Miniature hydride generator system for inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

Conclusion The detachable miniature hydride generator presented in this work gives the analytical chemist easy access to the determination of ultratrace levels of tin and germanium using a 1.2 kW-ICP spectrometer commercially available. An improvement of the detection limits of approximately 100 times those for conventional pneumatic nebulizer-ICP-AES, has been reported in this work.     

Periodic arrangement of silica nanospheres assisted by amino acids

Uniform-sized silica nanospheres with a well-ordered arrangement were successfully synthesized by a novel and simple method; hydrolysis and condensation reactions of tetraethyl orthosilicate were conducted in the presence of basic amino acids.     

Versatile fabrication of distorted cubic mesoporous silica film using CTAB together with a hydrophobic organic additive

We have succeeded in the fabrication of distorted cubic R-3m mesoporous silica film with 3D open mesostructure providing high pore accessibility from the surface-air interface of the film. The film fabrication involves a unique approach of adding 1,3,5- triisopropylbenzene (TIPB) to the silica/cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB) coating sol during its preparation. The addition of TIPB induces the formation of spheroid micelles, promoting R-3m mesostructure in the film. This phase does not exist in the corresponding binary phase diagram of CTAB surfactant.     

Improvement of the sensitivity in velocity sensing using dynamic speckles

Dynamic speckle patterns can be used for imaging of relative velocity of moving objects in fields of biomedical and mechanical measurements. In spite of the widespread use of this method, the effect of speckle size on velocity sensing has not fully been estimated so far. In addition, effects of speckle contrast and random noises on the sensitivity of velocity sensing have not been investigated yet. In the present study, we estimated condition of image processing of speckle patterns for reducing effects of random noises with relation to linearity and sensitivity in velocity sensing. We further introduced binarization of the speckle pattern to improve the sensitivity in velocity sensing. Experiments were conducted for sample models using a diffusive plate and fluid flows to confirm the feasibility of the proposed method.     

Adhesion Behavior of Microorganisms Isolated from Soil on Hydroxyapatite and Other Materials

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - The adhesion behavior of microorganisms on different materials was examined to obtain basic knowledge for designing support materials for microorganisms....     

Polarographic study of Mo(VI) in 0.1–5 M sulfuric acid solutions

Reduction mechanisms of polarographic reduction waves of Mo(VI) in 0.1–5 M sulfuric acid solutions are described. Three reduction waves are observed when the concentration of sulfuric acid is >3 M. From the results of coulometry and the catalytic behavior of Mo(V), it is concluded that three different reduction mechanisms of Mo(VI) to Mo(V) are present and that two separate reductions of Mo(VI) to Mo(V) and of Mo(V) to Mo(III) are involved at the potential of the third wave. The presence of three reduction mechanisms of Mo(VI) to Mo(V) in sulfuric acid α 3 M seems to indicate the existence of three different chemical species of Mo(VI). Two of these three species are different from the present in 0.1 M sulfuric acid.     

Rational Manipulation of Stacking Arrangements in Three-Dimensional Zeolites Built from Two-Dimensional Zeolitic Nanosheets

Unit-cell-thin zeolitic nanosheets have emerged as fascinating materials for catalysis and separation. The controllability of nanosheet stacking is extremely challenging in the chemistry of two-dimensional zeolitic materials. To date, the organization of zeolitic nanosheets in hydrothermal synthesis has been limited by the lack of tunable control over the guest–host interactions between organic structure-directing agents (OSDAs) and zeolitic nanosheets. A direct synthetic methodology is reported that enables systematic manipulation of the aluminosilicate MWW-type nanosheet stacking. Variable control of guest–host interactions is rationally achieved by synergistically altering the charge density of OSDAs and synthetic silica-to-alumina composition. These finely controlled interactions allow successful preparation of a series of three-dimensional (3D) zeolites, with MWW-layer stacking in wide ranges from variably disorder to fully ordered, leading to tunable catalytic activity in the cracking reaction. These results highlight unprecedented opportunities to modulate zeolitic nanosheets arrangement in 3D zeolites whose structure can be tailored for catalysis and separation.     

Measurements of blood flow and blood concentration change using laser speckle in fiber illumination and its application to estimation of stress condition

Optical Review - Speckle imaging method is useful for monitoring of blood flow in living bodies. We have proposed so far the method for simultaneous imaging of blood flow and blood concentration...