Multiwall-carbon nanotube/cobalt ferrite hybrid: Synthesis,magnetic and conductivity characterization

Functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-COOH) were decorated with crystalline cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CoFe₂O₄ NPs) by co-precipitation reaction to form MWCNT-COOH/CoFe₂O₄ hybrid. The hybrid was characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transfom infrared spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry. The results confirmed that MWCNTs and CoFe₂O₄ NPs coexisted in the hybrid. The TEM results showed a thick layer of CoFe₂O₄ was intimately connected to the surface of MWCNTs. The saturation magnetization value of the hybrid was 11.5 emu/g. There has been a high frequency fluctuation in conductivity, however, above all dc conductivity changes and resulting activation energy is calculated from the Arrhenius plots. It is found to vary with the temperature regions. This can be attributed to the existence of a conventional temperature independent tunneling conduction mechanism, which can be also explained that the metallic conduction is a dominant mechanism around room temperature. The ac conductivity of MWCNT-COOH/CoFe₂O₄ hybrid might also be a consequence of the predictions of the universal dynamic response and the ‘n’ power exponents could be determined with lower concentration of the addition in the hybrids.     

Heavy Metal Removal from Synthetic Solutions with Magnetic Beads Under Magnetic Field

The aim of this study is to prepare magnetic beads which can be used for the removal of heavy metal ions from synthetic solutions. Magnetic poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate‐vinyl imidazole) [m‐poly(EGDMA‐VIM)] beads were produced by suspension polymerization in the presence of magnetite Fe₃O₄ nano‐powder. The specific surface area of the m‐poly(EGDMA‐VIM) beads was found to be 63.1 m²/g with a size range of 150–200 µm in diameter and the swelling ratio was 85%. The average Fe₃O₄ content of the resulting m‐poly(EGDMA‐VIM) beads was 12.4%. The maximum binding capacities of the m‐poly(EGDMA‐VIM) beads were 32.4 mg/g for Cu²⁺, 45.8 mg/g for Zn²⁺, 84.2 mg/g for Cd²⁺and 134.5 mg/g for Pb²⁺. The affinity order on mass basis is Pb²⁺>Cd²⁺>Zn²⁺>Cu²⁺. Equilibrium data agreed well with the Langmuir model. pH significantly affected the binding capacity of the magnetic beads. Binding of heavy metal ions from synthetic wastewater was also studied. The binding capacities were 26.2 mg/g for Cu²⁺, 33.7 mg/g for Zn²⁺, 54.7 mg/g for Cd²⁺ and 108.4 mg/g for Pb²⁺. The magnetic beads could be regenerated up to about 97% by treating with 0.1 M HNO₃. These features make m‐poly(EGDMA‐VIM) beads a potential candidate for support of heavy metal removal under magnetic field.     

Amplified quenching of a conjugated polyelectrolyte by cyanine dyes

The conjugated polyelectrolyte PPESO3 features a poly(phenylene ethynylene) backbone substituted with anionic 3-sulfonatopropyloxy groups. PPESO3 is quenched very efficiently (KSV > 10(6) M(-1)) by cationic energy transfer quenchers in an amplified quenching process. In the present investigation, steady-state and picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy are used to examine amplified quenching of PPESO3 by a series of cyanine dyes via singlet-singlet energy transfer. The goal of this work is to understand the mechanism of amplified quenching and to characterize important parameters that govern the amplification process. Steady-state fluorescence quenching of PPESO3 by three cationic oxacarbocyanine dyes in methanol solution shows that the quenching efficiency does not correlate with the Forster radius computed from spectral overlap of the PPESO3 fluorescence with the cyanines' absorption. The quenching efficiency is controlled by the stability of the polymer-dye association complex. When quenching studies are carried out in water where PPESO3 is aggregated, changes observed in the absorption and fluorescence spectra of 1,1',3,3,3',3'-hexamethylindotricarbocyanine iodide (HMIDC) indicate that the polymer templates the formation of a J-aggregate of the dye. The fluorescence dynamics in the PPESO3/HMIDC system were probed by time-resolved upconversion and the results show that PPESO3 to HMIDC energy transfer occurs on two distinctive time scales. At low HMIDC concentration, the dynamics are dominated by an energy transfer pathway with a time scale faster than 4 ps. With increasing HMIDC concentration, an energy pathway with a time scale of 0.1-1 ns is active. The prompt pathway (tau < 4 ps) is attributed to quenching of delocalized PPESO3 excitons created near the HMIDC association site, whereas the slow phase is attributed to intra- and interchain exciton diffusion to the HMIDC.     

Anodic Voltammetric Determination of an Atypical Antipsychotic Drug Amisulphide in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms Using Electrochemical fsDNA Biosensor

Russian Journal of Electrochemistry - In this study, a new biosensor for amisulpride (ASP) determination is defined. The interaction between ASP and fish sperm double-stranded DNA (FSdsDNA) was...     

Synthesis,spectral, thermal and structural characterization of {[Cu(H2O)3][Cu(MAL)2] · 2H2O}∞ and [Cu(MAL)(TEA)] · H2O (MAL = malonate and TEA = triethanolamine)

A polymeric malonato-bridged copper(II) complex, {[Cu(H₂O)₃][Cu(MAL)₂]· 2H₂O}, and a mononuclear malonato-copper(II) complex with triethanolamine, [Cu(MAL)(TEA)]·H₂O, have been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, i.r., u.v.–vis, magnetic measurements and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The polymeric complex consists of one-dimensional chains containing the MAL bridged [Cu(H₂O)₃]²⁺ and [Cu(MAL)₂]^2– ions and each MAL ligand simultaneously exhibits chelating bidentate (at one copper atom) and bridging (at the adjacent copper atom) coordination modes. The intrachain Cu1...Cu2 separation is 4.963 Å and the polymeric complex exhibits antiferromagnetic behaviour. In the mononuclear complex, the copper(II) ion is octahedrally coordinated by one bidentate MAL and one tetradentate neutral TEA ligands. The i.r. spectra and thermal decompositions of both complexes are described.     

DRBEM solution of biomagnetic fluid flow and heat transfer in cavities-CMMSE2016

In this paper, we investigate the fully developed, laminar, forced convection flow of an electrically non-conducting, viscous, biomagnetic fluid in the 2D cross-section (cavity) of a long impermeable pipe. The fluid is under the influence of a point magnetic source placed below the cavity. The dual reciprocity boundary element method (DRBEM) with constant and linear elements is used for solving the governing equations resulting from the Navier–Stokes and energy equations together with magnetization and buoyancy forces. The fundamental solution of Laplace equation is made use of converting differential equations to boundary integral equations by taking all the terms other than Laplacian as inhomogeneity in the Poisson’s equations for the velocity components, pressure and the temperature of the fluid. The unknown pressure boundary conditions are approximated through momentum equations by using finite difference approximation for the pressure gradients and DRBEM coordinate matrix for the other terms. All the space derivatives are also calculated by DRBEM coordinate matrix which is one of the main advantages of DRBEM. Pipe axis velocity is also computed. The effects of magnetization and the buoyancy force on the fluid with or without viscous dissipation term in the energy equation are investigated in square and lid-driven cavities for several values of magnetic (Mn) and Rayleigh (Ra) numbers. It is observed that the flow and heat transfer are significantly affected with increasing values of Mn and Ra. DRBEM gives small sized linear systems due to its boundary only nature at a considerably low computational expense.     

Outpatient appointment scheduling in presence of seasonal walk-ins

This study investigates appointment systems (AS), as combinations of access rules and appointment-scheduling rules, explicitly designed for dealing with walk-in seasonality. In terms of ‘access rules’, strategies are tested for adjusting capacity through intra-week, or monthly seasonality of walk-ins, or their combined effects. In terms of ‘appointment rules’, strategies are tested to determine which particular slots to double-book or leave open in cases where seasonal walk-in rates exceed or fall short of the overall yearly rate. In that regard, this study integrates capacity and appointment decisions, which are usually addressed in an isolated manner in previous studies. Simulation optimization is used to derive heuristic solutions to the appointment-scheduling problem, and the findings are compared in terms of in-clinic measures of patient wait time, physician idle time and overtime. The goal is to provide practical guidelines for healthcare practitioners on how to best design their AS when seasonal walk-ins exist.     

The concrete columns as a sensible thermal energy storage medium and a heater

This study investigated storage possibility of sensible thermal energy in the concrete columns of multi-storey buildings and the heating performance of the indoors with the stored energy. In the suggested system, the dry air heated in an energy center will be circulated in stainless steel pipes through columns. The sensible thermal energy would firstly be stored by means of forced convection in column medium. Then, the stored thermal energy will transfer by natural convection and radiation from the column surfaces to indoor spaces. The transient thermal calculations are realized for a flat of the 11-storey building in Kayseri city of Turkey. The thermal energy requirement of the flat is nearby 5.3 kW as an average of a winter season. The simplified transient calculations were carried out over a concrete hollow cylindrical column having outer radius of 0.31 m and inner radius of 0.05 m corresponding an averaged column section in the sample flat. The flow temperature was selected between T = 350 and 500 K, which are considerably lower than the temperature of 573 K assumed as a limit for thermal strength of the concrete in the literature. The flow velocity ranges were selected between V = 1.0 and 5.0 m/s. The initial temperature was assumed as 293 K. After the first energy charging process of 23 h, for T = 350 K and V = 1.0 m/s, the total heat flux from the column surfaces into indoors are nearby 5.5 kW. The first charging time required to reach the energy requirement of 5.3 kW is decreased by increasing the flow velocity and temperature. Also for 5.0 m/s–350 K and 5.0 m/s–450 K, this time can decrease to 10 and 4.5 h, respectively. In addition, with 4.0 m/s–360 K or 2.0 m/s–400 K, after the energy charging of 8 h, the energy requirement of 5.3 kW can be provided by the energy discharging of 16 h and the energy charging of 8 h during 7 days. The results are very attractive in terms of the building heating systems of the future.