Review of The Chicago Institute Lectures.

Review of book: Heinz Kohut (Au.) Paul Tolpin and Marian Tolpin (Eds.) The Chicago Institute Lectures. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press, 1996, 432 pp. Reviewed by Donna M. Orange. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hydrogen permeation in Fe-40 at.% Al alloy at different temperatures

The electrochemical permeation technique for studying transport and trapping of hydrogen in Fe-40 at.% Al alloy at temperatures of 5, 25, 45 and 65 °C was used in the paper. The influence of temperature on the effective hydrogen diffusion coefficient, hydrogen permeation rate and hydrogen solubility was determined. The activation energy of hydrogen diffusion in iron aluminide in the studied temperature range was also determined.     

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Influence of technological conditions on electronic transitions in chemical vapor deposited poly(azomethine) thin films

Thin films of poly(1,4-phenylenemethilidynenitrilo-1,4-phenylenenitrilomethilidyne) (PPI) have been prepared by chemical vapor deposition in the horizontal geometry using gaseous argon as a transport agent. PPI thin films have been grown by polycondensation of para-phenylene diamine (PPDA) and terephtal aldehyde (TPA). Fourier Transform Infrared spectra confirm formation of PPI layers without end groups. The strongest absorption band with discernible vibronic progression has been found to be due to superposition of 2.64, 2.82 and 3.03 eV bands corresponding to interband transitions connecting electronic ground state and vibrational levels of electronic excited state. A feature seen at about 2.6 eV in the spectra of PPI films prepared at higher temperatures of PPDA and TPA sources are attributed to excitons connected with the π-π? gap. Shoulder at 3.31 eV is attributed to interband transitions between delocalized states, while a peak at 4.2 eV is attributed to excitons formed by localized holes and delocalized electrons and vice versa and interband transitions connecting delocalized and localized bands, with the binding energy of about 0.8 eV. Thin films prepared at low temperatures of monomers consist of randomly distributed PPI chains weakly bound together.     

Design and Optimization of Electrically Injected InP-Based Microdisk Lasers Integrated on and Coupled to a SOI Waveguide Circuit

We have performed a numerical study involving the design and optimization of InP-based microdisk lasers integrated on and coupled to a nanophotonic silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide circuit, fabricated through bonding technology. The theoretical model was tested by fitting it to the lasing characteristics obtained for fabricated devices, which we presented previously. A good fit was obtained using parameter values that are consistent with numerical simulation. To obtain optimized laser performance, the composition of the InP-based epitaxial layer structure was optimized to minimize internal optical loss for a structure compatible with efficient current injection. Specific attention was paid to a tunnel-junction based approach. Bending loss was quantified to estimate the minimum microdisk diameter. The coupling between the InP microdisk and Si waveguide was calculated as function of the bonding layer thickness, waveguide offset and waveguide width. To study the lateral injection efficiency, an equivalent electrical network was solved and the voltage-current characteristic was calculated. Based on these results, the dominant device parameters were identified, including microdisk thickness and radius, coupling loss and tunnel-junction p-type doping. These parameters were optimized to obtain maximum wall-plug efficiency, for output powers in the range 1-100 W. The results of this optimization illustrate the potential for substantial improvement in laser performance.     

Mary Alice White (1920-2000).

Memorializes Mary Alice White for her many contributions to school psychology. White was foremost an experimental and behaviorally oriented educational psychologist, whose interests cut across educational, clinical, and school psychology and technology applications to schooling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dynamic experimental simulation of hydrogen oriented underground gasification of lignite

The main goal of the study presented in the paper was to experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of lignite gasification to hydrogen-rich gas under the underground conditions simulated in the ex situ reactor. The in situ gasification conditions were simulated both in respect to the coal seam and the surrounding stratum. In the 54-h experiment the process of lignite gasification with oxygen and steam as gasifying medium was tested. The experiment was initially divided into three stages: the ignition stage, the oxygen stage and the steam stage.The gas produced in the steam gasification stage was characterized by the calorific value of 7.8 MJ/m³ and average hydrogen content of 46.3 vol.%. Unfortunately a rapid decrease in the temperature levels and in the amount of produced gas proved that the tested lignite of 53 vol.% moisture content was not suitable for steam gasification. A great amount of thermal energy was consumed for water evaporation which led to a considerable heat loss. An addition of stoichiometric amount of water in the system by adding steam caused the seam to extinguish. Thus only oxygen could be used as the gasifying medium in the gasification of the tested lignite. The average calorific value of gas produced in the stable operation during oxygen gasification stage equaled 5.2 MJ/m³ with the average gas production rate of 16.0 m³/h and the average hydrogen content in the produced gas of 26.4 vol.%.     

Electrospun ultrathin nylon fibers for protective applications

Electrospun nylon 6 fiber mats were deposited on woven 50/50 nylon/cotton fabric with the motive of making them into protective material against submicron‐level aerosol chemical and biological threats. Polymer solution concentration, electrospinning voltage, and deposition areal densities were varied to establish the relationships of processing‐structure‐filtration efficiency of electrospun fiber mats. A high barrier efficiency of greater than 99.5% was achieved on electrospun fiber mats without sacrificing air permeability and pressure drop. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

A Solvent‐Free Dispersion Method for the Preparation of PET/MWCNT Composites

A simple, easily accessible solvent‐free method for the dispersion of MWCNTs into PET is proposed, based on the preparation of a microparticulate polymer/nanotube masterbatch via cryogenic impact‐milling and its subsequent melt blending with the bulk polymer. Thermal and mechanical properties of nanocomposites prepared using this method were evaluated as a function of nanotube concentration. Thermal stability was improved, and superior crystallization behavior of PET in the nanocomposites was observed. Significant improvements of around 25% in tensile strength and tensile modulus of the nanocomposites was achieved using this strategy, with only 0.25 wt.‐% MWCNT, compared to previous literature data where 1 wt.‐% MWCNT was employed.