A direct electrochemical route to construct a polymer/manganese oxide layered structure

A layered nanocomposite with poly(diallyldimethylammonium), PDDA, intercalated between manganese oxide layers can be formed on a platinum electrode in a thin film form through a direct electrochemical route. The process involves a potentiostatic oxidation of aqueous Mn(2+) precursors in the presence of PDDA by applying a constant potential (+1.0 V vs Ag/AgCl).     

Homogeneity of a Distance-Regular Graph Which Supports a Spin Model

A spin model is a square matrix that encodes the basic data for a statistical mechanical construction of link invariants due to V.F.R. Jones. Every spin model W is contained in a canonical Bose-Mesner algebra (W). In this paper we study the distance-regular graphs whose Bose-Mesner algebra satisfies W (W). Suppose W has at least three distinct entries. We show that is 1-homogeneous and that the first and the last subconstituents of are strongly regular and distance-regular, respectively.     

Optical probing of spin polarization of electrons in quantum dot edge channels

We propose an optical method for the investigation of the quantum dot edge channels by utilizing circularly polarized photoluminescence in the integer-quantum-Hall-effect regime. One of the advantages of our method is that the degree of the spin-polarization of the electrons in the inner- and outer-compressible liquids can be probed separately. The observed polarized photoluminescence spectra can be explained by the calculated electron spin-dependent optical transition probabilities based on the local-spin density approximation.     

Dark-state imaging for two-dimensional mapping of a magnetic field

By imaging the dark states that are due to coherent population trapping in Na atomic vapor, we have succeeded in depicting a spatially inhomogeneous magnetic field. Highly resolved dark lines represent cross sections of the surfaces of constant magnetic fields, and they agree well with the predicted hyperfine Zeeman splitting and the two-photon selection rules of the Na atom. Mapping was made two dimensionally in real time, but extension to three dimensions is straightforward. Furthermore, unlike the previous techniques based on optical pumping, this method can be used for any magnetic-field directions.     

Photoelectrochemical decomposition of water on nanocrystalline BiVO4 film electrodes under visible light

The nanocrystalline BiVO4 film electrode on conducting glass showed an excellent efficiency (IPCE = 29% at 420 nm) for the decomposition of water under visible light.     

Effects of fine fuel droplets on a laminar flame stabilized in a partially prevaporized spray stream

A partially prevaporized spray burner was developed to investigate the interaction between fuel droplets and a flame. Monodispersed partially prevaporized ethanol sprays with narrow diameter distribution were generated by the condensation method using rapid pressure reduction of a saturated ethanol vapor–air mixture. A tilted flat flame was stabilized at the nozzle exit using a hot wire. Particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) was applied to measurements of the droplet velocity; the laminar burning velocity was obtained from gas velocity derived from the droplet velocity. Observations were made of flames in partially prevaporized spray streams with mean droplet diameters of 7 μm and the liquid equivalence ratios of 0.2; the total equivalence ratio was varied. In all cases, a sharp vaporization plane was observed in front of the blue flame. Flame oscillation was observed on the fuel-rich side. At strain rates under 50 s⁻¹, the change in the burning velocity with the strain rate is small in fuel-lean spray streams. In spray streams of 0.7 and 0.8 in the total equivalence ratio, burning velocity increases with strain rates of greater than 50 s⁻¹. However, in spray streams with 0.9 and 1.0 in the total equivalence ratio, burning velocity decreases as the strain rate increases. At strain rates greater than 80 s⁻¹, burning velocity decreases with an increased gas equivalence ratio. The effect of mean droplet diameter, and the entry length of droplets into a flame on the laminar burning velocity, were also investigated to interpret the effect of the strain rate on the laminar burning velocity of partially prevaporized sprays.