Thermal-shock resistance of LnMgAl(11)O(19) (Ln = La, Nd, Sm, Gd) with magnetoplumbite structure

Lanthanide hexaaluminates including LaMgAl11O19, NdMgAl11O19, SmMgAl11O19 and GdMgAl11O19 were synthesized via Sol-Gel method. Due to the anisotropic crystal growth, these oxides crystallize in the form of platelets and the platelet thickness increases with the decrease of rare-earth ionic radius. It was observed that the thermal-shock resistances of LaMgAl11O19, NdMgAl11O19 and SmMgAl11O19 oxides were superior to 8YSZ as proved by water quenching tests. In addition, the thinner the platelet. the more interstices are retained in the sintered specimen, and the better thermal-shock resistance the oxide has. Based on SEM images, it can be seen that the SmMgAl11O19 sample exhibits a mixture of the intergranular and transgranular fracture after thermal cycling failure.

Hot-corrosion behaviors of overlay-clad yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings in contact with vanadate-sulfate salts

A dense clad overlay with chemical inertness was achieved on top of the plasma-sprayed YSZ thermal barrier coatings by laser in order to protect them from hot-corrosion attack. The Al2O3-clad YSZ coating exhibited good hot-corrosion behavior in contact with salt mixture of vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) for a longtime of 100 h at 1173 K. The LaPO4-clad YSZ coating showed corrosion resistance inferior to the Al2O3-clad one. Yttria was leached from YSZ by reaction between Y2O3 and V2O5, which caused progressive destabilization transformation of YSZ from tetragonal (t) to monoclinic (m) phase. The chemical inertness of the clad layers and the restrained infiltration of the molten corrosive salts by the dense clad layers were primary contributions to improvement of the hot-corrosion resistances.

Reactivity of Rare-Earth Metal Complexes Stabilized by an Anilido-Phosphinimine Ligand

Treatment of anilido-phosphinimine-ligated yttrium mono(alkyl) complex 1a, LY(CH2Si(CH3)(3))(THF) (L = o-(2,6-(C6H3Pr2)-Pr-i)NC6H4P(C6H4)(C6H5)N(2,4,6-C6H2Me3)), with 2 equiv of phenylsilane in DME afforded methoxy-bridged complex 2, [LY(mu-OCH3)](2), via the corresponding hydrido intermediate. When excess isoprene was added to the mixture of la and phenylsilane, a eta(3)-isopentene product, 3, LY(CH2C(CH3)=CHCH3)(THF), was isolated. A lutetium chloride, LLuCl(DME) (4), was generated through the reaction of lutetium mono(alkyl) complex 1b, LLu(CH2Si(CH3)(3))(THF), with [Ph3C]-[B(C6F5)(4)]center dot LiCl accompanied by the formation of [Li(DME)(3)](+)[B(C6F5)(4)](-). Metathesis reaction of 1b with excess AlMe3 at room temperature gave a methyl-terminated counterpart, 5, LLu(CH3)(THF)(2). In all these reactions, the Ln-C-phenyl bonds of complexes 1 remained untouched.

Templated assembly of mu(5)-CO32- decanuclear praseodymium and neodymium clusters through spontaneous fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide

Reactions of Ln(III) acetate (Ln = Pr and Nd) and a polydentate Schiff-base in a mixture of methanol and acetonitrile resulted in the unprecedented assembly of novel Ln(10) aggregates containing two Ln(5) pentagons templated by mu(5)-CO32-, introduced via spontaneous fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Magnetic analysis using an expression including the ligand field effects and molecular field approximation indicates weak antiferromagnetic coupling between the metal ions. This synthetic approach may represent a promising new route toward the design of new lanthanide clusters and novel multifunctional materials.

Nucleobase-metal hybrid materials: Preparation of submicrometer-scale, spherical colloidal particles of adenine-gold(III) via a supramolecular hierarchical self-assembly approach

We report a simple and effective supramolecular route for facile synthesis of submicrometer-scale, hierarchically self-assembled spherical colloidal particles of adenine - gold(III) hybrid materials at room temperature. Simple mixture of the precursor aqueous solutions of adenine and HAuCl4 at room temperature could result in spontaneous formation of the hybrid colloidal particles. Optimization of the experimental conditions could yield uniform-sized, self-assembled products at 1:4 molar ration of adenine to HAuCl4. Transmission electron microscopy results reveal the formation of hierarchical self-assembled structure of the as-prepared colloidal particles. Concentration dependence, ratio dependence, time dependence, and kinetic measurements have been investigated. Moreover, spectroscopic evidence [i.e., Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and UV-vis spectra and wide-angle X-ray scattering data] of the interaction motives causing the formation of the colloidal particles is also presented.

Lung alveolar proteomics of bronchoalveolar lavage from a pulmonary alveolar proteinosis patient using high-resolution FTICR mass spectrometry

High-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry was developed and applied to the proteome analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from a patient with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. With use of 1-D and 2-D gel electrophoresis, surfactant protein A (SP-A) and other surfactant-related lung alveolar proteins were efficiently separated and identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization FTICR mass spectrometry . Low molecular mass BALF proteins were separated using a gradient 2-D gel. An efficient extraction/precipitation system was developed and used for the enrichment of surfactant proteins. The result of the BALF proteome analysis show the presence of several isoforms of SP-A, in which an N-non-glycosylierte form and several proline hydroxylations were identified. Furthermore, a number of protein spots were found to contain a mixture of proteins unresolved by 2-D gel electrophoresis, illustrating the feasibility of high-resolution mass spectrometry to provide identifications of proteins that remain unseparated in 2-D gels even upon extended pH gradients.

Rapid synthesis of hexagon-shaped gold nanoplates by microwave assistant method

The microwave (MW)-based thermal process was applied to the preparation of hexagon-shaped gold nanoplates. The fort-nation of gold nanoplates occurs rapidly in a single step, carried out by directly heating a reaction mixture of HAuCl4 with sodium citrate in an MW reactor. And the gold nanoplates were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The experimental results indicated that the sizes and morphologies of the gold nanomaterials strongly depend both on the heating methods and molar ratio of HAuCl4 to sodium citrate in the initial reaction mixture. At the molar ratio 5 : 4 (HAuCl4 to sodium citrate), hexagonal nanoplates with large Au (111) crystallographic facet were preferentially synthesized by the MW assistant method.

Electropolymerization and catalysis of well-dispersed polyaniline/carbon nanotube/gold composite

Polyaniline/multi-walled carbon nanotube/gold (PANI/MWNT/Au) composite film was synthesized via a two-step electrochemical process. First the mixture of aniline and MWNT was heated at refluxing and was electropolymerized. Then, the An nanoparticles were dispersed into the film of PANI/MWNT by electrochemical reduction of HAuCl4. The morphology of sample was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Raman measurement indicates a well electrochemical deposition of PANI on MWNT, and XPS result confirms the formation of Au-0 nanoparticles. Further, cyclic voltammograms show that the film exhibits a good electrochemical activity and electrocatalysis towards ascorbic acid. Based on these investigations, a formation mechanism of the PANI/MWNT composite film was proposed.

Evaluation of coverage of self-assembled polyaniline-analogue monolayer by capacitance measurements

A method is developed to estimate the coverage of an electropolymerizable aniline-analogue monolayer (mixture of 2- and 3-aminophenols, 2/3-ATP) by measuring the charge capacitance of the electrode (theta = 81%). The technique of filling the uncovered area (defect sites) of the aniline-analogue monolayer with alkanethiols with long alkane chains (1-decanethiol, 1-DT) has been used to determine the coverage. The dielectric constant (permittivity) of the PANI-analogue monolayer was determined to 8.4. Adsorption kinetics of 1-DT was also studied, and the value of the rate constant of the secondary adsorption was measured to 0.9 mol(-1) dm(3) s(-1).

One-pot synthesis of polyimides via Ni-catalyzed coupling of bis(chlorophthalimide)s

A one-pot synthesis method for the preparation of polyimides containing biphenyl units was developed via nickel-catalyzed coupling reaction of bis(chlorophthalimide)s which were prepared from chloroplithalic anhydrides and diamines in xylene. The resulting polyimides had inherent viscosities of above 0.60dL g(-1). In the meantime, the copolymerizations from a mixture of three isomeric bis(chlorophthalimide)s gave the polymers with inherent viscosities of 0.36-0.55 gdL(-1). The solubility and film formability of the copolymers were better than those of homopolymers from bis(4-chlorophthalimide). The 10% weight loss of these polyimides was between 470 and 531 degrees C.

Synthesis and assembly of Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles

Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by reducing the mixture of HAuCl4 and K2PtCl6 with ethanol in the presence of cinnamic acid (C6H5CHCHCO2H, CA) through a thermal process. It was found that the isolated NPs could gradually self-assemble into chain-like structures, ultimately to 3-dimensional network nanostructures by adjusting the molar ratio of CA to K2PtCl6. Energy-dispersive Spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction was used to confirm the formation of Au-Pt bimetallic nanostructures. It was worthwhile noting that the bimetallic NPs with the novel structures prepared by our method exhibited an attractive catalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction in an acidic solution.

Synthesis and characterization of polyethylene chains grafted onto the sidewalls of single-walled carbon nanotubes via copolymerization

Polyethylene (PE) chains grafted onto the sidewalls of SWCNTs (SWCNT-g-PE) were successfully synthesized via ethylene copolymerization with functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (f-SWCNTs) catalyzed by rac-(en)(THInd)(2)ZrCl2/ MAO. Here f-SWCNTs, in which alpha-alkene groups were chemically linked on the sidewalls of SWCNTs, were synthesized by Prato reaction. The composition and microstructure of SWCNT-g-PE were characterized by means of H-1 NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Nanosized cable-like structure was formed in the SWCNT-g-PE, in which the PE formed a tubular shell and several SWCNTs bundles existed as core. The formation of the above morphology in the SWCNT-g-PE resulted from successfully grafting of PE chains onto the surface of SWCNTs via copolymerization. The grown PE chains grafted onto the sidewall of the f-SWCNTs promoted the exfoliation of the mass nanotubes. Comparing with pure PE, the physical mixture of PE/f-SWCNTs and in situ PE/SWCNTs mixture, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of SWCNT-g-PE were higher because of the chemical bonding between the f-SWCNTs and PE chains.

Crystallization of mechanically alloyed amorphous W-Mg alloy under high pressure

Pure metal powder mixtures of W and Mg at the desired composition were milled in conventional high-energy ball mill, and amorphous alloy W50Mg50 was obtained after milling for 20 h. The structure evolution of elemental powder mixtures was studied following milling and subsequent high pressure and high temperature treatment. The amorphous alloy transform into a nanocrystalline material below 1050 degreesC at 4.0 GPa. On increasing the temperature, it transforms into a mixture of several new crystal phases under high-pressure condition. It also found that both mechanical alloying and high pressure treatment are the two necessary processes to form the nanocrystalline and the new phases.

An infrared study on Langmuir-Blodgett films of octadecylammonium octadecanoate: FWHM and the vibrational coupling

The monolayer of the mixture of octadecanoic acid and octadecylamine with molar ratio 1: 1 has been investigated at the air-water interface. It was found that the monolayer shows a rather stable state at the surface pressure of 30 mN/m and this monolayer can be transferred onto a CaF2 plate by Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique. The infrared spectra of LB films indicated that octadecyl ammonium octadecanoate is formed by an intermolecular proton exchange between adjacent carboxylic and aminic groups (COO- and NH3+). In three-layer LB film, the CH2 scissoring mode of the long hydrocarbon chains of octadecyl ammonium octadecanoate shows a broad band feature at about 1468 cm(-1) while this vibrational mode of three-layer LB film of the mixture (1: 1) of deuterated stearic acid and octadecylamine (octadecylammonium octadecanoate-d35, C18H37NH3+C17D35COO-) only shows a narrow band. The broad feature of the CH2 scissoring mode in octadecylammonium octadecanoate probably originates from the coupling between the chain of stearic acid and that of octadecylamine while this kind of coupling could be completely removed in octadecylammonium octadecanoate-d35.

Spectra and long-lasting properties of Sm3+-doped yttrium oxysulfide phosphor

We reported, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the Sm3+ -doped yttriurn oxysulfide phosphors has reddish orange long-lasting phosphorescence. The phosphor show prominent luminescence in reddish orange due to the electronic transitions of (4)G(5/2) --> H-6(J) (J = 5/2, 7/2, 9/2), the afterglow color of this type of phosphors is a mixture of the three above mentioned electronic transition emissions and have a little different when the concentration of the Sm3+ dopant changes. Synthesis procedure of the Sm3+-yttrium oxysulfide reddish orange phosphor through the flux fusion method with binary flux compositions was presented. The synthesized phosphors were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) to interpret the structural characterization. The XRD analysis result reveal that the Y2O2S:Sm3+ phosphor synthesized with a binary flux composition containing (S and Na2CO3 at a ratio of 1: 1 at 30 wt.% of total raw material) at 1050degreesC for 3 h was in single-phase. Luminescence properties of the Y2O2S:Sm3+ long-lasting phosphor was analyzed by measuring the excitation spectra, emission spectra and afterglow decay curve. The mechanism of the strong afterglow from Y2O2S:Sm3+ was also discussed in this paper.