Investigation of the electrocatalytic behavior of single-wall carbon nanotube films on an Au electrode

The voltammetric behavior of uric acid (UA) was studied with an Au electrode modified with single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). In 0.1 M HAc-NaAc buffer solution (pH 5.0), the SWNT-modified electrode shows high electrocatalytic activity toward UA oxidation. The electro-oxidation of UA is an irreversible diffusion-controlled process with a diffusion coefficient (D) of 8.85×10⁻⁶ cm² s⁻¹. The peak current increases linearly with the concentration of UA in the range of 4.0×10⁻⁶-7.0×10⁻⁴ M. The detection limit is 1.0×10⁻⁶ M. The SWNT was characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, the SWNT-modified electrode has favorable electrocatalytic activity toward dopamine and norepinephrine. This SWNT-modified electrode can also separate the electrochemical responses of uric acid, norepinephrine and ascorbic acid.     

铜铝合金中γ_2相沉淀的分析电镜研究

Cu-12.7(wt)%Al合金从900℃高温淬至365℃～500℃温度范围等温不同时间(30秒至15分钟)的试样中形成了大量树枝状的γ_2相沉淀粒子。应用配有X线能谱仪(XEDS)和电子能量损失谱仪(EELS)的分析电子显微镜(JEOL JEM-2000FX型)对上还试样研究,结果表明:这些γ_2相粒子具有富铝的“核心”,长大到粒子线度大于约800nm后以不稳定方式生长成“花朵”状。生长过程中伴随着溶质元素Al由基体向γ_2相内的富集。而且在γ_2相粒子内部呈现出Spinodal分解组织的形貌特征,表明γ_2粒子内形成了化学成分调幅。EELS分析表明试样含氧。     

Conductive polyethylene-carbon black composites by elongational-flow injection molding Part 3. Study of the structure and morphology

The morphology and structure of high molecular weight linear polyethylene (M _w 450000) filled with carbon black and processed using molds that introduce an elongational flow component during injection molding has been examined using electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction techniques. The study of fracture surfaces reveals the display of shish-kebabs oriented along the injection direction with segregated longitudinal channels of carbon black particles. Molecular and lamellar changes in orientation are, furthermore, studied across the thickness of the moldings. It is shown that addition of carbon black particles to injection-molded polyethylene induces significant changes in lamellar orientation. Thus, while lamellar overgrowth proceeds perpendicular to the fiber axes within carbon free channels, lamellae grow randomly within carbon-enriched regions where flow is less pronounced.     

Influence of the conditions of manufacture of nanomeric zirconium dioxide,stabilized with yttrium oxide,on its catalytic properties in the oxidation of CO

The morphological and catalytic properties of samples of nanomeric zirconium dioxide, stabilized with yttrium oxide, manufactured via the effect of a UHF field during the process of drying precipitated zirconium hydroxide and calcination at temperatures from 300 to 1000 °C, were studied. It was shown that the highest activity in the oxidation of CO occurred with 40 nm particles of zirconium dioxide prepared at 1000 °C. __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 96–101, March–April, 2007.     

Macroporous poly(methyl methacrylate) produced by phase separation during polymerisation in solution

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) sponges were obtained by polymerization in a solution with monomer/ethanol ratios up to 20:80. The material obtained after the elimination of the solvent present a homogeneous distribution of dispersed pores up to a monomer/ethanol ratio lower than 40:60. For higher ethanol contents in the reacting mixture, the morphology of the sponge corresponds to a network of PMMA microparticles, leaving large empty spaces leading to highly porous structure. The monomer/ethanol ratio during polymerization has a large influence on the porosity, thermal, and mechanical properties of the material and, for large solvent contents, on the size of the polymer microparticles.     

XPS,AFM, ATR and TPD evidence for terraced,dihydrogen terminated, 1×1 (100) silicon

Heating (100) silicon at high temperature (say, higher than 850 °C) in H₂, cooling to 670–700 °C in the same ambient, and quenching to room temperature in N₂ results in environmentally robust, terraced 1 × 1 (100) SiH₂. Evidence for this conclusion is based on angle‐resolved x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflection mode, thermal programmed desorption, and reflection high‐energy electron diffraction. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis,molecular and crystal structures,and characteristic features of electronic structures of salicylamide-based B,Si-containing chelates

The reaction of 4-(2-hydroxybenzoyl)-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-2,6-disilamorpholine with BF₃Et₂O afforded (O-B)-chelate 4-[2-(difluoroboroxy)benzoyl]-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-2,6-disilamorpholine. Treatment of the latter with BF₃Et₂O or SOCl₂ gave rise to products of the disilamorpholine ring opening, viz., (O-B) chelate 2-(difluoroboroxy)-N,N-bis(dimethylfluorosilylmethyl)benzamide or 2-(difluoroboroxy)-N, N-bis(dimethylchlorosilylmethyl)benzamide, respectively. The structures of the compounds synthesized were confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis and ¹H, ¹³C, and ²⁹Si NMR spectroscopy. High-precision X-ray diffraction study and quantum-chemical calculations demonstrated that the coordination OSi bond is absent in the two last-mentioned compounds.Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1846–1853, September, 2004.     

Age related changes in the thermal transition of Turkey leg flexor tendon collagen

A differential scanning calorimetric, thermogravimetric and electron microscopic investigation has been carried out on the uncalcified areas of turkey leg flexor tendon as a function of age. Rehydrated samples exhibit an increase of thermal stability with age. The H_D values drop from about 11 cal·g^–1 in the first weeks of life down to 7 cal·g^–1 after the 11th week.At about 11 weeks, the collagen fibril diameter distribution passes from unimodal to multimodal. The DSC curves as well as the TG-DTG curves recorded from dried samples do not show any appreciable difference with ageing. The variations in thermal behaviour of rehydrated samples and fibril diameter distribution could be related to modifications in water binding with ageing.The Authors are grateful to Dr. G. Fabris for discussion and help in the selection of the samples. They also wish to thank Mr. G. Pizzuto for excellent technical assistance. The financial support by Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche is gratefully acknowledged.     

Photobioelectronic studies with thylakoid membranes

The research described in this paper presents a method for chemically modifying the surface of plant photosynthetic membranes in such a way that electrical contact can be made. Colloidal platinum was prepared, precipitated directly onto thylakoid membranes from aqueous solution, and entrapped on fiberglass filter paper. This composition of matter was capable of sustained simultaneous photoevolution of hydrogen and oxygen when irradiated at any wavelength (400–700 nm) in the chlorophyll absorption spectrum. Experimental data support the interpretation that part of the platinum metal catalyst is precipitated adjacent to the photosystem-I reduction site of photosynthesis and that electron transfer occurs across the interface between photosystem I and the catalyst. When contacted with metal electrodes, the thylakoid-platinum combination was capable of generating a sustained flow of current through an external load resistor. Procedures for preparing this material and experimental data on its catalytic and electronic properties are presented. Also presented is an analysis of the flow of photocurrent in terms of the interfacial electron transfer reactions that occur at the interfaces of the components of the assembly.