The transport properties of an N<Subscript>2</Subscript>-H<Subscript>2</Subscript> mixture of rarefied gases in the EPIDIF database

The principles of organization of the EPIDIF information-and-computation database are considered. Simultaneous processing of experimental data on the viscosity of pure components and mixture and on the coefficients of interdiffusion and thermal diffusion for a binary N₂-H₂ mixture of rarefied gases is performed. Nine parameters of three m-6 Lennard-Jones potentials of interaction of N₂ and H₂ molecules are determined within the least squares method. Tables of reference data for the considered transport properties are calculated in the temperature range from 100 to 1500 K and concentration range of 0–1(0.2). The parameters and their error matrix are included in the EPIDIF database.     

Si<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript>/TiN composites produced from TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-Modified Si<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript> powders

Si₃N₄/TiN composites have been produced by hot pressing at temperatures from 1600 to 1800°C in a nitrogen atmosphere, using silicon nitride powders prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis and surface-modified with titanium dioxide nanoparticles. We examined the effect of TiO₂ content on the microstructure, phase composition, and mechanical strength of the ceramics. It is shown that titanium nitride can be formed by the reaction Si₃N₄ + TiO₂ → TiN + NO + N₂O + 3Si. The Si₃N₄/TiN composites containing 5–20% TiN have a low density, high porosity, and a bending strength of 60 MPa or lower. In Si₃N₄/TiN ceramics produced using calcium aluminates as sintering aids, the silicon nitride grains are densely packed, which ensures an increase in strength to 650 MPa.     

Microstructure characterization of in situ synthesized porous Si<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript>–Si<Subscript>2</Subscript>N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O composites using feldspar additive

Porous Si₃N₄–Si₂N₂O bodies fabricated by multi-pass extrusion process were investigated depending on the feldspar addition content (4–8 wt% Si) in the raw silicon powder. The diameter of the continuous pores was about 250 μm. The polycrystalline Si₂N₂O fibers observed in the continuous pores as well as in the matrix regions of the nitrided bodies can increase the filtration efficiency. In the 4 wt% feldspar addition, the diameter of the Si₂N₂O fibers in the continuous pores of the nitrided bodies was about 90–150 nm. A few number of rope typed Si₂N₂O fibers (∼4 μm) was found in the case of 8 wt% feldspar addition. However, in the 8 wt% feldspar addition, the matrix showed highly porous structure composed of large number of the Si₂N₂O fibers (∼60 nm). The relative densities of the Si₃N₄–Si₂N₂O bodies with 4 wt% and 8 wt% feldspar additions were about 65% and 61%, respectively.     

Dissolution of UO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in the N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>-H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O system

The kinetics of the UO₂ dissolution in the N₂O₄-H₂O system was studied. At 25°C, the process is kinetically controlled, whereas at 55°C the process occurs initially under kinetic control (3 min) and then under diffusion-kinetic control. At 80°C, the process occurs exclusively under diffusion-kinetic control. The apparent activation energy was estimated at ∼39 kJ mol⁻¹.     

The unstructured two-dimensional grid-based computation of selective thermal radiation in CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-N<Subscript>2</Subscript> mixture flows

The possibility of applying the P ₁ approximation of the spherical harmonics method to the computation of the radiant heat transfer in heterogeneous volumes of complicated geometry is investigated. This approximation is used to evaluate the radiant heating of the surface of a spacecraft descending in the Martian atmosphere. The chemical composition of the gas heated behind the shock wave is calculated by using a kinetic model including 79 chemical reactions and ten components, such as CO₂, CO, C, O, O₂, C₂, N, N₂, CN, and NO. The optical properties are set by a spectral multigroup model computed with the help of the ASTEROID computer code with averaging over the rotational molecular spectrum structure in each group. The mechanisms of the radiant heating of the surface of descent space vehicles in the Martian atmosphere are studied.     

Equilibrium spectral radiation behind the shock wave front in a CO2-N2 gas mixture

This paper presents calculations of the equilibrium spectral radiation behind shock waves in a CO₂-N₂ gas mixture, corresponding to the conditions implemented in experiments with NASA Ames Research Center and JAXA Chofu Space Center shock tubes. The studied experimental parameters were selected so that the results obtained for these systems can be cross-validated. The presented data for equilibrium spectral radiation were obtained using two methods for calculating the equilibrium populations of the excited electronic states, based on a hybrid radiative-collisional model (in fact, a model of nonequilibrium radiation) and on the use of the Boltzmann distribution with the calculated equilibrium temperature. The spectral composition of the radiation was also analyzed; a comparison of the calculated and experimental data demonstrated reasonable agreement between them.     

In-situ construction of 2D direct Z-scheme g-C<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript>/g-C<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript> homojunction with high photocatalytic activity

Constructing all-solid-state Z-scheme junction is a very effective strategy to design highly active photocatalysts for solar energy conversion and environmental purification. We herein firstly construct 2D g-C₃N₄/g-C₃N₄ Z-scheme homojunction by using a bottom-up approach, during which the supramolecular complex is initially formed, followed by a facile thermal polycondensation. Based on the active species trapping experiments, Mott–Schottky test and band edge position analysis, the prepared 2D nanosheet g-C₃N₄/g-C₃N₄ homojunctions are found to be Z-scheme type, different from those available reported ones with a type-II energy alignment. Benefiting from the specific 2D morphology with large exposed surface area and Z-scheme junction with efficient separation and high redox abilities of the photoinduced electrons and holes, the obtained 2D g-C₃N₄/g-C₃N₄ homojunctions are much more active than the conventional g-C₃N₄/g-C₃N₄ homojunction (CN-MT) and bulk g-C₃N₄ (CN-M) under visible light irradiation, validating by the high rhodamine degradation rate of 0.833 h^?1, which is about 3.9 and 15.4 times higher than that of CN-MT (0.214 h^?1) and CN-M (0.054 h^?1), respectively. The present work sheds light on design of novel Z-scheme photocatalysts with specific morphology and thus further application in the field of environment or energy.     

Electrical Conductivity of AlN-Mg<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>2</Subscript> Solid Solutions

AlN-Mg₃N₂ solid solutions are synthesized, and their electrical conductivity and ionic transference number are measured. In the range 500–1150°C, the conductivity of the solid solutions increases with Mg₃N₂ concentration. The ionic transference number is close to unity, and the ionic transport is mainly due to aluminum ions.__________Translated from Neorganicheskie Materialy, Vol. 41, No. 7, 2005, pp. 819–822.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Lesunova, Burmakin.     

Mechanical properties of superhard boron subnitride B<Subscript>13</Subscript>N<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Microstructure and mechanical properties of bulk polycrystalline rhombohedral boron sub-nitride B₁₃N₂ synthesized by crystallization from the B–BN melt at 7 GPa have been systematically studied by micro- and nanoindentation, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The obtained data on hardness, elastic properties and fracture toughness clearly indicate that B₁₃N₂ belongs to a family of superhard phases and can be considered as a promising superabrasive or binder for cubic boron nitride.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of [UO<Subscript>2</Subscript>(OH)(CO(NH<Subscript>2</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript>]<Subscript>2</Subscript>(ClO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The complex [UO₂(OH)(CO(NH₂)₂)₃]₂(ClO₄)₂ (I) was synthesized. A single crystal X-ray diffraction study showed that compound I crystallizes in the triclinic system with the unit cell parameters a = 7.1410(2), b = 10.1097(2), c = 11.0240(4) Å, α = 104.648(1)°, β = 103.088(1)°, γ = 108.549(1)°, space group \(P\bar 1\), Z = 1, R = 0.0193. The uranium-containing structural units of the crystals are binuclear groups [UO₂(OH)· (CO(NH₂)₂)₃] ₂ ²⁺ belonging to crystal-chemical group AM²M ₃ ¹ [A = UO ₂ ²⁺ , M² = OH^?, M¹ = CO(NH₂)₂] of uranyl complexes. The crystal-chemical analysis of nonvalent interactions using the method of molecular Voronoi-Dirichlet polyhedra was performed, and the IR spectra of crystals of I were analyzed.     

Nanofilaments of Si<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript>

Silicon nitride nanofilaments were synthesized at 1600°C in nitrogen on the surface of a ceramic substrate made of amorphous silicon oxynitride obtained by hexamethyl disilasane pyrolysis. The diameter of filaments represented by different morphological types (filaments, ribbons, needles) was 100–500 nm, and the length was several millimeters.     

On melting of boron subnitride B<Subscript>13</Subscript>N<Subscript>2</Subscript> under pressure

Melting of rhombohedral boron subnitride B₁₃N₂ has been studied in situ at pressures to 8 GPa using synchrotron X-ray diffraction and electrical resistivity measurements. It has been found that above 2.6 GPa B₁₃N₂ melts incongruently, and the melting curve exhibits positive slope of 31(3) K/GPa that points to a lower density of the melt as compared to the solid phase.     

Aqueous electrocatalytic N<Subscript>2</Subscript> reduction under ambient conditions

Recently, the electrochemical N₂ reduction reaction (NRR) in aqueous electrolytes at ambient temperature and pressure has demonstrated its unique advantages and potentials. The reactants are directly derived from gaseous N₂ and water, which are naturally abundant, and NH₃ production is important for fertilizers and other industrial applications. To improve the conversion yield and selectivity (mainly competing with water reduction), electrocatalysts must be rationally designed to optimize the mass transport, chemisorption, and transduction pathways of protons and electrons. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the electrochemical NRR. Studies of electrocatalyst designs are summarized for different categories, including metal-based catalysts, metal oxide-derived catalysts, and hybrid catalysts. Strategies for enhancing the NRR performance based on the facet orientation, metal oxide interface, crystallinity, and nitrogen vacancies are presented. Additional system designs, such as lithium-nitrogen batteries, and the solvent effect are introduced. Finally, existing challenges and prospects are discussed.

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Enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity for g-C<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript>/SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript>:Sb composites induced by Sb doping

In this paper, g-C₃N₄/SnO₂:Sb composite photocatalysts were fabricated by in situ loading Sb-doped SnO₂ (SnO₂:Sb) nanoparticles on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) nanosheets via a facile hydrothermal method. The synthesized g-C₃N₄/SnO₂:Sb composites delivered enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance for degradation of rhodamine B in comparison with g-C₃N₄/SnO₂ composites without doping Sb. Various techniques including XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR, XPS, PL and electrochemical method were employed to demonstrate the successful fabrication of g-C₃N₄/SnO₂:Sb composite and to investigate the enhanced mechanism of photocatalytic activity. The improvement of visible light absorption and the promotion of separation efficiency and interfacial transfer of photogenerated carriers induced by Sb doping were responsible for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity. This study provides a simple and convenient method to synthesize a visible light responsive catalyst with promising performance for the potential application in environmental protection.     

The shock properties of a La<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> filled silicate glass

A survey of the shock properties of the silicate glass, LACA has been carried out using manganin stress gauges. The principal Hugoniot has been measured and found to have significantly higher values than for other common silicate glasses. Gauges mounted on the rear of the target (supported with a block of polymethylmethacrylate) show reloading signals superimposed on the main compressive shock pulse. This has been interpreted as evidence of dynamic compressive failure (the failure wave or front). Manganin gauges mounted so as to be sensitive to the lateral component of stress support this hypothesis. Finally, failure front velocities, measured using known lateral gauge separations increase with increasing shock stress, tending towards the shear wave speed.     

Efficient visible-light driven photocatalysts: coupling TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>(AB) nanotubes with g-C<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanoflakes

The wide application of the titanium dioxide (TiO₂) as the photocatalysts is greatly hindered by its intrinsic large band gap and usually fast electron–hole recombination. Here, we reported the exploration of coupling g-C₃N₄ nanoflakes to TiO₂ nanotubes with the anatase and TiO₂(B) mixed phases (TiO₂(AB)) toward the efficient visible-light-driven hybrid photocatalyst. It is found that coupling TiO₂(AB) nanotubes with g-C₃N₄ nanoflakes could bring a profoundly extension the visible light adsorption capacity and enhanced photogenerated carrier separation. Accordingly, they exhibit much higher efficient photocatalytic activities toward the degradation of sulforhodamine B under the visible light irradiation, which is enhanced for nearly 15 times to those of the TiO₂(AB) and g-C₃N₄, suggesting their promising practical applications as novel and efficient semiconductor photocatalysts for the water purification.     

Synthesis and Superconductivity of Layered Compounds with Orthogonal [Zr<Subscript>2</Subscript>N<Subscript>2</Subscript>] Network

Layered α-form ZrNX (X: Cl and Br) compounds with high quality were prepared by chemical vapor transport. The intercalation of alkali metal A (A: Li, Na, K, Rb) was carried out to realize electron doping into the orthogonal [Zr₂N₂] layers. The Rietveld refinement analysis reveals that the [Zr₂N₂] crystalline layers in the intercalation compounds shift mutually in the ab plane when compared with the hosts. Magnetic measurements show that the intercalation compounds A _x ZrNX are changed into superconductors with transition temperature T _c of up to 12 K. Upon the cointercalation of solvent molecules such as THF, T _c decreases to as low as 6.1 K with increasing the interlayer spacing d up to 14 Å, which is similar to the d dependence of T _c recently found in electron-doped α-form TiNX series. We also succeeded in synthesizing another new polymorph of α-Zr₂N₂S by the topochemical reaction between α-form ZrNX and Na₂S. α-Zr₂N₂S (space group: Immm, a = 4.1375(1) Å, b = 3.5422(1) Å, and c = 11.5204(3) Å) has the same α-[Zr₂N₂] layers, whereas the interlayer spacing between two adjacent [Zr₂N₂] layers is effectively decreased by 1/3 when compared with the parent compounds of ZrNX.     

Mass spectrometry of carbon nitride C<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript>

Carbon nitride has been synthesized in macroscopic amounts by means of the original method based on an ecologically safe technology using inorganic initial compounds. The product has been characterized by mass spectrometry (MS), X-ray diffraction, and quantitative chemical analysis. The MS and thermochemical data show that stoichiometry of the samples of carbon nitride obtained using the proposed method corresponds to the empirical formula C₃N₄.     

Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-platelet reinforced glass matrix composites from a mixture of wastes

Wastes consisting of mining residues from feldspar excavation, lime from fume abatement systems of the glass industry and panel glass from dismantled cathode ray tubes have been converted into an opaque fluorine-containing glass, featuring the precipitation of CaF₂ crystals just upon cooling. Fine glass powders were added with Al₂O₃ platelets (from 5% to 15% by vol.) and viscous flow pressureless sintered at 800 °C for 1 h, leading to dense glass matrix composites. Due the overall mechanical properties, approaching those available for glass–ceramics, coupled with a simple and economical manufacturing procedure, the obtained products could find applications in the building industry and constitute a promising way for the absorption of the investigated wastes.     

Properties of nanocrystalline ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-Y<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-CoO-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> powders

We have studied the properties of nanocrystalline ZrO₂-Y₂O₃-CeO₂-CoO-Al₂O₃ powders prepared via hydrothermal treatment of a mixture of coprecipitated hydroxides at 210°C. A number of general trends are identified in the variation of the properties of the synthesized powders during heat treatment at temperatures from 500 to 1200°C. Our results demonstrate that the addition of 0.3 mol % CoO to nanocrystalline ZrO₂-based powders containing 1 to 5 mol % Al₂O₃ allows one to obtain composites with good sinterability at a reduced temperature (1200°C).