SYNTHESIS OF CARBON NANOTUBES THROUGH CARBON ARC EVAPORATION EMPLOYING Mm, La, AND Ce CATALYSTS

We report the formation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in, high density when mischmetal Mm (a natural mixture of several rare earth elements) is used as catalyst. Mm has been found to work as a better catalyst than either lanthanum (La) or cerium (Ce). The formation of composite nanorods when the catalyst La is used in very high concentration (∼90wt.%) has also been described and discussed.     

Reduced leakage current of multiferroic BiFeO3 ceramics with microwave synthesis

Preparation of multiferroic BiFeO₃(BFO) is reported using microwave heating. The prepared sample is characterized using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and leakage current measurements. It is observed that the BFO can be prepared with microwave heating at a fast heating rate, consisting of more homogeneous microstructure and better electrical properties. Phase purity of the sample is confirmed from x-ray diffraction measurements. Uniform grain size distribution is observed for the sample prepared with microwave heating. More than an order of magnitude reduction in the leakage current is observed for the sample prepared with microwave heating as compared to conventional radiant heating.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel poly(acrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid‐co‐2‐hydroxy ethyl actylate) hydrogels: Mathematical approach in investigation of swelling kinetics and diffusion models

In this study, a series of poly(acrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid‐co‐2‐hydroxy ethyl actylate) [AM‐co‐AA‐co‐HEA] hydrogels have been synthesized by varying the acrylic acid (AA)content over eightfold in feed in the range of 33.34–93.76% by keeping other monomer constant. These hydrogels were characterized by FTIR, SEM analysis, elemental analysis, residual acrylic acid analysis, network parameters, and dynamic swelling behavior. The swelling study showed that equilibrium swelling ratio was nonlinearly increased with increasing AA content. Interestingly, the equilibrium swelling ratio decreased from 53.42 to 48.52 for 75–80% AA content hydrogel. The swelling data were found to satisfactorily fit Fick's second law, demonstrating that diffusion rate of water uptake was primarily Fickian. From model fitting, it was observed that early model was applicable for first 30% water absorption, and late model was applicable for latter 70% water absorption for increasing AA content from 33.34–90.90%. For 93.76% AA, early‐time model was extended up to first 50% of water absorption and late model was contracted for latter 50% water absorption, indicating that excessive AA content affects the applicability range of early‐time and late‐time diffusion models for water absorption. Etters model was best applicable to all type of hydrogels and followed over all swelling range. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Electrochemical synthesis of novel conducting polymer composite: Polypyrrole–pentacyanonitrosylferrate

With a view to develop conducting polymer film of high electroactivity, pentacyanonitrosylferrate (PCNFe) doped polypyrrole (PPY) composite films are prepared using cyclic voltammetry deposition method. The PPY–PCNFe composite is characterized by FTIR, TEM and TGA analysis. The electroactivity of PPY–PCNFe composite film is studied in 3 mM KCl (common electrolyte) solution. Two redox pairs at E_1/2 = ?0.59 V and 0.02 V due to redox behavior of polymer and dopant anions respectively are observed. The electroactivity study reveals the existence of two types of PCNFe dopant anions in the polymeric film: one form is loosely held and prone to easy removal from the polymer matrix whereas the other form is strongly bound to polymer backbone and prone to electrochemical redox reaction by movements of electrons. The high electroactivity of the film is attributed to the movements of ionic species into and out of the polymeric film as well as movements of electron.     

Kinetic investigation of erucamide synthesis using fatty acid and urea

Fatty acid amides like erucamide are mainly used for lubrication and as slip agent to decrease friction in polymer and plastic industry. Erucamide is normally synthesized by ammonolysis of triglycerides or fatty acids at 200 degrees C and at high pressure (345-690 kPa.). However using urea in place of ammonia the economic synthesis of erucamide is possible at atmospheric pressure at approx 190 degrees C. In present investigation, the kinetics of synthesis of erucamide by ammonolysis of erucic acid has been investigated. The optimum conditions for the synthesis of erucamide have also been determined. 1:4 molar ratio of erucic acid to urea, 190 degrees C temperature and catalyst [P2O5 with (NH4)2H PO4, {(1:1) w/w }] concentration 3% (by wt. of erucic acid) were the optimum condition for synthesis of erucamide from erucic acid and can obtain a maximum yield of 92% of pure erucamide. Some other catalysts as titanium-iso -propoxide, phosphorus pent oxide were also tried but these catalysts were not economical.     

Pressure corrections for the potential flow analysis of Kelvin–Helmholtz instability with heat and mass transfer

Pressure corrections for the viscous potential flow analysis of Kelvin–Helmholtz instability at the interface of two viscous fluids have been carried out when there is heat and mass transfer across the interface. Both fluids are taken as incompressible and viscous with different kinematic viscosities. In viscous potential flow theory, viscosity enters through normal stress balance and effect of shearing stresses is completely neglected. We include the viscous pressure in the normal stress balance along with irrotational pressure and it is assumed that this viscous pressure will resolve the discontinuity of the tangential stresses at the interface for two fluids. It has been observed that heat and mass transfer has destabilizing effect on the stability of the system. A comparison between viscous potential flow (VPF) solution and viscous contribution to the pressure for potential flow (VCVPF) solution has been made and it is found that the effect of irrotational shearing stresses stabilizes the system.     

Immobilization of lanthanum,cerium, and selenium into ceramic matrix of sodium zirconium phosphate

The crystallographic nature of NaCe_0.2Zr_1.8P₃O₁₂, NaSe_0.2Zr_1.8P₃O₁₂, and NaLa_0.13Ce_0.14Se_0.15·Zr_1.58P₃O₁₂ phases has been investigated with the aim of developing methods for radionuclide immobilization into sodium zirconium phosphate (NZP) phase. The phases have the NZP structure, space group \(R\bar 3c\) , Z = 6. Powder diffraction data have been subjected to Rietveld refinement, and satisfactory structural convergence of R-factors was achieved. The PO₄ stretching and bending vibration bands in the IR region have been assigned.     

Plane wave propagation in 2D and 3D monodisperse periodic granular media

Plane wave propagation in periodic ordered granular media comprising of elastic spherical particles is investigated. The spheres are under zero precompression and are assumed to interact via the Hertzian contact potential. Various two- and three-dimensional granular structures such as hexagonal packing (2D and 3D), face-centered cubic and body-centered cubic packings are considered in the present study, with the plane impact either normal or oblique to the granular system. For the normal impact case, 1D chains equivalent to the 2D and 3D structures are obtained. A universal relation between the wavefront speed and the force amplitude is derived, valid for all the granular structures studied. In the angular impact case, the shear component of the amplitude of the particle velocity is found to initially decay exponentially and further in a series of linear regimes. By employing simpler models, semi-analytical predictions are obtained for the decay of shearing effect.     

Determination of dynamic mechanical properties of engineering thermoplastics at wide frequency range using Havriliak–Negami model

Using Havriliak–Negami (HN) model of time–temperature superposition, dynamic mechanical properties for two thermorheologically simple engineering thermoplastics, viz., polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polycarbonate (PC) were determined. Calculations have been made with respect to (i) temperature‐independent HN parameters from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and (ii) activation energies of the deformation processes involved. Viscoelastic properties, over a wide frequency range, were predicted from the HN model, which were further correlated with the experimentally determined quantities and chemical structure of the polymers. The mathematical calculations were done using Matlab® software. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 677–683, 2006     

Amino acid residue 104 in an alpha-class glutathione S-transferase is essential for the high selectivity and specificity of the enzyme for 4-hydroxynonenal

By using resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization in a supersonic beam, photoionization spectra of the 0(0)0 band of the first singlet-singlet electronic transition of 35Cl-, 37Cl-, 79Br-, and 81Br-C6H5 have been obtained at a rotational temperature of 1 K. The ions have been analyzed according to their masses in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. From the spectra of 35Cl- and 37Cl-C6H5 obtained simultaneously, an isotope shift of 0.14 +/- 0.02 cm-1 has been determined. Similarly, from the spectra of 79Br- and 81Br-C6H5 the isotope shift resulted to be smaller than 0.02 cm-1. The spectra obtained have been interpreted by considering the geometrical structure and symmetry of each molecule, and values for the rotational constants and geometrical parameters in the upper and lower states have been obtained in agreement with the experimental results.