Optimization of biodiesel production via transesterification of soybean oil using α-MoO3 catalyst obtained by the combustion method

A catalyst based on MoO₃ was synthesized by a simple and fast pilot-scale combustion reaction method and applied to the conversion of soybean oil to biodiesel via transesterification. For that, the statistical analysis of the catalyst amount and temperature, factors that influence the process, was evaluated by means of central composite design 2². MoO₃ was characterized in terms of structure by X-ray diffraction (XRD), textural characterization Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), density by helium pycnometry (DE), particle size analysis (DG) and acidity tests by temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH₃-TPD), chemical analysis by X-ray fluorescence (EDX), morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and catalytic properties. The transesterification products were characterized by gas chromatography (GC), acidity index (AI) and kinematic viscosity (KV). The results indicate the catalyst formation with a surface area of 1.36 m²g^?1, and density of 4.5 g/cm³ which consists of a single crystalline phase of orthorhombic configuration, with total NH₃ acidity of 33.61 μ.mol/g. Morphological characterization revealed that the catalyst is formed by irregular plates of various sizes and shapes, with a wide sizes range of agglomerated particles. In the soybean oil transesterification reactions, the catalyst was active showing 96.9% conversion to ethyl esters. The experimental design was meaningful and predictive, with a reliability level of 95%. The statistical analysis identified temperature as a significant variable for the adopted planning. To conclude, a new single-phase catalyst (α-MoO₃) has been developed and successfully applied to the biodiesel Synthesis from soybean oil. These results have a positive and promising impact for biodiesel production by transesterification of soybean oil against ethanol.     

Rapid qualitative profiling and quantitative analysis of Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex and seven flavonoids by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole/orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry

Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex is the bark of Juglans mandshurica Maxim., which has been used as a folk medicine plant in China and India. In this study, an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole/orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry method was developed to clarify and quantify the chemical profiling of Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex rapidly. A total of 113 compounds were characterized. Among them, seven flavonoids were simultaneously quantified in 15 min, including myricetin, myricetrin, taxifolin, kaempferol, quercetin, quercitrin, and naringenin. The method was validated for accuracy, precision, and the limits of detection and quantification. All calibration curves showed a good linear relationship (r > 0.9990) within test ranges. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations were less than 2.16%. Accuracy validation showed that the recovery was between 95.6 and 101.3% with relative standard deviation values below 2.85%. The validated method was successfully applied to determine the contents of seven flavones in Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex from seven sources and the contents of these places were calculated respectively. This method provides a theoretical basis for further developing the medicinal value of Juglandis Mandshuricae Cortex.     

一种通过梯形PPMgLN波导倍频实现带宽可调谐光源的理论研究

本文设计了一种梯形的周期极化掺镁铌酸锂(PPMgLN)波导,并通过在传播方向上引入温度梯度来拓宽其倍频(SHG)过程的泵浦光源可接收带宽。通过有限差分的光束传输法,计算波导的有效折射率,并进行波导尺寸的设计。结果表明,通过改变梯形波导不同位置的温度,使其形成一个温度梯度,可拓宽泵浦光源的波长可接收带宽。本文所设计的PPMgLN波导最大泵浦光源可接收带宽为C波段,即1 530~1 565 nm,该波导可倍频C波段,得到输出波段带宽为765~782.5 nm,温度调谐范围为30~150 ℃。     

Enhanced thermoelectric performance of PEDOT:PSS films via ionic liquid post-treatment

Thermoelectric(TE)energy harvesting can effectively convert waste heat into electricity,which is a crucial technology to solve energy concerns.As a promising candidate for energy conversion,poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS)has gained significant attention owing to its easy doping,high transparency,and solution processability.However,the TE performance of PEDOT:PSS still needs to be further enhanced.Herein,different approaches have been applied for tuning the TE properties:(i)direct dipping PEDOT:PSS thin films in ionic liquid;(ii)post-treatment of the films with concentrated sulfuric acid(H₂SO₄),and then dipping in ionic liquid.Besides,the same bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide(TFSI)anion and different cation salts,including 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium(EMIM+)and lithium(Li+),are selected to study the influence of varying cation types on the TE properties of PEDOT:PSS.The Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS film treated with H2SO4EMIM:TFSI increase simultaneously,and the resulting maximum power factor is 46.7μW·m^-1·K^-2,which may be attributed to the ionic liquid facilitating the rearrangement of the molecular chain of PEDOT.The work provides a reference for the development of organic films with high TE properties.     

白云石制备似立方体状方解石型碳酸钙晶体及其机理研究

以轻烧白云石粉、氯化铵和二氧化碳为原料,在未使用晶型控制剂的情况下,通过蒸氨-沉钙过程制备出了似立方体状碳酸钙。研究了反应温度、溶液中钙离子浓度、通气速率、搅拌速度以及陈化时间对碳酸钙中方解石相含量以及晶体形貌的影响,并探索了沉钙反应的晶型控制机理。结果表明,在反应温度40 ℃、钙离子浓度0.05 mol/L、通碳速率100 mL/min、搅拌速度400 r/min和陈化时间2 h的条件下,制备出形貌规整、粒径分布均匀的似立方体状碳酸钙,平均粒径为5~10 μm。该研究为提升白云石的使用价值、生产高附加价值的碳酸钙产品,以及提高白云石资源的利用率提供理论基础。     

A combination of dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and surface plasmon resonance sensing of gold nanoparticles for the determination of ziram pesticide

We have developed a reliable, fast, and highly sensitive analytical method utilizing dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and gold nanoparticles probes for ziram (zinc bis(dimethyldithiocarbamate)) determination. The method is based on the in situ formation of gold nanoparticles in carbon tetrachloride as an organic phase. It was found that the trace levels of ziram influenced the formation of gold nanoparticles, leading to absorbance change of a sedimented phase. The results of the colorimetric ziram determination were in the concentration range of 0.12–2.52 ng/mL with a limit of detection of 0.06 ng/mL. The formation of the stable and dispersed gold nanoparticles in the organic phase provides a good precision for dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method, resulting in the relative standard deviation of 3.8 and 1.2% for 0.56 and 1.58 ng/mL of ziram, respectively. This method has been successfully used for the ziram determination in samples of well and river water, soil, potato, carrot, wheat, and paddy soil.     

Interface‐fitted moving mesh method for axisymmetric two‐phase flow in microchannels

A boundary‐fitted moving mesh scheme is presented for the simulation of two‐phase flow in two‐dimensional and axisymmetric geometries. The incompressible Navier‐Stokes equations are solved using the finite element method, and the mini element is used to satisfy the inf‐sup condition. The interface between the phases is represented explicitly by an interface adapted mesh, thus allowing a sharp transition of the fluid properties. Surface tension is modelled as a volume force and is discretized in a consistent manner, thus allowing to obtain exact equilibrium (up to rounding errors) with the pressure gradient. This is demonstrated for a spherical droplet moving in a constant flow field. The curvature of the interface, required for the surface tension term, is efficiently computed with simple but very accurate geometric formulas. An adaptive moving mesh technique, where smoothing mesh velocities and remeshing are used to preserve the mesh quality, is developed and presented. Mesh refinement strategies, allowing tailoring of the refinement of the computational mesh, are also discussed. Accuracy and robustness of the present method are demonstrated on several validation test cases. The method is developed with the prospect of being applied to microfluidic flows and the simulation of microchannel evaporators used for electronics cooling. Therefore, the simulation results for the flow of a bubble in a microchannel are presented and compared to experimental data.     

Coupling nanoliter high‐performance liquid chromatography to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for arsenic speciation

Nanoliter high‐performance liquid chromatography shows low consumption of solvents and samples, offering one of the best choices for arsenic speciation in precious samples in combination with inuctively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. A systematic investigation on coupling nanoliter high‐performance liquid chromatography to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry from instrument design to injected sample volume and mobile phase was performed in this study. Nanoflow mobile phase was delivered by flow splitting using a conventional high‐pressure pump with reuse of mobile phase waste. Dead volume was minimized to 60 nL for the sheathless interface based on the previously developed nanonebulizer. Capillary columns for nanoliter high‐performance liquid chromatography were found to be sensitive to sample loading volume. An apparent difference was also found between the mobile phases for nanoliter and conventional high‐performance liquid chromatography. Baseline separation of arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsenic, and dimethylarsenic was achieved within 11 min on a 15 cm C₁₈ capillary column and within 12 min on a 25 cm strong anion exchange column. Detection limits of 0.9–1.8 μg/L were obtained with precisions variable in the range of 1.6–4.2%. A good agreement between determined and certified values of a certified reference material of human urine (GBW 09115) validated its accuracy along with good recoveries (87–102%).     

Tb3Pd2, Er3Pd2 and Er6Co5–x: structural variations and bonding in rare‐earth‐richer binary intermetallics

The three binary Tb/Er‐rich transition metal compounds Tb₃Pd₂ (triterbium dipalladium), Er₃Pd₂ (trierbium dipalladium) and Er₆Co_5–x (hexaerbium pentacobalt) crystallize in the space groups Pbam (Pearson symbol oP20), P4/mbm (tP10) and P6₃/m (hP22), respectively. Single crystals of Tb₃Pd₂ and Er₆Co_5–x suitable for X‐ray structure analysis were obtained using rare‐earth halides as a flux. Tb₃Pd₂ adopts its own structure type, which can be described as a superstructural derivative of the U₃Si₂ type, which is the type adopted by Er₃Pd₂. Compound Er₆Co_5–x belongs to the Ce₆Co_2–xSi₃ family. All three compounds feature fused tricapped {TR₆} (R = rare‐earth metal and T = transition metal) trigonal prismatic heterometallic clusters. R₃Pd₂ is reported to crystallize in the U₃Si₂ type; however, our more detailed structure analysis reveals that deviations occur with heavier R elements. Similarly, Er₆Co_5–x was assumed to be stoichiometric Er₄Co₃ = Er₆Co_4.5. Our studies reveal that it has a single defective transition‐metal site leading to the composition Er₆Co_4.72(2). LMTO (linear muffin‐tin orbital)‐based electronic structure calculations suggest the strong domination of heteroatomic bonding in all three structures.     

One‐pot synthesis of a multi‐template molecularly imprinted polymer for the extraction of six sulfonamide residues from milk before high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection

A highly selective molecularly imprinted polymer sorbent was synthesized and employed for the simultaneous determination of six sulfonamide antibiotic residues (sulfanilamide, sulfacetamide, sulfadiazine, sulfathiazole, sulfamerazine, and sulfamethizole) in milk samples. Multi‐analyte imprinted particles were used as a sorbent in solid‐phase extraction. Sulfonamides were separated on a high‐performance liquid chromatography column (Merck–Lichrospher RP18e, 5 μm 250 × 4 mm) and further identified and quantified by diode array detection. Several parameters including required loading of the molecularly imprinted polymer sorbent, mass of milk, volume, and type of elution solvent, as well as time for absorption and elution were investigated to obtain optimal experimental conditions. For comparison purpose, a non‐imprinted polymer was applied under the optimum conditions. The validation study according to the European Union Decision 2002/657/EC was based on the investigation of linearity, selectivity, stability, limits of detection and quantitation, decision limit, detection capability, trueness, precision, and ruggedness according to Youden's approach. The decision limit and detection capability values in the milk were achieved from 101.9 to 113.5 μg/kg and from 114.4 to 135.4 μg/kg, respectively, depending on the target sulfonamide drug. Finally, the optimized protocol was successfully applied to commercial milk samples and human breast milk.