The apparition of a new reaction at lower temperature in equiatomic CuAu alloy

Recently a lot of interest has been devoted to the study of order–disorder transitions in different materials. Although the equiatomic CuAu alloy represents a classical model of this type of transformation, it still receives considerable attention because many questions about phase transitions are still raised according to its equilibrium diagram. In this context, the present paper carries a new result observed in CuAu alloy consisting of a new anomaly observed on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves at low temperature and new peaks in X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra. For that, we will try to give an explanation of the origin of this new reaction, with the help of other techniques as electrical resistivity and microhardness measurements. The kinetic behaviour of this new reaction has been also studied by anisothermal analysis during DSC tests to estimate the kinetics parameters as activation energy E _act and Avrami exponent n.     

Effect of molecular weight on radiation chemical degradation yield of chain scission of γ-irradiated chitosan in solid state and in aqueous solution

Chitosan A₁, A₂ and A₃ with molecular weight of 471, 207 and 100 kDa respectively, produced from squid pen chitin was degraded by gamma rays in the solid state and in aqueous solution with various doses in air at ambient temperature. Effect of molecular weight on radiation chemical degradation yield of chain scission and degradation rate constants of γ-irradiated chitosan in solid state and in aqueous solution was investigated. The radiation chemical degradation yield G_(s) and degradation rate values were calculated. The molecular weight changes were monitored by capillary viscometry method and the chemical structure changes were followed by UV analysis. The results showed that, the degradation of chitosan was faster in solution, than in solid state. The values of G_(s) in solid state and in aqueous solution were respectively 1.1×10^?8 mol/J and 0.074×10^?7 mol/J for A₁, 4.42×10^?8 mol/J and 0.28×10^?7 mol/J for A₂ and 6.08×10^?8 mol/J and 0.38×10^?7 mol/J for A₃. Degradation rate constants values ranged from 0.41×10^?5 to 2.1×10^?5 kGy^?1 in solid state, whereas in solution they ranged from 13×10^?5 to 68×10^?5 kGy^?1. The chitosan A₃ was more sensitive to radiolysis than A₁ and A₂. The chain scission yield, G_(s) and degradation rate constants seems to be greatly influenced by the initial molecular weight of the chitosan. Structural changes in irradiated chitosan are revealed by the apparition of absorption peaks at 261 and 295 nm, which could be attributed to the formation of carbonyl groups. In both conditions the peak intensity was higher in chitosan A₃ than in A₁ and A₂, the oxidative products decreased with increasing molecular weight of chitosan.     

Molecular hydrogen-induced nucleation of hydrogenated silicon nanocrystals at low temperature

Highly crystallized hydrogenated silicon layers were obtained via the treatment of hydrogenated polymorphous silicon films in a molecular hydrogen ambient. This contrasts other postdeposition studies that obtained nanocrystalline silicon films but necessitated either a plasma activation or high-temperature annealing. The structure of the samples was analyzed by Raman spectroscopy to determine the crystallite volume fraction, which was found to increase up to 80% within 1 hour of treatment. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed that the roughness of the surfaces was found to increase after the H₂ treatment. Optical transmission and spectroscopic ellipsometry revealed the pronounced porosity of the films characterized by a static refractive index that is below three, which is a low value for hydrogenated silicon films and a void fraction that is around 15% in the bulk of the films. The effect of the hydrogen molecules on the structure of the films was discussed in terms of the compressive stress exerted by the molecules, trapped in structural inhomogeneities, on the amorphous tissue. It is suggested that for this process to take effect, the films need to be porous and that the amorphous network needs to be in a “relaxed” state.     

Effect of pH on Electrocoagulation of Bentonite Suspensions in Batch Using Iron Electrodes

The electrocoagulation of a synthetic wastewater has been studied in this work. The electrochemical process was carried out in a batch electrochemical cell equipped with iron electrodes without agitation. Bentonite suspensions were used as a model of wastes polluted with colloids, as clays behave as hydrophobic colloids in water. The results obtained were useful to clarify the mechanisms that are involved in the electrocoagulation of this kind of waste and also to study the influence of pH in the process. Two primary coagulation mechanisms can explain the experimental behavior of the system: at acid pH the neutralization of the superficial charges of the clays and at alkaline pH the enmeshment of the kaolin particles into a sweep floc. At neutral pH, the formed cations (Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺) neutralize colloidal particles and conduct to the hydroxides (Fe(OH)_2(s) and Fe(OH)_3(s)) which adsorbate colloids and enhance sweep flocculation.     

Determination of the porosities of monolithic columns by inverse size-exclusion chromatography

Retention data of polystyrene samples of narrow molecular size distribution and known average molecular mass were measured on several monolithic columns (Chromolith Performance, Merck) and one conventional packed column (Luna C18, Phenomenex) by size-exclusion chromatography. These data were used to determine the external, the internal, and the total porosities of these columns. These data provided also information on the pore-size distribution of the adsorbent medium. The external and the total porosities of these columns are much higher than those of conventional packed columns. The results illustrate the profound changes brought by monolithic columns to the balance of the hydrodynamic and the mass transfer kinetic properties of chromatographic columns. Classical methods of comparison between column performance must be re-evaluated.     

Realization and characterization of flexible supercapacitors based on doped graphene electrodes

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - High energy consumption leads to the development of various energy types. As a result, the storage of these different types of energy becomes a key issue....     

Thermal Decomposition of Organotin Sulfamates: A One Pot Synthesis of Vinyltributyltin Compounds

The preparation of some alkyltributyltin sulfamates is described. Thermal decomposition of these compounds provides a route to vinyltributyltin derivatives.     

FP-LMTO calculations of the structural,elastic, thermodynamic,and electronic properties of the ideal-cubic perovskite BiGaO3

Using the first-principles full-potential linear muffin-tin orbital method within the local density approximation, we have studied the structural, elastic, thermodynamic, and electronic properties of the ideal-cubic perovskite BiGaO₃. It is found that this compound has an indirect band gap. The valence band maximum (VBM) is located at Γ-point, whereas the conduction band minimum (CBM) is located at X-point. The pressure and volume dependences of the energy band gaps have been calculated. The elastic constants at equilibrium are also determined. We derived the bulk and shear moduli, Young’s modulus, and Poisson’s ratio. The thermodynamic properties are predicted through the quasi-harmonic Debye model, in which the lattice vibrations are taken into account. The variation of the bulk modulus, heat capacities, and Debye temperature with pressure and temperature are successfully obtained.     

Development of an electron paramagnetic resonance methodology for studying the photo-generation of reactive species in semiconductor nano-particle assembled films

An experimental approach involving electron paramagnetic resonance is proposed for studying photo-generated reactive species in semiconductor nano-particle-based films deposited on the internal wall of glass capillaries. This methodology is applied here to nano-TiO₂ and allows a semi-quantitative analysis of the kinetic evolutions of radical production using a spin scavenger probe.