Calculation of the adsorption-desorption hysteresis curves in narrow-pore systems

The gas and liquid spinodal branches for an adsorbate located in narrow slit-shaped, cylindrical, and spherocylindrical pores were calculated. The adsorbate is modeled by Lennard-Jones spherical particles. The calculation was based on the lattice gas model taking into account the intermolecular interactions of nearest neighbors in the quasichemical approximation. The density-temperature diagrams for the gas and liquid spinodal branches in the pores are similar to the equilibrium vapor-liquid phase diagrams: they have a common critical point; the dense-phase branches are shifted to lower pore fillings, while the rarefied-phase branches are shifted toward higher pore fillings. The width of adsorption-desorption hysteresis loop in the adsorption isotherms for Lennard-Jones particles was analyzed as a function of the pore size and the interaction potential of the adsorbate with the pore walls. The effect of pore wall roughness and the accuracy of isotherm calculation on the width of the adsorption-desorption hysteresis loop in cylindrical pores is discussed Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 813–823, May, 2007.     

Control of adhesion via internally pressurized subsurface microchannels

While pressure sensitive adhesives in general consist of a layer of viscoelastic glue sandwiched between two adherents, we explore here the design of an adhesive embedded with microchannels which remain either open to atmosphere or pressurized to different positive and negative pressures. We subject these layers to indentation by a rigid cylinder such that in addition to adhesion between the indenter and the adhesive surface, the inner walls of the channels too self-adhere; during retraction of the indenter, these surfaces debond, but at a different load, thus resulting in hysteresis. When these channels are pressurized to different extents, the contact areas of various interfaces vary, so also the resultant hysteresis. For experiments with constant depth of indentation, the hysteresis increases and attains maxima at an intermediate value of the internal pressure inside the channels. The hysteresis increases also with the skin thickness of the adhesive over the channels. These results show that subsurface channels in an adhesive allow active manipulation of adhesion over a large range via coupled effect of geometry of channels, their surface characteristics, and the pressure inside.     

Change in desorption mechanism from pore blocking to cavitation with temperature for nitrogen in ordered silica with cagelike pores

To verify pore blocking controlled desorption in ink-bottle pores, we measured the temperature dependence of the adsorption-desorption isotherms of nitrogen on four kinds of KIT-5 samples with expanded cavities hydrothermally treated for different periods of time at 393 K. In the samples, almost spherical cavities are arranged in a face-centered cubic array and the cavities are connected through small channels. The pore size of the channels increased with an increase in the hydrothermal treatment time. At lower temperatures a steep desorption branch changed to a gradual one as the hydrothermal treatment was prolonged. For the sample hydrothermally treated only for 1 day, the rectangular hysteresis loop shrank gradually with increasing temperature while keeping its shape. The temperature dependence of the evaporation pressure observed was identical with that expected for cavitation-controlled desorption. On the other hand, for the samples hydrothermally treated for long times, the gradual desorption branch became a sharp one with increasing temperature. This strongly suggests that the desorption mechanism is altered from pore blocking to cavitation with temperature. Application of percolation theory to the pore blocking controlled desorption observed here is discussed.     

Oxidation of CO in microchannels of ceramic membranes modified with oxide catalytic coatings

Ceramic and cermet membranes containing catalytic coatings in the internal volume of their channels were obtained. A relationship between the permeability and kinetic regularities of CO oxidation describing the transmembrane flow of gases was studied. The pre-exponential factor and apparent activation energy change as the loading of the membrane channels by the catalyst proceeds. The study of gas permeability through the membranes showed that the catalyst with a loose branched surface is distributed in the membrane microchannels. The reaction rate constant increases in parallel with an increase in the relative fraction of the catalyst surface. The CO oxidation rate is assumed to depend statistically on the number of active sites, which increases with filling of the membrane channels by the catalytic material.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2613–2619, December, 2004.     

Magnetic Alignment in Solid State and Temperature Hysteresis in Aqueous Tetrahydrofuran Solution for Tetrathiafulvaleno[18]annulenes

Tris(tetrathiafulvaleno)dodecadehydro[18]annulene‐hexaesters have a multi‐functionality that is very sensitive to small differences in the ester side‐chain. Self‐aggregation of the [18]annulenes in amphiphilic media such as THF–H₂O (v/v, 1:1) either produce a fibrous structure or result in temperature hysteresis of the color and ¹H NMR signals. This temperature hysteresis in solution is due to both strong self‐aggregation behavior and unique cluster formation in a binary solution of THF and water.     

The Structure of New Host Molecules that form Channel Inclusion Compounds

1,3-Benzenediamine,N,N′-bis(4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl) and 1,3,5-Triazine,2,2′-[2-methyl-1,3-phenylenebis(oxy)] bis(4,6-dichloro) were synthesized as host molecules. The inclusion compound of 1,3-Benzenediamine,N,N′-bis(4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl) crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system in space group C2/c. The host molecule occupies the space group 2-fold special position and packed in the crystal lattice in such a manner as to leave channels running along the c axis of a rectangular cross-section. It crystallizes with two molecules of acetone that are hydrogen bonded to the amino nitrogen atoms. Molecules of 1,3,5-Triazine,2,2′-[2-methyl-1,3-phenylene bis(oxy)]bis(4,6-dichloro) are packed in the crystal in such a manner as to leave channels of a trapezoid cross-section that are running along the a axis. Guest molecules such as metanol, ethanol, and ethyl acetate can be used to fill the channels. The crystal structures of two inclusion compounds are described.     

Collapse and swelling of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐sodium acrylate) copolymer brushes grafted on a flat SiO2 surface

Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐sodium acrylate) copolymer brushes grafted on SiO₂‐coated quartz crystal surface were prepared with a surface‐immobilized initiator. The collapse and swelling of the thermally sensitive copolymer brushes in water were studied with quartz crystal microbalance in situ. The frequency and dissipation changes with the temperature increasing in the range 20–38 °C indicate that the brushes undergo a continuous collapse transition. Our results show that the copolymer brushes collapse to a state where the brushes were prepared. A hysteresis was observed in the cooling process. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results revealed that the formation of some additional hydrogen bonds within the copolymer chains at their collapsed state is responsible for the hysteresis. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 770–778, 2006     

EOF using the Ritz method: application to superelliptic microchannels

An efficient Ritz method is developed from the variational principle to solve the Poisson-Boltzmann equation under the Debye-Hückel approximation for studying the EOF in microchannels. The method is applied to the family of superelliptic cross sections which includes the elliptic channel and the rectangular channel as limiting cases. Several accurate tables presented are useful for design of electroosmotic channels, especially rectangular channels with rounded corners. It is shown how the flow rate Q is a sophisticated consequence of the nondimensional electrokinetic width K, the aspect ratio b as well as the superelliptic exponent n.     

平面二维毛细管电泳初探

在石英单晶表面制成短形截面的毛细管柱上进行了电泳实验。由于矩形柱比国形住有更大散热侧面积且石英单晶的导热性能远远优于熔融石英,所以可施加较高的场强,不仅提高了住效,而且缩短了分离时间。两个相交的通道之间形成自然连接,可实现二维分离,并消除了死体积。     

Shape‐Selective Alkylation of Naphthalene over Zeolites: Steric Interaction of Reagents with Zeolites

Steric interaction of reagents with zeolites was studied in isopropylation, sec‐butylation, and tert‐butylation of naphthalene (NP) over several large‐pore zeolites to elucidate the mechanism of selective catalysis. Selectivities for dialkylnaphthalene (DAN) isomers were influenced by the type of zeolite and bulkiness of alkylating agent. Selective formation of β,β‐ and 2,6‐diisopropylnaphthalene (DIPN) occurred only over H‐mordenite (MOR) in the isopropylation of NP using propene; bulky transition states of α,α‐ and α,β‐DIPN are excluded because of steric restriction by the channels, resulting in selective formation of β,β‐ and 2,6‐DIPN. However, low selectivities for β,β‐ and 2,6‐DIPN were observed over the zeolites, SSZ‐24 (AFI), SSZ‐55 (ATS), and SSZ‐42 (IFR) with 12‐membered‐ring (12‐MR) pore entrances of one‐dimensional channels, CIT‐5 (CFI), UTD‐1 (DON), and SSZ‐53 (SFH) with 14‐membered‐ring (14‐MR) pore entrances of one‐dimensional channels, and Y‐zeolite (FAU), zeolite β (BEA), and CIT‐1 (CON) with 12‐MR pore entrances of three‐dimensional channels, because their channels are too large for the exclusion of bulky isomers. Catalysis over these zeolites occurs under kinetic and/or thermodynamic control, resulting in predominant formation of α,α‐ and α,β‐DIPN at lower temperatures and an increase of the stable isomer β,β‐DIPN at higher temperatures. The selectivities for β,β‐ and 2,6‐DAN were enhanced with the increase in bulkiness of alkylating agents: 1‐butene for sec‐butylation and 2‐methylpropene for tert‐butylation. In particular, β,β‐di‐tert‐butylnaphthalene (DTBN) was selectively formed in the tert‐butylation. The selectivities for β,β‐ and 2,6‐DAN were enhanced even in large channels: the transition states of the least bulky isomers only fit the channels because other bulky isomers are excluded by steric restriction of the channels. However, tert‐butylation over FAU, BEA, and CON had selectivities for 2,6‐DTBN of around 50–60%, although selectivities for β,β‐DTBN were almost 100% selectivity; these zeolites can hardly recognize the differences between 2,6‐ and 2,7‐DTBN. The results indicate that the fitting of the least bulky isomers to zeolite channels, leading to the exclusion of other bulky isomers, is essential for highly shape‐selective catalysis.     

MCM-41分子筛和催化剂的特殊吸附等温线

测定了MCM-41中孔分子筛和催化剂的吸附等温线, 发现它们形状非常特殊, 不仅可逆部分分两段, 并且还存在两个滞后环, 在相对压力0.4以前出现的第一个滞后环可归属于中孔孔道内的毛细凝聚, 在饱和压力附近出现的第二个滞后环可归属于分子筛颗粒之间的毛细凝聚。利用吸附和XRD数据, 可有效地表征MCM-41分子筛和催化剂的结构有序度和孔道畅通情况。     

Synthesis and X-ray crystallographic characterization of copper and iron complexes with tetradentate-N4 ligands: Reactivity towards catechol oxidation

The reaction of copper chloride dihydrate and ferric chloride hexahydrate with a tripodal N₄ ligand (ntb) under mild conditions affords two novel complexes [Cu(ntb)Cl]₂[CuCl₄] · 2H₂O (1) and [Fe(ntb)Cl₂]Cl · 3H₂O (2). The reaction of ferric chloride with another N₄ ligand, bispicpn, forms an octahedral mononuclear complex, [Fe(bispicpn)Cl₂]Cl (3). Single-crystal X-ray structural studies of 1, 2 and 3 reveal the formation of hydrogen-bond sustained 3D, 2D and 1D networks, respectively, involving (N–HO) and (N–HCl) interactions. The packing arrangement in 2 further reveals the existence of hexagonal channels with helical propagation along the diagonal of the crystallographic b- and c-axes. The reactions of these complexes with 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol have been studied in dimethylformamide. NMR techniques have been used to identify the reaction products.     

Analysis of the effect of electrical conductance of ferroelectric polymers on D-E hysteresis curves measured by the sawyer–tower method

The D-E (electric displacement vs. field) hysteresis curve of a ferroelectric polymer is conventionally measured by the Sawyer–Tower method. The effect of the electrical conductance of the polymer on the measured hysteresis curve is theoretically analyzed and a new method is proposed for elimination of the error arising from the conductance. Examples of original and corrected hysteresis curves of vinylidene fluoride–trifluoroethylene copolymer are presented.     

Temperature hysteresis phenomena in heterogeneous catalysis

Temperature hysteresis is observed only in exothermic heterogeneous catalytic reactions (viz., oxidation and methanation of CO or propene hydrogenation) and is absent in the case of endothermic reactions (dehydrogenation of isobutane) or reactions with heat close to zero (viz., 2-butene isomerization). Temperature hysteresis in hydrogenation reactions was discovered for the first time. The concept of local overheating of catalyst active sites caused by poor removal of the reaction heat is proposed to provide a noncontradictory interpretation of the appearance of hysteresis loops. Published inIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1379–1385, August, 2000.     

Self-Assembly of a Molecular Floral Lace with One-Dimensional Channels and Inclusion of Glucose

A three-dimensional network with one-dimensional channels (see picture) has been self-assembled from the nickel(II ) complex of cyclam and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate in water through hydrogen-bond formation. The channels have an appropriate diameter (10.3 Å) to include D -glucose with a formation constant of K_f=(1.38±0.01)×10⁴ M ⁻¹. Under similar conditions maltose is not included.     

A Flexible Composite Mechanical Energy Harvester from a Ferroelectric Organoamino Phosphonium Salt

A new binary organic salt diphenyl diisopropylamino phosphonium hexaflurophosphate (DPDP?PF₆) was shown to exhibit a good ferroelectric response and employed for mechanical energy harvesting application. The phosphonium salt crystallizes in the monoclinic noncentrosymmetric space group Cc and exhibits an H‐bonded 1D chain structure due to N?H???F interactions. Ferroelectric measurements on the single crystals of DPDP?PF₆ gave a well‐saturated rectangular hysteresis loop with a remnant (P_r) polarization value of 6 μC cm^?2. Further, composite devices based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films for various weight percentages (3, 5, 7, 10 and 20 wt %) of DPDP?PF₆ were prepared and examined for power generation by using an impact test setup. A maximum output peak‐to‐peak voltage (V_PP) of 8.5 V and an output peak‐to‐peak current (I_PP) of 0.5 μA was obtained for the non‐poled composite film with 10 wt % of DPDP?PF₆. These results show the efficacy of organic ferroelectric substances as potential micropower generators.     

Pyrolysis of Animal Bones with Vitamin B12: A Facile Route to Efficient Transition Metal–Nitrogen–Carbon (TM‐N‐C) Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction

By pyrolyzing cattle bones, hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) networks with a high surface area (2520 m² g^?1) and connected pores were prepared at a low cost and large scale. Subsequent co‐pyrolysis of HPC with vitamin B12 resulted in the formation of three‐dimensional (3D) hierarchically structured porous cobalt–nitrogen–carbon (Co‐N‐HPC) electrocatalysts with a surface area as high as 859 m² g^?1 as well as a higher oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalytic activity, better operation stability, and higher tolerance to methanol than the commercial Pt/C catalyst in alkaline electrolyte.     

Designing liquid-crystalline dendronised hexa-adducts of [60]fullerene via click chemistry

ABSTRACT

Liquid-crystalline [60]fullerodendrimers were constructed via click chemistry based on the reaction between hexa-adducts of [60]fullerene (C₆₀) bearing 12 azide groups and alkyne-terminated cyanobiphenyl dendrons of first- and second-generation. The structure of all the new compounds was confirmed by IR, UV, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies and mass spectrometry. The mesomorphic properties were studied by polarised optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and small-angle X-ray scattering. The hexa-adduct of C₆₀ functionalised with the first-generation dendrons gave rise to the formation of a smectic A phase and a rectangular columnar phase (c2mm symmetry) while the hexa-adduct of C₆₀ decorated with the second-generation dendrons displayed only a rectangular columnar phase (c2mm symmetry). Our results show that the hexa-adduct of C₆₀ is a unique synthetic platform for the design of fullerodendrimers and dendronised materials.     

Synthesis and photophysical properties of some N-substituted-1,8-naphthalimides

The synthesis and photophysical properties of some 3-amino-N-substituted-1,8-naphthalimide derivatives are presented. The flourescence behaviour of these compounds in protic and aprotic solutions is consistent with the formation of an exciplex structure. The exciplex formation is due to a proton transfer in the excited state. This exciplex formation eliminates non-radiative channels and therefore an increase in quantum yield is observed.