A parametric study of electron energy distribution functions and rate and transport coefficients in nonequilibrium helium plasmas

Electron energy distribution functions in helium plasmas have been calculated by solving the Boltzmann equation at given values of reduced electric field, in the presence of superelastic and electron-electron collisions. Analytical expressions have been found connecting macroscopic coefficients to reduced electric field E/N, relative metastable concentration [He(2³S)]/N, and degree of ionization n_e/N.     

On the modulation of electron energy distribution function in radiofrequency SiH4, SiH4−H2 bulk plasmas

Electron energy distribution functions (EDF) in SiH₄, SiH₄–H₂ radiofrequency discharges have been calculated by solving the time-dependent Boltzmann equation in the presence of a sinusoidal field. Particular emphasis is given to the modulation of EDF as a function of the applied frequency (·10⁶/p ₀ ·10⁸ sec^–1 torr^–1) and of gas composition. The results show that at /p ₀ = ·10⁶ sec^–1 torr^–1 EDF follows in a quasistationary mode the variation of the field with the exception of a small range of electric field near to the zero crossing. Still, at the higher considered frequency (/p ₀ =·10⁸ sec^–1 torr^–1), we observe some modulation of EDF. The necessity of using a time-dependent approach is tested by comparing the present results with the corresponding ones obtained by using the effective field approximation (i.e., the approximation which solves instead of the time-dependent Boltzmann equation the corresponding stationary one at the effective values of the rf field). The two sets of results can differ by orders of magnitude in the tail of EDF, the differences decreasing with increasing molar fraction of H₂ and increasing field frequency. The role of excited states (second-kind collisions) is studied by inserting in the Boltzmann equation given concentrations of vibrational and electronic states. The results show that second-kind collisions strongly affect EDF especially in pure silane. Finally a satisfactory agreement has been found between theoretical and experimental results concerning the modulation of electrons of given energy in pure silane discharges.     

Decomposition of SiCl4 and deposition of Si in inductively coupled plasmas of H2+SiCl4

The mechanism of homogeneous reactions in plasmas of H₂+5%SiCl₄ was studied by mass spectrometry and was compared to the mechanism observed in plasmas of Ar+H₂+SiCl₄. Contrary to the behavior with Ar, the results indicate that without argon the SiCl₄ molecule undergoes only fragmentation and the deposition proceeds through SiCl₂. No polymerization was observed. The deposition rates of c-Si were lower and the amounts of chlorine incorporated in the films were higher in the plasma of SiCl₄+H₂ than in the argon-containing plasma.     

Deposition of Diamondlike Carbon Film and Mass Spectrometry Measurement in CH4/N2 RF Plasma

The deposition of diamondlike carbon (DLC) film and the measurements of ionic species by means of mass spectrometry were carried out in a CH₄/N₂ RF (13.56 MHz) plasma at 0.1 Torr. The film deposition rate greatly depended on both CH₄/N₂ composition ratio and RF power input. It was decreased monotonically as CH₄ content decreased in the plasma and then rapidly diminished to negligible amounts at a critical CH₄ content, which became large for higher RF power. The rate increased with increasing RF power, reaching a maximum value in 40% CH₄ plasma. The predominant ionic products in CH₄/N₂ plasma were NH⁺ ₄ and CH₄N⁺ ions, which were produced by reactions of hydrocarbon ions, such as CH⁺ ₃, CH⁺ ₂, CH⁺ ₅, and C₂H⁺ ₅ with NH₃ molecules in the plasma. It was speculated that the production of NH⁺ ₄ ion induced the decrease of C₂H⁺ ₅ ion density in the plasma, which caused a reduction in higher hydrocarbon ions densities and, accordingly, in film deposition rate. The N⁺ ₂ ion sputtering also plays a major role in a reduction of film deposition rate for relatively large RF powers. The incorporation of nitrogen atoms into the bonding network of the DLC film deposited was greatly suppressed at present gas pressure conditions.     

A comparative study of CH4 and CF4 rf discharges using a consistent plasma physics and chemistry simulator

A self-consistent, one-dimensional simulator for the physics and chemistry of radio frequency (rf) plasmas was developed and applied for CH₄ and CF₄. The simulator consists of a fluid model for the discharge physics, a commercial Boltzmann equation solver for calculations of electron energy distribution fuction (EEDF), a generalized plasma chemistry code, and an interface module among the three models. The CH₄ and CF₄ discharges are compared and contrasted: CH₄ plasmas are electropositive, with negative ion densities one order of magnitude less than those of electrons, whereas CF₄ plasmas are electronegative, with ten times more negative ions than electrons. The high-energy tail of tire EEDF in CH₄, lies below both the Druyvensteyn and Maxwell distributions, whereas tire EEDF high-energy tail in CF₄ lies between the two. For CH₄, the chemistry model was applied for four species, namely, CH₄ CH₃ CH₂, and H, whereas for CF₄, five species were examined namely CF₄, CF₃, CF₂, CF, and F The predicted densities and profiles compare favorably with experimental data. Finally, the chemistry results were fedback into the physics model until convergence was obtained.     

Gram-Scale Synthesis of an Ultrastable Microporous Metal-Organic Framework for Efficient Adsorptive Separation of C2H2/CO2 and C2H2/CH4

A highly water and thermally stable metal-organic framework (MOF) Zn₂(Pydc)(Ata)₂ (1, H₂Pydc = 3,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid; HAta = 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole) was synthesized on a large scale using inexpensive commercially available ligands for efficient separation of C₂H₂ from CH₄ and CO₂. Compound 1 could take up 47.2 mL/g of C₂H₂ under ambient conditions but only 33.0 mL/g of CO₂ and 19.1 mL/g of CH₄. The calculated ideal absorbed solution theory (IAST) selectivities for equimolar C₂H₂/CO₂ and C₂H₂/CH₄ were 5.1 and 21.5, respectively, comparable to those many popular MOFs. The Q_st values for C₂H₂, CO₂, and CH₄ at a near-zero loading in 1 were 43.1, 32.1, and 22.5 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. The practical separation performance for C₂H₂/CO₂ mixtures was further confirmed by column breakthrough experiments.     

Rigid Nanoporous Urea-Based Covalent Triazine Frameworks for C2/C1 and CO2/CH4 Gas Separation

C2/C1 hydrocarbon separation is an important industrial process that relies on energy-intensive cryogenic distillation methods. The use of porous adsorbents to selectively separate these gases is a viable alternative. Highly stable covalent triazine frameworks (urea-CTFs) have been synthesized using 1,3-bis(4-cyanophenyl)urea. Urea-CTFs exhibited gas uptakes of C₂H₂ (3.86 mmol/g) and C₂H₄ (2.92 mmol/g) at 273 K and 1 bar and is selective over CH₄. Breakthrough simulations show the potential of urea-CTFs for C2/C1 separation.     

Current Development and Challenges of Mixed Matrix Membranes for CO2/CH4 Separation

In the early stage of membrane technology development in gas separation, utilization of polymeric membranes has gained attention due to their robustness and ease of fabrication. However, the performance of polymeric membranes is limited by the trade-off between permeability and selectivity. Meanwhile, inorganic membrane is capable to exhibit great enhancement in separation performance but unfortunately its fabrication process is hard and costly. Thus, development of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) by incorporating inorganic fillers into the polymer matrix has become a potential alternative to overcome the limitations of polymeric and inorganic membranes in gas separation. Nevertheless, fabrication of defect-free MMMs with improved separation performance and without compromising the mechanical and thermal stability is extremely difficult and challenging. In the current review paper, various types of inorganic fillers for MMMs fabrication and recent reported efforts to tailor the underlying problems on MMMs fabrication were discussed. The future outlook to advance the performance of MMMs in gas separation especially for CO₂/CH₄ separation was highlighted.     

Enthalpy of solution and effect of temperature on activity coefficients in MSO4−H2SO4−H2O system

Results of calorimetric determination of integral enthalpies of solution of some hydrates (monohydrates and heptahydrates) of 3d transition metal sulphates such as FeSO₄, NiSO₄ and MnSO₄ in three-component systems at sulphuric acid concentrations up to 2M are reported. Measured values of integral enthalpies of solution are the basis for calculation of activity coefficient temperature dependences according to Pitzer's model.     

The mutual diffusion coefficients of Na2SO4−H2O and MgSO4−H2O at 25°C from Rayleigh interferometry

The volume-fixed mutual diffusion coefficients of Na₂SO₄–H₂O and MgSO₄–H₂O have been measured, from dilute solutions to near saturation, to an accuracy of 0.1–0.2% by free-diffusion Rayleigh interferometry. These results are compared to other available diffusion data for these salts. The diffusion coefficients of Na₂SO₄–H₂O and MgSO₄–H₂O decrease regularly with increasing concentration, while those of many other salts exhibit both a maximum and a minimum as a function of concentration. A few diffusion coefficients have also been measured for KCl–H₂O.Reference to a company or product names does not imply approval or recommendation of the product by the University of California or the U.S. Department of Energy to the exclusion of others that may be suitable.This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by the United States Government. Neither the United States nor the United States Department of Energy, nor any of their employees, nor any of their contractors, subcontractors, or their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights.University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; tenure served as a participating guest at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.     

Modeling of H2 and H2/CH4 Moderate-Pressure Microwave Plasma Used for Diamond Deposition

One-dimensional transport models of moderate-pressure H ₂ and H ₂ /CH ₄ plasmas obtained in a diamond deposition microwave reactor are presented. These models describe the plasma as a thermochemically nonequilibrium flow with three different energy modes. The solution of the one-dimensional plasma transport equations enabled the estimation of plasma species concentrations and temperatures on the axis of the reactor. As far as pure H ₂ plasmas are concerned, results showed that the model predictions of gas and vibration temperatures are in good agreement with experimental measurements. The model also yields a relatively good qualitative prediction of the variations of H-atom mole fraction with the power density absorbed by the plasma. The results obtained for H ₂ /CH ₄ discharges showed that the model prediction on the variations of H-atom mole fraction with methane percentage in the discharge is in good qualitative agreement with experimental results. They also showed that methane is rapidly converted to acetylene before reaching the discharge zone. The concentrations of neutral hydrocarbon species in the reactor are mainly governed by thermal chemistry. The addition of methane strongly affects the ionization kinetics of the plasma. Three major ions are generally obtained in H ₂ /CH ₄ plasmas: C ₂ H ₂ ⁺ , C ₂ H ₃ ⁺ , and C ₂ H ₅ ⁺ . The relative predominance of these ions depends on the considered plasma region and on the discharge conditions. The ionic species concentrations are also mainly governed by chemistry, except very near the substrate surface. Finally the use of this transport model along with the surface chemistry model of Goodwin ⁽¹⁾ enabled us to estimate the diamond growth rate for several discharge conditions.     

Ab initio calculation of 4-ClC6H4CH2Cl and peculiarities of electron density distribution in this molecule

Ab initio calculation of the 4-ClC₆H₄CH₂Cl molecule was performed by the restricted Hartree-Fock method in the split valence 6–31 G* basis set with complete optimization of its geometry. Populations of p-orbitals of atoms of this molecule were analyzed.³⁵Cl NQR frequencies and asymmetry parameters of the electric field gradient on³⁵Cl nuclei were estimated on the basis of the populations of valent p-orbitals of CI atoms and their components. Good conformity with the experimental values was obtained when only less diffuse components of p-orbitals were used in calculations of populations.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 823–826, April, 1996.     

The Effects of CO2 Additional on Flame Characteristics in the CH4/N2/O2 Counterflow Diffusion Flame

The effects (chemical, thermal, transport, and radiative) of CO₂ added to the fuel side and oxidizer side on the flame temperature and the position of the flame front in a one-dimensional laminar counterflow diffusion flame of methane/N₂/O₂ were studied. Overall CO₂ resulted in a decrease in flame temperature whether on the fuel side or on the oxidizer side, with the negative effect being more obvious on the latter side. The prominent effects of CO₂ on the flame temperature were derived from its thermal properties on the fuel side and its radiative properties on the oxidizer side. The results also highlighted the differences in the four effects of CO₂ on the position of the flame front on different sides. In addition, an analysis of OH and H radicals and the heat release rate of the main reactions illustrated how CO₂ affects the flame temperature.     

Synthesis,characterization and thermal analysis of [Fe(N2H4)2(CH3COO)2]

[Fe(N₂H₄)₂(CH₃COO)₂] was synthesised and characterized for the first time by chemical analysis, magnetic measurements, electronic and IR spectral studies. Its thermal reactivity was ascertained by thermogravimetric (TG) and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) techniques and it has been concluded that unlike some other metal carboxylate hydrazinates, it does not show any autocatalytic behaviour. The decomposition was also subjected to kinetic analysis using the equations of Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzger by the method of weighted least-squares.     

PAN-based activated carbon nanofiber/metal oxide composites for CO2 and CH4 adsorption: influence of metal oxide

In the present study, we successfully prepared two different electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based-activated carbon nanofiber (ACNF) composites by incorporation of well-distributed Fe₂O₃ and Co₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs). The influence of metal oxide on the structural, morphological, and textural properties of final composites was thoroughly investigated. The results showed that the morphological and textural properties could be easily tuned by changing the metal oxide NPs. Even though, the ACNF composites were not chemically activated by any activation agent, they presented relatively high surface areas (S_BET) calculated by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) equation as 212.21 and 185.12 m²/g for ACNF/Fe₂O₃ and ACNF/Co₃O₄ composites, respectively. Furthermore, the ACNF composites were utilized as candidate adsorbents for CO₂ and CH₄ adsorption. The ACNF/Fe₂O₃ and ACNF/Co₃O₄ composites resulted the highest CO₂ adsorption capacities of 1.502 and 2.166 mmol/g at 0 °C, respectively, whereas the highest CH₄ adsorption capacities were obtained to be 0.516 and 0.661 mmol/g at 0 °C by ACNF/Fe₂O₃ and ACNF/Co₃O₄ composites, respectively. The isosteric heats calculated lower than 80 kJ/mol showed that the adsorption processes of CO₂ and CH₄ were mainly dominated by physical adsorption for both ACNF composites. Our findings indicated that ACNF-metal oxide composites are useful materials for designing of CO₂ and CH₄ adsorption systems.     

Reforming of CH4 with CO2 over Co/Mγ-Al oxide catalyst

A series of Co/Mg–Al oxide samples,CoMgAl-x(x=(Mg+Co)/Al molar ratio of 1–5),were prepared by the self-combustion method followed by H2reduction.The catalytic performance and stability of the samples were studied in dry reforming of CH4.XRD and H2-TPR characterization results showed that the reduced CoMgAl-x samples mainly consisted of solid solution and spinel phases with cobalt particles.The spinel phases contained Co3O4 and Con Mg1-n Al2O4(0≦n≦1)varying with the(Mg+Co)/Al ratio.The effect of (Mg+Co)/Al molar ratio on the catalytic behavior was investigated in detail and CoMgAl-3 exhibited the highest catalytic activity and stability among the catalysts studied.     

Comparative study of LiMn2O4 thin film cathode grown at high, medium and low temperatures by pulsed laser deposition

LiMn₂O₄ thin films with different crystallizations were respectively grown at high, medium and low temperatures by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Structures, morphologies and electrochemical properties of these three types of thin films were comparatively studied. Films grown at high temperature (?873 K) possessed flat and smooth surfaces and were highly crystallized with different textures and crystal sizes depending on the deposition pressure of oxygen. However, films deposited at low temperature (473 K) had rough surfaces with amorphous characteristics. At medium temperature (673 K), the film was found to consist mainly of nano-crystals less than 100 nm with relatively loose and rough surfaces, but very dense as observed from the cross-section. The film deposited at 873 K and 100 mTorr of oxygen showed an initial discharge capacity of 54.3 μAh/cm² μm and decayed at 0.28% per cycle, while the amorphous film had an initial discharge capacity of 20.2 μAh/cm² μm and a loss rate of 0.29% per cycle. Compared with the highly crystallized and the amorphous films, nano-crystalline film exhibited higher potential, more capacity and much better cycling stability. As high as 61 μAh/cm² μm of discharge capacity can be achieved with an average decaying rate of only 0.032% per cycle up to 500 cycles. The excellent performance of nano-crystalline film was correlated to its microstructures in the present study.     

Decomposition of P2S2N4(Si(CH3)3)4A12C14 as Studied by FT-Raman and Quantum Chemistry Means

The dimeric title compound decomposes upon heating to give the monomer and desulphurized monomer as shown by FT-Raman and quantum chemical means.     

Mutual diffusion coefficients,electrical conductances,osmotic coefficients,and ionic transport coefficientsl ij for aqueous CuSO4 at 25°C

Experimental thermodynamic and transport data are presented for aqueous CuSO₄ solution at 25°C from low concentrations to near saturation. Included are diffusion coefficients (Rayleigh interferometry), electrical conductances (DC method), and osmotic coefficients (isopiestic). These data and corresponding literature data are critically compared, as are literature density data. The resulting best values, together with previously compared transference number results, provide an extensive set of critically reviewed data for aqueous CuSO₄. Onsager coefficientsl _ij have been calculated for this salt and are compared with data for other valence types.     

Monte Carlo Simulation and Experimental Studies of CO2, CH4 and Their Mixture Capture in Porous Carbons

Adsorption of carbon dioxide and methane in porous activated carbon and carbon nanotube was studied experimentally and by Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation. A gravimetric analyzer was used to obtain the experimental data, while in the simulation we used graphitic slit pores of various pore size to model activated carbon and a bundle of graphitic cylinders arranged hexagonally to model carbon nanotube. Carbon dioxide was modeled as a 3-center-Lennard-Jones (LJ) molecule with three fixed partial charges, while methane was modeled as a single LJ molecule. We have shown that the behavior of adsorption for both activated carbon and carbon nanotube is sensitive to pore width and the crossing of isotherms is observed because of the molecular packing, which favors commensurate packing for some pore sizes. Using the adsorption data of pure methane or carbon dioxide on activated carbon, we derived its pore size distribution (PSD), which was found to be in good agreement with the PSD obtained from the analysis of nitrogen adsorption data at 77 K. This derived PSD was used to describe isotherms at other temperatures as well as isotherms of mixture of carbon dioxide and methane in activated carbon and carbon nanotube at 273 and 300 K. Good agreement between the computed and experimental isotherm data was observed, thus justifying the use of a simple adsorption model.