Effect of citric acid concentration as emulsifier on perovskite phase formation of nano‐sized SrMnO3 and SrCoO3 samples

In this study the effects of citric acid concentration, used as organic emulsifier, on the perovskite phase formation of the nano strontium manganite or cobaltite samples were studied. Stoichiometric perovskites in the absence and presence of citric acid were prepared by drying a solution containing molar ratio of Sr(NO₃)₂/Mn(NO₃)₂·4H₂O and Sr(NO₃)₂/Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O = 1 followed by calcination at 900 °C for 5 h. Citric acid concentration, selected to be 0.0, 0.3, 0.6, 1.0, 1.3, 2.5 and 5 times of the total number of moles of the nitrate ions. The results revealed that increase in the citric acid concentration, larger than number of moles of the nitrate ions equivalent, deteriorates the perovskite phase formation. Instead, a new phase of carbonates and metal oxides are appeared. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

An efficient Levenberg–Marquardt method with a new LM parameter for systems of nonlinear equations

A modified Levenberg–Marquardt method for solving singular systems of nonlinear equations was proposed by Fan [J Comput Appl Math. 2003;21;625–636]. Using trust region techniques, the global and quadratic convergence of the method were proved. In this paper, to improve this method, we decide to introduce a new Levenberg–Marquardt parameter while also incorporate a new nonmonotone technique to this method. The global and quadratic convergence of the new method is proved under the local error bound condition. Numerical results show the new algorithm is efficient and promising.     

A new numerical method for delay and advanced integro-differential equations

A general formulation is constructed for Jacobi operational matrices of integration, product, and delay on an arbitrary interval. The main purpose of this study is to improve Jacobi operational matrices for solving delay or advanced integro–differential equations. Some theorems are established and utilized to reduce the computational costs. All algorithms can be used for both linear and nonlinear Fredholm and Volterra integro-differential equations with delay. An error estimator is introduced to approximate the absolute error when the exact solution of a given problem is not available. The error of the proposed method is less compared to other common methods such as the Taylor collocation, Chebyshev collocation, hybrid Euler–Taylor matrix, and Boubaker collocation methods. The reliability and efficiency of the proposed scheme are demonstrated by some numerical experiments.     

Riemann–Roch theory for weighted graphs and tropical curves

We define a divisor theory for graphs and tropical curves endowed with a weight function on the vertices; we prove that the Riemann–Roch theorem holds in both cases. We extend Baker’s Specialization Lemma to weighted graphs.     

Trapped-ion quantum logic gates based on oscillating magnetic fields

Oscillating magnetic fields and field gradients can be used to implement single-qubit rotations and entangling multiqubit quantum gates for trapped-ion quantum information processing (QIP). With fields generated by currents in microfabricated surface-electrode traps, it should be possible to achieve gate speeds that are comparable to those of optically induced gates for realistic distances between the ion crystal and the electrode surface. Magnetic-field-mediated gates have the potential to significantly reduce the overhead in laser-beam control and motional-state initialization compared to current QIP experiments with trapped ions and will eliminate spontaneous scattering, a fundamental source of decoherence in laser-mediated gates.     

Electrospinning of Nanofibers Based on Chitosan/Gelatin Blend for Antibacterial Uses

Chitosan/gelatin blend nanofibers were electrospun and the focus of this study was on the chitosan and gelatin concretions and on morphology of resulting nanofibers. The morphology of electrospun chitosan/gelatin blend nanofibers were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The miscibility of blend was determined using a SEM and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer/attenuated total reflectance (FTIR/ATR). Antibacterial property and stability of samples was also investigated. Water contact angle measurement (WCA) was employed to investigate the wettability of nanofibers.     

Polyoxometalate‐Derived Hexagonal Molybdenum Nitrides (MXenes) Supported by Boron,Nitrogen Codoped Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution from Seawater

MXenes and doped carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have entered into research arenas for high‐rate energy storage and conversion. Herein, a method of postsynthesis of MXenes in boron, nitrogen codoped CNTs (BNCNTs) is reported with their electrocatalytical hydrogen evolution performance. The encapsulation of hexagonal molybdenum nitrate nanoparticles (h‐MoN NPs) into BNCNTs protects h‐MoN NPs from agglomeration and poisoning in the complex environment. In principle, the synergism of B and N dopants on the doped CNTs and confined h‐MoN NPs produces extremely active sites for electrochemical hydrogen evolution. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the active sites for hydrogen evolution originate from the synergistic effect of h‐MoN(001)/CN (graphitic N doping) and h‐MoN(001)/BNC. The h‐MoN@BNCNT electrocatalyst exhibits a small overpotential of 78 mV at 10 mA cm^?2 and Tafel slope of 46 mV per decade, which are dramatically improved over all reported MoN‐based materials and doped CNTs. Additionally, it also exhibits outstanding electrochemical stability in environments with various pH values and seawater media from South China Sea.