Thermal degradation, dielectric and magnetic studies on copper tartrate trihydrate crystals

Single crystals of copper tartrate trihydrate (CTT) with orthorhombic structure were grown in silica gel medium, by the controlled chemical reaction method. The Fourier transform infrared spectrum in the range 400–4,000 cm^?1 were recorded and the vibrational bands corresponding to different functional groups are assigned. Thermal stability of the grown crystals was investigated by differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry studies. The presence of water molecules and the dehydration stages are discussed. The dielectric studies on CTT crystals were performed in the frequency range of 100–5 MHz at three different temperatures which indicated that the dielectric constant decreases with frequency and increases with temperature. The ac conductivity is found to increase with frequency and temperature. The vibrating sample magnetometer studies on these crystals confirmed the diamagnetic nature of the CTT crystals.     

Synthesis, growth, thermal, optical, mechanical and dielectric studies of N-succinopyridine

Organic nonlinear optical (NLO) material, N-succinopyridine (NSP), was synthesised and bulk single crystals were grown from aqueous solution using isothermal solvent evaporation technique. The stoichiometric form of NSP has been confirmed by carbon–hydrogen–nitrogen analysis. NSP crystallizes in orthorhombic system with non-centrosymmetric space group P2₁2₁2₁ and unit cell dimensions a = 7.721(2) Å, b = 7.762(3) Å, c = 14.951(3) Å. The thermal stability, thermal decomposition and specific heat capacity of NSP have been investigated by thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis and modulated DSC analysis. A wide transparency window, 294–1,100 nm, useful for optoelectronic applications is indicated by UV–Vis–NIR studies. The NLO second harmonic generation efficiency analysis using Nd:YAG laser (1,064 nm) revealed that the SHG efficiency of NSP is about 1.2 times higher than that of standard potassium dihydrogen phosphate powder of comparable size and more importantly that it is phase-matchable. The room temperature mechanical behaviours of NSP have been tested using Vicker’s microhardness tester and the results were analysed through classical Mayer’s law. The dielectric behaviours such as dielectric constant, dielectric loss and ac conductivity of NSP single crystal have also been investigated as a function of frequency (20 Hz–1 MHz) and temperature (308–358 K).     

Investigations on growth, thermal, electrical, and etching studies of KCl-doped triglycine sulfate single crystals

Single crystals of pure triglycine sulfate (TGS) and potassium chloride (KCl)-doped TGS with different concentrations (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 1?mol%) were grown from aqueous solutions by natural evaporation process at room temperature. Thermal stability of the grown crystals was investigated by differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermogravimetric (TG) studies. DTA curve shows a lower decomposition temperature for KCl-doped TGS crystal than that of pure TGS crystal. The dielectric properties of pure TGS and KCl-doped TGS crystals were performed in the frequency range of 1?C500?kHz at 30?°C and this study showed that the dielectric constant was increased due to KCl concentration. DC electrical conductivity measurements were made in the temperature range from 35 to 100?°C and showed that the DC conductivity was increased with the increase of temperature as well as doping concentrations of KCl. The etching feature of the surface of the grown crystals was studied in water etchant.     

Characterization of very low thermal conductivity thin films

Characterization of thermal transport in nanoscale thin films with very low thermal conductivity (<1 W m^?1 K^?1) is challenging due to the difficulties in accurately measuring spatial variations in temperature field as well as the heat losses. In this paper, we present a new experimental technique involving freestanding nanofabricated specimens that are anchored at the ends, while the entire chip is heated by a macroscopic heater. The unique aspect of this technique is to remove uncertainty in measurement of convective heat transfer, which can be of the same magnitude as through the specimen in a low conductivity material. Spatial mapping of temperature field as well as the natural convective heat transfer coefficient allows us to calculate the thermal conductivity of the specimen using an energy balance modeling approach. The technique is demonstrated on thermally grown silicon oxide and low dielectric constant carbon-doped oxide films. The thermal conductivity of 400 nm silicon dioxide films was found to be 1.2 W m^?1 K^?1, and is in good agreement with the literature. Experimental results for 200 nm thin low dielectric constant oxide films demonstrate that the model is also capable of accurately determining the thermal conductivity for materials with values <1 W m^?1 K^?1.     

Synthesis, electrical and thermal properties of Bi4V2−xMexO11 (x = 0.0 and 0.02) ceramics

Polycrystalline ceramic samples of Bi₄V_2?xMe_xO₁₁ (Me = Nb, Zr, Y and Cu and x = 0.0 and 0.02) have been synthesized by standard solid state reaction method using high purity oxides. The formation of the compounds have been analysed by X-ray diffraction method. The dielectric constant, dielectric loss and AC conductivity as a function of frequency and temperature have been measured. The dielectric studies indicate that the material is highly lossy and hence its AC conductivity increases with the increase of temperature. The DC conductivity of material has been measured as a function of temperature from room temperature to 380 °C and its activation energy was calculated using the relation σ = σ ₀exp (?E _a/kT). The modulated differential scanning calorimetry has been used to investigate the effect of substitution on the heat capacity and heat flow of the compounds. The results are discussed in detail.     

Spectroscopic, thermal, and dielectric studies of n-butyl 4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-6-methyl-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4 tetrahydropyrimidine-5-carboxylate crystals

Pyrimidines and its derivatives find different pharmaceutical applications. The n-butyl 4-(3,4 dimethoxyphenyl)-6-methyl-2-thioxo-1,2,3,4 tetrahydropyrimidine-5-carboxylate (abbreviated as n-butyl THPM) was synthesized. The n-butyl THPM crystals were grown by slow solvent evaporation technique using chloroform as a solvent. Yellowish, coagulated, and semi-transparent crystals having dimensions of 2 × 1.5 mm were grown. The crystals were characterized by powder XRD, FT–IR, SEM, TG–DTA–DSC, ¹H-NMR, and dielectric study. The crystals remained stable up to 150 °C and then started decomposing. The DSC suggested both endothermic and exothermic reactions. One broad exothermic peak was observed at 540.3 °C due to complete decomposition of the sample into the gaseous phase and reaction within the products. ¹H-NMR spectrum has been carried out to explain the molecular structure. The dielectric study was carried out in the frequency range from 50 Hz to 5 MHz at room temperature. The dielectric constant decreased as the frequency of the applied field increased. The variations of dielectric loss, a.c. conductivity, and a.c. resistivity were also studied with the frequency of the applied field.     

Synthesis,electrical and thermal properties of Bi4V2−xMexO11 (Me=Nb,Zr, Y and Cu with x = 0.0 and 0.06) ceramics

Polycrystalline ceramic samples of Bi₄V_2?xMe_xO₁₁ (Me=Nb, Zr, Y and Cu and x = 0.0 and 0.06) have been synthesized by standard solid state reaction method using high purity oxides. The formation of the compounds have been analysed by X-ray diffraction method. The dielectric constant, dielectric loss and AC conductivity as a function of frequency and temperature have been measured. The dielectric studies indicate that the material is highly lossy, and hence, its AC conductivity increases with the increase of temperature. The DC conductivity of material has been measured as a function of temperature from room temperature to 723 K and its activation energy was calculated using the relation σ = σ ₀exp (?E _a/kT). The modulated differential scanning calorimetry has been used to investigate the effect of substitution on the phase transition (heat capacity and heat flow) of the compounds. The results are discussed in detail.     

Structural, electrical, and thermal properties in Ca-doped fresnoite ceramics

Polycrystalline ceramic samples of Ca-doped fresnoite of general formula Ba_2?x Ca _x TiSi₂O₈ (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1) have been prepared by standard solid state reaction technique using high purity oxides and carbonates. The formation of the single phase compound and its structural parameters were investigated by X-ray diffraction followed by Rietveld refinement using non-centrosymmetric space group P4bm. The bond distances between atoms in a unit cell for all the compounds were also calculated which supports the structural results analyzed by Rietveld analysis. The frequency and temperature dependent dielectric constant and ac conductivity of all the compounds have been measured. The real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant increases with the increase of temperature. The activation energy (E _a) calculated from ac conductivity increases from x = 0.0 to 0.4 and then decreases from x = 0.8 to 1.0. The modulated differential scanning calorimetry has been used to investigate the effect of substitution on the specific heat, heat flow, and other thermal parameters of the compounds.     

Crystal growth, structural, thermal, and dielectric characterization of Tutton salt (NH4)2Fe(SO4)2·6H2O crystals

A good quality single crystal of Tutton salt, (NH₄)₂Fe(SO₄)₂·6H₂O, with dimensions 6 × 7 × 3 mm³ was successfully grown by the slow evaporation growth technique at ambient temperature. The grown crystal was subjected to single crystal X-ray diffraction study which confirms that the grown crystal is monoclinic in nature with the space group P2₁/c. Optical absorption spectrum reveals that the grown crystal has good optical transparency in the entire visible region and its energy band gap was determined. The thermal behavior of the grown crystal was investigated by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The dielectric measurements were carried out to determine the dielectric behavior of the crystal.     

Thermal and electrical behaviors of acid functionalized MWCNT/ABC-type triblock copolymer grafted-MWCNT nanocomposites

In this work, ABC-type triblock copolymer grafted onto the surface of the MWCNT/acid functionalized MWCNT (MWCNT-COOH) composites were prepared and the properties of nanocomposites were characterized extensively using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), ac electrical conductivity and dielectrical measurements.

DSC study showed that the glass transition temperatures of the nanocomposites are a some higher than that of the matrix polymer. The increase in oxidized MWCNT in the nanocomposite improved the thermal stability of the composite, according to initial decomposition temperatures. The ac electrical conductivity has increased moderately with increasing frequency, but has increased slowly with increase in the oxidized MWCNT content in the nanocomposites. The electrical conductivity increases slowly with increasing temperature to about the glass transition temperature, then it increases faster. The dielectric constants for the matrix polymer and all the composites decreases slightly with increasing frequency from 0.1 kHz to 2.0 kHz. The dielectric constant increases slightly with increasing temperature up to about the glass transition temperature region and then the increase in temperature is accelerated the increase in the dielectric constant.     

Highly stable copper/carbon dot nanofluid

Copper/carbon dot nanohybrids (Cu/CD NHs) were prepared via a facile precipitation method through a disproportionation reaction. The surface characterization was performed by various techniques such as XRD, FTIR and TEM. Then, water-based nanofluids composed of Cu/CD NHs at 0.1 and 0.5 mass% were prepared, and their thermo-physical properties including thermal conductivity, viscosity, density and specific heat were evaluated at various temperatures. The water-based Cu/CD nanofluid demonstrated to be a potential heat transfer fluid with a high stability. It was found that the thermal conductivity can be enhanced by increasing the nanoparticle concentration and temperature. Almost 1.25-fold increase in thermal conductivity has been achieved by raising the temperature up to 50 °C and at the concentration of 0.5 mass%. The heat capacity was found to increase with increasing concentration. Moreover, by increasing temperature the density and viscosity of the as-prepared nanofluid decreased, whereas the heat capacity showed an increasing trend.     

Growth and thermal behavior of mixed crystals of calcium cadmium tartrate in silica gels

In this study, calcium cadmium tartrate single crystals were grown in silica gel at ambient temperature. Effects of various parameters like gel pH, gel aging, gel density, and concentration of reactants on the growth of these crystals were studied. Crystals having different morphologies and habits were obtained. Transparent, diamond-like pyramidal-shaped crystals of calcium cadmium tartrate were obtained. Some of the crystals obtained were faint yellowish, with some milky white crystals being attched to them due to fast growth rate; faces are well developed and polished. The grown crystals were characterized by thermoanalytic techniques (TG, DTA, and DTG), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The crystal system is confirmed to be orthorhombic having lattice parameters a = 7.9411 Å, b = 7.0396 Å, and c = 6.7271 Å as determined by powder XRD analysis. TG, DTA, and DTG analyses show a remarkable thermal stability. The results of these observations are described and discussed.     

Study on thermal properties of organic ester phase-change material embedded with silver nanoparticles

This study investigates the thermal properties of new silver nano-based organic ester (SNOE) phase-change material (PCM) in terms of latent heat capacity, thermal conductivity and heat storage and release capabilities experimentally. Spherical-shaped surface-functionalized crystalline silver nanoparticles (AgNP) prepared were embedded in mass proportions of 0.1 through 5.0 wt% into the pure (base) PCM. Experimental results reveal that dispersion of AgNP into PCM was effective, only physical and no chemical interaction between AgNP and PCM has been exhibited; thereby phase-change temperature of SNOE PCMs were acceptable. These are essential characteristics for SNOE PCMs which signified their thermal and chemical stability on long term. Test results suggest that while compared to pure PCM, degree of supercooling was reduced by 11.7–6.8 % for aforesaid mass proportions of AgNP, whereas latent heat capacities decreased by 7.88 % in freezing and 8.91 % in melting. The interdependencies between thermophysical properties in improving nucleation and growth rate of stable SNOE PCM crystals were signified and discussed. Thermal conductivity of SNOE PCMs were enhanced from 0.284 to 0.765 W m^?1 K^?1 which was expected to be a 10–67 % increase for the above mass loading of AgNP. Furthermore, for SNOE PCMs enhancement span in freezing and melting cycles was improved by 41 and 45.6 %, respectively. Similarly, cooling and melting times were reduced by 30.8 and 11.3 %, respectively. Embedded AgNP helps to achieve improved thermophysical and heat storage characteristics for SNOE PCMs, which in turn can be considered as a potential candidate for cool thermal energy storage applications.     

Growth and characterization of naphthalene single crystals grown by modified vertical Bridgman method

The large size 20 mm diameter naphthalene single crystals were grown by modified vertical Bridgman method. The optical quality of the grown crystal was analyzed by photoluminescence and ultraviolet visible absorption spectral measurements. Photoluminescence spectrum indicated violet emission at 410 nm. The UV–vis absorption spectrum shows the maximum at 219.32 nm. The microhardness measurements and differential thermal analysis performed to analyze the mechanical and thermal stability of the as grown crystals. The dielectric measurements were carried out at five frequencies, viz., 100 Hz, 1 kHz, 10 kHz, 100 kHz and 1 MHz and at various temperatures, ranging from 308 K to 348 K indicate an increase of the dielectric parameters with the increase of temperature at all the five frequencies. The conductivity of the material is understood to be more of electronic in nature. Also, the increase in the dielectric parameters with that of temperature is due to the temperature variation of electronic polarizability.     

Characterization of crystalline and amorphous content in pharmaceutical solids by dielectric thermal analysis

Morphological and thermodynamic transitions in drugs as well as their amorphous and crystalline content in the solid state have been distinguished by thermal analytical techniques, which include dielectric analysis (DEA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and macro-photomicrography. These techniques were used successfully to establish a structure versus property relationship with the United States Pharmacopeia standard set of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) drugs. A distinguishing method is the DSC determination of the amorphous and crystalline content which is based on the fusion properties of the specific drug and its recrystallization. The DSC technique to determine the crystalline and amorphous content is based on a series of heat and cool cycles to evaluate the drugs ability to recrystallize. To enhance the amorphous portion, the API is heated above its melting temperature and cooled with liquid nitrogen to ?120 °C (153 K). Alternatively a sample is program heated and cooled by DSC at a rate of 10 °C min^?1. DEA measures the crystalline solid and amorphous liquid API electrical ionic conductivity. The DEA ionic conductivity is repeatable and differentiates the solid crystalline drug with a low conductivity level (10^?2 pS cm^?1) and a high conductivity level associated with the amorphous liquid (10⁶ pS cm^?1). The DSC sets the analytical transition temperature range from melting to recrystallization. However, analysis of the DEA ionic conductivity cycle establishes the quantitative amorphous and crystalline content in the solid state at frequencies of 0.10–1.00 Hz and to greater than 30 °C below the melting transition as the peak melting temperature. This describes the “activation energy method.” An Arrhenius plot, log ionic conductivity versus reciprocal temperature (K^?1), of the pre-melt DEA transition yields frequency dependent activation energy (E _a, J mol^?1) for the complex charging in the solid state. The amorphous content is inversely proportional to the E _a where the E _a for the crystalline form is higher and lower for the amorphous form with a standard deviation of ±2%. There was a good agreement between the DSC crystalline melting, recrystallization, and the solid state DEA conductivity method with relevant microscopic evaluation. An alternate technique to determine amorphous and crystalline content has been established for the drugs of interest based on an obvious amorphous and crystalline state identified by macro-photomicrography and compared to the conductivity variations. This second “empirical method” correlates well with the “activation energy” method.     

Thermal properties of pure and doped (polyvinyl-alcohol) PVA

Films ≈350 μm of poly(vinyl-alcohol) composites, containing copper (Cu), aluminium (Al) and iron (Fe), metallic powder very fine, were prepared by a casting method. Thermal conductivity, phonon velocity, mean free path and specific heat were studied. The pure sample of PVA has a lower values of thermal conductivity than that which are doped with metals. For all samples the thermal conductivityK increases up to a certain temperatureT _gg (120–160°C) and then decreases with temperature. The specific heat increase with temperature up to ≈120°C and above 120°C is nearly independent on temperature. The pure sample of PVA has small values of mean free path (L)≈0.2 Å at room temperature, but for PVA⁺ metalsL≈2.0 Å. The phonon velocity of pure PVA is larger than that of PVA containing metals.     

Structural,thermal and electrical properties of poly(methyl methacrylate)/CaCu3Ti4O12 composite sheets fabricated via melt mixing

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) composites were fabricated via melt mixing followed by hot pressing technique. These were characterized using X-ray diffraction, thermo gravimetric, thermo mechanical, differential scanning calorimetry, fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Impedance analyser for their structural, thermal and dielectric properties. Composites were found to have better thermal stability than that of pure PMMA. However, there was no significant difference in the glass transition (T _g ) temperature between the polymer and the composite. The appearance of additional vibrational frequencies in the range 400–600 cm^?1 in FTIR spectra indicated a possible interaction between PMMA and CCTO. The composite, with 38 vol% of CCTO (in PMMA), exhibited remarkably low dielectric loss at high frequencies and the low-frequency relaxation is attributed to the interfacial polarization/MWS effect. The origin of AC conductivity particularly in the high-frequency region was attributed to the electronic polarization.     

Synthesis, growth, structure, and characterization of a novel semiorganic crystal

Single crystals of (chloro)tris(thiourea-κS)cadmium(II) picrate have been grown by slow evaporation of a mixed solvent system water–acetone containing thiourea, cadmium chloride, and picric acid. The yellow crystals belong to triclinic system with centrosymmetric space group P-1 and the corresponding lattice parameters are a = 7.4632(3) ?, b = 7.9567(3) ?, c = 17.4885(7) ?, α = 98.990(2)°, β = 100.137(2)°, γ = 95.275(2)°, and Z = 2. The vibrational patterns of the as-grown crystals are analyzed by FT-IR and FT-Raman spectral analyses. The optical absorption study was performed to analyze the optical transparency of CTTCP and the crystals were transparent in the visible region and have a lower optical cutoff at ~507 nm with band gap energy of 2.47 eV. TG–DTA thermal analysis shows that the crystal is stable up to ~208 °C and has a good chemical stability.     

Thermal properties measurement of cut tobacco based on TPS method and thermal conductivity model

Drying process of biomass porous media is widely involved in agricultural products processing. Accurate measurement of thermal properties and prediction of thermal conductivity variation at different conditions is the key of heat transfer simulation and optimization for drying process. The present work measured the thermal properties of cut tobacco in a constant temperature experimental platform by transient plane source method (TPS method), and developed a model to predict thermal conductivity of cut tobacco at different conditions. The results showed that there was a high test precision for thermal properties measurement of cut tobacco by TPS method. Thermal conductivity of cut tobacco increased significantly with the increase of temperature and moisture content at the range of 25–65 °C and 12.5–25 %. Volume heat capacities showed a similar trend. The model predictions of thermal conductivity showed strong correlation coefficient with experimental values. The deviation of model predictions is less than 10 %, which indicated that the established model had a good prediction precision for thermal conductivity of cut tobacco.     

Measuring the thermal conductivity of heat transfer fluids via the modified transient plane source (MTPS)

Heat transfer fluids are often a critical performance component in industrial processes and system design. Fluids are used in heat dissipation to maintain stable operating temperatures in a variety of applications, such as diesel engines, chemical production, asphalt storage, and high-power electric transformers. A wide range of fluids specific to various applications are available, thus a reliable and accurate thermal conductivity characterization is extremely important. Thermal conductivity analysis of heat transfer fluids with traditional methods is time-consuming and error-prone due to the impact of convection. Convection often distorts effective thermal conductivity measurement as an additional source of heat transfer. The modified transient plane source method implemented in the C-Therm Technologies TCi Analyzer provides an easy way to accurately measure the thermal conductivity and distinguish this form of heat transfer in negating the impact of convection by (a) employing the shortest test time in commercially available sensors (0.8 s), (b) offering a minimal sample volume requirement (1.25 mL), and (c) employing a low-energy power flux to the specimen under test (approximately 2,600 W m^?2). This work presents thermal conductivity results generated on three types of heat transfer fluids over a wide temperature range and discusses the significance of the data in relevance to the application.