Role of ZnO-CeO2 Nanostructures as a Photo-catalyst and Chemi-sensor

ZnO-CeO2 nanostructures were synthesized by simple and effcient low temperature method. The structure and morphology of the ZnO-CeO2 nanostructures were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), which revealed elongated shaped CeO2 nanoparticles with diameters of 40-90 nm distributed on the surface of elongated ZnO nanostructures with diameters of 50-200 nm (edge-centre). Further the structure of the synthesized ZnO-CeO2 nanostructure was supported by Raman spectra and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). UV-vis absorption spectrum was used to confirm the optical properties of the CeO2 doped ZnO nanostructures. Photo-catalytic activity of CeO2 doped ZnO nanostructure was evaluated by degradation of acridine orange and methylene blue which degraded 84.55% and 48.65% in 170 min, respectively. ZnO-CeO2 nanostructures also showed good sensitivity (0.8331 μA·cm-2·(mol/l)-1) in short response time (10 s) by applying to chemical sensing using ethanol as a target compound by I-V technique. These degradation and chemical sensing properties of ZnO-CeO2 nanostructures are of great importance for the application of ZnO-CeO2 system as a photo-catalyst and chemical sensor.     

Identification of the glucosamine kinase in the chitinolytic pathway of Thermococcus kodakarensis

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Fuzzy sliding mode control algorithm for a four-wheel skid steer vehicle

This research design and implement a robust dynamic feedback controller for a four-wheel skid steering vehicle (SSV) under highspeed cornering motion. First, SSV dynamics are modeled and analyzed to construct the simulation environment and to validate the performance of the proposed algorithm. A robust fuzzy-sliding mode controller is then designed to offset the effect of forces induced by wheel—soil interaction during skidding and ground-level fluctuations. It also eliminates the chattering phenomena encountered with conventional sliding mode control. Given P-3AT mobile robot parameters for trajectory tracking and velocity setting, extensive simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.     

Estimation of Aluminium in HTPB Based Composite Solid Propellants by hydrogen evolution method

Hydrogen gas evolution method has been applied to determine the percentage of aluminium (Al) in hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) based composite solid propellants premix/pastes. The determination is not effected by the presence of Zn, Fe, Cu or small amounts of silicon but magnesium has been found to interfere in the analysis. The results are obtained with remarkable accuracy and reproducibility.