Dependence of crystal field splitting of 5d levels on hosts in the halide crystals

The crystal field splitting of 5d level of EU2+ and Ce3+ in halide crystals has been studied. Our results indicate that the 10Dq splitting can be directly related to the homopolar part of average energy gap, the coordination number of central (doped) ion, the charge of neighboring anions and bond ionicity between central ion to nearest anions. A relation between the 10Dq splitting and the above mentioned factors is presented. Our calculated results are in reasonable agreement with diverse experiments.

Temperature dependence of the distribution of the first passage time: Results from discontinuous molecular dynamics simulations of an all-atom model of the second beta-hairpin fragment of protein G

More than 22 000 folding kinetic simulations were performed to study the temperature dependence of the distribution of first passage time (FPT) for the folding of an all-atom Go-like model of the second beta-hairpin fragment of protein G. We find that the mean FPT (MFPT) for folding has a U (or V)-shaped dependence on the temperature with a minimum at a characteristic optimal folding temperature T-opt*. The optimal folding temperature T-opt* is located between the thermodynamic folding transition temperature and the solidification temperature based on the Lindemann criterion for the solid. Both the T-opt* and the MFPT decrease when the energy bias gap against nonnative contacts increases. The high-order moments are nearly constant when the temperature is higher than T-opt* and start to diverge when the temperature is lower than T-opt*. The distribution of FPT is close to a log-normal-like distribution at T* greater than or equal to T-opt*. At even lower temperatures, the distribution starts to develop long power-law-like tails, indicating the non-self-averaging intermittent behavior of the folding dynamics. It is demonstrated that the distribution of FPT can also be calculated reliably from the derivative of the fraction not folded (or fraction folded), a measurable quantity by routine ensemble-averaged experimental techniques at dilute protein concentrations.

A cunning strategy in design of polymeric nanomaterials with novel microstructures

A relative approach, based on the dynamic density functional theory, for simulating the solvent evaporation rate dependence of self-assembly process of block copolymers in solution is proposed. The di- and triblock copolymers are first chosen as the candidates for exploration of novel microstructures. The results reveal that asymmetrical block copolymers with unequal block length, which generally exhibit disordered microdomain patterns in melts, have the ability to assemble into periodic ordered microdomain patterns by properly controlling solvent evaporation rate, e.g., diblock copolymers may assemble into lamellar microstructures with lamellar thickness proportional to individual block length. This simulation suggests a strategy of design and manufacture of polymeric nanomaterials with novel microstructures.

Separation of heavy rare earth elements with extraction resin containing 1-hexyl-4-ethyloctyl isopropylphosphonic acid

This paper presents the results of the adsorption of heavy rare earth ions (Gd(III), Tb(III), Dy(III), Ho(III), Er(III), Tm(III), Yb(III), Lu(III) and Y(III)) from hydrochloric acid solutions at 30 degreesC by the extraction resin containing 1-hexyl-4-ethyloctyl isopropylphosphonic acid (HEOPPA), which has higher steric hindrance, higher selectivities and lower extraction and stripping acidity than di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DERPA) or 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (HEH/EHP). The dependence of acid concentration, flow rate and amounts of rare earth ions sorbed on the separation of Er-Tm, Tm-Yb and Er-Tm-Yb mixtures has been studied. The baseline chromatographic separation of Er-Tm-Yb mixture has been observed. Satisfactory results with purity and yield of Tm2O3>99.71% and >71.25%, Er2O3>99-81% and >94.17%, and Yb2O3>99.74% and >89.83%, respectively, have been obtained. The parameters such,as resolution, separation factors and efficiencies have been determined as a function of acidity, loading of rare earth elements and flow rates. The stoichiometry of the extraction of rare earth ions has been suggested as well.

Rare earth separation with 1-hexyl-4-ethyloctyl isopropylphosphonic acid extractant

A new extractant 1-hexyl-4-ethyloctyl isopropylphosphonic acid (HHEOIPP or HA) in heptane was employed to extract rare earths from hydrochloric acid medium. The dependence of extraction distribution ratio on equilibrium aqueous pH and the concentration of extractant were investigated. On the basis of slope analysis,it was proposed that two different kinds of extracted species were formed. For rare earth elements (La similar to Ho) the extracted species was LnA(3)(HA)(3) and for heavy rare earth elements (Er similar to Lu) the species was LnClA(2)(HA)(3). The steric hindrance plays an important role in forming the species. The extraction constants and separation factors of the adjacent rare earths were calculated too. Compared with HDEHP and HEH/EHP, HHEOIPP is a valuable extractant with high separation selectivity. The "tetrad effect" between K-ex and atomic number was observed.

Gas transport properties of novel cardo poly(aryl ether ketone)s with pendant alkyl groups

Gas transport of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane in four cardo poly(aryl ether ketone)s containing different alkyl substituents on the phenyl ring has been examined from 30 to 100 degrees C. The permeability, diffusivity, solubility, and their temperature dependency were studied by correlations with gas shape, size, and critical temperature as well as polymeric structural factors including glass transition, secondary transition, cohesive energy density, and free volume. The bulky, stiff cardo and alkyl groups in tetramethyl-substituted TMPEK-C resulted in increased H-2 permeability (by 55%) and H-2/N-2 permselectivity (by 106%) relative to bisphenol A polysulfone (PSF). Moreover, the weak dependence of gas transport on temperature in TMPEK-C made it maintain high permselectivities (alpha(H2/N2) in 68.3 and alpha(O2/N2) in 5.71) up to 100 degrees C, exhibiting potential for high-temperature gas separation applications.

Dependence of the Brill transition on the crystal size of nylon 10 10

Nylon 10 10 crystals, which isothermally crystallized from the molten state and cold crystallized from melt-quenched samples at various temperatures, were investigated by using temperature-variable wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). No Brill transition occurred for the melt-crystallized crystals. However, this transition was easily observed for the cold-crystallized nylon 10 10, and the transition temperature is pertinent to the crystallization temperature. The sizes of these crystals was determined by SAYS and correlated with the Brill transition temperatures (T-B). It was found that the T-B had a linear relationship with the size of crystals, which was used to predict the T-B for those crystals with thick lamella and to calculate the crystal size showing T-B below room temperature. Nylon 10 10 crystal will possess the gamma form (pseudohexagonal form) rather than the a phase at room temperature if its size becomes small enough.

Recovery of Ce(IV) and Th(IV) from rare earths(III) with Cyanex 923

Solvent extraction of Ce(IV), Th(IV) with Cyanex 923 in n-hexane from sulphuric acid medium was studied with the dependence of the extraction on acidity and temperature being investigated. The Ce(IV) and Th(IV) extraction mechanism was proposed by slope analysis and the IR spectra of purified Cyanex 923 saturated with Ce(IV) were employed to determine the composition of the Ce(IV) complex. The equilibrium constant and thermodynamic functions of Th(IV) extraction were calculated and the characteristics of the stripping of Ce(IV), Th(IV) from the loaded organic phase were studied. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Transport property of polyaniline and its molecular weight dependence

The electrical conductivity of polyaniline doped with camphor sulfonic acid (PAn-CSA) was studied. The results indicate that there is a critical temperature (T-c) and the temperature dependence of PAn-CSA conductivity shows metallic and semiconductor characteristics above and below T-c, respectively. The higher the molecular weight of PAn, the lower the T-c. The conductivity was enhanced remarkably when PAn-CSA film was stretched, its room temperature conductivity is up to 750 S/cm when elogonation is 60%; however, T-c was independent of elongation.

The phenomenon of mutual media in polypyrrole with electroactive ions

The dependence of the differential capacitance of polypyrrole doped with several typical dopants on potential is presented, which shows that the differential capacitance varies with the potential, the doped polypyrroles with electroactive ions give the largest capacitance near their formal potentials, which is attributed to the mutual media for electron transfer between polypyrrole and electroactive dopants. The existence of two conducting phases was observed in the complex capacitance plots. The electroactive anions act as an intra-conducting-phase medium for electron transfer, the electroactive cations act as an inter-conducting-phase medium for electron transfer. The mutual media between polypyrrole and redox dopants lead to the increase of the discharging time.

The kinetics study in liquid-liquid systems with constant interfacial area cell with Laminar flow

A novel constant interfacial cell with laminar flow is proposed as an approach to obtain extraction kinetics data in liquid-liquid systems. Applications and theoretical fundamentals of the apparatus have been elaborated.. The equation which can express the mass transfer of liquid-liquid system run in the constant interfacial cell with laminar flow is deduced. Simulations from the equations indicate that diffusivity is a suitable factor to represent the characteristics of extraction kinetics rather than the extraction rate in the diffusion controlling step. The dependence of the aqueous phase concentration on time is recommended to determine the extraction regime. The diffusivities of the EuCl3-HDEHP extraction system obtained by different methods are compared to certify the hydrodynamic theory of the cell. The diffusivities of the ErCl3-HEH/EHP extraction system are determined, which show that this technique is a convenient method to obtain the diffusivities in the liquid-liquid system and to determine the extraction regime. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dependence of superconducting temperature on chemical bond parameters in YBa2Cu3O6+delta (delta=0-1)

The chemical bond parameters, that is ionicities and average energy gaps, for all types of chemical bonds in YBa2Cu3O6+delta have been investigated with variation of oxygen content delta (delta = 0.0, 0.35, 0.45, 0.58, 0.64, 0.73, 0.78, 0.81, 0.95, 1.00). The theory used is the complex crystal chemical bond theory, which is the development of P-V-L theory. The two plateaus near 90 K and 60 K in superconducting transition temperatures, and the disappearance of superconductivity with the change of oxygen content, were reasonably explained by chemical bond parameters. The results also showed that the Cu-O chains play a vital role in the transition from non-superconductors to superconductors, and the highest transition temperature occurred when the plane-chain reached a coupling state. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of molecular weight and interaction parameter on the glass transition temperature of polystyrene mixtures and its blends with polystyrene/poly(2,6-dimethyl-p-phenylene oxide)

The glass transition temperature (T-g) of mixtures of polystyrene (PS) with different molecular weight and of blends of poly(2,6-dimethyl-p-phenylene oxide) (PPO) and polystyrene with different molecular weight (DMWPS) was studied by a DSC method. For the whole range of composition, the curves of T-g vs composition obtained by experiment were compared with predictions from the Fox, Gordon-Taylor, Couchman and Lu-Weiss, equations. It was found that the experimental results were not in agreement with those from the Fox, Gordon-TayIor and Couchman equations for the binary mixtures of DMWPS, where the interaction parameter chi was approximately zero. However, for the blends PPO/DMWPS (chi < 0), with an increase of molecular weight of PS, it was shown that the experimental results fitted well with those obtained from the Couchman, Gordon-Taylor and Fox equations, respectively. Furthermore, the Gordon-Taylor equation was nearly identical to the Lu-Weiss equation when \chi\ was not very large. Further, the dependence of the change of heat capacity associated with the glass transition (Delta C-p) on the molecular weight of PS was investigated and an empirical equation was presented. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Formation of self-assembled monolayers on gold electrodes with inclusion complexes of cyclodextrins and viologens

A novel kind of electroactive self-assembled monolayer (SAM) has been successfully prepared through the following procedure: (1) formation of inclusion complexes (denoted as CD/C8VC10SH) between N-(n-octyl)-N'-(10-mercaptodecyl)-4,4'-bipyridinium dibromide (C8VC10SH) and alpha-, beta-cyclodextrin (CD) under a mild condition; (2) spontaneous formation of SAM of CD/C8VC10SH on gold electrodes at room temperature. High-resolution H-1-NMR spectrum was used to confirm the formation of CD/C8VC10SH. Cyclic voltammetry was used to characterize the redox behavior of the resulting monolayers and chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to characterize their electron transfer kinetics. It was found that the redox sites in SAM of CD/C8VC10SH are effectively diluted, with a larger electron transfer rate constant than that of SAM of C8VC10SH.

Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Methanol on Polythionine Film Modified with Pt Microparticles

The electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol on polythionine(PTn) film modified with Pt microparticles has been studied by means of cyclic voltammetry and in-situ FTIR spectroscopy. The Pt microparticles produced by cyclic voltammetry were highly dispersed in and on the PTn film. The modified electrodes exhibit significant electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of methano and the catalytic activity was found in dependence on the Pt loading. The linearly adsorbed CO species is the only intermediate in the oxidation of methanol and the abnormal IR spectra for adsorbed CO were observed. On such modified electrodes, adsorbed CO species derived from methanol can be readily oxidized. The enhanced electrocatalytic activity may be ascribed to the high dispersion of Pt microparticles in and on the PTn film and the synergestic effect between Pt microparticles and the polymer. From the above results, a possible reaction mechanism was proposed.