A kinetic and surface study of the thermal decomposition of cellulose powder in inert and oxidizing atmospheres

The thermal decomposition of fibrous cellulose powder from 275° to 340°C has been studied by thermogravimetry, scanning electron microscopy, krypton adsorption, and gas-chromatographic analysis of the gaseous products arising from pyrolysis in various oxidizing and inert atmospheres. The reaction kinetics fit a phase boundary model where the rate is controlled by the movement of an interface through a cylindrical particle and the principal kinetic parameters fit a compensation curve described previously for the decomposition of wood products. An explanation of the physical mechanism of pyrolysis is proposed which is consistent with the observed rate data and the structural changes observed by scanning electron microscopy.     

Characterization of a nylon 6/poly(methyl acrylate) copolymer produced by radiation grafting

Acrylic acid has been grafted onto nylon 6 by the mutual γ-irradiation technique. Methods are described for removing poly(acrylic acid) homopolymer and ungrfted nylon, the latter involving intermediate conversion to the calcium ionomer. The pure graft copolymer in its methylated form, viz., nylon 6/poly(methyl acrylate), NY/PMA, was characterized by light scattering in mixed solvents to yield the true molecular weight (3.2 × 10⁶) as well as the molecular weights M_PMA(domain) and M_NY(domain) of the PMA and NY portions, respectively. The molecular weight M_PMA of the grafts was measured after hydrolysis of the backbone, and the molecular weight M_NY of the backbone was determined via a previously devised indirect procedure. Comparisons of M_PMA(domain) with M_PMA and of M_NY(domain) with M_NY gave ? 7 nylon chains and ? 17 poly(methyl acrylate) chains per copolymer molecule. Chain transfer and bimolecular terminatin during grafting are proposed as probable contributory factors to the branched structure of the copolymer.     

Reactive Laser Ablation Synthesis of Nanosize Alumina Powder

An aluminum (Al) target was laser ablated in an oxygen (O₂) atmosphere, producing nanosize alumina (Al₂O₃) powder. The powder surface area decreased (and the particle size increased) with both increasing oxygen pressure and laser fluence. All powders produced had surface areas between 135 and 250 m²/g, corresponding to primary particle sizes ranging from 7 to 3 nm in radius. Phase evolution with temperature was studied via X-ray diffraction. These powders showed a direct transformation from γ- to α-alumina at approximately 1200°C, bypassing other transition alumina phases, while still maintaining small particle size ( 30 nm). Despite the nanosize particles, green densities equal to 54% of the skeletal density (i.e., true density of the solid phase) were obtained by uniaxial pressing at 40 MPa.     

A model of ammonia volatilisation from a dairy farm: an examination of abatement strategies

A model (MAST) to calculate the mass flow of NH₃ through amodel dairy farm has been developed. Updated emission factors for UKagriculturewere used to examine different abatement strategies available for a typicaldairy farm. A range of annual NH₃ emissions was calculated for bothslurry and FYM based dairy systems. Emission for the slurry based system ranged between 27 kg NH₃-N ha^–1 yr^–1, achieved using a combination of abatementstrategies, and 107 kg NH₃-N ha^–1 yr^–1, calculated for a worst casescenario. For FYM, this range was between 33 and 86 kg NH₃-Nha^–1 yr^–1. The greatest reductionswereachieved by manipulating options linked to fertiliser usage and manureapplication.     

Reactive Laser Ablation Synthesis of Nanosize Aluminum Nitride

An aluminum (Al) target was laser ablated in a nitrogen (N₂) atmosphere, producing aluminum nitride (AlN) powder. These powders were calcined at 900°C for 2 h. Powders were produced at various nitrogen pressures, and the calcined powders were tested for unreacted aluminum content, using differential thermal analysis (DTA). The AlN powder, produced at a laser fluence of 12 J/cm² and a nitrogen pressure of 10.0 kPa (75 torr), showed no evidence of unreacted aluminum by DTA and was phase-pure AlN by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The surface area of this powder is 82 m²/g, corresponding to a particle size of ∼11 nm, which is in good agreement with TEM observations.     

Free and esterified sterols of cotton buds and anthers

Capillary gas liquid chromatography analyses were conducted on free and esterified sterol fractions of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum cv. Stoneville 213) floral buds and anthers. The free sterols of both cotton buds and anthers consist mainly of the common plant sterols sitosterol, stigmasterol and 24ζ-methylcholest-5-en-3β-ol. The composition of esterified sterols of cotton buds and anthers were similar, and consisted of pollinastanol, 31-norcycloartanol, cycloartenol, 31-norcycloartenol, 24-dehydropolinastanol and sitosterol. Desmosterol was also present in both the free and esterified sterols of anthers. The identities of the sterols were confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses. Esterified sterols accounted for 46.7 and 88.7% of total sterols of cotton bud and anthers, respectively. The ratio of esterified sterol to free sterol per gram of tissue is about 8∶1 in anthers. The Δ⁵-sterols of the esterified sterols of cotton buds and anthers account for only 17 and 9.2% of the total sterols, respectively.     

Molecular design and characterization of catalysts for NO x selective reduction by hydrocarbons in the oxygen excess based upon ultramicroporous zirconia pillared clays

Approaches to design of zirconia pillared clays via control of the properties of pillaring species in solutions were elaborated. Structural features of pillars and Pt + Cu active components fixed at these nanoparticles were shown to determine catalytic properties of pillared clays in NO_x selective reduction by hydrocarbons in the oxygen excess.     

A predicted three-dimensional structure for the human immunodeficiency virus binding domains of CD4 antigen

A predicted three-dimensional structure of the two N-terminalextracellular domains of human CD4 antigen, a cell surface glycoprotein,is reported. This region of CD4, particularly the first domain,has been identified as containing the binding region for theenvelope gp120 protein of the human immuno-deficiency virus.The model was predicted based on the sequence homology of eachdomain with the variable light chain of immunoglobulins. Theframework ß-sheet regions were taken from the crystalcoordinates of REI. For one region in the first domain of CD4there was an ambiguity in the alignment with REI and two alternatemodels are presented. Loops connecting the framework were modeledfrom fragments selected from a database of main chain coordinatesfrom all known protein structures. Residues identified as involvedin binding gp120 have been located in several other studieswithin the first domain of CD4. Epitopes from eight monoclonalantibodies have been mapped onto residues in both domains. Competitionof these antibodies with each other and with gp120 can be interpretedfrom the structural model.     

The quantitative analysis of coal processing solvents by combined g.c.-m.s.

The application of combined g.c.-m.s. with automated data processing to the rapid analysis of coal solvents has been described. An analytical method, using commercially available data processing routines, has been developed for the automatic quantitative analysis of specific aromatic and hydroaromatic compounds in coal processing solvents. To demonstrate the use of this technique, raw anthracene oil was hydrogenated under different conditions and the resulting hydrogenated anthracene oils were analysed. The results showed correlations between the hydrogen content and the absolute concentrations of specific compounds in the samples.     

Confinement, composition, and spin-coating effects on the glass transition and stress relaxation of thin films of polystyrene and styrene-containing random copolymers: Sensing by intrinsic fluorescence

The glass transition temperatures (T_gs) of polystyrene (PS) and styrene/methyl methacrylate (S/MMA) random copolymer films are characterized by intrinsic fluorescence, i.e., monomer fluorescence from an excited-state phenyl ring and excimer fluorescence from an excited-state dimer of two phenyl rings. The T_g is determined from the intersection of the rubbery- and glassy-state temperature dependences of the integrated fluorescence intensity measured upon cooling from an equilibrated state. With PS, the effects of nanoconfinement on T_g and the transition strength agree with results from studies using probe fluorescence and ellipsometry. The T_g-nanoconfinement effect is “tuned” by copolymer composition. As S-content is reduced from 100 mol% to 22 mol%, the confinement effect changes from a reduction to an enhancement of T_g relative to bulk T_g. Intrinsic fluorescence is also a powerful tool for characterizing relaxation of residual stresses. Stresses induced by spin coating affect local conformations, which in turn affect excimer and monomer fluorescence and thereby integrated intensity. The heating protocol needed to achieve apparently equilibrated local conformations is determined by equivalence in the integrated intensities obtained upon heating and subsequent cooling. While partial stress relaxation occurs upon heating in the glassy state, full relaxation of local conformations requires that a film be heated above T_g for times that are long relative to the average cooperative segmental relaxation time. For example, in thin and ultrathin films, equilibration is achieved by heating slowly (∼1 K/min) to 15-20 K above T_g. Dilute solution fluorescence of PS and S/MMA copolymers is also characterized and compared to reports in the literature.