Synthesis, X-ray diffraction study, and ionic conductivity of new AB2O6 pyrochlores

The oxides A(Ti_0.5Te_1.5)O₆ (A = K, Rb, Cs, Tl), A(Ti_0.5W_1.5)O₆ (A = Rb, Cs, Tl), and Cs(B_0.5W_1.5)O₆ (B = Zr, Hf) have been obtained as polycrystalline powders giving X-ray diffraction patterns characteristic of defect cubic pyrochlores, space group (No. 227), Z = 8. The best discrepancy R factors, from 0.0265 for Rb(Ti_0.5Te_1.5)O₆ to 0.0554 for Cs(Zr_0.5W_1.5)O₆, were obtained for the B cations randomly distributed at 16(d), A ions at one quarter of 32(e), and oxygen atoms at 48(f) positions. A linear relationship is observed between the a unit cell parameters and the ionic radii of the A cations, as well as the average ionic radii of the B atoms. The results of electrical resistivity measurements for A(Ti_0.5Te_1.5)O₆ (A = K, Rb, Cs, Tl) are given.     

Determination of trace elements in Brazilian rice grains and in biological reference materials by neutron activation analysis

Instrumental neutron activation analysis was applied to the determination of the elements Na, K, Br, As, Rb, Zn, Co, Fe and Sc in Brazilian rice samples and in biological standards. Hg and Se concentrations were determined by using a simple radiochemical separation. The chemical procedure was carried out by means of distillation of Hg and Se in HBr medium and subsequent precipitation of selenium by sodium metabisulfite and mercury by thioacetamide. The accuracy of the instrumental and radiochemical methods was evaluated by means of analysis of the Reference Materials NBS-Bovine Liver, Bowen's Kale and NBS-Rice Flour.     

Combined supercritical-fluid chromatography/mass spectrometry in the analysis of diuron in plasma using on-line phase-system switching

On-line sample pretreatment by means of the phase-system switching approach is an interesting technique for the analysis of aqueous samples, e.g., plasma, by means of supercritical-fluid chromatography. In order to analyse plasma samples the following analytical procedure is used. The plasma sample is injected on to a short precolumn, which is washed with water and subsequently dried with nitrogen. Next, the solutes are desorbed with the supercritical mobile phase, analysed with packed-column supercritical-fluid chromatography and detected with either a UV detector or a mass spectrometer, equipped with a moving-belt interface. The herbicide diuron is selected as a test compound to study the feasibility of this approach. Using a selective detector the procedure is sufficiently sensitive to detect diuron in plasma, but not appropriate to detect the diuron metabolites in a post-mortem plasma sample. These have been identified with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. The detection limit of diuron in plasma using the procedure described is about 30 ng/mL.     

Characterization of thermal diffusion in polymer solutions by thermal field-flow fractionation: Dependence on polymer and solvent parameters

The thermal diffusion coefficient D_T has been obtained for 17 polymer-solvent combinations, each of them spanning a range of polymer molecular weights, using thermal field-flow fractionation. The polymers examined include polystyrene, poly(alpha-methyl)styrene, polymethylmethacrylate, and polysioprene. The solvents include benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, tetrahydrofuran, methylethylketone, ethylacetate, and cyclohexane. Although D_T was confirmed as essentially independent of polymer molecular weight, it was found to vary substantially with the chemical composition of polymer and solvent. The results were used to evaluate several thermal diffusion theories; the agreement with theory was generally found to be unsatisfactory. Attempts were then made to correlate the measured thermal diffusion coefficients with various physicochemical parameters of the polymers and solvent. A good correlation was found in which D_T increases with the thermal conductivity difference of the polymer and solvent and varies inversely with the activation energy of viscous flow of the solvent.     

Photonic switches and switch arrays on LiNbO3

In recent years there has been tremendous progress in lithium niobate-based photonic switches. The various switch configurations proposed and implemented, and their characteristics, are reviewed. A summary of the device technology is given. Performance analysis based on different architecture and the size of arrays that can be relalized are discussed.Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India     

Control of small phase arrays to form a prescribed amplitude-phase distribution

Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 32, No. 9, pp. 1132–1136, September, 1989.