High-efficiency arrays of any desired optical beams using modified grating-based elements

High efficiency grating-based diffractive elements were previously proposed in order to generate desired arrays of various optical beams. The elements enable us to generate a diversity of arrays of optical beams in desired shapes, so that the arrays produced by the method are homogeneous, uniform and lacking of unwanted higher diffraction orders. In this technique a modulated grating is used to restructure Fresnel zone plate or zone plate-based elements to get modified grating-based elements. To examine the method, a variety of rectangular arrays of optical spots and annular beams are created by the ordinary and modified elements. It is shown that the arrays generated by the modified elements are much more uniform than the same arrays produced by the ordinary ones. In addition to the uniformity of the arrays, the unwanted higher diffraction orders are also totally eliminated. This article exploits simulation and experimental studies in order to demonstrate the functionality of the proposed technique as a multi functional high-efficiency beam shaping.     

Preparation of Polycarbonate-ZnO Nanocomposite Films: Surface Investigation after UV Irradiation

Polycarbonate (PC)-ZnO films with different percentages of ZnO were prepared by a solution stirring technique and subjected to ultraviolet (UV; λ = 254 nm) irradiation. Structural parameters of the samples and the effects of UV irradiation on the surface properties of the PC and PC-ZnO nanocomposites were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), water contact angle (WCA) measurements, and a Vickers microhardness (H_V) tester. The XRD patterns of the nanocomposite films were found to show an increase in crystallinity with the increasing ZnO nanoparticles percentage. The WCA was found to be reduced from 90° to 17° after 15 h of UV irradiation, which could be ascribed to the oxidation of the surface of the samples during the irradiation and exposure of the ZnO nanoparticles, a result that is also supported by the obtained XPS data. The microhardness value of the PC-ZnO films including 30 wt.% ZnO enhanced considerably after UV radiation, which can also be attributed to the exposition of the ZnO nanoparticles after photodegradation of the PC superficial layer of the nanocomposite films.     

Experimental Study of the Influence of Different Load Changes in Inlet Gas and Solvent Flow Rate on CO2 Absorption in a Sieve Tray Column

An experimental study was conducted in a sieve tray column. This study used a simulated flue gas consisting of 30% CO₂ and 70%. A 10% mass fraction of methyl diethanolamine (MDEA) aqueous solution was used as a solvent. Three ramp-up tests were performed to investigate the effect of different load changes in inlet gas and solvent flow rate on CO₂ absorption. The rate of change in gas flow rate was 0.1 Nm³/h/s, and the rate of change in MDEA aqueous solution was about 0.7 NL/h/s. It was found that different load changes in inlet gas and solvent flow rate significantly affect the CO₂ volume fraction at the outlet during the transient state. The CO₂ volume fraction reaches a peak value during the transient state. The effect of different load changes in inlet gas and solvent flow rate on the hydrodynamic properties of the sieve tray were also investigated. The authors studied the correlation between the performance of the absorber column for CO₂ capture during the transient state and the hydrodynamic properties of the sieve tray. In addition, this paper presents an experimental investigation of the bubble-liquid interaction as a contributor to entropy generation on a sieve tray in the absorption column used for CO₂ absorption during the transient state of different load changes.     

α,β-Unsaturated ketones based on allobetulone

Crotonization of allobetulone with aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes gave a number of new α,β-unsaturated ketones of the lupane series, and their steric structure was determined by X-ray analysis of (E)-4-[(3-oxoallobetulan-2-ylidene)methyl]benzonitrile as an example.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of β-substituted α-hydroxyphosphinates through hydrophosphinylation of α-heteroatom-substituted aldehydes

The diastereoselective synthesis of β-substituted α-hydroxyphosphinates was achieved by hydrophosphinylation of α-oxy aldehydes and α-amino aldehydes with ethyl allylphosphinate catalyzed by lithium phenoxide.     

The first separation and stereochemical determination of bis(α-hydroxyalkyl) phosphinic acids diastereoisomers

A separation of bis(α-hydroxyalkyl) phosphinic acid diastereoisomers is described. A novel method for the determination stereochemistry of bis(α-hydroxyalkyl) phosphinic acid diastereoisomers has been developed. The stereochemistry of one diastereoisomer was confirmed after converting to the corresponding methyl ester using trimethyl orthoformate.