Experimental investigation for stability and surface properties of TiO2 and Al2O3 water-based nanofluids

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Nanofluids have gained recent attention because of their potential applications in diverse engineering fields like enhancing thermal transport,...     

Growth Behavior of CdS Nanoparticles Embedded in Polymer and Sol-Gel Silica Matrices: Relationship with Surface-State Related Luminescence

Chemical techniques were employed to synthesize CdS nanoparticles embedded in polymer (PEG 300) and sol-gel silica matrices. Systematic growth of particles (radius 3–9 nm) was obtained by adjusting post-deposition annealing temperature and time to examine the dependence of surface-state–related luminescence on particle size. Photoluminescence (PL) peak energy showed a linear dependence with a gentle slope in the weak confinement region and a steep slope in the strong confinement region, the divergence being observed near the excitonic Bohr radius for CdS. The empirical relation proposed for the weak confinement region could be used for estimating chemically prepared CdS nanoparticle size with a high degree of reliability from PL peak energy.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel thermoresponsive‐co‐biodegradable hydrogels composed of N‐isopropylacrylamide,poly(L‐lactic acid), and dextran

A series of novel multifunctional hydrogels that combined the merits of both thermoresponsive and biodegradable polymeric materials were designed, synthesized, and characterized. The hydrogels were copolymeric networks composed of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM) as a thermoresponsive component, poly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) as a hydrolytically degradable and hydrophobic component, and dextran as an enzymatically degradable and hydrophilic component. The chemical structures of the hydrogels were characterized by an attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR–FTIR) technique. The hydrogels were thermoresponsive, showing a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at approximately 32 °C, and their swelling properties strongly depended on temperature changes, the balance of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic components, and the degradation of the PLLA component. The degradation of the hydrogels caused by hydrolytic cleavage of ester bonds in the PLLA component was faster at 25 °C below the LCST than at 37 °C above the LCST, determined by the ATR–FTIR technique. Due to their multifunctional properties, the designed hydrogels show great potential for biomedical applications, including drug delivery and tissue engineering. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5054–5066, 2004     

Reverse micellar synthesis and properties of nanocrystalline GMR materials (LaMnO3, La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 and La0.67Ca0.33MnO3): Ramifications of size considerations

Nanoparticles of complex manganites (viz. LaMnO₃, La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ and La_0.67Ca{0.33}MnO₃) have been synthesized using the reverse micellar route. These manganites are prepared at 800‡C and the monophasic nature of all the oxides has been established by powder X-ray diffraction studies. TEM studies show an average grain size of 68, 80 and 50 nm for LaMnO₃, La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ and La_0.67Ca{0.33}MnO₃respectively. Ferromagnetic ordering is observed at around 250 K for LaMnO₃, 350 K for La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ and 200 K for La_0.67Ca{0.33}MnO₃. These Curie temperatures correspond well with those reported for bulk materials with similar composition.     

Bounds on the inverses of nonnegative triangular matrices with monotonicity properties

Some bounds on the entries and on the norm of the inverse of triangular matrices with nonnegative and monotone entries are found. All the results are obtained by exploiting the properties of the fundamental matrix of the recurrence relation which generates the sequence of the entries of the inverse matrix. One of the results generalizes a theorem contained in a recent article of one of the authors about Toeplitz matrices.     

Substituted m-phenylene bridges as strong ferromagnetic couplers for Cu(II)-bridge-Cu(II) magnetic interactions: new perspectives

Based on a combined theoretical-experimental study, we propose that substituted m-phenylene ligands (m-N-Phi-N) can act as tuneable strong ferromagnetic couplers connecting Cu(II) ions; a new complex presenting that bridge with J close to +15 cm(-1) has been suggested and synthesized.     

Inclusive ϕ production inK − p interactions at 110 GeV/c and search for structure in φ π−

Results on inclusive ? production inK ^? p interactions at 110 GeV/c are presented. The production cross section is found to be larger than in πp andpp interactions at similar energies, suggesting OZI allowed \(s\bar s\) fusion to be the dominant mechanism in ? production. Thex distributions of ? and \(\bar K^{*0} \) are found to be similar to each other over the entirex range suggesting an overall strangeness suppression factor of 0.20±0.04 in the sea to be the dominant source of the difference in the cross section for ? and \(\bar K^{*0} \) . There is no evidence of a narrowφπ ^? state around 2.1 GeV/c² as suggested byK ⁺ experiments, but there is some excess of events in the region 1.94?1.98 GeV/c² consistent with theF-meson mass as observed ine ⁺ e ^? experiments.     

Nanoparticles from cationic copolymer and DNA that are soluble and stable in common organic solvents

DNA by virtue of its superlative ability to self-assemble has found use beyond biological research in the design and fabrication of nanomaterials. However, developing novel DNA-based materials for chemical applications might be restricted due to the insoluble nature of DNA in most common organic solvents. In this Communication, we are reporting the first demonstration of making DNA soluble in a variety of nonbiological solvents such as acetonitrile, benzene, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and tetrahydrofuran with the help of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based cationic random copolymers. Because of complex formation between cationic copolymer and anionic DNA, nanoparticles are formed. These nanoparticles are expected to exhibit micelle-like structures with a nanometric core of cationic units neutralized by phosphate anions of DNA, surrounded by a shell of PEG segments. As PEG is soluble in the organic solvents used in this study, nanoparticles are stable in these solvents, making entrapped DNA soluble in these organic solvents.     

Phase transitions in thallous nitrate. A reinvestigation

A detailed reinvestigation of the phase transitions in thallous nitrate using DSC, X-ray, IR and optical microscopy has been undertaken. The DSC measurements on anhydrous samples show that the orthorhombic [OR] → hexagonal [HEX] transition sets in at 349 ± 1 K and peaks around 353 K. However, its intensity depends upon several factors such as particle size, moisture content and thermal history of the sample. The HEX→cubic [C] transition sets in around 405 K and shows two peaks at ～409 K and 413 K. Their relative intensities depend on the moisture content and thermal history of the sample. On cooling, the peaks show hysteresis and, by selective thermal cycling, the pairs of transitions, which correspond to the same process during heating and cooling, have been identified. IR spectra recorded in the OR and HEX phases at room temperature show that the symmetric stretching frequency (～1040 cm^?1) of the nitrate ion gets damped in the HEX phase. X-ray and optical microscopy data are in good agreement with the DSC observations.