High-temperature proton conductivity in acceptor-doped LaNbO4

The conductivity of acceptor-doped LaNbO₄ has been investigated in the temperature range 300 to 1200 °C as a function of the oxygen pressure and water vapor pressure by means of impedance spectroscopy and EMF measurements. The conductivity is predominantly ionic below 800 °C in air and for higher temperatures under reducing conditions. Protons are the major ionic charge carrier in the presence of water vapor. A maximum in proton conductivity of ∼ 0.001 S/cm was obtained at 950 °C in atmospheres containing ca 2% H₂O. At high temperatures (> 1000 °C) under oxidizing conditions, electron hole conduction prevails. The conductivity has been modeled assuming that oxygen vacancies and protons compensate the acceptor doping. Transport coefficients describing mobility of defects and thermodynamic constants for the incorporation of protons have been derived.     

Microwave-hydrothermal synthesis and photocatalytic properties of biomass charcoal/TiO2 nanocomposites

Biomass charcoal-doped titanium dioxide (C/TiO₂) composites were proposed by microwave-hydrothermal and calcination method using tetrabutyl titanate as the titanium source and lignin as the carbon source. TiO₂ crystals with different morphologies could be successfully adsorbed onto the surface of biomass charcoal. These products were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), derivative thermogravimetric (DTG), UV–vis diffuser flection spectroscopy (UV–vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). The photocatalytic activities of the as-obtained composites were checked under visible light irradiation. The results showed that both the microwave-hydrothermal temperature and time played an important role in the microstructure and photocatalytic activity of the samples. The rapid microwave-hydrothermal with the thermal post-treatment provides a promising route for the fabrication of biomass charcoal-doped nanocomposites materials.     

Comparative study between core-shell and interpenetrating network structure polyurethane/polyacrylate composite emulsions

Anionic aqueous polyurethane dispersion was prepared by using carboxyl acid group to make the polyurethane dispersible, and then nanograde core-shell and crosslinked IPN structure polyurethane/polyacrylate composite latex (PUA) were synthesized by soap-free emulsion polymerization method with polyurethane dispersion as seed. FTIR, DSC, dynamic light scattering, TEM, ESCA, TGA, electronic tensile machine were employed to investigate the structures and properties of the composite latex and their polymers. Meanwhile the core-shell composite PUA emulsion and the crosslinked IPN composite PUA emulsion were compared. The results showed that the particle morphology of PUA composite emulsion is inverted core-shell structure with polyacrylate as the core and with polyurethane as the shell. The morphology of the crosslinked PUA emulsion was multi-core structure. The surface in core-shell PUA contains rich PU phase. The phase structure of the crosslinked PUA is more uniform. Three transition temperatures are observed for the core-shell composite PUA, two transitions are observed for the film from the crosslinked PUA. The TGA curves of core-shell PUA and crosslinked PUA exhibit two stages, the first stage corresponds to the thermal decomposition of hard segments in seed polyurethane; the second stage corresponds to the decomposition of soft segments in PUA and decomposition of polyacrylate. With the increase of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) amounts in PUA composite emulsions, the tensile strength of the PUA films as well as the average diameter of the PUA composite emulsion particles increase, the elongation at break of the PUA films decreases.     

An Improved Method for Testing Weak VOCs in Dry Plants with a Purge and Trap Concentrator Coupled to GC-MS

The purge and trap (P&T) technique was improved for measuring the release of organic compounds with weak volatility (weak VOCs) from dry plant materials. Using distilled water as a dispersant, the plant tissues were mulled and placed in the purge tube of a P&T concentrator. Then the sample-containing purge tube was heated to 80 °C with helium as the carrier gas, and the purged volatiles were preconcentrated in the trap prior to analysis with GC-MS. The VOCs in Chinese herbal medicinal plants Swertia tetraptera, Saussurea involucrate and S. lacostei, which had been stored dry for 1–2.5 years were assayed with this improved method and conventional P&T techniques. Our results show this new P&T method had great promise for determining the VOCs in dry plant materials. Using this new technique, we identified 38 weak VOCs with a large peak area from the dry samples. In contrast, less than five VOCs were detected by the conventional P&T method. So the improved heat-purge and trap system showed to be more efficient for measuring the release of the weak VOCs from dry plant materials.     

Size effect on pull-in behavior of electrostatically actuated microbeams based on a modified couple stress theory

A variety of micro-scale experiments have demonstrated that the mechanical property of some metals and polymers on the order of micron scale are size dependence. Taking into account the size effect on the mechanical property of materials and the inherent nonlinear property of electrostatic force, the static pull-in behavior of an electrostatically actuated Bernoulli–Euler microbeam is analyzed on the basis of a modified couple stress theory. The approximate analytical solutions to the pull-in voltage and pull-in displacement of the microbeam are derived by using the Rayleigh–Ritz method. The results show that the normalized pull-in voltage of the microbeam increases by a factor of 3.1 as the microbeam thickness equals to the material length scale parameter and exhibits size effect remarkably. However, the size effect on the pull-in voltage is almost diminishing as the microbeam thickness is far greater than the material length scale parameter. The normalized pull-in displacement of the microbeam exhibits size independence and equals to 0.448 and 0.398 for the cantilever beam and clamped–clamped beam, respectively.     

Preparation of lotus-like superhydrophobic fluoropolymer films

Styrene and 2,2,3,4,4,4-hexafluorobutyl methacrylate copolymers were synthesized by bulk polymerization, and the superhydrophobic copolymer films were prepared subsequently using phase separation technique. The copolymer was dissolved in tetrahydrofuran, and then added ethanol into the solution thereafter, to induce phase separation. The microstructures of the polymer films were controlled by the degree of phase separation, which was enhanced properly by the concentration of ethanol. The surface morphology of the films, observed by environmental scanning electron microscope, is similar to that of the lotus leaf. The contact angle and sliding angle were measured as 154.3° and 5.8°, respectively. The excellent superhydrophobic property demonstrated that the phase separation technique is useful for preparing lotus-like fluoropolymer films.     

Intensity Distribution and Phase Vortices of Speckle Fields Generated by Multi-Aperture Random Scattering Screens

The intensity distribution and phase vortices of the speckle fields generated by multi-aperture random scattering screens are simulated, and it is found that the vortices exhibit layer-like structures and the dislocation phenomena occur in the local phase patterns produced by the two-pinhole aperture, whose phase distributions appear as striped structures. For three- or four-pinhole aperture, there are many circular bright spots appearing in the speckle grains, and there is one vortex between the neighboring circular bright spots. The positive and negative phase vortex lattices appear in the phase distributions, and the regions circled by the isothetic phase lines form irregular quadrilaterals or hexagons. Moreover, the relative positions of the vortices or bright spots can be adjusted by changing those of the pinhole apertures.     

Biosynthesis and magnetic properties of mesoporous Fe3O4 composites

Magnetic Fe₃O₄ materials with mesoporous structure are synthesized by co-precipitation method using yeast cells as a template. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern indicates that the as-synthesized mesoporous hybrid Fe₃O₄ is well crystallized. The Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) models reveal the existence of mesostructure in the dried sample which has a specific surface area of 96.31 m²/g and a pore size distribution of 8-14 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements confirm the wormhole-like structure of the resulting samples. The composition and chemical bonds of the Fe₃O₄/cells composites are studied by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Preliminary magnetic properties of the mesoporous hybrid Fe₃O₄ are characterized by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The magnetic Fe₃O₄/cells composites with mesoporous structure have potential applications in biomedical areas, such as drug delivery.