Industrial methods for the production of optically active intermediates

Enantiomerically pure amino acids, amino alcohols, amines, alcohols, and epoxides play an increasingly important role as intermediates in the pharmaceutical industry and agrochemistry, where both a high degree of purity and large quantities of the compounds are required. The chemical industry has primarily relied upon established chemical methods for the synthesis of these intermediates, but is now turning more and more to enzymatic and biotechnological fermentation processes. For the industrial implementation of many transformations alternative methods are available. The advantages of the individual methods will be discussed herein and exemplified by syntheses of relevant compounds.     

Gel technology in ceramics

The use of sol-gel techniques to prepare ceramic materials ranks high among those areas in ceramic science and technology which are changing most rapidly and which offer the greatest promise for outstanding improvements in both understanding and applications. This paper reviews the important theoretical considerations, processing techniques and applications related to sol-gel derived ceramics.The gelation behavior of colloidal and polymeric gels, in general, and the influence of such variables as solvent type and concentration, pH, catalyst concentration, temperature, etc. on several oxide systems including silica are considered. The importance of capillary stresses and the various techniques used to minimize them during drying are discussed as are the relevant theories which describe the sintering and firing behavior of the dried gels. To produce ceramics containing more than one oxide, appropriate chemical techniques must be employed to obtain the desired homogeneity. The addition of salts, partial hydrolysis, and alkoxide complexation are among the more widely employed techniques reviewed. A review of current and potential applications of sol-gel derived ceramics, which includes specific examples from the areas of novel glasses, fibers, abrasives, thin films and coatings, is included as well. The paper closes with recommendations and suggestions for future work especially in areas which would benefit from the expertise of physicists and chemists.     

High-flip-angle slice-selective parallel RF transmission with 8 channels at 7 T

At high magnetic field, B(1)(+) non-uniformity causes undesired inhomogeneity in SNR and image contrast. Parallel RF transmission using tailored 3D k-space trajectory design has been shown to correct for this problem and produce highly uniform in-plane magnetization with good slice selection profile within a relatively short excitation duration. However, at large flip angles the excitation k-space based design method fails. Consequently, several large-flip-angle parallel transmission designs have recently been suggested. In this work, we propose and demonstrate a large-flip-angle parallel excitation design for 90 degrees and 180 degrees spin-echo slice-selective excitations that mitigate severe B(1)(+) inhomogeneity. The method was validated on an 8-channel transmit array at 7T using a water phantom with B(1)(+) inhomogeneity similar to that seen in human brain in vivo. Slice-selective excitations with parallel RF systems offer means to implement conventional high-flip excitation sequences without a severe pulse-duration penalty, even at very high B(0) field strengths where large B(1)(+) inhomogeneity is present.     

Sol-Gel Derived Bismuth Titanate Thin Films with c-Axis Orientation

Bismuth titanate (Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂), a member of the layered perovskite family, has a unique set of ferroelectric properties, which include a high remanent polarization, low coercive field, and high Curie temperature, that make it a possible candidate for data storage applications. For this investigation, bismuth titanate, or BiT, films were fabricated via sol-gel method to examine the effect of processing on phase development and orientation. Solutions were deposited onto platinized silicon, and then heat treated for one hour at temperatures ranging from 550°C to 700°C in 100% O₂. It was found that c-axis orientated BiT films could be formed at temperatures as low as 550°C by using bismuth oxide template layers, while films without bismuth oxide templating possessed a random orientation over the same temperature range.     

Adsorption von Gasen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Ferroelectric Films

The preparation and properties of ferroelectric films are reviewed. Specific attention is directed to ferroelectric films prepared by wet chemical methods. Emphasis is placed on the microstructure and properties of SBT films for memory applications, and their dependence on chemistry and processing, as well as on the effects of chemistry and processing on the properties of piezoelectric and pyroelectric films. Emphasis is placed on recent results obtained in our laboratories, including modeling of the ferroelectric behavior of films and experimental results in each of these areas. Also considered is the use of ferroelectric films in memory, piezoelectric and pyroelectric devices of various types, with specific note made of the recently-announced use of pyroelectric sensors in automobiles.