A four-phase confocal elliptical cylinder model for predicting the effective thermal conductivity of coated fibre composites

A four-phase confocal elliptical cylinder model is proposed from which a generalised self-consistent method is developed for predicting the thermal conductivity of coated fibre reinforced composites. The method can account for the influence of the fibre section shape ratio on conductivity, and the physical reasonableness of the model is demonstrated by using the fibre distribution function. An exact solution is obtained for thermal conductivity by applying conformal mapping and Laurent series expansion techniques of the analytic function. The solution to the three-phase confocal elliptical model, which simulates composites with idealised fibre-matrix interfaces, is arrived at as the degenerated case. A comparison with other available micromechanics methods, Hashin and Shtrikman's bounds and experimental data shows that the present method provides convergent and reasonable results for a full range of variations in fibre section shapes and for a complete spectrum of the fibre volume fraction. Numerical results show the dependence of the effective conductivities of composites on the aspect ratio of coated fibres and demonstrate that a coating is effective in enhancing the thermal transport property of a composite. The present solutions are helpful to analysis and design of composites.

Adsorbed silica in stalagmite carbonate and its relationship to past rainfall

IEECAS SKLLQG

Color center formation in silica glass induced by high energy Fe and Xe ions

Silica glass samples were implanted with 1.157 GeV Fe-56 and 1.755 GeV Xe-136 ions to fluences range from 1 x 10(11) to 3.8 x 10(12) ions/cm(2). Virgin and irradiated samples were investigated by ultraviolet (UV) absorption from 3 to 6.4 eV and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The UV absorption investigation reveals the presence of various color centers (E' center, non-bridging oxygen hole center (NBOHC) and ODC(II)) appearing in the irradiated samples. It is found that the concentration of all color centers increase with the increase of fluence and tend to saturation at high fluence. Furthermore the concentration of E' center and that of NBOHC is approximately equal and both scale better with the energy deposition through processes of electronic stopping, indicating that E' center and NBOHC are mainly produced simultaneously from the scission of strained Si-O-Si bond by electronic excitation effects in heavy ion irradiated silica glass. The PL measurement shows three emissions peaked at about 4.28 eV (alpha band), 3.2 eV (beta band) and 2.67 eV (gamma band) when excited at 5 eV. The intensities of alpha and gamma bands increase with the increase of fluence and tend to saturation at high fluence. The intensity of beta band is at its maximum in virgin silica glass and it is reduced on increasing the ions fluence. It is further confirmed that nuclear energy loss processes determine the production of alpha and gamma bands and electronic energy loss processes determine the bleaching of beta band in heavy ion irradiated silica glass. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and characteristics of composite chiral stationary phases based on cellulose derivatives

Composite chiral stationary phases (CSPs) were prepared on the basis of cellulose derivatives coated or bonded onto silica. "Molecular exterior" type CSPs were prepared by mixing together two different cellulose tris-derivatives before or after being coated or bonded onto silica, and the "molecular interior" type was obtained by synthesizing non-regioselectively heterosubstituted cellulose derivatives coated or bonded onto silica. For the sake of comparison, the individual phases were also prepared with corresponding cellulose derivatives by coating or bonding approaches, respectively. All of the prepared CSPs were characterized and their chiral recognition properties were evaluated by HPLC with several test racemates. The experimental results demonstrated that the "molecular exterior" CSPs generally exhibit chiral recognition capacities intermediate between those of the two individual phases. However, in the separation of some racemates higher enantioselectivity may be achieved on the "molecular interior" phases than on individual phases, thus broadening the application range of a single cellulose-based CSP.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry using porous silicon and silica gel as matrix

Porous silicon powder and silica gel particles have been applied as inorganic matrices for the analysis of small molecules in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). In contrast to conventional MALDI-TOFMS, the signal interference of low-molecular analytes by the matrix has been eliminated. Almost no fragmentations of the analytes were observed. Effects of various factors, such as the particle and pore size, the suspending solution, and sample preparation procedures, on the intensity of mass spectra have been investigated. The pore structure of the inorganic matrix and penetration of the analytes into the pores must be optimized for effective desorption and ionization of the analytes. Matrices (DHB and HCCA) were covalently bound to silica gel for improvement of spectrum intensity. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Anodic Stripping Voltammetry at Bismuth-Coated and Uncoated Carbon Microdisk Electrodes:Application to Trace Metals Analysis in Flood Samples

This article reports on the performance of a bismuth-coated carbon microdisk electrode (BiFμE) for the determination of trace heavy metals by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). The BiFμE was prepared by electrodeposition of a metallic bismuth film onto the microdisk, by applying an in-situ electroplating procedure. To test the performance of the BiFμE, ASV measurements were performed on synthetic solutions containing Cd2+, Pb2+, and Cu2+ as target ions. The results indicated that cadmium and lead gave well-defined ASV peaks with no interference, and their quantitative determination could be carried out straightforwardly. In particular, linear calibration curves over the range 5.0 x 10-8-1.0 x 10-6M for both ions, and detection limits of 7.8 and 2.9 nM, for cadmium and lead, respectively, after applying a 60 sec preconcentration step, were obtained. The reproducibility was also satisfactory, the relative standard deviation (RSD) being within 2.5% for both ions. Copper, instead, gave an ASV response that. in most experimental conditions, overlapped with that of bismuth. This circumstance made the determination of copper at the BiFμE difficult. Since the latter element could be detected reliably at the uncoated carbon microdisk electrode (CμE), both BiFμE and CμE were employed, respectively, for the determination of lead and copper ions in drinking water, wine, and tomato sauce.