Effect of Bi promoter on the performances of selective oxidation of isobutane to methacrolein over MoVO/AlPO4 catalysts

The effects of Bi on the catalytic performance of selective oxidation of isobutane to methacrolein over MoVO/AlPO4 catalyst were investigated by XRD, FT-Raman, XPS, UV-vis DRS techniques. The results show that the addition of Bi component into the MoVO/AlPO4 catalyst obviously improves the catalytic performance, and the selectivity to methacrolein can increase from 14.2% to 45.1% with the increase of Bi/V molar ratio from 0 to 1. Combining the characterization results with the reaction evaluation, it is concluded that the catalytic activities of the MoV0.3Bix/AlPO4 catalysts are related to the crystalline phase composition and the dispersion of molybdenum and vanadium oxides species in general, and also to the V5+/V4+ molar ratio on the surface in particular.     

TiO2 mesocrystals: Synthesis, formation mechanisms and applications

Mesocrystals, which are assemblies of crystallographically oriented nanocrystals, have received increasing attention due to their unique properties such as high crystallinity, high porosity, oriented subunit alignment, and similarity to highly sophisticated biominerals. However, the controlled synthesis of TiO 2 mesocrystals has not been realized until recently, probably because of the difficulty in accurately controlling the reaction processes that produce TiO 2 crystals. In this review, recent advances in the synthesis and applications of TiO 2 mesocrystals are summarized with particular attention paid to the mechanisms of their formation. Three typical pathways for the preparation of TiO 2 mesocrystals are discussed, namely topotactic transformation, direct synthesis in solution, and growth on supports. The potential applications of TiO 2 mesocrystals in lithium ion batteries, photocatalysis, enzyme immobilization, and antireflection materials are also described.     

Fringe pattern analysis by S-transform

S-transform proposed in 1996 by Stockwell R.G is a simple and popular technique for the time–frequency analysis. It has been introduced in optical three-dimensional shape measurement, recently. In this paper, a study about applications of S-transform in the demodulation of deformed fringe patterns is performed. We focus on discussing not only the S-transform spectrum filtering technique, the S-transform ridge technique and the phase gradient calculation method based on S-transform used in fringe pattern demodulation, but also the phase unwrapping technique. In addition, a generalized S-transform was introduced to analyze fringe patterns, which is helpful to improve the measurement accuracy and flexibility of the method based on S-transform. The reconstruction results based on S-transform were compared with that on wavelet transform and windowed Fourier transform in fringe analysis.     

Finite size effect on the Raman frequency of phonons in nano-semiconductors

A comprehensive study on Raman spectroscopy with different excitation wavelengths, sample sizes, and sample shapes for optic phonons (OPs) and acoustic phonons (APs) in polar and non-polar nano-semiconductors has been performed. The study affirms that the finite size effect does not appear in the OPs of polar nano-semiconductors, while it exists in all other types of phonons. The absence of the FSE is confirmed to originate from the long-range Fr¨ohlich interaction and the breaking of translation symmetry. The result indicates that the Raman spectra of OPs cannot be used as a method to characterize the scale and crystalline property of polar nano-semiconductors.     

Fibrous Networks with Incorporated Macrocycles: A Chiral Stimuli‐Responsive Supramolecular Supergelator and Its Application to Biocatalysis in Organic Media

A new and versatile, crown ether appended, chiral supergelator has been designed and synthesized based on the bis‐urea motif. The introduction of a stereogenic center improved its gelation ability significantly relative to its achiral analogue. This low‐molecular‐weight gelator forms supramolecular gels in a variety of organic solvents. It is sensitive to multiple chemical stimuli and the sol–gel phase transitions can be reversibly triggered by host–guest interactions. The gel can be used to trap enzymes and release them on demand by chemical stimuli. It stabilizes the microparticles in Pickering emulsions so that enzyme‐catalyzed organic reactions can take place in the polar phase inside the microparticles, the organic reactants diffusing through the biphasic interface from the surrounding organic phase. Because of the higher interface area between the organic and polar phases, enzyme activity is enhanced in comparison with simple biphasic systems.     

Quantum Correlations Induced by Local von Neumann Measurement

We study the total quantum correlation, semiquantum correlation and joint quantum correlation induced by local von Neumann measurement in bipartite system. We analyze the properties of these quantum correlations and obtain analytical formula for pure states. The experimental witness for these quantum correlations is further provided and the significance of these quantum correlations is discussed in the context of local distinguishability of quantum states.     

Firm size distribution and mobility of the top 500 firms in China,the United States and the world

This paper considers the macroscopic and microscopic statistical features of the top 500 firms in China, the United States and the world, denoted as China 500 (CH500), Fortune 500 (US500) and Fortune Global 500 (FG500). From a macroscopic perspective, the firm size distribution of each category, when measured by revenue, is steadily distributed over the observed period, even during periods of financial crises. As is evidenced by the Gini coefficient, divergences between firm scales are most significant for the CH500. From a microscopic perspective, the underlying micro-dynamics are volatile and often turbulent due to the exit and entry of firms as well as shifts in their revenues and ranks. Such fluctuations, or mobility, are visualized in rank/revenue/share clocks. We also propose a revenue/rank/share mobility index that is a quantitative measurement of mobility. Among these, we find that the share mobility acts as an effective indicator of economic status; where there is a share mobility spike, there is an ailing economy. The share mobility indexes indicate that the 2008 Financial Crisis had little impact on the Chinese economy, while it triggered violent changes in the top 500 firms in the United States and the world.