Encapsulation mechanism of N2 molecules into the central hollow of carbon nitride multiwalled nanofibers

Nitrogen molecules have been encapsulated into the central hollows of vertically aligned carbon nitride (CN) multiwalled nanofibers by dc plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition with C₂H₂, NH₃, and N₂ gases on a Ni/TiN/Si(1 0 0) substrate at 650 °C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectra showed the existence of nitrogen molecules in CN nanofibers. Elemental mapping images with electron energy loss spectroscopy of the CN nanofiber and catalyst metal, and optical emission spectroscopy spectra of the plasma showed the distribution of nitrogen atoms and molecules in the CN nanofiber, catalyst metal, and gaseous precursor, respectively. These studies showed that atomic nitrogen diffused into the catalytic metal particle because of the concentration gradient and then saturated at the bottom of the particle. Saturated nitrogen atom participated in the formation of the CN nanofiber wall but most of nitrogen was trapped in the central hollow of the nanofiber as molecules.     

An electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy study of the influence of positive plate compression on the electrochemical behaviour of lead-acid batteries

This study has developed an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method for the in situ investigation of the influence of positive plate compression on the electrochemical behaviour of lead-acid batteries during charge/discharge cycling. The EIS data for a fully charged and fully discharged battery are internally consistent with the expected kinetics of a battery in the opposite states of charge, and demonstrate that EIS measurements may be recorded with a high level of reproducibility. Furthermore, this study has necessitated the development of a special cell incorporating horizontally orientated battery plates that can be subjected to elevated pressure through the stacking of lead bricks on top of the cell, as well as a physically robust reference electrode system that can withstand the application of pressure. For this purpose, a platinum-wire pseudo-reference electrode has been developed, and has been shown to exhibit sufficient electrode stability over the period of an EIS recording, enabling the measurement of reproducible and meaningful EIS data. Additionally, the influence of positive plate compression on the behaviour of the lead-acid battery has been investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Clearly, the experimental data show that plate compression enhances significantly the kinetics and concomitant performance of the lead-acid battery, and this is related to the enhanced reactivity of the active material, as rationalized by using the agglomeration-of-spheres (AOS) model.     

1H nuclear magnetic resonance study of polyurethane prepolymers from toluene diisocyanate and polypropylene glycol

Polyurethane prepolymers prepared from toluene 2,4‐diisocyanate, toluene 2,6‐diisocyanate, and polypropylene glycol with a ratio between the isocyanate and hydroxyl groups equal to 2 were analyzed by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in acetone‐d₆. Different temperatures and concentrations were used. Toluene 2,4‐dimethylurethane and toluene 2,6‐dimethylurethane were synthesized and used as model compounds to assign prepolymers signals. Measurements of spin–lattice relaxation time T₁ by “inversion recovery” experiments were carried out on toluene 2,4‐diisocyanate, toluene 2,6‐diisocyanate, toluene 2,4‐dimethylurethane, toluene 2,6‐dimethylurethane, and polyurethane prepolymers. Differences in T₁ times were used to interpret prepolymers spectra, by means of the strong observed effect on protons due to the presence of adjacent isocyanate groups. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 347–357, 2003     

Diameter control of carbon nanotubes by changing the concentration of catalytic metal ion solutions

We have developed a simple new method to control the diameter of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using catalytic nanoparticle arrays fabricated by filling the pores of well-ordered porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates with a metal ion solution. Fe ion solution was used to fill the pores in which Co had been deposited electrochemically, and then the template was dried naturally on a magnet. After this process, the pores were widened in NaOH solution. Well-graphitized multi-walled CNTs were grown from almost all the pores and were very long in length and homogeneous in diameter. We were able to control the diameter of CNTs, simply, by changing the concentration of iron ion solution. For example, the average outer diameters of the CNTs are 7 ± 1.5, 13 ± 1, and 17 ± 1 nm when the concentrations of Fe ion in their mother solutions were 1.0 × 10⁻³, 3.0 × 10⁻³, and 6.0 × 10⁻³ M, respectively. The inner diameters of these CNTs corresponded to the calculated diameters of Fe nanoparticles by assuming that all Fe ions contained in each pore are reduced to a single nanoparticle. This means that homogeneous nanoparticles are made in each pore. Our new method could be used to fabricate homogeneous nanoparticles from most metal ion solutions.     

Preparation of highly crystalline nanofibers on Fe and Fe-Ni catalysts with a variety of graphene plane alignments

The present study confirmed that highly crystalline nanofibers with controlled structure may be prepared over Fe and Fe-Ni alloy catalysts. The degree of graphitization of various carbon nanofibers (CNFs) was analyzed by using C(0 0 2) peaks from the XRD profiles. The C(0 0 2) peaks of CNFs over Fe catalyst shifted to higher angle and became narrower as the preparation temperature increased from 560 to 620 °C. Tubular CNFs prepared at temperature higher than 630 °C showed lower 2θ angles compared to those of platelet fibers. CNFs prepared over Fe-Ni catalysts tended to resemble those prepared over Fe catalysts. The degree of graphitization of platelet CNFs resembled natural graphite, while d_0 0 2 of the tubular CNFs showed values below the 3.39 Å reported as a theoretical minimum for a cylindrical alignment. Lc_0 0 2 of platelet and tubular CNFs increased by heat treatment at 2000 and 2800 °C though d_0 0 2 changed little. A transverse section of platelet and tubular CNFs had a hexagonal shape, not a round shape. The hexagonal column allows AB stacking of hexagonal planes that can give perfect hexagonal alignment.     

Proton irradiation damage mechanism of the InAlAs／InGaAs／InAlAs quantum well

InP-based high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) have shown a great potential for national defense and satellite radar in space radiation environment applications. This paper studies the proton radiation damage mechanism of its critical structure InAlAs／InGaAs／InAlAs quantum well. The proton projection range and vacancy defect information are obtained at different incident proton energies of 50keV, 75keV and 200keV by SRIM software. With the increase of proton energy, the proton injection depth is increasing and eventually protons pass through the material layers. Besides, the proton radiation induced vacancy defects numbers around hetero-junction increase first and decrease subsequently, and As vacancies are the main proton radiation induced defects. In addition, non-ionizing energy loss (NIEL) of In_0.52Al_0.48As and In_0.53Ga_0.47As material is computed under different incident proton energies by the analytical model. The change trend of NIEL is identical to the induced vacancy numbers, namely, NIEL first increases and then decreases as the incident proton energy increases. Finally the degrading effect of the radiation-induced As defect is detected in the two-dimensional electron gas in the quantum well, which confirms that the major proton radiation damage mechanism of the quantum well is the induced vacancy defects by NIEL.     

三维激光扫描点位误差源分析

目前对三维激光扫描的分析主要停留在误差模型的建立上,没有对三维激光扫描仪的特点及其所受的误差进行分析,而三维激光扫描仪的系统误差和偶然误差都将会对整个误差模型的建立产生影响,点位误差源的准确分析是点位准确建立点位误差模型的基础。基于此,本文对三维激光扫描仪的点位误差源进行了分析,得到了不同误差源的误差模型,并给出了不同条件可能对激光扫描仪误差影响的大小。     

Fat Bloom Caused by Partial De-Oiling on Chocolate Surfaces after High-Temperature Exposure

Fat bloom in chocolate is a substantial problem that affects its sensory properties, such as texture and appearance. This phenomenon is because of diffuse light reflection on a roughened surface of chocolate, caused by structural changes of fat crystals subjected to various temperature conditions. The purpose of this study is to characterize the fat bloom formed through gradual two-step cooling after exposure to temperatures (35–37 °C) slightly above the cocoa butter Form βV melting point (33.8 °C). To clarify the fat bloom formation process, the structural changes in cocoa butter and on the chocolate surface, at the dynamic thermal condition for bloom formation, was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), fluorescence light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results revealed that an entirely light brown fat bloom occurred, even in the absence of the Form βVI or other polymorphic transformation. Microscopic observation showed that the light brown appearance was because of the porous structure on the chocolate surface. This porous structure was formed by liquid oil moving inside of chocolate from the surface. The formation of a coarse network and the subsequent de-oiling, because of movement of unsolidified liquid fat into the chocolate, appeared to be the main causes of bloom formation. Therefore, a coarsened fat network and oil movement besides the conventional principles of polymorphic transformation of cocoa butter should be considered.     

Chemical and morphological effects of blended sulfonated poly(styrene-isobutylene-styrene) and isopentylamine for direct methanol fuel cell applications

In this study, blend membranes based on a combination of sulfonated poly (styrene-isobutylene-styrene) (SIBS) with isopentylamine (IPA) were synthetized as potential candidates for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) applications. The impact of sulfonation level (57–93 mol%) and percentage of IPA incorporation (1, 3, and 5 wt%) were analyzed via different properties of the resulting membrane. FTIR analysis showed that IPA was successfully incorporated into the sulfonated polymer matrix and also confirmed the interaction between the sulfonic and amine groups. This interaction generates significant morphological changes in the nanostructure of the membranes that are evident through results of small angle x-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy analysis. Proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the membranes were also analyzed. Proton conductivity was significantly enhanced with the incorporation of IPA at an optimum loading, creating additional paths for the conduction of protons through the membrane. It was also sensitive to the morphological changes produced after the IPA incorporation and the interconnection between the ionic domains. Methanol permeability increased slightly due to the additional water domains and the inability of the isopentyl groups of IPA to block the free-volume in the membrane. Despite this, the selectivity (proton conductivity over methanol permeability) of the membranes was comparable to the state-of-the-art Nafion®, especially at an optimum IPA incorporation of 3 wt%.     

质子交换膜燃料电池有序化膜电极研究进展

质子交换膜燃料电池的发展和应用是促进现代生活方式低碳环保化的最重要路径之一。膜电极是质子交换膜燃料电池的核心部件,实现膜电极结构的有序化是同时满足低铂载量和高电化学性能要求的关键。本文系统总结和分析了最近有关有序化膜电极的相关研究进展。与发展较为缓慢的质子导体有序化相比,以催化剂有序化和催化剂载体有序化为路径实现的有序化膜电极结构优化已经得到快速发展,对于促进质子交换膜燃料电池规模化应用表现出极大的发展潜力。