Sorption of an acid dye by silk fibre in the presence of bolaform electrolytes containing pyridine rings

The sorption behaviour of the acid dye, sodium 1-phenylazo-2-hydroxy-6-naphthalenesulphonate, by silk fibre was investigated in the presence and absence of cationic bolaform electrolytes containing pyridine rings. These electrolytes were found to influence dye sorption to an extent depending on the pH of the dyebath. At pH 3, sorption decreased slightly with increasing electrolyte concentration, but in pure water it increased. It was found that although the number of binding sites and the intrinsic binding constant for Langmuir-type sorption were hardly affected by the presence of bolaform electrolytes, the partition coefficient was significantly enhanced both at pH 3 and in pure water. This result is explained by the sorption of a dye–bolaform electrolyte complex by the silk. The influence on the sorption by the terminal groups on the bolaform electrolyte are discussed and compared with that of an aliphatic analogue.     

Synthesis of a stroboscopic image from a hand-held camera sequence for a sports analysis

Computational Visual Media - This paper presents a method for synthesizing a stroboscopic image of a moving sports player from a hand-held camera sequence. This method has three steps: synthesis of...     

Interactions between dyes and surfactants in inkjet ink used for textiles

Optimal preparation of inkjet ink should be possible through the elucidation of the relationship between dye/additive interactions and ink performance. In the present study, the interactions between the dyes and surfactant additives were investigated. To investigate the physical properties of the surfactants used, the critical micelle concentration (cmc) and the aggregation number (N) were determined using electron spin resonance, static light-scattering, and fluorescence spectroscopy. On the basis of the cmc and N values, the visible absorption spectra of aqueous acid dye solutions (C. I. Acid Red 88, 13, and 27) containing surfactants (i.e., Surfynol 465 (S465), octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (OGDE), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)) were measured. From the dependence of the spectra on the surfactant concentration, the binding constants, K(bind), of the acid dyes with the surfactant micelles were calculated: the K(bind) values decreased in the order of C. I. Acid Red 88 > C. I. Acid Red 13 > C. I. Acid Red 27, which correlates with the number of sulfonate groups. For all the dyes, the K(bind) values with the nonionic surfactants, S465 and OGDE, were much larger than those with the anionic surfactant, SDS. The thermodynamic parameters of the binding, i.e., the enthalpy change, ΔH(bind), and entropy change, ΔS(bind), were determined via the temperature dependence of the binding constants. The positive ΔH(bind) value for S465 indicates an endothermic binding process, while the negative ΔH(bind) values for SDS and OGDE indicate exothermic binding processes.     

Electrical and optical properties of plasma polymerized eucalyptus oil films

Electrical and optical properties of the plasma polymerized eucalyptus oil (PPEo) films are discussed in this article. As part of our electrical studies, we have found that the conduction mechanism in the PPEo film is a Schottky type. We have also found that iodine doping can enhance the conductivity of the film. IR studies revealed that PPEo film is a highly crosslinked polymer, and UV‐vis‐NIR studies revealed the information that optical band gap energy of the PPEo film had been reduced as a result of iodine doping. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 1102–1107, 2003     

Photooxidation reactions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons over pure and Ag-loaded BiVO4 photocatalysts

Photooxidative degradations of nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using pure and Ag-loaded BiVO₄ photocatalysts have been examined in acetonitrile under visible light irradiation. Photoproducts have been identified by means of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Silver fine particles loaded on BiVO₄ surface improved the reaction rates of all PAHs degradations. In particular, anthracene and benz[a]anthracene (Bz[a]A) are efficiently oxidized to anthraquinone and benz[a]anthracene-7,12-dione, respectively. Photooxidation mechanism of anthracene and Bz[a]A has been clarified by the GC–MS analyses by the use of H₂¹⁸O as a reactant. It has been proved that OH radicals are generated through the oxidation of water by valence band holes on the Ag-BiVO₄ surface in acetonitrile, and greatly contribute to the degradations of these PAHs. The OH radical attack to PAHs probably determines the overall rates of oxidation of PAHs on Ag-BiVO₄ photocatalyst.     

Optimization of a Composite Working Electrode for a New Family of Electrochemical Cell for NO Decomposition

The electrochemical properties of a composite (NiO) _x −(yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ))_{1– x} working electrode for a new type of electrochemical cell for NO decomposition in the presence of excess oxygen are investigated. It is shown that the dependence of the NO conversion on the value of the current passed through the electrochemical cell with a nanoporous (NiO) _x −(YSZ)_{1– x} working electrode is linear and that the value of current efficiency depends on the NO and O₂ gas concentrations only (η= [NO] /([NO] + 2[O₂]). The optimum NiO addition (35% by volume) to the YSZ resulted in a decrease of the cell operating voltage and, as a result, in a decrease in the electrical power required for NO decomposition. The observed high performance of the composite working electrode at this composition is consistent with the effective medium percolation theory, which predicts the ambipolar transport behavior of the composite mixed ionic−electronic (YSZ–NiO) conductors as a function of the volume fraction of each of the randomly distributed constituent phases.     

Study of first orbit losses of 1 MeV tritons using the Lorentz orbit code in the LHD

Shot-integrated measurement of the triton burnup ratio has been performed in the Large Helical Device. It was reported that the triton burnup ratio, defined as total DT neutron yield divided by total DD neutron yield, increases significantly in inward shifted configurations. To understand the magnetic configuration dependence of the triton burnup ratio, the first orbit loss fraction of 1 MeV tritons is evaluated by means of the Lorentz orbit code for various magnetic configurations. The first orbit loss of 1 MeV tritons is seen at t of less than 10-5 s and loss points of the triton are concentrated on the side of the helical coil case where the magnetic field is relatively weak. The significant decrease of the first orbit loss fraction by 15% is obtained with the inward shift of the magnetic axis position from 3.90 to 3.55 m. It is found that the decrease of first orbit loss is due to the reduction of the first orbit loss of transition and helically trapped tritons.     

Photocatalytic hydrogen production from aqueous methanol solution with CuO/Al2O3/TiO2 nanocomposite

The photocatalytic hydrogen production from aqueous methanol solution was investigated with ZnO/TiO₂, SnO/TiO₂, CuO/TiO₂, Al₂O₃/TiO₂ and CuO/Al₂O₃/TiO₂ nanocomposites. A mechanical mixing method, followed by the solid-state reaction at elevated temperature, was used for the preparation of nanocomposite photocatalyst. Among these nanocomposite photocatalysts, the maximal photocatalytic hydrogen production was observed with CuO/Al₂O₃/TiO₂ nanocomposites. A variety of components of CuO/Al₂O₃/TiO₂ photocatalysts were tested for the enhancement of H₂ formation. The optimal component was 0.2 wt% CuO/0.3 wt% Al₂O₃/TiO₂. The activity exhibited approximately tenfold enhancement at the optimum loading, compared with that with pure P-25 TiO₂. Nano-sized TiO₂ photocatalytic hydrogen technology has great potential for low-cost, environmentally friendly solar-hydrogen production to support the future hydrogen economy.