Thermal degradation of poly(vinyl butyral) in alumina,mullite and silica composites

Thermal degradation of poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) and its mixtures with alumina, mullite and silica was investigated by non-isothermal thermogravimetry in the temperature range of 323 to 1273 K. The analysis of the data was carried out using a three-dimensional diffusion model. Results showed that the kinetic parameters (activation energy and pre-exponential factor) of the PVB degradation are different for polymer alone, and ceramic/polymer composites. The overall weighted mean apparent activation energy showed an increasing reactivity in the order of PVB<alumina+PVB<mullite+PVB<silica+PVB. This shows that the acidic and basic surface characteristics of the ceramics promote the thermal degradation of PVB and, the more acidic silica affects the degradation more than mullite and alumina. The effect of pellet compression pressure in the range of 4000 to 8000 psig is also investigated.     

Variation of the surface stress-charge coefficient of platinum with electrolyte concentration

We report an experimental study of the variation of surface stress with surface charge density for nanoporous Pt immersed in aqueous solutions of NaF of various concentration. As the concentration is reduced, we find initially an increase in the magnitude of the surface stress-charge coefficient, followed by saturation at a value of -1.9 V. Since specific adsorption is expected to be reduced as the solution becomes more dilute, the results support the notion that changes in the bonding at the metal surface play a decisive role in determining the change in the surface stress during double-layer charging.     

Vibrational spectra of crystalline H2SeO3 in the O-H stretching region

IR transmission, near-normal IR reflection and polarized Raman spectra of single crystals of selenious acid (H₂SeO₃) have been obtained at temperatures between 77°K and 335°K. The observed bands in the O-H stretching region have been assigned to two types of O-H….O bonds in the crystal structure. The spectral results appear to rule out correlation field splittings, intramolecular coupling, or Fermi resonance as explanations for the observed splitting. A proposed model based on intermolecular coupling of O-H….O vibrations to explain the splitting of the O-H stretching region is given.     

Adsorption of oxygen on W(100): Adsorption kinetics and structure

The adsorption of oxygen on W(100) single crystal surfaces is studied by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), flash desorption, low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and retarding field work function measurements with the aim of obtaining a better understanding of the adsorption kinetics and of the structures of the adsorbed layer. The AES results reveal step-wise changes of the sticking coefficients in the coverage range 0 to 1, and activated adsorption at higher coverages. Upon room temperature adsorption a series of complex LEED patterns is observed. In layers adsorbed at 1050 K and cooled to room temperature, the well-known p(2 × 1) structure is the first ordered structure observed. This structure shows a reversible order-disorder transition between 700 K and 1000 K and is characterized by a work function which is lower than that of the clean surface. Heating room temperature adsorbates changes their structure irreversibly. At temperatures below 750 K some new structures are observed. Combining the results obtained in this study with other published work leads to a considerable revision of the previously accepted model of the adsorption of oxygen on W(100).     

The co-adsorption of copper and oxygen on a tungsten {100} surface

The co-adsorption of Cu on O₂ and a W{100}surface is studied by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), thermal desorption (TD), low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and by work function change (δø) measurements. It is shown that the presence of Cu on the surface initially decreases s_O, the sticking coefficient of O₂. For longer oxygen exposures and for higher adsorption temperatures, θ_O reaches values larger than those on the clean surface for the same O₂ exposure. Except at the highest θ_O values and temperatures, the sticcking coefficient for copper, s_Cu, is unity and is independent of the oxygen coverage θ_O in the range studied (0 ? θ_O ? 2). Co-adsorption at room temperatures does not produce any long range order while co-adsorption at elevated temperature leads to the ordered structures (1 × 1), p(2 × 1), p(2 × 2) and c(2 × 2). The saturation coverage of the two dimensional co-adsorbate at 800 K is given by the relation $\text{θ}{}_{\mathrm{Cu}}\text{+}\text{8}\text{5}\text{θ}{}_{\mathrm{O}}\text{= 2}$. The work function is a complicated function of θ_O and θ_Cu and is determined predominantly by the temperature at which oxygen is adsorbed. At high temperatures the sequence of adsorption has no influence, in contrast to the room temperature behavior.     

113Cd Solid‐State NMR for Probing the Coordination Sphere in Metal–Organic Frameworks

Spectroscopic techniques are a powerful tool for structure determination, especially if single‐crystal material is unavailable. ¹¹³Cd solid‐state NMR is easy to measure and is a highly sensitive probe because the coordination number, the nature of coordinating groups, and the geometry around the metal ion is reflected by the isotropic chemical shift and the chemical‐shift anisotropy. Here, a detailed investigation of a series of 27 cadmium coordination polymers by ¹¹³Cd solid‐state NMR is reported. The results obtained demonstrate that ¹¹³Cd NMR is a very sensitive tool to characterize the cadmium environment, also in non‐single‐crystal materials. Furthermore, this method allows the observation of guest‐induced phase transitions supporting understanding of the structural flexibility of coordination frameworks.     

Inventory with service time and transfer of customers and/inventory

An inventory system with two parallel service facilities is considered. A certain number of customers are transferred from longer to shorter queue whenever their difference reaches a prescribed quantity. Along with this customer transfer, a certain quantity of inventory is also transferred, depending on availability. Further, if one of the queues has customers, but has no inventoried items whereas the other has at least one inventoried item to spare, then exactly one item is taken to the former and service begins thereby enhancing the efficiency of the system. Stability of the system is analysed. Several performance measures that helps in efficient design of such systems, are computed. Some numerical results are provided.     

How Many Timesteps for a Cycle? Analysis of the Wisdom-Holman Algorithm

The Wisdom-Holman algorithm is an effective method for numerically solving nearly integrable systems. It takes into account the exact solution of the integrable part. If the nearly integrable system is the solar system, for example, the Wisdom-Holman algorithm uses the solution consisting of Keplerian orbits obtained when the interplanetary interactions are ignored. The effectiveness of the algorithm lies in its ability to take long timesteps. We use the Duffing oscillator and Kepler's problem with forcing to deduce how long those timesteps can be. For nearly Keplerian orbits, the timesteps must be at least six per orbital period even when the orbital eccentricity is zero. High eccentricity of the Keplerian orbits constrains the algorithm and forces it to take shorter timesteps. The analysis is applied to the solar system and other problems.