Understanding the micro structure of Berea Sandstone by the simultaneous use of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM)

Berea sandstone is the building block for reservoirs containing precious hydrocarbon fuel. In this study, we comprehensively reveal the microstructure of Berea sandstone, which is often treated as a porous material with interconnected micro-pores of 2-5 μm. This has been possible due to the combined application of micro-computed tomography (CT) and focused ion beam (FIB)-scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on a Berea sample. While the use of micro-CT images are common for geological materials, the clubbing and comparison of tomography on Berea with state-of-the-art microstructure imaging techniques like FIB-SEM reveals some unforeseen features of Berea microstructure. In particular, for the first time FIB-SEM has been used to understand the micro-structure of reservoir rock material like Berea sandstone. By using these characterization tools, we are able to show that the micro-pores (less than 30 μm) are absent below the solid material matrix, and that it has small interconnected pores (30-40 μm) and large crater-like voids (100-250 μm) throughout the bulk material. Three-dimensional pore space reconstructions have been prepared from the CT images. Accordingly, characterization of Berea sandstone specimen is performed by calculation of pore-structure volumes and determination of porosity values.     

Income distribution dependence of poverty measure: A theoretical analysis

Using a modified deprivation (or poverty) function, in this paper, we theoretically study the changes in poverty with respect to the ‘global’ mean and variance of the income distribution using Indian survey data. We show that when the income obeys a log-normal distribution, a rising mean income generally indicates a reduction in poverty while an increase in the variance of the income distribution increases poverty. This altruistic view for a developing economy, however, is not tenable anymore once the poverty index is found to follow a pareto distribution. Here although a rising mean income indicates a reduction in poverty, due to the presence of an inflexion point in the poverty function, there is a critical value of the variance below which poverty decreases with increasing variance while beyond this value, poverty undergoes a steep increase followed by a decrease with respect to higher variance. Identifying this inflexion point as the poverty line, we show that the pareto poverty function satisfies all three standard axioms of a poverty index [N.C. Kakwani, Econometrica 43 (1980) 437; A.K. Sen, Econometrica 44 (1976) 219] whereas the log-normal distribution falls short of this requisite. Following these results, we make quantitative predictions to correlate a developing with a developed economy.     

Interaction Between Pd(RaaiR′)Cl<Subscript>2</Subscript> and Adenine: Reaction Dynamics and Mechanism [RaaiR′ = 1-alkyl-2-(arylazo)imidazole]

Nucleophilic substitution of Pd(RaaiR′)Cl₂ [RaaiR′=1-alkyl-2-(arylazo)imidazole, p-R—C₆H₄— N=N—C₃H₂NN-1-R′; where R= H(a)/Me(b)/Cl(c) and R′ = Et(1)/Bz(2)] with adenine (A) in MeCN–water (1:1) at 298 K, to form [Pd(A)₂]Cl₂, has been studied spectrophotometrically under pseudo-first-order conditions and the analyses support a nucleophilic association path. The reaction follows the rate law, rate = {a+k [A] ₀²[Pd(RaaiR′)Cl₂]: first-order in Pd(RaaiR′)Cl₂ and second-order in A. The rate increases as follows: Pd(RaaiEt)Cl₂(1) < Pd(RaaiBz)Cl₂(2) and Pd(MeaaiR′)Cl₂(b) < Pd(HaaiR′)Cl₂(a) < Pd(ClaaiR′)Cl₂(c). External addition of Cl⁻ (LiCl) suppresses the rate (rate 1/[Cl⁻]). The activation parameters, H⁰ and S⁰ of the reactions were calculated from the Eyring plot and support the proposed mechanism.     

Photoinduced charge separation in three-layer supramolecular nanohybrids: fullerene-porphyrin-SWCNT

Photoinduced charge separation processes of three-layer supramolecular hybrids, fullerene-porphyrin-SWCNT, which are constructed from semiconducting (7,6)- and (6,5)-enriched SWCNTs and self-assembled via π-π interacting long alkyl chain substituted porphyrins (tetrakis(4-dodecyloxyphenyl)porphyrins; abbreviated as MP(alkyl)(4)) (M = Zn and H(2)), to which imidazole functionalized fullerene[60] (C(60)Im) is coordinated, have been investigated in organic solvents. The intermolecular alkyl-π and π-π interactions between the MP(alkyl)(4) and SWCNTs, in addition, coordination between C(60)Im and Zn ion in the porphyrin cavity are visualized using DFT calculations at the B3LYP/3-21G(*) level, predicting donor-acceptor interactions between them in the ground and excited states. The donor-acceptor nanohybrids thus formed are characterized by TEM imaging, steady-state absorption and fluorescence spectra. The time-resolved fluorescence studies of MP(alkyl)(4) in two-layered nanohybrids (MP(alkyl)(4)/SWCNT) revealed efficient quenching of the singlet excited states of MP(alkyl)(4) ((1)MP*(alkyl)(4)) with the rate constants of charge separation (k(CS)) in the range of (1-9) × 10(9) s(-1). A nanosecond transient absorption technique confirmed the electron transfer products, MP˙(+)(alkyl)(4)/SWCNT˙(-) and/or MP˙(-)(alkyl)(4)/SWCNT˙(+) for the two-layer nanohybrids. Upon further coordination of C(60)Im to ZnP, acceleration of charge separation via(1)ZnP* in C(60)Im→ZnP(alkyl)(4)/SWCNT is observed to form C(60)˙(-)Im→ZnP˙(+)(alkyl)(4)/SWCNT and C(60)˙(-)Im→ZnP(alkyl)(4)/SWCNT˙(+) charge separated states as supported by the transient absorption spectra. These characteristic absorptions decay with rate constants due to charge recombination (k(CR)) in the range of (6-10) × 10(6) s(-1), corresponding to the lifetimes of the radical ion-pairs of 100-170 ns. The electron transfer in the nanohybrids has further been utilized for light-to-electricity conversion by the construction of proof-of-concept photoelectrochemical solar cells.