Thermal behaviour and the cone calorimetric analysis of the jute fabric treated in different pH condition

In this paper, the effect of pH, i.e. acid and alkali was investigated on thermal stability of ligno-cellulosic polymeric fibrous (jute) material. The jute fabric was subjected to treatment under different pH, namely 4.5, 7, 10, 12, i.e. in acidic, neutral and alkaline conditions followed by drying prior to any thermal and physical characterization. The improvement in the thermal stability of jute to flame was measured in terms of limiting oxygen index value, vertical flammability and temperature profile of burning zone. Likewise thermo-gravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry and cone calorimeter analysis were also used to elucidate the improvement in thermal stability of the treated fabric. The changes in heat release rate, mass loss rate, heat of combustion, smoke production, etc., in the untreated and treated sample were measured in detail in cone calorimeter. Only the alkali-treated jute fabric samples showed profound improvement in thermal stability.

     

Micellar effect on quinquivalent vanadium ion oxidation of D‐glucose in aqueous acid media: A kinetic study

Vanadium(V) oxidation of D ‐glucose shows first‐order dependence on D ‐glucose, vanadium(V), H⁺, and HSO. These observations remain unaltered in the presence of externally added surfactants. The effect of the cationic surfactant (i.e., N‐cetylpyridinium chloride [CPC]), anionic surfactant (i.e., sodium dodecyl sulfate [SDS]), and neutral surfactant (i.e., Trion X‐100 [TX‐100]) has been studied. CPC inhibits the reactions, whereas SDS and TX‐100 accelerate the reaction to different extents. Observed effects have been explained by considering the hydrophobic and electrostatic interaction between the surfactants and reactants. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 40: 282–286, 2008     

Identification of Amino Acids with Modified Ninhydrin Reagents on Thin-Layer Chromatography Plates

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - The four new spray reagents (Benzoic acid and some of its parahaloderivatives) have been introduced. These reagents enable...     

Photosensitization of multiwalled carbon nanotube scaffolds with ZnO quantum dots for photovoltaic applications

In this article, we have decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) scaffold with ZnO quantum dots (QDs, size in the range of 2.9–4.5 nm) and investigated their prospects for photovoltaic applications. ZnO QDs, in the present study, work as photosensitizer instead of electron transporting media as used in recent conventional strategic solar cells. ZnO QDs/MWCNTs composite shows an increased visible absorbance and quenching of the broad visible emission at around ~560 nm, while only ZnO QDs exhibit a strong visible emission. An efficient electron–hole separation facilitates an increase in the short-circuit current. These results show a possibility of developing a nontoxic, ZnO QDs sensitized MWCNTs composite-based photovoltaic solar cell.     

An equity approach to stream water quality management

A model for stream water quality management with particular emphasis on applicability in Turkey is developed via mathematical programming. A new criterion of equity is introduced and the model is formulated as a quadratic programming problem with two objectives, namely equity among dischargers and minimization of total cost. The model is also applied to a hypothetical stream and compared with other more common water quality management programs.