Structural, textural, and electronic properties of a nanosized mesoporous ZnxTi1-xO2-) solid solution prepared by a supercritical drying route

Mesoporous nanosized TiO2 and Zn(x)Ti(1-x)O(2-x) solid solution having a Zn content below 10 mol % with a particles size between 13 and 17 nm are prepared by a template-free sol-gel method followed by high-temperature supercritical drying in 2-propanol. The structural, textural, and electronic properties of the obtained nanomaterials are methodically investigated by using XRD, SEM, TEM, ED, HREM, EDX, ICP-OES, N(2) adsorption-desorption, Raman spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy. It is shown that the proposed synthesis technique leads to the formation of a Zn(x)Ti(1-x)O(2-x) solid solution based on the anatase crystal structure rather than a two-phase sample. High-resolution electron microscopy and electron diffraction indicate that the distribution of zinc atoms over the anatase structure does not lead to a considerable deformation of the crystal structure.     

Colour formation in poly(ethylene terephthalate) during melt processing

The discolouration, that occurs in virgin poly(ethylene terephthalate) - PET during melt processing, was studied using various bulk and surface analytical techniques. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) was used to study the bulk chemical changes occurring in the polymer during thermo-oxidative degradation. Chemical derivatisation with trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) was used to label the hydroxyl groups introduced on the polymer surface by thermal oxidation.From the surface analysis studies using photoacoustic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (PA/FT-IR), diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFT) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) it was evident that colour formation starts initially with the hydroxylation of the terephthalic ring. Further, the formation of additional carbonyl functionalities and conjugated chromophoric systems complete the colour formation process.     

Phase Transition,Ordering and Lateral Diffusion in Phospholipid Bilayers in the Presence of Poly(Ethylene Oxide)

The thermal behaviour, molecular orientation and lateral diffusion in the bilayered systems of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) in the presence of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) were studied by NMR and DSC techniques, and it was found that PEO decreases the melting temperature (of vesicles and flat multibilayers) and affects the degree of orientation of DMPC molecules relative to the bilayer normal, but it does not influence the lateral diffusion of DMPC molecules.     

On classification of flow regimes in a channel with sudden expansion

Supersonic flows of gas in the vicinity of the bottom region known as flows with sudden expansion have been considered. On the basis of extensive experimental studies, authors have proposed a complete classification of flow regimes: stationary, oscillating, and transient. Hysteresis of the regimes change at total gas pressure increasing and decreasing in front of the nozzle has been found. Typical shock-wave configurations emerging at the jet flowing in a channel at different modes have been determined. The type of shock-wave structure and the nature of interaction of the mixing layer of a jet with the wall or reverse flow flowing into the channel from ambient medium determine the appropriate mode. Combination of physical and numerical experiment with bottom pressure calculation according to the developed semi-empirical model have revealed new flow regimes that were not studied earlier.     

Natural dualities between abelian categories

In this paper we consider a pair of right adjoint contravariant functors between abelian categories and describe a family of dualities induced by them.     

Ignition of a Fuel Mixture Using a Multipoint Pulsed Spark Discharge under Various Initial Conditions

Technical Physics - The development of efficient and reliable ignition systems for fuel mixtures is of interest for many practical applications associated with the use of combustion power plants....     

Interaction of polyacrylic acid with lipid bilayers: effect of polymer mass

Polyanion‐coated lipid vesicles are proposed to have an appreciable potential for drug delivery because of their ability to control the permeability of lipid bilayers by environmental parameters such as pH and temperature. However, details of the interaction of this class of polymers with lipids and their mechanisms of induced permeability are still being debated. In this work, we applied ¹H NOESY to study details of the interaction of polyacrylic acid (PAA) fractions of molecular weights 5 and 240 kDa with dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles. We showed that PAA of two different molecular masses modifies lipid bilayers increasing disorder and probability of close contact between polar and hydrophobic groups. PAA molecules adsorb near the interface of lipid bilayers but do not penetrate into the hydrophobic core of the bilayer and, thus, cannot participate in formation of transbilayer channels, proposed in earlier works. Increasing the molecular mass of PAA from 5 kDa to 240 kDa does not change the effect of PAA on the bilayer, although PAA240 forms a more compact structure (either intra‐molecular or inter‐molecular) and interacts more strongly with interface lipid protons. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Current challenges of Geotechnical Mechanics

The milestones in geotechnical mechanics research conducted at the N. S. Polyakov Institute of Geotechnical Mechanics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine are listed. Solutions to the deep-mining challenges faced by the institute as a leading research institution in the industry are outlined. The basic results on the subject achieved by the institute over the years of its existence are summarized To the Beginning of the Third Millennium To the 40th Anniversary of the N. S. Polyakov Institute of Geotechnical Mechanics __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 42, No. 9, pp. 3–15, September 2006.