ToF‐SIMS observation of PTFE surfaces modified by α‐particle irradiation

The surface structure of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) upon α‐particle irradiation has been investigated at doses in the range of 1 × 10⁷ to 1 × 10¹¹ Rad and compared with the surface structure of the unirradiated polymer. Both neat and 25% fiberglass content PTFE were studied. The samples, maintained at nominal room temperature, were irradiated in vacuum by 5.5 MeV ⁴He²⁺ ions generated in a tandem accelerator beam line. Static time‐of‐flight SIMS (ToF‐SIMS) was employed to probe chemical changes at the surface as a function of the irradiation level. In general, the data are indicative of increased cross‐linking at α‐doses less than 1 × 10⁹ Rad, followed by increased fragmentation and unsaturation at α‐doses greater than 1 × 10⁹ Rad. Throughout the irradiation regime, scission is a constant factor promoting cross‐linking, branching, and unsaturation. However, at α‐doses greater than 1 × 10¹⁰ Rad, extreme structural degradation of the polymer becomes evident and is accompanied by conversion to oxygen‐functionalized and aliphatic compounds. Thus, for PTFE in an α‐particle field, an upper exposure limit of ～10¹⁰ Rad is essential for nominal retention of molecular structure. Finally, a quantitative relationship between α‐dose and characteristic fragment ion intensity is developed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterisation of River Po particles by sedimentation field-flow fractionation coupled to GFAAS and ICP-MS

A procedure for elemental composition determination of water-borne river particles (Po River) on both size-fractionated and unfractionated submicron particles (0.1–1 μm) by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is reported. Sample fractionation was performed using sedimentation field-flow fractionation (SdFFF). The distribution of relative mass vs. particle size was determined using UV detection. Fractions were collected over a narrow size range for scanning electron microscopy. With this combination of techniques the mass, elemental composition, and shape distributions can be obtained across the size spectrum of the sample.

The size distributions of the major elements (Al, Fe) were determined by coupling both GFAAS and ICP-MS techniques to the SdFFF. The procedure was validated using a reference clay sample. Satisfactory agreement was found between both the GFAAS and ICP-MS aluminium signal and the UV detector signal. Some discrepancies were observed in the Fe/Al ratios when comparing GFAAS and ICP-MS. Thus further investigation is in order to fully assess the role of SdFFF-ICP-MS and SdFFF-GFAAS techniques for elemental characterisation of aquatic colloids. Both GFAAS and ICP-MS signals unambiguously indicate a significantly higher Fe content in the lower size range, which is consistent with previous investigations.

Trace element levels in unfractionated Po River particles, determined by both GFAAS and ICP-MS, show good agreement. The high levels of Cu, Pb, Cr and Cd found associated with the colloidal particles underlines the significance of the environmental role played by the suspended matter in rivers in both highly industrialised and intensively cultivated areas.     

三元聚合物复合颗粒的制备与形态调控

分别考察了聚合过程中的各因素对三元聚合物复合颗粒大小与形态的影响,结果表明:在分散共聚中,复合颗粒的粒径主要由疏水性单体苯乙烯的聚合所决定;并可采用分步聚合的方法先制备目标粒径的种子微球,进而在种子分散聚合过程中实现对颗粒大小的有效控制,其范围在500nm到3μm之间;颗粒表面凸起的不同形态是由聚丙烯腈链的生长和堆积所决定,但受到反应介质性质与聚合温度等条件的影响。     

颗粒毛细效应影响因素的离散元分析

颗粒毛细效应是指将一根细管插入填充有颗粒物质的容器中并对管施加竖直振动时颗粒在管内上升并最终达到一个稳定的高度的现象,该现象为颗粒物料的逆重力输运提供了一种潜在的技术途径.为探究颗粒毛细效应的影响因素,采用离散元方法,模拟再现了颗粒毛细效应过程,展示了不同管径下颗粒竖直方向速度演变特性,考察了不同容器宽度和振动条件下颗粒最终毛细上升高度随管径的演变规律.结果表明,在容器宽度与粒径比为40、管振幅与粒径比为14.33、管振动频率为12 Hz情况下,管径与粒径比D/d=3.33时,管内颗粒堵塞严重,使得颗粒上升缓慢,并造成颗粒柱中断; D/d=8.33时,起初毛细上升高度增加迅速,随后毛细上升高度的增大逐渐减缓,管内颗粒在管径方向几乎不存在速度梯度; D/d=15时,随着颗粒毛细上升高度的增大,管内颗粒柱分离为速度截然不同的两层,上层颗粒在管径方向几乎不存在速度梯度,而下层颗粒存在明显的速度梯度.研究还发现,在毛细效应能够发生的管径范围内,存在一个对应于颗粒最终毛细上升高度最大值的临界管径,当管径小于临界管径时,颗粒最终毛细上升高度随管径的增大而增大,当管径大于临界管径时,颗粒最终毛细上升...     

Distribution of Platinum and Palladium between Dissolved,Nanoparticulate, and Microparticulate Fractions of Road Dust

Ageing processes of vehicle catalytic converters inevitably lead to the release of Pt and Pd into the environment, road dust being the main sink. Though Pt and Pd are contained in catalytic converters in nanoparticulate metallic form, under environmental conditions, they can be transformed into toxic dissolved species. In the present work, the distribution of Pt and Pd between dissolved, nanoparticulate, and microparticulate fractions of Moscow road dust is assessed. The total concentrations of Pt and Pd in dust vary in the ranges 9–142 ng (mean 35) and 155–456 (mean 235) ng g⁻¹, respectively. The nanoparticulate and dissolved species of Pt and Pd in dust were studied using single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The median sizes of nanoparticulate Pt and Pd were 7 and 13 nm, respectively. The nanoparticulate fraction of Pt and Pd in Moscow dust is only about 1.6–1.8%. The average contents of dissolved fraction of Pt and Pd are 10.4% and 4.1%, respectively. The major fractions of Pt and Pd (88–94%) in road dust are associated with microparticles. Although the microparticulate fractions of Pt and Pd are relatively stable, they may become dissolved under changing environmental conditions and, hence, transformed into toxic species.     

Dielectric Loss and Electrical Conductivity Behaviors of Epoxy Composites Containing Semiconducting ZnO Varistor Particles

Polymer nanodielectrics render a great material platform for exhibiting the intrinsic nature of incorporated particles, particularly semiconducting types, and their interfaces with the polymer matrix. Incorporating the oxide fillers with higher loading percentages (>40 vol%) encounters particular challenges in terms of dispersion, homogeneous distribution, and porosity from the process. This work investigated the dielectric loss and electrical conduction behaviors of composites containing semiconducting ZnO varistor particles of various concentrations using the epoxy impregnation method. The ZnO varistor particles increased the dielectric permittivity, loss, and electrical conductivity of the epoxy composites into three different regimes (0–50 vol%, 50–70 vol%, 70–100 vol%), particularly under an electric bias field or at higher temperatures. For lower loading fractions below 50 vol%, the dielectric responses are dominated by the insulating epoxy matrix. When loading fractions are between 50 and 70 vol%, the dielectric and electric responses are mostly associated with the semiconducting interfaces of ZnO varistor particles and ZnO–epoxy. At above 70 vol%, the apparent increase in the dielectric loss and conductivity is primarily associated with the conducting ZnO core forming the interconnected channels of electric conduction. The foam-agent-assisted ZnO varistor particle framework appears to be a better way of fabricating composites of filler loading above 80 vol%. A physical model using an equivalent capacitor, diode, and resistor in the epoxy composites was proposed to explain the different property behaviors.     

A Collection of Molecular Fingerprints of Single Aerosol Particles in Air for Potential Identification and Detection Using Optical Trapping-Raman Spectroscopy

Characterization, identification, and detection of aerosol particles in their native atmospheric states remain a challenge. Recently, optical trapping-Raman spectroscopy (OT-RS) has been developed and demonstrated for characterization of single, airborne particles. Such particles in different chemical groups have been characterized by OT-RS in recent years and many more are being studied. In this work, we collected single-particle Raman spectra measured using the OT-RS technique and began construction of a library of OT-RS fingerprints that may be used as a reference for potential detection and identification of aerosol particles in the atmosphere. We collected OT-RS fingerprints of aerosol particles from eight different categories including carbons, bioaerosols (pollens, fungi, vitamins, spores), dusts, biological warfare agent surrogates, etc. Among the eight categories, spectral fingerprints of six groups of aerosol particles have been published previously and two other groups are new. We also discussed challenges, limitations, and advantages of using single-particle optical trapping-Raman spectroscopy for aerosol-particle characterization, identification, and detection.     

2013年诺贝尔物理学奖获得者——彼得·希格斯

彼得·希格斯(Peter Higgs)是英国著名的理论物理学家,因是希格斯机制的主要贡献人之一及以其名字命名的希格斯粒子而闻名于世。彼得·希格斯与弗朗索瓦·恩格勒(Francois Englert)共同获得了2013年诺贝尔物理学奖。文章简要介绍了彼得·希格斯的生平,希格斯机制的提出以及希格斯粒子命名的由来。此外,文章还简要回顾了希格斯粒子的发现过程。     

探索物质微观结构的历史回顾——纪念夸克提出50周年

1964年盖尔曼和兹威格分别提出“基本粒子”由夸克或艾斯组成。至今,这一领域仍是粒子物理研究的前沿领域。经过50年的发展,夸克(艾斯)理论取得诸多辉煌成就。文章简要地回顾了夸克的提出过程及随后实验和理论方面的进展。     

探索上帝粒子与质量起源

欧洲大型强子对撞机(LHC) 上发现的125 GeV新希格斯粒子可能成为标准模型预期的“上帝粒子”。这一革命性发现开启了探索宇宙中一切基本粒子质量起源的新时代,成为21世纪粒子物理学的转折点。文章着重介绍：(1) 探寻上帝粒子的重大科学意义;(2) 探索质量起源的历史,以及为什么牛顿力学和爱因斯坦相对论均未解决质量起源问题;(3) 神秘的真空与希格斯机制;(4) 上帝粒子是如何提出的和怎样在LHC上发现的;(5) 展望21世纪质量起源的探索与新物理定律的革命。