Surface morphology of electrolytic deposits of vanadium, cobalt, and manganese oxides

The surface morphology of V₂O₅, Co₂O₃, and MnO₂ electroplated under different electrolysis conditions was studied. The nature of the electrocrystallization of these materials was suggested on the basis of the analysis results.     

Electrodeposition of molybdenum oxide and its structural characteristics

The cathodic processes in electroplating of compact molybdenum oxide coatings onto supports made of 12Cr18Ni9Ti steel and aluminum are considered along with the physicochemical characteristics determining their service properties.     

Effect of modification of light-harvesting complex II on fluorescence properties of thylakoid membranes of Arabidopsis thaliana

The 77 K chlorophyll fluorescence spectra of Arabidopsis thaliana mutants deficient in lipid fatty acid desaturation have been used in order to further explore the influence of the modification of LHC II after mutation and proteolitic treatment on the energy transfer between the chlorophyll-protein complexes, as well as on the structure-function relationship in the supramolecular complex of Photosystem II. The gaussian decomposition and analysis of the fluorescence bands associated with PS II complex show the controversial action of the trypsin in the investigated thylakoid membranes. This reveals that the organization of PS II complexes is different in the wild type and both mutants indicating altered connection between the LHC II and the RC core complexes of PS II in both mutants. The results obtained demonstrate that different amounts of oligomer and monomer forms of LHC II in the mutants (LK3 and JB67), arising from lipid modification, are responsible for different proteolytic action in their thylakoid membranes.     

Electrolytic Co3O4 for thin-layer anodes of lithium-ion batteries

Electrolytic (e) cobalt oxide of a spinel structure, e-Co₃O₄, is obtained from the sulfate and nitrate (aqueous, water-alcohol) solutions containing Co²⁺ with the aim of using it in thin-layer anodes of lithium-ion batteries. The physicochemical and structural properties of the synthesized compounds are examined using thermal and x-ray diffraction analyses, absorption IR spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The electrochemical characteristics of e-Co₃O₄ are determined in breadboards of lithium power sources and in the lithiumion system LiCoO₂/e-Co₃O₄.     

Electrochemical Behavior of Partially-Discharged Li x V2O5 Electrodes upon Interruption of Current

A mathematical diffusion model, which takes into account the electrochemical behavior of partially-discharged thin-layer electrodes made of intercalation materials upon interruption of circuit, is put forward. The applicability of the model is tested by the example of Li _x V₂O₅ films. According to theoretical calculations and experimental data, the equilibrium potential of the films studied depends practically linearly on the degree of intercalation with a slope of –0.8 V for intercalation degrees of 0.3–0.7. The chemical diffusion coefficient of lithium in the films is equal to 1.5 × 10^–11 cm²/s and changes insignificantly at these intercalation degrees.     

Synthesis and Examination of Electrolytic Sodium–Vanadium Oxide Compounds Intended for Cathodes of Lithium Batteries: The Mechanism of Formation of Electrolytic Bronze β-NaxV2O5

To determine the mechanism responsible for the formation of electrolytic sodium–vanadium oxide bronze e-Na _x V₂O₅, synthesized earlier from acid vanadyl sulfate electrolyte, -bronze i-Na _x V₂O₅is synthesized by exposing electrolytic oxide e-V₂O₅in the same sodium-containing electrolyte under open-circuit conditions, with a subsequent annealing of the sample. It is established that the two modifications of -bronze (e-Na _x V₂O₅and i-Na _x V₂O₅) are identical and that electrolytic precursors of -bronze Na _x V₂O₅form via an ion-exchange mechanism.     

A 1.107 μm Yb3+-doped Phosphate Fiber Laser Pumped by a Ti:sapphire

Lasers and amplifiers in a single fiber have been developed rapidly, especially for optical fiber communication and various sensors, in the recent years. However, remarkable progress and achievement have been made mainly in silica fiber doped with rare earth elements. In this paper, we report the progress on the development of the Yb3+-doped phosphate fiber laser.     

Hydrophobic/hydrophilic solvation: inferences from Monte Carlo simulations and experiments

In this study Monte Carlo simulations are used to determine the solvation properties of model hydrophobic (xenon and hard sphere) and hydrophilic (dimethyl ether) solutes in SPC/E water. Various contributions to the experimental solvation entropy, including the solvent reorganization entropy, have been determined. The main conclusion drawn, which is in accord with solubility data, is that poor solubility correlates with poor solute-water interaction. At room temperature, energy dominates the aqueous solubility of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic solutes, rather than entropy. However, at higher temperatures the solubility can pass through a minimum, and then entropy becomes dominant. Another interesting finding is the presence of larger than expected cavities in water. Two different simulation results support this finding. This unexpected hollow structure in water explains why a hard sphere solute is more soluble in water than in a comparable hard sphere or Lennard-Jones solvent. Hydrogen bonding causes water to aggregate into clusters that produce a few large cavities rather than many smaller cavities. The propensity for clustering also explains why water gives the illusion of being a low density liquid. Sufficient theoretical apparatus is developed to connect theoretical solvation properties to those measured by simulation and experiment. Finally, based on gas solubility, an intuitive hydrophobic/hydrophilic scale is developed.     

A molecular dynamics study of carbon dioxide in water: diffusion,structure and thermodynamics

Atomistic simulations are reported of a model of CO₂ in water. CO₂ is modelled by partial charges and Lennard-Jones interaction sites on each atom; the SPC/E model for water is used. Good agreement with experiment is found for the translational diffusion constants. The variation of the dynamics with the potential parameter was investigated. As expected, the orientational correlation times increase as the magnitude of the quadrupole moment is increased, but the translational diffusion constants are found to be surprisingly insensitive to the magnitude of the CO₂ quadrupole moment. The translational friction coefficient was resolved into electrostatic, Lennard-Jones and cross-terms; the Lennard-Jones contribution is found to be the largest. Varying the Lennard-Jones size parameter affects both translational and reorientational motion. In order to try to understand these results further, the variation of solvation free energy was investigated and the solvent structure around carbon dioxide was examined as the electrostatic and Lennard-Jones parameters were changed. The temperature dependence of the self-diffusion constant of pure SPC/E water was determined.     

Effect of the alloying component MnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> on the type of V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript> electrocrystallization

The methods of polarization curves E-log I _a and atomic-force microscopy were used to study the mechanisms by which the alloying component MnO₂ affects the electrocrystallization of V₂O₅ in electrolysis from mixed solutions of salts of these metals.