A newly developed highly selective ratiometric fluoride ion sensor: spectroscopic, NMR and density functional studies

A new easy-to-synthesize chemosensor, 3,3'-bis(indolyl)-4-chlorophenylmethane (hereafter S), was designed, synthesized and employed as a selective optical chemosensor for fluoride ions.(1)H NMR and density functional studies on the system have been carried out to determine the nature of the interaction between S and X(-) (X = inorganic anions) responsible for the significant fluoride-induced changes in the absorption properties of S. The experimental results reveal that abstraction of an acidic proton of S by the fluoride ion, leading to the formation of anionic species, is responsible for the spectral changes. These changes allow signaling for the fluoride ion to detect and estimate the concentration of fluoride ion present even at the submicromolar level, accurate up to 2 μM. Calculations of the transition energies of S, S(-), and S···F(-) (hydrogen bonded complex) show that only S(-) is responsible for the long-wavelength absorption band in the presence of F(-).     

A fin design employing an inverse approach using simplex search method

This paper is aimed at estimating unknown parameters in a rectangular fin satisfying a predefined temperature. The differential transformation along with simplex method is used. The study has been done for different initial guess, random errors and measurement points. It is observed that, there is unique value of the convection-conduction parameter, but different conductivity and radiative parameters exist which will be useful in adjusting the parameters amongst various alternatives.     

Microstructural analysis of neutron-irradiation induced changes in polyester fibre studied using EPMA

Electron microscopy is an important characterization technique for the study of textile fibre as it gives more information on fabric wear, nature of fibre fracture, chemical degradation, abrasion, fatigue and many others. Electron Probe Micro Analyzer (EPMA) micrographs of virgin and some neutron-irradiated samples (graphite coated) are discussed. The filament diameter, D, of virgin PET fibre obtained from EPMA study was 12.5 μn. The surface topography of single filament distinctly reveals the core and sheath parts of the filament. The core diameter of the virgin fibre was estimated to be 1.43 μm. The fibre irradiated at fluence 1 × 10¹² n/cm² shows radiation induced sphere like polymer balls or spherulites of diameter 2.27 μm in the expanded core region. Due to irradiation, the sheath area crosslinks with expanded core region, which may be responsible for increase of strength and hardness of the polymer materials. Moreover, the micrograph at 3000 X magnifications clearly shows that there is no preferred orientation of the polymer in any direction confirming the isotropic nature of the sample.      

A comprehensive review on recent material development of passive direct methanol fuel cell

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) within all types of fuel cells are the most viable alternative to lithium-ion batteries in the portable application and recently attracted much attention. This study reviews on passive DMFC material development with emphasis on to the performance activity, cost, durability and stability aspect. This paper has reported the basic desirable characteristics of each component with their material development. This paper has reviewed all possible materials of passive DMFC component, which can make the passive DMFC compact and feasible energy source in the future.     

Temperature and magnetic field induced structural transformation in Si-doped CeFe2: An in-field X-ray diffraction study

Using the X-ray powder diffraction technique at various temperatures and applied magnetic fields, we have studied the magnetostructural properties of Ce(Fe_0.95Si_0.05)₂. The X-ray diffraction data establish quantitative relationships between bulk magnetization and the evolution of structurally distinct phases with magnetic field and temperature, and confirm the distinct features of a first-order phase transition such as supercooling and superheating, metastability, and phase co-existence of different structural polymorphs. We observe the lattice volume mismatch across the structural phase transition, which appears to be the cause for the step behavior of the magnetization isotherms at low temperatures. The present study shows that the lattice distortion has to be treated explicitly, like spin, along with the effects of lattice–spin coupling to account for the magnetization behavior of this system. This structure template can resolve the issue of kinetics in this material as observed in different time scale measurements and with different experimental protocols.     

Formation of palladium nanoparticles in poly (o-methoxyaniline) macromolecule fibers: An in-situ chemical synthesis method

We report here a novel in-situ synthetic method for the preparation of poly (o-methoxyaniline) and palladium nanoparticle composite material. Ortho-Methoxyaniline and palladium acetate were used as the precursors; during the reaction o-methoxyaniline was oxidized and forms poly (o-methoxyaniline) and palladium acetate is reduced forming palladium nanoparticles. IR and Raman spectra provide information on the structure of the polymer. The TEM and SEM analysis are used to determine the size of the nanoparticles and the morphology of the polymer respectively.     

Effect of time dependent morphological parameters of nanoclusters on perikinetic heat conduction and induced micro-convection mechanisms of oxide based nanofluids

The article represents an experimentally supported quantitative analysis to observe the effect of time, temperature, nanoclusters’ morphology, and instantaneous volume fractions on perikinetic heat conduction and Brownian motion-based induced convection mechanisms of oxide (Al₂O₃ and TiO₂, size 25–30 nm) based nanofluids. The appropriate models of thermal conductivity have been introduced to study the effect of various parameters such as; varying volume fractions, suspensions’ stabilities, nanoclusters’ growth, temperature, and the liquid layering. The developed model could predict the thermal conductivity enhancements of nanofluids within the accuracy of ± 0.5% to ± 4.5.0% in the temperature range from 20°C to 50°C.

Abbreviations: DI: De-ionized water; DLS: Dynamic light scattering; XRD: X-rays diffraction; TEM: Transmission electronic microscope; SDBS:Sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate.

Figure Effect of temperature on the Brownian Reynold number for Al₂O₃-H₂O and TiO₂-H₂O nanofluids.     

Bidirectional carrier aggregation in next-generation radio-over-fiber heterogeneous network based on FBMC

We have projected and verified a bidirectional intra-/inter-radio-access-technology carrier-aggregation method for a next-generation heterogeneous mobile network supported by filter bank multicarrier(FBMC). Successful transmission of intra/inter-band carrier aggregation between five broadband FBMC signals and three bands 4G long-term-evolution-advanced signal over 50 km single-mode fiber plus 10 m free-space is successfully broadcasted by employing an incoherent light-injection scheme in downlink. In uplink, two intra-bands carrier-aggregated wireless local area network Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11 g signal is carried over the equal distance. High receiver sensitivity, low error vector magnitude, and clear constellation diagrams show successful delivery of different wireless services for different consumers. Therefore, the proposed hybrid system should become a potential solution for a future mobile front-haul network because of its low latency and high capacity.     

Indirect determination of perchlorate by atomic absorption spectrometry

A liquid-liquid extraction and determination of perchlorate by atomic absorption spectrometry is described. The method involves extraction of perchlorate with the Schiffs base complex [Co(BPTC)₂]⁺, where BPTC = 2-benzoyl pyridine thiosemicarbazone, in methyl isobutyl ketone in acidic medium and subsequent analysis of cobalt in flame AAS, hence indirectly for perchlorate. The extraction efficiency is 98%. The calibration graph was found to be linear for 1.0–11.4 g ClO ₄ ^– per ml of solvent, and the limit of detection is 30 ng ml^–1. The present method is free from interference of large number of foreign ions. The method has been applied for determination of perchlorate in human blood serum samples spiked with perchlorate, urine and commercial potassium chlorate sample.     

Electronic and vibrational spectra of diphenylmethane

From the critical analyses of Raman and infrared spectra, different normal modes of vibration of diphenylmethane (DPM) have been identified. The near ultraviolet absorption spectra of the molecule are found to consist of two band systems, one around 220 nm and the other around 270 nm with respective f-values 5.23 x 10(-2) and 6.44 x 10(-3). The first system is broad and shows few diffuse structures, whereas the later one exhibits very well-resolved structure. They are respectively assigned as 1L(a) and 1L(b) bands. The Raman excitation profiles of several normal modes have been analyzed to get structural and other information of different excited electronic states.