Crystalline alignment of metal ions templated by β-chitin ester

The highly crystalline β-chitin from diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii was esterified via intercalation with succinic anhydride followed by simple heating, maintaining the original crystalline order. Due to the introduced free carboxyl groups, the chitin ester crystal showed ion exchange ability for metal cations in aq. solution. Heavy metal cations such as Pb²⁺ bound to the β-chitin succinate gave characteristic X-ray diffraction patterns, indicating regular alignment of metal ions. Such materials represent a new type of organometallic architecture, possibly leading to novel functionalities.     

Rapid Determination of Polar and Non-Polar Pesticides in Human Serum,Using Mixed-Mode C-C18 Monolithic Spin Column Extraction and LC–MS/MS

Organophosphates and carbamates are pesticides whose acute toxicities are caused by inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. A liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the quantification of 16 organophosphate and carbamate insecticides in human serum. Nonpolar and polar pesticides were simultaneously extracted from serum samples using a simple and fast monolithic spin column procedure using mixed-mode C-C₁₈ cartridges. Recovery was achieved in the range 11.9–99.2 %. Chromatography was carried out on an InertSustain^® C₁₈ HP 3 μm analytical column with gradient elution. Mass spectrometric analysis was performed using an Agilent 6410 Triple Quad Tandem mass spectrometer coupled with an electrospray ionization source in the positive ion mode. The assay was validated over a large concentration range and the limits of detection for all compounds ranged from 0.1 to 50 ng mL⁻¹. The precision for both intra- and inter-day determination of all analytes was found to be acceptable (< 12.9 %) and no significant matrix effect was observed. The developed method was effectively applied to clinical samples from patients presenting at hospital with symptoms of acute intentional organophosphate or carbamate poisoning, demonstrating its applicability to diagnostic applications.

     

Well-defined single-walled carbon nanotube fibers as quantum wires: Ballistic conduction over micrometer-length scales

We report quasi-ballistic conduction in single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) fibers at room temperature, with a measured mean free path of 1.0–2.6 μm. The dynamic submersion of vertical SWNT fibers into liquid mercury (Hg) electrode shows plateaus and steps indicative of quasi-ballistic electron transport. This response is described with a newly developed network model that uses surface impurities to simplify the parallel conducting channels. The quasi-ballistic SWNT fibers exhibit a resistance per unit length of 2.5–6.5 kΩ/μm and a mean free path exceeding 1 μm, a length longer than typical via dimensions in existing Si-chip technologies. These results highlight that SWNT fiber conductivity can be enhanced by increasing the metallic to semiconducting SWNT ratio and reducing the surface impurities.     

Unified neutron star EOSs and neutron star structures in RMF models

In the framework of the Thomas-Fermi approximation, we systematically study the EOSs and microscopic structures of neutron star matter in a vast density range with n_b ≈ 10⁻¹⁰-2 fm⁻³, where various covariant density functionals are adopted, i.e., those with nonlinear self couplings (NL3, PK1, TM1, GM1, MTVTC) and density-dependent couplings (DD-LZ1, DDME-X, PKDD, DD-ME2, DD2, TW99). It is found that the EOSs generally coincide with each other at n_b ≲ 10⁻⁴ fm⁻³ and 0.1 fm⁻³ ≲ n_b ≲ 0.3 fm⁻³, while in other density regions they are sensitive to the effective interactions between nucleons. By adopting functionals with a larger slope of symmetry energy L, the curvature parameter K_sym and neutron drip density generally increases, while the droplet size, proton number of nucleus, core-crust transition density, and onset density of non-spherical nuclei, decrease. All functionals predict neutron stars with maximum masses exceeding the two-solar-mass limit, while those of DD2, DD-LZ1, DD-ME2, and DDME-X predict optimum neutron star radii according to the observational constraints. Nevertheless, the corresponding skewness coefficients J are much larger than expected, while only the functionals MTVTC and TW99 meet the start-of-art constraints on J. More accurate measurements on the radius of PSR J0740 + 6620 and the maximum mass of neutron stars are thus essential to identify the functional that satisfies all constraints from nuclear physics and astrophysical observations. Approximate linear correlations between neutron stars' radii at M = 1.4M_⊙ and 2M_⊙, the slope L and curvature parameter K_sym of symmetry energy are observed as well, which are mainly attributed to the curvature-slope correlations in the functionals adopted here. The results presented here are applicable for investigations of the structures and evolutions of compact stars in a unified manner.     

Modal interaction in chaotic vibrations of a shallow double-curved shell-panel

Experimental results and analytical results are presented on chaotic vibrations of a shallow double-curved shell-panel subjected to gravity and periodic excitation. Modal interactions in the chaotic responses are discussed. The shell-panel with square boundary is simply supported for deflection. In-plane displacement at the boundary is elastically constrained. In the experiment, time histories of the chaotic responses at the spatial multiple positions of the shell-panel are measured for the inspection of modal interaction. In the analysis, the shallow shell-panel is assumed to have constant curvatures along to orthogonal directions and geometric initial imperfection. The Donnell-Mushtari-Vlasov type equation is used as governing equation with lateral inertia force. Assuming deflection with multiple modes of vibration, the governing equation is reduced to a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations by the Bubnov-Galerkin procedure. Chaotic responses are integrated numerically. The chaotic responses, which are obtained by the experiment and the analysis, are inspected with the Fourier spectra, the Poincaré projections, the maximum Lyapunov exponents and the Lyapunov dimension. Contribution of modes of vibration to the chaotic responses is analyzed by the principal component analysis, i.e., Karhunen-Loève transformation.     

Silver nanosintering: a lead-free alternative to soldering

We propose a lead-free silver paste as a replacement for a high-temperature lead-rich solder used for electronics. The pastes tested here contain a small amount of solvent, but primarily consist of silver powder and alkoxide-passivated silver nanoparticles that undergo nanosintering when heated. The pastes were used to connect silicon diode chips to copper bases at 350°C in nitrogen ambient without external pressure. The resulting diode packages had electrical and thermal properties about equal to those with lead-solder joints. The mechanical strengths also were comparable to the lead joint. These properties make this nanosilver paste the first viable lead-free alternative to a lead solder.