Capillary zone electrophoresis with indirect UV detection: Determination of sodium dodecyl sulfate in simulated stream water

SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) has been quantitatively determined by capillary zone electrophoresis using a fused silica capillary and a 5 mM dihydroxybenzoic acid / sodium hydroxide buffer in 5% methanol solution at a pH of 8.1. The ion was detected by indirect UV absorption at 250 nm. Detection range was from 0.8 to 50 mg SDS/L. This rapid method requiring only small sample volumes was developed in support of an aquatic toxicology study in a simulated stream water and is applicable to waters containing common inorganic ions.     

Hydrogen fluoride analyzer for gases and aerosols

Many fire suppression agents are currently used, and the replacement candidates for these agents contain fluorine atoms. When these agents are used to extinguish a fire, large quantities of hydrogen fluoride gas can be produced from the thermal degradation of fluorinated organic compounds. A real-time analyzer has been developed to measure exposure levels of hydrogen fluoride gas and aerosols during fire suppression tests. A vacuum pump pulls air through a continuous denuder, where the toxic gas and aerosols are extracted from the air into an aqueous trapping solution. The trapping solution then passes through a flow cell, where a fluoride ion-selective electrode measures the fluoride ion concentration. A solenoid pump moves the trapping solution and calibration standards through the analyzer. Once calibrated, the analyzer can generate a concentration profile of hydrogen fluoride versus time. This hydrogen fluoride analyzer is portable and can be calibrated in about 5 min. It provides rapid response to hydrogen fluoride gas and aerosols, over a detection range from 1 to 5000 mg/m³.     

Controlled conjugated backbone twisting for an increased open-circuit voltage while having a high short-circuit current in poly(hexylthiophene) derivatives

Conjugated polymers with nearly planar backbones have been the most commonly investigated materials for organic-based electronic devices. More twisted polymer backbones have been shown to achieve larger open-circuit voltages in solar cells, though with decreased short-circuit current densities. We systematically impose twists within a family of poly(hexylthiophene)s and examine their influence on the performance of polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. A simple chemical modification concerning the number and placement of alkyl side chains along the conjugated backbone is used to control the degree of backbone twisting. Density functional theory calculations were carried out on a series of oligothiophene structures to provide insights on how the sterically induced twisting influences the geometric, electronic, and optical properties. Grazing incidence X-ray scattering measurements were performed to investigate how the thin-film packing structure was affected. The open-circuit voltage and charge-transfer state energy of the polymer:fullerene BHJ solar cells increased substantially with the degree of twist induced within the conjugated backbone--due to an increase in the polymer ionization potential--while the short-circuit current decreased as a result of a larger optical gap and lower hole mobility. A controlled, moderate degree of twist along the poly(3,4-dihexyl-2,2':5',2'-terthiophene) (PDHTT) conjugated backbone led to a 19% enhancement in the open-circuit voltage (0.735 V) vs poly(3-hexylthiophene)-based devices, while similar short-circuit current densities, fill factors, and hole-carrier mobilities were maintained. These factors resulted in a power conversion efficiency of 4.2% for a PDHTT:[6,6]-phenyl-C(71)-butyric acid methyl ester (PC(71)BM) blend solar cell without thermal annealing. This simple approach reveals a molecular design avenue to increase open-circuit voltage while retaining the short-circuit current.     

ON LACUNARY STATISTICAL CONVERGENCE OF ORDER α

In this article, we introduce the concept of lacunary statistical convergence of order α of real number sequences and give some inclusion relations between the sets of lacunary statistical convergence of order α and strong Nαθ(p)-summability. Furthermore, some relations between the spaces Nαθ(p) and Sαθare examined.     

Preparation and polymerization of 3-acrylamido-3-methylbutanoic acid

The preparation of 3-acrylamido-3-methylbutanoic acid by a haloform reaction on diacetone acrylamide and by a Ritter reaction between acrylonitrile and β,β-dimethylacrylic acid is reported. The properties of this crystalline monomer and its homopolymer are also reported.     

Electron-microanalytical investigations of the interfacial corrosion in concrete

Summary Acid corrosion of concrete is of significant importance in respect of the binding forces exerted between cement and aggregate. The characterization of the interface phases responsible for flexural strength is only possible by separation (rupture). The revealed zones can be prepared for TEM(STEM)/EDS-analysis by tear-off replication. Thereby a selection of interfacial layers is performed with respect to their bonding strength. Supplementary SEM or microprobe analysis of larger interface areas can be performed for reasons of representativity, they are, however, unable to characterize quantitatively those thin layers, which are of highest importance for concrete strength.

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Elektronen-mikroanalytische Untersuchungen der Grenzflächenkorrosion von Beton

Zusammenfassung Bei der sauren Korrosion von Beton werden die für die Zugfestigkeit bedeutsamen Zement-Zuschlaggrenzflächen bevorzugt angegriffen. Für deren Charakterisierung eignet sich am besten die TEM(STEM)-EDS-Analyse von Abreißreplicaproben dieser Grenzflächen. Die erreichte hohe Spezifität und Selektivität wird mit dem (vertretbaren) Nachteil eher geringer Repräsentativität erkauft, welcher aber durch Anwendung von Ergänzungsverfahren wie REM oder Mikrosonde weitgehend aufgewogen werden kann.Die Analyse der aufgrund ihrer Haftfestigkeit separierten Grenzflächenphasen ermöglicht Rückschlüsse auf saure Korrosionsmechanismen.

     

Multivariate profile analysis of gas chromatograms

Summary Pyrolysis gas chromatography is commonly used for microstructural studies in a wide range of applications. A multivariate statistical computer program has been developed which allows the comparison of closely related complex pyrograms. If the patterns are shown to be statistically different within the reproducibility limits of the experiments, those peaks responsible for the differentiation are denoted. Utilization of such computer matching of chromatographic patterns, in addition to other spectral or microchemical analytical data, aids in the identification of organic unknown structures.     

The importance of dye chemistry and TiCl(4) surface treatment in the behavior of Al(2)O(3) recombination barrier layers deposited by atomic layer deposition in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to fabricate Al(2)O(3) recombination barriers in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (ss-DSSCs) employing an organic hole transport material (HTM) for the first time. Al(2)O(3) recombination barriers of varying thickness were incorporated into efficient ss-DSSCs utilizing the Z907 dye adsorbed onto a 2 μm-thick nanoporous TiO(2) active layer and the HTM spiro-OMeTAD. The impact of Al(2)O(3) barriers was also studied in devices employing different dyes, with increased active layer thicknesses, and with substrates that did not undergo the TiCl(4) surface treatment. In all instances, electron lifetimes (as determined by transient photovoltage measurements) increased and dark current was suppressed after Al(2)O(3) deposition. However, only when the TiCl(4) treatment was eliminated did device efficiency increase; in all other instances efficiency decreased due to a drop in short-circuit current. These results are attributed in the former case to the similar effects of Al(2)O(3) ALD and the TiCl(4) surface treatment whereas the insulating properties of Al(2)O(3) hinder charge injection and lead to current loss in TiCl(4)-treated devices. The impact of Al(2)O(3) barrier layers was unaffected by doubling the active layer thickness or using an alternative ruthenium dye, but a metal-free donor-π-acceptor dye exhibited a much smaller decrease in current due to its higher excited state energy. We develop a model employing prior research on Al(2)O(3) growth and dye kinetics that successfully predicts the reduction in device current as a function of ALD cycles and is extendable to different dye-barrier systems.     

Diode-laser-based measurements of hydrogen fluoride gas during chemical suppression of fires

Received: 15 April 1998/Revised version: 9 July 1998     

Synthesis and Modeling of Acridine Dyes as Potential Photosensitizers for Dye‐Sensitized Photovoltaic Applications †

We have synthesized novel aromatic amine‐substituted acridine dyes as potential candidates for the photosensitizers in dye sensitized nanocrystalline semiconductor based solar cells (DSSC) cells. The protonation and quaternization of the acridine nitrogen led to acridine dyes with extended absorption from 400–800 nm. Computational modeling was used to evaluate a variety of structures to achieve insights for correlating these types of molecular structures with predicted absorption spectra. Pertinent dihedral angles as well as bond lengths were evaluated to assess and compare planarity and conjugation for these dyes. Other predictions include plots of the HOMO and LUMO levels to qualitatively examine electron distributions and the potential for electron injection. The results from modeling along with the experimental data consisting of synthesis, characterization and UV‐visible absorption properties of the selected dyes are presented.