Effect of impinging ion energy on the substrates during deposition of SiOx films by radiofrequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process

Radiofrequency (13.56 MHz) plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process is used for deposition of SiO_x films on bell metal substrates using Ar/hexamethyldisiloxane/O₂ glow discharge. The DC self-bias voltage developed on the substrates is observed to be varied from − 35 V to − 115 V depending on the RF power applied to the plasma. Plasma potential measurements during film deposition process are carried out by self-compensated emissive probe. The deposited films are characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), nanoindentation, nano-scratch test and thermogravimetric analysis. The characterization results show strong dependency of the SiO_x films properties on the energy of the ions impinging on the substrates during deposition. Analysis of Raman spectra indicates an increase in vitreous silica content and reduction in defective Si-O-Si chemical structure in the deposited SiO_x films with increasing ion energy impinging on the substrates. The increase in inorganic (Si and O) content in the SiO_x films is further confirmed from XPS analysis. The growth of SiO_x films with more inorganic content and defect free chemical structure apparently contribute to the increase in their hardness and scratch resistance behavior. The films show higher thermal stability as the energy of the ions arriving at substrates increases with DC self-bias voltage. The possibility of using SiO_x films for surface protection of bell metal is also explored.     

Tracking-based baseline restoration circuit for acquisition of bio signals

Most bio signal waveforms have a baseline that may drift over a large range compared to the excursion of the signal component. A circuit is developed, based on the amplitude tracking technique, for fast estimation and removal of the baseline drift, for effective use of the input dynamic range of the signal acquisition setup     

Toughening of Polylactic Acid: An Overview of Research Progress

To overcome the limitations of polylactic acid, alterations are needed to enhance its toughness, to improve handling and for various applications. Extensive studies were reported, mainly in the area of blends with renewable resource polymer blends. Better phase dispersion between the blend materials is achieved either by reactive mixing of the two components or by incorporation of a block copolymer compatibilizer, finally showing highly enhanced property. In this article, the recent research progress of different toughening processes of PLA via blending is reviewed and a detailed understanding about toughening of PLA using biodegradable or renewable polymers has been established.     

Structural,Electronic Properties,Hydrogen Bonding Analyses,and Biological Activity of Two Multiple Myeloma Drugs: Lenalidomide and Pomalidomide

In this article, we made a comparative study of two multiple myeloma drugs: lenalidomide and pomalidomide. We calculated and discussed their geometries at DFT/B3LYP method. Intra-molecular hydrogen bonding in these molecules is confirmed and characterized by QTAIM calculations. Electronic parameters along with HOMO-LUMO and MESP surfaces are calculated in order to compare their chemical reactivity. The effect of structure and bonding on electronic properties and biological activities is discussed and it is established that pomalidomide is more biologically active than lenalidomide. The phenyl ring of these molecules show teratogenic effects, making a possibility of finding another new class of drugs.     

Study of uranium sorption using D2EHPA‐impregnated polymeric beads

The extractant‐impregnated polymeric beads (EIPBs), containing Di(2‐ethylhexyl) phosphonic acid (D2EHPA) as an extractant and polyethersulfone as base polymer, were prepared by phase‐inversion method. These beads were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis to gain insight into the composition and morphology of beads. The beads exhibited good acid stability as no significant structural deformation or leaching out of the extractant was observed in 6M HNO₃ solution, up to the studied equilibration time of 15 days. The synthesized EIPBs were evaluated, for their ability to absorb uranium from aqueous solution, at different concentration and pH values. The kinetics measurement showed that about 90 min of equilibration time was enough to remove saturation amount of uranium from the solution. Kinetic modeling analysis of the extraction results was carried out using pseudo‐first‐order, pseudo‐second‐order, and intraparticle diffusion equations and the corresponding rate constants were determined. The equilibrium data were fitted into different isotherm models and were found to be represented well by the Freundlich isotherm equation. Reusability of the beads was also established by multiple sorption–desorption experiments. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 3355–3364, 2013     

Thermal degradation characteristic of Tetra Pak panel boards under inert atmosphere

hermal degradation characteristics of Tetra Pak panel boards (TPPB) can be useful to improve usage of such panels as an alternative to wood-based products such as plywood, fiberboard, and particleboard. In the study, samples from the TPBBs manufactured from waste Tetra Pak packages (WTPP) were heated in a nitrogen atmosphere at different heating rates (10, 15 and 20 °C/min) using a thermal analysis system. The Coats-Redfern kinetic model was applied to calculate kinetic parameters. The degradation rate equations were then established. In addition, the kinetic compensation effect (KCE) was used to correlate the pre-exponential factor (k _o ) with activation energy (E _a ) and the existence of the KCE was accepted. TG-FT/IR analyses were applied to the TPPB degradation and then the FT-IR stack plot was used to analyze gas products (CO₂, CH₄, HCOOH, and CH₃OH). Infrared vibrational frequencies and the micro, crystal structure of the TPPBs were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD), respectively.     

Indication of water in the coordination sphere of rhodium by conversions of 2,5-dimethoxy-2,5-dihydrofuran with syngas

2,5-Dimethoxy-2,5-dihydrofuran did not form the expected aldehydes when water-soluble rhodium-catalysts were used for the conversion with syngas. Instead of hydroformylation, hydrogenation was the main reaction path in water, where 2,5-dimethoxytetrahydrofuran and its hydrolysis product, succinic dialdehyde, were obtained. The formation of hydrogenation products indicates water in the coordination sphere of rhodium. This may provide us with information on the environment of an active metal in aggregated structures like micelles and vesicles which are gaining in importance in biphasic catalysis.     

A Pyropheophorbide Analogue Containing a Fused Methoxy Cyclohexenone Ring System Shows Promising Cancer-Imaging Ability

Herein we report the synthesis, photophysical properties, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficacy of methyl 3-(1′-m-iodobenzyloxy)ethyl-3-devinyl-verdin 4 (with or without the ¹²⁴I isotope). The PET imaging ability and ex vivo biodistribution of [¹²⁴I] 4 were compared with the well-studied methyl [3-(¹²⁴1′-m-iodobenzyloxy)ethyl]-3-devinyl-pyropheophorbide-a methyl ester (PET-ONCO or [¹²⁴I] 2 ) and [¹⁸F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([¹⁸F]FDG) in BALB/c mice bearing colon-26 tumors. Whole-body PET images of [¹²⁴I] 4 containing a fused methoxy cyclohexenone ring system showed excellent tumor contrast with time (72>48>24 h post-injection). Ex vivo biodistribution results indicate that relative to the current clinical standard [¹⁸F]FDG and [¹²⁴I] 2 in 2 % ethanol formulation, [¹²⁴I] 4 , at the same radioactive dose (25 μCi per mouse), showed higher tumor uptake at 24 h post-injection and longer tumor retention. In biological environments, compound 4 showed lower fluorescence and lower singlet oxygen yield than 2 , which is possibly due to higher aggregation caused by the presence of a fused cyclohexenone ring system, resulting in limited in vitro/in vivo PDT efficacy. Therefore, the chlorophyll-a analogue [¹²⁴I] 4 provides easy access to a novel PET imaging agent (with no skin phototoxicity) to image cancer types—brain, renal carcinomas, pancreas—in which [¹⁸F]FDG shows limitations.     

Reduction of hexavalent chromium by Bacillus sp. isolated from chromite mine soils and characterization of reduced product

BACKGROUND: The reduction of highly mobile and toxic hexavalent chromium by bacterial strains is considered to be a viable alternative to reduce Cr(VI) contamination, in soils and water bodies, emanating from the overburden dumps of chromite ores and mine drainage. The present study reports the isolation of Cr(VI) resistant bacterial strains from an Indian chromite mine soil and their potential use in reduction of hexavalent chromium. RESULTS: Among the isolates, a bacterial strain (CSB‐4) was identified as Bacillus sp. based on standard biochemical tests and partial 16SrRNA gene sequencing, which was tolerant to as high as 2000 mg L^?1 Cr(VI) concentration. The strain was capable of reducing Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in different growth media. Under the optimized conditions pH ～7.0, 100 mg L^?1 Cr(VI), 35 °C temperature and stirring speed 100 rpm, CSB‐4 reduced more than 90% of Cr(VI) in 144 h. The time course reduction data fitted well an exponential rate equation yielding rate constants in the range 3.22 × 10^?2 to 6.5 × 10^?3 h^?1 for Cr(VI) concentration of 10–500 mg L^?1. The activation energy derived from temperature dependence rate constants between 25 and 35 °C was found to be 99 kJ mol^?1. The characterization of reduced product associated with bacterial cells by SEM‐EDS, FT‐IR and XRD was also reported. CONCLUSION: Reasonably high tolerance and reduction ability of indigenous Bacillus sp. (CSB‐4) for Cr(VI) under a wide range of experimental conditions show promise for its possible use in reclamation of chromite ore mine areas including soils and water bodies. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Planning collision-free trajectories in time-varying environments: a two-level hierarchy

We propose a two-level hierarchy for planning collision-free trajectories in time varying environments. Global geometric algorithms for trajectory planning are used in conjunction with a local avoidance strategy. Simulations have been developed for a mobile robot in the plane among stationary and moving obstacles. Essentially, the robot has a global geometric planner that provides a coarse global trajectory (the path and velocity along it), which may be locally modified by the low-level local avoidance module if local sensors detect any obstacles in the vicinity of the robot. This hierarchy makes effective use of the complementary aspects of the global trajectory planning approaches and the local obstacle avoidance approaches.