Pressure and temperature effects on the hydrogenation of coal-derived asphaltene

Pressure and temperature effects on hydrogenation reactions were examined using coal-derived asphaltene at 390,420 and 450 °C, under 3 and 10 MPa of hydrogen partial pressure. Higher conversion was obtained at higher reaction temperatures. Benzene-insoluble material (Bl) was formed at higher temperatures especially at low hydrogen pressure, this Bl being one-third of the reaction product at 450 °C. From structural analysis of unreacted asphaltenes and product oils, at 390 °C, it was concluded that smaller molecular components convert to oil initially and the larger molecules remain as unreacted asphaltene. Under higher hydrogen pressure for all temperatures carbon aromaticity (f_a) and number of aromatic ring per structural unit (R_aus) in unreacted asphaltenes were lower than those under lower hydrogen pressure suggesting that hydrogenation of the aromatic nucleus was promoted by higher pressure. At lower hydrogen pressure, R_aus for asphaltenes at higher temperature is larger than that at lower temperature. This suggests that at lower hydrogen pressure, dehydrogenation or condensation reactions occur more easily. A large effect at higher hydrogen pressure was a reduction in the extent of condensation reactions. Higher reaction temperatures contribute to splitting of bridged linkages so reducing molecular size and degree of aromatization.     

Motility and the expression of the flagellin protein FliC are negatively regulated by quorum sensing in Edwardsiella tarda

Edwardsiella tarda is a gram-negative bacterial pathogen of fish and animals. A number of gram-negative bacteria have quorum-sensing systems and produce N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL) that they use as a quorum-sensing signaling molecule. We have already reported that E. tarda NUF251 produces AHLs and has the AHL-synthase gene, edwI. Inactivation of NUF251 edwI induces expression of an approximately 45 kDa extracellular protein, identified as a flagellin encoded by FliC. Mutation of edwI also changes the motility pattern of NUF251 from a radial expansion pattern to concentric rings. The addition of exogenous AHL was capable of restoring normal motility to NUF251 edwI mutants. These results demonstrate that quorum sensing negatively regulates motility and expression of the FliC protein.     

An efficient construction and application usefulness of rectangle greedy covers

We develop efficient construction methods of a rectangle greedy cover (RGC), and evaluate its usefulness in applications. An RGC is a greedy cover of the set of given positive instances by exclusive axis-parallel hyperrectangles, namely, axis-parallel hyperrectangles that exclude all the given negative instances. An RGC is expected to be a compact classification rule with high readability because the number of its component rectangles is expected to be small and it can be seen as a disjunctive normal form, which is one of the most readable representations for us.     

Low-base-resistance InP/InGaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors with a compositionally graded-base structure

To reduce base resistance of an InP/InGaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy, the doping characteristics of carbon-doped InGaAs and the dependence of doping concentration on current gain were investigated. Using a thicker graded base was found to increase current gain significantly, resulting in increased doping level in the InGaAs: C-base layer. In particular, an 80-nm-thick graded base produces a base sheet resistance of 285 Ω/sq and maintains a practically useful current gain of 23 and a high cut-off frequency of 139 GHz.     

Coal liquefaction by the hydrogen produced from methanol: 2. Model compound studies

Coal can be converted into a material soluble in solvents using methanol as an in-situ hydrogen source and also as an alkylating agent. This paper presents the results of the reaction of selected model compounds with methanol using two different hydrogenation catalysts: stabilized nickel at 365 °C, and stabilized cobalt at 405 °C and 445 °C. Stabilized nickel is a much better hydrogenation catalyst than stabilized cobalt. The alkylation reaction is strongly dependent on the presence of specific functional groups (-OH, -NH, etc). Also, the alkylation reaction appears to be independent of the hydrogenation catalyst used and it seems to depend more on the temperature. The alkylated products from the reactions at 405 °C showed an order as follows: carbazole phenol ? phenanthrene dibenzofuran diphenylether dibenzothiophene diphenylmethane. A free radical mechanism is proposed for the alkylation reaction.     

Synthesis of branched poly(lactide) using polyglycidol and thermal, mechanical properties of its solution-cast film

Branched poly(lactide)(PLA)s with various lengths of graft chain were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of l- or d-lactide (l- or d-LA) in bulk using polyglycidol as a macroinitiator. The properties of polymer films of branched PLLA or PDLA obtained and their stereocomplex were investigated through thermal analysis and tensile testing. The branched PLLA or PDLA film exhibited a lower glass transition temperature (T_g), melting temperature (T_m), crystallinity, Young's modulus and a higher strain at break than the corresponding linear PLLA or PDLA film. The branched PLLA/branched PDLA stereocomplex film showed a high maximum stress and a high Young's modulus keeping its high strain at break. Moreover, the usefulness of branched PLLA or PDLA as a plasticizer of linear PLLA was investigated with 1:9 blend or stereocomplex film prepared from the branched PLLA or branched PDLA and linear PLLA. The blend or linear PLLA/branched PDLA stereocomplex film showed a higher strain at break compared with linear PLLA film. The mechanical properties of the blend or linear PLLA/branched PDLA stereocomplex film could easily be controlled by changing the molecular weight of branched PLA.     

Revealing the Effect of Halogenation Strategy on the Regulation of Crystallization Kinetics and Molecular Packing for High-Performance Organic Solar Cells

Halogenation of non-fused ring electron acceptors (NFREAs) plays an important role in regulating their optoelectronic properties. However, the underlying mechanisms and their impact on the performance of organic solar cells (OSCs) have remained unclear. Herein, a series of halogenated NFREAs incorporating F, Cl, and Br, are prepared to study their effect on crystallization kinetics, phase separation, molecular packing, and charge transport. Among various halogenation strategies, chlorination minimizes the Coulomb attractive energy between donor and acceptor, thereby facilitating exciton dissociation. In situ UV–vis absorption tests reveal that chlorinated acceptors exhibit a longer crystallization time, effectively suppressing excessive molecular aggregation and enhancing overall crystallinity. Additionally, chlorinated acceptors exhibit a longer exciton diffusion length, which promotes exciton dissociation while mitigating charge recombination in the devices. Consequently, two chlorinated NFREAs, TCN-Cl, and PCN-Cl, yield an impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.85% and 15.30%, respectively, when blended with PM6 and J52 donors. These values represent the highest reported PCEs to date for NFREAs with A-π-A’-π-A and A-π-D-π-A structures. The study elucidates the crucial role of chlorination in extending exciton diffusion length and crystallization time. These effects significantly benefit phase separation within the active layers, enhance charge separation, and suppress recombination for achieving high-efficiency OSCs.     

Pressure–composition–temperature hysteresis in C14 Laves phase alloys: Part 3. Empirical formula

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series of papers, the pressure–concentration–temperature (PCT) isotherms hysteresis was found to be closely related to the axial ratio a/c for both simple ternary and more complicated multi-element C14 Laves phase based alloys. Furthermore, the particle pulverization rate, which is the major determining factor in the duration of metal hydride electrode cycling, was found to correlate well with PCT hysteresis. In the current Part 3, we discuss an empirical equation which was developed to predict the PCT hysteresis of battery alloys through the study of the lattice constant ratios of a series of ZrCr₂-based ternary alloys. The empirical formula can then be used to estimate the pulverization rate of metal hydride electrode. To fit the empirical formula, an equivalent number of outer shell electrons for some non-transition metals was calculated from the axial ratio of ZrCr_1.8M_0.2 ternary alloys, where M is an element from the group of Al, Si, Ga, Ge, and Sn. Other factors, such as the amount of substitution, the difference in A and B element electronegativities, atomic size, and the choice of A element, were also investigated.