Neutron and proton diffusion in fusion reactions for the synthesis of superheavy nuclei

The restriction of the one dimensional (1D) master equation (ME) with the mass number of the projectile-like fragment as a variable is studied, and a two-dimensional (2D) master equation with the neutron and proton numbers as independent variables is set up, and solved numerically. Our study showed that the 2D ME can describe the fusion process well in all projectile-target combinations. Therefore the possible channels to synthesize super-heavy nuclei can be studied correctly in wider possibilities. The available condition for employing 1D ME is pointed out.

Isospin diffusion and equilibration for Sn plus Sn collisions at E/A=35 MeV

Equilibration and equilibration rates have been measured by colliding Sn nuclei with different isospin asymmetries at beam energies of E/A = 35 MeV. Using the yields of mirror nuclei of Li-7 and Be-7, we have studied the diffusion of isospin asymmetry by combining data from asymmetric Sn-112 + Sn-124 and Sn-124 + Sn-112 collisions with those from symmetric Sn-112 + Sn-112 and Sn-124 + Sn-124 collisions. We use these measurements to probe isospin equilibration in central collisions where nucleon-nucleon collisions are strongly blocked by the Pauli exclusion principle. The results are consistent with transport theoretical calculations that predict a degree of transparency in these collisions, but inconsistent with the emission of intermediate mass fragments by a single chemically equilibrated source. Comparisons with quantum molecular dynamics calculations are consistent with results obtained at higher incident energies that provide constraints on the density dependence of the symmetry energy.

Study of sintered stainless steel fiber felt as gas diffusion backing in air-breathing DMFC

Adoption of a sintered stainless steel fiber felt was evaluated as gas diffusion backing in air-breathing direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). By using a sintered stainless steel fiber felt as an anodic gas diffusion backing, the peak power density of an air-breathing DMFC is 24 mW cm(-2), which is better than that of common carbon paper. A 30-h-life test indicates that the degraded performance of the air-breathing DMFC is primarily due to the water flooding of the cathode. Twelve unit cells with each has 6 cm(2) of active area are connected in series to supply the power to a mobile phone assisted by a constant voltage diode. The maximum power density of 26 mW cm(-2) was achieved in the stack, which is higher than that in single cell. The results show that the sintered stainless steel felt is a promising solution to gas diffusion backing in the air-breathing DMFC, especially in the anodic side because of its high electronical conductivity and hydrophilicity. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of structure and diffusion behaviour of Ca-alginate beads prepared with external or internal calcium sources

Ca-alginate beads were prepared with either external or internal calcium sources. The structures of both beads were investigated with the aid of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal microscopy. It was shown that the beads with internal calcium source had a looser structure and bigger pore size than those with external calcium source. The attempts to interpret the difference were carried out by determining the Ca content within the beads at various times, which indicated that it was the different gelation mechanisms that caused the difference of structures of both beads. Furthermore, it was also found that the diffusion rate of haemoglobin (Hb) within the beads with an internal calcium source was faster than that of the beads with an external one, which was consistent with the observation of their structures.

Effect of diffusion barrier on the high-temperature oxidation behavior of thermal barrier coatings

A selective oxidation technique has been applied to form a diffusion barrier on the Ni-based superalloy substrate by heating the substrate with electron beam of the electron beam-physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) facility. The interdiffusion behavior, cross-sectional morphology, isothermal and cyclic oxidations were studied for thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with and without diffusion barrier.

Exfoliation of Organically Modified Montmorillonite Driven by Molecular Diffusion in Maleated Polypropylene

This work is focused on the factors influencing the intercalation of maleated polypropylene (PPMA) into organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT). Two kinds of PPMA were used to explore the optimal candidate for effective intercalation into OMMT. The grafting degree of maleic anhydride and the viscosity of PPMA have effects on the diffusion of polymer molecules. Moreover, the loading level of surfactant was varied to optimize the modification of montmorillonite because the appropriate loading level can provide a balance between interlayer distance and steric hindrance. The kind of surfactant changes the interaction between OMMT and PPMA, and accordingly the intercalation of PPMA is different, resulting in the discrepancy of the intercalation of PPMA.

Electrolytic Deposition and Diffusion of Lithium onto Magnesium-9 Wt Pct Yttrium Bulk Alloy in Low-Temperature Molten Salt of Lithium Chloride and Potassium Chloride

The electrolytic deposition and diffusion of lithium onto bulk magnesium-9 wt pct yttrium alloy cathode in molten salt of 47 wt pct lithium chloride and 53 wt pct potassium chloride at 693 K were investigated. Results show that magnesium-yttrium-lithium ternary alloys are formed on the surface of the cathodes, and a penetration depth of 642 mu m is acquired after 2 hours of electrolysis at the cathodic current density of 0.06 A center dot cm(-2). The diffusion of lithium results in a great amount of precipitates in the lithium containing layer. These precipitates are the compound of Mg41Y5, which arrange along the grain boundaries and hinder the diffusion of lithium, and solid solution of yttrium in magnesium. The grain boundaries and the twins of the magnesium-9 wt pct yttrium substrate also have negative effects on the diffusion of lithium.

Spectroscopic Study on Water Diffusion in Poly(ester urethane) Block Copolymer Matrix

The diffusion of water in a phase-separated biodegradable poly(ester urethane) shape-memory polymer with poly(E-caprolactone) (PCL) as the soft segment was investigated using time-resolved FTIR-ATR. On the basis of the band fitting and water ordering in drawn films, the broad water band in the 3800-2800 cm(-1) region was decomposed into four bands located at 3620, 3510, 3400, and 3260 cm(-1), and the first two components at 3620 and 35 10 cm(-1) were assigned to the vibrations of antisymmetric and symmetric stretching of water hydrogen bonded with the C=O group of the soft segment. The other two were associated with water bonded to the urethane hard segments in the forms of N-H:O-H:O=C bridge hydrogen bond and double hydrogen bonds with two C=O groups, respectively. Furthermore, band fitting and two-dimensional correlation analyses revealed that in the diffusion process, water first diffuses into the continuous soft-rich PCL phase and then into the hard-rich urethane domains, forming double hydrogen bonds with two C=O groups prior to the bridge hydrogen bond in the form of N-H:O-H:O=C.

Configuration-dependent diffusion can shift the kinetic transition state and barrier height of protein folding

We show that diffusion can play an important role in protein-folding kinetics. We explicitly calculate the diffusion coefficient of protein folding in a lattice model. We found that diffusion typically is configuration- or reaction coordinate-dependent. The diffusion coefficient is found to be decreasing with respect to the progression of folding toward the native state, which is caused by the collapse to a compact state constraining the configurational space for exploration. The configuration- or position-dependent diffusion coefficient has a significant contribution to the kinetics in addition to the thermodynamic free-energy barrier. It effectively changes (increases in this case) the kinetic barrier height as well as the position of the corresponding transition state and therefore modifies the folding kinetic rates as well as the kinetic routes. The resulting folding time, by considering both kinetic diffusion and the thermodynamic folding free-energy profile, thus is slower than the estimation from the thermodynamic free-energy barrier with constant diffusion but is consistent with the results from kinetic simulations. The configuration- or coordinate-dependent diffusion is especially important with respect to fast folding, when there is a small or no free-energy barrier and kinetics is controlled by diffusion.Including the configurational dependence will challenge the transition state theory of protein folding.

Diffusion and single molecule dynamics on biomolecular interface binding energy landscape

We propose a new approach to study the diffusion dynamics on biomolecular interface binding energy landscape. The resulting mean first passage time (MFPT) has 'U'curve dependence on the temperature. It is shown that the large specificity ratio of gap to roughness of the underlying binding energy landscape not only guarantees the thermodynamic stability and the specificity [P.A. Rejto, G.M. Verkhivker, in: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 93 (1996) 8945; C.J. Tsai, S. Kumar, B. Ma, R. Nussinov, Protein Sci. 8 (1999) 1181; G.A. Papoian, P.G. Wolynes, Biopolymers 68 (2003) 333; J. Wang, G.M. Verkhivker, Phys. Rev. Lett. 90 (2003) 198101] but also the kinetic accessibility. The complex kinetics and the associated fluctuations reflecting the structures of the binding energy landscape emerge upon temperature changes. The theory suggests a way of connecting the models/simulations with single molecule experiments by analysing the kinetic trajectories.

First-passage time distribution and non-Markovian diffusion dynamics of protein folding

We study the kinetics of protein folding via statistical energy landscape theory. We concentrate on the local-connectivity case, where the configurational changes can only occur among neighboring states, with the folding progress described in terms of an order parameter given by the fraction of native conformations. The non-Markovian diffusion dynamics is analyzed in detail and an expression for the mean first-passage time (MFPT) from non-native unfolded states to native folded state is obtained. It was found that the MFPT has a V-shaped dependence on the temperature. We also find that the MFPT is shortened as one increases the gap between the energy of the native and average non-native folded states relative to the fluctuations of the energy landscape. The second- and higher-order moments are studied to infer the first-passage time distribution. At high temperature, the distribution becomes close to a Poisson distribution, while at low temperatures the distribution becomes a Levy-type distribution with power-law tails, indicating a nonself-averaging intermittent behavior of folding dynamics. We note the likely relevance of this result to single-molecule dynamics experiments, where a power law (Levy) distribution of the relaxation time of the underlined protein energy landscape is observed.