Tb3+-activated In2Si2O7 phosphor

Indium silicate activated by terbium was found to be an efficient phosphor with CR excitation, the luminosity of which was comparable to the most luminous of other terbium-activated silicates. For the preparation of this phosphor, alkaline earth metal flourides proved to act as a good mineralizer. The best result was obtained when a mixture of 1 mol In₂O₃, 2.2 mol SiO₂, 0.015 mol Tb₄O₇ and 0.05 mol BaF₂ was fired at 1 400°C in air for 4 h. Other rare earth luminescent centers such as Ce, Pr, Eu, Dy, Er and Tm were examined but none showed noticeable emission. Some UV excitation properties are also described.     

Studies in organic mass spectrometry—IV: N-iminopyridinium betaines

The mass spectra of N-iminopyridinium betaines, which have been generated within the ion source by pyrolysis of the corresponding hydrochlorides, have been compared with those of pyridine N-oxides.     

Quiescent and strain-induced crystallization of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) from sulfuric acid solution

Quiescent and strain-induced crystallization of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) from sulfuric acid solution has been studied. Negative spherulites (SA-PPTA spherulites) are formed from hot concentrated solutions by cooling. The spherulite consists of radiating fibrous lamellae several hundred angstroms wide. The electron diffraction pattern indicates that PPTA molecules are oriented perpendicular to the long axes of the fibrous lamellae and that the [010] or [110] direction of the modification I crystal and [010] direction of the modification II crystal are parallel to the long axes of the fibrous lamellae. The width of the lamellae is much smaller than the chain length of the starting PPTA. It appears that hydrolysis of PPTA during melting crystallization determines the chain length, i.e., the width of the fibrous lamella. Stacked, lamellar structures like “row structures” are formed under shear. The longer axes of the fibrous lamellae are oriented perpendicular to the shear direction. It is confirmed by electron diffraction studies that the PPTA molecules are oriented parallel to the shear direction. Well-developed fibrils with the PPTA molecules oriented to the fibril axis, are formed by adding the SA-PPTA spherulites to water with vigorous stirring.     

Fabrication of nanosized Pt on rutile TiO2 using a standing wave sonochemical reactor (SWSR) – observation of an enhanced catalytic oxidation of CO

Fine particles of rutile TiO₂ supporting nanosized particles of Pt were prepared by a simultaneous in situ sonochemical reduction and deposition method using a standing wave sonochemical reactor (SWSR). The mean diameter of sonochemically obtained Pt particles are of 2 nm. Following this sonochemical technique, rutile TiO₂ was also deposited with different weight percentages of Pt. Catalytic function of the prepared composite catalysts were tested by the oxidation of CO to CO₂. From the catalytic activity results, it has been found out that the catalysts prepared by the sonochemical method exhibited higher catalytic activity for CO oxidation, probably attributed to the higher Pt particle distribution achieved under sonication. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) were employed to characterize the resulting material.     

Realization of a SU(2)×SU(6) system of fermions in a cold atomic gas

We report the realization of a novel degenerate Fermi mixture with an SU(2)×SU(6) symmetry in a cold atomic gas. We successfully cool the mixture of the two fermionic isotopes of ytterbium 171Yb with the nuclear spin I=1/2 and 173Yb with I=5/2 below the Fermi temperature T_{F} as 0.46TF for 171Yb and 0.54TF for 173Yb. The same scattering lengths for different spin components make this mixture featured with the novel SU(2)×SU(6) symmetry. The nuclear spin components are separately imaged by exploiting an optical Stern-Gerlach effect. In addition, the mixture is loaded into a 3D optical lattice to implement the SU(2)×SU(6) Hubbard model. This mixture will open the door to the study of novel quantum phases such as a spinor Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer-like fermionic superfluid.     

Mass spectrometry of charge-transfer complexes of 7,7′,8,8′-tetracyanoquinodimethane-π-donor systems

Electron impact (El) ionization and positive and negative liquid secondary ion mass Spectrometry (pLSIMS and nLSIMS) of eight charge-transfer complexes of 7,7′,8,8′-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ)-aromatic systems and of the individual π-donors and -acceptors was examined. The El spectra exhibited the molecular ions of both the donor and the acceptor of each complex. The molecular ion of the π-donor was observed in pLSIMS using m-nitrobenzyl alcohol (NBA) if its oxidation potential is lower than 1.2 V, but when the oxidation potential is higher than 1.9 V, no molecular ion was detected. On the other hand, nLSIMS exhibited the molecular ion of TCNQ in all cases. Participation of an excited state of NBA in the ionization process is suggested.     

Enzymatic synthesis and curing of biodegradable crosslinkable polyesters

The lipase-catalyzed synthesis and curing of polyesters that possess an unsaturated fatty acid moiety in the side chain is described. Lipase-catalyzed polymerization of divinyl sebacate and glycerol in the presence of unsaturated fatty acids produced a crosslinkable polyester possessing the unsaturated group. Candida antarctica lipase showed high catalytic activity for their synthesis. Effects of reaction parameters, such as enzyme amount, temperature, and feed ratio of substrates, have been systematically investigated. The polymerization under reduced pressure improved the polymer yield and molecular weight. Divinyl adipate was also enzymatically polymerized with glycerol and linoleic acid to give the crosslinkable polyester. The polymer obtained using linoleic or linolenic acid, was cured using a cobalt naphthenate catalyst or thermal treatment to give a crosslinked, transparent, polymeric film with a high-gloss surface. The cured film was characterized by pencil-scratch hardness testing and FT-IR spectroscopy. The biodegradability of the obtained film was evaluated by biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) measurement in an activated sludge.