Unprecedented Acid‐Promoted Polymerization and Gelation of Acrylamide: A Serendipitous Discovery

Dilute acid polymerizes degassed, aqueous acrylamide with concomitant gelation, without the need for added free radical initiator or cross‐linking agent. This reaction is accelerated by sonication or UV irradiation, but inhibited by adventitious oxygen or the addition of a free radical inhibitor, suggesting an acid‐accelerated free radical process. The resulting hydrogels are thixotropic in nature and partially disrupted by the addition of chaotropic agents, indicating the importance of hydrogen bonding to the 3D network. This discovery was made while trying to prepare pectin‐polyacrylamide hydrogels. We observed that pectin initiated the gelation of acrylamide, but only if the aqueous pectin samples had a pH lower than ca. 5.     

A New Method of Synthesis of Monomeric Aryloxide Complexes of Manganese(II): Structures of Manganese Phenoxides

Monomeric manganese(II) complexes of bulky alkyl/ aryl‐substituted phenoxides, [Mn{C₆H_nR_mO}₂(DME)] [ 1 : R = C₆H₅, n = 3, m = 2 (2,6); 2 : R = Me₃C, n = 3, m = 2 (2,6); 3 : R = Me₃C, n = 2, m = 3 (2,4,6)] were prepared in yields of 37, 44 and 72 %, respectively, from the reaction of manganese powder, Hg(C₆F₅)₂ and the corresponding phenol in the presence of a little mercury in dimethoxyethane (DME). The compounds were characterized spectroscopically and by magnetic measurements. The single crystal structures of 1 and 3 and also of the mixed phenoxide complex [Mn{(C₆H₃(C₆H₅)₂‐2,6‐O}{C₆H₃(Me₃C)₂‐2,6‐O}(DME)] 4 are reported.     

On centripetal flows of entities in scale‐free networks with nodes of finite capability

We examine the transmission of entities from the peripheries of scale‐free networks toward their centers when the nodes of the network have finite processing capabilities. We look at varying network utilization, U and find that clogging of the network sets in after a threshold value has been exceeded, and that the congestion sets in at the downstream nodes (those nearer to the collector) having large numbers of upstream neighbors. Investigation of the question of the degree of correlation of several characteristics of scale‐free networks (such as the average path length to the collector <l_(min)> and the average clustering coefficient ) with the dynamics of centripetal flow in them reveals a negative answer: any correlation is indirect and will manifest in the number of producer nodes (which dictate the effective heaviness of the flow) and the interconnectedness of the feeder nodes, those nodes which are immediate neighbors of the collector node. An examination of reinforcement strategies shows dramatic improvements in both the finishing rate, and the average total transmission time, when the more centrally‐placed nodes are reinforced first, showing that the entities spend a large amount of their lifetime waiting in line at those nodes (which constitute the bottlenecks in the network) compared to the nodes in the periphery. Our results reinforce the importance of a network's hubs and their immediate environs, and suggest strategies for prioritizing elements of a network for optimization. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 283–295, 2015     

Evidence for direct CP violation in B±→ηh± and observation of B0→ηK0

We report measurements of the branching fractions and CP asymmetries for B(±)→ηh(±) (h=K or π) and the observation of the decay B(0)→ηK(0) from the final data sample of 772×10(6) B ?B pairs collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider. The measured branching fractions are B(B(±)→ηK(±))=(2.12±0.23±0.11)×10(-6), B(B(±)→ηπ(±))=(4.07±0.26±0.21)×10(-6), and B(B(0)→ηK(0))=(1.27(-0.29)(+0.33)±0.08)×10(-6), where the last decay is observed for the first time with a significance of 5.4 standard deviations (σ). We also find evidence for CP violation in the charged B modes, A(CP)(B(±)→ηK(±))=-0.38±0.11±0.01 and A(CP)(B(±)→ηπ(±))=-0.19±0.06±0.01 with significances of 3.8 σ and 3.0 σ, respectively. For all measurements, the first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.     

Construction of Biorthogonal Multiwavelets Using the Lifting Scheme

The lifting scheme has been found to be a flexible method for constructing scalar wavelets with desirable properties. Here it is extended to the construction of multiwavelets. It is shown that any set of compactly supported biorthogonal multiwavelets can be obtained from the Lazy matrix filters with a finite number of lifting steps. As an illustration of the general theory, compactly supported biorthogonal multiwavelets with optimum time–frequency resolution are constructed. In addition, experimental results of applying these multiwavelets to image compression are presented.     

Intercalation-pseudocapacitance hybrid anode for high rate and energy lithium-ion capacitors

Existing rechargeable batteries not only fail to meet the demand for high power applications but also cause heavy metal pollution.Li-ion capacitors(LICs),which can achieve higher charging speeds and energy densities than supercapacitors,have attracted extensive attention.Nevertheless,sluggish Li-ion diffusion of the battery-type anode results in limited rate performance of LICs.Herein,highperformance LICs using both battery and capacitor type Mn₂V₂O₇-graphene(MVO-G)anodes and hempstem-derivated activated carbon(HSAC)cathodes with a large surface area are first reported.In addition to high pseudocapacitance,the MVO-G possesses the advantage of fast Li⁺storage performance making it a suitable choice for advanced LIC anodes.Graphene is employed to enhance overall conductivity and cycling stability leading to enhanced energy storage.The MVO-G//HSAC LICs exhibit a high energy density of 148.1 Wh kg^-1 at a power density of 150 W kg^-1 and 25 Wh kg^-1 even at15 k W kg^-1.More importantly,the MVO-G//HSAC LICs also show excellent cycling stability of 90%after15,000 cycles,which is expected for high performance energy storage systems.     

In-Situ Electrodeposition of Rhodium nanoparticles Anchored on Reduced Graphene Oxide nanosheets as an Efficient Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalyst

A simple, versatile, and cost-effective one-pot electrochemical deposition is used to fabricate rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles decorated surface of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) functionalized glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media. The chemical and physical structure of the sample is probed via transmission electron microscopy, rotating disk electrode (RDE), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, and Raman spectroscopy. The synergistic effects between the unique properties of Rh nanoparticles and rGO creates such innovative hybrid that exhibits a catalytic activity comparable to that of the commercial platinum electrocatalyst (Pt/C). As a result, the as-electrodeposited Rh@rGO hybrid exhibits outstanding ORR activity in alkaline media, as evidenced by a larger diffusion-limited current, greater positive onset potential, much better stability and methanol tolerance than Pt/C under the same conditions.