Measurement uncertainty and the use of reference materials

The use of (certified) reference materials and quality control materials can form a suitable basis for evaluating measurement uncertainty of routine measurements. In particular when these materials are used for quality control purposes, it is not always evident how the quality control data can be used in the uncertainty budget of a routine measurement. Current guidance documents on the evaluation of measurement uncertainty and the use of reference materials treat this subject only in part, or in very generic terms. ISO/REMCO has established a new working group that will provide practical guidance and examples on how to use quality control data in the evaluation of measurement uncertainty. A short introduction to the subject is given.

Core-shell structured electrode materials for lithium ion batteries

Recent progress in studies of several types of core-shell structured electrode materials, including TiO₂/C, Si/C, Si/SiO _x , LiCoO₂/C, and LiFePO₄/C nanocomposites, including details of their preparation and their electrochemical performance is briefly reviewed. Results clearly show that the coating shell can effectively prevent the aggregation of the nanosized cores, which are the electrochemically active materials. In addition, the diffusion coefficients of lithium ions can be increased, and the reversibility of lithium intercalation and deintercalation is improved. As a result, the cycling behavior is greatly improved. The reviewed results suggest that core-shell nanocomposites are a good starting point for further development of new promising electrode materials.

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Polydicyclopentadiene based aerogel: a new insulation material

Lightweight polydicyclopentadiene (pDCPD) based aerogels were developed via a simple sol-gel processing and supercritical drying method. The uniform pDCPD wet gels were first prepared at room temperature and atmospheric pressure through ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) incorporating homogeneous ruthenium catalyst complexes (Grubbs catalyst). Gelation kinetics were significantly affected by both catalyst content and target density (i.e., solid content), while gel solvents also played important role in determining the appearance and uniformity of wet gel and aerogel products. A supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) drying method was used to extract solvent from wet pDCPD gels to afford nanoporous aerogel solid. A variety of pDCPD based aerogels were synthesized by varying target density, catalyst content, and solvent and were compared with their xerogel analogs (obtained by ambient pressure solvent removal) for linear shrinkage and thermal conductivity value (1 atm air, 38 °C mean temperature). Target density played a key role in determining porosity and thermal conductivity of the resultant pDCPD aerogel. Differential scanning calorimetery (DSC) demonstrated that the materials as produced were not fully-crosslinked. The pDCPD based aerogel monoliths demonstrated high porosities, low thermal conductivity values, and inherent hydrophobicity. These aerogel materials are very promising candidates for many thermal and acoustic insulation applications including cryogenic insulation.

Shape selectivity in embedded polar group stationary phases for liquid chromatography

Seven columns with embedded polar functionality were evaluated for use in liquid chromatography with a focus on molecular shape recognition. Tests based on Standard Reference Material 869b Column Selectivity Test Mixture for Liquid Chromatography and the Tanaka test indicate that only two of the phases are slightly shape selective at 20 °C. The shape recognition characteristics of the phases appear to be directly related to the density of the embedded polar ligands and the temperature of the separation, consistent with trends observed with conventional hydrocarbon phases.

Vocabulary of terms in protometrology

Protometrology is a new term recently proposed to designate the science of observation. As any field of knowledge needs a terminological system, in this article a system of terms and definitions on protometrology, with examples belonging to clinical laboratory sciences, is presented. This terminological system starts with the definitions of the two primitive concepts “object” and “property”.

Update on COMAR: the Internet database for certified reference materials

This paper describes the COMAR database for certified reference materials (CRMs). The Web-based version of COMAR is freely accessible via the Internet. COMAR was established to assist laboratories in finding the CRMs needed. The database is maintained in a collaboration of the world’s major CRM producers. The planned changes in the database as agreed at the last COMAR council meeting in Prague in May 2006 are indicated.

Do we need to rethink collaborative trials?

The currently recommended design of collaborative trials (interlaboratory method performance studies) is examined in relation to the usefulness of the resulting statistics. It is suggested that larger experiments, without duplicate analysis, would be more informative.

A note on Michael Weisberg’s: challenges to the structural conception of chemical bonding

Michael Weisberg’s recent 2007 paper on the chemical bond makes the claim that the chemical notion of the covalent bond is in trouble. This note casts doubts on that claim.

Chemistry, commentary, and community: discussion of “an examination of the vaporization enthalpies and vapor pressures of pyrazine, pyrimidine, pyridazine, and 1,3,5-triazine” by Lipkind and Chickos

Vaporization enthalpies for the isomeric diazines were discussed within the context of recent measurements and estimation techniques. It is suggested that pyridazine shows enigmatic behavior.

Blue-emitting mesoporous films prepared via incorporation of luminescent Schiff base zinc(II) complex

Highly fluorescent materials have been prepared by incorporation of a zinc complex in mesoporous silica thin films with ordered pore structure. The zinc complex has been introduced into the mesoporous materials via impregnation in an ethanol solution. The incorporation into the films has been monitored by UV–Vis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry. After 18 h of immersion in the doping solution the films showed strong blue emission, increase in the refractive index. Leaching experiments performed by immersing the samples in ethanol or tetrahydrofuran have shown that the chromophore is retained in the porous matrix.

A novel Ce<Superscript>III</Superscript>-cyclam type complex and its redox chemistry in aqueous solutions

A new Ce^III complex was synthesized by mixing the ligand “dioxocyclam” with Ce^III ions at pH 8.0 and its redox properties were investigated.

The meaning of ‘concentration’

Terminology within a small laboratory community can be informal without danger of misunderstanding, but communication with a wider audience and not least in publications, needs unequivocal terms for defined concepts. As an example, the many meanings of “concentration” are explored to present a systematic nomenclature, including a concept diagram.

Stress generation and fracture in lithium insertion materials

A mathematical model that calculates volume expansion and contraction and concentration and stress profiles during lithium insertion into and extraction from a spherical particle of electrode material has been developed. The maximum stress in the particle has been determined as a function of dimensionless current, which includes the charge rate, particle size, and diffusion coefficient. The effects of pressure-driven diffusion and nonideal interactions between the lithium and host material have also been described. The model predicts that carbonaceous particles will fracture in high-power applications such as hybrid-electric vehicle batteries.

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Encapsulating of single quantum dots into polymer particles

Single semiconductor quantum dots were embedded into polymer particles with diameters below 0.1 μm by an emulsion polymerization procedure or via a secondary dispersion approach. The photoluminescence properties of the nanocrystals are retained upon encapsulation, as demonstrated by fluorescence confocal microscopy.

Food anaphylaxis

    Figure Avoidance is the primary measure in food allergy confirmed

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Single-molecule spectroscopy of fluorescent proteins

The discovery and use of fluorescent proteins has revolutionized cellular biology. Despite the widespread use of visible fluorescent proteins as reporters and sensors in cellular environments the versatile photophysics of fluorescent proteins is still subject to intense research. Understanding the details of the photophysics of these reporters is essential for accurate interpretation of the biological and biochemical processes illuminated by fluorescent proteins. Some aspects of the complex photophysics of fluorescent proteins can only be observed and understood at the single-molecule level, which removes averaging inherent to ensemble studies. In this paper we review how single-molecule emission detection has helped understanding of the complex photophysics of fluorescent proteins.

Kinetics of substitution at [tris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)-hydroborato]molybdenum nitrosyl dihalides by alcohols and by aniline

The kinetics of substitution by alcohols and by aniline at [tris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)hydroborato]molybdenum nitrosyl dihalides in toluene solution at 298.2 K and at atmospheric pressure are reported and interpreted in terms of an associative mechanism.

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Self-organization in nonlinear dynamical systems and its relation to the materials science

This review paper presents briefly the main concepts of nonlinear dynamics and their exemplary manifestations in selected systems, including those important from the point of view of materials science. It is an extended version of the conference presentation. The conditions of instabilities leading to spontaneous formation of dissipative structures are given. Principles of nonlinear dynamics are illustrated with several examples from the homogeneous and heterogeneous and physical and chemical systems: pattern formation in the convective motion of fluids subject to various kinds of driving forces, periodic precipitation phenomena, oscillations, and pattern formation in the Belousov–Zhabotinski (BZ) reaction and the catalytic oxidation of thiocyanate ions with hydrogen peroxide, as well as bistability and tristability in the electrochemical reduction of azide complexes of nickel(II). The application of nonlinear dynamics in materials science is first exemplified by its role in polymerization reactions. Such processes can either exhibit internal couplings leading to oscillations or can be coupled with the chemical oscillatory process through, e.g., the covalent bonding of its catalyst to the polymer network. Other selected examples of the application of nonlinear dynamics in materials science, referring to electrochemical processes, were briefly reviewed. Nonlinear dynamics appears to be useful for designing new materials, including those at the nanoscale.

Exhaust gas analysers and optimised sampling, uncertainties and costs

Decision-making in the conformity assessment of exhaust gas analysers with due account of measurement uncertainty and limited sampling is considered. Risks of incorrect decisions where test results lie in the vicinity of a specification limit are assessed in terms of percentage probability and the costs of measurement and environmental consequences, with examples based on the metrological requirements on these analysers stipulated in the new EU Measurement Instrument Directive. An optimised uncertainty methodology is proposed for the first time in legal metrology based on quantitative testing of new instruments for type approval and initial verification, and gives valuable insight into traditional rules limiting uncertainty in conformity assessment in general. Further, an analysis of subsequent verification of exhaust gas analysers in use in society, leads to a new optimised uncertainty methodology based on attribute sampling.

Preparation, structural, and optical features of two-dimensional cross-linked DNA/gold-nanoparticle conjugates

The formation and the optical features of two-dimensional aggregates formed by DNA-directed immobilization and cross-linking of bifunctional DNA–gold nanoparticles at flat gold substrates are analyzed. The samples are structurally characterized by atomic force microscopy to evaluate the particle size, the particle densities, and the degree of aggregation. The optical characteristics determined by UV/visible measurements are correlated with the structural features observed.