Oxidation of Saturated Fatty Acids Esters DSC investigations

Oxidation of saturated fatty acids ethyl esters: laurate, myristate, palmitate and stearate was investigated by means of DSC techniques under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions. The activation energies of isothermal oxidation were similar to each other (112–123 kJ mol⁻¹) and no influence of carbon length on the rate of oxidative decomposition was observed. Results obtained from non-isothermal experiments were similar only for the first stage of oxidation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Non-isothermal kinetic of oxidation of tungsten carbide

Tungsten carbide, WC, has shown dissimilar thermal behavior when it is heated on changeable heating rate and flow of oxidant atmosphere. The oxidation of WC to WO₃ tends to be in a single and slow kinetic step on slow heating rate and/or low flux of air. Kinetic parameters, on non-isothermal condition, could be evaluated to the oxidation of WC to heating rate below 15°C min⁻¹ or low flow of air (10 mL min⁻¹). The reaction is governed by nucleation and growth at 5 to 10°C min⁻¹ then the tendency is to be autocatalytic, JMA and SB, respectively.     

Non-isothermal kinetic analysis and feasibilty study of medium grade crude oil field

In this research, non-isothermal kinetics and feasibility study of medium grade crude oil is studied in the presence of a limestone matrix. Experiments were performed at a heating rate of 10°C min⁻¹, whereas the air flow rate was kept constant at 50 mL min⁻¹ in the temperature range of 20 to 600°C (DSC) and 20 to 900°C (TG). In combustion with air, three distinct reaction regions were identified in all crude oil/limestone mixtures, known as low temperature oxidation (LTO), fuel deposition (FD) and high temperature oxidation (HTO). The activation energy values were in the order of 5–9 kJ mol⁻¹ in LTO region and 189–229 kJ mol⁻¹ in HTO region. It was concluded that the medium grade crude oil field was not feasible for a self-sustained combustion process.     

Reduction of silver nitrate by polyaniline nanotubes to produce silver-polyaniline composites

Polyaniline (PANI) nanotubes were prepared by oxidation of aniline in 0.4 M acetic acid. They were subsequently used as a reductant of silver nitrate in 1 M nitric acid, water or 1 M ammonium hydroxide at various molar ratios of silver nitrate to PANI. The resulting PANI-silver composites contained silver nanoparticles of 40–60 nm size along with macroscopic silver flakes. Under these experimental conditions, silver was always produced outside the PANI nanotubes. Changes in the molecular structure of PANI were analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy. Silver content in the composites was determined as a residue by thermogravimetric analysis, and confirmed by density measurements. The highest conductivity of a composite, 68.5 S cm⁻¹, was obtained at the nitrate to PANI molar ratio of 0.67 in water. Also, the best reaction yield was obtained in water. Reductions performed in an acidic medium gave products with conductivity of 10⁻⁴–10⁻² S cm⁻¹, whereas the reaction in alkaline solution yielded non-conducting products.     

Oxidation process of the steel/nc-TiC nanocomposites

Ceramic composites are widely used in various technologies such as tool production, aerospace technology, and nuclear power engineering. Their key features are considerable hardness and resistance to wear and corrosion at high temperature. Because many ceramic nanocomposites are designed to work at high temperature, it is important to determine their high temperature corrosion resistance. The subject of the investigation in this study were nanocomposite MMC (metal matrix composite) materials. As matrix the 316L stainless steel was used and the filler (nanoparticles) was nc-TiC. Using carbonized and purified nc-TiC particles the technology of the production of the nanocomposite structures based on the selective laser melting (SLM) technology was worked out. The MCP HEK Realizer II device was applied. The particles have been depicted by TEM method, whereas characterization of structure and particles size was performed by XRD method. The results of investigations on oxidation process of the steel/ncTiC nanocomposites in dry air have been presented. TG-DSC measurements were carried out under non-isothermal conditions at linear change of samples temperature in time and under isothermal conditions. MS method was used to determine evolved gaseous products.     

Plutonium-239+240 selectivity for pseudo-colloids of iron in subsurface aquatic environment having elevated level of dissolved organic carbon

Laboratory simulated experiments have been conducted to study the association of ^239,240Pu with pseudo-colloids of iron in groundwater samples having dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the range of 10–60 mg L⁻¹. Ultra-filtration membranes have been used to partition colloidal components into seven different size range of <0.45 μm-1.1 nm. Elevated levels of Fe, DOC and ^239,240Pu were observed in the fractions concentrated with 1.6 nm (10,000 NMWL) and 1.1 nm (500 NMWL) compared to the other dissolved fractions. To ascertain the fact that, the formation of pseudo-colloids of Fe in the size range 1.6 nm and 1.1 nm was assisted by the presence of DOC, experiments have been conducted under similar experimental conditions with uniform Fe concentration and varying the DOC in the range of 10–60 mg L⁻¹. Seven to eight times higher concentration of Fe was observed in fractions concentrated with 1.6 nm and 1.1 nm having DOC ≥30 mg L⁻¹, whereas Fe was equally distributed in all the fractions in groundwater having DOC ≥10 mg L⁻¹. The surface morphology and composition of the residue left on the ultra-filtration membranes was examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The EDS results validate the observation that the residue left on filter paper membrane of 10000 and 500 NMWL with pore size 1.6 and 1.1 nm respectively, shows elevated levels of carbon and Fe contents as compared to other fractions. Understanding the association of ^239,240Pu with Fe and DOC will facilitate in predicating the long term integrity of underground waste storage facilities of alpha emitting radioactive material.     

Biocomposites of covalently linked glucose oxidase on carbon nanotubes for glucose biosensor

The formation of covalently linked composites of multi–walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and glucose oxidase (GOD) with high-function density for use as a biosensing interface is described. The reaction intermediates and the final product were characterized by using FT–IR spectroscopy, and the MWCNT-coated GOD nanocomposites were examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Interestingly, it was found that the GOD–MWCNT composites are highly water soluble. Electrochemical characterization of the GOD–MWCNT composites that were modified on a glassy carbon electrode shows that the covalently linked GOD retains its bioactivity and can specifically catalyze the oxidation of glucose. The oxidation current shows a linear dependence on the glucose concentration in the solution in the range of 0.5–40 mM with a detection limit of 30 μM and a detection sensitivity of 11.3 μA/mMcm². The present method may provide a way to synthesize MWCNT related composites with other biomolecules and for the construction of enzymatic reaction-based biofuel cells and biosensors. Supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, No. 20125515; 90206037; 20375016) and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK 2004210)     

Electrochemical oxidation behavior of bisphenol A at surfactant/layered double hydroxide modified glassy carbon electrode and its determination

Electrochemical behavior of bisphenol A (BPA) at glassy carbon electrode-modified with layered double hydroxide (LDH) and anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate) is investigated by electrochemical techniques. Compared with the bare electrode and LDH-modified electrode, the oxidation peak potential of BPA shifted negatively and the peak current increased significantly due to the enhanced accumulation of BPA via electrostatic interaction with LDH at the hydrophobic electrode surface. Some determination conditions such as LDH loading, pH, scan rate, accumulation potential, and accumulation time on the oxidation of BPA were optimized. And some kinetic parameters were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the oxidation current was proportional to BPA concentration in the range of 8 × 10⁻⁹ to 2.808 × 10⁻⁶ M with the detection limit of 2.0 × 10⁻⁹ M by amperometry. The fabricated electrode showed good reproducibility, stability, and anti-interference. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine BPA in water samples, and the results were satisfactory.     

Electrochemical behavior and detection of guanine using a sodium montmorillonite-modified carbon paste electrode

Herein, a sodium montmorillonite-modified carbon paste electrode is described for the electrochemical determination of guanine. Guanine yields a well-defined and very sensitive oxidation peak at the sodium montmorillonite-modified carbon paste electrode. Compared with the unmodified carbon paste electrode, the modified electrode facilitates the electron transfer of guanine, since it notably increases the oxidation peak current and lowers the oxidation overpotential of guanine. Based on this, a simple sensitive reliable electrochemical method is proposed for the detection of guanine after all the experimental parameters, such as solution pH value, sodium montmorillonite content in the carbon paste electrode, accumulation potential, and time, are optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the oxidation peak current of guanine varies linearly with its concentration in the range 5.0×10⁻⁸ to 2.0×10⁻⁵ M and the detection limit (signal-to-noise=3) is 2.0×10⁻⁸ M after 4-min accumulation. This method is successfully demonstrated with urine samples. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2006, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 178–182. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

锂硫电池正极用硫/介孔碳复合材料的制备及电化学性能

制备了以十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)为模板的介孔碳,并将介孔碳和单质硫采用熔融渗透法复合制得硫/介孔碳复合材料。SEM、TEM和BET结果显示介孔碳成直径约为500 nm的大小均一的球体,存在孔径为2 nm的微孔;单质硫充分填充在介孔碳的微孔中。以硫/介孔碳复合物作为锂硫电池正极材料时显示出高的电化学性能。初始放电容量高达1519 mAh·g^-1,在200 mA·g^-1的电流密度下充放电200个循环后依然能保持在835 mAh·g^-1。硫/介孔碳复合材料的高倍率性能和优异的循环稳定性,源于介孔碳良好的导电性及其孔结构的固硫作用。     

The non-isothermal kinetics of mullite formation in boehmite–zircon mixtures

In this work, we studied the kinetics of mullite formation in different composites under non-isothermal conditions using DTA. Different composites based of mullite, alumina, zircon and zirconia were prepared by reaction sintering of boehmite (as alumina source) and zircon. Several mixtures were used while varying the percentage of the boehmite from 30 to 70 mass% with a step of 10. Five compositions marked as B30, B40, B50, B60 and B70 corresponding to boehmite–zircon ratios (mass%) of 30/70, 40/60, 50/50, 60/40 and 70/30 were fabricated and studied. The DTA conducted at heating rates of 10, 20 and 30 K min^?1 showed an endothermic peak in all composites at about 1,603 K associated with mullite formation. The activation energies measured from non-isothermal treatments for five compositions (30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 mass% of boehmite) were 1,029, 1,085, 1,262, 1,508 and 1,321 kJ mol^?1, respectively. The n values (Avrami parameter) for all compositions are larger than 2.5, the mullite crystallization of these composites is followed by three-dimensional growth.     

Thermal behavior of a sol–gel system containing aniline and organic phosphonates

Samples of an organic–inorganic hybrid were prepared by solvolysis and polycondensation in formic acid of tetraethoxysilane and diethylbenzyl phosphonate, simultaneous with the oxidative polymerization of aniline. The thermal behavior of the samples in dynamic air atmosphere and non-isothermal conditions was determined by a coupled thermogravimetric/evolved gas analysis. Two significant thermal events were established: the elimination from the polymeric matrix of low mass molecules, respectively the thermooxidative degradation of the organic part of the matrix. The kinetic analysis was performed with the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa, Friedman and modified Non-Parametric-Kinetic methods. Only the last one allowed an objective analysis of the first process as a process of two simultaneous thermally induced phenomena with the kinetic functions of the type α^m(1 − α)ⁿ.     

Study of oxidation properties and decomposition kinetics of three-dimensional (3-D) braided carbon fiber

The XRD, SEM, isothermal oxidation-weight loss and non-isothermal thermogravimetry (TG)-differential thermogravimetry (DTG) were used to study the oxidation properties and oxidation decomposition kinetics of three-dimensional (3-D) braided carbon fiber (abbreviated as fiber). The results showed that the non-isothermal oxidation process of fiber exhibited self-catalytic characteristic. The kinetic parameters and oxidation mechanism of fiber were studied through analyzing the TG and DTG data by differential and integral methods. The oxidation mechanism was random nucleation, the kinetic parameters were: lg A=10.299 min⁻¹; E_a=156.29 kJ mol⁻¹.     

Voltammetric determination of 2-chlorophenol using a glassy carbon electrode coated with multi-wall carbon nanotube-dicetyl phosphate film

Multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNT) were dispersed into water in the presence of dicetyl phosphate (DCP), and MWNT-DCP composite film coated glassy carbon electrodes (GCE) were constructed. The electrochemical properties of 2-chlorophenol at a bare GCE and MWNT-DCP modified GCE were compared. It was found that MWNT-DCP modified GCEs significantly enhance the oxidation peak current of 2-chlorophenol and lowers its oxidation overpotential, suggesting great potential in the sensitive determination of 2-chlorophenol. Finally, a sensitive and simple voltammetric method was developed for the determination of 2-chlorophenol. The oxidation peak current increases linearly with the concentration in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁷–2.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹, and the detection limit is 4.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ for 2 min accumulation. The method was successfully used to determine 2-chlorophenol in waste water samples.     

Electrochemical evaluation and determination of antiretroviral drug fosamprenavir using boron-doped diamond and glassy carbon electrodes

Fosamprenavir is a pro-drug of the antiretroviral protease inhibitor amprenavir and is oxidizable at solid electrodes. The anodic oxidation behavior of fosamprenavir was investigated using cyclic and linear sweep voltammetry at boron-doped diamond and glassy carbon electrodes. In cyclic voltammetry, depending on pH values, fosamprenavir showed one sharp irreversible oxidation peak or wave depending on the working electrode. The mechanism of the oxidation process was discussed. The voltammetric study of some model compounds allowed elucidation of the possible oxidation mechanism of fosamprenavir. The aim of this study was to determine fosamprenavir levels in pharmaceutical formulations and biological samples by means of electrochemical methods. Using the sharp oxidation response, two voltammetric methods were described for the determination of fosamprenavir by differential pulse and square-wave voltammetry at the boron-doped diamond and glassy carbon electrodes. These two voltammetric techniques are 0.1 M H₂SO₄ and phosphate buffer at pH 2.0 which allow quantitation over a 4 × 10⁻⁶ to 8 × 10⁻⁵ M range using boron-doped diamond and a 1 × 10⁻⁵ to 1 × 10⁻⁴ M range using glassy carbon electrodes, respectively, in supporting electrolyte. All necessary validation parameters were investigated and calculated. These methods were successfully applied for the analysis of fosamprenavir pharmaceutical dosage forms, human serum and urine samples. The standard addition method was used in biological media using boron-doped diamond electrode. No electroactive interferences from the tablet excipients or endogenous substances from biological material were found. The results were statistically compared with those obtained through an established HPLC-UV technique; no significant differences were found between the voltammetric and HPLC methods.     

Non-isothermal DSC and TG/DTG analysis of the combustion of Si̇lopi̇ asphaltites

In this research, non-isothermal combustion and kinetics of Silopi (Turkey) asphaltite samples were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG/DTG). A sample size of 10 mg, heating rates of 5, 10, 15 and 20°C min⁻¹ were used in the temperature range of 20–600°C, under air atmosphere. Two reaction regions were observed in DSC curves. The first region is due to the evaporation of moisture in asphaltite sample whereas, release of volatile matter and burning of carbon is called the second region. A general computer program was developed and the results of four different kinetic models (Arrhenius, Coats-Redfern, Ingraham-Marrier and Horowitz-Metzger) are compared and discussed with regards to their accuracy and the ease of interpretation of the kinetics of thermal decomposition. In general similar activation energy values were obtained when the kinetic models are compared with each other. It was also observed that there was no general trend in the activation energy values from the point of heating rates.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of quinine sulfate at a multiwall carbon nanotubes-ionic liquid modified glassy carbon electrode and its electrochemical determination

The electrocatalytic oxidation of quinine sulfate (QS) was investigated at a glassy carbon electrode, modified by a gel containing multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and room-temperature ionic liquid of 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophate (BMIMPF₆) in 0.10 M of phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 6.8). It was found that an irreversible anodic oxidation peak of QS with E _pa as 0.99 V appeared at MWCNTs-RTIL/glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The electrode reaction process was a diffusion-controlled one and the electrochemical oxidation involved two electrons transferring and two protons participation. Furthermore, the charge-transfer coefficient (α), diffusion coefficient (D), and electrode reaction rate constant (k _f) of QS were found to be 0.87, 7.89 × 10⁻³ cm²⋅s⁻¹ and 3.43 × 10⁻² s⁻¹, respectively. Under optimized conditions, linear calibration curves were obtained over the QS concentration range 3.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ M by square wave voltammetry, and the detection limit was found to be 0.44 μM based on the signal-to-noise ratio of 3. In addition, the novel MWCNTs-RTIL/GCE was characterized by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and the proposed method has been successfully applied in the electrochemical quantitative determination of quinine content in commercial injection samples and the determination results could meet the requirement.     

Electrochemical investigation of hymecromone at a multi-wall carbon nano-tube/cetyl pyridine bromine composite film electrode

A multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWNT)/cetyl pyridine bromine (CPB) composite film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was developed for the electrochemical determination of hymecromone in phosphonate buffer. Electrochemical behaviour of hymecromone at the composite film electrode was investigated with voltammetry. Compared with an irreversible oxidation of hymecromone at the bare GCE, the oxidation peak current was enhanced greatly at the film electrode. Some parameters such as pH, scan rate, accumulation potential and accumulation time were optimized. Under optimal conditions, an oxidation peak at 0.82 V was employed to determine hymecromone electrochemically. A linearity between the oxidation peak current and the hymecromone concentration was obtained in the range of 3.0 × 10⁻⁷ − 2.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol 1⁻¹ with a detection limit of 8.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol 1⁻¹. The proposed procedure was successfully applied to assay hymecromone in pharmaceutical formulation with satisfactory results. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Electrochemical behavior and determination of L-tryptophan on carbon ionic liquid electrode

A carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) was fabricated by mixing N-butylpyridinium hexafluoro-phosphate (BPPF ₆ ) with graphite powder and further used for the investigation on the electrochemical behavior of L-tryptophan (Trp). The fabricated CILE showed good conductivity, inherent electrocatalytic ability and strong promotion to the electron transfer of Trp. On the CILE, an irreversible oxidation peak appeared at 0.948 V (vs. saturated calomel reference electrode). For 5.0 × 10⁻⁵ M Trp the oxidation peak current increased about 5 times and the oxidation peak potential decreased on 0.092 V compared to carbon paste electrode. The results indicated that an electrocatalytic reaction occurred on CILE. The conditions for the electrochemical detection were optimized and the electrochemical parameters of Trp on CILE were carefully investigated. Under the selected conditions, the oxidation peak current showed linear relationship with Trp concentration in the range of 8.0 × 10⁻⁶ ∼1.0 × 10⁻³ M for cyclic voltammetry and the detection limit was estimated as 4.8 × 10⁻⁶ M (3σ). The interferences of other amino acids or metal ions on the determination were tested and the proposed method was successfully applied to the synthetic sample analysis.     

Cleaning of Porous Aluminium Titanate by Oxygen Plasma

The removal of organic contaminants from porous Al₂TiO₅ during treatment in oxygen plasma was studied by optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The samples of Al₂TiO₅ were immersed into water emulsion of mineral oil for 3 h to get soaked. Then, they were thoroughly cleaned in ultrasound to remove oil from the surface. Samples were later exposed to RF oxygen plasma at the pressure of 75 Pa. The plasma density was about 2 × 10¹⁶ m⁻³, the electron temperature was about 6 eV and the density of neutral oxygen atoms was about 2 × 10²¹ m⁻³. Optical emission spectra between 200 and 1,000 nm were measured continuously during plasma treatment. The CO peak resulting from oil oxidation reached a well-pronounced maximum between 100 and 150 s of plasma treatment. The maximum in CO corresponded well with a minimum in O peaks. Concentration of oil in the samples was estimated by energy dispersion X-ray analysis. Initially the samples showed high concentration of carbon (about 38 at.%), while after plasma treatment the carbon concentration decreased below the detection limit. The cleaning efficiency was explained by diffusion of oil towards the surface where it was removed by oxidation with oxygen radicals.