MnxCr0.3Fe0.5Co0.2Ni0.5Al0.3 high entropy alloys for magnetocaloric refrigeration near room temperature

High entropy alloys (HEAs) based on transition metals display rich magnetic characteristics,however attempts on their application in energy efficient technologies remain scarce.Here,we explore the magne-tocaloric application for a series ofMnxCr0.3 Fe0.5Co0.2Ni0.5Al0.3 (0.8 ＜ x ＜ 1.1) HEAs by integrated theoretical and experimental methods.Both theory and experiment indicate the designed HEAs have the Curie tem-perature close to room temperature and is tunable with Mn concentration.A non-monotonic evolution is observed for both the entropy change and the relative cooling power with changing Mn concentration.The underlying atomic mechanism is found to primarily emerge from the complex impact of Mn on mag-netism.Advanced magnetocaloric properties can be achieved by tuning Mn concentration in combination with controlling structural phase stability for the designed HEAs.     

Phenol chlorination and photochlorination in the presence of chloride ions in homogeneous aqueous solution

Phenol chlorination was studied in the presence of dissolved Fe(III) and chloride under irradiation and of hydrogen peroxide and chloride in dark acidic solutions. In the former case phenol photochlorination is most likely due to the formation of Cl2*- as a consequence of Fe(III) irradiation in the presence of chloride. The most efficient pathway is the photolysis of FeOH2+ producing hydroxyl, which oxidizes chloride to Cl*. The latter finally yields Cl2*- upon further reaction with chloride. The importance of the pathway involving FeOH2+ is higher at higher pH and moderately low chloride concentration. At pH 2.0 and [Cl-] > 0.03 M chlorophenol generation rate decreases with increasing [Cl-], due to the formation of the much less photoactive species FeCl2+/FeCl2+. The photolysis of FeCl2+/ FeCl2+ yielding Cl* is likely to play an important role at pH 0.5 and high chloride, but under such conditions chlorophenol formation rates are about an order of magnitude lower than at pH 2.0. Due to pH and kinetic constraints, under most environmental conditions the photochemistry of FeCl2+/FeCl2+ can be expected to play a minor role toward chlorination when compared with the one of FeOH2+, which leads to hydroxyl-mediated chloride oxidation. Hydrogen peroxide and chloride react in dark acidic solutions to yield HClO, involved in electrophilic chlorination processes. Chlorophenol formation rates under such conditions are directly proportional to [H+]. The described chlorination and photochlorination processes can take place in acidic aerosols of marine origin, naturally rich in chloride and Fe(III). Antarctic aerosol is also rich of hydrogen peroxide and often strongly acidic due to the presence of sulfuric acid of biogenic origin.     

New fluorescent monomers and polymers displaying an intramolecular proton‐transfer mechanism in the electronically excited state. III. Thermogravimetric stability study of the benzazolylvinylene derivatives

Six fluorescent benzazolylvinylene derivatives were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and related molecular parameters. The thermal stability was determined in terms of the steps of degradation and its fitting parameters, such as maximum degradation rate (R_max), maximum degradation rate temperature (T_Rmax), degradation temperature range, which is related to the half‐width at half‐height values (Γ), and the kinetic parameters: activation energy (E_a), pre‐exponential factor (A), and reaction order (n) obtained by Barrett's method. Different organic substitutes and heteroatoms do not play a fundamental role in the thermal behavior of the studied dyes. The compensation effect between pre‐exponential factor and activation energy was confirmed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 495–500, 2006     

Edge Stresses in Alumina/Zirconia Laminates

Using the technique of fluorescence piezospectroscopy, we determine the distribution of thermal residual stresses across the edges of three laminated alumina/zirconia composites. We develop a methodology for separating the measured stress state into microstresses that result from grain-to-grain thermal mismatch and macrostresses that result from lamination-induced thermal mismatch between individual plies. Comparison between the measured edge-stress distributions and those calculated based on a simple force-superposition model shows good agreement, indicating that the laminate system is well approximated as linear elastic. Given the experimental confirmation of significant edge stresses in multi-ply laminates, the possibility of failure initiating at composite edges must be considered in the design of surface-compressed laminate structures with the aim of mediating the detrimental effect of surface flaws.     

Piezospectroscopic Analysis of the Residual Stresses in the Strontium Hexaluminate/Zirconia (SrAl12O19/ZrO2) System

Samples of strontium hexaluminate (SrAl₁₂O₁₉), both pure and mixed with different amounts of ceria-stabilized zirconia (CE-TZP), have been prepared via a chemical route. The fluorescence spectrum of SrAl₁₂O₁₉ is similar to that of ruby and yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG); consequently, this similarity has been attributed to the presence of a trace impurity of Cr³⁺ ions. The most-intense fluorescence peak of SrAl₁₂O₁₉ exhibits a dependence on stress that is given by the average uniaxial piezospectroscopic coefficient ( = 1.5 cm^-1·GPa^-1). The piezospectroscopic coefficient has been used to convert to stress the fluorescence frequency shift of SrAl₁₂O₁₉ mixed with zirconia (ZrO₂). The stress, as a function of the volume fraction of ZrO₂, resides between the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds but is best reproduced by an effective medium approximation.     

Catalytic acetylation of glycerol with acetic anhydride

We studied the acetylation of glycerol with acetic anhydride using different solid acid catalysts. The results indicated that at 60 °C, zeolite Beta and K-10 Montmorillonite showed 100% selectivity to triacetin within 20 min, with a molar ratio of 4:1. Amberlyst-15 acid resin yielded 100% triacetin after 80 min, whereas niobium phosphate gave diacetin and triacetin in 53% and 47% selectivity, respectively. All catalysts were more selective to triacetin than the uncatalyzed reaction. By contrast, zeolite Beta gave poor yield of triacetin when acetic acid was used as acetylating agent. The different behavior was explained in terms of the stabilization of the acylium ion intermediate.     

6-Substituted pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrazoles: an improved class of CDK2 inhibitors

We have recently reported a new class of CDK2/cyclin A inhibitors based on a bicyclic tetrahydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrazole scaffold. The introduction of small alkyl or cycloalkyl groups in position 6 of this scaffold allowed variation at the other two diversity points. Conventional and polymer-assisted solution phase chemistry provided a way of generating compounds with improved biochemical and cellular activity. Optimization of the physical properties and pharmacokinetic profile led to a compound which exhibited good efficacy in vivo on A2780 human ovarian carcinoma.     

Dechlorinating ability of TCE-fed microcosms with different electron donors

The main objective of the work presented herein is to assess the effect of different electron donors (butyric acid and methanol) on the dechlorinating activity of two microbial cultures where active methanogenic populations are present, in an effort to evaluate the importance of the electron donor selection process. The ability of each anaerobic culture to dechlorinate TCE, when enriched with either butyric acid or methanol, was verified based on the results of gas chromatography. In addition, the fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods gave positive results for the presence of Dehalococcoides spp. According to results of the batch tests conducted in this study, it appears that the selection of the electron donor for stimulating TCE dechlorination depends on microbial culture composition; therefore, the decision on the appropriate electron donor should be based on site-specific microcosm studies.