Emissivity of chlorinated polyethylene

The emissivity of chlorinated polyethylene containing varying amounts of combined chlorine has been investigated. It was found that the emissivity of these compounds increases significantly with increase in chlorination.     

Effect of off-orientation of seed crystal on silicon carbide (SiC) single-crystal growth on the (11 $$\bar 2$$ 0) surface0) surface

The effect of off-orientation growth has been investigated in terms of stacking fault formation during physical vapor transport (PVT) growth of silicon carbide (SiC) single crystals on the (11 0) seed crystal surface. Occurrence of stacking fault formation is largely dependent on the direction of off-orientation, and basal plane stacking fault density is significantly reduced by growing the crystals on a (11 0) seed crystal off-oriented toward 〈0001〉. The density of the basal plane stacking faults rapidly decreases from 100–150 cm⁻¹ to ∼10 cm⁻¹ as the degree of off-orientation is increased from 0 to 10 deg. The results are interpreted in the framework of microscopic facet formation during PVT growth, and the introduction of off-orientation of seed crystal is assumed to prevent (01 0) and (10 0) microfacet formation on the (11 0) growing surface through modification of the surface growth kinetics and to suppress the stacking fault formation. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Preparation of samples for proficiency testing of pesticide residue analysis in processed foods

To conduct proficiency testing for the analysis of pesticide residues in processed foods, fortified samples of retort curry and pancake were examined. In the case of retort curry, heating and mixing were necessary at the time of preparation to provide a homogenous analytical sample. A mixture of 4 carbamates and 11 organophosphorus pesticides was spiked and 14 of them showed consistent results in the samples. In the case of pancake, 10 kinds of pesticides were added to the pastry. The prepared pastry was them cooked. The relative concentrations of most of the pesticides in the pancake were not affected and all the pesticides showed consistent results in the samples. These results showed that the two tested samples were suitable for proficiency testing.     

Application of Highly Functional Ti-Oxide-Based Photocatalysts in Clean Technologies

Various Ti-oxide based photocatalysts such as the highly dispersed Ti-oxide species within zeolite frameworks, TiO₂ nano-particles hybridized with hydrophobic zeolite adsorbents as well as visible light responsive TiO₂ thin films have been successfully prepared. Characterization studies at the molecular level, such as X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and photoluminescence (PL), revealed that the highly dispersed Ti-oxide species within the nano-spaces of zeolites possess a tetrahedral coordination and that they demonstrate unique and high performance for the photocatalytic decomposition of NOx and the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ with H₂O. A high photocatalytic reactivity for the TiO₂ semiconducting photocatalysts could be achieved by blending them with hydrophobic siliceous zeolites which was equal to the performance of TiO₂ deposited with expensive Pt particles. The role of the siliceous zeolites can be described as a so-called “catch and release effect of organic compounds”, i.e., (i) the condensation of the reactants within the hydrophobic cavities of zeolites and; (ii) the efficient diffusion of the reactant onto the TiO₂ photocatalytic sites. Furthermore, a novel photocatalytic system which can convert abundant solar energy into renewable H₂ energy by the decomposition of H₂O into H₂ and O₂ can also be achieved by using visible light responsive TiO₂ thin film photocatalysts prepared by a RF-magnetron sputtering deposition method. The conversion efficiency of solar energy into H₂ energy may be estimated at ca. 0.1% from the initial rate of H₂ evolution.     

Morphologic Control of Pt Supported Titanate Nanotubes and Their Photocatalytic Property

Morphologic control of Pt supported titanate nanotubes was attempted by the hydrothermal hot-pressing (HHP) technique in order to improve the handleability as a photocatalyst. The bulk of Pt-nanocrystal supported titanate nanotubes was successfully fabricated without the H₂ reduction process by applying the HHP technique. The bulky Pt-nanocrystal supported titanate nanotubes possessed dense microstructures, significantly sharp distributions of mesopores, and high Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area. Furthermore, the bulky Pt-nanocrystal supported titanate nanotubes showed the photocatalytic degradation activities of 2-propanol aqueous solution under UV-light irradiation.     

Enhancement of the photocatalytic reactivity of TiO2 nano-particles by a simple mechanical blending with hydrophobic mordenite (MOR) zeolite

The photocatalytic oxidation of gaseous acetaldehyde with O₂ on commercial TiO₂ nano-particles could be successfully enhanced by a simple mechanical blending with a high-silica mordenite (MOR) zeolite, the surface of which showed high hydrophobic properties. When the TiO₂ nano-particles of ca. 5–20 wt% were mixed with the MOR zeolite powders in an agate mortar for only 5 min, the blended TiO₂/MOR samples showed higher photocatalytic reactivity as compared to the pure TiO₂ nano-particles. Since the high-silica zeolite powders are highly transparent in UV light regions, the incident UV light is effectively irradiated onto the whole part of the TiO₂ nano-particles without any loss of light intensity. Furthermore, the siliceous MOR zeolite powders effectively adsorb the gaseous acetaldehyde molecules and supply them onto the surfaces of the blended TiO₂ nano-particles, resulting in an enhancement of the photocatalytic reactivity.     

Potential estimation of hourly blank storage space and charge loads of EVs using road traffic census and vehicles status

If both EVs (Electric Vehicles, includes plug‐in hybrid electric vehicles) and renewable energies spread in large quantities, it is possible to control the supply fluctuation of renewable energies using the storage battery of EVs. This research sought to show the charge load potential of EVs based on the state of the Japanese passenger car using traffic census results, etc. Furthermore, it tried to show the trend of the storage battery capacity according to time. From the estimated results: (1) the charge electricity of low and middle distance gets a majority of the total charge demand, (2) charge load changes according to time several times, and the minimum load is the number of gigawatt‐hours at early morning, (3) if night charge is assumed, the standby charge demand of noon will reach tens of gigawatt‐hours, it may have sufficient scale for supply fluctuation control of PVs. Although the present EV is not suitable for long‐distance running, these are expected to be 30 or less percent of the total charge demand. The estimated storage capacity potential in this research will not change numbers of times. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 182(3): 30–38, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22352     

A coherent phase diagram of the [(AuCu)0.86Ag0.14]1-XPtX pseudobinary section in Au-Cu-Ag-Pt quaternary system

Hephaestus (or Hephaistos) is an Olympian Greek god, the divine smith, famed for inventions, who taught men glorious crafts. The fixed epithet for Hephaestus, used from the eighth century B.C. by Homer, Hesiod, and other ancient authors until the fifth century A.D., is "Amphiguéeis," i.e., with both feet crooked. He is also called "Kullopodíou," i.e., clubfooted. His body and his gait were described by Homer: "He spake, and from the anvil rose, a huge, panting bulk, halting the while, but beneath him his slender legs moved nimbly ... and with a sponge wiped his face and his two hands withal, and his mighty neck and shaggy breast, ... and grasped a stout staff, and went forth halting; but there moved swiftly to support their lord handmaidens wrought of gold in the semblance of living maids." His anomaly was congenital, as we learn from Hephaestus himself ("I was born misshapen") and from his mother Hera ("But my son Hephaestus whom I bare was weakly among all the blessed gods and shrivelled of foot."). Vase paintings of the sixth century B.C. depict Hephaestus' lameness, but his lameness is not emphasized in the fifth century and thereafter. It is most likely that bilateral congenital clubfeet made Hephaestus lame. Two sons of Hephaestus, Palaemonius and Periphetes, were also reported as having deformed feet.