Effects of inoculated Microcoleus vaginatus on the structure and function of biological soil crusts of desert

Microcoleus vaginatus Gom., the dominant species in biological soil crusts (BSCs) in desert regions, plays a significant role in maintaining the BSC structure and function. The BSC quality is commonly assessed by the chlorophyll a content, thickness, and compressive strength. Here, we have studied the effect of different proportions of M. vaginatus, collected from the Gurbantunggut Desert in northwestern China, on the BSC structure and function under laboratory conditions. We found that when M. vaginatus was absent in the BSC, the BSC coverage, quantified by the percentage of BSC area to total land surface area, was low with a chlorophyll a content of 4.77 x 10(-2) mg g(-1) dry soil, a thickness of 0.86 mm, and a compressive strength of 12.21 Pa. By increasing the percentage of M. vaginatus in the BSC, the BSC coverage, chlorophyll a content, crust thickness, and compressive strength all significantly increased (P < 0.01). The maximum chlorophyll a content (13.12 mg g(-1)dry soil), the highest crust thickness, and the compressive strength (1.48 mm and 36.60 Pa, respectively) occurred when the percentage of inoculated M. vaginatus reached 80% with a complex network of filaments under scanning electron microscope. The BSC quality indicated by the above variables, however, declined when the BSC was composed of pure M. vaginatus (monoculture). In addition, we found that secretion of filaments and polymer, which stick sands together in the BSC, increased remarkably with the increase of the dominant species until the percentage of M. vaginatus reached 80%. Our results suggest that not only the dominant species but also the accompanying taxa are critical for maintaining the structure and functions of the BSC and thus the stability of the BSC ecosystems.

Effects of rare earth on the structure and properties of Mg–6Zn–5Al–4Gd–1RE (RE = Ce or Y) alloys

The microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg-6Zn-5Al-4Gd-1RE (RE = Ce or Y) alloys were investigated. The addition of Ce or Y obviously refines the grain size for the Mg-6Zn-5Al-4Gd-based alloy, while the Y element has a better refining effect. The Ce and Y show different grain-refining mechanisms: Ce addition mostly promotes the growth of secondary dendrite, while Y addition mainly increases the heterogeneous nucleation sites.

Study on structure and molecular dynamics of starch/poly(sodium acrylate)grafted superabsorbent by C-13 solid state NMR

The domain-structure of samples containing a series of starch/poly(sodium acrylate)-grafted superabsorbents, pure starch, pure poly(sodium acrylate), and blend of starch/poly(sodium acrylate) has been studied by high-resolution solid-state C-13 NMR spectroscopy at room temperature. The result shows that the crystallinity of starch decreases greatly in the grafted and blended samples.

Structure and electrochemical characteristics of melted composite Ti0.10Zr0.15V0.35Cr0.10Ni0.30-LaNi5 hydrogen storage alloys

The structure and electrochemical characteristics of melted composite Ti0.10Zr0.15V0.35Cr0.10Ni0.30+x% LaNi5 (x=0, 1, 5 and 10) hydrogen storage alloys have been investigated systematically. XRD shows that the matrix phase structure of V-based solid solution phase with a BCC structure and C14 Laves phase with hexagonal structure is not changed after adding LaNi5 alloy. However, the amount of the secondary phase increases with increasing LaNi5 content. Field emission scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (FESEM-EDS) shows that the C14 Laves phase contains more Zr and the white lard phase has a composition close to (Zr, Ti)(V, Cr, Ni, La)(2).

Magnetic structure and orbital ordering in tetragonal and monoclinic KCrF3 from first-principles calculations

KCrF3 has been systematically investigated by using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbital method within the generalized gradient approximation and the local spin density approximation plus the on-site Coulomb repulsion approach. The total energies for ferromagnetic and three different antiferromagnetic configurations are calculated in the high-temperature tetragonal and low-temperature monoclinic phases, respectively.

Synthesis of Cu-In-S ternary nanocrystals with tunable structure and composition

Nearly monodisperse Cu-In-S ternary nanocrystals with tunable composition, crystalline structure, and size were synthesized by a hot-injection method using mixed generic precursors. Such ternary nanocrystals with zincblende and wurtzite structure were reported for the first time.

The Effect of MMT/Modified MMT on the Structure and Performance of the Superabsorbent Composite

A series of superabsorbent composites containing Montmorillonite (MMT), modified- Montmorillonite (OMMT) and sodium acrylate were synthesized by free-radical polymerization in aqueous solution. The structure of composites was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the results showed that the polymer chains were grafted onto the edge and the surface of MMT or OMMT. At the same time, the equilibrium swelling ratio of the composites was investigated as a function of the clay content and the results showed that the equilibrium swelling ratio of composites was improved by the introduction of clay.

Crystal structure and charge transfer energy of the vaterite-type orthoborate YBO3:Eu

Ligand-to-metal charge transfer energies of YBO3:Eu have been investigated from the chemical bond viewpoint. The chemical bond parameters, such as the covalency, the polarizability of the chemical bond volume, and the presented charge of the ligands in the chemical bond have been quantitatively determined based on the dielectric theory of complex crystal. We calculated the environmental factor (h(e)), which is the major factor influencing the charge transfer energy in the compounds. The calculated results show that the suitable group space of YBO3 is C2/c. The method provides us with a supplementary tool to judge the proper structure when the structure of the crystal has many uncertain space groups.

Study on the Cell Structure and Compressive Behavior of Biodegradable Poly(epsilon-caprolactone) Foam

Biodegradable poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) foams with a series of controlled structures were prepared by using chemical foaming method. The cell morphology was detected by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The compressive behavior of the foams was investigated by uniaxial compression test. The effect of density and structural parameters on the foam compressive behavior was analyzed. It was found that the relative compressive modulus has a power law relationship with relative density. Increasing of both the cell wall thickness and the cell density lead to higher compressive modulus of the foam; however, the cell size has no distinct effect on compressive behavior.

Synthesis, structure, and optical properties of a contorted (110)-oriented layered hybrid perovskite: C3H11SN3PbBr4

The < 110 >-oriented perovskite is very rare in the hybrid perovskites family. In this work, an unusual layered < 110 >-oriented hybrid perovskite, which is stabilized by a special organic ligand, 2-(aminoethyl)isothiourea, has been obtained. This ligand combines a primary amine and a formamidine on the two ends of one molecule. Introduction of the special ligand brings about contorted inorganic sheets in the hybrid perovskite structure. The optical properties of the new < 110 >-oriented perovskite were studied.

A topography/chemical composition gradient polystyrene surface: Toward the investigation of the relationship between surface wettability and surface structure and chemical composition

In this paper, we have prepared of a topography/chemical composition gradient polystyrene (PS) surface, i.e., an orthogonal gradient surface, to investigate the relationship between surface wettability and surface structure and chemical composition. The prepared surface shows a one-dimensional gradient in wettability in the x, y, and diagonal directions, including hydrophobic to hydrophilic, superhydrophobic to hydrophobic, superhydrophobic to superhydrophilic gradients, and so forth.

Preparation of ferrite MFe2O4 (M = Co, Ni) ribbons with nanoporous structure and their magnetic properties

Spinel ferrite, MFe2O4 (M = Co, Ni), ribbons with nanoporous structure were prepared by electrospinning combined with sol-gel technology. The ribbons were formed through the agglomeration of magnetic nanoparticles with PVP as the structure directing template. The length of the polycrystalline ribbons can reach millimeters, and the width of the ribbons can be tuned from several micrometers to several hundred nanometers by changing the concentration of precursor. The nanoporous structure was formed during the decomposition of PVP and inorganic salts.

Preparation, structure and dielectric properties of (Ba1-xSrx)(2)NaNb5O15 ceramics

In this study the tungsten-bronze type tetragonal (Ba1-xSrx)(2)NaNb5O15 system as a kind of lead-free ferroelectric ceramics has been synthesized by low-temperature combustion method. Microstructure and dielectric properties of (Ba1-xSrx)(2)NaNb5O15 system were also investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study confirms the formation of single-phase tetragonal compounds in the crystal system at room temperature. The TEM photograph shows that the particles synthesized by low-temperature combustion method are uniform with an average particle size of 30nm in diameter.

Structure and mechanical properties of extruded Mg-Gd based alloy sheet

The Mg-8Gd-2Y-1Nd-0.3Zn-0.6Zr (wt.%) alloy sheet was prepared by hot extrusion technique, and the structure and mechanical properties of the extruded alloy were investigated. The results show that the alloy in different states is mainly composed of alpha-Mg solid solution and secondary phases of Mg5RE and Mg24RE5 (RE = Gd, Y and Nd). At aging temperatures from 200 degrees C to 300 degrees C the alloy exhibits obvious age-hardening response. Great improvement of mechanical properties is observed in the peak-aged state alloy (aged at 200 degrees C for 60 h), the ultimate tensile strength (sigma(b)), tensile yield strength (sigma(0.2)) and elongation (epsilon) are 376 MPa, 270 MPa and 14.2% at room temperature (RT), and 206 MPa. 153 MPa and 25.4% at 300 degrees C, respectively, the alloy exhibits high thermal stability.

Effect of La-Mg-based alloy addition on structure and electrochemical characteristics of Ti0.10Zr0.15V0.35Cr0.10Ni0.30 hydrogen storage alloy

Effect of La-Mg-based alloy (AB(5)) addition on Structure and electrochemical characteristics of Ti0.10Zr0.15V0.35Cr0.10Ni0.30 hydrogen storage alloy has been investigated systematically. XRD shows that the matrix phase structure is not changed after adding AB(5) alloy, however, the amount of the secondary phase increases with increasing AB(5) alloy content. The electrochemical measurements show that the plateau pressure Ti0.10Zr0.15V0.35Cr0.10Ni0.30 + x% La0.85Mg0.25Ni4.5Co0.35Al0.15 (X = 0, 1, 5, 10, 20) hydrogen storage alloys increase with increasing x, and the width of the pressure plateau first increases when x increases from 0 to 5 and then decreases as x increases further, and the maximum discharge capacity changes in the same trend.