Reactor Concept for Contactless Kinetic Measurement in Oscillating Droplets via Raman Spectroscopy

A millistructured reactor and spectroscopic setup for contactless kinetic measurements in oscillating droplets is presented in this work. The polymerization of acrylic acid serves as a model reaction. Design and construction of the reactor focus on the optical access for Raman measurement, the nearly isothermal behavior, and the preservation of droplets during long‐term reactions with a high increase of viscosity. Another key aspect is the possibility of full automation at a later stage.     

Porosity measurements in suspension plasma sprayed YSZ coatings using NMR cryoporometry and X-ray microscopy

A large variety of coatings are used to protect structural engineering materials from corrosion, wear, and erosion, and to provide thermal insulation. In this work, yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings produced by suspension plasma spraying were investigated with respect to their microstructure and especially their porosity, as the porosity affects the thermal insulation of the underlying component. To determine porosity, pore size distribution, and pore shape, the coatings were investigated using novel advanced characterization techniques like NMR cryoporometry and X-ray microscopy. In general, the porosity is inhomogeneously distributed and the coatings showed a large variety of pore sizes ranging from a few nanometers to micrometers.     

Flame-spraying synthesis of aluminate glasses in the Al2O3–La2O3 system

The paper deals with the synthesis and characterisation of binary aluminate glasses in the La₂O₃–Al₂O₃ system with Al₂O₃ contents changing between 74.6 and 86.9 mol% (48–65 wt.%), and of ternary glasses with 75.7 mol% Al₂O₃ doped with 1 mol% of Nd₂O₃ or Er₂O₃. Six binary and two ternary compositions were prepared. Flame synthesis facilitated the preparation of X-ray amorphous microspheres in the systems with 58 wt.% Al₂O₃, and with eutectic composition in the pseudobinary LaAlO₃–LaAl₁₁O₁₈ system doped with Er. Other systems contained low fractions of crystalline LaAlO₃ perovskite, regardless of the composition. The diameter of prepared microspheres ranged between 2 and 10 μm. They were transparent for visible light, as well as in the IR wavenumber range from 1300 to 4000 cm^?1.     

DIC image reconstruction on large cell scans

The width of the emission spectrum of a common fluorophore allows only for a limited number of spectral distinct fluorescent markers in the visible spectrum, which is also the regime where CCD-cameras are used in microscopy. For imaging of cells or tissues, it is required to obtain an image from which the morphology of the whole cell can be extracted. This is usually achieved by differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy. These images have a pseudo-3D appearance, easily interpreted by the human brain. In the age of high throughput and high content screening, manual image processing is not an option. Conventional algorithms for image processing often use threshold-based criteria to identify objects of interest. These algorithms fail for DIC images as they have a range from dim to bright with an intermediate intensity equal to the background, so as to produce no clear object boundary. In this article we compare different reconstruction methods for up to 100 MB-large DIC images and implement a new iterative reconstruction method based on the Hilbert Transform that enables identification of cell boundaries with standard threshold algorithms.     

The impact of drying and steaming processes on surface color changes of tension and normal beech wood

Abstract

Beech wood has a high frequency of defects such as red heartwood, reaction wood (tension wood). For the experimental measurements four logs without visible defects like red heartwood, which can noticeably affects the measurements' results were qualified. The drying medium temperature in the first phase of the process before the moisture content of the specimens fell below the FSP was maintained at 45?°C. Then, the temperature was gradually increased to the maximum value 65?°C. The results showed that different initial wood moisture content does not affect to final value of tension and normal wood. The colorimetric parameter L* was much higher for tension wood. After steaming, there were greater differences in the colorimetric parameters, respectively, a* and b*. After drying the difference of all colorimetric parameters between tension and normal wood was significantly less. The color changes were only noticed in the surface layers of specimens. Differences were small, and thus, the impact of the tension wood on the color changes was not confirmed. However, since the lightness of tension wood plays a key role for its visual detection, it may be adequate to only measure the lightness parameter (L*).     

Characterization and dielectric properties of β-SiC nanofibres

SiC nanofibres produced by chemical vapour reaction technique are investigated using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The nanofibres have been found to have a crystalline core of β-SiC sheathed with thorn-like turbostratic carbon or amorphous Si/O/C, respectively. For this material, real and imaginary part of relative permittivity is measured in a frequency range of 1–18 GHz at room temperature. The results reveal that the permittivity and dielectric loss in the SiC nanofibres are a magnitude higher compared with sub-microcrystalline SiC powder. Composition and nanostructure are held responsible for the difference in dielectric properties. The mechanisms of dielectric loss in the SiC nanofibres are discussed based on interfacial polarization, lattice defects in the SiC nanofibre cores and conduction loss of turbostratic carbon in the thorn-like sheath of SiC nanofibres.     

Variation of the adsorption properties of porous silicon in the course of natural and high-temperature aging

The photo-and thermostimulated adsorption-desorption processes on the surface of porous silicon (por-Si) were studied in the course of natural and high-temperature degradation of the samples. The results of IR absorption, luminescence, and Auger electron spectroscopy measurements indicate that an active stage in the sample morphology variation under the natural aging conditions lasts for a prolonged time (exceeding 74 days) upon the por-Si layer formation and is accompanied by redistribution of the adsorbed molecules. The surface properties vary so as to favor the adsorption of oxygen, carbon, and, probably, OH groups. The high-temperature (1149 K) treatment of the por-Si surface in acetone vapor favors the formation of a carbonized layer possessing a characteristic photoluminescence spectrum with a maximum intensity at 458 nm. The IR spectra indicate the presence of a silicon carbide phase, identified as the cubic β-SiC, with a characteristic absorption at 800–833 cm⁻¹. A strong shift of the high-frequency wing of the IR absorption spectrum is explained by the carbon substitution for one oxygen in the O-Si-O groups.