A thermoanalytical study of oxidation of TiC by simultaneous TGA-DTA-MS analysis

The oxidation of TiC powders was non-isothermally carried out by heating up to 900 °C at a rate of 5°C min^–1 and at an oxygen pressure of 2–60 kPa, using a simultaneous thermogravimetric analysis-differential thermal analysis-mass spectroscopy (TGA-DTA-MS) apparatus. It was found that oxidation was divided into four stages, I to IV. Stage I, covering the oxidation fraction, , 0–20%, was probably due to formation of oxycarbide (TiC_xO_1–x, 0 < x<0.5) with slight heat and CO₂ evolution. Oxidation in stages II and III at 20–60% was affected by oxygen pressure; the higher pressure giving rise to very sharp exothermic and CO₂ evolution peaks in stage II, which are correlated with the formation of anatase. Oxidation in stage III proceeded gradually with increasing rutile phase. The sample amount also exerted a similar effect on oxidation as the oxygen pressure.     

Enrichment of polyunsaturated fatty acids withGeotrichum candidum lipase

Three lipases, isolated previously in our laboratory, each with different fatty acid and positional specificities, and a known lipase fromCandida cylindracea were screened for concentrating docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) acids in glycerides.Geotrichum candidum lipase was found to be suitable for their concentration in glycerides. Tuna oil was treated at 30°C with this lipase for 16 h, and 33.5% hydrolysis resulted in the production of glycerides containing 48.7% of DHA and EPA. The hydrolysis was not increased despite adding further lipase, so the glycerides were extracted, and the reaction was repeated. The second hydrolysis produced glycerides containing 57.5% of DHA and EPA in a 54.5% yield, with recovery of 81.5% of initial DHA and EPA. Of the total glycerides, 85.5% were triglycerides. These results showed thatG. candidum lipase was effective in producing glycerides that contained a high concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids in good yield.     

Single crystal growth of Mn2N using an In-Na flux

Hexagonal platelet and pyramidal single crystals of Mn₂N were prepared by using an In-Na flux at 700 °C and 5 MPa of N₂ pressure. The crystal structure (space group P6₃/mmc) with lattice parameters a=2.8185(6) Å and c=4.5371(12) Å was confirmed by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. Nitrogen atoms statistically occupy a half of the octahedral interstitial sites in a hexagonal closest packing arrangement of Mn atoms.     

Latest developments for “system‐on‐glass” displays using low‐temperature poly‐Si TFTs

Abstract— A 2.3‐in.‐diagonal QVGA‐formatted “System‐On‐Glass” display has been developed by using low‐temperature poly‐Si TFT‐LCD technology. This display fully integrates 6‐bit RGB digital interface drivers as well as all the power supply circuitry to drive the LCD, which requires neither external driver ICs nor power‐supply ICs. This paper discusses the newly developed TFT circuit technologies used in this LCD. The development trend of the “System‐On‐Glass” display is also reviewed.     

Implant failure in bilateral metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasties: a clinical and pathological study

Metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasties (MoMHRAs) have a high failure rate due to pseudotumour formation. It is not certain whether pseudotumours in bilateral MoMHRAs form on the basis of an adverse reaction to metal debris (ARMD) that is entirely due to a local innate and adaptive immune response to Cobalt-Chrome (Co-Cr) wear particles. To determine if there is a systemic component to ARMD in bilateral MoMHRAs, we examined the histology of ARMD in unilateral and bilateral MoMHRAs revised for pseudotumour and determined whether implant survival differed between these two groups. Periprosthetic tissue specimens from 119 hips revised for pseudotumour were examined. These were derived from 109 patients including 10 patients with bilateral MoMHRAs and 99 with sunilateral MoMHRAs including a cohort of 20 patients with bilateral MoMHRAs that had undergone only one MoMHRA revision for pseudotumour. The mean time to revision for pseudotumour of unilateral and bilateral MoMHRAs was determined. The histology of periprosthetic tissue was examined for evidence of the innate and adaptive immune response and scored semi-quantitatively. There was no significant difference in histological features of the innate / adaptive response between Group 1 bilateral pseudotumours and Group 2 and Group 3 unilateral pseudotumours. Histological features, including ALVAL scores, were similar in the periprosthetic tissues of right and left hips in Group 1 bilateral MoMHRAs. The mean time to first revision for pseudotumour of bilateral MoMHRAs (6.59 years) was not decreased compared with unilateral MoMHRAs (5.66 years) or bilateral MoMHRAs that had only one revision (7.05 years). Right and left hip pseudotumours in bilateral MoMHRAs exhibit similar histological features of the innate and adaptive immune response. Mean implant survival is not decreased in bilateral compared with unilateral MoMHRA cases. The findings suggest that pseudotumour formation is due more to a local than a systemic innate /adaptive immune response to components of metal wear.

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Beating Thermal Coarsening in Nanoporous Materials via High-Entropy Design

Controlling the feature sizes of 3D bicontinuous nanoporous (3DNP) materials is essential for their advanced applications in catalysis, sensing, energy systems, etc., requiring high specific surface area. However, the intrinsic coarsening of nanoporous materials naturally reduces their surface energy leading to the deterioration of physical properties over time, even at ambient temperatures. A novel 3DNP material beating the universal relationship of thermal coarsening is reported via high-entropy alloy (HEA) design. In newly developed TiVNbMoTa 3DNP HEAs, the nanoporous structure is constructed by very fine nanoscale ligaments of a solid-solution phase due to enhanced phase stability by maximizing the configuration entropy and suppressed surface diffusion. The smallest size of 3DNP HEA synthesized at 873 K is about 10 nm, which is one order of magnitude smaller than that of conventional porous materials. More importantly, the yield strength of ligament in 3DNP HEA approaches its theoretical strength of G/2π of the corresponding HEA alloy even after thermal exposure. This finding signifies the key benefit of high-entropy design in nanoporous materials—exceptional stability of size-related physical properties. This high-entropy strategy should thus open new opportunities for developing ultrastable nanomaterials against its environment.     

Characteristics of the Photocatalytic Oxidation of Methane into Methanol on V-Containing MCM-41 Catalysts

V-containing MCM-41 catalysts were prepared by a direct synthesis method under acidic and basic conditions and impregnation. Their photocatalytic reactivity was evaluated for the selective photocatalytic oxidation of methane with NO under UV irradiation at 295 K. Selective methanol formation was observed on V-MCM-41 prepared in acidic solution and imp-V/MCM-41, while only coupling reaction products were obtained on V-MCM-41 prepared in basic solution. The photocatalytic reactivity of the catalysts for the partial oxidation of methane was found to strongly depend on the local structure of the V-oxide species including the coordination and loading sites, i.e., the charge transfer excited states of the isolated tetrahedral V⁵⁺-oxide species supported on the catalyst surface act as the active sites for the selective photocatalytic oxidation of methane into methanol.     

Comparative studies on surface modification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) by remote and direct argon plasmas

Surface modification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film by an argon (Ar) plasma was investigated as a function of the distance from the Ar plasma zone. Changes in distance between the PET film and the Ar plasma zone had a strong influence on the surface modification of the film. The direct Ar plasma treatment (distance between the PET film and Ar plasma zone = 0 cm) was effective in hydrophilic surface modification, but heavy etching reactions occurred during the modification. On the other hand, the remote Ar plasma treatment (distance between the PET film and Ar plasma zone = 80 cm) modified the PET film surfaces to be hydrophilic without heavy etching reactions, although the hydrophilicity of the PET was lower than that by the direct Ar plasma. The remote Ar plasma treatment was distinguished from the direct Ar plasma treatment from the viewpoint of degradation reactions. The remote Ar plasma treatment rather than the direct Ar plasma treatment was an adequate procedure for surface modification and caused less polymer degradation on the film surface. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 808–815, 2001     

High‐frequency measurements of the magnetoresistance effect of thin films

The ac magnetoresistance of thin films at frequencies up to 10 kHz was successfully measured. Patterned electrodes with mechanical flexibility were pressed onto the film surface by using a rubber pad. Induction noises were reduced considerably in comparison to the conventional four‐electrode method. A seven‐electrode system was developed to prevent high‐frequency induction noise, typically induced by leakage flux from the sample edges. It was found that the seven‐electrode system enables magnetoresistance measurements with little induction noise at frequencies up to 10 kHz. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 132(2): 1–5, 2000     

Early-Stage Thermal Oxidation of Carbothermal β-Sialon Powder

Early-stage thermal oxidation (below 1100°C) of carbothermally synthesized β-sialon powder was monitored by X-ray powder diffraction, solid-state ²⁹Si and ²⁷Al MAS NMR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetry. No crystalline oxidation products were detected by XRD but ²⁹Si and ²⁷Al MAS NMR indicated the early formation of amorphous silica, followed by the formation of an amorphous aluminosilicate with an atomic environment similar to that of mullite. The initial oxidation was described by a linear kinetic law with an activation energy of 170 kJmol⁻¹, suggesting the rate-limiting step to be due to dissolution of O₂ in an amorphous silica surface layer on the β-sialon particles.