Relativistic symmetry of position-dependent mass particles in a Coulomb field including tensor interaction

The spatially-dependent mass Dirac equation is solved exactly for attractive scalar and repulsive vector Coulomb potentials,including a tensor interaction under the spin and pseudospin symmetric limits.Closed forms of the energy eigenvalue equation and wave functions are obtained for arbitrary spin-orbit quantum number κ.Some numerical results are also given,and the effect of tensor interaction on the bound states is presented.It is shown that tensor interaction removes the degeneracy between two states in the spin doublets.We also investigate the effects of the spatially-dependent mass on the bound states under spin symmetric limit conditions in the absence of tensor interaction.     

Comparative studies on performance of radiation-induced and thermal cross-linked ion-exchange membrane for water electrolysis

Radiation-induced and thermal cross-linked sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) (SPS)–sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPK) composite ion-exchange membranes (SPS/SPK(γ) and SPS/SPK(T), respectively) were prepared. Their performances for water electrolysis were comparatively assessed. Thermal cross-linked membrane (SPS/SPK(T)) showed cross-linking of part functional groups (–SO₃H) and thus deterioration in membrane conductivity. While, radiation-induced cross-linked membrane (SPS/SPK(γ)) avoided any cross-linking between functional groups and thus conductivity. Electrolysis performances of these membranes were evaluated in comparison with Nafion117 membrane. Relatively low current efficiency (CE) for SPS/SPK and SPS/SPK(T) membranes was due to their high mass transfer (water) via electro-osmotic drag, which was negligible for SPS/SPK(γ) membrane. SPS/SPK(γ) membrane exhibited comparable stabilities and water splitting performance with Nafion117 membrane, which revealed its suitability as substitute for electrochemical applications.     

Synthesis,characterization and hydrogen sorption studies of mixed sodium‐potassium alanate

The aim of the present investigation is to synthesize mixed sodium potassium alanate (K₂NaAlH₆) and to explore its hydrogen sorption characteristics. K₂NaAlH₆ is synthesized through ball milling of KH and NaAlH₄ in the molar ratio 2:1 under hydrogen pressure of 10 bar. The temperature programmed desorption experiment shows that the synthesized K₂NaAlH₆ has peak desorption temperature of ∼352°C and reveals appreciable rehydrogenation kinetics under 6 bar hydrogen pressure at 300°C. The investigations are also focused on the catalytic effect of carbon nanostructures (CNS) namely, the graphene sheet (GS) and single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) and titanium halides (TiCl₃ and TiF₃) on K₂NaAlH₆. In the case of graphene and SWCNT catalyzed K₂NaAlH₆, the peak desorption temperature gets reduced to ∼347°C and ∼341°C respectively. The catalytic effects of CNS and titanium halide on K₂NaAlH₆ are also compared in the investigation. Between the two types of catalysts, halides are found to be better than CNS and out of the two halides, TiF₃ is found to be the best catalyst for hydrogen sorption in K₂NaAlH₆. The peak desorption temperature decreases significantly from 352°C to ∼324°C for TiF₃ catalyzed K₂NaAlH₆. Thus, the desorption activation energy reduces drastically from 124.43 kJ/mol (synthesized K₂NaAlH₆) to 88.05 kJ/mol for TiF₃ catalyzed K₂NaAlH₆.     

Catalytic dehydrocoupling of thienyl/furyl-substituted carbosilanes – Synthesis and characterization of functional poly(hydrosilane)s [RMe2Si(CH2)xSiH]n, (R = 2-Th, 4-Me-2-Th, 2-Fu, 5-Me-2-Fu; x = 2 and 3)

The carbosilanes RMe₂Si(CH₂)_xSiH₃, [R = 2-Th (1a, 2a), 4-Me-2-Th (3a, 4a), 2-Fu (5a, 6a), 5-Me-2-Fu (7a, 8a); x = 2 and 3], with primary SiH₃ end groups undergo a facile dehydropolymerization under ambient conditions (50 °C, 48 h) in presence of Cp₂TiCl₂/2.2 n-BuLi catalyst to afford the corresponding poly(hydrosilane)s 1–8 bearing carbosilyl side chains appended with thienyl/furyl groups. These have been characterized by GPC, IR, multinuclear (¹H, ¹³C{¹H}, ²⁹Si{¹H}) NMR, UV and PL spectral studies.     

Surface redox polymerized SPEEK–MO2–PANI (M = Si, Zr and Ti) composite polyelectrolyte membranes impervious to methanol

We reported sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK, 61% degree of sulfonation)–metal oxides (MO₂:SiO₂, TiO₂ and ZrO₂)–polyaniline composite membranes. Metal oxides were incorporated into the swelled SPEEK membrane by sol–gel method and cured by thermal treatment. SPEEK–metal oxide membranes surfaces were modified with polyaniline (PANI) by a redox polymerization process. It was observed that water retention capacity of membrane was increased and methanol permeability was reduced due to synergetic effect of metal oxides and surface modification with polyaniline. These composite membranes showed extremely low methanol permeability (1.9–1.3 × 10⁻⁷ cm² s⁻¹), which was lower than till reported values either for SPEEK–metal oxide or SPEEK/PANI membranes. Relatively high selectivity parameter (SP) values at 343 K of these membranes, especially S–SiO₂–PANI and S–TiO₂–PANI, indicated their great advantages over Nafion117 (N117) membrane for targeting on moderate temperature applications due to the synergetic effect of MO₂ and PANI in SPEEK matrix. S–TiO₂–PANI and N117 showed comparable cell performance in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC).     

Comparisons of multi-wavelength oscillations using Sagnac loop mirror and Mach-Zehnder interferometer for ytterbium doped fiber lasers

A multiwavelength Ytterbium-doped fiber ring laser operating at 1030 nm region is demonstrated using a Sagnac loop mirror and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. We report the Performance comparisons of multi-wavelength oscillations in Yb³⁺ doped fiber lasers (YDFL) with typical commercial ytterbium doped silica fibers. By adjusting the polarization controller (PC), a widely tunable laser range of 22 nm from 1030 nm to 1050 nm is obtained. The Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) design has exhibited simplicity in the operation for controlling the smallest wavelength spacing compared to Sagnac loop mirror method. In our observations, the smallest achieved stable wavelength spacing in Sagnac loop mirror setup and MZI setup were 2.1 nm and 0.7 nm, respectively. In case of nine-wavelength operation with a MZI setup, the stability, Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) and side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of laser lines are not affected by increasing pump power, While for above four wavelength operation, the laser stability with Sagnac loop mirror becomes worse specially for higher input pump power and the power fluctuation among the wave-lengths would be also slightly larger.     

Formulation of Isopropyl Isothiocyanate Loaded Nano Vesicles Delivery Systems: In Vitro Characterization and In Vivo Assessment

Isopropyl Isothiocyanate (IPI) is a poorly water-soluble drug used in different biological activities. So, the present work was designed to prepare and evaluate IPI loaded vesicles and evaluated for vesicle size, polydispersity index (PDI) and zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, drug release, and drug permeation. The selected formulation was coated with chitosan and further assessed for the anti-platelet and anti-thrombotic activity. The prepared IPI vesicles (F3) exhibited a vesicle size of 298 nm ± 5.1, the zeta potential of −18.7 mV, encapsulation efficiency of 86.2 ± 5.3% and PDI of 0.33. The chitosan-coated IPI vesicles (F3C) exhibited an increased size of 379 ± 4.5 nm, a positive zeta potential of 23.5 ± 2.8 mV and encapsulation efficiency of 77.3 ± 4.1%. IPI chitosan vesicle (F3C) showed enhanced mucoadhesive property (2.7 folds) and intestinal permeation (~1.8-fold) higher than IPI vesicles (F3). There was a significant (p < 0.05) enhancement in size, muco-adhesion, and permeation flux achieved after coating with chitosan. The IPI chitosan vesicle (F3C) demonstrated an enhanced bleeding time of 525.33 ± 12.43 s, anti-thrombin activity of 59.72 ± 4.21, and inhibition of platelet aggregation 68.64 ± 3.99%, and anti-platelet activity of 99.47%. The results of the study suggest that IPI chitosan vesicles showed promising in vitro results, as well as improved anti-platelet and anti-thrombotic activity compared to pure IPI and IPI vesicles.     

Processability and metallurgical reactions during sintering in YBCO-PbS superconductors

The YBCO-PbS superconductors have some interesting features, like better normal state and superconducting properties and enhanced shielding action towards magnetic fields. Present paper reports on the thermoanalytical and X-ray diffraction studies on these materials. The studies indicate that PbS addition enhances the synthesis of Y-123 Phase and lowers the temperature of partial melting of this phase which helps in reducing the voids. The metallurgical reaction occuring in sintering of PbS doped YBCO superconductors has been investigated and in light of the findings an explanation is given for the improved properties of these materials.     

Rh(II)-Catalyzed asymmetric carbene transfer with ethyl 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-diazopropionate

The asymmetric cyclopropanation of 1,1-diphenylethylene (2) with ethyl 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-diazopropionate (1) in the presence of chiral Rh(II) catalysts affords cyclopropane 3 with yields and enantioselectivities of up to 72 and 40%, respectively. Similar results are obtained for asymmetric cyclopropenation of hex-1-yne (4), although enantioselectivity is lower. The cyclopropanation of mono-substituted olefins (8a-8e) with 1 leads to cis/trans-mixtures of cyclopropanes 9a-9e with a maximum ee of 75% for 4-methoxystyrene (8c).     

Interaction of Cs+, Sr2+ and Gd3+ with humin

Humin is separated from a soil sample and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and potentiometric titration. These investigations indicated that humin displayed similar characteristics as humic acid. The sorption behavior of¹³⁷Cs,⁹⁰Sr and¹⁵³Gd with humin was investigated from aqueous solution. The results indicated that the sorption process follows the order: Gd³⁺≫Sr²⁺>Cs⁺. It was time dependent and increased with pH. The sorption in the presence of humic acid or EDTA showed that both form a metal-ligand complex and consequently decrease the % uptake.