Microstructure, tensile properties, and creep behavior of high-pressure die-cast Mg-4Al-4RE-0.4Mn (RE = La, Ce) alloys

High-pressure die-cast (HPDC) Mg-4Al-4RE-0.4Mn (RE = La, Ce) magnesium alloys were prepared and their microstructures, tensile properties, and creep behavior have been investigated in detail. The results show that two binary Al-Ce phases, Al11Ce3 and Al2Ce, are formed mainly along grain boundaries in Mg-4Al-4Ce-0.4Mn alloy, while the phase composition of Mg-4Al-4La-0.4Mn alloy contains only alpha-Mg and Al11La3. The Al11La3 phase comprises large coverage of the grain boundary region and complicated morphologies. Compared with Al11Ce3 phase, the higher volume fraction and better thermal stability of Al11La3 have resulted in better-fortified grain boundaries of the Mg-4Al-4La-0.4Mn alloy. Thus higher tensile strength and creep resistance could be obtained in Mg-4Al-4La-0.4Mn alloy in comparison with that of Mg-4Al-4Ce-0.4Mn. Results of the theoretical calculation that the stability of Al11La3 is the highest among four Al-RE intermetallic compounds supports the experimental results further.

The combined catalytic action of solid acids with nickel for the transformation of polypropylene into carbon nanotubes by pyrolysis

The effects of both organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) and Ni2O3 on the carbonization of polypropylene (PP) during pyrolysis were investigated. The results from TEM and Raman spectroscopy showed that the carbonized products of PP were mainly multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). Surprisingly, a combination of OMMT and Ni2O3 led to high-yield formation of MWNTs. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and GC-MS were used to investigate the mechanism of this combination for the high-yield formation of MWNTs from PP. Bronsted acid sites were created in degraded OMMT layers by thermal decomposition of the modifiers. The resultant carbenium ions play an important role in the carbonization of PP and the formation of MWNTs. The degradation of PP was induced by the presence of carbenium ions to form predominantly products with lower carbon numbers that could be easily catalyzed by the nickel catalyst for the growth of MWNTs. Furthermore, carbenium ions are active intermediates that promote the growth of MWNTs from the degradation products with higher carbon numbers through hydride-transfer reactions. The XRD measurements showed that Ni2O3 was reduced into metallic nickel (Ni) in situ to afford the active sites for the growth of MWNTs.

Temperature and pressure dependence of phase separation of trans-decahydronaphthalene/polystyrene solution

The cloud-point temperatures (T-c1's) of ti-ans-decahydronaphthalene (TD)/polystyrene (PS, M-w = 270 kg/mol) solutions were determined by fight scattering measurements over a range of temperatures (1-16 degreesC), pressures (100-900 bar), and compositions (4.2-21.6 vol% polymer). The system phase separates upon cooling and the T-c1 was found to increase with the rising pressure for the constant composition. In the absence of special effects this finding indicates positive excess volumes. The special attention was paid to the demixing temperatures as a function of the pressure for the different polymer solutions and the plots in the T-volume fraction plane and P-volume fraction plane. The cloud-point curves of polymer solutions under changing pressures were observed for different compositions, demonstrates that the TD/PS system exhibits UCST (phase separation upon cooling) behavior. With this data the phase diagrams under pressure were calculated applying the Sanchez-Lacombe (SL) lattice fluid theory. Furthermore, the cause of phase separation, i.e., the influence of Flory-Huggins (FH) interaction parameter under pressure was investigated.

Effects of molecular weight, solvent and substrate on the dewetting morphology of polystyrene films

Surface morphology of polystyrene (PS) films on different substrates by spin-coating before and after annealing was observed using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The effects of polymer molecular weight, substrates, solvents, and annealing conditions on the morphology of the films were investigated. Before annealing, the grain height decreases, and simultaneously the grain diameter increases with molecular weight (M-w) within the measured molecular weight. After annealing. the situation is opposite, i.e., the grain height increases while the grain diameter decreases with M-w. Furthermore, after annealing the smaller surface roughness (Ra) was obtained. It was also found that film surface roughness (Ra) depends on the vapor pressure and dipole moment of different used solvents as well as the substrates. The experimental results show that when the used solvents have similar dipole moment but different vapor pressure, the Ra of PS film decreased with the decreasing vapor pressure of solvents whether on silicon or on mica. And when the used solvents have close vapor pressure but different dipole moment, the Ra decreased with the increasing of solvent dipole moments on both substrates.

Effects of a surfactant on the electrocatalytic activity of cobalt hexacyanoferrate modified glassy carbon electrode towards the oxidation of dopamine

The cobalt hexacyanoferrate film (CoHCF) was deposited on the surface of a glassy carbon (GC) electrode with a potential cycling procedure in the presence and absence of the cationic surfactant, cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), to form CoHCF modified GC (CoHCF/GC) electrode. It was found that CTAB would affect the growth of the CoHCF film, the electrochemical behavior of the CoHCF film and the electrocatalytic activity of the CoHCF/GC electrode towards the electrochemical oxidation of dopamine (DA). The reasons of the electrochemical behavior of CoHCF/GC electrode influenced by CTAB were investigated using FTIR and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. The apparent rate constant of electrocatalytic oxidation of DA catalyzed by CoHCF was determined using the rotating disk electrode measurements.

NMR and pattern recognition studies on the acute biochemical effects of Lu(NO3)(3)

Pattern recognition methods were applied to the analysis of 600 MHz H-1 NMR spectra of urine from rats dosed with compounds that induced organ-specific damage in the liver and kidney. Male Wistar rats were separated into groups (n=4) and each was treated with one of following compounds: HgCl2, CCl4, Lu(NO3)(3) and Changle (a kind of rare earth complex mixed with La, Ce, Pr and Nd). Urine samples from the rats dosed with HgCl2, CCl4 and Lu(NO3)(3) were collected over a 24 h time course and the samples from the rats administrated with Changle were gained after 3 months. These samples were measured by 600 MHz NMR spectroscopy. Each spectrum was data-processed to provide 223 intensity-related descriptors of spectra. Urine spectral data corresponding to the time intervals, 0-8 h (HgCl2 and CCl4), 4-8 (Lu(NO3)(3)) h and 90 d (Changle) were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). Successful classification of the toxicity and biochemical effects of Lu(NO3)(3) was achieved.

Synthesis, molecular structures, and norbornene addition polymerization activity of the neutral nickel catalysts supported by beta-diketiminato [N, N], ketiminato [N, O], and Schiff-Base [N, O] ligands

A series of neutral nickel complexes [Ni(Ph)(PPh3)(N, O)] with Schiff-base ligands (N, O) [N, O = 5-Me-3-tert-Bu-(Ar-N=CH)C6H2O (1, Ar = 2,6-Me2C6H3; 2, Ar = 2,6-i-Pr2C6H3)], [Ni(Ph)(PPh3)(N,O)1, with beta-ketiminato ligands (N, O) [N, O = CH3COCHC=(CH3)N-Ar (3, Ar = 2,6-Me2C6H3; 4, Ar = 2,6-i-Pr2C6H3)] and [Ni(N, N)(PPh3)], and with beta-diketiminato ligands (N, N) [5, N, N = [2,6-i-Pr-2(C6H3)N=C(CH3)](2)CH] have been synthesized and characterized. The molecular structures of complexes 1, 4, and 5 have been confirmed by X-ray single-crystal analyses. Although their ligands have similar structures, complex 4 possesses a structure similar to that of four-coordination nickel with complex 1, while complex 5 reveals a rare three-coordination nickel geometry. These compounds show high catalytic activities of up to 3.16 x 10(7) g PNB mol(-1) Ni h(-1) for the addition polymerization of norbornene in the presence of modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO) as cocatalyst. Catalytic activities, polymer yield, molecular weights, and molecular weight distributions of polyborbornene have been investigated under various reaction conditions.

Radical co-polymerization of diiminedibromidenickel(II)-functionalized olefin with styrene: synthesis of polymer-incorporated nickel(II) alpha-diimine catalysts for ethylene polymerization

alpha-Diimine nickel catalyst hearing two allyl groups [ArN=C](2)C10H6NiBr2 (Ar = 4-allyl-2,6-(i-Pr)(2)C6H2)] (Cat-I) has been synthesized and characterized. The corresponding polymer-incorporated nickel catalysts PC and the SiO2-supported shell-core structure catalyst SC-1 were obtained by the co-polymerization of the olefin groups of Cat-1 with styrene in the presence of a radical initiator. Radical co-polymerizations with styrene in Solution were investigated in detail, and the compositions and molecular weight of the copolymers were determined. All three types of catalysts (Cat-1, PC and SC-1) have been investigated for ethylene polymerization. These catalysts were found to exhibit high activity in the presence of modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO) as a co-catalyst. Among them, the polymer-incorporated PC and SiO2 shell-core catalyst SC-1 displayed very high activity (similar to2.62 and similar to1.11 kg (mmol Ni)(-1) h(-1), respectively) with product molecular weights (M,) in the range 26 x 10(4) to 47 x 10(4) under 0.1 MPa ethylene pressure. The particle morphology of polyethylene produced by the shell-core structure catalyst SC-1 was improved.

Nickel complexes catalyzed Heck reaction of iodobenzene and methyl acrylate

Nickel appears the most promising for the replacement of palladium among the inexpensive transition metals for that it is active for Heck reaction and about 500 times cheaper than palladium. In this article, we describe our recent results in the area of nickel-catalyzed Heck vinylations. Main focus is on the influence of ligand concentration in different organic solvents and the effects of the addition of water. The conversion is high in NMP and increases with increasing of PPh3/Ni ratio; in ethanol and toluene the conversion presents a maximum value on Ni(PPh3)(2). The effect of the addition of water is sensitive to the concentration of PPh3 and the nature of solvent, it was well explained with the formation and transfer of the active species in the different solvent systems.

Anion coordination and molecular assembly in C2-substituted thiamine-anion systems: effects of the anion and molecular conformation

The compounds (het)(PtCl6)2H(2)O 1, (het)(HgI4).H2O 2 (het = 2-(alpha-hydroxyethyl)thiamine) and (hpt)(Hg2Br6) 3 (hpt = 2-(alpha-hydroxypropyl)thiamine) have been prepared and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography in order to study the influence of the anion and molecular conformation on the formation of supramolecular architectures that adsorb anionic species. Both het and hpt molecules adopt the usual S conformation for C2-substituted thiamine but differ from the F conformation for C2-free thiamine derivatives. Two types of characteristic ligand-anion complexation are observed, being of the forms C(6')-H...anion...thiazolium-ring (in 1 and 2) and N(4'1)-H...anion...thiazolium-ring (in 3). The reaction of het with PtCl62- or HgI42- gives a 1-D double-chain in 1, consisting of two hydrogen-bonded het chains, which are cross-linked by anions through hydrogen bonding and anion...aromatic-ring interactions, or a cationic 3-D framework in 2 formed by the stacking of hydrogen-bonded sheets with anion-and-water-filled channels. In the case of 3, hydrogen-bonded hpt dimers and HgBr62- anions form alternate cation-anion columns. A comparison with the cases of C2-free thiamine-anion complexes indicates that the change in molecular conformation results in novel supramolecular assemblies in 1 and 2 and an analogous architecture in 3, which also depends on the nature of the anions.

Thermodynamics of phase behavior in PEO/P(EO-b-DMS) homopolymer and block co-oligomer mixtures under pressure

The cloud-point temperatures (T-cl's) of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(ethylene oxide)-block-polydimethylsiloxane (P(EO-b-DMS)) homopolymer and block-oligomer mixtures were determined by turbidity measurements over a range of temperatures (105 to 130degrees), pressures (1 to 800 bar), and compositions (10-40 wt.-% PEO). The system phase separates upon cooling and T-cl was found to decrease with an increase in pressure for a constant composition. In the absence of special effects, this finding indicates negative excess volumes. Special attention was paid to the demixing temperatures as a function of the pressure for the different polymer mixtures and the plots in the T-phi plane (where phi signifies volume fractions). The cloud-point curves of the polymer mixture under pressures were observed for different compositions. The Sanchez-Lacombe (SL) lattice fluid theory was used to calculate the spinodals, the binodals, the Flory-Huggins (FH) interaction parameter, the enthalphy of mixing, and the volume changes of mixing. The calculated results show that modified P(EO-b-DMS) scaling parameters with the new combining rules can describe the thermodynamics of the PEO/P(EO-b-DMS) system well with the SL theory.

Syntheses of biphenyl polyimides via nickel-catalyzed coupling polymerization of bis(chlorophthalimide)s

A facile method for the synthesis of biphenyl polyimides, which involves the nickel-catalyzed coupling of aromatic dichlorides containing imide structure in the presence of zinc and triphenylphosphine, has been developed. The polymerizations proceeded smoothly under mild conditions and produced biphenyl polyimides with inherent viscosities of 0.13-0.98 dL/g. The polymerizations of bis(4-chlorophthalimide)s with bulky side substituents gave high molecular weight polymers. Low molecular weight polymers from bis(4-chlorophthalimide)s containing rigid diamine moieties and bis(3-chlorophthalimide)s were obtained because of the formations of polymer precipitate and cyclic oligoimides, respectively. The effects of various factors, such as amount of catalyst, solvent volume, ligand, reaction temperature, and time, on the polymerization were studied. The random copolymerization of two bis(chlorophthalimide)s in varying proportions produced medium molecular weight material. The TgS of prepared polyimides were observed at 245-311 degreesC, and the thermogravimetry of polymers showed 10% weight loss in nitrogen at 470-530 degreesC.

Theoretical representation of shear and pressure influence on the phase separation behavior of PVME/PS mixture

In the framework of lattice fluid model, the Gibbs energy and equation of state are derived by introducing the energy (E-s) stored during flow for polymer blends under shear. From the calculation of the spinodal of poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) and polystyrene (PS) mixtures, we have found the influence of E., an equation of state in pure component is inappreciable, but it is appreciable in the mixture. However, the effect of E, on phase separation behavior is extremely striking. In the calculation of spinodal for the PVME/PS system, a thin, long and banana miscibility gap generated by shear is seen beside the miscibility gap with lower critical solution temperature. Meanwhile, a binodal coalescence of upper and lower miscibility gaps is occurred. The three points of the three-phase equilibrium are forecasted. The shear rate dependence of cloud point temperature at a certain composition is discussed. The calculated results are acceptable compared with the experiment values obtained by Higgins et at. However, the maximum positive shift and the minimum negative shift of cloud point temperature guessed by Higgins are not obtained, Furthermore, the combining effects of pressure and shear on spinodal shift are predicted.

Investigation of covalency and spectrum shifts in 3d transition-metal compounds

By using a correction factor of d electron effects on bond, PV theory is applied to the calculation of chemical bond;parameters of d transition-metal compounds. Racah parameters and Mossbauer isomer shifts are calculated, and the results are agreement with the experimental values.

Concentration effects of Er3+ ion in YAG : Er laser crystals

Laser crystals of (Y1-xErx)(3)Al5O12, (YAG:Er) have been grown by the Czochralski method and the spectral properties have been studied for different Er3+ concentrations. The effects of various Er3+ concentrations on the structural distortions, luminescence quenching Of F-4(9/2), H-2(11/2), S-4(3/2) and red shift in laser wavelength have been discussed for the YAG:Er laser crystals. By using absorption spectra and Judd-Ofelt theory the experimental oscillator strengths, Omega(lambda), parameters and the excited state integrated absorption cross sections of Er3+ ion are reported and some variation regularities of these parameters have been observed. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.