Effect of water-soluble cross-linker on the growth and properties of ethyl acrylate–methacrylic acid emulsion opolymer particles

Model ethyl acrylate–methacrylic acid copolymer latices and latices of particles cross-linked by copolymerizing small amounts of water-soluble N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide were prepared by nonseeded semicontinuous emulsion copolymerization. Dynamic and static light scattering measurements indicated a slightly higher degree of polydispersity in the case of cross-linked particles, especially in the initial stages of polymerization. The hydrodynamic volume of the alkalinized particles controlling the viscosity properties of the dispersions decreased with the time of polymerization and in the case of cross-linked copolymer almost reached a constant value at about 1 h. The different character of the particle structure was confirmed by differences in particle disintegration after alkali addition or in the presence of methanol. Received: 2 February 1999/Accepted: 28 June 2000     

Preparation and investigation of structural and photocatalytic properties of phosphate modified titanium dioxide

A series of high surface area titanium dioxide samples (P-TiO₂) with varying phosphate content have been prepared by the sol–gel technique. The structural characterization of the samples included X-ray powder diffraction, diffuse reflectance infrared and UV–vis spectroscopy (DRIFT and UV–vis–DR), and nitrogen adsorption measurements. The structural properties of the P-TiO₂ samples significantly changed with the phosphate content and calcination temperature. According to XRD data the presence of phosphate shifts the anatase rutile phase transition to higher temperatures, revealing that phosphate improves the thermal stability of the samples. The specific surface area and the semiconductor band gap energy increase with the phosphate content.

The photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ and P-TiO₂ was studied by phenol degradation in liquid phase. A small amount of phosphate of the catalysts increases the photocatalytic activity, but further increase of the P/Ti molar ratio (above 0.01), leads to a considerable loss in activity. The optimal calcination temperature of P-TiO₂ was 300–500 °C. The phenol conversion rate is highest with catalysts calcined at 700 °C, but phenol does not degrade to carbon dioxide.     

Evidence for transient composition variations at GaAs/Ga1−xAlxAs heterostructure interfaces prepared by metal-organic chemical vapour deposition

The composition profiles of GaAs/Ga_1?xAl_xAs heterostructures prepared in two different Metal-Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition (MOCVD) reactors have been studied. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). and Auger and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) sputter profiling results are in good agreement and interface widths below 20 å have been achieved. Significant new results on transient phenomena have been obtained. showing that large and sometimes very sharp excursions in composition can be associated with valve switching actions. Direct evidence is presented that gas pressure or flow transients can occur during valve operations. and it is suggested that such instabilities are the cause of the effects observed.     

Effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate on lipase ofCandida lipolytica

The effects of sodium dodecyl sulfate on extracellular lipase produced byCandida lipolytica have been studied. The microorganism was grown in culture medium containing different sodium dodecyl sulfate concentrations added to the culture at different intervals of growth. The extracellular lipase activity was not detected when the treated culture supernatants were directly tested in Yeast Mold Agar-Triolein-Rhodamine plates, regardless of surfactant addition time and concentrations. However, after ammonium sulfate precipitation and dialysis, the extracellular lipase activity could be recovered. Therefore, the surfactant, under the experimental conditions used here, does not seem to be able to inhibit lipase production, but it does inhibit the enzyme activity because of its presence in the mixture of the reaction.     

广义簇合物在均匀几率密度场下的生长

通过对广义簇合物生长的自调整模型的解析,得出了粒子在均匀几率密度场下簇合物生长形态的变化特征,揭示了表征其生长形态结构分式维数D的物理意义,同时考查了格子模型对簇合物生长形态的影响以及自调整模型的动力学行为。     

Kinetics of the transformation process of PbSO4 to PbO2 in a lead anodic film

The kinetics of the nucleation and growth of PbO₂ during the potentiostatic oxidation of PbSO₄ in a lead anodic film was studied using linear sweep voltammetry, potential-step and ac impedance tracing methods. The film investigated is the partially reduced anodic PbO₂ film formed by polarizing a lead electrode in 4.5 M H₂SO₄ solution first at 1.3 V vs. Hg|HgSO₄ for 20 min and then at 0.9 V for 5 min. The nucleation and growth process begins some time after the potential step and is completed within 60 s. The pre- and post-nucleation and growth processes correspond to the growth of the anodic film formed by the oxidation of the lead substrate. The mathematical equations representing the current-time and capacitance-time transients are derived taking the background oxidation current into account. The experimental results are well fitted by these equations. The process obeys the laws of two-dimensional instantaneous nucleation and growth.     

Dynamics of the formation of two-dimensional ordered structures

The growth of ordered domains in lattice gas models, which occurs after the system is quenched from infinite temperature to a state below the critical temperatureT _c, is studied by Monte Carlo simulation. For a square lattice with repulsion between nearest and next-nearest neighbors, which in equilibrium exhibits fourfold degenerate (2×1) superstructures, the time-dependent energy E(t), domain size L(t), and structure functionS(q, t) are obtained, both for Glauber dynamics (no conservation law) and the case with conserved density (Kawasaki dynamics). At late times the energy excess and halfwidth of the structure factor decrease proportional tot ^–x, whileL(t) t ^x, where the exponent x=1/2 for Glauber dynamics and x1/3 for Kawasaki dynamics. In addition, the structure factor satisfies a scaling lawS(k,t)=t ^2xS(kt^x). The smaller exponent for the conserved density case is traced back to the excess density contained in the walls between ordered domains which must be redistributed during growth. Quenches toT>T _c, T=T_c (where we estimate dynamic critical exponents) andT=0 are also considered. In the latter case, the system becomes frozen in a glasslike domain pattern far from equilibrium when using Kawasaki dynamics. The generalization of our results to other lattices and structures also is briefly discussed.     

Using a new solvation model for thermodynamic study on the interaction of nickel with human growth hormone

Thermodynamics of the interaction between Ni²⁺ and human growth hormone (hGH) were determined at 27 °C in Nail solution by isothermal titration calorimetry. A new method to predict protein penetration and the effect of metal ions on the stability of proteins is introduced. The new solvation model was used to reproduce the enthalpies of Ni²⁺-hGH interaction over the whole range of Ni²⁺ concentrations. The solvation parameters recovered from the new equation, attributed to the structural change of hGH and its biological activity.     

Growth of clusters in a first-order phase transition

The results of computer simulations of phase separation kinetics in a binary alloy quenched from a high temperature are analyzed in detail, using the ideas of Lifshitz and Slyozov. The alloy was modeled by a three-dimensional Ising model with Kawasaki dynamics. The temperature after quenching was 0.59T _c, whereT _c is the critical temperature, and the concentration of minority atoms was=0.075, which is about five times their largest possible single-phase equilibrium concentration at that temperature. The time interval covered by our analysis goes from about 1000 to 6000 attempted interchanges per site. The size distribution of small clusters of minority atoms is fitted approximately byc ₁(1-)³ w(t),c ₁ (1–)⁴ Q _l w(t)^l(2l10); wherec _l is the concentration of clusters of sizel;Q ₂,...,Q ₁₀ are known constants, the cluster partition functions;t is the time; andw(t)=0.015(1+7.17t ^–1/3). The distribution of large clusters (l20) is fitted approximately by the type of distribution proposed by Lifshitz and Slyozov,c _l ,(t)=–(d/dl) [lnt+p (l/t)], where is a function given by those authors and is defined by(x)=C _o e–x-C ₁ e ^–4x/3-C ₂ e ^–5x/3;C ₀,C ₁,C ₂ are constants determined by considering how the total number of particles in large clusters changes with time.Supported by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research under Grant No. 78-3522 and by the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. EY-76-C-02-3077*000.     

Study of the first nucleation steps of thin films by XPS inelastic peak shape analysis

The initial steps in the formation of thin films have been investigated by analysis of the peak shape (both inelastic background and elastic contributions) of X‐ray photoelectron spectra. Surface coverage and averaged height of the deposited particles have been estimated for several overlayers (nanometre range) after successive deposition cycles. This study has permitted the assessment of the type of nucleation and growth mechanisms of the films. The experiments have been carried out in situ in the preparation chamber of an XPS spectrometer. To check the performance of the method, several materials (i.e. cerium oxide, vanadium oxide and cadmium sulfide) have been deposited on different substrates using a variety of preparation procedures (i.e. thermal evaporation, ion beam assisted deposition and plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition). It is shown that the first deposited nuclei of the films are usually formed by three‐dimensional particles whose heights and degree of surface coverage depend on the chemical characteristics of the growing thin film and substrate materials, as well as the deposition procedure. It is concluded that XPS peak shape analysis can be satisfactorily used as a general method to characterize morphologically the first nanometric moieties that nucleate a thin film. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.