Effect of ethylene glycol on the formation of extended crystals of M1/3Co2/3C2O4 · 2H2O (M = Zn, Mn) oxalates and their thermolysis products

The effect of ethylene glycol (EG) on the formation of whiskers and fibers of complex oxides with the general formula MCo₂O₄ upon the thermolysis of M_1/3Co_2/3C₂O₄ (M = Zn, Mn) oxalates has been studied. New compounds (solvates) are formed when powdered oxalates are heated with EG. In the solvates, EG molecules substitute for water molecules according to the reaction M_1/3Co_2/3C₂O₄ · 2H₂O + HOCH₂CH₂OH = M_1/3Co_2/3C₂O₄(HOCH₂CH₂OH) + 2H₂O. The solvates have been characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, microscopy, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, and chemical analysis. The shape, structure, and particle size of the thermolysis products of EG-modified oxalates have been determined using scanning electron microscopy.     

Sparse graph certificates for mixed connectivity

We give a short proof for the Mixed Connectivity Certificate Theorem of Even, Itkis and Rajsbaum and provide an upper bound on the edge number of a certificate of local T-mixed connectivity up to k.     

Invariants of Characteristics of Some Systems of Partial Differential Equations

We introduce the notion of an invariant of characteristics for a system of first-order partial differential equations. We prove that the existence of invariants is connected with passiveness of some systems. We describe a few methods for construction of new invariants from those already known. We give a scheme for application of the invariants to reduction and integration of systems of partial differential equations. As an application we consider the equation of gas dynamics.     

Investigation of the thermoelastic phase transformation in a NiAl alloy by molecular dynamics simulation

The Ni_xAl_1−x alloys exhibit shape memory effect, for which thermoelastic phase transformations are essential, in the composition range of 60<x<65. The analytical studies are very difficult on the thermoelastic phase transformations because these types of transformations exhibit anharmonic behaviour. In order to overcome this difficulty, it is possible to benefit from the molecular dynamics (MD) calculations based on interatomic interaction potentials. In the present study, the interatomic interactions of Ni_62.5Al_37.5 alloy have been modelled by means of Lennard-Jones potential energy function. A MD cell of 1024 atoms in B2 super lattice has been chosen and the structural changes were investigated on this system with changing temperature. It has been observed that the model alloy exhibits the thermoelastic phase transformation with thermal cycling. A hysteresis has been determined between forward and backward transformation temperatures. The structural analysis is also done before and after the transformation.     

Dynamics and spectra of excited states of water-micellar suspensions of single-walled carbon nanotubes

The dynamics of the photoinduced differential absorption and excited-state bleaching spectra of single-walled carbon nanotubes suspended in a micellar solution were studied in the spectral range from 40 to 1000 nm within a time interval from 70 fs to 150 ps under excitation by 50-fs pulses with photon energies 2 and 4 eV. The bleaching and absorption bands were observed in the spectra; the positions of the bleaching peaks were independent of the photon energy of the exciting femtosecond pulse in the range 2–4 eV. It was established that, for delay times shorter than 1 ps, the shape of the differential spectrum of excited nanotubes coincided with the shape of the second derivative of the absorption spectrum of unexcited nanotubes in the frequency range of exciting pulse above 18000 cm^?1 (the range of absorption bands of metallic nanotubes). In the frequency range below 16000 cm^?1 (the range of absorption peaks of semiconducting nanotubes), the bleaching peaks in the differential spectrum of excited nanotubes undergo a high-frequency shift of 200–300 cm^?1 with respect to the second-derivative spectrum of unexcited nanotubes. The excited-state relaxation rate constants were measured. They are well approximated by the exponential dependences and depend on the probe-pulse wavelength. An assumption was made about the nature of the observed spectra of excited nanotubes and about the excitation relaxation.     

Liquid Ion-Selective Electrodes for Determining Nonionic Surfactants

It was shown that nonionic surfactants (NS) can be determined by potentiometry using liquid NS-selective electrodes. The effect of medium acidity and foreign substances on the operation of liquid NS-selective electrodes was studied. Some properties of NS-selective electrodes were determined.     

Ac behaviour and phase transition in PLZT 6/80/20 ferroelectric ceramics

The Ac behaviour of PLZT 6/80/20 ferroelectric ceramics was analyzed around and above the phase transition. Two relaxation processes are identified, showing that the so-called ‘universal relaxation law’ holds for the ceramics. A critical point in the values of the Ac conductivity, around the temperature corresponding to the maximum of the dielectric losses, is observed below the transition temperature due to the relaxor behaviour. The frequency dependence of the Ac conductivity at various temperatures and the hysteresis loops show classical relaxor behaviour with a diffuse phase transition.