Greener Electrochemical Synthesis of High Quality Graphene Nanosheets Directly from Pencil and its SPR Sensing Application

A green, simple, and cost effective electrochemical method to synthesize pure graphene oxide (GO) and graphene nanosheets (GNs) using pencil in ionic liquid medium is reported. The morphology and microstructure of prepared GNs and GO are examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy; the experiments confirm the formation of high quality graphene. The synthesized GO is used for the real‐time and label‐free surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing of the biological warfare agent Salmonella typhi.     

The Tenacity of an Inclined Fibre Bundle

The influence on the hairiness of open-end-spun yarns of the opening-roller speed, the linear density of the feed sliver, and the cleaning device that in some instances is coupled to spinning heads is studied and discussed, together with the influence of yarn twist and linear density. Experiments are reported on polyester-fibre, cotton, and polyester-fibre–cotton blended-fibre yarns.     

Combustion Characteristics of Silicon‐Based Nanoenergetic Formulations with Reduced Electrostatic Discharge Sensitivity

This paper details the synthesis and combustion characteristics of silicon‐based nanoenergetic formulations. Silicon nanostructured powder (with a wide variety of morphologies such as nanoparticles, nanowires, and nanotubes) were produced by DC plasma arc discharge route. These nanostructures were passivated with oxygen and hydrogen post‐synthesis. Their structural, morphological, and vibrational properties were investigated using X‐ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption‐desorption analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy. The silicon nanostructured powder (fuel) was mixed with varying amounts of sodium perchlorate (NaClO₄) nanoparticles (oxidizer) to form nanoenergetic mixtures. The NaClO₄ nanoparticles with a size distribution in the range of 5–40 nm were prepared using surfactant in a mixed solvent system. The combustion characteristics, namely (i) the combustion wave speed and (ii) the pressure‐time characteristics, were measured. The observed correlation between the basic material properties and the measured combustion characteristics is presented. These silicon‐based nanoenergetic formulations exhibit reduced sensitivity to electrostatic discharge (ESD).     

A practical approach to improve alarm system performance: Application to power plant

Process safety in chemical industries is considered to be one of the important goals towards sustainable development. This is due to the fact that, major accidents still occur and continue to exert significant reputational and financial impacts on process industries. Alarm systems constitute an indispensable component of automation as they draw the attention of process operators to any abnormal condition in the plant. Therefore, if deployed properly, alarm systems can play a critical role in helping plant operators ensure process safety and profitability. However, in practice, many process plants suffer from poor alarm system configuration which leads to nuisance alarms and alarm floods that compromise safety. A vast amount of research has primarily focused on developing sophisticated alarm management algorithms to address specific issues. In this article, we provide a simple, practical, systematic approach that can be applied by plant engineers(i.e., non-experts) to improve industrial alarm system performance. The proposed approach is demonstrated using an industrial power plant case study.     

Identification and spatial distribution of glycine receptor subunits in human sperm

The human sperm surface glycine receptor (GLR) plays a role in an important fertilization event, the sperm acrosome reaction. Here, by western blot analysis, we report the presence of GLRA1, GLRA2, GLRA3, and GLRB subunits in human sperm. Immunolocalization studies showed that the GLRA1 and GLRA2 subunits are present in the equatorial region, the GLRA3 subunit in the flagellar principal piece, and the GLRB subunit in the acrosomal region of sperm. This first demonstration of isoforms of the sperm GLRA subunit and of a differential spatial distribution of the alpha and beta subunits on the surface of mammalian sperm suggests the possibility that human sperm GLRs have more than one function.     

Electrochemical polymerization of aniline on carbon fibers in aqueous toluene sulfonate solution

Polyaniline has been successfully formed by aqueous electrochemical polymerization on carbon fibers. The coatings were formed under potentiostatic conditions with toluene‐4‐sulphonic acid sodium salt as the electrolyte. The effect of monomer concentration, electrolyte concentration, and the applied potential on the rate of polymerization were studied. The amount of polyaniline coatings formed on carbon fibers increased with increased aniline and electrolyte concentration. Increasing the applied potential also increased the weight of coatings formed on the fibers. The presence of positive y‐intercept in the weight gain plots are attributed to the adsorption of the electrolyte on the fibers before electropolymerization. The effect of the electrochemical parameters on the degradation of the polymer has been analyzed using infrared spectroscopy. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 1503–1509, 2000