Characterization of calcium containing plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings on AM50 magnesium alloy

An attempt was made to produce calcium containing plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coatings on AM50 magnesium alloy using an alkaline electrolyte. This study was performed in three alkaline electrolytes containing calcium hydroxide and sodium phosphate with three different mass ratios viz., 1:2.5, 1:5 and 1:7.5. All the three coatings produced were found to contain Ca and P in appreciable amounts. The concentration of P was found to be higher in the coatings obtained in the electrolytes with higher concentration of phosphate ions. Even though all the three coatings were found to be constituted with magnesium oxide and magnesium phosphate phases, X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that the phase composition was influenced by the phosphate ion concentration/conductivity of the electrolyte. Further, the PEO coating obtained in the 1:7.5 ratio electrolyte was found to contain di-calcium phosphate (monetite) and calcium peroxide phases, which were absent in the other two coatings. Potentiodynamic polarization studies performed in 0.1 M NaCl solution showed that the coatings obtained from the 1:5 ratio electrolyte possessed a superior corrosion resistance, which is attributed to the combined effect of thickness, compactness and phase/chemical composition of this coating.     

A rational design of the multiwalled carbon nanotube–7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethan sensor for sensitive detection of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

A new, simple and effective amperometric acetylcholinesterase biosensor was developed using screen-printed carbon electrodes modified with carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)–7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). The design of the biosensor was based on the supramolecular arrangement resulted from the interaction of MWCNTs and TCNQ. This arrangement was confirmed by spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. Two different supramolecular arrangements were proposed based on different MWCNTs:TCNQ ratios. The synergistic effect of MWCNTs and TCNQ was, for the first time, exploited for detection of thiocholine at low potential with high sensitivity. The biosensor developed by immobilization of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in sol–gel allowed the detection of two reference AChE inhibitors, paraoxon-methyl and chlorpyrifos with detection limits of 30 pM (7 ppt) and 0.4 nM (0.1 ppb), respectively. Efficient enzyme reactivation was obtained by using obidoxime.     

Multi-component, 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions for the chemo-, regio- and stereoselective synthesis of novel hybrid spiroheterocycles in ionic liquid

A library of novel 1-methyl-4-arylpyrrolo-(spiro[2.2′]indan-1′,3′-dione)-spiro[3.3″]-1″-methyl/benzyl-5″-(arylmethylidene)piperidin-4″-ones and 1-methyl-4-arylpyrrolo-(spiro[2.11′]-11H-indeno[1,2-b]quinoxaline)-spiro[3.3″]-1″-methyl/benzyl-5″-(arylmethylidene)piperidin-4″-ones have been synthesized via 1,3-dipolar azomethine ylide cycloaddition in the ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([BMIm]Br), in excellent yields.     

J/ψ polarization in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

The ALICE Collaboration has studied J/ψ production in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV at the LHC through its muon pair decay. The polar and azimuthal angle distributions of the decay muons were measured, and results on the J/ψ polarization parameters λ(θ) and λ(φ) were obtained. The study was performed in the kinematic region 2.5相似文献   

Gas-expanded liquids for sustainable catalysis and novel materials: Recent advances

Employing a multiscale systems-based research approach, chemists and chemical engineers at the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC) are collaboratively addressing major grand challenges facing the sustainable manufacture of fuels and chemicals from both traditional and renewable feedstocks. By judiciously combining the principles of green chemistry and green reactor engineering, augmented by valuable insights from industrial partners, CEBC researchers are developing alternative technology concepts that minimize the environmental footprint of chemical manufacturing processes including the reduction of carbon emissions. Such collaborations have resulted in several remarkable discoveries as follows: CO₂-expanded liquids (CXLs) as reaction media for selective and inherently safe O₂ oxidations including that for terephthalic acid production from p-xylene with potentially reduced solvent burning (i.e., reduced carbon footprint); propylene oxide production with environmentally benign solvents and oxidant, exploiting the compressibility of propylene at ambient temperatures for process intensification; a novel pressure-intensified ethylene oxide process virtually eliminating CO₂ formation as a byproduct; highly selective hydroformylation of higher olefins employing CXLs and soluble polymer-supported homogeneous Rh-based catalysts that are easily retained in solution while the product is isolated by membrane filtration; and creation of nanoparticles of transition metal complexes with unique functional properties such as reversible oxygen binding and room-temperature nitric oxide disproportionation. Quantitative economic and environmental impact analyses have been employed to benchmark CEBC's novel technology concepts against conventional processes and to guide research and development. Examples of such advances in green processing are discussed in this review.     

Hydrogen bonded co-crystallised layered isopropanol-pyrogallol[4]arenes

A novel isopropanol-pyrogallol[4]arene forms a layered structure via hydrogen bonding and C–H…π interactions. The layered structure results in encapsulation of one isopropanol molecule. The application of NMR methods to determine solution structures and crystal structures provides insight into host–guest properties and the molecular interactions between them.     

A Parallel Projection for the Multicommodity Network Model

We present an application of parallel computing techniques to the solution of a quadratic programme that arises in the resource-directive decomposition method for multicommodity problems. A sequential algorithm for the quadratic programme is discussed, and its extension to a parallel implementation is given. Computational testing of the sequential and parallel algorithms was done on the Sequent Symmetry S81 parallel computer located in the Parallel Processing Laboratory at Southern Methodist University. On several large test problems the parallel version achieved a speed-up of 10 with 12 processors.     

Field-induced phases of an orientable charged particle in a dilute background of point charges

We report numerical simulations of a two-dimensional dynamical model comprised of a rodlike particle surrounded by a cloud of smaller particles of the same charge, in the presence of an alternating electric field inside a box. We show that this system displays a remarkable dynamical effect; at low forcing frequencies the rod tends to align perpendicularly to the external field, whereas for higher field frequencies the standard orientation (parallel to the field) prevails. Interestingly, the transition between orientations is abrupt enough to resemble a phase transition. The fact that the "anomalous" orientation (perpendicular to the field) takes place is also interesting in the light of some recent laboratory experiments on colloidal solutions, where anomalous orientation at low frequencies was observed. Our toy model suggests that future physically realistic simulations of these systems should explore whether the anomalous orientation may be due to the collective dynamics of the colloidal particles, without necessarily involving more sophisticated electro-osmotic effects.