Nanocomposite phase change materials based on NaCl–CaCl2 and mesoporous silica

The synthesis of phase change materials based on NaCl–CaCl₂ molten salt mixture and mesoporous silica was investigated. The influence of mesoporous silica porosity and salt concentration on the thermal energy storage properties of the resulting materials is discussed. The nanocomposite samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The mesoporous silica was found to act as a reactive matrix for the molten salts. Composite samples with up 95% wt. salt can be obtained and used as shape-stabilized phase change materials. The materials have heat of fusion values of up to 60.8 J g^?1 and specific heat capacity between 1.0 and 1.1 J g^?1 K^?1. The samples exhibit thermal stability up to 700 °C and can be used for high-temperature thermal energy storage through both latent and sensible heat storage mechanisms.

     

Calorimetric measurements of sodium chloride dihydrate (hydrohalite)

Calorimetric measurements of sodium chloride dihydrate NaCl·2H₂O (mineral name hydrohalite) were carried out with using DSC. Heat capacity from 190 to 250 K was measured and found to increase from 109 to 137 J mol^?1 K^?1. The enthalpy of formation of hydrohalite from solid ice and halite at 273.15 K was derived from the thermal effect of melting/decomposition in DSC measurements and found to be close to ??1.8 kJ mol^?1. The same DSC results show clearly that the upper temperature limit for the existence of hydrohalite is several degrees greater than the current value of 273.15 K accepted for the peritectic decomposition of hydrohalite. The phase diagram of the NaCl–H₂O system needs correction.

     

Thermodynamic study of triclosan adsorption from aqueous solutions on activated carbon

The change in the thermodynamic properties of triclosan adsorption on three activated carbons with the different surface chemistry was studied through immersion calorimetry and equilibrium data; the amount adsorbed of triclosan (Q) during calorimetry was determined and correlated with the energy associated with adsorbate–adsorbent interactions in the adsorption process. It was noted that triclosan adsorption capacity decreases with an increase in oxygenated surface groups. For an activated carbon oxidized with HNO₃ (OxAC), the amount adsorbed was 8.50?×?10^?3 mmol g^?1, for a activated carbon without modification (GAC) Q?=?10.3?×?10^?3 mmol g^?1 and for a activated carbon heated at 1073 K (RAC1073) Q?=?11.4?×?10^?3 mmol g^?1. The adsorbed amounts were determined by adjusting the isotherms to the Sips model. For the activated carbon RAC1073, the immersion enthalpy (ΔH_imm) was greater than those of the other two activated carbons due to the formation of interactions with the solvent (ΔH_immOxAC?=?? 27.3 J g^?1?<?ΔH_immGAC?=?? 40.0 J g^?1?<?ΔH_imm RAC1073?=???60.7 J g^?1). The changes in the interaction enthalpy and Gibbs energy are associated with adsorbate–adsorbent interactions and side interactions such as the adsorbate–adsorbate and adsorbate–solvent interactions.

     

A re-examination of the heat of fusion of indium

The currently accepted value of the heat of fusion, ΔH, of indium is shown to be of doubtful accuracy so that indium is an unsuitable calibrant in differential scanning calorimetry. ΔH has been redetermined using a DSC calibrated with alumina, a technique which is shown to reproduce enthalpy changes in a variety of materials with an accuracy of ±1%. The heat of fusion of indium is 3.35 kJ g-at^?1 (29.2 J g^?1).     

Neutron damage of hexagonal boron nitride: h-BN

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) was neutron damaged at an integral flux of 2.40 × 10¹² n cm⁻² s⁻¹ for 1, 2, 3 and 4 h. The h-BN samples undergo a transition from sp² to sp³ hybridization as a consequence of the neutron induced damage with the formation of cubic boron nitride (c-BN) spots, as suggested both by FT–IR and Raman spectroscopy. In addition to c-BN, also a certain degree of amorphization is achieved by h-BN already at the lowest neutron fluence of 8.64 × 10¹⁵ n cm⁻² as clearly evidenced by Raman spectroscopy. The Wigner or stored energy to the radiation-damaged h-BN samples was studied by DSC and also in this case there was a clear evidence that the neutron damage was partly irreversible and insensitive to the thermal annealing up to 630 °C. Electron spin resonance (ESR) was employed to further study the structural defects induced by the neutron bombardment of h-BN. Two kinds of paramagnetic defective structures centered on ¹¹B atoms were identified.

     

Synthesis and characterization of the n-butyl palmitate as an organic phase change material

In this research, the n-butyl palmitate was synthesized using the esterification reaction of the PA with n-butanol. The ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared illustrated that the hydroxyl group and carboxyl group disappeared, and the ester bond appeared after the reaction, explaining that n-butyl palmitate was successfully fabricated. The differential scanning calorimetry indicated that the phase-transition temperature and latent heat are 12.6 °C and 127.1 J g^?1, which was suited to use in low-temperature fields such as food, pharmaceutical, and biomedical. The thermogravimetric analysis suggested that it had great thermal stability during the phase change process. In addition, the thermal conductivity of the n-butyl palmitate was slightly higher than other fatty acid ester, and the 500 thermal cycles test results indicated that it had excellent thermal reliability. Therefore, the n-butyl palmitate is deduced to share great thermal energy storage ability in terms of latent heat thermal energy system applications.

     

The effect of calcination temperature on the texture of silica gel waste

In this work, the effect of temperature on the texture of silica gel waste is presented and water vapour adsorption in a different humidity is highlighted. It was found that silica gel waste is a mesoporous material with the parallel plates pores. Its specific surface area is equal to 4.61 m² g^?1, and the calculated total pore volume is equal to 9.01 × 10^?3 cm³ g^?1. The texture of silica gel waste changed during calcination in a 188–550 °C temperature interval: S_BET and ΣV_P increased to 11.32 m² g^?1 and 30.06 × 10^?3 cm³ g^?1, respectively. It was determined that the water vapour pressure influenced the mineralogical composition and the quantity of adsorbed water in the samples. The obtained results were confirmed by the differential scanning microcalorimetry, X-ray diffraction, BET and water vapour adsorption analysis data.

     

Hermetic thermal behaviors and specific heat capacities of bis(aminofurazano)furazan and bis(nitrofurazano)furazan

Thermal behaviors of bis(aminofurazano)furazan (BAFF) and bis(nitrofurazano)furazan (BNFF) were studied by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) method with a special hermetic high-pressure crucible and compared to that with a common standard Al crucible. The exothermic decomposition processes of the two compounds were completely revealed. The extrapolated onset temperature, peak temperature and enthalpy of exothermic decomposition at the heating rate of 10 °C min^?1 are 290.2, 313.4 °C and ??2174 J g^?1 for BAFF, and 265.8, 305.0 °C and ??2351 J g^?1 for BNFF, respectively. The apparent activation energies of the decomposition process for the two compounds are 115.7 and 131.7 kJ mol^?1, respectively. The self-accelerating decomposition temperatures and critical temperatures of thermal explosion are 247.5 and 368.7 °C for BAFF, and 249.6 and 268.1 °C for BAFF, respectively. Both BAFF and BNFF present high thermal stability. The specific heat capacities for the two compounds were determined with the micro-DSC method, and the specific heat capacities and molar heat capacities at 298.15 K are 1.0921 J g^?1 K^?1 and 257.9 J mol^?1 K^?1 for BAFF, and 1.0419 J g^?1 K^?1 and 308.5 J mol^?1 K^?1 for BNFF, respectively.     

Thermal behavior of verapamil hydrochloride and its association with excipients

The thermal properties of verapamil hydrochloride (VRP) and its physical association as binary mixtures with some common excipients were evaluated. Thermogravimetry (TG) was used to determine the thermal mass loss, as well as to study the kinetics of VRP thermal decomposition, using the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa model. Based on their frequent use in pharmacy, five different excipients (microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone and talc) were blended with VRP. Samples were prepared by mixing the analyte and excipients in a proportion of 1:1 (m/m). DSC curves for pure VRP presented an endothermic event at 143 ± 2 °C (ΔH_melt = 132 ± 4 J g⁻¹), which corresponds to the melting (literature T_m = 143.7 °C, ΔH_melt = 130.6 J g⁻¹). Comparisons among the observed results for each compound and their binary physical mixtures presented no relevant changes. This suggests no interaction between the drug and excipient.     

Synthesis and thermal behavior of 4,5-dihydroxyl-2-(dinitromethylene)-imidazolidine (DDNI)

A novel energetic material, 4,5-dihydroxyl-2-(dinitromethylene)-imidazolidine (DDNI), was synthesized by the reaction of FOX-7 and glyoxal in water at 70 °C. Thermal behavior of DDNI was studied with DSC and TG-DTG methods, and presents only an intense exothermic decomposition process. The apparent activation energy and pre-exponential factor of the decomposition reaction were 286.0 kJ mol⁻¹ and 10^31.16 s⁻¹, respectively. The critical temperature of thermal explosion of DDNI is 183.78 °C. Specific heat capacity of DDNI was studied with micro-DSC method and theoretical calculation method, and the molar heat capacity is 217.76 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹ at 298.15 K. The adiabatic time-to-explosion was also calculated to be a certain value between 14.54 and 16.34 s. DDNI presents lower thermal stability, for its two ortho-hydroxyl groups, and its thermal decomposition process becomes quite intense.     

Preparation and characterization of pavement materials with phase-change temperature modulation

A kind of pavement crack repairing material with temperature regulation property was successfully prepared through one-step method, in which the paraffin was incorporated into the polyurethane/epoxy resin-interpenetrating polymer networks. Differential scanning calorimeter results indicated that the phase-change latent heat of sample A was 14.4 kJ kg^?1, and the phase transition temperature was ??0.3 °C. FTIR and thermogravimetry measurements verified that the paraffin was successfully incorporated into the interpenetrating polymer network without leakage and reacted with the carrier, which exhibited high thermal stability above 300 °C. After 1 year of road test, there was no breakage for the repairing pavement with paraffin–polyurethane/epoxy resin-interpenetrating polymer networks, and there was almost no change for the accumulated attenuation of phase-change latent heat. Therefore, the materials of paraffin–polyurethane/epoxy resin-interpenetrating polymer networks have good chemical stability and thermal stability.

     

Synthesis and kinetic study on the thermal degradation of triblock copolymer of polycaprolactone‐poly (glycidyl nitrate)‐polycaprolactone (PCL‐PGN‐PCL) as an energetic binder

In this study, an energetic binder is synthesized via ring opening copolymerization of ε‐caprolactone with poly (glycidyl nitrate) (PGN) of low molecular weight (M_n = 1350 g mol^?1) as a macroinitiator to form triblock copolymer polycaprolactone‐PGN‐polycaprolactone (PCL‐PGN‐PCL) (M_n = 4128 g mol^?1). The effects of catalyst type and its concentration, reaction time, and solvent are investigated in this polymerization reaction. The resulting triblock copolymer is characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The DSC result shows that the glass transition temperature of triblock copolymer (T_g = ?50°C) is lower than PGN (T_g = ?35°C). Also, the decomposition kinetics of this energetic binder is studied by DSC, TGA, and its derivative (DTG). An advanced isoconversional method is applied for kinetic analysis. Activation energy is calculated by Flynn‐Wall‐Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger methods. The resulting activation energy from Kissinger method for the first and the second steps are 42.98 and 74.56 kJ mol^?1, respectively. Also, it is found from FWO results that the activation energy for the copolymer increases with degradation degree (α).     

Synthesis of silica nanoparticles by modified sol–gel process: the effect of mixing modes of the reactants and drying techniques

A modified preparation of silica nanoparticles via sol–gel process was described. The ability to control the particle size and distribution was found highly dependent on mixing modes of the reactants and drying techniques. The mixture of tetraethoxysilane and ethanol followed by addition of water (Mode-A) produced monodispersed powder with an average particle size of 10.6 ± 1.40 nm with a narrow size distribution. The freeze drying technique (FD) further improved the quality of powder. In addition, the freeze dried samples have shown unique TGA decomposition steps which might be related to the well-defined structure of silica nanoparticles as compared to the heat dried samples. DSC analysis showed that FD preserved the silica surface with low shrinkage and generated remarkably well-order, narrow and bigger pore size and pore volume and also large endothermic enthalpies (ΔH _FD = −688 J g⁻¹ vs. ΔH _HD = −617 J g⁻¹) that lead to easy escape of physically adsorbed water from the pore at lower temperature.     

Quantitative determination of specific heat by differential scanning calorimetry

The influence of some experimental parameters on the quantitative determination of specific heats by DSC is discussed. Conditions allowing measurement of the specific heat with a maximum relative error of 1.5 % are proposed. The specific heats of NaA zeolite,C _p=0.227±0.003 cal.°C^?1.g^?1, and AgA zeoliteC _p=0.205±0.003 cal.°C^?1.g^?1 have been determined.     

Investigation and characterization by TG/DTG–DTA and DSC of the fusion of Riboflavin,and its interaction with the antibiotic norfloxacin in the screening of cocrystal

This work synthesized and characterized the NOR-RIB 1:1 (mol–mol) cocrystal. During a study of the reagents, Riboflavin (RIB) melted at 304 °C, which is different from the temperature previously reported in the literature (280–290 °C); therefore, this compound was characterized individually. Subsequently, the cocrystal was synthesized with the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) norfloxacin (NOR) with the RIB coformer, and the mechanochemical synthesis route was adopted. NOR, RIB, and the cocrystal were characterized by thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), DSC coupled to a microscope (photo-DSC), mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR), and powder X-ray diffraction. The results of thermal analysis showed that the RIB starts decomposition process (260 °C) and then melts (304 °C). The MIR found that beginning at 295 °C, the RIB passes into the form of a decomposition intermediate; therefore, the melting point observed in the DSC curve is related to this decomposition material. The cocrystal presented thermal stability (200 °C) lower than the API (235 °C) and the coformer (260 °C). The DSC curve did not contain a melting peak. The bands at 1726 cm^?1 (C=O of the carboxylic acid) for the NOR, and the band at 3326 cm^?1 (stretch O–H), among others, were not visible for the cocrystal in the MIR spectrum, indicating interactions in these regions. The X-ray diffractograms showed a new diffraction pattern, which proved the obtainment of a new phase and cocrystal formation.

     

An improved method for the use of DSC in the isothermal mode to monitor exothermic reactions

When DSC is used in the isothermal mode to monitor exothermic reactions a horizontal baseline is usually assumed. The true non-linear baseline can be obtained from a second run on the fully reacted sample. This method was evaluated using the reaction of phenylglycidyl ether and 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole in a 2:1 molar ratio. The assumption of horizontal baselines gives an apparently decreasing heat of reaction over the temperature range 80–151°C, while the use of experimentally determined non-linear baselines gives a constant heat of reaction, 459.7 J g^?1 with standard deviation 17.3 J g^?1.     

Thermal expansion and heat capacity of dysprosium hafnate

Dysprosium hafnate is a candidate material for as control rods in nuclear reactor because dysprosium (Dy) and hafnium (Hf) have very high absorption cross-sections for neutrons. Dysprosium hafnate (Dy₂O₃·2HfO₂-fluorite phase solid solution) was prepared by solid-state as well as wet chemical routes. The fluorite phase of the compound was characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Thermal expansion characteristics were studied using high temperature X-ray diffraction (HTXRD) in the temperature range 298–1973 K. Heat capacity measurements of dysprosium hafnate were carried out using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in the temperature range 298–800 K. The room temperature lattice parameter and the coefficient of thermal expansion are 0.5194 nm and 7.69 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹, respectively. The heat capacity value at 298 K is 232 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹.     

Optimization of cementitious composite for heavyweight concrete preparation using conduction calorimetry

The present work investigates the hydration heat of different cement composites by means of conduction calorimetry to optimize the composition of binder in the design of heavyweight concrete as biological shielding. For this purpose, Portland cement CEM I 42.5 R was replaced by a different portion of supplementary cementitious materials (blast furnace slag, metakaolin, silica fume/limestone) at 75%, 65%, 60%, 55%, and 50% levels to obtain low hydration heat lower than 250 j g^?1. All ingredients were analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and nuclear activation analysis (NAA) to assess the content of major elements and isotopes. A mixture of two high-density aggregates (barite and magnetite) was used to prepare three heavyweights concretes with compressive strength exceeding 45 MPa and bulk density ranging between 3400 and 3500 kg m^?3. After a short period of volume expansion (up to 4 h), a slight shrinkage (max. 0.3°/°°) has been observed. Also, thermophysical properties (thermal conductivity, volumetric specific heat, thermal diffusivity) and other properties were determined. The results showed that aggregate content and not binder is the main factor influencing the engineering properties of heavyweight concretes.

     

Thermal Analysis Studies on Isopropylnitrate

Isopropylnitrate (IPN) is described as a detonable material used in propellants and explosives. While there is considerable information available on its sensitivity and compatibility with other materials, very little is known about its thermochemical properties. This paper will describe the results obtained from some DSC, heat flux calorimetry (HFC) and accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC) measurements. The ASTM DSC method using a hermetic aluminum pan having a lid with a laser-produced pin hole was used to determine the vapour pressure of IPN₁. Results calculated from an Antoine equation are in substantial agreement with those determined from DSC measurements. From the latter measurements, the enthalpy of vaporization was determined to be 35.32±0.62 kJ mol⁻¹. Attempts to determine vapour pressures above about 0.8 MPa resulted in significant decomposition of IPN_g. The enthalpy change for decomposition in sealed glass systems was found to be -3.43±0.09 kJ g⁻¹ and -3.85±0.03 kJ g⁻¹, respectively from DSC and HFC measurements on IPN₁ samples loaded in air. Slightly larger exotherms were observed for the HFC results in air than those in inert gas, suggesting some oxidation occurs. In contrast, no significant difference in the observed onset temperature of about 150°C was observed for both the HFC and ARC results. From DSC measurements, an Arrhenius activation energy for decomposition of 126±4 kJ mol⁻¹ was found. These measurements were also conducted in sealed glass systems and decomposition appeared to proceed primarily from the liquid phase. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Synthesis,structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 nanoparticles

In this work, we reported a detailed study on the synthesis, structural and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline La_0.8Sr_0.2MnO₃. The synthesized nanoparticles were prepared using a sol–gel method and characterized using X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The average particle size was found in the range from 40 to 45 nm. The magnetization versus temperature M(T) measurements as well as magnetization field dependence M(H) have been investigated using vibrating-sample magnetometer. The magnetization as a function of temperature M(T) indicated a broad second-order magnetic phase transition from ferromagnetic state to paramagnetic state in the Curie temperature region (320–340 K). The magnetocaloric effect of the sample has been estimated and presented a maximum magnetic entropy change |ΔS_M|_max?=?0.86 J kg^?1 K^?1 with relative cooling power?=?62.12 J kg^?1 at magnetic field (H)?=?2T. Based on the result of magnetocaloric properties, the investigated sample could be considered as a good refrigerant material for near room temperature magnetic refrigeration.