Determination of cake thickness and porosity during cross-flow ultrafiltration on a plane ceramic membrane surface using an electrochemical method

The thickness and the porosity of a deposit during ultrafiltration experiments are determined using an electrochemical method. Twenty microelectrodes are mounted flush to a ceramic plane membrane and maps of deposit thickness are determined for three inlet/outlet distributors configurations. Combining an electrochemical method and a step transient method, the determination of the thickness and the porosity of a particles deposit is performed. These local thickness and porosity values are analyzed thanks to wall shear stress local measurements obtained in a previous work [Sep. Sci. Technol. 37 (10) (2002) 2251]. The results emphasize the heterogeneity of the deposit thickness, especially in zones of low wall shear stress. Furthermore, the porosity values of the deposit are ranged between 0.3 and 0.8 as a function of the location at the membrane surface.     

New series of acridines and phenanthrolines: synthesis and characterization

New series of acridines and phenanthrolines have been prepared from β-chlorovinyl aldehydes and various aniline derivatives allowing the installation of valuable substituents, such as ketone, nitro or amino groups at the heterocyclic core. X-ray analyses confirmed the structures of acridines and phenanthrolines as well as the presence of partially hydrogenated rings and their crucial impact on the overall shape of the acridine-based architectures. ¹H NMR revealed the helical behaviour of several acridine motives. Comparison of UV data between architectures and influence of number of partially hydrogenated rings is also described.     

FeCl3-catalyzed addition of nitrogen and 1,3-dicarbonyl nucleophiles to olefins

A direct intermolecular addition of nitrogen and 1,3-dicarbonyl nucleophiles to stabilized double bonds (styrenes, 1,3-dienes, enol-ethers, sugars.) in the presence of green and inexpensive FeCl₃ catalyst is described.     

Self-injection length in La0.7Ca0.3MnO3-YBa2Cu3O7-δ ferromagnet-superconductor multilayer thin films

We have carried out extensive studies on the self-injection problem in barrierless heterojunctions between La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ (LCMO) and YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ (YBCO) thin films. The heterojunctions were formed in situ by sequentially growing LCMO and YBCO films on 〈100〉 LaAlO₃ (LAO) substrate using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system. YBCO micro-bridges with 64 μm width were patterned both on the LAO (control) and LCMO side of the substrate. Critical current, I _c, was measured at 77 K on both the control side as well as the LCMO side for different YBCO film thickness. It was observed that while the control side showed a J _c of ∼ 2 × 10⁶ A/cm², the LCMO side showed about half the value for the same thickness (1800 ?). The difference in J _c indicates that a certain thickness of YBCO has become ‘effectively’ normal due to self-injection. From the measurement of J _c at two different thicknesses (1800 ? and 1500 ?) of YBCO films both on the LAO as well as the LCMO side, the value of self-injection length (at 77 K) was estimated to be ∼ 900 ?. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first time that self-injection length has been quantified. A control experiment carried out with LaNiO₃ deposited by PLD on YBCO did not show any evidence of self-injection.     

New chiral cyclooctatriene-based polycyclic architectures

The synthesis and properties of new chiral polycyclic architectures that display both helicity and a saddle-type shape are described. The enantiomers have been separated, and their absolute configuration was determined by VCD and ECD. The unprecedented molecular architecture is based on a cyclooctatriene core surrounded by an association of benzo[c]fluorene and ortho-phenylene units.     

Binaphthyl platform as starting materials for the preparation of electron rich benzo[g,h,i]perylenes. Application to molecular architectures based on amino benzo[g,h,i]perylenes and carborane combinations

Valuable amino benzo[g,h,i]perylenes have been obtained through a one pot electrophilic aromatic substitution--Scholl reaction sequence. Novel molecular architectures combining 3D-o-carborane and planar amino benzo[g,h,i]perylene units are described. Photophysical properties of amino benzo[g,h,i]perylene and the carborane-appended derivatives are discussed.     

Study of magnetoresistance and conductance of bicrystal grain boundary in La0.67Ba0.33MnO3 thin film

La_0.67Ba_0.33MnO₃ (LBMO) thin film is deposited on a 36.7°C SrTiO₃ bicrystal substrate using laser ablation technique. A microbridge is created across bicrystal grain boundary and its characteristics are compared with a microbridge on the LBMO film having no grain boundary. Presence of grain boundary exhibits substantial magnetoresistance ratio (MRR) in the low field and low temperature region. Bicrystal grain boundary contribution in MRR disappears at temperature T>175 K. At low temperature, I-V characteristic of the microbridge across bicrystal grain boundary is nonlinear. Analysis of temperature dependence of dynamic conductance-voltage characteristics of the bicrystal grain boundary indicates that at low temperatures (T<175 K) carrier transport across the grain boundary in LBMO film is dominated by inelastic tunneling via pairs of manganese atoms and tunneling through disordered oxides. At higher temperatures (T>175 K), magnetic scattering process is dominating. Decrease of bicrystal grain boundary contribution in magnetoresistance with the increase in temperature is due to enhanced spin-flip scattering process.     

Automate parallèle à homotopie près (II)

One proves that the category of globular CW-complexes up to dihomotopy is equivalent to the category of flows up to weak dihomotopy. This theorem generalizes the classical theorem which states that the category of CW-complexes up to homotopy is equivalent to the category of topological spaces up to weak homotopy. To cite this article: P. Gaucher, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 336 (2003).