Preparation of PTFE Nanosphere with the Assistant of Modified Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

PTFE nanospheres have been obtained with the assistant of different multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by means of a simple preparation method. The results show that the PTFE nanospheres possess the best dispersion stability using the fluorocarbon-modified MWNTs as the assistant. The products are characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively.     

General Route to Synthesize Monodisperse Oxide (Hydroxide) Nanoparticles

Mono-dispersed oxide and hydroxide nanoparticles have been synthesized through the solvothermal process in alcohol-water mixtures. The products were characterized by powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Plate-like nanoparticles are obtained for Bi₂O_2.33, Fe₂O₃, and Cd(OH)₂, and spherical nanoparticles are obtained for SnO₂. The growth mechanism for the mono-dispersed nanoparticles has been preliminarily discussed.     

Fusion Dynamics of Aqueous Glutamic Acid/Aminodecane/Ibuprofen Vesicles

Vesicles have been prepared at a constant molar ratio of L-glutamic acid/1-aminodecane/ibuprofen/H₂O. The fusion dynamics of the vesicles have been directly observed and followed by using optical microscopy and freeze fracture replication-electron microscopy technologies. With time increasing up to 25 minutes, the vesicles slowly fuse to form large stable vesicles. A membrane phase transition temperature is detected at 97°C.     

Study on the Interaction Between Bovine Serum Albumin and Potassium Perfluoro Octane Sulfonate

The interactions between potassium perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were studied by fluorescence spectroscopy. The association constants between PFOS and BSA were obtained by fluorescence enhancing and fluorescence quenching respectively. Furthermore, fluorescence quenching was studied at different temperatures, and the binding constant was also determined by the method of fluorescence quenching. According to the thermodynamic parameters, the main binding force could be judged. The experimental results revealed that BSA and PFOS had strong interactions. The mechanism of quenching belonged to dynamic quenching and the main sort of binding force was hydrophobic force. IR-spectra proved the interaction changed the conformation of BSA.     

Studies of Interfacial Activities of Four Kinds of Surfactants at Oil/Water Interface

This article aims to compare the interfacial activities of different kinds of surfactants in the same oil/water system. The anionic surfactants of alkylbenzene sulfonates, the polyoxyethylenated nonionic surfactants, the cationic surfactants of alkyl trimethyl ammonium chlorides, and the zwitterionic surfactants of alkyl hydroxyl sulfobetaines were used, and the interfacial tensions of the surfactant solutions against kerosene at different NaCl concentrations were measured. It is found that the interfacial activities of the alkylbenzene sulfonates are high and ultralow interfacial tensions (<0.01 mN/m) can be obtained at proper salinities. While, the nonionic surfactants have relatively low interfacial activities and the minimum tensions are around 0.01 mN/ms. The salinity scanning curves of the alkylbenzene sulfonates and nonionic surfactants decrease first, then increase, showing their interfacial activities can be changed by the salinity effectively. The cationic and zwitterionic surfactants have very low interfacial activities, of which all the tensions are higher than 0.1 mN/ms and are hard to be changed by the salinity. The experimental results may have important reference values for enhanced oil recovery.     

Photocatalytic Activity of High Aspect Ratio TiO2 Nanorods

In this article, TiO₂ nanorods (aspect ratio >20) were prepared through a polyol process and doped with metal ions (Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Fe³⁺, and Cr³⁺). Compared with TiO₂ nanoparticles, the TiO₂ nanorods displayed relatively higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of copper sulfophthalocyanine. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity was greatly enhanced when the metal ions were doped in the TiO₂ nanorods.     

Studies on the electro-optical and the light-scattering properties of PDLC films with the size gradient of the LC droplets

Polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films with the size gradient of the LC droplets were prepared based on the epoxy/acrylate hybrid polymer matrix. The ultraviolet (UV) intensity gradient was induced by the UV-absorbing dye over the thickness of the samples. Taking advantage of the difference between the epoxy monomers and acrylate monomers in polymerisation rates and the UV intensity gradient, the gradient distribution of the LC droplet size was formed in PDLC films. The effect of the size gradient of the LC droplets on the electro-optical and the light-scattering properties of PDLC films was investigated. The results showed that due to the size gradient distribution of the LC droplets, PDLC films could exhibit the strong light scattering in the UV-visible-near infrared (VIS-NIR) region. Consequently, it provides a potential approach for modulating NIR light transmittance.     

Theoretical and experimental investigation of the effect of proton transfer on the (27)al MAS NMR line shapes of zeolite-adsorbate complexes: an independent measure of solid Acid strength

Assessing the degree of proton transfer from a Br?nsted acid site to one or more adsorbed bases is central to arguments regarding the strength of zeolites and other solid acids. In this regard certain solid-state NMR measurements have been fruitful; for example, some (13)C, (15)N, or (31)P resonances of adsorbed bases are sensitive to protonation, and the (1)H chemical shift of the Br?nsted site itself reflects hydrogen bonding. We modeled theoretically the structures of adsorption complexes of several bases on zeolite HZSM-5, calculated the quadrupole coupling constants (Q(cc)) and asymmetry parameters (eta) for aluminum in these complexes and then in turn simulated the central transitions of their (27)Al MAS NMR spectra. The theoretical line width decreased monotonically with the degree of proton transfer, reflecting structural relaxation around aluminum as the proton was transferred to a base. We verified this experimentally for a series of adsorbed bases by way of single-pulse MAS and triple quantum MQMAS (27)Al NMR. The combined theoretical and experimental approach described here provides a strategy by which (27)Al data can be applied to resolve disputed interpretations of proton transfer based on other evidence.     

The Ionic Conductivity of Solid Electrolytes for Li4+xMxSi1–xO4‐yLi2O (M=Al,B) Systems

The Li_4+xM_xSi_4+xO₄‐yLi₂O (M=Al, B; x = 0 to 0.6, y = 0 to 0.5) ion conductors were prepared by the Sol‐Gel method and examined in detail. The powder and sintered samples were characterized by DTA‐TG, XRD, SEM, and AC impedance techniques. The experimental results show that the conductivity and sinterability in creased with the amount of excess lithium oxide in the silicate. The Li₂O phase acts as a flux to accelerate the sintering process and to obtain high conductivity of grain boundaries. The particle size of the sintered pellets is about 0.25 μm. The maximum conductivity at 200 °C is 5.40 × 10^?3s cm^?1 for Li_4.4Al_0.4 Si_0.6O₄‐0.3Li₂O.