Measurement of excitation functions of the natAg(α,x) reactions up to 45 MeV

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - We measured excitation functions for the production of the 108m,108g,109g,110m,110g,111gIn, the 109g,111mCd, and the 105g,106m,110m,111gAg in...     

MOFs for desulfurization of fuel oil: Recent advances and future insights

Nowadays, desulfurization of fuel oil has raised concern globally because of strict industrial and environmental legislations. Albeit hydrodesulfurization (HDS) has been extensively used in oil refineries to produce low sulfur oil (< 10 ppm) but not been proven as effective method for the removal of dibenzothiophene (DBT), benzothiophene (TH) and their derivatives. Subsequently, adsorptive desulfurization (ADS) and oxidative desulfurization (ODS) methods have been developed to achieve high removal efficiency. In the past decade, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and its composites as oxidative catalysts, as well as adsorbents, have attracted the researchers owing to high surface area, tunable properties, and reusable. The present review comprises use of MOFs and their composites for the removal of sulfur from fuel oil via ODS and ADS processes. Additionally, physicochemical properties of MOFs, mechanism, pros and cons of both process, regeneration, and future challenges have been discussed briefly. Moreover, current limitations and future prospective are also discussed.     

Four-dimensional parameter estimation of plane waves using swarming intelligence

This paper proposes an efficient approach for four-dimensional(4D) parameter estimation of plane waves impinging on a 2-L shape array. The 4D parameters include amplitude, frequency and the two-dimensional(2D) direction of arrival,namely, azimuth and elevation angles. The proposed approach is based on memetic computation, in which the global optimizer, particle swarm optimization is hybridized with a rapid local search technique, pattern search. For this purpose,a new multi-objective fitness function is used. This fitness function is the combination of mean square error and the correlation between the normalized desired and estimated vectors. The proposed hybrid scheme is not only compared with individual performances of particle swarm optimization and pattern search, but also with the performance of the hybrid genetic algorithm and that of the traditional approach. A large number of Monte–Carlo simulations are carried out to validate the performance of the proposed scheme. It gives promising results in terms of estimation accuracy, convergence rate, proximity effect and robustness against noise.     

Oxidation of Dimethyl Sulfide in Air Using Electron-Beam Irradiation,and Enhancement of its Oxidation Via an MnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Catalyst

The decomposition of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) at initial concentrations of 4.5–18.0 ppmv in air was studied under electron-beam (EB) irradiation. Doses to decompose 90% of input DMS were 2.5 kGy for 4.5 ppmv, 3.4 kGy for 10.6 ppmv, and 3.9 kGy for 18.0 ppmv. HCOOH, (CH₃)₂SO, and trace CH₃OH and (CH₃)₂SO₂ were produced as irradiation products in addition to CO₂ and CO. Application of an O₃ decomposition catalyst to an irradiated sample gas led to an enhancement in the oxidation of DMS and its products into CO₂ and the decomposition of O₃. For 10.6 ppmv DMS/air, the mineralization ratio increased from 41% via only EB irradiation to 100% via the combination treatment at 6.3 kGy. The yield of CO₂ to CO_x increased from 5.3 to 87.6% by combination with catalytic oxidation. This combination treatment enables the irradiation energy used to deodorize gas streams containing DMS to be reduced.     

Viscosity of concentrated colloidal suspensions: comparison of bidisperse models

In this paper, recent advances in the study of rheological behavior of concentrated bimodal suspensions are briefly reviewed. The predictive models are divided into two categories, namely, the effective volume fraction (or hard sphere scaling) approach and the separation of contributions approach. Predictions of both approaches are compared with experimental data of electrostatically and sterically stabilized suspensions. It is shown that the predictions of both hard sphere scaling and the scaling method of Zaman and Moudgil (J. Colloid Interface Sci. 212 (1999) 167) to separate the contributions of fine and coarse particles are in good agreement with the experimentally observed results. The approach by Dames, Morrison, Wilenbacher (Rheol. Acta 40 (2001) 434) to separate the hard-sphere and non-hard-sphere contributions is investigated using the aqueous silica and polystyrene suspensions respectively. A good agreement is shown for aqueous silica suspensions. However, significant differences between the predictions and experimental data are found for the sterically stabilized polystyrene suspensions, suggesting a more generalized expression is needed. As an attempt to classify the models on the viscosity of colloidal suspensions, the present study will provide guidelines for interpretation of experimental results and for the development of more comprehensive predictive methodologies for polydispersed colloidal dispersions.     

Metal–Organic Framework-Derived Carbon Nanorods Encapsulating Bismuth Oxides for Rapid and Selective CO2 Electroreduction to Formate

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) conversion is promising in alleviating the excessive CO₂ level and simultaneously producing valuables. This work reports the preparation of carbon nanorods encapsulated bismuth oxides for the efficient CO₂ electroconversion toward formate production. This resultant catalyst exhibits a small onset potential of −0.28 V vs. RHE and partial current density of over 200 mA cm⁻² with a stable and high Faradaic efficiency of 93 % for formate generation in a flow cell configuration. Electrochemical results demonstrate the synergistic effect in the Bi₂O₃@C promotes the rapid and selective CO₂ reduction in which the Bi₂O₃ is beneficial for improving the reaction kinetics and formate selectivity, while the carbon matrix would be helpful for enhancing the activity and current density of formate production. This work provides effective bismuth-based MOF derivatives for efficient formate production and offers insights in promoting practical CO₂ conversion technology.     

Synthesis and Characterization of a Cu14 Hydride Cluster Supported by Neutral Donor Ligands

The copper hydride clusters [Cu₁₄H₁₂(phen)₆(PPh₃)₄][X]₂ (X=Cl or OTf; OTf=trifluoromethanesulfonate, phen=1,10‐phenanthroline) are obtained in good yields by the reaction of [(Ph₃P)CuH]₆ with phen, in the presence of a halide or pseudohalide source. The complex [Cu₁₄H₁₂(phen)₆(PPh₃)₄][Cl]₂ reacts with CO₂ in CH₂Cl₂, in the presence of excess Ph₃P, to form the formate complex [(Ph₃P)₂Cu(κ²‐O₂CH)], along with [(phen)(Ph₃P)CuCl].     

Independent isomeric-yield ratio of 89m,gNb from 93Nb(γ, 4n), natZr(p,xn), and 89Y(α, 4n) reactions

The independent isomeric-yield ratios of ^89m,gNb for the ⁹³Nb(γ, 4n) ^89m,gNb reaction with bremsstrahlung energies of 45-, 50-, 55-, 60-, and 70-MeV were measured by the activation and the off-line γ-ray spectrometric technique at 100 MeV electron linac of the Pohang accelerator laboratory. The isomeric-yield ratios of ^89m,gNb for the ^natZr(p, xn) ^89m,gNb and the ⁸⁹Y(α, 4n) ^89m,gNb reactions were measured by using a stacked-foil activation technique with the proton energies of 19–45 MeV and alpha energies of 38.9-, 40.5-, and 42.5-MeV at the MC-50 cyclotron of Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences. The measured isomeric-yield ratio of ^89m,gNb from the ⁹³Nb(γ, 4n), ^natZr(p, xn), and ⁸⁹Y(α, 4n) reactions were compared with the similar literature data in the ⁸⁹Y(³He, 3n) reaction. It was found that the isomeric yield ratio of ^89m,gNb increases with projectile energy, which indicate the effect of excitation energy. However, for the similar compound nucleus with the same excitation energy, the isomeric-yield ratios of ^89m,gNb in the ⁸⁹Y(α, 4n) and ⁸⁹Y(³He, 3n) reactions are higher than those in the ⁹³Nb(γ, 4n) and ^natZr(p, xn) reactions, which indicates the role of input angular momentum. The isomeric-yield ratios of ^89m,gNb in the ⁹³Nb(γ, 4n), ^natZr(p, xn), ⁸⁹Y(α, 4n), and ⁸⁹Y(³He, 3n) reactions were also calculated theoretically using computer code TALYS 1.4. The theoretical isomeric-yield ratios of ^89m,gNb from four reactions increase with excitation energy. However, the theoretical value are significantly higher than the experimental data in the ⁹³Nb(γ, 4n) and ^natZr(p, xn) reactions but slightly lower or comparable in the ⁸⁹Y(α, 4n) rand ⁸⁹Y(³He, 3n) reactions.