Preparation of gold colloid using pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid and characterization of its particle growth

Gold colloid was prepared by reduction of tetrachloroaurate using pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid in the presence of α-methoxy-ω-mercaptoethyl-poly(ethylene glycol). The shape and size of the obtained gold colloids were monitored by absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy during the reduction reaction. In the early stage of the reducing reaction, large fluffy particles with diameters >100 μm were observed. Some of these large particles had rectangular parallelepiped shapes. However, the mean particle size decreased with increasing time. Eventually, these large, non-round-shaped particles disappeared almost completely, and uniform round-shaped particles with a mean diameter of 10.5 nm became dominant.     

Preparation of monodisperse,reactive hydrogel microspheres and their amphoterization

Monodisperse, reactive hydrogel microspheres were prepared by precipitation polymerization ofp-nitrophenyl acrylate (NPA) with acrylamide, methacrylic acid, and methylenebisacrylamide in ethanol. The size of microspheres was controlled by the monomer ratio. Some fraction of reactive ester decomposed during the polymerization. The reactive hydrogel microspheres were converted to amphoteric ones by the reaction of NPA units with diamine. The isoelectric point of the amphoteric microspheres was around 4.0, but it was different from the pH at which the microspheres have the minimum size or the most shrunken state. This was attributed to the uneven distribution of induced amine groups.     

Permeation flux of organic molecules through silica-surfactant nanochannels in a porous alumina membrane.

The permeation fluxes of phenol, benzene sulfonate (BS) and benzene disulfonate (BDS) through a porous anodic alumina membrane with the perpendicularly oriented silica-surfactant nanochannel assembly membrane (NAM) were measured in water-ethanol mixture media. The permeation flux depended on solute charges and on solvent composition. As the ethanol ratio increased, the fluxes of BS and BDS increased and the flux of phenol decreased. The results of extraction/elution experiments also depended on the solute charges and the solvent composition. Chromatographic experiments in n-hexane showed that dipole and hydrophobic interactions affect the retention of solutes. Permeation of the solute across the NAM in water-ethanol mixture is likely to be determined by various factors such as dipole interaction, hydrophobic interaction, solvation, and anion-exchange efficiencies.     

The Gradient Condition for One-Dimensional Symmetric Exclusion Processes

For every Gibbs measure on the one dimensional lattice Z with translation-invariant potential of finite range, an exchange rate for one-dimensional lattice gas which satisfy both the detailed balance condition relative to the Gibbs measure and the gradient condition is constructed.     

A Flat Spectral Response AWG Demultiplexer Composed of Slabs with Islands and Peninsulas

Phase adjustment elements called islands and peninsulas are introduced to obtain an AWG demultiplexer with a flat spectral response. Use of the peninsulas enables us to achieve a 1dB bandwidth of 0.5 nm.     

Absorption Coefficient Measurements of Strongly Scattering Media Using Time-Resolved Transmittance of a Short Pulse in Near-Infrared (NIR) Wavelength Range

Absorption coefficient measurements of strongly scattering and weakly absorbing media have been performed using time resolved transmittance of a 100 fs pulse through a 30 mm slab containing latex spheres suspended in water and absorbing ink solutions. The scattering and absorption coefficients were selected so that the optical properties of the media were similar to those of biological tissues. Measured curves of time-resolved transmittance of the pulse through the media were used to estimate the optical properties of the media. The experiment was made at two different wavelengths, 784 nm and 810 nm. Estimated absorption coefficients were in good agreement with those measured in a nonscattering case by a spectrophotometer.Presented at the 7th International Workshop on Multiple Scattering Lidar/Light Experiments (MUSCLE7), July 21-23 1994, Chiba, Japan.     

The oldest mid-oceanic carbonate buildup complex: Setting and lithofacies of the Vendian (Late Neoproterozoic) Baratal limestone in the Gorny Altai Mountains,Siberia

The Baratal limestone in the Gorny Altai Mountains, southern Siberia, occurs as large allochthonous blocks within a Cambrian accretionary complex that developed around the Siberia craton. Before the final accretion to Siberia in the Cambrian, the terrigenous clastic-free Baratal limestone was deposited directly upon a basaltic basement with a geochemical signature identical to that of modern oceanic plateau. The Baratal limestone with 598 ± 25 Ma (Early Vendian) Pb-Pb isochron age consists of three distinct facies; 1) massive lime mudstone with ooids and stromatolites, 2) bedded lime mudstone, and 3) limestone conglomerate/breccia dominated by ooid-bearing lime mudstone clasts. The first represents a shallow marine environment on top of an ancient oceanic plateau, while the latter two represent the deeper slope to bottom-of-slope facies of a plateau. The Vendian Baratal limestone provides the oldest example of a reconstructed shallow marine carbonate buildup complex developed on a plateau/seamount in a mid-ocean.