Mechanical characterization in laminated composite for cryogenic application

Damage in cryogenic composite fuel tanks induced during manufacturing and advanced by thermomechanical cycling can accelerate leakage of the propellant. Whether the leakage exceeds tolerable levels depends on many factors, including pressure gradients, microcrack density, other damage such as delamination, connectivity of the cracks, residual stresses from manufacture, service‐induced stresses from thermal and mechanical loads, and composite lay‐up. This article is concerned with the creation and the detection of damage in cryogenic composites due to thermomechanical loading. The first part deals with cryocycling (cycling between two temperatures) test procedures, that were developed to understand the damage produced in cryogenic composite laminates under thermomechanical loading. An apparatus was developed to thermomechanically cycle coupon test specimens under different thermomechanical loadings. IM7/977‐2 and IM7/5250‐4 graphite/epoxy cross‐ply [90₂/0₂]_S and angle‐ply [0/‐45/90/45/0/45090/‐45/0]_S laminates were tested using these systems. Ply‐by‐ply microcrack density was measured as a function of thermomechanical cycles. The second part of this article deals with effect of thermal gradients due to sudden exposure to a cryogenic temperature. The sudden exposure to cryogenic temperatures may have caused the microcracks, due to large temperature variations through the thickness and the resulting thermal stresses. In this work, an investigation of the sudden exposure to cryogenic temperatures is conducted experimentally with and without an insulating layer. POLYM. COMPOS., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effects of Water Activity on the Lipid Oxidation and Antioxidants of Dried Laver (Porphyra) During Storage in the Dark

Lipid oxidation and antioxidant degradation in dried laver (Porphyra) were determined during storage at water activities (A_w) of 0.11, 0.30, 0.51, 0.75, or 0.89 in the dark at 40 °C for 15 d. Lipid oxidation was evaluated by measuring peroxide value (POV) and conjugated dienoic acid (CDA) contents, and fatty acid composition was analyzed by gas chromatography. Contents of polyphenols, tocopherols, and porphyran were determined by spectrophotometry, HPLC, and gravimetry, respectively. The POV and CDA contents of the dried laver lipids increased during storage as A_w increased from 0.11 to 0.30, 0.51, 0.75, and 0.89, whereas the relative content of eicosapentaenoic acid was decreased; however, the contents of polyphenols, α‐tocopherol, and porphyran in dried laver showed the reverse phenomena. Lipid oxidation and antioxidant degradation in dried laver sharply increased at an A_w of 0.51. Polyphenols, α‐tocopherol, and porphyran contributed to reduction of lipid oxidation in dried laver. The degree of lipid oxidation of dried laver was more dependent on the concentration of α‐tocopherol than that of either polyphenols or porphyran during storage in the dark. The results strongly suggest that the quality of dried laver can be improved by preserving tocopherols as much as possible while decreasing A_w during storage.     

Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory benzopyranoids from Angelica gigas

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) plays a major role in the regulation of blood pressure. The potential antihypertensive activity of Angelica gigas was evaluated in vitro by its ability to inhibit ACE. A methanol extract of A. gigas roots exerted an inhibitory effect against ACE and was fractionated using several organic solvents, including dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol. The n-butanol soluble fraction, which manifested potent ACE inhibitory properties, was further purified via repeated silica gel and RP-18 column chromatography. Three benzopyriansides, such as nodakenin (1), umbelliferone (2), and umbelliferone 6-carboxylic acid (3) were isolated from A. gigas roots. Compounds 1–3 inhibited ACE activity in a dose-dependent manner, with IC₅₀ values of 63.95±0.16, 190.49±0.54, and 158.35±1.53 μM, respectively. The inhibition kinetics analyzed by Lineweaver-Burk plots revealed that the three compounds showed a mixed-type inhibition. The equilibrium constants for the inhibitor binding (K_i) of 1, 2, and 3 were estimated to be 1.56×10^?4, 4.70×10^?4, and 2.17×10^?4 M, respectively. We used A. gigas roots to isolate nodakinin, umbelliferone, and umbelliferone 6-carboxylic acid and tested their inhibition efficacy against ACE for the first time.     

Effects of water activity on pigments in dried laver (Porphyra) during storage

Degradation of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and phycobilins in dried laver (Porphyra) was studied during storage at water activities (Aw) of 0.112, 0.316, 0.484, 0.747, or 0.890 in the dark at 40°C for 15 days. The chlorophyll, carotenoid, and phycobilin contents were determined using HPLC and spectrophotometry. The chorophyll a, carotenoid, and phycobilin contents in dried laver decreased with storage time in the dark, and degradation was increased and accelerated as the Aw value increased. Among pigments, chlorophyll a was degraded at the highest rate, and differences in degradation rates among pigments became greater as the Aw value increased. Phycoerythrin was more stable than phycocyanin. Changes in the Aw value affected degradation of phycocyanin and chlorophyll more than phycoerythrin or carotenoids. Control of the Aw value can improve the color stability of dried laver in the dark.     

Comparative studies on major nutritional components of black waxy rice with giant embryos and its rice bran

The concentration of nutrients in brown rice is mainly associated with embryo size. Various beneficial components have been purified from rice bran. Recently developed black waxy rice with a giant embryo (‘Milyang 263’, BGE), which is the ge ^t mutant of the GE gene, was selected and analyzed to produce high quality nutritional components. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) content in BGE rice bran, one of the most important nutritional compounds in rice, showed a 10.6-fold increase (2.66±0.48 mg/g) compared to that of BGE brown rice (0.25±0.01 mg/g). In addition, brown rice and BGE rice bran showed enriched amylopectin (94.5±0.5 and 97.0±0.0%) and bioactive anthocyanin [Cy-3-G: 75.15±4.18 (brown rice), 82.97±0.81 (rice bran) and Pn-3-G: 1.52±0.50 (brown rice), 4.33±0.20 (rice bran); mg/100 g] contents. These results suggest that BGE rice bran can be used as an excellent raw material to efficiently produce high quality essential amino acids, cyanidin-3 glycoside-enriched anthocyanins, and GABA.     

New Flower-Shaped Lead(II) Coordination Polymer at the Nano Scale: Synthesis, Structural Characterization and DFT Calculations of [Pb(o-phen)(N3)2] n Containing the Pb-(μ1,1-N3)(μ1,3-N3) Motif

A new nano-flower lead(II) azido coordination polymer from the ligand, orthophenanthroline (o-phen), [Pb(o-phen)(μ_1,1-N₃)(μ_1,3-N₃)] _n (1), was synthesized by a sonochemical method. Compound 1 was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), elemental analyses and IR spectroscopy. Single crystalline material was obtained using a heat gradient applied to a solution of the reagents. The structure of 1 is a coordination polymer of lead(II) containing the Pb-(μ_1,1-N₃)(μ_1,3-N₃) motif, formed of one-dimensional chains. The structure of the 1 was optimized by density functional theory. Structural parameters and IR spectra for 1 are consistent with the crystal structure. Pure phase PbO nanoparticles were obtained by thermolysis of 1 with oleic acid as a surfactant at 180 and 200 °C an air. PbO nanoparticles were characterized by XRD and SEM.     

Sulfur/graphitic hollow carbon sphere nano-composite as a cathode material for high-power lithium-sulfur battery

The intrinsic low conductivity of sulfur which leads to a low performance at a high current rate is one of the most limiting factors for the commercialization of lithium-sulfur battery. Here, we present an easy and convenient method to synthesize a mono-dispersed hollow carbon sphere with a thin graphitic wall which can be utilized as a support with a good electrical conductivity for the preparation of sulfur/carbon nano-composite cathode. The hollow carbon sphere was prepared from the pyrolysis of the homogenous mixture of the mono-dispersed spherical silica and Fe-phthalocyanine powder in elevated temperature. The composite cathode was manufactured by infiltrating sulfur melt into the inner side of the graphitic wall. The electrochemical cycling shows a capacity of 425 mAh g⁻¹ at 3 C current rate which is more than five times larger than that for the sulfur/carbon black nano-composite prepared by simple ball milling.     

Mitigation and Verification Methods for Sn Whisker Growth in Pb-Free Automotive Electronics

This work describes mitigation methods against Sn whisker growth in Pb-free automotive electronics using a conformal coating technique, with an additional focus on determining an effective whisker assessment method. We suggest effective whisker growth conditions that involve temperature cycling and two types of storage conditions (high-temperature/humidity storage and ambient storage), and analyze whisker growth mechanisms. In determining an efficient mitigation method against whisker growth, surface finish and conformal coating have been validated as effective means. In our experiments, the surface finish of components comprised Ni/Sn, Ni/SnBi, and Ni/Pd. The effects of acrylic silicone, and rubber coating of components were compared with uncoated performance under high-temperature/humidity storage conditions. An effective whisker assessment method during temperature cycling and under various storage conditions (high temperature/humidity and ambient) is indicated for evaluating whisker growth. Although components were finished with Ni/Pd, we found that whiskers were generated at solder joints and that conformal coating is a useful mitigation method in this regard. Although whiskers penetrated most conformal coating materials (acrylic, silicone, and rubber) after 3500 h of high-temperature/humidity storage, the whisker length was markedly reduced due to the conformal coatings, with silicone providing superior mitigation over acrylic and rubber.     

Pilot-Assisted Carrier Frequency Offset Estimation for OFDM systems with Multiple Preambles Over Fast Fading Channels

This paper proposes a carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimation scheme for OFDM systems over fast fading channels. In the proposed scheme, exploiting the multiple preambles with the identical values, we estimate the CFO over fast fading channels. In particular, we improve the performance of the CFO estimator by applying the overlapped windows to preambles. Through simulations, we validate the proposed estimation scheme by showing the effectiveness of the proposed estimator.