The use of indoline dyes in a zinc oxide dye-sensitized solar cell

The effects of the position and the type of carboxyl anchor group in double rhodanine-type indoline dyes on the performance of a zinc oxide dye-sensitized solar cell were examined. The optimum position for the carboxymethyl group was on the inner rhodanine moiety; a carboxymethyl group gave optimum results among carboxymethyl, -ethyl, and -propyl derivatives.     

Investigation of Waste Wood as a Blast Furnace Injectant

National legislation within Japan has increased the need for the development of new process technologies that will utilize waste wood materials. In order to generate some fundamental data with respect to the possible injection of such materials into blast furnaces, a study has been made of the decomposition and gasification reactions that take place when biomass material, in this case Japanese cypress chips, are exposed to temperatures between 1673 and 2073K using a high frequency induction furnace. The relative amounts of gas, char and tar were determined as well as the concentration of the various species present in the gas phase. The results obtained from gas analysis were in good agreement with values calculated from thermodynamic equilibria.     

Synthesis of non-equilibrium phases in immiscible metals mechanically mixed by high pressure torsion

The structural changes in mechanically mixed metals of immiscible combinations of elements caused by bulk mechanical alloying (MA) through the use of high pressure torsion (HPT) were investigated in Ag–Ni and Nb–Zr systems. There was no alloying between Ag and Ni on atomic scale even after 100 rotations of HPT. On the other hand, the β-Zr phase started to appear after HPT 2 rotations in the Nb–Zr system, even though β-Zr is a high temperature phase. Further, Nb and Zr were completely mixed to form a bcc structured single phase after HPT 100 rotations. The sequence of alloying in the Nb–Zr system during HPT was discussed. These results clearly suggest that non-equilibrium phases can form in the Nb–Zr system by bulk MA by the use of HPT.     

Discharge Ratio of Side Outflow to Supercritical Channel Flow

This study presents the effects of width changes of a side breach, Froude numbers, and bottom slopes on discharge ratios of a side outflow to the main channel flow when a flow is supercritical. The results compare the differences between theoretical discharge ratios and experimental ones. The differences increase in one of three conditions: increase of the side breach, increase of the bottom slope, and decrease of the Froude number.     

Dynamics of Hollow and Solid Alumina Particle Formation in Spray Flames

Thermophoretic sampling (TS) of the aerosol was conducted to manifest the formation of hollow and solid alumina particles in spray flames. The collected particles were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Hollow particles with a thin shell (e.g., 10 nm) were formed from the aluminum nitrate precursor emulsion at less than 4-cm flame height. Hollow particles maintained their shapes in the flame using air as dispersion/oxidant gas, whereas hollow-to-solid restructuring of the particles took place in the flame using oxygen. With oxygen, nanoparticles were formed in the gas phase from the aluminum butoxide/2-propanol precursor solution only, whereas gas-phase reaction was hindered, forming large particles from the aluminum nitrate/2-propanol precursor solution.     

Conventional Fabrication Method for TCNQ Radical Anion Salts Molecular Wires

NMP-TCNQ (NMP=N-methylphenazinium, TCNQ=7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane) and (NEt₄)TCNQ gave molecular wires on a glass substrate by recrystallization from the acetone solution coexistence with the substrate. The width of the wires largely depends on the evaporation ratio of the solvent through recrystallization. When evaporating ratio of NMP-TCNQ solution was 167 μl/min, the width was minimized to 35 nm. Comparison of the IR spectra and XRD patterns with the corresponding single crystals clearly indicates that these wires have same crystallinity as the single crystals.     

Correlation between thermal stability of soft magnetic properties and structural relaxation in Co58Fe5Ni10Si11B16 metallic glass

Effects of isochronal and isothermal annealings on permeability, coercive field, field-induced anisotropy and electrical resistivity in Co₅₈Fe₅Ni₁₀Si₁₁B₁₆ metallic glass pre-annealed at 743 K for 60 min were examined to clarify the correlation between thermal stability of soft magnetic properties and structural relaxation. It was found that both soft magnetic properties and electrical resistivity changed reversibly, depending on annealing temperature, and the values of activation energy for the changes in these properties were very close, lying in the range 1.8 and 2.0 eV. However, although the deterioration of soft magnetic properties was observed in the specimens annealed below the Curie temperature (T _c), the resistivity changes occurred significantly even in the specimens above (T _c), The results strongly suggest that the changes in soft magnetic properties are attributed to an anisotropic chemical short-range ordering (CSRO) among the cobalt, iron and nickel atoms, and the resistivity changes (structural relaxation) are mainly due to an isotropic CSRO.     

An aggressive nasal lymphoma accompanied by high levels of soluble Fas ligand

10 adults' performances on visual training through recognition of speech spectrograms were examined. All subjects completed the training within eight 1-hr. sessions. Success and retention of training were also evident in the subjects' performances on two posttests.     

Strategic planning for CIM to enhance the competitive ability

A method of developing strategic CIM is described. Relationship between CIM and firm's competitive power is clarified, and a fundamental planning procedure for CIM is developed for enhancing the competitiveness. In the procedure, the system configuration of CIM is analyzed using 0–1 goal programming techniques. A numerical example is also demonstrated to show the effectiveness of the procedure.     

FORMATION OF MULLITE FROM GROUND PRODUCT OF A KAOLINITE-ALUMINUM TRIHYDROXIDE MIXTURE BY SOLID PHASE REACTION

The present paper describes the effect of grinding a kaolinite/aiuminum-trihydroxide mixture using a planetary ball mill on the structure of the ground product and the mean thermal expansion coefficients of samples sintered from the unground and ground mixtures. The size reduction of the mixture predominates in the early stage of grinding and the obtained fine particles aggregate subsequently with an increase in grinding time. The crystal structure of the mixture is collapsed easily into a disordered one, of which amount increases with an increase in grinding time. Only mullite phase was detected in the sintered body of the ground products at relatively lower temperature 1523K except for anatase as an inherent impurity, whereas corundum, cristobalite and Al-Si spinel phases besides mullite were formed in the sintered body of the unground mixture. The thermal expansion coefficients of sintered bodies of the 120 minutes-ground mixture are considerably lower than those of the unground mixture by about 10%. Consequently, the planetary milling enables us to improve the uniform mixing state at the atomic scale resulting in direct formation of mullite with high purity at relatively low temperature with a lower thermal expansion coefficient of the sintered body.