The permeation resistance of interface and the directional dependence of permeation in plasma-grafted composite membranes

Composite membranes were prepared by grafting plasma-polymerized films onto the surface of nonporous poly (dimethylsiloxane) films. Gas permeabilities of the composite membranes were measured at 35°C, 1 atm for N₂, 0₂, CO₂ and CH₄. The permeation properties of the composite membrane was analyzed using the series resistance model. There was a great interfacial resistance to CH₄ permeation through the composite membrane. The interfacial resistance was negligible for the other gases. The interfacial resistance seems to be a result of an interfacial layer caused by the interaction between the bulk two layers. For CH₄ gas, the permeation rate through the composite membrane was affected by the direction of flow. The directional dependence was negligible for the other gases.     

Microwave Dielectric Properties of (1−x)(Na1/2Nd1/2)TiO3−xLa(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3 via Ordering and Far IR Reflectivity Spectra

Microwave dielectric properties of (1− x )(Na_1/2Nd_1/2)TiO₃(NNT)− x La(Mg_1/2Ti_1/2)O₃(LMT) system have been investigated with focus on structural ordering and far IR reflectivity spectra. A single perovskite phase was found to exist with various superlattice reflections over the entire compositional range. 1:1 ordering observed in the (111) reflection of X-ray diffraction patterns was found to progress significantly in the specimens above x =0.8. The ordering characteristics that presumably related to B-site Mg/Ti ordering were assumed to affect favorably the quality factor at microwave frequencies. The increase of the quality factor also could be explained in terms of the decrease of lattice anharmonicity with LMT by analysis of far IR reflectivity spectra. As expected from the values of pure NNT and LMT, the dielectric constant and the temperature coefficient of frequency tended to gradually decrease with increasing LMT content.     

Catalytic characteristics of various rubber-reinforcing carbon blacks in decomposition of methane for hydrogen production

Carbon black has recently been reported to act as an effective catalyst for methane decomposition and to exhibit stable catalytic behavior despite carbon deposition, and thus it can be used for CO₂-free production of hydrogen from natural gas. In this work, various carbon blacks with different primary particle size were investigated with respect to methane decomposition under atmospheric pressure from 1123 to 1223 K. Catalytic characteristics, such as activity, activation energy and reaction order, were investigated and compared. It was observed that with decreasing primary particle size (or increasing specific surface area), the specific activity increased and the activation energy decreased. The reaction orders for various pelletized, rubber-reinforcing carbon blacks were 0.6–0.7, about the same regardless of the primary particle size, while they were near 1 for fluffy carbon blacks. Fluffy carbon black showed higher activity and activation energy than the pelletized carbon black of the same primary particle size. Changes of the surface morphology during carbon deposition were observed by TEM. Variations of the number of active sites were discussed in regard of the primary particle size, carbon deposition and binder. The presence of different types of active sites was also suggested.     

Preparation and characterization of polypropylene/layered silicate nanocomposites using an antioxidant

Polypropylene (PP)/layered silicate nanocomposites were prepared via simple melt mixing of three components, PP, layered silicates modified with octadecylamine (C18-MMT) and antioxidant, to investigate the role of antioxidant. TEM and X-ray scattering results confirmed the intercalated state of silicates in PP/layered silicate nanocomposites with antioxidant. In rheological and mechanical study, the nanocomposites with antioxidant showed higher properties than those of the unfilled PP. The nanocomposite with 5 wt% C18-MMT and 0.5 phr antioxidant exhibited about 1.4 times higher tensile modulus and 1.3 times higher storage modulus than the unfilled PP. However, PP/C18-MMT without antioxidant showed lower rheological values owing to the thermal decomposition of PP and the poor compatibility between PP and C18-MMT. It could be concluded that antioxidants played an important role in enhancing the compatibility between PP and C18-MMT. According to the real time X-ray diffraction, the nanocomposite showed the weak ordering of PP crystals than the unfilled PP in the load-extension plateau region of elongation.     

Effects of Acetic Acid on the Crystallization Temperature of Sol–Gel-Derived MgO Nano-Powders and Thin Films

The influences of acetic acid addition to Mg-methoxide on the stability of the precursor and the crystallization behavior of sol–gel-derived MgO nano-powders and thin films were investigated using X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetry. The addition of acetic acid enhanced the stability of the alkoxide against precipitation. Moreover, during postheat treatment of the gel powders treated with acetic acid, a significantly lowered crystallization temperature (250°C) was observed as compared to the untreated counterpart (350°C). The low-temperature crystallization of MgO, induced by the modification of Mg-methoxide with acetic acid, was related to the decomposition of organics at a lower temperature. These results could be explained in terms of the decrease of the O–R bond strength depending on the increase in the alkyl group size. MgO thin films having a high degree of crystallinity were successfully obtained from the Mg-methoxide treated with acetic acid at 300°C. The low-temperature crystallization of sol–gel-derived MgO thin films showed the feasibility for their application as a protective layer in alternative current plasma display panel cells.     

Wetting properties of polystyrene ionomers treated with plasma source ion implantation

The wetting properties of polystyrene‐based ionomers treated with plasma source ion implantation (PSII) were investigated by the measurement of water contact angles. When sulfonated ionomers were aged for a few days, the hydrophobic recovery for the ionomers became much slower than that for the nonionic polymers. However, when the samples were aged over 20 days, the water contact angle of the ionomers converged with that of the nonionic polymer. Thus, it was concluded that the ionic interaction between the ionic groups and the presence of ionic groups together resulted in the slow hydrophobic recovery and that the aging effect was significant for the ionomers. For the methacrylate ionomer of low ion content, on the other hand, it was found that the PSII treatment produced only a small change in hydrophobic recovery behavior. Thus, it was suggested that the low ionic content coupled with the small size of the ionic unit might cause changes only of a very insignificant degree in hydrophobic recovery behavior. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 2500–2504, 2002     

Highly Efficient Overall Water Splitting Through Optimization of Preparation and Operation Conditions of Layered Perovskite Photocatalysts

The layered perovskite materials were found to give the high photocatalytic activity in water splitting reaction under UV irradiation, where the electronic structure of perovskite slab constructing the layered structure (the total cation valency) was the most crucial factor to the high photocatalytic activity. Both the excessive cation valency and the layered structure were required for active photocatalysts, while the slab thickness of layered perovskites had an insignificant effect on water-splitting activity. In order to identify key variables that affected photocatalytic activity and to optimize the performance of (110) layered perovskite, La₂Ti₂O₇ was modified by various methods. The optimum amount of loaded nickel had a great effect and the amount depended on the surface area of the perovskite phase. When an alkaline-earth element such as Ba, Sr, and Ca was doped on La₂Ti₂O₇, the photocatalytic activity was enhanced markedly. Introduction of an alkaline hydroxide into the reaction system as an external additive enhanced the activity further showing extremely high quantum yields close to 50%.     

Electrical properties of (Bi3.5La0.5)Ti3O12 thin-films prepared by liquid source misted chemical deposition

The ((Bi_3.5La_0.5)Ti₃O₁₂(BLT) thin-films used in this study were fabricated on a Pt(111)/SiO₂/Si(100) substrate by a Liquid Source Misted Chemical Deposition (LSMCD) technique. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the BLT films were crystallized and no other phases were observed when annealed above 650 ‡C. Grain size and remnant polarizations increased with increase in the annealing temperature, while leakage current densities decreased. The remnant polarizations (Pr) increased from 2.0 to 4.8 and 19.0 μC/cm2 with increase in the annealing temperature from 650 to 700 and 750 ‡C, respectively. The BLT films annealed at 700 ‡C in O₂ showed a good fatigue resistance of reduced polarization by 10% after 10⁹ switching cycles when 9 V of bipolar voltage was applied at a frequency of 40 kHz.     

An analysis of muscles from ultrasound image using morphological information of fascia and thoracic vertebra

In this paper, we propose a new fully computerized image analysis method for measuring the thickness of muscles from ultrasound image obtained by muscle endurance test using morphological information of fascia and thoracic vertebra. Firstly, we divide the image into lumbar region and thoracolumbar region by the difference of density in image for measuring the thickness of muscles. In lumbar region, we notice that the intensity of fascia is relatively higher than other parts. Thus, we measure the thickness of muscles surrounding the fascia area. In the process, we apply median filter to candidate fascia areas for extracting candidate muscle layers between fascias. Then, the thickness of muscles we measure is that of the third layer. In thoracolumbar region, we apply region expansion method for classifying the region into subcutaneous fat part and part including thoracic vertebra. Then, we apply counting method and evolutionary computation search model to find the measuring location that is in between subcutaneous fat area and thoracic vertebra. In experiment, the proposed method is effective in measuring the thickness of muscles and avoids failures of previous studies. The performance of this approach is sufficiently comparable to that of medical experts.     

Case-based context ontology construction using fuzzy set theory for personalized service in a smart home environment

To provide context-based personalized services utilizing smart appliances in a smart home environment, we propose a framework for PersonAlized Service disCovery Using FuZZY-based CBR and Context Ontology (PASCUZZY). Basically, the PASCUZZY framework is implemented on case-based context ontology. To generate and manage the case instances on the case-based context ontology, we adopt the fuzzy set theory to transpose numerical-type context data sensed from the surrounding environment. The context is transposed to linguistic-type context instances on the context ontology. In addition, to formalize and manage the context and services as multi-attributed data, the context ontology was developed reflecting the structure of cases borrowed from case-based reasoning. Furthermore, we propose adaptation methods to adjust the generic fuzzy membership functions depending on the inhabitants’ context. It is performed by modifying the values of the membership number and/or modifying the numbers of the linguistic terms that are based on the inhabitants’ context to affect the membership numbers. The adapted membership functions return the personalized degree of memberships depending on the specialized context of a specific fuzzy variable. Inevitably, the number of cases on the case-based context ontology will be increased from time to time. We apply Ward’s method not only to reduce the search effort via a hierarchical clustering on the case-based context ontology but also to find the most similar service as a solution to the new context. To verify the superiority of the PASCUZZY framework, we perform two kinds of evaluations. First, we evaluate the effectiveness of the adaptation of the fuzzy membership functions. Second, we verify the effectiveness of the application of a clustering method to the case instances of the case-based context ontology to identify the most similar service. Results of the experiment verified the effectiveness and superiority of the PASCUZZY framework.