A high‐precision instrument for mapping of rotational errors in rotary stages

A rotational stage is a key component of every X‐ray instrument capable of providing tomographic or diffraction measurements. To perform accurate three‐dimensional reconstructions, runout errors due to imperfect rotation (e.g. circle of confusion) must be quantified and corrected. A dedicated instrument capable of full characterization and circle of confusion mapping in rotary stages down to the sub‐10 nm level has been developed. A high‐stability design, with an array of five capacitive sensors, allows simultaneous measurements of wobble, radial and axial displacements. The developed instrument has been used for characterization of two mechanical stages which are part of an X‐ray microscope.     

Oxygen bridged Homobinuclear Mn(II) compounds with Anthranilic acid: Theoretical calculations,oxidation and catalase activity

Two new homobinuclear manganese compounds with mixed ligands, [Mn₂(μ_1,1–2‐NH₂C₆H₄COO)₂(phen)₄](ClO₄)2(CH₃OH) ( 1 ), and [Mn₂(μ_1,3–2‐NH₂C₆H₄COO)₂(bipy)₄](ClO₄)2 ( 2 ) (NH₂C₆H₄COOH = anthranilic acid, bipy = 2,2′‐bipyridine, phen = 1,10‐ phenanthroline) were synthesized and thoroughly characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV and single crystal X‐ray crystallography. X‐ray structure analysis shows that in the mono‐ and bidentate carboxylate bridged compounds, Mn–Mn distances of 1 and 2 are 3,461 Å, and 4,639 Å, respectively. The energy of the compounds was determined with a DFT (Density Functional Theory) calculation on B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p) optimized geometry by using the B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p) basis set. These compounds acts as biomimetic catalyst and show catalase‐like activity for the hydrogen peroxide dismutation at room temperature in different solvents with remarkable activity (TOF, Turnover frequency = mol of subst./(mol of cat. × time)) up to 12640 h^?1 with 1 , and 17910 h^?1 with 2 in Tris–HCl buffer). Moreover, the catalytic activity of 1 and 2 has been studied for oxidation of alcohols (cinnamyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, cyclohexanol, 1‐octanol and 1‐heptanol) and alkenes (cyclohexene, styrene, ethyl benzene, 1‐octene and 1‐hexene) in a homogeneous catalytic system consisting t‐butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) as an oxidant in acetonitrile. Both compounds exhibited very high activity in the oxidation of cyclohexene to cyclohexanone (~80% selectivity, ~99% conversion in 1 h, TOF = 243 h^?1 and 226 h^?1) and cinnamyl alcohol to cinnamaldehyde (~64% selectivity) as the main product with very high TOF value (9180 h^?1 and 13040 h^?1 in the first minute of reaction) (~100% conversion in 0.5 h) with TBHP at 70 °C in acetonitrile, for 1 and 2 , respectively.     

Polymer electrolyte for photoelectrochemical cell and dye-sensitized solar cell: a brief review

This paper reviews the use of solid polymeric electrolyte (SPE) and gel polymeric electrolyte (GPE) in photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) and dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The structure of PEC and its working principle are presented. The various types of polymer electrolytes utilized in PEC and DSSC have been highlighted in this review. It also highlights the comparison of performance of PEC and DSSC utilizing those polymer electrolytes. This review is completed with the list of other SPEs that potentially be tested in DSSC.     

On existence and essential components for solution set for system of strong vector quasi-equilibrium problems

In this paper, we study the system of strong vector quasi-equilibrium problems without assuming that the dual of the ordering cone has a weak* compact base. We show the existence and essential components of solution set for system of strong vector quasi-equilibrium problems by defining the best-reply mapping.     

Spacer effect on triazole-linked sugar-based surfactants

A series of alkyl triazole glycoside surfactants, ATGs, differing in the length of the alkyl linker between the sugar and the triazole, was synthesized and investigated on their surfactant properties and phase behavior in water. The results indicate no significant impact of the linker on surface and interphase properties, whereas the phase behavior is affected. Higher affinity for the bicontinuous cubic phase potentially favors methylene-linked ATGs over higher homologs for drug-delivery applications. A comparison of glucose and xylose reveals a tendency for high Krafft points for propargyl xyloside based ATGs. This disfavors these surfactants with respect to both glucose analogs and higher homologs.     

Influence of Macro-pores on DNAPL Migration in Double-Porosity Soil Using Light Transmission Visualization Method

Double porosity is a substantial microstructure characteristic in a wide range of geomaterials. It is a natural phenomenon that can be found in many types of soil, and it can result from biological, chemical or mechanical damage. In this paper, the influence of macro-pores on dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) migration in double-porosity medium was investigated using light transmission visualization technique. Three experiments were carried out in two-dimensional flow chambers filled with a double-porosity medium composed of a mixture of local sand and sintered kaolin clay spheres arranged in a periodic manner. In each experiment, a different volumetric fraction of macro-pores and micropores was used. Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) was used to simulate DNAPL, and it was dyed using Oil-Red-O for better visualization. A predetermined amount of PCE was injected into the flow chambers and this amount was re-calculated using image analysis. A very strong correlation was found between the PCE amount injected and the amount calculated from image analysis in each experiment. The experiment was repeated by filling the flow chamber with silica sand to represent single-porosity medium. The results show that the macro-pores have a considerable effect on the PCE migration in double-porosity soil as the PCE movement was the fastest in the third experiment which contained the largest macro-pores volume. The accuracy of the method was validated using statistical analysis. The results show a slight difference between the means of the three experiments, indicating that the method is viable for monitoring NAPL migration in double-porosity medium under different volumetric fractions of macro-pores and micropores.