Growth process of TiC clusters from Ti nanoparticles with evaporated carbon layer

Titanium carbide formation by the solid–solid reaction on the surface of Ti nanoparticles was studied in situ using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope with a heating stage. The cross-sectional image of the Ti surface was clearly observed. Vacuum-deposited carbon covered the whole the surface of Ti nanoparticles in spite of the partly evaporation on the nanoparticle surface. The diffusion of the carbon atoms inside the Ti nanoparticles depended on the size of the nanoparticles. When the Ti nanoparticle diameter was less than 30 nm, carbon atoms diffused into the Ti nanoparticle and formed TiC. The superstructure of the Ti nanoparticles was observed, which revealed the growth process of TiC to be the diffusion of carbon atoms. For Ti nanoparticles with diameter larger than 30 nm it was observed that diffusion of Ti atoms into the carbon layer was dominant, which resulted in formation of TiC in the carbon layer at the surface of Ti nanoparticles.     

Efficient regioselective aldol condensation of methyl ketones promoted by organoaluminum compounds,and its application to muscone synthesis

Regioselective aldol condensation of 2-octanone and 2-butanone at the methyl side proceeded in high yields using a system of dialkylaluminum phenoxide/tertiary amine. The intramolecular aldol condensation of 2,15-hexadecanedione was carried out by the same system, especially di-i-butylaluminum phenoxide/pyridine, to give dehydromuscone in 65% yield. Its hydrogenation afforded muscone (3-methylcyclopentadecanone).     

Organic Dicarboxylate Negative Electrode Materials with Remarkably Small Strain for High‐Voltage Bipolar Batteries

As advanced negative electrodes for powerful and useful high‐voltage bipolar batteries, an intercalated metal–organic framework (iMOF), 2,6‐naphthalene dicarboxylate dilithium, is described which has an organic‐inorganic layered structure of π‐stacked naphthalene and tetrahedral LiO₄ units. The material shows a reversible two‐electron‐transfer Li intercalation at a flat potential of 0.8 V with a small polarization. Detailed crystal structure analysis during Li intercalation shows the layered framework to be maintained and its volume change is only 0.33 %. The material possesses two‐dimensional pathways for efficient electron and Li⁺ transport formed by Li‐doped naphthalene packing and tetrahedral LiO₃C network. A cell with a high potential operating LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ spinel positive and the proposed negative electrodes exhibited favorable cycle performance (96 % capacity retention after 100 cycles), high specific energy (300 Wh kg^?1), and high specific power (5 kW kg^?1). An 8 V bipolar cell was also constructed by connecting only two cells in series.     

Theoretical calculation of the OH vibrational overtone spectra of 1-n alkane diols (n = 2-4): origin of disappearing hydrogen-bonded OH peak

In this theoretical study, we simulated the vibrational overtone spectrum of ethylene glycol (EG), 1-3 propanediol (PD), and 1-4 butanediol (BD). Using the local mode model along with the potential energy curve and dipole moment function calculated by B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) and QCISD/6-311++G(3df,3pd), we obtained the theoretical peak position and integrated absorption coefficient. Furthermore, the vibrational spectra was simulated using a Voigt function using homogeneous and inhomogenous width obtained from quantum chemical calculation methods. Previously, Howard and Kjaergaard recorded the second and third overtone photoacoustic spectra of the three aforementioned alkane diols in the gas phase and observed that the intramolecular hydrogen bonded OH peak becomes difficult to observe as the intramolecular hydrogen bonding strength increased, that is, as the chain length was increased. In this paper we show that the disappearance of the hydrogen-bonded OH peak for the OH stretching overtone excitation for BD is partly due to the increase in homogeneous width due to the increase in the hydrogen bond strength and partly due to the decrease in the relative population of the intramolecular hydrogen-bonded conformers as the chain length is increased. This latter feature is a consequence of the unfavorable strained geometry needed to form the intramolecular hydrogen bond in longer alkane chains.     

Lamellar structural changes in miscible crystalline polymer blends during melting and crystallization processes,as studied by real‐time small‐angle X‐ray scattering measurements

Real‐time small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) measurement using synchrotron radiation was applied to study the lamellar structural changes in miscible crystalline polymer blends of poly(1,4‐butylene succinate) (PBSU) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) during melting and crystallization processes. The lamella of PBSU is either included in the interlamellar region of PVDF (interlamellar inclusion structure), or rejected from the interlamellar region of PVDF (interlamellar exclusion structure). The two lamellar structures coexists in the melt‐quenched samples of the PBSU/PVDF = 30/70 blend. Only the interlamellar exclusion structure exists in the drawn films of the PBSU/PVDF = 30/70 blend. The real‐time SAXS results show that the interlamellar exclusion structure in these samples is irreversibly transformed into the interlamellar inclusion structure by heating the sample above the melting temperature of PBSU and that the PBSU chains are crystallized between the lamellae of PVDF during the cooling process. The factors controlling the lamellar structural changes are possibly a balance of the miscibility and the chain exclusion by tie‐molecules and/or the chain diffusion under confinement by the lamellae of PVDF with higher melting temperature. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1959–1969, 2007     

Synthesis of Al–Cr decagonal quasicrystal nanoparticles and their temperature of phase transformation to stable crystal phase

The synthesis of Al–Cr single quasicrystal (QC) nanoparticles of the decagonal phase was achieved by introducing an advanced gas flow evaporation method. By obtaining successive electron diffraction patterns for single-QC nanoparticles, the phase transformation temperature of a single-QC nanoparticle was determined to be 700 °C. It was also determined that part of the QC nanoparticle decomposed into hex-Al₈Cr₅ and Al during the phase transformation. Since the grain growth did not occur during the phase transformation in the present experiment, the inherent phase transformation temperature could be measured.     

Structure of Carbon-coated or Silicon-oxide-coated ZnTe,ZnSe and ZnS Nanoparticles Produced by Gas Evaporation Technique

Ultrafine particles of typical chalcogenides have been produced by the advanced gas evaporation method (AGEM) and characterized by transmission electron microscopy. Zinc-blende nanoparticles less than 20-nm in size covered with SiO or carbon layer have been predominately produced. Many growth faults were observed in the zinc-blende particles above 20-nm in size. It has been found that particles less than 10-nm in size have no growth faults.     

Magnetic circular dichroism of some benzene derivatives

The MCD spectra of phloroglucin, 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene, 1,3,5-tricyanobenzene, 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid and 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl chloride were measured. For the ¹E′ ← ¹A′₁ transition of phloroglucin or 1,3,5-tricyanobenzene and the ¹E′ ← ¹A′ transition of 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene, the Faraday A term was observed and the A/D value was extracted. However, 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid and 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl chloride showed no magnetic circular dichroism in this spectral region. The magnetic moments in the ¹E′ states of these molecules seem to be quenched by the effects of substituents. The magnetic moments in the ¹E′ states of benzene derivatives are sensitive to substitution in the benzene ring.