Control of the temperature hysteresis and diffuse dielectric anomaly in the temperature range of the ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase transition in PbZr1 − x TixO3 (0.03 ≤ x ≤ 0.05) ceramics

The magnitudes of the temperature hysteresis and diffuse dielectric anomaly corresponding to the transition from the antiferroelectric phase to the ferroelectric phase in PbZr_{1 ? x} Ti_xO₃ (0.03 ≤ x ≤ 0.05) ceramics can be reversibly changed by varying the temperatures of heating and cooling in the course of thermocycling. The results obtained indicate that the antiferroelectric-ferroelectric transition in the PbZr_{1 ? x} Ti_xO₃ ceramics materials is a smeared first-order phase transition.     

Influence of the prehistory of NaNbO3-Gd1/3NbO3 ceramics and single crystals on their dielectric properties

The dielectric properties of a ceramic and a single crystal of the same composition 0.9NaNbO₃-0.1Gd_1/3NbO₃ (NNG10) with different prehistories of the material are investigated in the low-and infralow-frequency ranges. It is revealed that the dielectric aging of the material based on the NaNbO₃ antiferroelectric with a smeared phase transition differs in character from similar phenomena observed in relaxor ferroelectrics.     

Spectral and photochemical characteristics of CdSe nanoparticles stabilized in polymer-containing media

The optical characteristics of CdSe nanoparticles, produced in aqueous solutions and polymer films in the reaction of cadmium chloride and sodium selenosulfate, were studied. The main parameters that make it possible to vary the forbidden band width were identified. The absorption, photoluminescence, Raman, and nonstationary decolorization spectra of CdSe nanoparticles of various sizes were analyzed. It was demonstrated that under the conditions of pulsed irradiation the CdSe nanoparticles are capable of accumulating excess electrons and inducing redox transformations in components of the solution (oxygen, methylviologen, and sulfite ions). __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 150–155, May–June, 2006.     

Effect of the nature of the metal oxide on selective transformation of methane under unsteady conditions in the absence of oxidant in the gaseous phase

The catalytic transformation of methane into higher hydrocarbons was studied under unsteady conditions on oxides of various metals (Pb, Fe, Nb, Ti, Cd, Mo, Mg, Zn, Zr, Bi, Mn), and also on Sr-, La-, Y-, and Mn-containing oxides of perovskite structure. It is shown that the effectiveness of the catalysts not only depends on their chemical composition, but also is determined to a considerable degree by the specific surface of the oxides. L. V. Pisarzhevskii Institute of Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 252039 Kiev, Prosp. Nauki, 31, Ukraine. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 91–95, March–April, 1997.     

Influence of the composition of perovskites based on SrMnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> on their catalytic properties in the oxidative coupling of methane

The oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) in a periodic regime over the SrMnO₃ and its derivatives has been investigated. It has been established that partial replacement of the strontium ion by alkali metal ions leads to an increase in both catalytic activity and in selectivity with respect to higher hydrocarbons. Comparison of the results obtained in the present work with those obtained earlier for catalysts based on SrCoO₃ led to the conclusion that the Co-containing catalysts were preferable to the Mn-containing catalysts for carrying out oxidative coupling of methane in a periodic regime.__________Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimentalnaya Khimiya, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 30–34, January–February, 2005.     

Photocatalytic Synthesis of Composite CdSe/CdS Nanoparticles

We have shown that CdSe/CdS nanocomposites can be obtained in a photocatalytic reaction with participation of CdS nanoparticles from sodium selenosulfate. We have studied the kinetic characteristics of this process in detail and have shown that its most likely mechanism includes a step involving reaction between SeSO^3/2− anions and electrons generated in the conduction band of the CdS nanoparticles during irradiation and stabilized in traps on the semiconductor surface.__________Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Eksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 171–175, May–June, 2005.     

Catalytic synthesis of C-alkylimidazoles over platinum-alumina catalysts

The synthesis of C-alkylimidazoles from 1,2-diamines and carboxylic acids over bifunctional platinum—alumina catalysts has been studied. It has been shown that this method is effective for the synthesis of 2-alkyl and 2,4-dialkylimidazoles including imidazoles with long-chain alkyls. The effect of the reaction temperature, space velocity of the flow of the raw materials, and dilution by hydrogen on the yield of product has been examined for the example of the synthesis of 2-methylimidazole from ethylenediamine and acetic acid, and the stability of the catalyst in continuous reaction cycles with intermediate oxidative regeneration has been studied. The composition of the accompanying products has been established and a mechanism proposed for their formation.N. D. Zelinskii Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117913. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 932–940, April, 1992.     

Automatic systems for control of water purification with online monitoring of pollutants at key points of the flow diagram

A system for automatic control of a three-step process of water purification is developed. The system includes the online monitoring of the concentrations of pollutants in water at points of the flow diagram corresponding to the primary, fine, and final treatment steps, and consists of a UV-fluorimeter for determining the concentrations of pollutants, solenoid valves for controlling the flow of water in the treatment installation and a computerized central control unit operating according to a preset algorithm of water treatment control.     

Formation of ferroelectric phases in KNbO<Subscript>3</Subscript> and other niobates with perovskite structure

The Curie-Weiss temperatures T _CW of NaNbO₃ and AgNbO₃ are determined for the first time by extrapolating the temperature dependence of the reciprocal permittivity from the cubic phase. It is established that the values of T _CW of ANbO₃ perovskites (A = Na, Ag, K) are practically equal, i.e., that the cubic phases of all the compounds are potentially unstable to an almost equal extent with respect to polarization. From an analysis of the EXAFS spectra of the NaNbO₃ and KNbO₃ cubic phases, it follows that the potential-energy surfaces of the Nb cation in both compounds are similar and exhibit eight minima shifted by 0.16 and 0.19 Å, respectively, from the oxygen-octahedron center along the [111]-type directions. Based on these facts, it is inferred that the ANbO₃ instability with respect to the occurrence of polarization is due to the tendency of the Nb cations to be ordered over the eight minima and that the phase transitions induced by this instability are of the order-disorder type. A statistical model capable of describing the sequence of ferroelectric phase transitions occurring in KNbO₃ and in (Ba, Sr)TiO₃ is proposed and studied.