A layered tungstic acid H2W2O7 x nH2O with a double-octahedral sheet structure: conversion process from an aurivillius phase Bi2W2O9 and structural characterization

The conversion process of an Aurivillius phase, Bi(2)W(2)O(9), into a layered tungstic acid by hydrochloric acid treatment has been investigated, and resultant H(2)W(2)O(7) x nH(2)O has been fully characterized. The c parameter of Bi(2)W(2)O(9) [2.37063(5) nm] decreases to 2.21(1) nm in an acid-treated product dried at ambient temperature. The a and b parameters of Bi(2)W(2)O(9) [a = 0.54377(1) nm and b = 0.54166(1) nm] also decrease slightly to a = 0.524(1) nm and b = 0.513(1) nm in the acid-treated product dried at ambient temperature, indicating structural changes in the ReO(3)-like slabs in Bi(2)W(2)O(9) upon acid treatment. Drying at 120 degrees C leads to a further decrease in the c parameter [1.86(1) nm] with no notable change in the a and b parameters [a = 0.5249(2) nm and b = 0.513(2) nm]. The formation of an expandable layered structure is demonstrated by the successful intercalation of n-octylamine [interlayer distance 2.597(9) nm] and n-dodecylamine [interlayer distance 3.56(2) nm]. The compositions of the acid-treated products are determined to be H(2)W(2)O(7) x nH(2)O typically with n = 0.58 for the air-dried product and n = 0 for the product dried at 120 degrees C. As a consequence, the composition of the layer is H(2)W(2)O(7), and the decrease in the c parameter upon drying is ascribable to the loss of interlayer water. Scanning electron microscopy reveals no morphological change during acid treatment, which strongly suggests a selective leaching of the bismuth oxide sheets as a reaction mechanism. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM) observation of the acid-treated product shows consistency with a structural model for H(2)W(2)O(7), derived from Bi(2)W(2)O(9) through removal of the bismuth oxide sheets and contraction along the c axis. HREM observation also reveals that the WO(6) octahedra arrangement changes slightly with acid treatment. A one-dimensional electron density map projected on the c axis for the product dried at 120 degrees C, H(2)W(2)O(7), shows good consistency with that calculated for the structural model.     

Chemical solution processing and characterization of Ba(Zr,Ti)O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/LaNiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> layered thin films

Ba(Zr,Ti)O₃/LaNiO₃ layered thin films have been synthesized by chemical solution deposition (CSD) using metal-organic precursor solutions. Ba(Zr,Ti)O₃ thin films with smooth surface morphology and excellent dielectric properties were prepared on Pt/TiO _x /SiO₂/Si substrates by controlling the Zr/Ti ratios in Ba(Zr,Ti)O₃. Chemically derived LaNiO₃ thin films crystallized into the perovskite single phase and their conductivity was sufficiently high as a thin-film electrode. Ba(Zr,Ti)O₃/LaNiO₃ layered thin films of single phase perovskite were fabricated on SiO₂/Si and fused silica substrates. The dielectric constant of a Ba(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O₃ thin film prepared at 700°C on a LaNiO₃/fused silica substrate was found to be approximately 830 with a dielectric loss of 5% at 1 kHz and room temperature. Although the Ba(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O₃ thin film on the LaNiO₃/fused silica substrate showed a smaller dielectric constant than the Ba(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O₃ thin film on Pt/TiO _x /SiO₂/Si, small temperature dependence of dielectric constant was achieved over a wide temperature range. Furthermore, the fabrication of the Ba(Zr,Ti)O₃/LaNiO₃ films in alternate thin layers similar to a multilayer capacitor structure was performed by the same solution deposition process.     

Temperature and Oxygen Partial Pressure Dependences of the Surface Tension of Liquid Sn–Ag and Sn–Cu Lead-free Solder Alloys

Summary. Temperature dependence of the surface tension of liquid Sn–Ag and Sn–Cu base lead-free solder alloys and oxygen partial pressure dependence of liquid Sn–Ag alloy were evaluated using the experimental data obtained, respectively, by the constrained drop method and the sessile drop method in the previous studies [1, 2]. The temperature dependences of the surface tension have maximum positive values when the mol fraction of Ag and Cu is about 0.7, while those for pure liquid Sn, Ag, and Cu have negative values. The calculated values based on Butler’s equations were found to be in reasonable agreement with those of the experimental data. The oxygen partial pressure dependences of the surface tension of liquid Sn–Ag alloys at 1253 K have a minimum value when the mol fraction of Ag is about 0.9 and the oxygen partial pressure is less than about 10⁻¹³ atm. From this, it is considered that the oxygen adsorption increased by adding Ag to Sn when the mol fraction of Ag is less than 0.9.     

The impact of surface Cu2+ of ZnO/(Cu1−xZnx)O heterostructured nanowires on the adsorption and chemical transformation of carbonyl compounds

The surface cation composition of nanoscale metal oxides critically determines the properties of various functional chemical processes including inhomogeneous catalysts and molecular sensors. Here we employ a gradual modulation of cation composition on a ZnO/(Cu_1−xZn_x)O heterostructured nanowire surface to study the effect of surface cation composition (Cu/Zn) on the adsorption and chemical transformation behaviors of volatile carbonyl compounds (nonanal: biomarker). Controlling cation diffusion at the ZnO(core)/CuO(shell) nanowire interface allows us to continuously manipulate the surface Cu/Zn ratio of ZnO/(Cu_1−xZn_x)O heterostructured nanowires, while keeping the nanowire morphology. We found that surface exposed copper significantly suppresses the adsorption of nonanal, which is not consistent with our initial expectation since the Lewis acidity of Cu²⁺ is strong enough and comparable to that of Zn²⁺. In addition, an increase of the Cu/Zn ratio on the nanowire surface suppresses the aldol condensation reaction of nonanal. Surface spectroscopic analysis and theoretical simulations reveal that the nonanal molecules adsorbed at surface Cu²⁺ sites are not activated, and a coordination-saturated in-plane square geometry of surface Cu²⁺ is responsible for the observed weak molecular adsorption behaviors. This inactive surface Cu²⁺ well explains the mechanism of suppressed surface aldol condensation reactions by preventing the neighboring of activated nonanal molecules. We apply this tailored cation composition surface for electrical molecular sensing of nonanal and successfully demonstrate the improvements of durability and recovery time as a consequence of controlled surface molecular behaviors.

Unexpected features of surface Cu²⁺ on ZnO/(Cu1−xZnx)O nanowires for molecular transformation and electrical sensing of carbonyl compounds were found.     

Stereocontrolled,straightforward synthesis of 3-substituted methyl 7α-methoxy-1-oxacephems

Stereocontrolled and industrially feasible synthesis of a new antibiotic $\text{1a}$ and related derivatives, which is characterized by using all the carbon atoms of the penicillin skeleton, is described.     

Dehydrogenation of cycloalkanes over noble metal catalysts supported on active carbon

Dehydrogenation of decalin to naphthalene through tetralin and that of dicyclohexyl to biphenyl through phenylcyclohexane with Pt/C and Pd/C was investigated mainly under the liquid film state, in which the catalyst was just wet but not suspended and covered with a thin film of liquid substrate. To improve the catalytic activities, the effects of the addition of tellurium into Pd/C were investigated to reveal that the combination of tellurium, palladium and conjugated systems produced during the dehydrogenation of cycloalkames was important to the improvement of the activities.     

Nonlinear mean ergodic theorems for nonexpansive semigroups in Banach spaces

We prove two nonlinear ergodic theorems for noncommutative semigroups of nonexpansive mappings in Banach spaces. Using these results, we obtain some nonlinear ergodic theorems for discrete and one-parameter semigroups of nonexpansive mappings. Dedicated to Professors Albrecht Dold and Ed Fadell     

Viscosity approximation methods for resolvents of accretive operators in Banach spaces

In this paper, we first prove a strong convergence theorem for resolvents of accretive operators in a Banach space by the viscosity approximation method, which is a generalization of the results of Reich [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 75 (1980), 287–292], and Takahashi and Ueda [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 104 (1984), 546–553]. Further using this result, we consider the proximal point algorithm in a Banach space by the viscosity approximation method, and obtain a strong convergence theorem which is a generalization of the result of Kamimura and Takahashi [Set-Valued Anal. 8 (2000), 361–374]. Dedicated to the memory of Jean Leray     

Approximation of common fixed points of a countable family of nonexpansive mappings in a Banach space

In this paper, to find a common fixed point of a family of nonexpansive mappings, we introduce a Halpern type iterative sequence. Then we prove that such a sequence converges strongly to a common fixed point of nonexpansive mappings. Moreover, we apply our result to the problem of finding a common fixed point of a countable family of nonexpansive mappings and the problem of finding a zero of an accretive operator.     

Strong convergence theorems by hybrid methods for families of nonexpansive mappings in Hilbert spaces

In this paper, we prove a strong convergence theorem by the hybrid method for a family of nonexpansive mappings which generalizes Nakajo and Takahashi's theorems [K. Nakajo, W. Takahashi, Strong convergence theorems for nonexpansive mappings and nonexpansive semigroups, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 279 (2003) 372-379], simultaneously. Furthermore, we obtain another strong convergence theorem for the family of nonexpansive mappings by a hybrid method which is different from Nakajo and Takahashi. Using this theorem, we get some new results for a single nonexpansive mapping or a family of nonexpansive mappings in a Hilbert space.