processes. Additional samples were taken from various stages of the tube drawing process for studying the stringer formation. Our results suggest that both carbide and oxide inclusions are present in VIM/VAR materials and the oxide break-down during tube drawing appears to be the primary mechanism for stringer formation. Carbides in VIM materials generally remain as isolated particles during tube fabrication while the primary inclusion of oxide in the VAR material explains its higher stringer density. In addition, the carbide inclusion has been confirmed to contain a noticeable amount of oxygen; hence, we suggest the “Ti(C, O)” nomenclature. Further study on the role of oxygen on carbide and oxide formation in VIM/VAR materials may be beneficial for improving the future melt quality of NiTi alloys.     

Animating Formal Specifications with Inheritance in a DL-Based Framework

Dynamic logic (DL) provides a suitable formal framework to model actions and reasoning about them. <$>\cal OASIS<$> is a language for the specification of object-oriented conceptual models. In our model, specialisation is a relation between classes that defines an inheritance mechanism through static and dynamic partitions. A variant of DL (including the deontic operators for permission, prohibition and obligation) is the formalism used in <$>\cal OASIS<$> to deal with changes of state, triggers, preconditions, protocols and operations. The animation of conceptual models in order to validate the specification is an interesting topic. We have worked on translating <$>\cal OASIS<$> specifications automatically to concurrent environments in order to obtain a prototype useful to validate specifications by animation. The aim of this paper is to show that it is feasible to translate static and dynamic partitions automatically into dynamic logic formulae. Thus, using the same developed schema of animation it is possible to execute <$>\cal OASIS<$> specifications including inheritance.