Copper passivity and its breakdown in sodium bicarbonate solutions: A scanning electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron and auger spectroscopy study

Effect of bicarbonate ions on the copper passivity and its local breakdown is studied by cyclic voltammetry, Auger spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Comparing data for solutions with various sodium bicarbonate concentrations shows copper to undergo pitting in 0.02 M NaHCO₃, whereas it remains stably passive in 0.10 M NaHCO₃. Independent studies suggest that carbonates play a protective role in stabilization of the oxide-hydroxide passive film on copper.     

Counterion Exchange Selectivity in Detergent–Polymer Aggregates

In aqueous solution, the interaction between sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) results in the formation of small aggregates or clusters of SDS attached to the PEG polymer chain. Selectivity coefficients for exchange of two monovalent (N-methyl-4-cyanopyridinium cation and Tl⁺) and two divalent (methylviologen cation and Cu²⁺) counterions at the surface of SDS–PEG clusters, determined employing photophysical techniques, are similar, but not identical, to those for exchange at the surface of SDS micelles in the absence of PEG. The principal factor affecting ion exchange selectivity in SDS–PEG clusters does not appear to be aggregate size or surface charge density but rather the presence of poly(oxyethylene) subunits at the aggregate surface.     

对钠离子有选择性的中性载体

合成了十一种中性离子载体,用它们制成钠离子选择性电极,测定了电极的选择性系数并与文献报道的类似电极进行了比较。     

Effects of Total Thermal Balance on the Thermal Energy Absorbed or Released by a High-Temperature Phase Change Material

Front tracking and enthalpy methods used to study phase change processes are based on a local thermal energy balance at the liquid–solid interface where mass accommodation methods are also used to account for the density change during the phase transition. Recently, it has been shown that a local thermal balance at the interface does not reproduce the thermodynamic equilibrium in adiabatic systems. Total thermal balance through the entire liquid–solid system can predict the correct thermodynamic equilibrium values of melted (solidified) mass, system size, and interface position. In this work, total thermal balance is applied to systems with isothermal–adiabatic boundary conditions to estimate the sensible and latent heat stored (released) by KNO3 and KNO3/NaNO3 salts which are used as high-temperature phase change materials. Relative percent differences between the solutions obtained with a local thermal balance at the interface and a total thermal balance for the thermal energy absorbed or released by high-temperature phase change materials are obtained. According to the total thermal balance proposed, a correction to the liquid–solid interface dynamics is introduced, which accounts for an extra amount of energy absorbed or released during the phase transition. It is shown that melting or solidification rates are modified by using a total thermal balance through the entire system. Finally, the numerical and semi-analytical methods illustrate that volume changes and the fraction of melted (solidified) solid (liquid) estimated through a local thermal balance at the interface are not invariant in adiabatic systems. The invariance of numerical and semi-analytical solutions in adiabatic systems is significantly improved through the proposed model.     

Solar-Driven Artificial Carbon Cycle

Constituting the artificial carbon cycle,for example,through recycling CO₂ and converting CH₄ to value-added fuels and chemicals with solar energy,offers a sustainable future for humankind to tackle the global environmental issues and energy crisis.However,significant bottlenecks remain in such photocatalytic conversion,mainly related to the reaction activity and product selectivity.Herein,we share our efforts and systematic research progress on addressing the double bottlenecks for achieving solar-driven artificial carbon cycle,with specifically focusing on the photocatalytic CO₂ and CH₄ conversion.We further elucidate the common fundamentals behind various designed photocatalytic materials systems.Toward future development,we highlight the opportunities and challenges in the research field.     

Excess enthalpies of solution of some primary and secondary alcohols in sodium dodecylsulfate micellar solutions

The exces enthalpies of solution of some primary and secondary alcohols in aqueous sodium dodecylsulfate micellar solutions were measured and the results were explained by considering the distribution of alcohols between aqueous and micellar phases. The distribution constant and the enthalpy of transfer (and the standard free energy and entropy of transfer) were obtained. The thermodynamic parameters for the transfer of secondary alcohols from the aqueous to the sodium dodecylsulfate (NaDS) micellar phase differ slightly from those of the corresponding primary alcohols. For both series of alcohols the additivity rule holds for free energies of transfer whereas enthalpies and entropies display convex curves. The present data are compared to those for the transfer of the same solutes from the aqueous to the dodecyldimethylamine oxide (DDAO) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) micellar phases. The role of the hydrophilic interactions between the OH group and the micelles' head groups is formulated. The thermodynamics of the branched methyl group were determined. Furthermore, the thermodynamics of solvation of primary alcohols in water, in NaDS micelles, and in octane have been calculated using reference states based on the assumption that the empty space around alcohols in the initial and final states is the same. It is shown that the solvation of alcohols in NaDS micellar phase is enthalpy driven and that the thermodynamic properties of solvation vs. the length of the alcohol tail is the same for water and NaDS micelles whereas it is different for octane. A possible explanation for this difference is that the alkyl chain of alcohols folds in octane.     

Pattern-specific neural network design

We present evidence that the performance of the traditional fully connected Hopfield model can be dramatically improved by carefully selecting an information-specific connectivity structure, while the synaptic weights of the selected connections are the same as in the Hopfield model. Starting from a completely disconnected network we let genuine Hebbian synaptic connections grow, one by one, until a desired degree of stability is achieved. Neural pathways are thus fixed notbefore, butduring the learning phase.     

煤的孔结构特征对水煤浆性质的影响

本文选用１７种不同变质程度的中国煤，详细研究了煤孔结构特征对煤浆性质的影响。发现煤孔体积通过影响煤在分散体系中的吸水性，从而影响煤之成浆性。但由于不同变质程度煤表面亲水性的显著差异，煤孔体积在影响煤成浆性的能力方面差别很大，这使得煤吸水性和浆体最高煤浓度与煤孔体积并不存在直接的相关性，而是取决于煤孔体积Ｖ和以煤－水接触角（θ）的余弦值表示的煤表面亲水性因子的乘积，即煤之有效孔体积：Ｖ×ｃｏｓ（θ／     

Evaluation of recombinant green fluorescent protein, under various culture conditions and purification with HiTrap hydrophobic interaction chromatography resins

To determine the influence of various culture conditions, transformed cells of Escherichia coli expressing recombinant green fluorescent protein (GFPuv) were grown in nine cultures with four variable conditions (storage of inoculated broth at 4°C prior to incubation, agitation speed, isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside [IPTG] concentration, and induction time). The pelleted cells were resuspended in extraction buffer and subjected to the three-phase partitioning (TPP) extraction method. To determine the most appropriate purification resin, protein extracts were eluted through one of four types of HiTrap hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) columns prepacked with methyl, butyl, octyl, or phenyl resins and analyzed further on a 12% sodium dodecylsulfatepolyacrylamidegel. With Coomassie staining, a single band between 27 (standard GFPuv) and 29 kDa (molecular weight standard) was visualized for every HIC column sample. TPP extraction with HIC elution provided about 90% of the GFPuv recovered and eight-fold GFPuv enrichment related to the specific mass. Rotary speed and IPTG concentration showed, respectively, greater negative and positive influences on GFPuv expression at the beginning of the logarithmic phase for the set culture conditions (37°C, 24-h incubation).     

Synthesis and applications of photochromic fulgides in optical information storages

A pyrryl substituted photocbromic fulgide, (1-p-methoxyphenyl-2-methyl-5-phenyl)-3-pyrryl-ethylidene (isopropylidene) succinic anhydride, was synthesized. Its chemical structure was identified by IR, 1H NMR MS and elemental analysis. The title compound was used to prepare the optical disks by the spin coating method and the vacuum evaporation method. The results of the static state examination show that the optical disks prepared with this kind of molecules possess excellent thermal stability and fatigue resistance, i.e. over 450 writing-erasing recycles, the relative contrast between writing state and erasing state remains at 40%.