Effects of mechanical activation and chlorine ion on nanoparticle forsterite formation

This paper reports the positive effects of chlorine ion on the forsterite formation rate. The influence of mechanical activation of talc and magnesium carbonate mixture on the formation of forsterite structure was studied in the presence of chlorine ion. Mechanical activation increased the contact surface area of the reacting phases as a consequence of intensively reduced particle size, which is very important in the case of diffusion-controlled reactions. Besides, the presence of chlorine ion affected the forsterite formation rate following annealing. The single-phase nanostructure forsterite powder with a crystallite size of about 20 nm was obtained by 5 h of mechanical activation and subsequent annealing at 1000 °C for 2 min in the presence of the chlorine ion.     

Effect of ion cleaning pretreatment on interface microstructure, adhesive strength and tribological properties of GLC coatings on Al substrates

In this work, a series of ion cleaning procedures (bias and time) were performed on aluminum substrate surface prior to the deposition of graphite-like carbon (GLC) coatings. Special attention has been paid on the interface microstructure, coating/substrate bonding strength and tribological properties. It was found that ion cleaning critically influenced the adhesion and the wear resistance of GLC coatings. The optimization of ion cleaning pretreatment revealed that 400 V/30 min is the best ion cleaning conditions. HRTEM observations on the interfacial region showed that the oxide layer has been removed completely, a strong bonding diffusion interface formed. However, for the low energy ion cleaning (300 V/10 min), TEM observations on the interfacial region between the coating and the Al substrate showed that the oxide contamination still existed. The optimization of GLC layer thickness revealed that the GLC coating with 1 μm GLC layer exhibited the highest critical load and the lowest friction coefficient of 14.7 N and 0.065, respectively.     

A comparative study on electrochemical performances of the electrodes with different nanocarbon conductive additives for lithium ion batteries

Three nanocarbon materials (0 D acetylene black (AB), 1 D carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and 2 D reduced graphene oxide (RGO)) were used as conductive additives (CAs) in the mesocarbon microbead anodes for lithium ion batteries. The electrochemical performances of the electrodes were investigated. The results show that the CAs have a significant impact on the electrode performance because they can influence the electron conduction and lithium ion transportation within the electrode. The electrode with RGO achieves a maximum capacity of 387 mAh g⁻¹ after 50 cycles at a current density of 50 mA g⁻¹, much higher than those of the electrodes with AB (334 mAh g⁻¹) and CNTs (319 mAh g⁻¹). The improvement should be mainly ascribed to the “plane-to-point” conducting network formed in the electrode with 2 D RGO which can favor the electron conduction and enhance the lithium ion transportation.     

The synergistic inhibition of the cold rolled steel Corrosion in 0.5 M sulfuric acid by the mixture of OP and bromide ion

The synergistic inhibitive effect of the mixture of OP and NaBr on the corrosion of cold rolled steel in 0.5 M sulfuric acid has been investigated using weight loss and polarization method. The results reveal that corrosion of cold rolled steel has been efficiently inhibited by OP in the presence of NaBr in sulfuric acid, and inhibition efficiency increases with increasing concentration of OP at a constant temperature. A synergistic effect has been observed for OP with NaBr at all investigated temperatures (except 30 °C). The polarization curves show that the mixture of OP and NaBr is a cathodic inhibitor. The experimental results suggest that the presence of bromide ion in the solution stabilizes the adsorption of OP molecules on the metal surface and improves the inhibition efficiency of OP. Langmuir adsorption isotherm equation is obeyed at all the temperatures studied. The results obtained from weight loss and polarization method are in good agreement. The present study is important for the practical use of surfactant as corrosion inhibitor for steel in acidic media.     

Thermoluminescence response of CaS:Bi nanophosphor exposed to 200 MeV Ag ion beam

A study of the thermoluminescence (TL) parameters has been performed on swift heavy ion exposed Bi³⁺ doped CaS nanophosphors prepared by the chemical co-precipitation method. All the samples have been exposed to 200 MeV Ag⁺¹⁵ ions in a fluence range of 1 × 10¹²–1 × 10¹³ ions/cm². The prominent TL glow peak at 403 K (observed for the γ-irradiated sample) appeared at the same position in the 200 MeV Ag⁺¹⁵ ion beam irradiated samples, while the other peak at 466 K disappeared and the broad peak normally measured at 534 K split into two peaks at 535 K and 582 K for the Ag⁺¹⁵ ion beam irradiated samples. The effect of different Bi³⁺ concentration has been investigated and it was found that the maximum TL intensity was measured for the 0.08 mol% sample. The effect of different heating rates on the TL response has also been determined. The trapping parameters (i.e. activation energy, frequency factor, order of kinetic) of all the individual peaks of the glow curves have been analysed by using Chen’s formulae. The low fading and linear TL response in the range of 1 × 10¹²–1 × 10¹³ ions/cm² will be helpful to explore the potential use of this material for heavy ion dosimetry.     

Potentiometric detection of silver (I) ion based on carbon paste electrode modified with diazo-thiophenol-functionalized nanoporous silica gel

For the first time, triazene compound functionalized silica gel was incorporated into carbon paste electrode for the potentiometric detection of silver (I) ion. A novel diazo-thiophenol-functionalized silica gel (DTPSG) was synthesized, and the presence of DTPSG acted as not only a paste binder, but also a reactive material. The electrode with optimum composition, exhibited an excellent Nernstian response to Ag⁺ ion ranging from 1.0 × 10^? 6 to 1.0 × 10^? 1 M with a detection limit of 9.5 × 10^? 7 M and a slope of 60.4 ± 0.2 mV dec^? 1 over a wide pH range (4.0–9.0) with a fast response time (50 s) at 25 °C. The electrode also showed a long-time stability, high selectivity and reproducibility. The response mechanism of the proposed electrode was investigated by using AC impedance. Moreover, the electrode was successfully applied for the determination of silver ions in radiology films, and for potentiometric titration of the mixture solution of Cl^? and Br^? ions.     

Characterization and properties of GaN films deposited by middle-frequency magnetron sputtering with anode-layer ion source assistance

GaN films were deposited on Si (111) substrates at a high growth rate of 94 nm/min using middle-frequency (MF) magnetron sputtering method with anode-layer ion source assistance. XRD, TEM and PL experiments were used to investigate the structure and optical properties of the resulting films. GaN films produced under optimal conditions have an almost 1:1 N: Ga ratio. The O concentration decreased while the deposition rate increased with the increasing of bias voltages. Hexagonal polycrystal nature of the films was detected by the TEM and XRD measurements. Peaks located at 3.36 eV labeled as free-exciton were detected in the temperature dependence photoluminescence spectra. The binding energies of N 1s and Ga 3d were centered at 397.5 and 19.8 eV, respectively. The results show that the ion beam-assisted MF reactive magnetron sputtering method can be an encouraging method for deposition of polycrystalline GaN films at low temperatures.     

Performance test of micro ion thruster using microwave discharge

Several types of electric propulsions have been developed and used for artificial satellites on geostationary orbit keeping or planetary exploration. A series of small-scale satellites is recently expected to be used instead of traditional large-scale satellites for reducing launch cost and risk. The trend towards needs of small spacecraft requires micro thrusters with high specific impulse. In this study, a micro ion engine utilizing a microwave discharge plasma was fabricated and was tested. This ion engine comprises some components, such as electrostatic grids, antenna, and microwave power supply, which decide its performance. The performance dependence on the components was examined under several experimental conditions. The typical performance parameters of the engine were ion production cost of 770 V, propellant utilization efficiency of 72%, and thrust of 0.66 mN in conditions of input 2.45 GHz microwave power of 8 W and propellant (xenon gas) flow rate of 0.2 sccm with a star type antenna.     

Electrochemical fabrication of polyaniline films containing gold nanoparticles deposited on titanium electrode for electro-oxidation of ascorbic acid

Polyaniline films prepared on titanium were employed as substrate for the electrodeposition of gold. The modified electrode was used as anode for the electro-oxidation of ascorbic acid. The electrochemical behavior and electro-catalytic activity of Au/PAni/Ti electrode were characterized by cyclic voltammetry. The morphology of the polyaniline film and gold coating on PAni/Ti electrode were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques, respectively. Results indicated that gold nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed on the surface of polyaniline film. The electro-oxidation of ascorbic acid is found to proceed more facile on Au/PAni/Ti electrode than on bare gold electrode. The irreversible oxidation current of ascorbic acid exhibits a linear dependence on the ascorbic acid concentration in the range of 1–5 mM.     

Selective uranyl cation detection by polymeric ion selective electrode based on benzo-15-crown-5

A uranyl cation selective electrode based on benzo-15-crown-5(B15C5) incorporated into a polyvinylchloride (PVC) membrane has been developed. The electrode was prepared by coating the surface of a graphite rod by a membrane containing dioctylphtalate (DOP) as plasticizer, B15C5 as an ionophore, carbon powder and polyvinylchloride (PVC) in tetrahydrofuran (THF). The best composition of the coated membrane (w/w%) was found to be: 4% ionophore, 20% plasticizer, 56% PVC and 20% carbon powder. The electrode exhibits a Nernstian slope (29.5 ± 2 mv) over the concentration range from 1.0 × 10^? 4 to 1.0 × 10^? 1 M. The detection limit of the electrode is 1.0 × 10^? 4 M. The effects of the pH and the possible interfering cations and anions were investigated and the optimized conditions for electrode were evaluated. The response time of the electrode is about 15 s and it can be used for more than 6 weeks without observing any divergence in potentiometric response. The electrode was applied as indicator electrode in potentiometric titrations.     

Fabrication of 3D structured composites of crumpled graphene,polyaniline and molybdenum disulfide nanosheets for high performance alkali metal ion storage

Recently, there is a growing concern for high performance energy storage devices in many applications where a lot of energy needs to be either stored or delivered. Here, we introduce a facile strategy to fabricate effectively combined 3D structured composites of crumpled graphene (CGR), polyaniline (PANI) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) for potential application to high performance alkali metal ion storage such as sodium and lithium ion storage. 2D graphene oxides, polyaniline, and physically exfoliated 2D MoS₂ were combined to fabricate 3D structured CGR/PANI/MoS₂ composites by aerosol self-assembly process and post heat treatment. Overall morphology of composites looked like crumpled paper ball with an average diameter of ~5 μm. MoS₂ and PANI were attached on the surface of the graphene, which supported an accessible surface area and provided a path for electron transfer. Synergistic effect by the combination of the three functional materials resulted in outstanding electrochemical performance as sodium-ion storage in terms of storage capacity (328 F g^?1 at 1 A g^?1), good rate capability (282 F g^?1 at 10 A g^?1), and cycle performance (95%, after 1000 cycles). Even lithium-ion storage application, the CGR/PANI/MoS₂ also delivered a high specific capacity of 470 mAh g^?1 after 100 cycles.     

Direct electrochemical determination of ascorbic acid by a cobalt(II) tetra-neopentyloxy phthalocyanine-multi-walled carbon nanotubes glassy carbon electrode

A cobalt(II) tetra-neopentyloxy phthalocyanine-multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CoTNPPc–MWNTs) composite was synthesized and characterized by UV–Vis spectra and transmission electron microscopy. The CoTNPPc–MWNTs glassy carbon electrode (CoTNPPc–MWNTs/GCE) was prepared by drop coating. The electrocatalytic performance of the chemically modified electrode was investigated for oxidation of ascorbic acid (AA). It was found that in phosphate buffer solution at pH = 6.60, the chemically modified electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of AA. The oxidation peak current increased linearly with the concentration of AA in the range of 10 μM–1.6 mM within the detection limit of 5 μM and low response time of 4 s.     

Toxicity of mercury on in vitro development of parthenogenetic eggs of a freshwater cladoceran Daphnia carinata

A series of recently synthesized benzo- and pyridine-substituted macrocyclic diamides were studied to characterize their abilities as lead ion carriers in PVC membrane electrodes. The electrode based on 3,15,21-triaza-4,5;13,14-dibenzo-6,9,12-trioxabicycloheneicosa-1,17,19-triene-2,16-dione exhibits a Nernstian response for Pb²⁺ ions over a wide concentration range (1.3 × 10⁻² to 3.6 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹) with a limit of detection of 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ (0.4 ppm). The response time of the sensor is 16 s, and the membrane can be used for more than two months without observing any deviation. The electrode revealed comparatively good selectivities with respect to many cations including alkali earth, transition and heavy metal ions. The proposed sensor could be used in pH range of 3.7–6.5. It was used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of chromate ions with a lead ion solution.     

Improving the performance of methylene blue sensitized photopolymer by doping with nickel ion

Holographic performance of an economically cheap metal ion doped photopolymer material is presented. We investigated the effect of incorporation of nickel ion into the methylene blue sensitized poly (vinyl alcohol)/acrylamide (MBPVA/AA) photopolymer system. The composition and preliminary characterization of the developed photopolymer material is reported. The presence of nickel ion improves the diffraction efficiency, stability of the material and it operates in a wide range of spatial frequencies (550–2000 lines/mm) at exposure energy of 100 mJ/cm². When nickel ion concentration was 0.01 mM, maximum diffraction efficiency of 84% at exposure energy of 100 mJ/cm² with spatial frequency 1335 lines/mm could be achieved for gratings recorded using wavelength of 632.8 nm. The material showed panchromaticity with more than 70% diffraction efficiency in both blue and green regions. Effects of humidity and temperature on the stored gratings were studied by keeping films in different environmental conditions. Suitability of recording large area holograms was also explored.     

Electrochemical properties of ferrocene adsorbed on multi-walled carbon nanotubes electrode

The adsorbed process of ferrocene on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and electrochemical properties of the adsorbed layers are investigated. It is found that the redox process of ferrocene in solution is controlled by diffusion and surface electrochemical steps on the MWNT/GC electrode in contrast to the diffusion-controlled process of ferrocene on the GC electrode. The adsorbed ferrocene exhibits a pair of well-defined redox waves in the potential range from − 0.2 V to 0.6 V. Interestingly, two pairs of obvious redox waves for the adsorbed ferrocene are observed at the switching potential over 0.8 V and the peak current values of redox waves in more positive potential increase with the enlarging switching potential. The electrochemical reaction model of ferrocene adsorbed on the MWNT/GC electrode is proposed.     

Improvements in the angular current density of inductively coupled plasma ion source for focused heavy ion beams

A compact inductively coupled plasma ion source (ICPIS) is developed for producing high current micron size beams for high speed micromachining applications. Angular current density (J_Ω) of the beam extracted from ICPIS is measured and found to be three orders higher than that of the conventional liquid metal ion sources. An improvement in J_Ω by >30% is achieved through the increase of RF power density in the plasma by reducing the plasma volume instead of operating ion source at high RF power. Studies on J_Ω show that heavier ions have maximum J_Ω at lower power and vice versa for the lighter ions. Ion beams of Neon, Argon, Krypton and Xenon extracted at 5 kV, have J_Ω of 57, 51, 37 and 30 mA/Sr respectively at RF power in the range of 75 W–200 W. Measurements on proton beam which is very important for imaging applications show J_Ω of 45 mA/Sr at 200 W.     

Mercury(II) selective membrane electrode based on 1,3-bis(2-methoxybenzene)triazene

A plasticized poly (vinyl chloride) membrane electrode based on 1,3-bis(2-methoxybenzene)triazene (MBT) for highly selective determination of mercury(II) has been developed. The electrode showed a good Nernstian response (30.2 ± 0.3 mV decade^− 1) over a wide concentration range (1.0 × 10^− 7−1.0 × 10^− 2 mol L^− 1). The limit of detection was 5.0 × 10^− 8 mol L^− 1. The electrode has a response time about 15 s and can be used for at least 1 month without observing any deviation from Nernstain response. The proposed electrode revealed an excellent selectivity toward mercury(II) ion over a wide variety of alkali, alkaline earth, transition, and heavy metal ions and could be used in the pH range 2.6–4.2. The electrode was used in the determination of Hg²⁺ in aqueous samples and as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of Hg(II) ions.     

Absorption of water vapour into lithium bromide-based solutions with additives using a simple stagnant pool absorberAdsorption de la vapeur d'eau par des solutions à base de bromure de lithium à l'aide d'un absorbeur simple de type à surface liquide stagnante

Absorption of water vapour into the 50 mass % lithium bromide solution with four eight-carbon alcohol additives such as n-octanol, 2-octanol, 3-octanol, and 2-ehtyl-1-hexanol were investigated by using a simple stagnant pool absorber. Four solutions of the 60 mass % lithium bromide + water, 68 mass % lithium bromide + ethylene glycol + water (LiBr/HO(CH₂)₂OH = 4.5 by mass), 60 mass % lithium bromide + lithium iodide + water (LiBr/Lil = 4 by mole), and 70 mass % lithium bromide + zinc chloride + water (LiBr/ZnCl₂ = 1 by mass) containing the 2-ethyl-1-hexanol additive were also considered to examine the additive effect on mass transfer of water vapour into the different types of absorbents. The experimental apparatus could be used with good confidence and accuracy particularly for studying mass transfer enhancement over the effective range of additive concentration which, in this work, is mostly between 10 and 500 ppm. A vigorous interfacial turbulence was observed during absorption process using additives. The water vapour absorption rate remarkably increased with increasing the additive concentrations up to about 200 ppm and then stopped increasing above 200 ppm for all the systems considered. The onset additive concentrations for enhancing mass transfer were located between 5 and 8 ppm for all systems except two systems of the 50 mass % lithium bromide solution with 3-octanol and 70 mass % lithium bromide + zinc chloride solution with 2-ethtyl-1-hexanol for which the corresponding concentrations were 2.5 and 35 ppm, respectively.     

Effects of strong magnetic field on plasma immersion ion implantation of dielectric substrates

In this paper the effects of a strong magnetic field on plasma immersion ion implantation (PHI) of dielectric substrates were investigated. A plasma fluid model and finite difference schemes were used to simulate a one-dimensional system of plasma immersion ion implantation. The effect of secondary electron emission from the electrode on PHI was also taken into consideration. It was found that the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field have slight effects on sheath thickness but have considerable effects on current densities in the y and z directions which are perpendicular to the direction of the electric field (the x direction). The simulations showed that the current densities in the y and z directions increased significantly with increasing magnitude of the magnetic field at a given fixed angle, the reason being attributed to the rotational force exerted on the ions by the magnetic field. With a fixed magnetic field, increasing the angle of the magnetic field, θ, with respect to the electric field produced a continuous increase in current density in the y direction from zero to its maximum at θ = 90° but the current density in the z direction could be described as saddle-shaped being zero at both ends.     

Effect of swift heavy ion beam irradiation on Au–polyaniline composite films

In this paper, two-step electrochemical synthesis method is reported for the fabrication of Au–polyaniline (Au–PANI) composite film. Initially, PANI film was electrochemically synthesized by using chronopotentiometery with optimized process parameters on platinum electrode. The synthesized PANI film acts as working electrode for the decoration of Au particles on the surface of PANI film by using cyclovoltammetry (CV) technique. Later, these films were irradiated under high vacuum (∼5 × 10⁻⁶ Torr) at room temperature with 40 MeV C⁵⁺ ion beam at various fluences ranging from 1 × 10¹¹ to 1 × 10¹³ ions/cm². The Au–PANI composite films were characterized before and after irradiation by using micro-Raman, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The characteristic peaks of the Raman spectrum of Au–PANI composite films were reduced after irradiation. XRD spectra exhibited the decrease in the peak intensity. Moreover, interchain distance, interplanar distance, micro strain, dislocation density and distortion parameters were calculated. The analysis revealed a significant variation in these parameters with an increase in the ion fluence, which is in line with the Raman analysis. SEM shows the formation of clusters with porous structure after irradiation.