Morphological investigations of a textured black copper selective coating

The microstructural investigations of a textured black copper selective coating are reported. These surfaces possess remarkably high initial absorptance 0.97 to 0.98 and emittance ₁₀₀ 0.2 ± 0.02. These surfaces reveal a new sponge-like, porous, layered microstructure. They are made of loosely packed long and fine grains which appear randomly distributed. The copper grains are dispersed in a semiconductor oxide matrix. The spacing between these grains is of the order of solar wavelength. Also, these surfaces possess opulent solar selectivity and structural stability up to 250° C in air and under vacuum conditions.     

Inverted emulsion polymerization route to polyaniline‐3D nanofiber network using sulfonated‐p‐cresol as novel dopant

Sulfonated‐p‐cresol (SPC) was used as novel dopant for the first time in the synthesis of polyaniline in 3D nanofiber networks (PANI‐3D). Polyaniline in 3D nanofiber network was prepared using organic solvent soluble benzoyl peroxide as oxidizing agent in presence of SPC and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) surfactant via inverted emulsion polymerization pathway. The influence of synthesis conditions such as the concentration of the reactants, stirring/static condition, and temperature etc., on the properties and formation of polyaniline nanofiber network were investigated. Polyaniline in 3D nanofiber network with 40–160 nm (diameter), high yield (134 wt % with respect to aniline used), and reasonably good conductivity (0.1 S/cm) was obtained in 24 h time. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

An interactive computer program for elliptical beam optimization

Elliptical antenna beams are used for planning of direct broadcast satellite systems. In this paper concepts of the beam optimization process are described briefly. A method of plotting the optimized beam on a suitable map projection is discussed. An interactive computer program, which can be used for the optimization and plotting of beams on a given territory, is described with the help of examples.     

Textured black brass spectrally selective coating

A textured black brass selective coating has been reported in this paper. These textured black brass selective coatings have been obtained by using chemical conversion process. They exhibit initial solar absorptance ()0.96 and thermal emittance ₁₀₀0.17 and are reproducible. These have been annealed up to 250°C in air and at 150°C in vacuum (10⁻³ Torr) possessing solar absorptance ()0.90. TEM, XRD and FTIR analyses have also been reported which suggests that the coating consists of multi-phases.     

Low earth orbit satellite systems for communications

It may be that we are now entering the era of LEO constellation satellite communications after thirty years of domination by the GEO systems. This paper heralds the coming of the new era with a tutorial approach to the system design and trade-offs of LEO constellation system design. It discusses orbital configurations, network topologies and routeing considerations, multiple access schemes and link performance design. In so doing it brings out the major design parameters and how they interact with each other. Also considered are the service applications for the LEO constellation systems, and the important difference between real-time and delayed communication systems is highlighted. Examples of single and multi-beam (cellular) coverage system link designs are presented for L-K_a frequency bands. Future papers will consider aspects of the LEO spacecraft and launchers.     

Experimental results of radio-frequency radiation measurements from cellular telephones

Measurement results of radio-frequency field strength from cellular telephones are reported. Transportable and hand-held portable sets were used for the study, and their radiation levels were compared with the International Radiation Protection Agency (IRPA) and UK exposure standards as a function of distance for two operational environments. The hand-held portable set, which uses very low-power transmissions, was found to have radiation levels well within the prescribed limits. For the transportable radiophone, exposure levels are within limits for the UK standards, but are violated at certain points close to the antenna for IRPA standards. However, the position of the antenna in such telephones is well away from the user under normal operating conditions, where the radiation levels are well within limits.<>     

Recycling of waste PET‐bottles using dimethyl sulfoxide and hydrotalcite catalyst

The degradation of PET bottles has been successfully achieved using hydrotalcite as catalyst and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent. The reaction was carried out at boiling point of DMSO (190°C) and degradation was complete in 10 min. The oligomer (tetramer) obtained was treated with NaOH at room temperature in methanol to get dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and ethylene glycol (EG). Thus, it is a safe and cleaner process. Oligomer was characterized by MS, 13 C‐NMR, X‐ray diffractometric, and thermogravimetric analysis. DMT and EG were characterized by GC‐MS. DMT was also characterized by FT‐IR. GC‐MS analysis shows that the purity of DMT was 99%. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2012     

Synthesis of Nanostructured Hydroxides and Oxides of Iron: Control Over Morphology and Physical Properties

This paper reports on the surfactant-assisted synthesis of nanotubes and nanorods of β-FeOOH and hence α-Fe₂O₃ (hematite) with remarkable stability against temperature under different reaction conditions. Characterization and a comprehensive study of their nanosized properties are carried out by powder X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, transmission electron microscope, and vibrating sample magnetometer. Upon calcination at 300°C, β-FeOOH nanostructures transform to α-Fe₂O₃ with some change in morphology. The samples convert to layered rod-like structures and further into some sort of a disc resembling stacked structures upon heat treatment. Even for magnetic fields up to 10 000 G, the magnetization curves for the nanotubes/nanorods of hematite do not attain the saturation magnetization. All the materials exhibit a very low coercivity even at room temperature and hence are potential materials for magnetic applications.     

Land vehicular propagation channel characterization of BGAN system

This paper summarizes the results of a measurement campaign, which set out to characterize Inmarsat's broadband global area network extension (BGAN‐X) L‐band land vehicular (LV) channels as a function of elevation angle and candidate antenna systems. Measurements were conducted with three types of directional antennas on motorway routes around London using Inmarsat's Indian Ocean Region (IOR), Atlantic Ocean Region‐East (AOR‐E) and Atlantic Ocean Region‐West (AOR‐W) satellite transmissions, corresponding to elevation angles of, respectively, ～7.5°, ～13° and ～30°. Simultaneous recordings of data on two types of directive receivers enabled correlation of several channel parameters. Statistics were used to refine a baseline model that derived BGAN‐X LV channel parameters by scaling the statistics obtained from an omni‐directional antenna receiver. The measurements demonstrate that Ricean mean and Ricean factor vary significantly over the chosen routes at elevation angles below ～13°. Further, the Doppler shift of the direct path can be predicted accurately. A qualitative analysis indicates that the multi‐path Doppler spread is generally (not always) caused by uniform scattering around the vehicle over short distances and undergoes spatial filtering due to the receiver antenna. A technique was established to derive statistics of a two‐state Markovian channel model at any specified fading threshold by gathering tracking system state, thereby allowing one to ascertain service expectations and operational parameters such as connection time‐out of a packet‐switched system or reliability threshold of a circuit‐switched system. The technique was used to identify and select appropriate routes, particularly for the IOR and the AOR‐W regions. Data analysis is in progress to establish the reason for the slow variations of signal mean at low‐elevation angles in Ricean conditions and to derive appropriate statistical models. Furthermore, image processing of the video recordings is expected to reveal the extent of optical and RF fades correlation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.