Evolution of a fast flame behind an induction zone

It has been shown that pressure waves can have a large effect on the burning rate of flames. In this paper, the evolution of convection-driven fast flame, which is acoustically linked to a shock wave via an induction zone, is examined in detail. It is found that there is positive feedback mechanism and the asymptotic model breaks down as blow up occurs. Comparison is made between the case of a piston driving a shock wave into a combustible atmosphere with these studies of a shock wave passing through an existing premixed flame. Received 4 August 1995 / Accepted 20 March 1996     

A screening technique useful for testing the effectiveness of novel "self-cleaning" photocatalytic surfaces

We describe a screening methodology that can be used to quickly determine the effectiveness of newly synthesized photocatalysts. We were particularly interested in measuring the destruction of organic molecules painted onto a photocatalytic surface by spraying, with destruction proceeding in ambient air (as a model for airborne toxin destruction). Our method can utilize photocatalysts that are synthesized as powders (such as doped and undoped titanium oxide) and which are then calcined onto a glass substrate disk at 600°C. Herein, we used UV illumination of Aeroxide P-25 TiO(2), but the method is general and can accommodate any region of the light spectrum.     

The classification of Hamiltonian stationary Lagrangian tori in {{\mathbb {CP}}^2} by their spectral data

It is known that all weakly conformal Hamiltonian stationary Lagrangian immersions of tori in ${{\mathbb {CP}}^2}$ may be constructed by methods from integrable systems theory. This article describes the precise details of a construction which leads to a form of classification. The immersion is encoded as spectral data in a similar manner to the case of minimal Lagrangian tori in ${{\mathbb {CP}}^2}$ , but the details require a careful treatment of both the ??dressing construction?? and the spectral data to deal with a loop of flat connexions which is quadratic in the loop parameter.     

Reaction development and mechanistic study of a ruthenium catalyzed intramolecular asymmetric reductive amination en route to the dual Orexin inhibitor Suvorexant (MK-4305)

The first example of an intramolecular asymmetric reductive amination of a dialkyl ketone with an aliphatic amine has been developed for the synthesis of Suvorexant (MK-4305), a potent dual Orexin antagonist under development for the treatment of sleep disorders. This challenging transformation is mediated by a novel Ru-based transfer hydrogenation catalyst that provides the desired diazepane ring in 97% yield and 94.5% ee. Mechanistic studies have revealed that CO(2), produced as a necessary byproduct of this transfer hydrogenation reaction, has pronounced effects on the efficiency of the Ru catalyst, the form of the amine product, and the kinetics of the transformation. A simple kinetic model explains how product inhibition by CO(2) leads to overall first-order kinetics, but yields an apparent zero-order dependence on initial substrate concentration. The deleterious effects of CO(2) on reaction rates and product isolation can be overcome by purging CO(2) from the system. Moreover, the rate of ketone hydrogenation can be greatly accelerated by purging of CO(2) or trapping with nucleophilic secondary amines.     

Spectroelectrochemistry of cytochrome c and azurin immobilized in nanoporous antimony-doped tin oxide

Stable immobilization of two redox proteins, cytochrome c and azurin, in a thin film of highly mesoporous antimony-doped tin oxide is demonstrated via UV-vis spectroscopic and electrochemical investigation.     

A novel dialkylthio benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene derivative for high open-circuit voltage in polymer solar cells

A new dialkylthio benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (S-BDT) was designed and synthesized and the polymer S-PBDT was prepared by a Stille coupling reaction. A high open-circuit voltage (V(oc)) of up to 0.99 V was achieved in polymer solar cells with PCBM.     

Holomorphic functional calculus of Hodge-Dirac operators in L p

We study the boundedness of the H ^∞ functional calculus for differential operators acting in L ^p (R ⁿ ; C ^N ). For constant coefficients, we give simple conditions on the symbols implying such boundedness. For non-constant coefficients, we extend our recent results for the L ^p theory of the Kato square root problem to the more general framework of Hodge-Dirac operators with variable coefficients Π _B as treated in L ²(R ⁿ ; C ^N ) by Axelsson, Keith, and McIntosh. We obtain a characterization of the property that Π _B has a bounded H ^∞ functional calculus, in terms of randomized boundedness conditions of its resolvent. This allows us to deduce stability under small perturbations of this functional calculus.     

Delamination of layered double hydroxides in polar monomers: new LDH-acrylate nanocomposites

The layered double hydroxide Mg2Al(OH)6(C12H25SO4) was delaminated to give high levels of inclusion in acrylate monomers; subsequent polymerisation of the monomers containing the LDH dispersion gave polyacrylates with the inorganic component still in the delaminated form.     

Amperometric sensor for ethanol based on one-step electropolymerization of thionine-carbon nanofiber nanocomposite containing alcohol oxidase

Thionine had strong interaction with carbon nanofiber (CNF) and was used in the non-covalent functionalization of carbon nanofiber for the preparation of stable thionine-CNF nanocomposite with good dispersion. With a simple one-step electrochemical polymerization of thionine-CNF nanocomposite and alcohol oxidase (AOD), a stable poly(thionine)-CNF/AOD biocomposite film was formed on electrode surface. Based on the excellent catalytic activity of the biocomposite film toward reduction of dissolved oxygen, a sensitive ethanol biosensor was proposed. The ethanol biosensor could monitor ethanol ranging from 2.0 to 252 μM with a detection limit of 1.7 μM. It displayed a rapid response, an expanded linear response range as well as excellent reproducibility and stability. The combination of catalytic activity of CNF and the promising feature of the biocomposite with one-step non-manual technique favored the sensitive determination of ethanol with improved analytical capabilities.