Effect of molecular weight on two smectic polyesters

The liquid crystalline transitions of two kinds of smectic polyesters with different molecular weights were investigated by DSC, polarized microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The molecular weight affects the transitions significantly for these two kinds of polyesters. With a high enough molecular weight, both poly (pentamethylenep,p-bibenzoate) and poly(hexamethylenep,p-bibenzoate) exhibit an enantiotropic smectic phase, but the two endothermic transition peaks of the DSC heating curve seem to overlap. The polyesters tend to exhibit a monotropic smectic phase as the molecular weight decreases. From the DSC cooling curve, the isotropic-smectic transition can be seen more clearly. As the molecular weight decreases, the smectic order decrease significantly. The molecular weight affects the transitions in a different way for these two different kinds of polyesters.     

A PROCEDURE FOR EVALUATION OF COMMERCIAL FCC CATALYSTS

Based on the correlations between laboratory units and commercial plants, a procedure has been developed to guide commercial FCC (Fluid Catalytic Cracking) catalysts selection. Examining the operability of catalyst mixtures during catalyst transition period is emphasized. The testing procedure is simple and reliable. A commercially available catalyst and the catalyst currently in use have been compared to demonstrate the applicability of this procedure. The commercial testing has confirmed the reliability of laboratory results. The use of the catalyst evaluated led to a 30% saving in catalyst cost.     

EFFECTS OF NONIONIC SURFACTANTS ON PERFORMANCE OF COPPER CHEMICAL MECHANICAL POLISHING

During copper chemical mechanical polishing (Cu-CMP), the physical properties of slurry, such as the dispersion and suspension stability of abrasives, the interaction between particles and the polished surface, and the rheological characteristics, greatly affect the planarization efficiency. In this study, several nonionic surfactants were added to change the aforementioned physical characteristics of slurry and Cu-CMP performance. Their effects were investigated. The experimental results showed that Al₂O₃ slurry with 300 ppm Triton DF-16 could enhance the wettability of the Cu surface and stabilize the dispersion of abrasives in the slurry. Therefore, the passivation reaction on the Cu surface during CMP would occur uniformly, and the removal of particles during post cleaning could be improved. Cu CMP using the slurry with an adequate amount of nonionic surfactants, Triton DF-16, is proposed to reduce the surface roughness, enhancing the planarity.     

Effect of La/K A-site Substitutions on the Ordering of Ba(Zn1/3Ta2/3)O3

The 1/3 <111>-type ordering of Ba(Zn_1/3Ta_2/3)O₃ (BZT) can be transformed to 1/2 <111>–type ordering by substituting the La³⁺ cation into the A site. The 1/3 <111> ordering in BZT is shown to be reduced, discontinued, and then replaced by 1/2 <111> ordering, using X–ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. On the other hand, potassium–substituted BZT only displays a reduction in the degree of ordering.     

Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis for Synthesis of Spherical Zirconia Particles

This paper presents new findings on ultrasonic spray pyrolysis of zirconium hydroxyl acetate precursor drops whose sizes were precisely measured using laser light diffraction technique. Precursor concentration plays a predominant role in determination of product particle size. At 0.01 wt% precursor concentration, conventional spray pyrolysis at 750°C using precursor drops 5–8 μm in diameter, generated by an ultrasonic nebulizer at 2.66 MHz, yielded uniform spherical yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) particles 73 nm in diameter measured by scanning electron microscopy. The YSZ particle diameters were much smaller than those predicted by the one-particle-per-drop mechanism. Under similar reaction conditions, the high-throughput ultrasound-modulated two-fluid (UMTF) spray pyrolysis of larger precursor drops (28-μm peak diameter) also yielded spherical dense particles; they were significantly smaller in size than those produced by the low-throughput conventional ultrasonic spray pyrolysis of smaller drops (6.8-μm peak diameter).     

Tissue culture of cocoa bean (Theobroma cacao L.): changes in lipids during maturation of beans and growth of cells and calli in culture

Callus cultures ofTheobroma cacao L., initiated from explants of immature cocoa bean cotyledons, contained 5.3%–6.4% lipids (dry wt basis). The major fatty acids were palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids. Cell suspensions contained 5.7–7.7% total lipids which had a higher polyunsaturated fatty acid content than total lipids of the calli. Phospholipids and glycolipids were the predominant lipid classes of calli and cell suspensions. Immature cocoa beans at early stages of development contained much higher polyunsaturated fatty acids, higher polar lipids and lower triglycerides than did mature ripe beans. Ripe cocoa beans contained 54% total lipids of which 96.8% where triglycerides. The fatty acid composition of total lipids of calli and cell suspensions were similar to those of the immature cocoa beans.     

On the examination of recycle on heat (and mass) transfer in concentric tubes

The effect of recycle on heat (and mass) transfer in concentric circular tubes has been investigated by finite difference methods. Theoretical results show that recycle can enhance the heat transfer rate for large Graetz numbers compared with that in an open tube (without an inner tube inserted and without recycle). Competition between a preheating effect and a residence-time effect can be used to explain the heat transfer behavior. The heat transfer rate can be further augmented, with nearly no increase in total pressure drop, by employing flow pattern B instead of flow pattern A.     

Synthesis of Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3 Microwave Ceramics through a Sol–Gel Route Using Acetate Salts

A sol–gel process to unsophisticatedly synthesize Ba(Mg_1/3Ta_2/3)O₃ (BMT) ceramics at low cost has been developed in the present work. This process involves the reaction of TaCl₅ with acetates of Ba and Mg in the presence of citric acid. Pure BMT polycrystalline powders can be obtained by calcining the synthesized products at 1000°C. The BMT powders were found to have a primary particle size as small as 100 nm. BMT ceramics with favorable structural characteristics can be obtained from sintering of the sol–gel BMT at temperatures much lower than that for the conventional solid-state BMT. Sintering the sol–gel BMT in pellet form at 1300°C resulted in an ordering parameter of 0.72 for the pellet, and a relative density of >95% was achieved with sintering at 1500°C. The grain size of the sintered sol–gel BMT was large and uniform in comparison with the products from the solid-state method. Using the sol–gel route, sintering at temperatures as low as 1400°C gave ceramics with acceptable microwave dielectric properties (a dielectric constant of 16 and Qf factor of 14 400 GHz), while higher temperatures (>1600°C) are needed for the solid-state route to give similar properties.     

GRAPHICAL SOLUTION OF MULTISTAGE FLUIDIZED BED HEAT EXCHANGER

The design of multistage fluidized beds for heat exchange necessitates the solution of the mass and energy balance equations combined with the equilibrium relations for each stage. This paper presents a novel way of applying well known methodology to a different technology, one where it has not been widely applied.

In the present work a McCabe-Thiele type of graphical approach is presented for both counter-current and cross-current contacting multiple fluidized beds. The necessary equations for a multistage calciner are developed and the application of the proposed method is demonstrated. Generalized fluidized bed efficiency for counter-current and cross-current multiple fluidized bed is presented.     

Glass transition and exclusion model in crystallization of polyether-polyester block copolymers with amide linkages

Polyether-polyester block copolymers having various polyetheramide contents were synthesized. Single glass transition intermediated in temperature between the glass transition temperatures of polyester and polyetheramide components was found for all of polyether-polyesters. The compositional variation of glass transition exhibited a similar trend to the predicted result of thermodynamic theory for compatible polymer blends. The incompatible pair of homopolyester and homopolyether was forced to be compatible after copolymerization. A modified theoretical prediction for the glass transition of copolymers based on the thermodynamic theory is proposed. Consistent results between theoretical prediction and experimental measurements were found. Unlike homopolyesters, the glass transition temperature of copolymer amorphous domains gradually decreases with crystallization time. An exclusion model for the crystallization of polyester segments in copolymers is proposed. The temperature width of the glass transition increases with crystallization time. The broadening towards the low temperature side in glass transition is interpreted as the evidence of crystallization-induced partial phase separation. Instead of forming macroscopic segregation, the excluded polyether segments resided in-between crystalline polyester lamellae and mix with amorphous polyesters to generate amorphous domains exhibiting concentration gradient along the lamellar basal surface normal. Further increasing the polyetheramide segment content brings the excluded polyetheramide segments to form domains among the crystallized polyester spherulites so as to inhibit the occurrence of spherulitic impingement.