Modelling transport processes during microwave heating: A review

The review is concerned with models that analyze transport:processes that occur during microwave heating. Early models on microwave. heating used Lambert's law to describe the microwave power absorption. Over the last decade, models for transport processes have been developed with the microwave power derived from Maxwell's equations. Those models, primarily based on plane waves, have been used for analyzing microwave heating of solids, liquids, emulsions, microwave thawing and drying. The models illustrate phenomena such a resonances, hot spots, edge and runaway heating. The literature on microwave sintering, susceptor heating and microwave assisted synthesis is largely experimental in nature and only key issues are highlighted. To fully appreciate the models for microwave heating, a section on the theory of electromagnetic wave propagation is included, where expressions for the electric field in dielectric slabs and cylinders are presented.

Microwave Assisted Synthesis and Antimicrobial Study of Schiff Base Vanadium(IV) Complexes of Phenyl Esters of Amino Acids

Schiff base vanadium(IV) complexes of phenyl esters of the two acidic amino acids, i.e., aspartic and glutamic acid, were synthesized. The phenyl esters of these amino acids were synthesized by conventional method whereas the Schiff base vanadium(IV) complexes were synthesized using microwave irradiation. The complexes were characterized by spectroscopic tools such as IR, 1H NMR, mass (ES), ESR, and UV visible spectroscopy. All the complexes were studied for antibacterial and antifungal activity and found to be moderately active.

Influence of the ferromagnetic layer on the pair breaking and low alternating current field magnetic response in superconductor/ferromagnet bilayer

We investigate the influence of the ferromagnetic layer on the magnetic and transport properties of YBa2Cu3O7-delta in YBa2Cu3O7-delta (YBCO)/La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) bilayers. The temperature dependent dc magnetization study reveals the presence of magnetic anisotropy in YBCO/LSMO bilayer as compared to the pure YBCO layer. The ac susceptibility study on YBCO/LSMO bilayers reveals stronger pinning and the temperature dependent critical current is found to be less prone to temperature. Besides, the current (I) dependent electrical transport studies on YBCO/LSMO exhibit a significant reduction in the superconducting T-c with increase in I and it follows I-2/3 dependence in accord with the pair breaking effect. The higher reduction of superconducting T-c in YBCO/LSMO is believed to be due to the enhanced pair-breaking induced by the spin polarized carriers being injected into the superconductor. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. doi: 10.1063/1.3560029]

Similarity solution of unsteady boundary layer equations with a magnetic field

The unsteady laminar incompressible boundary layer flow of an electrically conducting fluid in the stagnation region of two-dimensional and axisymmetric bodies with an applied magnetic field has been studied. The boundary layer equations which are parabolic partial differential equations with three independent variables have been reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations by using suitable transformations and then solved numerically using a shooting method. Here, we have obtained new solutions which are solutions of both the boundary layer and Navier-Stokes equations.

Synthesis of Ti, Ga, and V nitrides: Microwave-assisted carbothermal reduction and nitridation

A simple, novel, and fast method of preparation of metal nitride powders (GaN, TiN, and VN) using microwave-assisted carbothermal reduction and nitridation has been demonstrated. The procedure uses the respective oxides and amorphous carbon powder as the starting materials. Ammonia gas is found to be more effective in nitridation than high-purity N-2 gas. Complete nitridation is achieved by the use of a slight excess of amorphous carbon. Metals themselves are not found to be effectively nitrided. The products were characterized using XRD, TEM, and SAED and found to possess good crystallinity and phase purity. The method can be of general applicability for the preparation of metal nitrides.

Unsteady compressible boundary layer flow in the stagnation region of a sphere with a magnetic field

Abstract: An analysis is performed to study the unsteady compressible laminar boundary layer flow in the forward stagnation-point region of a sphere with a magnetic field applied normal, to the surface. We have considered the case where there is an initial steady state that is perturbed by the step change in the total enthalpy at the wall. The nonlinear coupled parabolic partial differential equations governing the flow and heat transfer have been solved numerically using a finite-difference scheme. The numerical results are presented, which show the temporal development of the boundary layer. The magnetic field in the presence of variable electrical conductivity causes an overshoot in the velocity profile. Also, when the total enthalpy at the wall is suddenly increased, there is a change in the direction of transfer of heat in a small interval of time.

Latitude variation of boundary layer height over Indian Ocean during pre- and First Field Phase (FFP-98) of INDOEX

This paper describes the results of the measurement of the Marine Boundary Layer (MBL) height from spectral analysis of the u and v components of the wind and from CLASS/radiosonde temperature profiles. The data were collected on ORV Sagar Kanya during the pre-INDOEX (27 December 1996 through 31 January 1997) and FFP-98 (18 February to 31 March 1998) over the latitude range 15 degrees N to 14 degrees S and 15 degrees N to 20 degrees S respectively. During the pre-INDOEX, the MBL heights gradually decrease from 2.5 km at 13 degrees N to around 500 to 600 m at 10 degrees S, Similar results are observed in the return track. The MBL heights (0.5 to 1 km) obtained during FFP-98 are less compared to those obtained during pre-INDOEX. The MBL heights during FFP-98 are less compared to the pre-INDOEX and are believed to be due to the presence of stratus, stratocumulus and cumulus clouds during the cruise period, compared to a relatively cloud free pre-INDOEX cruise.

Guest-Assisted Self-assembly of Organostannoxane Nanotubules on a Mica Surface

The reaction of n-BuSn(O)OH](n), and 9-hydroxy-9-fluorenecarboxylic acid in the presence of p-X-C6H4-OH (X = F, Br) afforded hydroxyl-rich hexameric organostannoxane prismanes. The crystal structures of these prismanes reveal guest-assisted supramolecular structures. Self-assembly of these compounds on a mica surface affords organooxotin nanotubules.

Ultrafast Microwave-Assisted Route to Surfactant-Free Ultrafine Pt Nanoparticles on Graphene: Synergistic Co-reduction Mechanism and High Catalytic Activity

We demonstrate an ultrafast method for the formation of, graphene supported Pt catalysts by the co-reduction of graphene oxide and Pt salt using ethylene glycol under microwave irradiation conditions. Detailed analysis of the mechanism of formation of the hybrids indicates a synergistic co-reduction mechanism whereby the presence of the Pt ions leads to a faster reduction of GO and the presence of the defect sites on the reduced GO serves as anchor points for the heterogeneous nucleation of Pt. The resulting hybrid consists of ultrafine nanoparticles of Pt uniformly distributed on the reduced GO susbtrate. We have shown that the hybrid exhibits good catalytic activity for methanol oxidation and hydrogen conversion reactions. The mechanism is general and applicable for the synthesis of other multifunctional hybrids based on graphene.

Mean field lattice model for adsorption isotherms in zeolite NaA

Using a lattice model for adsorption in microporous materials, pure component adsorption isotherms are obtained within a mean field approximation for methane at 300 K and xenon at 300 and 360 K in zeolite NaA. It is argued that the increased repulsive adsorbate-adsorbate interactions at high coverages must play an important role in determining the adsorption behavior. Therefore, this feature is incorporated through a "coverage-dependent interaction'' model, which introduces a free, adjustable parameter. Another important feature, the site volume reduction, has been treated in two ways: a van der Waal model and a 1D hard-rod theory [van Tassel et al., AIChE J. 40, 925 (1994)]; we have also generalized the latter to include all possible adsorbate overlap scenarios. In particular, the 1D hard-rod model, with our coverage-dependent interaction model, is shown to be in best quantitative agreement with the previous grand canonical Monte Carlo isotherms. The expressions for the isosteric heats of adsorption indicate that attractive and repulsive adsorbate-adsorbate interactions increase and decrease the heats of adsorption, respectively. It is concluded that within the mean field approximation, our simple model for repulsive interactions and the 1D hard-rod model for site volume reduction are able to capture most of the important features of adsorption in confined regions. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(99)70515-5].

Mean-field theory of charge ordering and phase transitions in the colossal-magnetoresistive manganites

We study phase transitions in the colossal-magnetoresistive manganites by using a mean-field theory both at zero and non-zero temperatures. Our Hamiltonian includes double-exchange, superexchange, and Hubbard terms with on-site and nearest-neighbour Coulomb interaction, with the parameters estimated from earlier density-functional calculations. The phase diagrams show magnetic and charge-ordered (or charge-disordered) phases as a result of the competition between the double-exchange, superexchange, and Hubbard terms, the relative effects of which are sensitively dependent on parameters such as doping, bandwidth, and temperature. In accord with the experimental observations, several important features are reproduced from our model, namely, (i) a phase transition from an insulating, charge-ordered antiferromagnetic to a metallic, charge-disordered ferromagnetic state near dopant concentration x = 1/2, (ii) the reduction of the transition temperature TAF-->F by the application of a magnetic field, (iii) melting of the charge order by a magnetic field, and (iv) phase coexistence for certain values of temperature and doping. An important feature, not reproduced in our model, is the antiferromagnetism in the electron-doped systems, e.g., La1-xCaxMnO3 over the entire range of 0.5 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 1, and we suggest that a multi-band model which includes the unoccupied t(2g) orbitals might be an important ingredient for describing this feature.

Nonequilibrium stationary states of a particle in a gravitational field driven by a vibrating surface

Stationary velocity distribution functions are determined for a particle in a gravitational field driven by a vibrating surface in the limit of small dissipation. It is found that the form of the distribution function is sensitive to the mechanism of energy dissipation, inelastic collisions or viscous drag, and also to the form of the amplitude function of the vibrating surface. The velocity distributions obtained analytically are found to be in excellent agreement with the results of computer simulations in the limit of low dissipation. [S0031-9007(99)08898-5].

On the large-scale diffuse magnetic field of the sun - II. The contribution of active regions

Dikpati and Choudhuri (1993, 1995) developed a model for the poleward migration of the weak diffuse magnetic field on the Sun's surface. This field was identified with the poloidal component produced by the solar dynamo operating at the base of the convection zone, and its evolution was studied by considering the effects of meridional circulation and turbulent diffusion. The earlier model is extended in this paper by incorporating the flux from, the decay of tilted active regions near the solar surface as an additional source of the poloidal field. This extended model can now explain various low-latitude features in the time-latitude diagram of the weak diffuse fields. These low-latitude features could not be accounted for in the earlier model, which was very successful in modeling the behavior at high latitudes. The time-latitude diagrams show that regions of a particular polarity often have 'tongues' of opposite polarity. Such tongues can be produced in the theoretical model by incorporating fluctuations in the source term arising out of the decaying active regions.

Capacitive-Resistive Transients in terms of field quantities

Capacitive-resistive transients in extended media are discussed in tenns of electric field quantities. Obviously, in rhese problems, the contribution of the magnetlc field to the electric field is deemed negligible. For a simple lllusfratlve example, the field solution is compared with the circuit-theoretical resuit for the voltage and current. An algorithm for solving such transients in space and time doman with the help of a Laplace solver is presented. Any other Laplace solver can also be used far this purpose. Its applicability is demonstrated with three examples, one of which is chosen to have a circuit-theoretical solution.

Statistical thermodynamics of lattice models in zeolites: Implications of local versus global mean field interactions

The statistical thermodynamics of adsorption in caged zeolites is developed by treating the zeolite as an ensemble of M identical cages or subsystems. Within each cage adsorption is assumed to occur onto a lattice of n identical sites. Expressions for the average occupancy per cage are obtained by minimizing the Helmholtz free energy in the canonical ensemble subject to the constraints of constant M and constant number of adsorbates N. Adsorbate-adsorbate interactions in the Brag-Williams or mean field approximation are treated in two ways. The local mean field approximation (LMFA) is based on the local cage occupancy and the global mean field approximation (GMFA) is based on the average coverage of the ensemble. The GMFA is shown to be equivalent in formulation to treating the zeolite as a collection of interacting single site subsystems. In contrast, the treatment in the LMFA retains the description of the zeolite as an ensemble of identical cages, whose thermodynamic properties are conveniently derived in the grand canonical ensemble. For a z coordinated lattice within the zeolite cage, with epsilon(aa) as the adsorbate-adsorbate interaction parameter, the comparisons for different values of epsilon(aa)(*)=epsilon(aa)z/2kT, and number of sites per cage, n, illustrate that for -1 0. We compare the isotherms predicted with the LMFA with previous GMFA predictions [K. G. Ayappa, C. R. Kamala, and T. A. Abinandanan, J. Chem. Phys. 110, 8714 (1999)] (which incorporates both the site volume reduction and a coverage-dependent epsilon(aa)) for xenon and methane in zeolite NaA. In all cases the predicted isotherms are very similar, with the exception of a small steplike feature present in the LMFA for xenon at higher coverages. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(99)70333-8].