Effects of Fenton’s reagent and thermal modification on the electrochemical properties of graphite felt for microbial fuel cell

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Effective methods for graphite felt (GF) treatment based on Fenton’s reagent treatment and thermal modification have been used to improve microbial fuel...     

Quantum chemical study on the thermal rearrangements of HNCRCR''''CO

MINDO/3 molecular orbital theory has been used to study the thermal rearrangements of HNCRCR'CO.The results obtained show that the activation energy of this rearrangement depends on the migrating group R and the group R'.     

Quantum chemical study on the thermal Diels-Alder reaction of cyclohexadiene and methyl crotonate

AM1 molecular orbital method using the unrestricted Hartree-Fock(UHF) calculations has been applied to investigate the thermal reaction of cyclohexadiene and methyl crotonate. The calculated results indicate that the thermal Diels-Alder reaction proceeds to product through the concerted path and two radical pathways.     

Effects of Zr addition on solidification characteristics of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy using thermal analysis

The effect of Zr as a grain refiner on the solidification behavior, micro- and macrostructure of a new Al–Zn–Mg–Cu aluminum super-high strength alloy containing high Zn content was studied. The addition of 2 mass% Zr reduced the grain size from 1500 to 190 μm. Moreover, the dendritic structure of the alloy altered from a coarse, elongated and non-uniform morphology to a rosette-like shape and more uniform one. The parameters of liquidus region of cooling curve obtained from thermal analysis were in a good correlation with grain size results. The maximum of first derivative in the liquidus region was introduced beside recalescence undercooling which could predict the grain refinement level even after disappearing of recalescence in the cooling curve. Furthermore, the addition of 1 mass% Zr enhanced fraction of solid in dendrite coherency point from 21 to 31% and lessened the amounts of porosity from 2.3 to 1.4%.     

Effects of microhydration on the characteristics of cation–phenol complexes

The properties of complexes formed by phenol and K⁺, Na⁺, Li⁺ and Mg²⁺ in the presence of up to four water molecules have been studied by means of computational methods. The interaction becomes stronger as the size of the cation decreases, showing almost no preference between coordinating to the aromatic ring or to the hydroxyl oxygen. As water molecules are introduced, a variety of stable structures arise, where water molecules establish hydrogen bonds among themselves and with the hydroxyl group of phenol. For the most polarizing cations, the strong cation···water interaction gives most stable minima corresponding to arrangements with water molecules and phenol coordinated directly to the cation, with no significant hydrogen bonds among them. However, in Na⁺ complexes and especially in K⁺ ones, the interaction with the cation is weaker, so hydrogen bond formation starts to be competitive as more water molecules are included, the most stable minima corresponding to structures where not all water molecules or phenol are directly bound to the cation. This behavior is also reflected on the predicted vibrational spectra, which agree with those determined experimentally. Up to three water molecules, only for K⁺ and to a less extent Na⁺, stable minima are found showing red-shifted O–H stretching bands corresponding to water···water and water···phenol hydrogen bonds. With four water molecules, at least one water molecule is located in a second solvation shell, all cations exhibiting red-shifted bands.     

Comparison of the results of thermal denaturation of β-lactoglobulin obtained by DSC and UV-spectroscopy

The thermal denaturation of β-lactoglobulin in the presence of urea and alkylurea solutions were measured. In the presence of a high concentration of urea this protein shows not only heat but also cold denaturation. For studying the effect of temperature two methods were used, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and UV-spectroscopy. DSC provides direct model-independent determination of the transition enthalpy in comparison with UV-spectroscopy, which gives only apparent or van't Hoff enthalpy of transition. The UV-melting curves were analyzed on the basis of a two-state approximation. The apparent standard enthalpies of thermal denaturation, ΔH _app. ^o , were compared with calorimetric ones.     

Experimental study on hydraulic and thermal characteristics of composite porous wick with spherical–dendritic powders

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - A composite porous wick with spherical–dendritic powders is proposed, in which the dendritic powders fill the gap between the spherical powders....     

Effect of clay modification on structure–property relationships and thermal degradation kinetics of β-polypropylene/clay composite materials

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The influence of neat and organically modified montmorillonite on the structure–property relationships of a β-nucleated polypropylene matrix...     

Effects of growth behaviors on chemical and physical properties of sol–gel derived ZnO:Ga films

In this study, we investigated the effects of different heating processes on the structural, electrical and chemical properties of ZnO:Ga (GZO) films from the viewpoint of nucleation and growth behaviors. An infrared heating furnace and a traditional tube furnace were employed for the homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation of GZO films. XRD patterns demonstrated that the preferential growth orientation of both kinds of GZO films is still the (002) direction. XPS data implied that the infrared heating process enables more uniform distribution of the dopant material and retards the oxidization of gallium in grain boundary areas. At the same time, the textured crystallite might provide a free tunnel for oxygen diffusion. Thus, the activation of free charge carriers could be more efficient when the GZO films were annealed under vacuum. As a result, the samples annealed by the infrared heating furnace had a noticeably high carrier concentration. Although the mobility was slightly smaller than that of the samples annealed by the tube furnace, film resistivity dropped obviously in general.     

Effect of synthesis duration on the morphological and structural modification of the sea urchin-nanostructured γ-MnO2 and study of its electrochemical reactivity in alkaline medium

Single-crystalline nanorods and sea urchin-like morphology of the γ-MnO₂ nanostructures were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method at different synthesis durations. The as-synthesized products were characterized by the techniques X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission gun-scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray elemental analysis (EDX), transmission electron microscope (TEM), isotherms of N₂ adsorption/desorption and BET-BJH models. The effect of synthesis duration on the morphology, porous structure, and crystallographic form of MnO₂ powders was studied. The electrochemical reactivity of as-prepared powders was investigated in 1 mol L^?1 KOH by both cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy by using a micro-cavity electrode. The results show that the best electrochemical reactivity of the MnO₂ powder was obtained with synthesis duration of 24 h.     

Effect of sulfate synthesis conditions on characteristics of samples with the nanosized η-TiO2 modification

The nanosized titania modification ??-TiO₂ has been obtained from titanyl sulfate with different starting precursor concentration, under different hydrolysis and coagulation conditions. Characteristics of samples (nanoparticle and crystallite size, specific surface, pore volume) have been determined by scanning electron microscopy, small-angle and wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and nitrogen physical adsorption at ?196°C, and their correlation with the synthesis conditions has been established. Optimal technological regimes ensuring fabrication of samples with a high yield of ??-TiO₂ modification and specified functional characteristics have been found.     

The influence of trehalose–maltodextrin and lactose–maltodextrin matrices on thermal and sorption properties of spray-dried β-lactoglobulin–vitamin D3 complexes

In the study, the effect of lactose–maltodextrin and trehalose–maltodextrin matrices on the glass transition temperatures and moisture sorption characteristics of spray-dried β-lactoglobulin–vitamin D₃ complexes was investigated. Incorporation of sugars into complexes can influence the thermal properties and moisture sorption characteristics of powders. The glass transition temperature as an important physiochemical parameter that determines the processing conditions, product quality and stability of the final product was studied with the use of modulated differential scanning calorimetry method. Moisture sorption isotherms, water activity and moisture content as parameters related to sorption properties, were also investigated. Additionally, particle size, wettability and insolubility index were studied to characterise newly synthesized products. For the samples tested, two well-separated glass transitions were found. The dominant effect of maltodextrin on the glass transition temperatures was observed. An increase in the percentage of maltodextrin added resulted in increasing T _g value of studied complexes. At low water activity all powdered complexes showed typical sorption behaviour of food systems. Trehalose as a carbohydrate component of powdered complexes, in comparison to lactose, delayed the occurrence of crystallization.     

Effects of nonlinear thermal radiation and activation energy on modified second-grade nanofluid with Cattaneo–Christov expressions

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The aim of the current contribution is to exploit the effects of nonlinear thermal radiation and activation energy on the flow of modified second-grade...     

Effects of montmorillonite modification on optical properties of heterogeneous nematic liquid crystal – clay mineral nanocomposites

Investigations of montmorillonite (MMT) clay mineral modification effects on electro‐optical properties of nanocomposites, based on the nematic liquid crystal 4‐pentyl‐4′‐cyanobiphenyl (5CB) and MMT have been carried out. Only the composite with MMT modified by an organic surface‐active substance, dioctadecyldimethylammonium chloride, has been shown to manifest electro‐optical memory effect and contrast. A polar dopant (acetone), added to the mixture, significantly increases composite homogeneity. Results of IR spectroscopy measurements lead to the conclusion, that there is a mutual influence of components on each other in organoclay systems, which appears as an alignment of near‐surface layers of both the organic and inorganic components of the composite. Due to such interactions these systems show electro‐optical contrast and memory effect. A composite with organophobic Na‐MMT does not show these electro‐optical properties, due to the absence of component interactions, as shown by IR spectroscopic data.     

Structure and characteristics of copolyamides based on ε-caprolactam and diisocyanates

The main supramolecular characteristics and the processing and service characteristics of copolyamides based on -caprolactam and hexamethylene diisocyanate were studied. The relation between the comonomer composition and supramolecular structure of copolymers was established.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Khimii, Vol. 77, No. 11, 2004, pp. 1891–1894.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Galibeev, Barnyagina, Kochnev, Arkhireev, Galimov.     

Discovery of nitric oxide in marine ecological system and the chemical characteristics of nitric oxide

Nitric oxide was discovered in both the lab and the alga culture pond of Daya Bay (1―300 m3) before the growth of alga reached the maximum. The results included: (1) NO was detected before the growth of alga reached the maximum in the case of red tide alga and food alga, and the concentration of NO decreased rapidly after the growth maximum; (2) the curve between NO con-centration and time indicated that the concentration of NO in the daytime was more than that at night, and the maximal concentration of NO appeared in the midday (1―3 pm); (3) the growth of alga reached the maximum in the alga culture pond of Daya Bay in about 8―10 d, and NO was discovered in 5―7 d; (4) the measured NO concentration was 10-9 mol/L, 10-9―10-8 mol/L, and 10-8 mol/L for Haeterosigma akashiwo, mixed alga in Daya Bay and Chaetoceros Curvisetus individually; (5) the relation of illumination with NO production was discussed.     

Photo-oxidative degradation of polyethylene: Effect of polymer characteristics on chemical changes and mechanical properties. Part 1—Quenched polyethylene

Photo-oxidative degradation of quenched samples of linear low density (LLD), medium density (MD) and two kinds of high density (HD) polyethylene (PE) films was studied using a medium-pressure mercury lamp. Greater amounts of crosslinking and build up of oxidation products were noticed in LLDPE than the other samples. The primary products of interaction between dienes and oxygen are considered to participate in the initiation of the photo-oxidation reactions. Using the FT-IR difference spectrum technique, the amount of branch concentration in the photo-irradiated PE samples was determined. Oxidation damage at the boundary region between crystalline and amorphous phases is considered to be important in determining the embrittlement time.     

Numerical evaluation on thermal–hydraulic characteristics of dilute heat-dissipating nanofluids flow in microchannels

The present work deals with numerical investigations on heat transfer characteristics and friction factor of aqueous CuO nanofluids flow in a set of four microchannels connected in parallel under laminar regime. For each single phase, volume of fluid, mixture and Eulerian models, a particular computer code is developed to carefully simulate this problem. The three-dimensional steady-state governing equations are solved through finite volume method. The primary aim of this study is to comparatively distinguish the most appropriate and accurate model for numerical studies of nanofluids in microchannels. The results are compared with one another and the data obtained from an experimental work. Regarding the results, an acceptable consistency is observed for all models with the experimental data. The current study truly demonstrates that applying single-phase model to simulate and evaluate the laminar flow of CuO–water nanofluid inside microchannels with uniform wall temperature is more modest, precise and reliable compared with two-phase models.

     

Mechanochemical and microwave treatment of precipitated zirconium dioxide and study of its physical–chemical,thermal and photocatalytic properties

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The effects of the microwave treatment (MWT) and mechanochemical treatment (MChT) on the structure and physicochemical properties of precipitated...