Stress development during drying of calcium carbonate suspensions containing carboxymethylcellulose and latex particles

Stress development during drying of coatings produced from aqueous dispersions of calcium carbonate particles in the presence and absence of organic binders was studied using a controlled-environment stress apparatus that simultaneously monitored drying stress, weight loss, and relative humidity. Specifically, the influence of two organic binders on drying stress evolution was investigated: (1) carboxymethylcellulose, a water-soluble viscosifying aid, and (2) a styrene-butadiene latex emulsion of varying glass transition temperature. The stress histories exhibited three distinct regions. First, a period of stress rise was observed, which reflected the capillary tension exerted by the liquid on the particle network. Second, a maximum stress was observed. Third, it was followed by a period of either stress decay or rise depending on the organic species present. Significant differences in stress histories were observed between coatings containing soluble and nonsoluble binders. Maximum drying stresses (sigmamax) of 0.2-0.5 MPa were observed for coatings produced from pure calcium carbonate or calcium carbonate-latex suspensions, whereas coatings with carboxymethylcellulose exhibited substantially higher sigmamax values of 1-2 MPa. Upon drying, these coatings were quite hygroscopic, such that cyclic variations in relative humidity induced large cyclic changes in residual stress.     

Results from solvophobic theory applied to methylene selectivity in reversed-phase HPLC

A significant amount of work has been previously dedicated to the understanding of methylene selectivity parameter. The conventional theory applied for this understanding was mostly based on the assumption that the difference in the Gibbs free energy of transfer from the mobile phase to the stationary phase is a constant for any two compounds in a homologous series that differ by a CH₂ group. In the present study, it is shown based on solvophobic theory that this assumption is indeed correct, but it provides a theoretical justification for it. Exemplification of the results of theory was obtained using the values for methylene selectivity (α(CH₂)) measured experimentally for seven different C18 chromatographic columns including two core–shell columns and using water and either methanol or acetonitrile as an organic component. Four different homologous series of compounds were used for evaluation. The study proved the theoretical prediction that the values for α(CH₂) obtained using different homologous series of compounds are only slightly different from those obtained using the toluene–butylbenzene series. Even using different homologous series, the same type of information regarding the columns comparison, and the changes in log α(CH₂) with the solvent composition was obtained.     

Recent advances in surface x-ray diffraction and the potential for determining structure-sensitivity relations in single-crystal electrocatalysis

Determining how electrode structure governs the performance of an electrocatalyst requires techniques capable of probing structure at the atomic scale, often in situ and operando. In recent years, there have been numerous advances in the main experimental techniques for determining the structure of the electrochemical interface. In situ/operando synchrotron surface x-ray diffraction measurements are key to investigate the atomic structure of the electrode surfaces as well as understand the structure-reactivity relations in electrocatalysis. Here we discuss some recent improvements that have taken place in surface x-ray diffraction and how we expect them to lead to an enhanced understanding of electrocatalysis.     

A comparison of some algorithms for the nonlinear least squares problem

The problem of minimizing a sum of squares of nonlinear functions is studied. To solve this problem one usually takes advantage of the fact that the objective function is of this special form. Doing this gives the Gauss-Newton method or modifications thereof. To study how these specialized methods compare with general purpose nonlinear optimization routines, test problems were generated where parameters determining the local behaviour of the algorithms could be controlled. The order of 1000 test problems were generated for testing three algorithms: the Gauss-Newton method, the Levenberg-Marquardt method and a quasi-Newton method.     

Bidirectional Wavelength Reconfigurable Module Based on Tunable Fiber Bragg Grating and Remote Pump Amplifier

Abstract

This article presents a novel bidirectional wavelength reconfigurable optical network utilizing a remotely pumped erbium-doped fiber amplifier and tunable fiber Bragg gratings. The system is experimentally demonstrated at a 10-Gb/s per channel over 20-km fiber span that verifies the metro-network range system performance. The achieved power penalty is less than 1 dB when compared to the back-to-back transmission link. An example of practical application where the proposed module is used as an add/drop multiplexer and a remote node in the bidirectional wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network system is described.     

A tunable and reconfigurable microwave photonic filter based on two cascaded modulators and a dispersive medium

A novel tunable and reconfigurable microwave photonic filter based on two cascaded modulators and a dispersive medium is proposed, theoretically discussed and experimentally demonstrated. A single-wavelength LD and a modulator (either a Mach-Zehnder modulator or a phase modulator which can avoid the dc bias drift problem) are used to obtain a multi-wavelength optical source. By adjusting the modulation frequency and the bias voltage on the modulators, the wavelength spacing and the relative amplitude of the optical tones change, thus making the filter tunable and reconfigurable. The experimental results show that the proposed filters have good tunability and reconfigurability and the mainlobe-to-sidelobe ratio of around 25 dB is achieved.     

Reversible formation of a PdC(x) phase in Pd nanoparticles upon CO and O2 exposure

The structure and chemical composition of Pd nanoparticles exposed to pure CO and mixtures of CO and O(2) at elevated temperatures have been studied in situ by a combination of X-ray Diffraction and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy in pressures ranging from ultra high vacuum to 10 mbar and from room temperature to a few hundred degrees celsius. Our investigation shows that under CO exposure, above a certain temperature, carbon dissolves into the Pd particles forming a carbide phase. Upon exposure to CO and O(2) mixtures, the carbide phase forms and disappears reversibly, switching at the stoichiometric ratio for CO oxidation. This finding opens new scenarios for the understanding of catalytic oxidation of C-based molecules.     

Density of configurational states from first-principles calculations: the phase diagram of Al-Na surface alloys.

The structural phases of Al(x)Na(1-x) surface alloys have been investigated theoretically and experimentally. We describe the system using a lattice-gas Hamiltonian, determined from density functional theory, together with Monte Carlo (MC) calculations. The obtained phase diagram reproduces the experiment on a quantitative level. From calculation of the (configurational) density of states by the recently introduced Wang-Landau MC algorithm, we derive thermodynamic quantities, such as the free energy and entropy, which are not directly accessible from conventional MC simulations. We accurately reproduce the stoichiometry, as well as the temperature at which an order-disorder phase transition occurs, and demonstrate the crucial role, and magnitude, of the configurational entropy.