Dielectric relaxation in polyvinylidenefluoride–polysulfone blends

Dielectric properties of polymer blend of polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) and polysulfone (PSF) of different wt. % have been studied to understand the molecular motion and their relaxation behavior in the frequency range of 100 Hz to 10 kHz at different temperatures between 30 and 190 °C. The dielectric constant of the blend decreased with frequency and increased with the increasing temperature and PSF content in the blend. The magnitude of dielectric loss also increased with increase in temperature and PSF content. The observed characteristic has been consistently explained in terms of dipolar motions and the plasticization effect brought about by blending of PSF with PVDF. At constant frequency and temperature, the blend follows a linear relationship between logarithm of their dielectric constant and different ratios of blend. The appearance of a peak for each concentration in dielectric loss suggests the presence of relaxing dipoles in the blend. In addition of PSF with PVDF, the peak shifts toward higher frequency side suggesting the speed up the relaxation process. AC dielectric data is also combined with thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) data which is generally studied for low-frequency dielectric properties of polymers blends so as to produce the results in a wide frequency range. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of the blend was studied by differential scanning calorimetric technique (DSC), the T_g was compared and correlated with TSDC peak. The blend samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study the formation of blend and micro structural properties of the materials. The shifting of peak toward lower diffraction angle side confirms the reduction in particle size with increasing amorphous content in the blend.     

Nano-iron oxide-encapsulated chitosan microspheres as novel adsorbent for removal of Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution

The present study investigates the utility of composite beads of nano-particles of iron oxide and chitosan for removing Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution by batch and column adsorption techniques. In the batch mode experiment, the influence of pH, concentration, adsorbent dose, temperature, column mode, bed height, flow rate and initial concentration were studied on the adsorption profiles of nickel ions. The maximum uptake of Ni (II) ions was obtained at pH 4.0 in 30 min at room temperature.     

Unprecedented Transformation of Thioglycosides to Their Corresponding 1‐O‐Acetates in the Presence of HClO4‐SiO2 §

An unprecedented conversion of thioalkyl/aryl glycoside to the corresponding 1‐O‐acetates has been described using acetic anhydride and HClO₄‐SiO₂ at rt. Although this transformation does not play an important role in the oligosaccharide synthesis in comparison to its reverse transformation, this gives useful information in selecting the reaction condition for the synthesis of oligosaccharides. The yields were excellent in all cases.     

Purification and Characterization of Enterocin LR/6, a Bacteriocin from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Enterococcus faecium</Emphasis> LR/6

Enterocin LR/6, a bacteriocin obtained from the culture filtrate of Enterococcus faecium strain LR/6, has been purified to homogeneity using ammonium sulfate precipitation, cation-exchange chromatography, gel-filtration, and checked on reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. It is active at high temperatures (boiling as well as autoclaving) and over a wide range of pH (2.0–8.0). Also, it is sensitive to a number of proteolytic enzymes but is stable in the presence of surfactants and organic solvents. The protein could be stored at least up to 1 year at low temperatures (4 °C and −20 °C) without any loss of activity. The N-terminal sequence of enterocin LR/6 showed no homology with known enterocins or other bacteriocins present in the database, suggesting it to be a novel enterocin. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and tricine sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis revealed its mass to be ∼6.1 kDa. It showed a bactericidal mode of action against indicator strain, Micrococcus luteus.     

Effect of energy dependence of primary beam divergence on the X-ray standing wave characterization of layered materials.

Incident primary beam divergence is a source of systematic error in X-ray standing wave (XSW) characterization of single and multilayer thin films. Primary beam divergence significantly alters the XSW profile of a layered material and can lead to large errors when used with higher excitation energies. The present study suggests that when one uses Mo-Kalpha excitation, the primary beam divergence should be in range of 0.005(0). On the other hand, in the case of Cu-Kalpha excitation, primary beam divergence can be relaxed up to 0.01(0).     

Sample preparation for evaluation of detection limits in X-ray fluorescence spectrometry.

The influence of analyte mass concentration on determination of detection limits in X-ray fluorescence spectrometry has been investigated experimentally. Both the total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) and the conventional energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence techniques have been used to derive the dependence of analyte mass concentration on the values of detection limits. Results obtained indicate that values of detection limits are optimum, or in other words, they are closer to the true detection limit of the technique, when analyte concentrations are in the range of 10 times of the detection limit.     

Directional couplers in trapped image guide configuration

Dispersion characteristics and wave impedance of trapped coupled image guides are computed by using mode matching techniques. Dispersion curves for trapped coupled image guide are plotted for various dielectric materials and dimensional parameters. The hybrid directional couplers in the above configuration have been theoretically designed by computing the normalization propagation constant.     

Theoretical and experimental vibration analysis of an oblique space frame

This paper has the general objectives of relating analytical and experimental techniques for analysis of indeterminate spatial frames under dynamic loading. The model used has been made as general as possible to explore validity for nonstereotyped configurations. A highly redundant oblique four-bar space frame was selected having a lowest natural frequency of 42.1 cps. Recent success of the finite-element-matrix method and progress in the field of nonlinear optimization provides a rational basis for the synthesis of space frames; however, the validity of the discretization, both for strength-stiffness analysis and dynamic analysis, has not been explored for this type of configuration. The flexibility influence coefficients, the natural frequencies and the steady-state vibration amplitudes were experimentally determined and compared with theoretical values. Influence coefficients had an “error” of between four and 10 percent; the six lowest natural frequencies were in agreement within 15 percent when rotary inertia was considered. Steady-state amplitudes were in good agreement at frequencies not too close to resonance.