Metastable effects on martensitic transformation in SMA

The applicability of shape memory alloys (SMA) for dampers in civil engineering requires guaranteed behavior with well controlled or irrelevant changes after several years of inactivity and/or under the action of daily or seasonal temperature effects. The long time analysis of the aging temperature effects on a NiTi alloy shows similar behavior to other SMA but with higher time constants at temperatures near 373 K: 1.9 days at 410 K and near 100 days at 363 K with an activation energy value near 12500 K (RT=104 kJ mol⁻¹). At the present state of the art, the measurements show that the change of transformation temperatures under the action of the external temperature (or ‘room temperature’ change) is close to 15 K. The direct use of the as furnished material can suffer relevant changes of working properties in devices under the action of direct sunlight or high room temperature working conditions.     

Kinetics of OH radical reaction with phenanthrene: New absolute rate measurements and comparison with other PAHs

Using an in situ pulsed laser photolysis/pulsed laser‐induced fluorescence/technique, the OH reaction kinetics of a three‐ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), phenanthrene (and its deuterated form), was investigated over the temperature range of 373–1000 K. This study represents the first examination of the OH kinetics for phenanthrene at elevated temperatures using the absolute rate technique. The phenanthrene results indicate a temperature dependence similar to its isomer anthracene, reported previously in R. Ananthula, T. Yamada, and P. H. Taylor, J Phys Chem A 2006, 100, 3559–3566, over a similar temperature range. The phenanthrene rate constants are similar to anthracene at high temperature (ca. 1000 K) and a factor of ca. 2 lower at low temperatures (373–700 K). The rate measurements were best fitted by the following two‐parameter expression of the form ATⁿ: k₁(373–1000 K) = 4.98 ± 2.96 × 10^?6 * T^?1.97±0.10 (in units of cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1, error limits ±1σ). Rate measurements with deuterated phenanthrene below 725 K were indistinguishable from the phenanthrene rate measurements, within random error limits, providing strong evidence for an OH‐addition mechanism. The effects of PAH size on their reactivity with OH radicals based on selected data over the temperature range of 243–1200 K are discussed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 39: 629–637, 2007     

Anomalous thermal expansion of thin cetane layer solidified at the inner surface of confining nanoporous silica gel

Silica gel with extremely small pores of 3 nm diameter was filled with liquid cetane. Samples with various coefficients of filling k of cetane were prepared. After the solidification of confined cetane, its free volume has been investigated. The positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy at 24–300 K and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at 233–303 K measurements have been performed. Decreasing the temperature, only small changes in dimensions of silica gel matrix and pronounced contraction of confined cetane have been indicated. In the case of k < 0.2, however, via cooling below 180 K, the temperature dependence changes its sign and the free volume in confined cetane increases. Decreasing the cetane content, the negative apparent expansion coefficient dramatically grows. This anomalous temperature dependence is interpreted by the cracking of thin layer of solid cetane which is in contact with the walls of silica gel pores.     

Influence of temperature,pressure, nanotube’s diameter and intertube distance on methane adsorption in homogeneous armchair open-ended SWCNT triangular arrays

The physisorption of methane in homogeneous armchair open-ended SWCNT triangular arrays for the tubes of diameter of 10.85, 13.57, 16.28 and 19.00 Å [(8,8), (10,10), (12,12) and (14,14), respectively] at temperature of 273, 298, 323 and 373 K and at fugacity of 0.5–9.0 Mpa is evaluated by means of Grand Canonical ensemble Monte Carlo simulation. The applied intermolecular forces are modeled using Lennard-Jones potential model. The absolute, excess and delivery adsorption isotherms of methane in various carbon nanotube arrays are calculated. Besides, specific surface areas and the isosteric heats of adsorption, Q _st, are studied, also different isotherm models were fitted on the simulation adsorption data, and the model parameters are correlated. A novel geometrical relationship is introduced to calculate accessible interstitial and intratubular volumes. According to our simulation results, one can reaches to 96% of the US Department of Energy target for CH₄ storage of 180 v/v at 298 K and 35 bar by using the SWCNT array with nanotube’s diameter of 19 Å as adsorbent. For intertube distance equal 3.4 Å, no gas adsorption is observed in interstitial channel except for the arrays bigger than 15.4 Å in nanotube’s diameter, and multi-layer adsorption starts to form in nanotube’s diameter of 16.28 Å at the pressure of 2.0 MPa.     

The investigation of methyl phenyl silicone resin/epoxy resin using epoxy-polysiloxane as compatibilizer

Styrene–butadiene rubber was subjected to long-term thermal aging treatment at 80 °C with aging period up to 180 days. The degradation kinetics of the aged sample was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis. Multiple heating rate experiments were carried out in nonisothermal conditions and three isoconversional model-free methods (Friedman; Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose; Li and Tang methods) were employed. The results showed that the temperature for 5 % mass loss increased, whereas the maximum mass loss temperature decreased after aging. Activation energies (E _a) derived from the three methods were found to be dependent on conversion degree (α). E _a increased with increasing α in the whole range of conversion for samples aged for 0, 60, and 120 days, while the aged samples displayed higher E _a values. However, samples aged for 180 days showed declining E _a versus α. The changes on the degradation kinetics were associated with the modification on the chemical structure after thermal aging.     

Temperature characteristics of nonaqueous Li–O2 batteries

Discharge/charge characteristics of Li–O₂ batteries at a test temperature of 343 K, using Super P carbon electrodes, have been explored in this paper based on ether-based electrolytes. Compared with ambient temperature, high temperature significantly influences the discharge/charge process of Li–O₂ batteries since discharging capacity increases at about 80 % and charging voltage plateau decreases from 4.2 to 3.5 V. The stability of stainless steel mesh with electrolyte at 343 K has been researched using cyclic voltammetry. This paper lays the bases for further research on Li–O₂ batteries in high-temperature areas.     

Bound water restrained by nanocellulose fibres

The higher-order structure of natural cellulose fibres changes in the presence of water. In order to investigate the effect of molecular level fibre structure, melting behaviour of water restrained by nano- and microcellulose fibre was measured by differential scanning calorimetry. Fibre size was measured by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. It was found that the melting peak of water restrained by microcellulose fibre started at 250–260 K in a W _c (=mass of water/mass of dry sample) range from 0.5 to 1.2, whereas that of nanocellulose fibre was 230–237 K. Furthermore, peak temperature of melting of water restrained by nanocellulose was observed at around 270 K, in contrast, that of water restrained by microcellulose fibre was observed at ca. 275 K. Bound water content was calculated from melting enthalpy. Both non-freezing and freezing bound water of nanocellulose fibre was far larger than that of microcellulose. The above results suggest that a large amount of freezing bound water is restrained in nanocellulose fibres. It is thought that a larger number of isolated hydroxyl groups exist on the fibre surface.     

Self-discharge behavior of LaNi5-based hydrogen storage electrodes in different electrolytes

Nickel–metal hydride (Ni–MH) batteries using hydrogen storage alloys as negative electrode materials have been developed and commercialized because of their high energy density, high rate capability and long cycle life, without causing environmental pollution (Song et al. J Alloys Comp 298:254, 2000; Jang et al. J Alloys Comp 268:290, 1998). However, the self-discharge rate is relatively higher than that of the Ni–Cd batteries, which would certainly be disadvantageous in practical applications. The capacity loss of a battery during storage is often related to self-discharge in the cells. Self-discharge takes place from a highly charged state of a cell to a lower state of charge (SOC) and is typically caused by the highly oxidizing or reducing characteristic of one or both of the electrodes in the cell. This self-discharge behavior may be affected by various factors such as gases, impurities, temperature, type of alloy electrode, electrolytes, or charge/discharge methods. The loss of capacity can be permanent or recoverable, depending on the nature of the mechanism (chemical or electrochemical) and aging condition. In this paper, the effects of electrolyte composition and temperature on self-discharge behavior of LaNi₅-based hydrogen storage alloy electrodes for Ni–MH batteries have been investigated. It was found that both reversible and irreversible capacity loss of MH electrode tested at 333 K were higher than that at 298 K. When tested at 298 K and 333 K, reversible capacity loss was mainly affected by the electrolyte, while the irreversible capacity loss was not affected. The dissolution of Al from the electrode can be reduced more effectively in an electrolyte with Al addition, compared with that in normal electrolyte. This resulted in a lower reversible capacity loss for the electrode exposed in the Al³⁺-rich electrolyte. SEM analysis has shown that some needle shape and hexagonal corrosion products were formed on the surface of the alloy electrodes, especially after storage at high temperature.     

Ambient Species Density and Gas Temperature Radial Profiles Derived from a Schlieren Technique in a Low-Frequency Non-thermal Oxygen Plasma Jet

A quantitative interpretation of the schlieren technique applied to a non-thermal atmospheric-pressure oxygen plasma jet driven at low-frequency (50 Hz) is reported. The jet was operated in the turbulent regime with a hole-diameter based Reynolds number of 13,800. The technique coupled to a simplified kinetic model of the jet effluent region allowed deriving the temporally-averaged values of the gas temperature of the jet by processing the gray-level contrast values of digital schlieren images. The penetration of the ambient air into the jet due to turbulent diffusion was taken into account. The calibration of the optical system was obtained by fitting the sensitivity parameter so that the oxygen fraction at the nozzle exit was unity. The radial profiles of the contrast in the discharge off case were quite symmetric on the whole outflow, but with the discharge on, relatively strong departures from the symmetry were evident in the near field. The time-averaged gas temperature of the jet was relatively high, with a maximum departure of about 55 K from the room temperature; as can be expected owing to the operating molecular gas. The uncertainty in the temperature measurements was within 6 K, primarily derived from errors associated to the Abel inversion procedure. The results showed an increase in the gas temperature of about 8 K close to the nozzle exit; thus suggesting that some fast-gas heating (with a heating rate ~0.3 K/μs) still occurs in the near field of the outflow.     

Thermodynamic characterization of chromium tellurate

The standard Gibbs energy of formation of chromium tellurate, Cr₂TeO₆ was determined from the vapour pressure measurement of TeO₂(g) over the phase mixture Cr₂TeO₆(s) + Cr₂O₃(s) in the temperature range 1,183–1,293 K. A thermogravimetry (TG)-based transpiration technique was used for the vapour pressure measurement. This technique was validated by measuring the vapour pressure of CdCl₂(g) over CdCl₂(s). The temperature dependence of the vapour pressure of CdCl₂(g) could be represented as logp (Pa) (±0.02) = 12.06 ? 8616.3/T (K) (734 ? 823 K). A ‘third-law’ analysis of the vapour pressure data yielded a mean value of 185.1 ± 0.4 kJ mol^?1 for the enthalpy of sublimation of CdCl₂(s). The temperature dependence of vapour pressure of TeO₂(g) generated by the incongruent vapourisation reaction, $ {\text{Cr}}_{ 2} {\text{TeO}}_{ 6} (\rm s) \to {\text{Cr}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}_{ 3} (\rm s) + {\text{TeO}}_{ 2} (\rm g) + 1/2\,{\text{O}}_{ 2} (\rm g) $ could be represented as logp (Pa) (±0.04) = 18.57 – 21,199/T (K) (1,183 – 1,293 K). The temperature dependence of the Gibbs energy of formation of Cr₂TeO₆ could be expressed as $ \{ \Updelta G_{\text{f}}^{ \circ } ({\text{Cr}}_{ 2} {\text{TeO}}_{ 6} ,{\text{ s}}){\text{ (kJ}}\,{\text{mol}}^{ - 1} )\pm 4. 0 {\text{\} = }} - 1 6 2 5. 6 { \,+\, 0} . 5 3 3 6\,T({\text{K}}) \, (1{,}183 - 1{,}293\,{\text{K}}). $ A drop calorimeter was used for measuring the enthalpy increments of Cr₂TeO₆ in the temperature range 373–973 K. Thermodynamic functions viz., heat capacity, entropy and Gibbs energy functions of Cr₂TeO₆ were derived from the experimentally measured enthalpy increment values. $ \Updelta H_{{{\text{f}},298\,{\text{K}}}}^{ \circ } ({\text{Cr}}_{ 2} {\text{TeO}}_{ 6} ) $ was found to be ?1636.9 ± 0.8 kJ mol^?1.     

Combustion synthesis and thermal expansion of RE6UO12 (RE = Dy and Tb)

Citrate–nitrate combustion method was adopted for the synthesis of RE₆UO₁₂ (RE = Dy and Tb). These compounds were characterized by X-ray diffraction. Thermal expansion coefficient of these compounds were measured in the temperature range of 298–1,273 K by high temperature X-ray powder diffractometry (HT-XRD) and compared with other rare earth compounds reported in the literature. There was no observed phase transition in Dy₆UO₁₂, but Tb₆UO₁₂ showed a second-order phase transition at 670 K which was confirmed using differential scanning calorimeter. The average volume thermal expansion coefficient of Dy₆UO₁₂ in the temperature range of 298–1,273 K is (29.82 ± 4.02) × 10^?6 and that of Tb₆UO₁₂ in the temperature range of 298–673 K is (13.76 ± 2.64) × 10^?6 K^?1.     

Thermal properties and interactions of l-proline in aqueous solutions of NaCl or KCl at different temperatures

The enthalpies of solution of l-proline in aqueous electrolyte solutions within the electrolyte molality range up to 4.9 mol kg^?1 of NaCl and up to 4.0 mol kg^?1 of KCl at 288, 298 and 313 K have been measured by the calorimetric method. Enthalpies of transfer of l-proline from water to aqueous electrolyte solutions up to saturation have been derived at 273–348 K. The enthalpic and heat capacity parameters of pair and triplet interaction of l-proline with electrolyte in water have been evaluated. Enthalpic parameters of pair interaction at 298 K have been compared to similar parameters for glycine and l-alanine. The temperature changes of reduced enthalpy, and also the change of entropy and reduced Gibbs energy of transfer of l-proline from water to aqueous electrolyte solution at temperature rise from 273 to 323 K have been determined. It has been shown that the entropy–enthalpy compensation takes place for transfer processes.     

Thermodynamic properties and phase transitions of Tutton salt (NH4)2Fe(SO4)2·6H2O from MAS NMR and single-crystal NMR

The thermodynamic properties and phase transitions of Tutton salt (NH₄)₂Fe(SO₄)₂·6H₂O were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and nuclear magnetic resonance. The first mass loss occurs around 330 K (T _d), which is interpreted as the onset of partial thermal decomposition. Phase transitions were found at 387 K (=T _C1) and 500 K (=T _C2). The temperature dependences of the spin–lattice relaxation time in the rotating frame, T _1ρ, and that in the laboratory frame, T ₁, for the H nuclei change abruptly near T _C1. These changes are associated with changes in the geometry of the arrangement of octahedral water molecules and ammonium protons.     

Phase solubility and FTIR-ATR studies of idebenone/sulfobutyl ether β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex

The favourable accessibility offered by sulfobutyl ether β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) for the complexation with idebenone (IDE) has been probed, as a function of temperature, in liquid state, by phase solubility study, and, in solid state, by FTIR-ATR technique. The phase solubility results indicated the formation of a IDE/SBE-β-CD inclusion complex with 1:1 molar ratio (A_L type diagram), whose apparent stability constants at T = 300, 310, and 320 K have been estimated according to the Higuchi–Connors method. The formation of the inclusion complex has been confirmed on a freeze-dried and a co-precipitated product by FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, monitoring the changes induced by complexation on some characteristic vibrational bands of IDE. Quantitative studies, performed in a wide T range, from T = 250 K to T = 340 K, allowed us to extract information on the effect of temperature on the different hydrogen-bonded environments involving host, guest, and crystallization water molecules. Again, complexation is proved to enhance the stability of the guest, at least in the explored T range.     

Chromatographic Framework to Determine the Memantine Binding Mechanism on Human Serum Albumin Surface

In this work, the interaction of memantine with human serum albumin (HSA) immobilized on porous silica particles was studied using a biochromatographic approach. The determination of the enthalpy change at different pH values suggested that the protonated group in the memantine–HSA complex exhibits a heat protonation with a magnitude around 65 kJ mol^?1. This value agrees with the protonation of a guanidinium group, and confirmed that an arginine group may become protonated in the memantine–HSA complex formation. The thermodynamic data showed that memantine–HSA binding, for low temperature (<293 K), is dominated by a positive entropy change. This result suggests that dehydration at the binding interface and charge–charge interactions contribute to the memantine–HSA complex formation. Above 293 K, the thermodynamic data ΔH and ΔS became negative due to van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding which are engaged at the complex interface. The temperature dependence of the free energy of binding is weak because of the enthalpy–entropy compensation caused by a large heat capacity change, ΔC _p = ? 3.79 kJ mol^?1 K^?1 at pH = 7. These results were used to determine the potential binding site of this drug on HSA.     

Thermodynamic performance of the NaNO3–NaCl–NaNO2 ternary system

Calculations of phase diagram for additive ternary molten salt system are carried out by the conformal ionic solution theory. The liquidus temperatures of the system NaNO₃–NaCl–NaNO₂ are determined according to different types of solid–liquid equilibrium and different values of the binary interaction coefficients. For the system NaNO₃–NaCl–NaNO₂, the calculated and experimental temperatures differ are very small below 673 K, but the oxidation and decomposition of the mixed salts are found when the temperature is higher than 673 K. Meanwhile, the eutectic point is obtained from calculated phase diagram and the eutectic temperature is 507 K. Thermal stability of this eutectic mixture is investigated by thermo-gravimetric analysis device. Experimental results show this kind of molten salt has a lower melting point (501.28 K), similar to solar salt (493 K). It is thermally stable at temperatures up to 819 K, and may be used up to 827 K for short periods.     

Temperature and aging dependence of strain‐induced crystallization and cavitation in highly crosslinked and filled natural rubber

We have investigated the structural changes occurring in highly crosslinked and carbon‐black filled natural rubber under uniaxial extension by small‐ and wide‐angle X‐ray scattering using synchrotron radiation. The experiments focused on strain‐induced crystallization (SIC) and nanocavitation and were carried out on a model series of materials as a function of temperature and aging conditions. We find that for all materials both SIC and cavitation decrease markedly with temperature and aging. However, the presence of carbon black filler shifts the ceiling temperature where SIC is observed to at least 120°C, presumably by a nucleating effect, maintaining the high strength of the elastomers. Interestingly, although in pure elastomers, the cavitation strength decreases with temperature, we find that in these filled elastomers the critical stress for the onset of cavitation increases significantly with temperature strongly suggesting that cavitation is due to the local confinement between fillers and supporting the idea of a glassy layer near the filler. Aging for 10 days at 110°C in oxygen‐free conditions decreases both SIC and cavitation and reduces the strength of the elastomer at high temperature. This is attributed to the formation of sulfur side chains hindering the crystallization. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 780–793     

Peroxy radicals as motional probes at the end of isolated polystyrene chains and on the cellulose surfaces in vacuum

The isolated polystyrene chains spin-labeled with peroxide radical at the free end (IPSOO) in which the chain roots were covalently bonded to the surface of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) powder were produced by mechanochemical polymerization of styrene initiated by MCC mechanoradicals. The IPSOO was used as motional probes at the ends of isolated polystyrene chains tethered on the surface of MCC powder. Two modes for the molecular motion of IPSOO were observed. One was a tumbling motion of IPSOO on the MCC surface, defined as a train state, and another was a free rotational motion of IPSOO protruding out from the MCC surface, defined as a tail state. The temperature of tumbling motion (T _tum ) of IPSOO at the train state was at 90 K with anisotropic correlation times. T _tum (90 K) is extremely low compared to the glass transition temperature (T _g ^b ; 373 K) of polystyrene in the bulk. At temperatures above 219 K, the IPSOO was protruded out from the MCC surface, and freely rotated at the tail state. The train–tail transition temperature (T _train–tail ) was estimated to be 222 K. T _tum (90 K) and T _train–tail (222 K) are due to the extremely low chain segmental density of IPSOO on the MCC surface under vacuum. The interaction between IPSOO and the MCC surface is a minor contributing factor in the mobility of IPSOO on the surface under vacuum. It was found that peroxy radicals are useful probes to characterize the chain mobility reflecting their environmental conditions.     

A new equation of state for studying the thermodynamic properties of real gases

In this study, based on the compressibility effect of gas molecules, a new three-parameter cubic equation of state (EOS) is derived. To validate this EOS, density predictions of methane, ethane, carbon dioxide and oxygen have been studied using the new EOS at the temperature of 373 K and at the pressures up to 100 MPa. The results show a good agreement with reference data and this suggests that the proposed EOS would help to improve the study of thermodynamic properties for real gases.     

Annealing behavior of gel‐spun polyethylene fibers at temperatures lower than needed for significant shrinkage

The annealing at 373 K of ultrastrong, gel‐spun polyethylene (PE) has been studied. At this temperature, the fibers show no significant shrinkage. Still, a significant decrease in the mechanical properties is observed. The fibers have been analyzed with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). During the annealing, the glass transition of the intermediate phase is exceeded, as shown by DSC. When split for structure analysis by AFM, the annealed fibers undergo plastic deformation around the base fibrils instead of brittle fracture. The quasi‐isothermal TMDSC experiments are compared to the minor structural changes seen with SAXS and AFM. The loss of performance of the PE fibers at 373 K is suggested to be caused by the oriented intermediate phase, and not by major changes in the structure or morphology. The overall metastable, semicrystalline structure is shown by TMDSC to posses local regions that can melt reversibly. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 403–417, 2003