Sulphide based anode material for lithium rechargeable battery

In this study, lead sulphide (PbS) was prepared by the chemical bath deposition technique. The sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-rays (EDAX) and cyclic voltammetry. EDAX spectrum shows peaks attributable to lead and sulphur. The EDAX analysis also shows that the prepared sample is stoichiometric. Cyclic voltammetry experiments were recorded at 100 mV·s⁻¹ and 400 mV·s⁻¹ scan rates. Results show that the rate controlling electrochemical reaction is electron transfer. The presence of redox waves shows that the lithium intercalation and deintercalation can occur as a result of lattice expansion in PbS. There were no differences in the PbS XRD data before and after the cyclic voltammetry experiments indicating that the PbS structure is not modified upon lithium ion intercalation and deintercalation in PbS. The discharge characteristics for 35 cycles of the cell using the LiCoO₂/PbS couple is presented indicating the possible development of such materials as anode in lithium ion cells.     

Maximal Lyapunov exponent and rotation numbers for two coupled oscillators driven by real noise

Asymptotic expansions for the exponential growth rate, known as the Lyapunov exponent, and rotation numbers for two coupled oscillators driven by real noise are constructed. Such systems arise naturally in the investigation of the stability of steady-state motions of nonlinear dynamical systems and in parametrically excited linear mechanical systems. Almost-sure stability or instability of dynamical systems depends on the sign of the maximal Lyapunov exponent. Stability conditions are obtained under various assumptions on the infinitesimal generator associated with real noise provided that the natural frequencies are noncommensurable. The results presented here for the case of the infinitesimal generator having a simple zero eigenvalue agree with recent results obtained by stochastic averaging, where approximate ItÔ equations in amplitudes and phases are obtained in the sense of weak convergence.Dedicated to Thomas K. Caughey on the occasion of his 65th birthday.     

Formation and reactivity of free radicals in 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde--the effect on isoprenaline photostability

Solutions of glucose are used as diluents for drugs in various drug infusions. When sterilized by heat small amounts of the substance 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (5-HMF) is produced from glucose. At a hospital ward such infusions may be exposed to irradiation; including UV-light. The photoreactivity of the furaldehyde is investigated. It is shown to photodestabilize the catecholamine isoprenaline. It is shown to be a producer, but also a consumer, of singlet oxygen. The excited triplet, cation and anion radical have been produced by pulse radiolysis and flash photolysis and their absorbance characteristics have been determined. The triplet absorption spectrum showed absorption bands at 320 and 430 nm with molar absorption coefficients of 4700 and 2600 M-1 cm-1, respectively. The anion radical showed absorption bands at 330 and 420 nm with molar absorption coefficients of 2000 and 300 M-1 cm-1, respectively. The cation radical had an absorption band at 320 nm with a molar absorption coefficient of 5000 M-1 cm-1. The quantum yield for the production of singlet oxygen, sensitized by the 5-HMF triplet, was determined to be 0.6, whilst the quantum yield for the triplet formation was 1.0. Aqueous solutions of 5-HMF were found to photoionize to yield the hydrated electron and the cation radical of 5-HMF in a biphotonic process. The influences of pH, buffer and glucose on the formation of transients were evaluated. The reactions between 5-HMF and the solvated electron, the hydroxyl radical and the superoxide were also studied.     

One-electron oxidation of the iron(II) complex of 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-quinone A pulse radiolysis study

One-electron oxidation of the ferrous tris-PQ complex, a model for lipoxygenase, was attempted using oxidants such as •OH, N^•₃, Br^•-₂, Tl²⁺ and TlOH⁺. •OH was found to react with the complex with a bimolecular rate constant of (3.9±0.6)x10⁹dm³mol^-1s^-1, a rate which is not very dissimilar to that for the reaction with the ligand PQ. However the product of the reaction was found to be a OH-adduct rather than a cation radical. No reaction was found to occur with N^•₃ or Br^•-₂. Both Tl²⁺ and TlOH⁺ reacted with the complex to form its oxidised species with rate constants of (7.0±1)x10⁸dm³mol^-1s^-1 and (4.0±0.8)x10⁸dm³mol^-1s^-1, respectively. From a comparison of the rate constants and the transient spectra it was concluded that the centre of oxidation is the ligand rather than the metal.     

Binding constant measurement by hyper-Rayleigh scattering: bilirubin-human serum albumin binding as a case study

In this paper, a new application of the hyper-Rayleigh scattering technique in determining multiple binding constants of a small molecule like bilirubin to a macromolecule like the protein human serum albumin has been demonstrated. Human serum albumin has two binding sites for bilirubin, and the binding constants have been measured by carrying out a second harmonic titration of the protein against bilirubin and vice versa. The measured binding constants K(1) = 1.5 +/- 0.43 x 10(7) M(-1) and K(2) = 1.01 +/- 0.16 x 10(6) M(-1) agree well with the reported values obtained by other methods.     

Characterization of the triplet state of tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminium(III) in benzene solution

The lowest triplet state of tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminium(III) (Alq3) has been prepared by pulse radiolysis/energy transfer from appropriate donors in benzene solutions and has an absorption maximum around 510 nm with a lifetime of about 50 mus. It is quenched by molecular oxygen, leading to singlet oxygen formation. From flash photolysis and singlet oxygen formation measurements, a quantum yield of triplet formation of 0.24 was determined for direct photolysis of the complex. A value of 2.10 +/- 0.10 eV was determined for the energy of the lowest triplet state by energy transfer studies and was confirmed by phosphorescence measurements on Alq3, either in the heavy atom solvent ethyl iodide or photosensitized by benzophenone in benzene. Dexter (exchange) energy transfer was observed from triplet Alq3 to platinum(II) octaethylporphyrin.     

Adsorption Characteristics of Pb(II) and Cr(III) onto C‐4‐Methoxyphenylcalix[4]Resorcinarene in Batch and Fixed Bed Column Systems

A study on the adsorption characteristics of Pb(II) and Cr(III) cations onto C‐4‐methoxyphenylcalix‐[4]resorcinarene (CMPCR) in batch and fixed bed column systems has been conducted. CMPCR was produced by one step synthesis from resorcinol, 4‐methoxybenzaldehyde, and HCl. The synthesis was carried out at 78 °C for 24 hours and afforded the adsorbent in 85.7% as a 3:2 mixture of C_4ν:C_2ν isomer. Most parameters in batch and fixed bed column systems confirm that CMPCR is a good adsorbent for Pb(II) and Cr(III), though Pb(II) adsorption was more favorable than that of Cr(III). The adsorption kinetic of Pb(II) and Cr(III) adsorptions in batch and fixed bed column systems followed a pseudo 2ⁿ order kinetics model. The rate constant of Pb(II) was higher than that of Cr(III) in the batch system, but this result was contrary to the result obtained in a fixed bed column system. Desorption studies to recover the adsorbed Pb(II) and Cr(III) were performed sequentially with distilled water and HCl, and the results showed that the adsorption was dominated by chemisorption.     

Photochemistry and photopolymerization activity of novel perester derivatives of fluorenone: a conventional and laser flash photolysis study

The photochemistry of three novel t-butylperester derivatives of fluorenone was examined and compared with unsubstituted fluorenone and a mono-t-butylperester of benzophenone using both conventional microsecond and nanosecond laser flash photolysis. On conventional microsecond flash photolysis in 2-propanol, all four fluorenone compounds gave transient absorption in the region 300–400 nm due to a ketyl radical formed from the abstraction of a hydrogen atom from the solvent by the upper excited triplet n—π* state of the fluorenone chromophore. This assignment was confirmed by a pH-dependent study on the transient absorption spectra. The nitro-t-butylperester derivative of fluorenone gave additional absorption above 400 nm due to species associated with the nitro group. No evidence for benzoyloxy radical formation could be found in non-hydrogen-atom-donating solvents with microsecond flash photolysis which is associated with homolysis of the perester groups. On nanosecond laser flash photolysis of the fluorenone compounds at 355 nm excitation in acetonitrile and hexa-fluorobenzene, transient absorptions were observed in the region 320–640 nm due to the corresponding triplet states. All the t-butylperester derivatives showed residual absorbances at longer time delays which were tentatively assigned to the corresponding benzoyloxy radicals produced by homolysis of the perester groups. In contrast, the mono-t-butylperester of benzophenone, included for comparison only, showed very weak transient absorption in the region 320–640 nm compared with that of the strong triplet of benzophenone under the same excitation conditions. The triplet absorptions and lifetimes of the fluorenone compounds were correlated with their photopolymerization activities in bulk methylmethacrylate monomer. In oxygenated solutions, the triplet absorptions of fluorenone and benzophenone were effectively quenched; however, long-lived transient growths were observed for all the t-butylperester derivatives. The intensities of these novel transient absorptions appear to correlate with the total number of t-butylperester groups in the fluorenone molecule and tentative assignments are discussed.     

A note on general solution of Stokes equations

Li et al. (2015) claim that it is sufficient to use two harmonic functions to express the general solution of Stokes equations. In this paper, we demonstrate that this is not true in a general case and that we in fact need three scalar harmonic functions to represent the general solution of Stokes equations (Venkatalaxmi et al., 2004).