Probing into Effects of Support Pre-Treatment on the Polymerization Behavior and Morphology Development of Mg(OEt)2-Based Ziegler–Natta Catalysts

Catalysis Letters - In this study, commercially available, milled, and heat-treated Mg(OEt)2 were used as the precursors in the synthesis procedure of industrially-favorable supported...     

Mapping and virtual neuron assignment algorithms for MAERI accelerator

The Journal of Supercomputing - To date, some different deep learning accelerators (DLAs) have proposed to solve challenges caused by increasing deep neural networks’ layers. GPU-based...     

Continuous modification of polypropylene via photoinitiation

A twin screw extruder was used for continuous modification of polypropylene (PP) via UV radiation. Long chain branches (LCBs) were incorporated in the PP backbone to modify its rheological properties. Benzophenones (BPH) as photoinitiator and trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) as coagent were utilized during PP photomodification. Radiation was carried out after mixing in the extruder on solid stretched strands with ～0.3 mm thickness. The effects of photoinitiator concentration, radiation time, and coagent presence were studied via a replicated two‐level full factorial design of experiments. It was shown that photomodification of PP can be done continuously. Formation of LCBs in the experimental runs was confirmed via rheological measurements. Gel content of the samples was also measured. It was found that LCBs can be formed in PP with and without TMPTA at certain processing conditions. The amount of gel in the samples prepared with TMPTA was higher; however, the gel content could be controlled by manipulating BPH concentration and radiation time. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:2423–2432, 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Combination effect of phosphate and vacuum packaging on quality parameters of Rutilus frisii kutum fillets in ice

Improving food quality among consumers is of high importance. This case in fish meat due to its quick spoilage is the more obvious. Therefore in this study in order to maintain and improve the quality of fish meat, effect of pretreatment with three different phosphate compounds including sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), sodium pyrophosphate (PP) and mixture of them (STPP + PP) in combination with vacuum packaging (VP) on Rutilus frisii kutum fillets stored in ice was investigated. Phosphate pretreatment showed the synergistic effect with VP on reduction of psycrophilic bacteria, chemical and sensory deterioration of Rutilus frisii kutum fillets as evidenced by the lowered microbial counts, thiobarbituoric acid and total volatile base, compared with samples stored in air and those kept under VP. Pretreatment with PP resulted in the retarded protein denaturation as evidenced by the reduced changes in sulfhydryl content during the extended storage. Increase in water holding capacity accompanied by the decrease in pH was observed in samples pretreated with phosphates, especially tripolyphosphate. No marked autolytic degradation in samples kept under VP with and without phosphate pretreatment was observed throughout the storage as indicated by no changes in electrophoresis patterns. Determined shelf life based on psychrophilic bacteria counts for Rutilus frisii kutum fillets pretreated with STPP and stored under VP, until 15 days and according to sensory analysis until 12 days compared with samples stored in air. Therefore, the effective retardation of psycrophilic bacteria, chemical and sensory deterioration of Rutilus frisii kutum fillets stored under VP could be achieved by pretreatment with tripolyphosphate.     

Effects of starch addition on the characteristics of CoAl2O4 nano pigments

Nanocrystalline cobalt aluminate spinel, CoAl₂O₄, was prepared via a microwave‐assisted solution combustion process applying various mixtures of urea, glycine, and starch as a novel mixed fuel. The effects of starch addition (0, 10, 20, and 30 wt%) on the physical characteristics (e.g. crystallite size and colour) of the blue nano pigments were also investigated. The resultant powders were characterised by means of X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, electron dispersive X‐ray analysis, and CIE L*a*b* colour measurements. The presence of a CoAl₂O₄ spinel lattice after calcination of precursors at 600 °C was confirmed by X‐ray diffraction patterns, and the crystallite sizes were ca. 10–39 nm. Colorimetric data pointed to the formation of bright‐blue pigments at low levels of starch addition. Scanning electron microscope images showed that starch enrichment reduced the agglomeration and size of synthesised nanoparticles.     

Microstructure and thermoelectric performance evaluation of p-type (Bi,Sb)2Te3 materials synthesized using mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering process

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - In this paper, three p-type thermoelectric compounds, namely Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3, Bi0.3Sb1.7Te3, and Bi0.2Sb1.8Te3 were manufactured by mechanical...     

The effect of annealing temperature,reaction time,and cobalt precursor on the structural properties and catalytic performance of CoS2 for hydrogen evolution reaction

In this study, cobalt disulfide (CoS₂) nanostructures are synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method. The effects of experimental parameters including cobalt precursor, reaction times, and reaction temperatures are investigated on the structure, morphology and electrocatalytic properties of CoS₂ for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The characterization of as-prepared catalysts is performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The HER efficiency of the catalysts is examined using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution. Furthermore, chronoamperometry (CA) is used for stability evaluation. The catalyst obtained from cobalt acetate precursor, within 24 h at 200 °C exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity with a low onset potential (139.3 mV), low overpotential (197.3 mV) at 10 mA. cm^?2 and a small Tafel slope of 29.9 mV dec^?1. This study is a step toward understanding the effect of experimental parameters of the hydrothermal method on HER performance and developing optimal design approaches for the synthesis of CoS₂ as a common electrocatalyst.     

Microstructure and phase evolution of alumina-spinel self-flowing refractory castables containing nano-alumina particles

The microstructure and phase composition of alumina-spinel self-flowing refractory castables added with nano-alumina particles at different temperatures are investigated. The physical and mechanical properties of these refractory castables are studied. The results show that the addition of nano-alumina has a great effect on the physical and mechanical properties of these refractory castables. With the increase of nano-alumina content in the castable composition, the mechanical strength is considerably increased at various temperatures. It is shown that nano-alumina particles can affect formed phases after firing. The platy crystals of CA₆ are detected inside the grain boundaries of tabular alumina and spinel grains in samples fired at 1500 °C. CA₆ phase can be formed at lower temperatures (1300 °C) with the addition of nano-alumina particles. As a result of using nanometer-sized alumina particles with high surface area, the solid phase sintering of the nano-sized particles and CA₆ formation can occur at lower temperatures.