Aluminum Complexes with a Donor Polymer: New Route to Organic/Inorganic Polymer Hybrids

The formation of alumina particles from aluminum salts in the presence of poly(1-vinylimidazole) was investigated by quantitative ²⁷Al NMR, potentiometry and FTIR spectra. The interaction of poly(1-vinylimidazole) with aluminum chloride and nitrate in an aqueous medium stabilizes [AlO₄Al₁₂(OH)₂₄]⁷⁺ and less ordered polymeric particles. The addition of NaOH (NaOH: Al 2) results in water-insoluble organic/inorganic hydrogen-bonded composites. Stabilization of the complexes is realized by cooperative hydrogen N···H—O—Al bonds, without N Al donor-acceptor interactions.     

Modified laser ablation process for nanostructured thermoelectric nanomaterial fabrication

A modified pulsed laser deposition process was used to enhance the nanostructure generation inside Bi₂Te₃ nanocrystals. In this process, an additional femotosecond laser beam was used to add an energy shock on the ablated flume, which can result in rich nanostructures embedded inside Bi₂Te₃ nanocrystals. A large Si wafer was used to ‘freeze’ such nanostructures and to effectively collect such nanostructured nanocrystals for further processing. The generated nanocrystals were studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy, and the results prove the existence of such embedded nanostructures. Such nanocrystals were also characterized electrically and thermally for the conductivity measurements.     

Development of rotational CARS for combustion diagnostics using a polarization approach

Rotational Coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) has the last decades been developed into a useful tool for thermometry and concentration measurements in combustion. In this paper, we present a novel polarization approach of the technique, which will enhance its potential and widen the range of conditions at which it can be utilized. The theory of the polarization approach is described in detail. It is shown that by specific arrangement of the polarizations of the laser beams, total suppression of the non-resonant background signal can be obtained, and thus by probing only the resonant CARS signal the diagnostic utility of the technique increases. The main benefit of the approach is in situations where the non-resonant background signal is relatively high in comparison with the resonant signal. The high potential of polarization rotational CARS for thermometry is demonstrated in some illustrative examples, for example, nitrogen thermometry on the fuel side of diffusion flames, and carbon monoxide thermometry in the product gas of ethylene/oxygen/argon-flames.     

Growth and surface characterization of sputter-deposited molybdenum oxide thin films

Molybdenum oxide thin films were produced by magnetron sputtering using a molybdenum (Mo) target. The sputtering was performed in a reactive atmosphere of an argon-oxygen gas mixture under varying conditions of substrate temperature (T_s) and oxygen partial pressure (pO₂). The effect of T_s and pO₂ on the growth and microstructure of molybdenum oxide films was examined in detail using reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements. The analyses indicate that the effect of T_s and pO₂ on the microstructure and phase of the grown molybdenum oxide thin films is remarkable. RHEED and RBS results indicate that the films grown at 445 °C under 62.3% O₂ pressure were stoichiometric and polycrystalline MoO₃. Films grown at lower pO₂ were non-stoichiometric MoO_x films with the presence of secondary phase. The microstructure of the grown Mo oxide films is discussed and conditions were optimized to produce phase pure, stoichiometric, and highly textured polycrystalline MoO₃ films.     

The role of precursor gases on the surface restructuring of catalyst films during carbon nanotube growth

Catalyst films undergo considerable surface morphology restructuring prior to carbon nanotube nucleation, deeply influencing the nanostructures obtained. Here we study the influence of different gaseous atmospheres on the structure of thin Fe films. The morphology is influenced by process temperature and substrate interactions and varying the gas type and pressure can control the average catalyst island height.     

Synthesis of carbon nanotubes on Ni-alloy and Si-substrates using counterflow methane–air diffusion flames

We have conducted an experimental study to investigate the synthesis of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in counterflow methane–air diffusion flames, with emphasis on effects of catalyst, temperature, and the air-side strain rate of the flow on CNTs growth. The counterflow flame was formed by fuel (CH₄ or CH₄ + N₂) and air streams impinging on each other. Two types of substrates were used to deposit CNTs. Ni-alloy (60% Ni + 26% Cr + 14% Fe) wire substrates synthesized curved and entangled CNTs, which have both straight and bamboo-like structures; Si-substrates with porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanotemplates synthesized well-aligned, self-assembled CNTs. These CNTs grown inside nanopores had a uniform geometry with controllable length and diameter. The axial temperature profiles of the flow were measured by a 125 μm diameter Pt/10% Rh–Pt thermocouple with a 0.3 mm bead junction. It was found that temperature could affect not only the success of CNTs synthesis, but also the morphology of synthesized CNTs. It was also found, against previous general belief, that there was a common temperature region (1023–1073 K) in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and counterflow diffusion flames where CNTs could be produced. CNTs synthesized in counterflow flames were significantly affected by air-side strain rate not through the residence time, but through carbon sources available for CNTs growth. Off-symmetric counterflow flames could synthesize high-quality CNTs because with this configuration carbon sources at the fuel side could easily diffuse across the stagnation surface to support CNTs growth. These results show the feasibility of using counterflow flames to synthesize CNTs for particular applications such as fabricating nanoscale electronic devices.     

A consistent LES/filtered-density function formulation for the simulation of turbulent flames with detailed chemistry

A hybrid large-Eddy simulation/filtered-density function (LES–FDF) methodology is formulated for simulating variable density turbulent reactive flows. An indirect feedback mechanism coupled with a consistency measure based on redundant density fields contained in the different solvers is used to construct a robust algorithm. Using this novel scheme, a partially premixed methane/air flame is simulated. To describe transport in composition space, a 16-species reduced chemistry mechanism is used along with the interaction-by-exchange with the mean (IEM) model. For the micro-mixing model, typically a constant ratio of scalar to mechanical time-scale is assumed. This parameter can have substantial variations and can strongly influence the combustion process. Here, a dynamic time-scale model is used to prescribe the mixing time-scale, which eliminates the time-scale ratio as a model constant. Two different flame configurations, namely, Sandia flames D and E are studied. Comparison of simulated radial profiles with experimental data show good agreement for both flames. The LES–FDF simulations accurately predict the increased extinction near the inlet and re-ignition further downstream. The conditional mean profiles show good agreement with experimental data for both flames.     

Disproportionation of 6,8-Dialkyl-3-thia-2,4,6,8-tetraazabicyclo[3,3,0]octan-7-one 3,3-Dioxides under Conditions of Acid Hydrolysis and Acetylation

Acid hydrolysis and acetylation of 6,8-dialkyl-3-thia-2,4,6,8-tetraazabicyclo[3,3,0]octan-7-one 3,3-dioxides have been studied. 6,8-Dialkyl-3-thia-2,4,6,8-tetraazabicyclo[3,3,0]octan-7-one 3,3-dioxides disproportionate to 4,4'-sulfonyldiiminobis(1,3-dialkylimidazolidin-2-ones) and sulfamide when treated with acid at pH 1 or with acetyl chloride. The kinetics of the disproportionation have been studied.     

Cadmium colloids from non-aqueous solvents

Cadmium colloids have been prepared by Chemical Liquid Deposition (CLD). The metal is evaporated to yield atoms which are solvated at liquid nitrogen temperature, and upon warming, stable liquid colloids are formed with particle size ranging between 25–100 Å. Zeta potentials were calculated according to the conversion of Hunter and the Hückel equation, for ethanol and dimethyl sulphoxide. UV/VIS measurement of most of the black colloids showed absorption band around 280 nm. For comparison, we prepared CdS colloid with size 400–625 Å. The colloids are stable to oxidation in air and/or oxygen bubbling. The synthesis of colloids and films from Cd with acetone, 2-butanone, ethanol, 2-propanol, 2-methoxyethanol, DMF and DMSO is reported. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) allows us to determine particle size.