Development of a Chitosan/Nickel Phthalocyanine Composite Based Conductometric Micro-sensor for Methanol Detection

Thin-film composite of chitosan/nickel phthalocyanine (NiPc) was electrochemically deposited on the fingers of interdigitated gold electrodes, applying chronoamperometric polymerization technique. The presence of crystallized NiPc in the chitosan was confirmed by EDX and FTIR analysis. Acetone, ethanol, and methanol gas-sensing properties of the films prepared at optimum conditions were studied at atmospheric temperature, through differential measurements at an optimized frequency of 10 kHz, using a lock-in amplifier. The conductometric sensor presents the highest sensitivity of 60.2 μS.cm⁻¹(v/v) for methanol and 700 ppm as the limit of detection. For validation, the methanol content of a commercial rubbing alcohol was determined.     

Carbohydrate-based nanostructured catalysts: applications in organic transformations

The requirement of green and sustainable materials to prepare heterogeneous catalysts has intensified for practical reasons over the past few decades. Carbohydrates are possibly the most plentiful and renewable organic materials in nature with inimitable physiochemical properties, plausible low-cost and large-scale production, and sustainability features could be exploited in the generation of nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts. This review article outlines the organic transformations catalyzed by diverse carbohydrate-based nanostructured catalysts in greener and environmentally friendly processes. Selected examples are highlighted for a variety of organic reactions exploiting the proposed catalysts’ reactivity and reusability, and interactions with the intrinsic nature of the applied carbohydrate supports; advantages and speculated challenges of the introduced catalysts are deliberated as well.     

Theoretical study on the mechanism for the excited-state double proton transfer process of an asymmetric Schiff base ligand

Excited-state double proton transfer (ESDPT) in the 1-[(2-hydroxy-3-methoxy-benzylidene)-hydrazonomethyl]-naphthalen-2-ol (HYDRAVH₂) ligand was studied by the density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory method. The analysis of frontier molecular orbitals, infrared spectra, and non-covalent interactions have cross-validated that the asymmetric structure has an influence on the proton transfer, which makes the proton transfer ability of the two hydrogen protons different. The potential energy surfaces in both S₀ and S₁ states were scanned with varying O-H bond lengths. The results of potential energy surface analysis adequately proved that the HYDRAVH₂ can undergo the ESDPT process in the S₁ state and the double proton transfer process is a stepwise proton transfer mechanism. Our work can pave the way towards the design and synthesis of new molecules.     

Current trends in the description of lanthanum strontium manganite oxygen electrode reaction mechanism in a high-temperature solid oxide cell

This review summarizes recent progress in understanding the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions at the lanthanum strontium manganite electrode of a high-temperature solid oxide cell. Information provided here is put into the perspective of the defect chemistry of lanthanum strontium manganite and its impact on the electrode reaction mechanisms itself. After summarizing recent views on the oxygen reduction reaction mechanism, the focus turns to the oxygen evolution reaction, which is significantly less treated in the literature. A combination of the information in the literature on both reactions was the basis for modified reaction mechanism of the oxygen evolution reaction to be proposed under consideration of recent experimental observations and theoretical findings.     

Electrochemical sensing of H2O2 using cobalt oxide modified TiO2 nanotubes

Cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) modified anatase titanium dioxide nanotubes (ATNTs) have been investigated for the electrochemical sensing of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). ATNTs have been synthesized by a two-step anodization process. ATNTs were then modified with Co₃O₄ employing chemical bath deposition method. The structure and morphology of ATNTs and their modification with Co₃O₄ has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction by scanning electron microscopy. H₂O₂ sensing has been studied in 0.1 M PBS solution, by cyclic voltammetry and amperometry. Variation in the peak positions and current densities was observed with addition of H₂O₂ for Co₃O₄ modified ATNTs. Sensitivity and limit of detection improved with modification of ATNTs with Co₃O₄ with precursor concentration up to 0.8 M. However, at higher precursor concentrations sensitivity and limit of detection toward H₂O₂ deteriorated. Co₃O₄ Modified ATNTS using 0.8 M precursor concentration are comparatively more suitable for H₂O₂ sensing applications due to the optimum formation of Co₃O₄/ATNTs heterojunctions.     

Nonlinear elastic constitutive relations of residually stressed composites with stiff curved fibres

Applied Mathematics and Mechanics - Mechanical models of residually stressed fibre-reinforced solids, which do not resist bending, have been developed in the literature. However, in some residually...     

Pure annihilation decay of strange beauty meson into two charm heavy mesons

In this study, the heavy to heavy decay of \begin{document}$ B^0_s\rightarrow D^{*+}D^- $\end{document} is evaluated through the factorization approach by using the final state interaction as an effective correction. Under the factorization approach, this decay mode occurs only through the annihilation process, so a small amount is produced. Feynman's rules state that six meson pairs can be assumed for the intermediate states before the final meson pairs are produced. By taking into account the effects of twelve final state interaction diagrams in the calculations, a significant correction is obtained. These effects correct the value of the branching ratio obtained by the pure factorization approach from \begin{document}$ (2.41\pm1.37)\times10^{-5} $\end{document} to \begin{document}$ (8.27\pm2.23)\times10^{-5} $\end{document}. The value obtained for the branching ratio of the \begin{document}$ B^0_s\rightarrow D^{*+}D^- $\end{document} decay is consistent with the experimental results.     

广西经济增长、金融发展与城乡收入差距的实证研究

探讨了经济增长及金融发展与城乡收入差距之间互动影响,刻画了三者间的逻辑关系,并基于广西1990-2017年的统计数据,运用状态空间模型及卡尔曼滤波算法对三者间动态关系进行了实证分析.结果显示:经济增长对城乡收入差距呈现倒U型曲线形态,而金融发展则显示出具有不断缩小城乡收入差距的趋势.     

Analysis on First-stage Ignition of n-Heptane at Low Temperatures with a Lumped Skeletal Mechanism

Two-stage ignition exists in the low-temperature combustion process of n-heptane and the first-stage ignition also shows a negative temperature coefficient(NTC) phenomenon. To study key reactions and understand chemical principles affecting the first-stage ignition of n-heptane, a lumped skeletal mechanism with 62 species is obtained based on the detailed NUIGMech1.0 mechanism using the directed relation graph method assisted by sensitivity analysis and isomer lumping. The lumped mechanism shows good performance on ignition delay time under wide conditions. The study revealed that the temperature after the first-stage ignition is higher and a larger amount of fuel is consumed at lower initial temperatures. The temperature at the first-stage ignition is relatively insensitive to the initial temperature. Further sensitivity analysis and reaction path analysis carried out based on the lumped mechanism show that the decomposition of RO₂ to produce alkene and HO₂is the most important reaction to inhibit the first-stage ignitions. The chain branching explosion closely related to the first-stage ignition will be terminated when the rate constant for the RO₂ decomposition is larger than that of the isomerization of RO₂ to produce QOOH. The NTC behavior as well as other characteristics of the first-stage ignition can be rationalized from the competition between these two reactions.