Thermal decomposition of crystalline Ni(II)-Cr(III) layered double hydroxide: a structural study of the segregation process

A structural study of the thermal evolution of Ni(0.69)Cr(0.31)(OH)(2)(CO(3))(0.155) x nH(2)O into NiO and tetragonal NiCr(2)O(4) is reported. The characteristic structural parameters of the two coexisting crystalline phases, as well as their relative abundance, were determined by Rietveld refinement of powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) patterns. The results of the simulations allowed us to elucidate the mechanism of the demixing process of the oxides. It is demonstrated that nucleation of a metastable nickel chromite within the common oxygen framework of the parent Cr(III)-doped bunsenite is the initial step of the cationic redistribution. The role that trivalent cations play in the segregation of crystalline spinels is also discussed.     

Maleic anhydride and acetylene plasma copolymer surfaces for SPR immunosensing

We report on the successful application of carboxyl-rich plasma polymerized (PP) films as a matrix layer for bioreceptor immobilization in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) immunosensing. Composition and chemical properties of the carboxyl-rich PP films deposited from a mixture of maleic anhydride and acetylene were investigated. Changes in the films stored in air, water, and buffer were studied and the involved chemical changes were described. Performance in SPR immunosensing was evaluated on interactions of human serum albumin (HSA) with a specific monoclonal antibody. The comparison with the mixed self-assembled monolayer of mercaptoundecanoic acid and mercaptohexanol (MUA/MCH) and one of the most widely used surfaces for SPR, the 2D and 3D carboxymethylated dextran (CMD), was presented to show the efficacy of plasma polymerized matrix layers for biosensing. The PP film-based SPR immunosensor provided a similar detection limit of HSA (100 ng/mL) as MUA/MCH- (100 ng/mL) and 3D CMD (50 ng/mL)-based sensors. However, the response levels were about twice higher in case of the PP film-based immunosensor than in case of MUA/MCH-based alternative. The PP film surfaces had similar binding capacity towards antibody as the 3D CMD layers. The response of PP film-based sensor towards HSA was comparable to 3D CMD-based sensor up to 2.5 μg/mL. For the higher concentrations (> 10 μg/mL), the response of PP film-based immunosensor was lower due to inaccessibility of active sites of the immobilized antibody inside the flat PP film surface. We have demonstrated that due to its high stability and cost-effective straightforward preparation, the carboxyl-rich PP films represent an efficient alternative to self-assembled monolayers (SAM) and dextran-based layers in label-free immunosensing.

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Amperometric determination of formaldehyde via the hexacyanoferrate(III) -coupled dehydrogenase reaction

An enzymatic method with amperometric detection was developed for the determination of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is first oxidized by reaction with NAD⁺ in the presence of formaldehyde dehydrogenase. The resulting NADH is then oxidized by hexacyanoferrate(III) in the presence of diaphorase to produce hexacyanoferrate(II). The anodic current generated by oxidation of the hexacyanoferrate(II) at the surface of a glassy carbon working electrode, held at a potential of 0.40 V vs. an Ag/AgCl reference electrode, is measured. The effects of solution conditions are examined and a linear relationship between rate of current change and formaldehyde concentration is obtained from 0.01 to 0.5 μg ml^?1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.9998. The relative standard deviation for the proposed method is 6.4% at 0.01 μg ml^?1 formaldehyde and 0.88% at 0.5 μg ml^?1.     

Determination of Trace Manganese (Ⅱ) by Its Catalytic De-colourizing Reaction On the Aerial Oxidation of 1.5-his (2-hydroxy-5-chlorophenyl)-3-cyanoformazan and Its Kinetic Reaction Mechanism

l"trodnotionManganese(II)haswell-knowncatalyticactivityinoxidationreactionoforganiccompounds.Manyprocedureshavebeendescribedtodeterminethisionbyusingitscatalyticaction.l-8Allproceduresdescribedrequireanoxidizingagent(excepttwo17,8])andanactivator,andallrequireheating.Thussimplemethodsareneededforthedeterminationoftraceamountsofmanganese(II)basedonitscatalyticeffect.l.5-his(2-hydroxy-5-chlorophenyl)-3-cya(HCPCF)isareagentfordeterminationofmetalions'>basedonequilibriummethod.Theauthorsfoundt…     

Energy deposition by fission fragments in nuclear-pumped lasers: I. A general method of calculation

A general method of calculating the energy deposition by fission fragments in nuclear-pumped lasers is presented. A specific case of a cylindrical cell is considered.     

Plasmon energy chemical phase mapping of reactive multilayers

An analytical method of quantitative phase identification and mapping on the nanoscale is presented based on correlative similarity mapping from spectrum images within electron energy loss spectroscopy across the low‐loss plasmon region. The method is applied to map the reaction layer formation for heat treated Cu–Al–Al₂O₃ thin films. Coexistence of residual Al pockets next to polycrystalline but epitaxial CuAl₂ as main reaction product is found as well as a distinctive interfacial plasmon region. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Theoretical study of the effect of liquid desiccant mass flow rate on the performance of a cross flow parallel-plate liquid desiccant-air dehumidifier

A computer simulation using MATLAB is investigated to predict the distribution of air stream parameters (humidity ratio and temperature) as well as desiccant parameters (temperature and concentration) inside the parallel plate absorber. The present absorber consists of fourteen parallel plates with a surface area per unit volume ratio of 80 m²/m³. Calcium chloride as a liquid desiccant flows through the top of the plates to the bottom while the air flows through the gap between the plates making it a cross flow configuration. The model results show the effect of desiccant mass flow rate on the performance of the dehumidifier (moisture removal and dehumidifier effectiveness). Performance comparisons between present cross-flow dehumidifier and another experimental cross-flow dehumidifier in the literature are carried out. The simulation is expected to help in optimizing of a cross flow dehumidifier.     

Effect of radiation on conductivity of solid PVA–KOH–PC composite polymer electrolytes

The aim of this work is to enhance the room temperature conductivity of solid alkaline composite polymer electrolytes (ACPEs) based on polyvinyl alcohol/potassium hydroxide/propylene carbonate (PVA–KOH–PC) composites by cross-linking the PVA and bond scission of the PC by γ-radiation. The ACPEs were prepared by solvent-casting technique and irradiated with doses up to 200 kGy at room temperature. The microstructure of the ACPEs was measured using XRD spectrometer, and the results show the structural change from semicrystalline to amorphous, indicating that the cross-linking has been achieved at higher doses. It was found that the PKOH composite at 40 wt% KOH and PPC composite at 60 wt% PC show higher conductivities. The conductivity of the PKPC composites is dominated by dc conductivity at higher frequencies and that PC with 60 wt% has the highest conductivity at a dose of 200 kGy.Paper presented at the International Conference on Functional Materials and Devices 2005, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 6–8, 2005.