Effects of saturation on optical bistability with coupled surface plasmons

We present exact numerical results for a symmetric layered medium (prism/Ag film/nonlinear dielectric/Ag film/prism) where the middle dielectric slab is assumed to have a saturation-type nonlinearity. We show bistable behaviour in the power dependence of the reflectivity ofp-polarized light under the condition when coupled surface modes are excited in the structure. Moreover, we study the effect of saturation on the bistable behaviour to show that multivalued character is inhibited by saturation effects. The field distributions corresponding to the minimum reflectivity states of the nonlinear structure are also presented.     

Spectrophotometric determination of thiourea in microgram quantities

Summary Copper(II) forms a stable colourless complex with thiourea. This property has been utilized to develop a Spectrophotometric method for the determination ofg quantities of thiourea. The complex absorbs in ultraviolet region and the determinations are carried out at 250 nm. The method permits the determination of thiourea from 10–60g with error not exceeding ± 1.0%.

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Zusammenfassung Kupfer(II) bildet mit Thioharnstoff eine farblosa Komplexverbindung, die sich auf Grund ihrer Absorption bei 250 nm zur spektrophotometrischen Bestimmung von Mikrogrammengen Thioharnstoff eignet. 10 bis 60g Thioharnstoff lassen sieh mit einem Fehler von höchstens ± 1,0% bestimmen.

     

Analytical aspects of some organic acids

Summary A direct titrimetric method for the estimation of iron(III) has been developed, which involves the adjustment of concentration of iron(III) andPh, dilution, addition of 1 ml of 2% indicator solution and titration with EDTA (30° to 35° C). It is based on the fact that the iron(III) forms a blue coloured complex which is destroyed at the 11 molar ratio making the end-point of the titration. Quantity of iron(III) as small as 23.2 mg can be titrated accurately when present in a volume of 100 ml. Study of interferences revealed that quite a number of elements like Be²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, UO₂ ²⁺ and Mn²⁺ does not interfere, whereas much interference is caused by Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Pb²⁺, Fe²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, ZrO²⁺, V0²⁺, Al³⁺, Cr³⁺, Ti⁴⁺, Ce⁴⁺ and Th⁴⁺. The method proposed for iron(III) is selective and should be of considerable use in many cases.Part III: See Z. analyt. Chem. 167, 332 (1959).     

RF-PACVD of water repellent and protective HMDSO coatings on bell metal surfaces: Correlation between discharge parameters and film properties

Hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) films have been deposited on bell metal using radiofrequency plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (RF-PACVD) technique. The protective performances of the HMDSO films and their water repellency have been investigated as a function of DC self-bias voltage on the substrates during deposition. Plasma potential measurements during film deposition process are carried out by self-compensated emissive probe. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) analyses of the plasma during deposition reveal no significant change in the plasma composition within the DC self-bias voltage range of −40 V to −160 V that is used. Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies are carried out for film chemistry analysis and indicate that the impinging ion energy on the substrates influences the physio-chemical properties of the HMDSO films. At critical ion energy of 113 qV (corresponding to DC self-bias voltage of −100 V), the deposited HMDSO film exhibits least defective Si-O-Si chemical structure and highest inorganic character and this contributes to its best corrosion resistance behavior. The hardness and elastic modulus of the films are found to be bias dependent and are 1.27 GPa and 5.36 GPa for films deposited at −100 V. The critical load for delamination is also bias dependent and is 11 mN for this film. The water repellency of the HMDSO films is observed to be dependent on the variation in surface roughness. The results of the investigations suggest that HMDSO films deposited by RF-PACVD can be used as protective coatings on bell metal surfaces.     

Effective thermal conductivity of granulated two-phase systems at interstitial air pressures

Considering the htermal conduction through molecular collisions an expression for the effective thermal conductivityλ _e of loose and granular two-phase materials at different interstitial air pressure has been derived. The dependence ofλ _e on pore and particle sizes, characteristic pressure and radiative heat transfer is also discussed. Calculated values ofλ _e of glass beads and loose building materials are compared with reported results.     

Non‐linear stability for convection with quadratic temperature dependent viscosity

In this paper, we study the non‐linear stability of convection for a Newtonian fluid heated from below, where the viscosity of the fluid depends upon temperature. We are able to show that for Rayleigh numbers below a certain critical value, Ra_c, the rest state of the fluid and the steady temperature distribution remains non‐linearly stable, using the calculations of Diaz and Straughan (Continuum Mech. Thermodyn. 2004; 16 :347–352). The central contribution of this paper lies in a simpler proof of non‐linear stability, than the ones in the current literature, by use of a suitable maximum principle argument. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Using A Molecular Antimony Complex under Aqueous Conditions: An Experimental and Computational Study on Main-Group Element Catalysis

Electrocatalytic hydrogen gas production is considered a potential pathway towards carbon-neutral energy sources. However, the development of this technology is hindered by the lack of efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally benign catalysts. In this study, a main-group-element-based electrocatalyst, SbSalen , is reported to catalyze the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in an aqueous medium. The heterogenized molecular system achieved a Faradaic efficiency of 100 % at −1.4 V vs. NHE with a maximum current density of −30.7 mA/cm². X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the catalyst-bound working electrode before and after electrolysis confirmed the molecular stability during catalysis. The turnover frequency was calculated as 43.4 s⁻¹ using redox-peak integration. The kinetic and mechanistic aspects of the electrocatalytic reaction were further examined by computational methods. This study provides mechanistic insights into main-group-element electrocatalysts for heterogeneous small-molecule conversion.     

Hydrodechlorination of Dichloromethane by a Metal-Free Triazole-Porphyrin Electrocatalyst: Demonstration of Main-Group Element Electrocatalysis**

In this work, the electrocatalytic reduction of dichloromethane (CH₂Cl₂) into hydrocarbons involving a main group element-based molecular triazole-porphyrin electrocatalyst H2PorT8 is reported. This catalyst converted CH₂Cl₂ in acetonitrile to various hydrocarbons (methane, ethane, and ethylene) with a Faradaic efficiency of 70 % and current density of −13 mA cm⁻² at a potential of −2.2 V vs. Fc/Fc⁺ using water as a proton source. The findings of this study and its mechanistic interpretations demonstrated that H2PorT8 was an efficient and stable catalyst for the hydrodechlorination of CH₂Cl₂ and that main group catalysts could be potentially used for exploring new catalytic reaction mechanisms.