Application of an artificial neural network (ANN) and piezoelectric chemical sensor array for identification of volatile organic compounds

A piezoelectric chemical sensor array was developed using four quartz crystals. Gas chromatographic stationary phases were used as sensing materials and the array was connected to an artificial neural network (ANN). The application of the ANN method proved to be particularly advantageous if the measured property (mass, concentration, etc.) should not be connected exactly to the signal of the transducers of the piezoelectric sensor. The optimum structure of neural network was determined by a trial and error method. Different structures were tried with several neurons in the hidden layer and the total error was calculated. The optimum values of primary weight factors, learning rate (η=0.15), momentum term (μ=0.9), and the sigmoid parameter (β=1) were determined. Finally, three hidden neurons and 900 training cycles were applied. After the teaching process the network was used for identification of taught analytes (acetone, benzene, chloroform, pentane). Mixtures of organic compounds were also analysed and the ANN method proved to be a reliable way of differentiating the sensing materials and identifying the volatile compounds.     

甲醇重整反应中Pt/γ-Al2O3催化剂纳米Pt粒径与催化性能关系研究

利用硝基甲烷还原法在室温条件下得到了纳米Pt粒径可控的担载Pt/γ-Al₂O₃催化剂, 并利用甲醇重整反应为反应探针考察了Pt粒径与催化反应性能之间的关系, 发现催化反应的性能与担载贵金属颗粒粒径之间存在明显的相关性. 通过透射电镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、程序升温还原(TPR)等测试手段对催化剂进行表征, 发现钠米Pt的粒径大小不但影响甲醇重整反应的活性, 同时也影响反应的选择性, 即催化剂的催化性能与担载贵金属粒径之间存在明显的尺度效应.     

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Optical Properties of ZnO Nanostructured Films Directly Grown from/on Zinc Substrates

Uniform ZnO nanorods arrays are grown directly from and on Zn foils in pure water under hydrothermal conditions at a relatively low temperature. The nanorods are 80–200 nm in diameter and ∼ 1 μm in length, which grow on the Zn foil along the [001] direction. By changing the pure water to a urea solution, a Zn compound ([Zn₅(OH)₆(CO₃)₂], a precursor of ZnO nanoflowers film, is created by self-assembly. The ZnO nanoflowers film can be easily obtained by heating the [Zn₅(OH)₆(CO₃)₂] compound in N₂ at 350∘C for 5–6 hours. Possible growth processes of the ZnO nanorods arrays and the [Zn₅(OH)₆(CO₃)₂] nanoflowers are discussed. Photoluminescence properties of the as-prepared ZnO nanostructures have been measured. The ZnO nanorods array synthesized using our method has minimal defects so that only band-gap emission is observed. However, the ZnO nanoflowers film, obtained by heating the [Zn₅(OH)₆(CO₃)₂] nanoflower precursor in N₂, is polycrystalline and displays strong defect-related emission.     

Solid-contact potentiometric sensor for ascorbic acid based on cobalt phthalocyanine nanoparticles as ionophore

A novel solid-contact potentiometric sensor for ascorbic acid based on cobalt phthalocyanine nanoparticles (NanoCoPc) as ionophore was fabricated without any need of auxiliary materials (such as membrane matrix, plasticizer, and other additives). The electrode was prepared by simple drop-coating NanoCoPc colloid on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode. A smooth, bright and blue thin film was strongly attached on the surface of the glassy carbon electrode. The electrode showed high selectivity for ascorbic acid, as compared with many common anions. The influences of the amount of NanoCoPc at the electrode surface and pH on the response characteristics of the electrode were investigated. To overcome the instability of the formal potential of the coated wire electrode, a novel electrochemical pretreatment method was proposed for the potentiometric sensor based on redox mechanism. This resulting sensor demonstrates potentiometric response over a wide linear range of ascorbic acid concentration (5.5 × 10⁻⁷ to 5.5 × 10⁻² M) with a fast response (<15 s), lower detection limit (ca. 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ M), and a long-term stability. Furthermore, microsensors based on different conductors (carbon fiber and Cu wire) were also successfully fabricated for the determination of practical samples.     

Multichannel homogeneous immunoassay for detection of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) using a microfabricated capillary array electrophoresis chip

A high-throughput homogeneous immunoassay for the sensitive detection of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) has been developed using radial capillary array electrophoresis microdevices. Samples consisting of equilibrium mixtures of anti-TNT antibody (Ab), fluorescein-labeled TNT, and various concentrations of unlabeled TNT were electrokinetically injected into 48 channels of a radial capillary array electrophoresis microchannel plate. The rapid electrophoretic separation allows us to analyze the equilibrium ratio formed by the competition between the labeled and the unlabeled TNT for Ab binding. The simultaneous parallel TNT separations facilitate determination of a calibration curve for the TNT assay, which has high sensitivity (LOD, 1 ng/mL) and a wide dynamic range (1-300 ng/mL).     

Pt‐Nanoparticle Incorporated Carbon Paste Electrode for the Determination of Cu(II) Ion by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

Pt‐nanoparticles were synthesized and introduced into a carbon paste electrode (CPE), and the resulting modified electrode was applied to the anodic stripping voltammetry of copper(II) ions. The synthesized Pt‐nanoparticles were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques to confirm the purity and the size of the prepared Pt‐nanoparticles (ca. 20 nm). This incorporated material seems to act as catalysts with preconcentration sites for copper(II) species that enhances the sensitivity of Cu(II) ions to Cu(I) species at a deposition potential of ?0.6 V in an aqueous solution. The experimental conditions, such as, the electrode composition, pH of the solution, pre‐concentration time, were optimized for the determination of Cu(II) ion using as‐prepared electrode. The sensitivity changes on the different binder materials and the presence of surfactants in the test solution. The interference effect of the coexisted metals were also investigated. In the presence of surfactants, especially TritonX‐100, the Cu(II) detection limit was lowered to 3.9×10^?9 M. However, the Pt‐nanoparticle modified CPE begins to degrade when the period of deposition exceeds to 10 min. Linear response for copper(II) was found in the concentration range between 3.9×10^?8 M and 1.6×10^?6 M, with an estimated detection limit of 1.6×10^?8 M (1.0 ppb) and relative standard deviation was 4.2% (n=5).     

γ-Fe2O3纳米粉的低热固相制备及其电磁损耗特性(英)

The Fe(OH)₃ precursor was prepared by solid -state reaction with Fe(NO₃)₃·9H₂O, NaOH and dispersed poly-ethylene glycol at low heating temperature(25 ℃). Synthesis of iron oxide (γ-Fe₂O₃) nanoparticle was achieved by thermal decomposition of Fe(OH)₃·xH₂O precursor. The nanoparticle was characterized by TG-DTA, X-ray diffra-ction, TEM etc. The results showed that the nanoparticle was composed of γ-Fe₂O₃ and was a better absorber for electromagnetic wave within the low frequency band.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Ag2S Nanocrystals in Hyperbranched Polyurethane at Room Temperature

Ag₂S nanoparticles in hyperbranched polyurethane matrix were prepared through the in situ reaction with thioacetamide as the sulfur source at room temperature. Transmission electron microscopic analysis revealed a uniform spherical shape for Ag₂S nanoparticles, with an average size of about 4-10 nm and a narrow size distribution. X-ray powder diffraction and UV-vis spectroscopy were also used to characterize the obtained nanoparticles     

3—Mercaptopropionic Acid Capped Gold Nanoclusters：Quantized Capacitance in Aquesous Media

3-Mercaptopropionic acid monolayer protected gold nanoclusters (MPA-MPCs) were synthesized and characterized by transmission electorn microscopy,UV-Vis spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourler transform infrared spectroscopy.The exact value of quantized double-layer capacitance of MPCs in aqueous media was obtained by differential pulse voltammograms.     

Analysis of Petroleum Distillates from Fire Debris Using Supercritical Fluid Extraction with a Two‐Level Orthogonal Array Experimental Design

A supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) method was developed in the present study as an effective sample pretreatment technique of petroleum distillates from fire debris. Three petroleum distillates were used as target analytes, including 95 unleaded gasoline, kerosene, and premium diesel. An orthogonal array (L16) experimental design was adopted to separately evaluate primary SFE experimental factors. The SFE efficiencies of petroleum distillates at various extraction conditions were examined and the optimized SFE conditions were identified. Experimental results demonstrated that the optimized SFE method not only provided an effective extraction method for the spiked sample, but also successfully recovered residues of petroleum distillates from fire debris.