Studies on development of novel rare earth doped (Bi,Pb)-2212 superconductors with enhanced properties

The objective of the present work is to study the effect of rare-earth (RE) doping on the superconducting properties of (Bi,Pb)-2212 system and to develop novel superconductors in the system with improved properties, especially, the self- and in-field critical current densities so as to use them for practical applications. This dissertation describes a range of findings in Bi-based superconductor using the cationic substitution of rare earth (RE) elements. Most of the experiments reported here take advantage of the difference in the valency and ionic radii of dopant and doping site.

Geochemistry of transition, non-transition and rare-earth elements in the surficial sediments of continental shelf of Kerala and an annex to the Cochin estuarine system

The metals present in the surface sediments have high demand on a global perspective, and the main reservoir of these elements is believed to be the ocean floor. A lot of studies on metals are going on throughout the world for its quantification and exploitation. Even though, some preliminary attempts have been made in selected areas for the quantitative study of metals in the western continental shelf of India, no comprehensive work has been reported so far. The importance of this study also lies on the fact that there has not been a proper evaluation of the impact of the Great Tsunami of 2004 on the coastal areas of the south India. In View of this, an attempt has been made to address the seasonal distribution, behavior and mechanisms which control the deposition of metals in the sediments of the western continental shelf and Cochin Estuary, an annex to this coastal marine region.Surface sediment samples were collected seasonally from two subenvironemnts of southwest coast of India, (continental shelf of Kerala and Cochin estuarine system), to estimate the seasonal distribution and geochemical behavior of non-transition, transition, rare-earth elements, Th and U. Bottom water samples were also taken from each station, and analysed for temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen, hence the response of redox sensitive elements to oxygen minimum zone can be addressed. In addition, other sedimentary parameters such as sand, silt, clay fractions, CaCO3 and organic carbon content were also estimated to evaluate the control factors on level of metals present in the sediment. The study used different environmental data analysis techniques to evaluate the distribution and behavior of elements during different seasons. This includes environmental parameters such as elemental normalisation, enrichment factor, element excess, cerium and europium anomalies and authigenic uranium.

Vanadia Supported on Rice Husk Silica Promoted Rare Earth Oxides

The selective oxidation of alkylaromatics is one of the main processes since the reaction products are important as intermediates in numerous industrial organic chemicals. Side-chain oxidation of alkyl aromatic compounds catalyzed by heterogeneous catalysts using cleaner peroxide oxidants is an especially attractive goal since classical synthetic laboratory procedures preferably use permanganate or acid dichromate as stoichiometric oxidants. In spite of many studies, there are very few which use hydrogen peroxide as a source of oxygen in the C-H activation of alkanes. Eflective utilization of ethylbenzene, available in the xylene stream of the petrochemical industry to more value added products is a promising one in chemical industry. The oxidation products of ethylbenzene are widely employed as intermediates in organic, steroid and resin synthesis.

Optical and thermal characterization of dye intercalated montmorillonites and rare earth doped materials

The advent of high optical quality transparent nano—structured glasses, the so-called transparent glass ceramics or vitroceramics disclosed the possibility of producing nano-sized photonic devices based on rare-earth doped up—converters. Transparent glass ceramics have been investigated as hosts for lanthanide ions envisioning the production of materials that are easy to shape and with high performance for photonic applications. Rare earth doped glasses have been extensively studied due to their potential applications in optical devices such as solid state lasers and optical fibers. Various photothermal and optical techniques have been successfully applied for the thermal and optical characterization of these rare earth doped materials. In the present thesis, the effective thermal parameters like thermal diffusivity and thermal effusivity of complex materials for various applications have been investigated using photothermal methods along with their optical characterization utilising the common optical absorption as well as fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. These sensitive optical procedures are also essential for exploiting these materials for further photonic applications.

Surface electron properties and catalytic activity of rare earth oxides

The rare earths have provided fascinating field for chemists confronted with problems of their separation and purification. The rare earths become available in relatively pure form in recent years due to the development of efficient separation methods, largely as a byproduct of the atomic energy programmes of various countries. The rare earths often called lanthanides from La (Z=57) to Lu (Z=7l) display subtle variation of properties through the series, while the differences become appreciable for the elements that are farther apart.

Studies on the catalysis by sulfated mixed oxides of tin with some rare earth elements

A comparative study of acid-base properties and catalytic activity of Sn-La and Sn-Sm mixed oxides and their corresponding sulfate modified analogues are reported in this thesis. The catalytic activity and product selectivity in the decomposition of alcohols are correlated with the acid-base and redox properties of the catalyst systems under study The effect of catalyst preparation, pretreatment and various reaction parameters on the catalytic activity of sulfate modified oxides is investigated in the oxidative dehydrogenation reactions The experimental conditions are optimised to synthesise industrially important organic chemicals viz. 2,6 xylenol, o-cresol, N-methylanilne and N,N-dimethylaniline employing the mixed oxide systems. The effect of sulfate treatment on the catalytic activity of these systems in the alkylation reactions of phenol, anisole and aniline is also investigated and the merits and demerits of sulfate treatment are highlighted.

Nitrogen laser excited fluorescence of some rare earth doped alkaline earth fluorides

The present study is mainly concéntrated on the visible fluorescence of Ho3+ ,nd 3+ and Er 3+rare earths in alkaline earth fluoride hosts(caF2,srF2,BaF2) using a nitrogen laser excitation. A nitrogen laser was fabricated and its parametric studies were first carried out.

Acid-Base. Surface Electron Donatin6 &.Catai.Ytlc Properties Of Some Binary Mixed Oxides Containing Rare Earth Elements

Catalysis research underpins the science of modern chemical processing and fuel technologies. Catalysis is commercially one of the most important technologies in national economies. Solid state heterogeneous catalyst materials such as metal oxides and metal particles on ceramic oxide substrates are most common. They are typically used with commodity gases and liquid reactants. Selective oxidation catalysts of hydrocarbon feedstocks is the dominant process of converting them to key industrial chemicals, polymers and energy sources.[1] In the absence of a unique successfiil theory of heterogeneous catalysis, attempts are being made to correlate catalytic activity with some specific properties of the solid surface. Such correlations help to narrow down the search for a good catalyst for a given reaction. The heterogeneous catalytic performance of material depends on many factors such as [2] Crystal and surface structure of the catalyst. Thermodynamic stability of the catalyst and the reactant. Acid- base properties of the solid surface. Surface defect properties of the catalyst.Electronic and semiconducting properties and the band structure. Co-existence of dilferent types of ions or structures. Adsorption sites and adsorbed species such as oxygen.Preparation method of catalyst , surface area and nature of heat treatment. Molecular structure of the reactants. Many systematic investigations have been performed to correlate catalytic performances with the above mentioned properties. Many of these investigations remain isolated and further research is needed to bridge the gap in the present knowledge of the field.