Synthesis of Mullite Powders Through a Suspension Combustion Process

This work reports on the synthesis of mullite powders by a suspension combustion process. Aluminum nitrate, as a source of Al, and a colloidal silica suspension, as a source of Si, are used as reagents, and urea serves as the fuel. This colloidal suspension allows a complete mixing of the reactants, thus promoting a core-shell reaction to produce the mullite. The powders obtained need to be treated at a high temperature to form the mullite. However, when ammonium nitrate is also added as a combustion aid, the mullite phase is directly obtained without any further treatment. A chemical reaction involving all these compounds is proposed, and the thermodynamic parameters are calculated in order to predict the temperature reached during the combustion process. The addition of ammonium nitrate reduces the temperature of the reaction by ca. 150°C. Once the conditions for the combustion reaction are optimized, the Al/Si ratio is modified in an attempt to obtain monophasic mullite.     

Addition of a reactive diluent to a catalyzed epoxy-anhydride system. I. Influence on the cure kinetics

The effect of a reactive diluent (RD) on the kinetics of the curing of an epoxy resin, based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), with a carboxylic anhvdride derived from methyl-tetrahydrophthalic anhydride (MTHPA) catalyzed by a tertiary amine has been studied. The reactive diluent was a low-viscosity aliphatic diglycidyl ether, and the compositions per 100 parts by weight (pbw) of DGEBA were 10, 30, and 50 pbw of RD with the stoichiometric quantity of MTHPA and 1 pbw of catalyst. The curing kinetics was monitored by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the kinetic parameters were determined from the nonisothermal DSC curves by the method described by Málek. The kinetic analysis suggests that the two-parameter autocatalytic model is the more appropriate to describe the kinetics of the curing reaction of this epoxy-anhydride system. The kinetic parameters thus derived satisfactorily simulate both the nonisothermal DSC curves and the isothermal conversion-time plots. Increasing the RD content leads to a small increase in both the nonisothermal and the isothermal heats of curing and has a slight effect on the kinetic parameters E, ln A, m, and n, and, consequently, on the overall reactivity of the system. On the other hand, the increase of the RD content significantly affects the structure of the crosslinked epoxy. It is confirmed that the introduction of aliphatic chains in the structure of the epoxy increases the mobility of the segmental chains in the glass transition region. The consequence of this chemical modification is a decrease of the glass transition temperature, T_g. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

An on-line optimisation of a SBR cycle for carbon and nitrogen removal based on on-line pH and Our: the role of dissolved oxygen control.

A pilot plant sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was applied in a wastewater treatment plant treating urban wastewater focused on carbon and nitrogen removal. From an initial predefined step-feed cycle definition, the evolution of the on-line monitored pH and calculated oxygen uptake rate (OUR) were analysed in terms of knowledge extraction. First, the aerobic phases of the SBR cycle were operated using an On/Off dissolved oxygen (DO) control strategy that concluded with a sinusoidal pH profile that made detecting the "ammonia valley" difficult. After changing to fuzzy logic control of the dissolved oxygen and by adding an air flow meter to the pilot plant, the pH evolution and on-line calculated OUR showed a clearer trend during the aerobic phases. Finally, a proposed algorithm for adjusting the aerobic phases of the SBR for carbon and ammonia removal is presented and discussed.     

Tape casting of strontium and cobalt doped lanthanum chromite suspensions

Lanthanum chromite (LaCrO₃) is currently the most widely studied material as interconnector layers for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). The complexity of microstructures and geometries of SOFC devices, which are usually built-up by lamination of the different constitutive layers, make it necessary a precise control of processing parameters to achieve the desired combination of properties. Much effort has been devoted to the processing of electrodes and electrolytes but the other layers, such as that of interconnecting material, have received scarce attention. This work deals with the preparation and optimisation of the rheological behaviour of concentrated suspensions of Sr- and Co-doped LaCrO₃ and the subsequent tape casting to produce homogeneous thin sheets to be used in the SOFC stack.The starting powder was produced by combustion synthesis from the corresponding nitrates and urea as a fuel, and had a final composition of La_0.80Sr_0.20Cr_0.92Co_0.08O₃. These powders were dispersed in ethanol with commercial copolymers (Hypermer, KD6) to solids loading of up to 58 wt%. The binding system (BS) consisted of a mixture of a binder, polyvinyl butyral-co-vinyl alcohol-co-vinyl acetate (PVA-PVAc), and two plasticizers, polyethyleneglycol (PEG400) and benzylbutylphthalate (BBP). The effect of the binding system content and the binder-to-plasticizer ratio on the tape casting performance and the characteristics of the green and the sintered tapes, were studied, as well as the influence of the casting parameters (casting speed and blades height).     

Structural-microstructural characterization and optical properties of Eu3+,Tb3+-codoped LaPO4·nH2O and LaPO4 nanorods hydrothermally synthesized with microwaves

Rhabdophane-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄·nH₂O single-crystal nanorods with the compositions La_0.99999-xEu_xTb_0.00001PO₄·nH₂O (x?=?0–0.03), La_0.99999-yTb_yEu_0.00001PO₄·n′H₂O (y?=?0–0.010), and La_0.99999-zTb_zEu_0.000007PO₄·n′′H₂O (z?=?0–0.012) were hydrothermally synthesized with microwaves. It is shown that the Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺ codoping does not affect the thermal stability of these nanorods, which is due to the formation of substitutional solid solutions with both Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ replacing La³⁺ in the crystal lattice. Moreover, it is also shown that monazite-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄ single-crystal nanorods can be obtained by calcining their rhabdophane-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄·(n,n′ or n′′)H₂O counterparts at moderate temperature in air, and that they are thermally stable. It is also observed that, for the same Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoping content, the monazite-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄ nanorods exhibit higher photoluminescent efficiency than the rhabdophane-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄· (n,n′ or n′′)H₂O nanorods. Moreover, it is found that the highest photoluminescence emission corresponds to the monazite-type La_0.96999Eu_0.02Tb_0.00001PO₄ nanorods for the La_0.99999-xEu_xTb_0.00001PO₄ system. However, for those compositions energy transfer from Tb³⁺ to Eu³⁺ does not occur. In addition, for an efficient energy transfer to occur, a content of at least 1?mol% Tb³⁺ is needed in all the studied materials.     

Biotransformation of hop derived compounds by Brettanomyces yeast strains

Several hop derived compounds in wort are known to be converted by yeast during fermentation, influencing the overall perception of the beer. A deeper understanding of such metabolic processes during fermentation is needed to achieve better control of the outcome. Here, the interaction between hop derived compounds and the yeast genera Brettanomyces was studied. Several Brettanomyces strains with different genomic backgrounds were selected, focusing on two traits: beta-glucosidase activity and nitrate assimilation. The role of three beta-glucosidases present in Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Brettanomyces anomalus and their impact on the final monoterpene alcohol profile was analysed. The beta-glucosidase activity was highly strain dependent, with B. anomalus CRL-49 exhibiting the highest conversion. Such activity could not be related to the release of aglycones from hops during fermentation, as a substantial part of such activity was intracellular. Nevertheless, the reduction of geraniol to β-citronellol was remarkably efficient for all Brettanomyces strains during fermentation, and it is suggested that two oxidoreductases BbHye2 and BbHye3 may have an influence. Moreover, the transfer of nitrate from hops to wort and its further assimilation by Brettanomyces species was analysed. The amount of nitrate in wort proved to be linearly proportional to the contact time of the hops with the wort. The level of nitrate assimilation by yeast was shown to be dependent on the nitrate assimilation cluster (YNR, YNI, YNT). Hence, the desired yeast strains may be selected according to the genetic make-up. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of the Institute of Brewing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

Effect of Sr2+ doping on sintering behavior,microstructural development and electrical properties of LaPO4·nH2O nanorods prepared by dry mechanical milling

The effect of Sr²⁺ doping on the presence of second phases, sintering behavior, microstructural development, and electrical properties of LaPO₄·nH₂O nanorods (La_1?xSr_xPO_4?x/2 where x = 0.025 and 0.05) obtained by a dry mechanochemical milling process was investigated. When Sr²⁺ is present monazite-type La_1?xSr_xPO₄ nanopowders were obtained instead of rhabdophane-type LaPO₄·nH₂O. In addition, Sr²⁺ doping implies a larger P/La ratio and it enhances the formation of lanthanum tryoxophosphate (La(PO₃)₃), a thermodinamically stable phase, in doped samples. Dilatometric studies reveal a shift of the maximum shrinkage rate at lower temperatures for doped samples, with larger shifts with higher Sr²⁺ contents. This shift is related to the presence of oxygen vacancies but also to a higher content of La(PO₃)₃. Furthermore, the derivative of the linear shrinkage curves for all the samples showed peaks at temperatures higher than 1300 °C that are associated to the volatilization of P₄O₁₀ gas and to the recrystallization of monazite from the incongruent melting of La(PO₃)₃. After the dilatometric tests at 1500 °C the samples showed polygonal grains with a bimodal size distribution. For the doped samples the smaller grains do not present Sr²⁺ in their composition and it is related to those grains form from the recrystallization of monazite-LaPO₄ formed in turn from La(PO₃)₃. The total conductivity of the studied samples (x = 0.05) is higher for the samples sintered at 1000 °C for 1 h than for those sintered at 1500 °C without any dwell time. It can be due in part to the fact that the smaller grains of the samples sintered at 1500 °C do not contain Sr²⁺ and it can hinder the charge transport.     

Aspirin and salicylate induce apoptosis and activation of caspases in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells

We analyzed the effect of aspirin, salicylate, and other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on the viability of B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells. Aspirin induced a decrease in cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The mean IC50 for cells from 5 patients was 5.9 +/- 1.13 mmol/L (range, 4.4 to 7.3 mmol/L). In some cases, 2.5 mmol/L aspirin produced an important cytotoxic effect after 4 days of incubation. No effect was observed with other NSAIDs, at concentrations that inhibit cyclooxygenase, such as ketorolac (10 micromol/mL), NS-398 (100 micromol/mL), or indomethacin (20 micromol/mL), thus suggesting the involvement of cyclooxygenase-independent mechanisms in aspirin-induced cytotoxicity. Salicylate also produced dose-dependent cytotoxic effects on B-CLL cells and the mean IC50 for cells from 5 patients was 6.96 +/- 1.13 mmol/L (range, 5 to 7.8 mmol/L). Both aspirin and salicylate induced DNA fragmentation and the proteolytic cleavage of poly(ADP(adenosine 5'-diphosphate)-ribose) polymerase (PARP), demonstrating that both compounds induce apoptosis of B-CLL cells. Finally, inhibition of caspases by Z-VAD.fmk blocked proteolytic cleavage of PARP, DNA fragmentation, and cytotoxicity induced by aspirin. Mononuclear cells from normal donors showed a lower sensitivity than cells from B-CLL patients to aspirin as determined by analysis of cell viability. B and T lymphocytes from normal donors and T lymphocytes from CLL patients are more resistant to aspirin-induced apoptosis, as determined by analysis of phosphatidylserine exposure. These results indicate that aspirin and salicylate induce apoptosis of B-CLL cells by activation of caspases and that this activation involves cyclooxygenase-independent mechanisms.     

Storage time effect on free charge relaxation of amorphous poly (ethylene terephthalate)

Using thermally stimulated depolarization currents of PET-a electrets formed by the windowing polarization technique, the effect of the storage time previous to depolarization on the free charge relaxation, , has been studied. It was noted that the temperature at which the relaxation maximum appears increases with the storage time, whereas the intensity of the maximum decreases. This behaviour depends on both the polarization temperature and the polarizing field. It was also observed that there is a polarization temperature, the optimal polarization temperature, for which the relaxation maximum temperature does not depend on the polarizing field.     

On the dynamic mechanical behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate) reinforced with Kevlar fibers

The dynamic mechanical relaxation behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate) reinforced by continuous parallel Kevlar-49 fibers is investigated here on samples with several fiber volume fractions. The shifts in the temperature of the main relaxation of the matrix are interpreted according to free volume considerations and with the help of a thermomechanical block model. The dependence of the storage and loss moduli both on temperature and fiber content found experimentally can be reproduced by the model. It is not necessary to rely on the existence of an interphase to account for the modifications evidenced by the spectrum of the matrix, which can be explained on the basis of the two phase model.