Synthesis of reagents for inhibiting the growth of sulfate-reducing bacteria in petroleum production

Quaternary ammonium salts were synthesized on the basis of hexamethylenetetramine and piperylene hydrochloride. Conditions for the synthesis of mono-, di-, tri-, and tetraalkenylhexamethylenetetrammonium chlorides in aqueous solutions were optimized. The main physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized compounds were determined and the structures were established. The suppression of the growth of sulfate-reducing bacteria was studied.     

Information Assurance Technology Forecast 2008

A virtual roundtable (featuring panelists Steven Bellovin, Terry Benzel, Bob Blakely, Dorothy Denning, Whitfield Diffie, Jeremy Epstein, and Paulo Verissimo) discussing the next 15 years in computer security.     

Composition and morphology of char particles of fly ashes from industrial burning of high-ash coals with different reactivity

A comparative investigation of the composition and the morphology of char particles was conducted: char particles were recovered from fly ashes of two power stations in Russia from burning of high- and low-reactivity high-ash coals; the known results of studies of char particles generated in laboratory conditions from coals characterized according to the ASTM D388-98a standard were also used. The composition of organic and mineral components of different fraction char particles was studied. An inverse correlation between the content of the organic substance and the iron content in char particles was identified. The morphology of the char particles for the three main types (Cenospheric, Network and Solid) and the influence of coal reactivity and temperature on char morphology were investigated. The morphology of the mineral component of char particles of the two varieties of coals was also studied. It was shown that the high-temperature of industrial burning of Ekibastuz coal results in melting of the mineral substance and forming of micron-scale microspheres located in the lamellar porous structure of the carbon matrix.     

The Electrochemistry of Liposomes

This review aims to summarize the current state of research concerning the interaction of electrodes with liposomes suspended in solutions. Main attention is given to the complex mechanism of adhesion and spreading of liposomes on mercury electrodes. That mechanism can be studied with the help of chronoamperometry, where each adhesion-spreading event appears as a capacitive current spike. Integration of these spikes produces charge versus time transients that can be modeled and simulated, revealing the details of the multi-step adhesion-spreading process. Whereas the number of spikes per time mirrors the macro-kinetics, the analysis of the time behavior of each spike mirrors the micro-kinetics of each adhesion-spreading event. The reviewed studies show that this approach provides a new tool to study the properties of liposome membranes. The adhesion-spreading of liposomes on mercury electrodes has strong similarities to the process of vesicle fusion, which makes these studies a biomimetic model allowing one to deduce the effects of foreign molecules in bilayer membranes.     

Electrokinetic remediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals

This paper describes the results obtained from an electrokinetic treatment of a real soil polluted by lead acetate. Powdered soil samples were pressed with a consolidometer till 100 kPa to obtain cylindrical specimens with the same characteristics as a subsoil. Tests were carried out in a Perspex electrochemical cell where soil specimens were introduced with a hollow punch. A low intensity direct current was applied in order to remove contaminants, due to electrophoresis and electroosmosis phenomena. The water flow, conductivity, apparent electroosmotic coefficient, as well as other characteristic parameters, were measured throughout the test. The water content and degree of pore saturation were estimated at the beginning and end of the test. The soil slab was divided into four slices and the Pb concentration profile determined. The main factor governing the extraction of contaminant was found to be the pH in the acidic range. Indeed, under these conditions high removal efficiencies could be reached. These results could lead to the design of a new electrochemical treatment cell equipped with a cationic membrane to expand the region of favourable pH within the soil.     

Electrooptic studies on polymer‐dispersed liquid‐crystal composite films. III. Poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐butyl acrylate)/E7 and poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐butyl acrylate)/E8 composites

Composite films composed of poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐butyl acrylate) (PMMABA) and nematic‐type liquid crystals E7 and E8 (commercial products from E. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) were prepared through solvent casting in chloroform. The morphology and electrooptic responses were studied. Scanning electron microscopy observations showed that the liquid‐crystal phase (E7 or E8), as larger, elongated, interconnected cavities, was continuously embedded in a spongelike PMMABA matrix. At a specific level of the liquid‐crystal (E7 or E8) loading (30/70 wt %), the effects of the voltage, temperature, and frequency of an applied alternating‐current electric field on the transmittance of the composite films were measured with a He–Ne laser (wavelength = 632.8 nm). The results were interpreted in terms of the aggregation structure, interfacial interaction, and solubility of the liquid crystal in the matrix polymer. The results indicated that, under these experimental conditions, the output could be controlled to a desired level by the selection of suitable liquid crystals to prepare polymer‐dispersed liquid‐crystal, electrooptic, active composite films with a response time of the order of only milliseconds or less. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

Oxidative radical generation via nitrogen dioxide dimer conversions induced by amide groups of macromolecules

The features of initiation of free radical reactions in polymers by dimers of nitrogen dioxide are considered. The conversion of planar dimers into nitrosyl nitrate in the presence of amide groups of macromolecules has been revealed. Nitrosyl nitrate initiates radical reactions in oxidative primary process of electron transfer with formation of intermediate radical cations and nitric oxide. As a result of subsequent reactions, nitrogen‐containing radicals are produced. The dimer conversion has been exhibited by estimation of the oxyaminoxyl radical yield in characteristic reaction of p‐benzoquinone with nitrogen dioxide on addition of aromatic polyamide and polyvinylpyrrolidone to reacting system. The isomerization of planar dimers is efficient in their complexes with amide groups, as confirmed by ab initio calculations. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Modelling and experimental investigation of devolatilizing wood in a fluidized bed combustor

A two-dimensional model is developed for the determination of devolatilization time and char yield of cylindrical wood particles in a bubbling fluidized bed combustor. By using the concept of shape factor, the model is extended to particles of cuboid shape. The model prediction of the devolatilization time agrees with the measured data (present and those reported in the literature) for cylindrical and cuboidal shaped particles within ±20% while the char yield is predicted within ±17%. Influence of some important parameters namely, thermal diffusivity, external heat transfer coefficient and shrinkage, on the devolatilization time and char yield are studied. Thermal diffusivity shows noticeable influence on devolatilization time. The external heat transfer coefficient shows little influence beyond a value of 300 W/(m² K). However particle shrinkage shows negligible effect on the devolatilization time but has a significant influence on the char yield.     

Ethynedithiol‐based polyeneoligosulfides as active cathode materials for lithium‐sulfur batteries

Ethynedithiol‐based polyeneoligosulfides have been synthesized in 96% yield by the reaction of sodium acetylides (HC?CNa, NaC?CSNa) and elemental sulfur through the Na? C_sp bond in liquid ammonia with the following spontaneous polymerization of ethynedithiols (HSC?CSH) formed by the hydrolysis. The polyeneoligosulfides synthesized are brown powders (up to 77% sulfur content, mp 128–184°C), partially soluble in organic solvents. They are high‐resistance semiconductors (10^?13 to 10^?14 S cm^?1), possess paramagnetic (10¹⁷ to 10¹⁸ spin g^?1) and redox properties. The oligosulfides obtained, being redox systems capable of reversible redox processes, provide high values of discharge capacity (345–720 mA h g^?1) of rechargeable lithium‐sulfur batteries. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Polyaniline-multiwalled carbon nanotube composites: Characterization by WAXS and TGA

Polyaniline/carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotube (PAni/c-MWNT) nanocomposites have been synthesized by micellar aided emulsion polymerization with various c-MWNTs compositions, viz., 0.5, 1, 5, and 10 wt %. The microcrystalline parameters such as the nanocrystal size (〈N〉), lattice strain (g), interplanar distance (d_hkl), width of the crystallite size distribution, surface weighted crystal size (D_s), and volume of the ordered regions were calculated from the X-ray data by using two mathematical models, namely the Exponential distribution and Reinhold distribution methods. The effects of heat ageing on the microcrystalline parameters of the PAni/c-MWNT nanocomposites were also studied and the results are correlated. The thermal stability and electrical resistivity of the PAni/c-MWNT nanocomposites were examined with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and a conventional two-probe method. The TGA data indicate that the thermal stability of the nanocomposites improved after the incorporation of c-MWNTs. The influence of temperature on the resistivity of the nanocomposites was also measured. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008