Controlling a bunch of multiple filaments by means of a beam diameter

We demonstrate a three orders of magnitude increase and stability in the backscattered fluorescence signal from nitrogen molecules by terawatt femtosecond laser pulse induced air filaments using a new method. The method is based on squeezing the initial beam diameter using a telescope. The effect of laser shot-to-shot fluctuations was included in numerical simulations by a random distribution of the initial intensity in both squeezed and non-squeezed beams. Statistical processing of the simulation results shows that the average diameter of plasma channels as well as the total amount of free electrons generated in a bunch of multiple filaments in air is larger in the squeezed beam. Shot-to-shot stability of the simulated plasma density increases in the squeezed beam. The change of this plasma density with propagation distance is in good qualitative agreement with the change of the range-corrected nitrogen fluorescence signal with distance. PACS 42.65.Jx; 42.60.Jf; 42.68.Ay; 42.68.Wt     

Fabrication and Determination of Refractive Index Profile of the Planar Waveguides by Wedge Technique

Several planar waveguides have been fabricated. The waveguides have been polished for determination of their refractiveindex profiles (RIP) by wedge method. The RIP determined by inserting the sample in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer andapplying fringe analysis methods.     

Thermodynamic properties of transition metals in aqueous solution. 2. The enthalpies of mixing of aqueous solutions of CoCl2, CuCl2, and MnCl2 with NaCl at varying ionic strength at 25°C

Enthalpies of mixing (_m H) aqueous solutions of CoCl₂, CuCl₂, and MnCl₂ with NaCl solutions were measured at constant ionic strengths of 0.5, 1.0, and 3.0 molal at 25°C. The excess enthalpy equations of Pitzer were then fit to the resulting _m H data. The resulting parameters are the temperature derivatives of the activity coefficient mixing parameters in the Pitzer system. The heat of mixing data for CoCl₂ and CuCl₂ were in agreement with earlier isomolal results by other workers.     

Headspace solvent microextraction of trihalomethane compounds into a single drop

Headspace solvent microextraction (HSME) into a single drop is developed for the determination of six trihalomethanes, CH2Cl2, CHCl3, C4H9Cl, CCl4, C2HCl3, and C2Cl4, in aqueous solution. A drop of benzyl alcohol containing bromoform, as an internal standard, is used for extraction. The analytes are extracted by suspending a 3-microL drop directly from the needle of a microsyringe. The needle passes through the septum of a vessel, and the needle tip appears above the surface of the solution. After the prescribed extraction time, the drop is drawn back into the syringe. The syringe is then removed, and its content is injected directly into a gas chromatography column for analysis. The main parameters affecting the HSME process, such as stirring speed, microdrop volume, sample solution temperature, microsyringe needle temperature, sample volume, solution pH, extracting solvent, and ionic strength of the solution, are studied. Also, the linear range and precision of the method are examined.     

Potentiometric determination of ultratrace amounts of fluoride enriched by zirconia in a flow system

A satisfactory method was described for separation and preconcentration of ultratrace amounts of fluoride ions enriched by zirconia (ZrO₂) as an inorganic ion exchanger. Fluoride ions can be adsorbed rapidly and selectively on zirconia from an acidic solution (pH 4.8) then reversibly desorbed by increasing pH up to 13. A flow system consisting of a column packed with zirconia impregnated on cellulose fibers and an ion-selective electrode was used for the determination of fluoride. The RSD was found to be 1.6% and the detection limit defined by S/N = 3 was 3 × 10⁻⁹ mol L⁻¹. The interference effects of various ions, such as nitrate, sulfate, halides, alkaline, and alkaline earth ions, which may be found in the environmental water, were studied, and it was found that they were tolerated even at high concentrations. The method was applied to determine fluoride in drinking water, which contains ultratrace amounts of fluoride. The concentration of fluoride was found to be 42 μg L⁻¹, which is confirmed by spiking 2 μmol fluoride to the drinking water with a recovery of 99%. Published in Russian in Zhurnal Analiticheskoi Khimii, 2006, Vol. 61, No. 2, pp. 179–183. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

The effect of the physical and chemical characteristics of activated carbons on the adsorption energy and affinity coefficient of Dubinin equation

The dependency of adsorption energy (E) and affinity coefficient (beta) of Dubinin equations (Dubinin-Radushkevich (DR) or Dubinin-Astakhov (DA)) on surface chemistry and porosity of activated carbons was investigated by analyzing adsorption of nitrogen, benzene, trichloroethylene (TCE), and water vapor by several surface-modified activated carbons and carbon fibers. For all studied nonpolar adsorbates, carbons with smaller average micropores showed higher adsorption energies independent of their surface chemistry. For water vapor, carbons with higher surface polarities showed higher adsorption energies due to specific adsorbate-adsorbent interactions. Adsorption energies increased with decreasing average micropore widths. betaN2,DR for different carbons were observed to vary in the 0.292-0.539 range. Carbons with higher degrees of mesoporosity had higher betaN2,DR values, while no dependency was observed between betaN2,DR and surface chemistry. A comparison of DR and DA cases indicates that: (1) the average value of betaN2,DA is considerably above the classical value of this parameter; and (2) the range of betaN2,DA values were smaller compared to betaN2,DR, despite a wide range of mesoporosity of carbons examined. Obtained beta(TCE,DR) values varied in the 0.952-1.243 range, with an average value of 1.085+/-0.083, independent of surface chemistry or porosity of activated carbons. A similar result was observed for beta(TCE,DA). betaH2O,DR values of different granular and fibrous activated carbons changed in the range of 0.081-0.271. They depended more on the carbon surface chemistry and less on the porosity. A similar result was obtained when DA equation was considered.     

Modification of the resistance of two epoxy resins to accelerated weathering using calcium sulfate as a photostabilizer

Epoxy-timber composites have received increasing attention during the last decades because there are many advantages related to their uses as construction materials in applications such as timber bridges. However, the durability of epoxy-timber composites under outdoor conditions has become a concern for many epoxy resins. This study evaluated the chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties of two cured epoxies, the product of the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A with 2,4-trimethyl-1,6-hexanediamine (DGEBA-TMDA) and the analogous resin prepared with the hydrogenated diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (HDGEBA-TMDA), each mixed with 2?wt. % calcium sulfate (CS). We hypothesized that the use of CS, as an inorganic UV absorber, could decrease undesirable effects arising from exposure to UV light, moisture, and extreme temperatures.

An accelerated aging chamber simulated natural weathering for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6?months. Chemical changes in cured epoxy systems over time in the presence and absence of CS fillers were determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Thermal degradation profiles before and after exposure to accelerated weathering were followed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The glass transition temperatures (T_g) before and after accelerated weathering were measured, and the effect of accelerated weathering on the surface morphology of the epoxy systems was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In the presence of CS, after 6?months accelerated weathering the tensile strength of DGEBA-TMDA reduced by 23.8?±?2.4%, compared to 46.5?±?5.5% in its absence, while the corresponding values for HDGEBA-TMDA were 21.4?±?2.1% and 28.7?±?1.8%.