Experimental evidence of s-wave superconductivity in bulk CaC6

The temperature dependence of the in-plane magnetic penetration depth, lambda(ab)(T), has been measured in a c-axis oriented polycrystalline CaC(6) bulk sample using a high-resolution mutual inductance technique. A clear exponential behavior of lambda(ab)(T) has been observed at low temperatures, strongly suggesting isotropic s-wave pairing. Data fit using the standard BCS theory yields lambda(ab)(0) = (720 +/- 80) A and delta(0) = (1.79 +/- 0.08) meV. The ratio 2delta(0)/k(B)T(c) = (3.6 +/- 0.2) gives indication for a weakly coupled superconductor.     

Differential calculus on Jordan algebras and Jordan modules

Having in mind applications to particle physics we develop the differential calculus over Jordan algebras and the theory of connections on Jordan modules. In particular we focus on differential calculus over the exceptional Jordan algebra and provide a complete characterization of the theory of connections for free Jordan modules.

     

HPLC-MS degradation study of E10 Sunset Yellow FCF in a commercial beverage

Experimental evidence has shown that a beverage containing Sunset Yellow FCF (labelled as E110 in the European Union), when exposed to natural conditions of summer temperature and sunlight, losses its colour. To possibly identify the degradation pathway and collect information on the potential toxicity of the uncoloured species formed, different degradation conditions, under both oxidising and reducing environments, were simulated in laboratory. Experiments were carried out under the following conditions: (i) thermally induced degradation, (ii) visible photo induced degradation, (iii) UV-photo induced conditions in oxidising environment (addition of hydrogen peroxide, Fenton reaction) and (iv) UV-photo induced conditions in reducing environment (addition of sulphide and ascorbic acid, addition of ascorbic acid in the absence and in the presence of saccharose). Decolourisation process was observed in oxidant conditions when applying the Fenton reaction but the reaction was too quick to be progressively followed. On the other hand, it was also possible to study the degradation reaction observed in reducing conditions in the presence of ascorbic acid. The HPLC-MS results gave evidence for the cleavage of the double bond and the protonation of the azo groups. The loss of colour is therefore not due to a mineralization process but to the formation of a dimeric form of 5-amino-6-hydroxy-2-naphthalene sulfonate and, likely, of p-amino-benzensulfonate.     

Electrocatalytic carboxylation of benzyl chlorides at silver cathodes in acetonitrile

Silver exhibits powerful electrocatalytic activities towards the reductive carboxylation of benzyl chlorides (RCl): in CO2-saturated CH3CN, reduction of RCl occurs at potentials that are about 0.6 V more positive than those of the same process at Hg or carbon electrodes and gives carboxylic acids in good to excellent yields.     

Electromechanical coupling factor of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers

Recently, a linear, analytical distributed model for capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) was presented, and an electromechanical equivalent circuit based on the theory reported was used to describe the behavior of the transducer [IEEE Trans. Ultrason. Ferroelectr. Freq. Control 49, 159-168 (2002)]. The distributed model is applied here to calculate the dynamic coupling factor k(w) of a lossless CMUT, based on a definition that involves the energies stored in a dynamic vibration cycle, and the results are compared with those obtained with a lumped model. A strong discrepancy is found between the two models as the bias voltage increases. The lumped model predicts an increasing dynamic k factor up to unity, whereas the distributed model predicts a more realistic saturation of this parameter to values substantially lower. It is demonstrated that the maximum value of k(w), corresponding to an operating point close to the diaphragm collapse, is 0.4 for a CMUT single cell with a circular membrane diaphragm and no parasitic capacitance (0.36 for a cell with a circular plate diaphragm). This means that the dynamic coupling factor of a CMUT is comparable to that of a piezoceramic plate oscillating in the thickness mode. Parasitic capacitance decreases the value of k(w), because it does not contribute to the energy conversion. The effective coupling factor k(eff) is also investigated, showing that this parameter coincides with k(w) within the lumped model approximation, but a quite different result is obtained if a computation is made with the more accurate distributed model. As a consequence, k(eff), which can be measured from the transducer electrical impedance, does not give a reliable value of the actual dynamic coupling factor.     

Preparation and characterization of cobalt-based nanostructured materials

Nano-sized cobalt clusters passivated by alkane-thiol molecules were obtained by the action of concentrated thiol solutions on micrometric cobalt particles. Thiol molecules caused an erosive process on the metal grains with the consequent formation of nano-sized metal debris and cobalt thiolate as by-product. The final material microstructure was composed by cobalt clusters embedded into a continuum cobalt thiolate matrix. Depending on the thiol molecule length, the material texture ranged from rubbery to waxy. These new types of nanocomposite materials were found to be crystalline, thermally stable up to ca. 300 ^°C, intensely red colored, and high hydrophobic. In addition, they generated polymeric structures when dissolved in non-polar solvents. Received 27 September 2002 Published online 6 March 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: giancaro@unina.it