In-situ synthesis of terbium complex with salicylic acid in silica matrix by a two-step sol-gel process

A process for in situ synthesis of terbium complex with salicylic acid by a two-step sol-gel method in silica matrix has been proposed. The luminescence properties of the silica gels codoped with terbium and salicylic acid have also been discussed with respect to that of the gel doped with terbium and that of pure terbium complex with salicylic acid.

Microstructure and characteristics in the organic matrix layers of nacre

The direct observation of a type of microstructure in the organic matrix layers of nacre was obtained with a transmission electron microscope. The microstructure, which is referred to as mineral bridge in the biomineralization, is nanoscale and randomly distributed in the layers. Statistical analysis gives the distribution laws and characteristics of mineral bridges in the organic matrix layers. The existence of mineral bridges in nacre was confirmed, and it was shown that the microarchitecture of nacre should be described as a "brick-bridge-mortar" arrangement rather than traditional "brick and mortar" one.

Optical Factors Determined by the T-matrix Method in Turbidity Measurement of Absolute Coagulation Rate Constants

Turbidity measurement for the absolute coagulation rate constant of suspensions has been extensively adopted because of its simplicity and easy implementation. A key factor to derive the rate constant from experimental data is how to theoretically evaluate the so-called optical factor involved in calculating the extinction cross section of doublets formed in the aggregation. In a previous paper, we have shown that compared with other theoretical approaches, the T-matrix method provides a robust solution to this problem and is effective in extending the applicability range of the turbidity methodology as well as increasing measurement accuracy. This paper will provide a more comprehensive discussion about the physical insight of using the T-matrix method in turbidity measurement and associated technical details. In particular, the importance of ensuring the correct value for the refractive indices for colloidal particles and the surrounding medium used in the calculation is addressed because the indices generally vary with the wavelength of the incident light. The comparison of calculated results with experiments shows that the T-matrix method can correctly calculate optical factors even for large particles, whereas other existing theories cannot. In addition, the calculated data of the optical factor by the T-matrix method for a range of particle radii and incident light wavelengths are listed.

Fast calculation technique for scattering in T-matrix method

In scattering calculations using the T-matrix method, the calculation of the T-matrix involves multiplication and inversion of matrices. These two types of matrix operations are time-consuming, especially for the matrices with large size. Petrov et al. [D. Petrov, Y. Shkuratov, G. Videen, Opt. Lett. 32 (2007) 1168] proposed an optimized matrix inversion technique, which suggests the inversion of two matrices, each of which contains half the number of rows. This technique reduces time-consumption significantly. On the basis of this approach, we propose another fast calculation technique for scattering in the T-matrix method, which obtains the scattered fields through carrying out only the operations between matrices and the incident field coefficient. Numerical results show that this technique can decrease time-consumption by more than half that of the optimized matrix inversion technique by Petrov et al. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Luminescence properties of the rare earth (Eu3+ and Tb3+) complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline incorporated in silica matrix by a sol-gel method

Europium and terbium complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline were introduced into silica gel by the sol-gel method. The luminescence behavior of the complexes in silica gels was studied compared with the corresponding solid state complexes by means of emission, excitation spectra and lifetimes. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Luminescence properties of the ternary rare earth complexes with beta-diketones and 1,10-phenanthroline incorporated in silica matrix by a sol-gel method

Ternary complexes of rare earth Eu(dbm)(3).phen and Tb(acac)(3).phen (dbm = dibenzoylmethanide, acac = acetylacetone and phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) were introduced into silica gel by the sol-gel method. The result indicated that the rare earth ions (EU3+ and Tb3+) showed fewer emission lines and slightly lower emission intensities in the silica gel than in the pure rare earth complexes. The lifetimes of rare earth ions in silica gel (Eu3+ and Tb3+) doped with Eu(dbm)(3).phen and Tb(acac)(3).phen were longer than those in purl Eu(dbm)(3).phen and Tb(acac)(3).phen. A very small amount of rare earth complexes doped in a silica gel matrix can retain excellent luminescence properties. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.

Luminescence properties of the ternary terbium complexes with (ortho and para) aminobenzoic acids and 1,10-phenanthroline incorporated in silica matrix by a sol-gel method

Ternary complexes of terbium with ortho (and pam) aminobenzoic acid and 1,10-phenanthroline were introduced into silica gel by the sol-gel method. The luminescence behavior of the solid-state samples was studied during the sol-gel aging process by means of emission. excitation spectra, lifetimes and quantum efficiencies.

A study on the dependence of the micro-pore configurations on the volatilization and the burn processes of the organic compounds in the matrix of molten carbonate fuel cells

The micro-pore configurations on the matrix surface were studied by SEM. The matrix of molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) performance was also improved by the better coordination between the reasonable radius of the micro-pores and the higher porosity of the cell matrix. The many and complicated micro-pore configurations in the cell matrix promoted the volatilization of the organic additives and the burn of polyvinyl butyral (PVB). The smooth volatilization of the organic additives and the complete burn of PVB were the significant factors for the improved MCFC performance. Oxygen diffusion controlled-burn mechanism of PVB in the cell matrix was proposed. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

Structural and Mechanical Properties of the Organic Matrix Layers of Nacre

The type of nanostructure referred to in biomineralization as a mineral bridge has been directly observed and measured in the organic matrix layers of nacre by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Statistical analysis provides the geometric characteristics and a distribution law of the mineral bridges in the organic matrix layers. Experiments reveal that the nanostructures significantly influences the mechanical properties of the organic matrix layers. In addition, the mechanical analysis illustrates the effects of the nanostructures on the behaviors of the organic matrix layers, and the analytical results explain the corresponding experimental phenomena fairly well. The present study shows that the mineral bridges play a key role in the mechanical performances of the organic matrix layers of nacre. The results obtained provide a guide to the interfacial design of synthetic materials.

An eigenfunction expansion-variational method in prediction of the transverse thermal conductivity of fiber reinforced composites considering interfacial characteristics

An eigenfunction expansion-variational method based on a unit cell is developed to deal with the steady-state heat conduction problem of doubly-periodic fiber reinforced composites with interfacial thermal contact resistance or coating. The numerical results show a rapid convergence of the present method. The present solution provides a unified first-order approximation formula of the effective thermal conductivity for different interfacial characteristics and fiber distributions. A comparison with the present high-order results, available experimental data and micromechanical estimations demonstrates that the first-order approximation formula is a good engineering closed-form formula. An engineering equivalent parameter reflecting the overall influence of the thermal conductivities of the matrix and fibers and the interfacial characteristic on the effective thermal conductivity, is found. The equivalent parameter can greatly simplify the complicated relation of the effective thermal conductivity to the internal structure of a composite. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

U-transformation-finite element method in 3-dimensional analysis of orthotropic laminates

For an orthotropic laminate, an equivalent system with doubly cyclic periodicity is introduced. Then a 3-dimensional finite element model for the equivalent system is transformed into the unitary space, where the large finite element matrix equation is decoupled into some small matrix equations. Such a decoupling very efficiently reduces the computational effort. For an orthotropic laminate with four clamped edges, no exact elasticity solution is available, and the deflection values predicted by different methods have a considerable difference each other for a small length-to-thickness ratio. The present predictions are the largest because the present method is a full 3-dimensional finite element analysis without superfluous constraints. Illustrative numerical examples are presented to observe the distributions of stresses through the thickness of the laminates. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solution-Processible Red Iridium Dendrimers based on Oligocarbazole Host Dendrons: Synthesis, Properties, and their Applications in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

A series of novel red-emitting iridium dendrimers functionalized with oligocarbazole host dendrons up to the third generation (red-G3) have been synthesized by a convergent method, and their photophysical, electrochemical, and electroluminescent properties have been investigated. In addition to controlling the intermolecular interactions, oligocarbazole-based dendrons could also participate in the electrochemical and charge-transporting process. As a result, highly efficient electrophosphorescent devices can be fabricated by spin-coating from chlorobenzene solution in different device configurations.

Tunability of resonant wavelength by Fabry-Perot microcavity in organic light-emitting diodes

Distributed Bragg reflectors (DBR) with different reflection wavelengths were designed, and were used to fabricate microcavity organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)-aluminum (Alq(3)) as the emitter and N, N'-di(naphthalene-1-yl)-N, N'-diphenyl-benzidine (NPB) as the hole-transporting layer. The microcavity was composed of DBR dielectric mirror and metal electrode aluminum (Al) mirror. Some effects of vertical optical Fabry-Perot microcavity on spontaneous emission in OLEDs were investigated. Spectral narrowing, enhancement of emitting intensity and anglular dependence of emission were observed due to the microcavity effect. It was found experimentally that the utilization of DBR is a better method to adjust the emissive mode in the resonant cavity in OLEDs well. Thus the realization of different color light emission becomes possible by the combination of carefully designed microcavity and electroluminescent organic semiconductors in a single LED.