Volt-ampere characteristics, nozzle temperature and thruster performances in a low power argon arcjet

Argon gas with simple atomic structure and favorite arcing stability at low input power was used as the propellant. The thruster with a regeneratively cooled nozzle were tested in a vacuum system capable of keeping the chamber pressure at about 10 Pa at a propellant feeding rate of 5 slm. Arc current, arc voltage, thrust, nozzle temperature and propellant feeding rate were measured in situ simultaneously. Effects of the working parameters such as the propellant feeding rate and arc current on the thruster performances, mainly the produced thrust, specific impulse and thrust efficiency, were examined. The variation of arc volt-ampere characteristics with running time and the effect of nozzle temperature on thruster property are discussed.

The time and energy signals, counter plateau, energy resolution and gas gains performances of a new kind of micro-pattern gaseous detector-Micromegas

In present paper, a new Micromegas detector is developed, and its time and energy signals are obtained in the figure form. The rising time of fast time signal is less than 2 ns due to the very fast collection of avalanche electrons, and the rising time of the energy pulse is about 100 ns, which is corresponding to the total collecting time of the electrons and ions in the avalanche process. The counter plateau, energy resolution and the gas gains of the detector have been compared with other groups' experimental results and the Garfield simulation result.

Post-steam-treatment of Mo/HZSM-5 catalysts: An alternative and effective approach for enhancing their catalytic performances of methane dehydroaromatization

Post-steam-treatment is a facile and effective method for improving the catalytic performances of Mo/HZSM-5 catalysts in methane dehydroaromatization under nonoxidative conditions. The treatment can enhance the stability of the catalyst and also give a higher methane conversion and a higher yield of light aromatics, as well as a decrease in the formation rate of carbonaceous deposits. (27)Al, (29)Si, and (1)H multinuclear magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis measurements as well as catalytic reaction evaluations were employed to conduct comparative studies on the properties of the catalysts before and after the post-steam-treatment. The results revealed that the number of free Bronsted acid sites per unit cell decreased, while more Mo species migrated into the HZSM-5 channels for the 6Mo/HZSM-5 catalysts after the post-steam-treatment. In addition, the average pore diameter was also larger for the post-steam-treated catalysts, and this was advantageous for mass transport of the reaction products. However, a severe post-steam-treatment, i.e., with longer treating time, of the 6Mo/HZSM-5 catalyst will lead to the formation of the Al(2)(MoO(4))(3) phases, which is detrimental to the reaction.

Effect of Heat Treatment Temperature on the Catalytic Performances of PtRu/C Catalysts for Methanol Electro-Oxidation

Non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100 was used as a stabilizer to prepare PtRu/C catalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The cyclic voltammogram was used to investigate the catalytic activity for MOR of different PtRu/C catalysts. TG-DTA, EDX, XRD, XPS and TEM were Used to characterize the composition, structure and morphology of the as-prepared PtRu/C catalysts. It is found that the heat treatment plays a crucial role in the particles size, particles distribution of the PtRu/C catalysts and the oxidation state of platinum. The results show that 350 degrees C is an optimum heat treatment temperature. The as-synthesized catalyst heat-treated at this temperature exhibits the best catalytic performance for MOR.

Highly 3,4-Selective Polymerization of Isoprene with NPN Ligand Stabilized Rare-Earth Metal Bis(alkyl)s. Structures and Performances

Deprotonation of (ArNHPPh2NAr2)-N-1 (H[NPN](n), n = 1 - 10) by Ln(CH2SiMe3)(3)(THF)(2) (Ln = Lu, Y, Sc, Er) generated a series of rare-earth metal bis(alkyl) complexes [NPN](n)Ln(CH2SiMe3)(2)(THF)(2) (1-10), which under activation with [Ph3C][B(C6F5)(4)] and AliBu(3) were tested for isoprene polymerization. The correlation between catalytic performances and molecular structures of the complexes has been investigated. Complexes 1-5 and 8, where Ar-1 is nonsubstituted or ortho-alkyl-substituted phenyl, adopt trigonal-bipyramidal geometry. The Ar-1 and Ar-2 rings are perpendicular in 1-4 and 8 but parallel in 5. When Ar-1 is pyridyl, the resultant lutetium and yttrium complexes 9a and 9b adopt tetragonal geometry with the ligand coordinating to the metal ions in a N,N,N-tridentate mode, whereas in the scandium analogue 9c, the ligand coordinates to the Sc3+ ion in a N,N-bidentate mode. These structural characteristics endow the complexes with versatile catalytic performances, With increase of the steric bulkiness of the ortho-substituents Ar-1 and Ar-2, the 3,4-selectivity increased stepwise from 81.6% for lutetium complex 1 to 96.8% for lutetium complex 6 and to 97.8% for lutetium complex 7a. However, further increase of the steric bulk of the ligand led to a slight drop of 3,4-selectivity for the attached complex 5 (95.1%).

Improved performances of organic light-emitting diodes with metal oxide as anode buffer

We demonstrate extremely stable and highly efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on molybdenum oxide (MoO3) as a buffer layer on indium tin oxide (ITO). The significant features of MoO3 as a buffer layer are that the OLEDs show low operational voltage, high electroluminescence (EL) efficiency and good stability in a wide range of MoO3 thickness. A green OLED with structure of ITO/MoO3/N,N-'-di(naphthalene-1-yl)-N,N-'-diphenyl-benzidene (NPB)/NPB: tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq(3)):10-(2-benzothiazolyl)-2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1,1,7,7-tetramethyl-1H, 5H, 11H-(1)-benzopyropyrano(6,7-8-i,j)quinolizin-11-one (C545T)/Alq(3)/LiF/Al shows a long lifetime of over 50 000 h at 100 cd/m(2) initial luminance, and the power efficiency reaches 15 lm/W. The turn-on voltage is 2.4 V, and the operational voltage at 1000 cd/m(2) luminance is only 6.9 V. The significant enhancement of the EL performance is attributed to the improvement of hole injection and interface stability at anode.

Microstructure and some dynamic performances of Ti0.17Zr0.08V0.34RE0.01Cr0.1Ni0.3 (RE = Ce, Dy) hydrogen storage electrode alloys

Microstructure and some dynamic performances of Ti0.17Zr0.08V0.34RE0.01Cr0.1Ni0.3 (RE=Ce, Dy) hydrogen storage electrode alloys have been investigated using XRD, FESEM-EDS, ICP-MS and EIS measurements. The alloy is composed of V-based solid solution phase with a dendritic shape and a continuous C14 Laves phase with a network shape surrounding the dendrite. Pressure-composition isotherm curves indicate that the alloy with Dy addition has a lower equilibrium hydrogen pressure and a wider plateau region. The alloy electrode with Dy addition has higher discharge capacity, while the alloy electrode with Ce addition has better activation and higher cycle stability. The alloy electrode with Ce addition has better electrochemical activity with higher exchange current density (127.5 mA g(-1)), lower charge transfer resistance (1.37 Omega) and lower apparent activation energy (30.5 kJ mol(-1)). The capacity degradation behavior for the alloy electrode is attributed to two main factors: one is the dissolutions of V and Zr element to KOH solution, and another is the larger charge transfer resistance which increases with increasing cycle number.

Investigation of the effect of branched structure on the performances of the copolymers synthesized from ethylene and alpha-olefin with rac-Et(Ind)(2)ZrCl2/MMAO catalyst system

The branched copolymers prepared from ethylene and alpha-olefins using rac-Et(Ind)(2)ZrCl2/MMAO catalyst system were studied. Both the absolute molecular weight ((M) over bar (W)) and the molecular size (radius of glyration, R-g) of the polymers eluting from gel permeation chromatography (GPC) columns were obtained simultaneously via a high temperature GPC coupled with a two-angle laser light scattering (TALLS) detector. The branched structures and performances of the copolymers display approximate molecular weight and molecular sizes were investigated. Wide angle X-ray diffraction analyses indicate that 16-carbon side branch could co-crystallize effectively with backbone chain at low alpha-olefin incorporation. The melt behaviors of the copolymers were studied by dynamic rheological measurements. Both branch length and comonomer content affect considerably the loss modulus, storage modulus and complex viscosity of the copolymers. The relationship between the dynamic-mechanical behavior and the comonomer content of the copolymers was also examined by dynamic-mechanical experiments.

Comparative growth performances of diploid and triploid Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis (Osbeck, 1765) under different salinities

This study aimed at evaluating the ploidy effects on growth performances of Chinese shrimp (Fenneropenaeus chinensis Osbeck, 1765) reared in different salinities under laboratory conditions. In the acute salinity experiment, there was no difference (P > 0.05) in tolerance observed in triploid and diploid shrimp due to abrupt salinity changes. The lethal salinity for 50% of the individuals in 96 h at 23-25 degrees C was about 2 g L-1 in both triploids and diploids. While for the chronic salinity experiment, statistical analyses confirmed that the differences in growth performances including the specific growth rate (SGR), the feeding rate (FR), feed conversion efficiency (FCE) and intermoult period (IP) between triploid and diploid were related to salinity. Diploid shrimp reared in 20 g L-1 exhibited highest SGR (P < 0.05), while triploids performed well in 20 and 30 g L-1 salinities (P < 0.05). Based on the survival and growth data, the optimal salinity for the culture of diploid F. chinensis should be 20 g L-1 and for triploids it should be between 20 and 30 g L-1.

Study on the photosynthetic performances of Enteromorpha prolifera collected from the surface and bottom of the sea of Qingdao sea area

In this work, the photosynthetic performances of Enteromorpha prolifera thalli collected from the surface and bottom of the sea of Qingdao sea area were studied with chlorophyll fluorescence and oxygraph technology. The samples with the highest photosynthetic activity among their kinds, the floating thalli from the sea surface of the south of the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center and the sedimentary thalli from the mud surface of the bottom Tuandao bay, were chosen as representatives of surface thalli and bottom thalli, respectively. The results showed that the maximal PSII quantum yield of the floating thalli was significantly lower than the normal level although their photosynthetic activities were relatively high; the photosynthetic potential of the thalli form the mud surface was extremely low. Thus, it is indicated that the floating thalli are seriously stressed by their environment and the thalli from the mud surface are already dead or are dying. On the other hand, the results of the laboratory cultivation showed that the sedimentary thalli cannot regain normal photosynthetic activity even under normal illumination conditions. Thus, the thalli from the mud surface cannot become reproductive source of the alga even if they can reach sea surface again. Therefore, a preliminary conclusion can be reached that, up to mid-July 2008, the environmental conditions of the Qingdao sea area are not suitable for the growth of the alga E. prolifera and for this reason the biomass of E. prolifera, in the area, could be declining.

Temperature tolerance of young sporophytes from two populations of Laminaria japonica revealed by chlorophyll fluorescence measurements and short-term growth and survival performances in tank culture

The cold-water subtidal brown alga Laminaria japonica has been commercially fanned in the Far East and has been on top of all marine-fanned species in terms of farming area and annual output worldwide. The successful trials of transplantation of young sporophytes from the north to the south in winter along the Chinese coast in the 1950s led to the spreading of cultivation activities down to a latitude of 25-26 degrees N. Up to today, nearly 50% of the annual output of this farmed alga, as a cold-water species, comes from the sub-tropical south in China. The demand to have high-temperature-tolerant strains/ecotypes in farming area calls for a practical method to judge and select the desired parental plants for breeding programs and for seedling production. In this paper, we report our results on using chlorophyll fluorescence measurement and short-term growth performance in tank culture to estimate the temperature tolerance of offspring from two populations, Fujian Farmed Population (FFP) sampled from Fujian province (latitude: 25-26 degrees N) in subtropical area and Qingdao Wild Population (QWP) sampled from Qingdao (latitude: 36 degrees N). Contrary to what has been usually thought, the results revealed that offspring from Qingdao wild population in the north showed better performance both in short-term growth and survival rates and in optimal quantum efficiency (F-v/F-m) when exposed to higher temperature (20-25 degrees C). This result was further confirmed by fluorescence quenching analysis. QWP distributed along the southern distribution limit at a latitude of 36 degrees N in the Pacific west coast is thus taken as a more ideal one than the fanned population in subtropical region as a source of parental plants for breeding high-temperature-tolerant varieties. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.