Preparation of NaBiO3 and the electrochemical characteristic of manganese dioxide doped with NaBiO3

NaBiO₃ crystal of high purity has been synthesized through chemical oxidization. The morphology and thermal stability of NaBiO₃ were examined with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC). The electrochemical properties of MnO₂ electrodes with and without doping NaBiO₃ were studied through galvanostatic charge/discharge and cyclic voltammetry. The results indicate that the MnO₂ electrode doped with NaBiO₃ possesses remarkably higher discharge voltage and capacity and better reversibility than the pure MnO₂ electrode and Bi₂O₃ doping MnO₂ electrode.     

过渡金属对Ru/海泡石催化剂加氢性能及表面性质的影响

用浸渍法制备了一系列含不同助剂Mo、Co、Mn、Cu、Zr等的Ru/海泡石催化剂，以CO₂及苯加氢为探针反应，以TPD和CS₂中毒为手段研究了助剂对Ru/海泡石催化剂加氢、反应物吸附及活化性能的影响。结果表明，助剂的加入显著地影响Ru/海泡石催化剂的催化活性，且随着反应分子的加大，这种影响随之增大；助剂对催化反应中反应物的吸附、活化过程的影响是其影响催化活性的重要原因。另外，结果还表明，助剂的加入还调整了Ru/海泡石催化剂的表面性能，但并没有改变活性中心的类型。     

Apparatus for measuring physical adsorption on intact supported porous membranes

We present a non-destructive, reusable apparatus with which to measure physical adsorption isotherms of intact porous membranes. We developed a two-piece sample container to make reliable sorption measurements of porous membranes, the properties of which may differ from those of powders due to crystal intergrowth. This novel system employs a resealable container that can be immersed in a cryogenic bath, into which tubular, planar, or other porous membranes and films may be placed. Detailed sorption isotherms, including high-resolution adsorption in the low pressure (micropore-filling) region, are shown for MFI-type zeolite membranes grown on two types and configurations of α-alumina support.     

Improved mechanical properties of shape‐memory polyurethane block copolymers through the control of the soft‐segment arrangement

High‐performance shape‐memory polyurethane block copolymers, prepared with two types of poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTMG) used as soft segments, were investigated for their mechanical properties. Copolymers with a random or block soft‐segment arrangement had higher stresses at break and elongations at break than those with only one kind of PTMG. Random copolymers with fewer interchain interactions showed higher elongation than block copolymers. All the copolymers had shape‐recovery ratios higher than 80%. In dynamic mechanical testing, the glass‐transition behavior clearly depended on the soft‐segment arrangement: random copolymers had only one glass‐transition peak, whereas block copolymers showed two separate glass‐transition peaks. Overall, the control of the soft‐segment arrangement plays a vital role in the development of high‐performance shape‐memory polyurethane. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 2410–2415, 2004     

Water flux,DSC, and cytotoxicity characterization of membranes of cellulose acetate produced from sugar cane bagasse,using PEG 600

Summary In this article, cellulose acetate produced through the homogeneous acetylation of sugar cane bagasse cellulose was used to produce membranes, using poly(ethyleneglycol) 600 (PEG 600) as an admixture. The membranes were characterized using water flux measurements (Payne’s cup), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and neutral red uptake (cytotoxicity). The results showed that PEG 600 acts as a crystallinity inductor and/or pore former in the cellulose acetate matrix. The induction of crystallinity is important for this system since it had not been reported on the literature yet. The results also demonstrated that the studied membranes present a nontoxic behavior.     

The temporal evolution of thermal instability in fluid layers isothermally heated from below

The temporal development of thermal disturbances in the fluid layer heated isothermally from below is investigated, based on propagation theory. This theory is examined by using scaling. To examine the behavior of thermal instability the mean-field approximation is employed and resulting equations are solved by Galerkin method. The stability criteria to mark the onset of convective instability are newly suggested as the intersection point of the growth rate of averaged temperature with that of its fluctuation. The resulting critical time is close to that derived from propagation theory. By considering the nonlinear effects, the characteristic times to represent the detection time of manifest convection and also to exhibit the minimum Nusselt number are discussed.     

Presumed joint probability density function model for turbulent combustion

A presumed joint probability density function (pdf) model of turbulent combustion is proposed in this paper. The turbulent fluctuations of reactant concentrations and temperature are described using a presumed joint pdf of three-dimensional Gaussian distribution based on first and second-order moments of reactant concentration and temperature. Mean reaction rates in both premixed and diffusion combustion are obtained by mean of integration under the presumed joint pdf. This model is applied to predict turbulent premixed combustion of sudden-expansion flow and turbulent jet diffusion methane/air flame. For turbulent premixed combustion, the predicted results of temperature distribution and maximum temperature using the proposed model agree better with the experiment than that using the conventional eddy-breakup (EBU)-Arrhenius model. For the turbulent jet diffusion methane/air flame, the predicted results of velocity, temperature and species concentrations using the proposed model, the Arrhenius, EBU-Arrhenius, and laminar flamelet models are compared with experiment data. Results obtained with the presumed pdf model and that obtained by the laminar flamelet model both agree well with experiments, while results using the other models have a significant difference. The presumed joint pdf model is used to predict the NO formation process, which also agrees well with the experiment data. A unified turbulent combustion model, in which both effects of turbulent diffusion and chemical dynamics are considered, is established for both premixed and diffusion combustion, especially for the process of NO formation.     

Electrochemical cell current requirements for toxic organic waste destruction in Ce(IV)-mediated electrochemical oxidation process

The electrochemical cell for cerium oxidation and reactor for organic destruction are the most important operation units for the successful working mediated electrochemical oxidation (MEO) process. In this study, electrochemical cells with DSA electrodes of two types, single stack and double stack connected in series, were used. The performances towards the electrochemical generation of Ce(IV) in nitric acid media at 80 °C were studied. The current-voltage curves and cerium electrolysis kinetics showed the dependence on number of cell stacks needed to be connected in series for the destruction of a given quantity of organic pollutant. The presence of an optimum region for Ce(III) oxidation with a contribution of oxygen evolution, especially at low Ce(III) concentration (high conversion ratios), was found. The cells were applied for the Ce(IV) regeneration during the organic destruction. The cell and reactor processes were fitted in a simple model proposed and used to calculate the current needed in terms of Ce(III) oxidation rate and the number of cell stacks required for maintaining Ce(IV)/Ce(III) ratio at the same level during the organic destruction. This consideration was based on the kinetic model previously developed by us for the organic destruction in the MEO process.     

Ethanol vapor deactivation of gossypol in cottonseed meal

Most cottonseed cultivars contain gossypol, a polyphenolic antinutritional compound. “Free” gossypol is a physiologically active form of gossypol, which is toxic to young- and nonruminant animals. To utilize solvent-extracted cottonseed meal as a general feed, gossypol must be either removed or deactivated to a minimum level specified for each class of animal. Normally, deactivation is carried out prior to oil extraction; however, the desired level of deactivation is not always attained. A new supplemental method of deactivation has been found by using either ethanol or isopropanol vapors on solventextracted meal. In a bench-top set-up, ethanol vapor reduced free gossypol from 0.115 to 0.053%, and a further reduction to 0.026% has been observed with the addition of ferrous sulfate. The supplemental deactivation method can, in most cases, reduce free gossypol to significantly safer levels for feeding, thus increasing utility, and possibly demand, for cottonseed meal as a general animal feed protein source. Presented in part at the AOCS Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, May 8–12, 1994.     

Synthesis of chiral polymers having camphanediol moieties and their applications on the optical resolution of some racemates

Optically active exo-exo-2,3-camphanediol (CPO) (3) was synthesized from (+)-camphor. Chiral polymers poly(CPO-co-TDI) ( 6 ) and poly(CPO-co-IPDI) ( 7 ) were synthesized by the step polymerization of chiral compound CPO ( 3 ) with toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI). To investigate the stereo structure of the chiral polymers, two kinds of model compounds, exo-exo-2,3-di[(phenylamido)oxy]camphane ( 4 ) and exo-exo-2,3-di[(propylamido)oxy]camphane ( 5 ), related to polymers ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) were synthesized. Chiroptical characteristics and stereo structures of the chiral polymers were investigated using a circular dichroic spectrometer. The results obtained in this investigation suggest that the chiral polymers ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) have no one-handed helix conformation. The optical resolution ability as chiral adsorbent for HPLC of the chiral polymers was investigated. It was found that chiral polymers ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) are effective for the optical resolution of some racemates. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.