Chemical reduction of three-dimensional silica micro-assemblies into microporous silicon replicas

The carbothermal reduction of silica into silicon requires the use of temperatures well above the silicon melting point (> or =2,000 degrees C). Solid silicon has recently been generated directly from silica at much lower temperatures (< or =850 degrees C) via electrochemical reduction in molten salts. However, the silicon products of such electrochemical reduction did not retain the microscale morphology of the starting silica reactants. Here we demonstrate a low-temperature (650 degrees C) magnesiothermic reduction process for converting three-dimensional nanostructured silica micro-assemblies into microporous nanocrystalline silicon replicas. The intricate nanostructured silica microshells (frustules) of diatoms (unicellular algae) were converted into co-continuous, nanocrystalline mixtures of silicon and magnesia by reaction with magnesium gas. Selective magnesia dissolution then yielded an interconnected network of silicon nanocrystals that retained the starting three-dimensional frustule morphology. The silicon replicas possessed a high specific surface area (>500 m(2) g(-1)), and contained a significant population of micropores (< or =20 A). The silicon replicas were photoluminescent, and exhibited rapid changes in impedance upon exposure to gaseous nitric oxide (suggesting a possible application in microscale gas sensing). This process enables the syntheses of microporous nanocrystalline silicon micro-assemblies with multifarious three-dimensional shapes inherited from biological or synthetic silica templates for sensor, electronic, optical or biomedical applications.     

Solidification,microstructure, and mechanical properties of the as-cast ZRE1 magnesium alloy with different praseodymium contents

The influence of praseodymium (Pr) content on the solidification characteristics, microstructure, and mechanical properties of ZRE1 magnesium (Mg) cast alloy was investigated. The obtained solidification parameters showed that Pr strongly affected the solidification time, leading to refinement of the microstructure of the alloys. When the freezing time was reduced to approximately 52 s, the grain size decreased by 12%. Mg₁₂Zn (Ce,Pr) was formed as a new phase upon the addition of Pr and was detected via X-ray diffraction analysis. The addition of Pr led to a substantial improvement in mechanical properties, which was attributed to the formation of intermetallic compounds; the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength increased by approximately 10% and 13%, respectively. Pr addition also refined the microstructure, and the hardness was recovered. The results herein demonstrate that the mechanical properties of Mg alloys are strongly influenced by their microstructure characteristics, including the grain size, volume fraction, and distribution of intermetallic phases.     

Boundary layer flow and heat transfer of a micropolar fluid near the stagnation point on a stretching vertical surface with prescribed skin friction

The steady laminar mixed convection boundary layer flow and heat transfer of a micropolar fluid near the stagnation point on a stretched vertical surface with prescribed skin friction were considered. The governing partial differential equations were transformed into a system of ordinary differential equations, which were then solved numerically using the shooting method. Results for the stretching velocity, the local Nusselt number, the temperature, and the velocity profiles are presented for various values of the mixed convection parameter λ and material parameter K when the Prandtl number is equal to 1. Both assisting (heated plate) and opposing (cooled plate) flow regions are considered. It is found that dual solutions exist for both assisting and opposing flows.     

Observation of a roton collective mode in a two-dimensional Fermi liquid

Understanding the dynamics of correlated many-body quantum systems is a challenge for modern physics. Owing to the simplicity of their Hamiltonians, (4)He (bosons) and (3)He (fermions) have served as model systems for strongly interacting quantum fluids, with substantial efforts devoted to their understanding. An important milestone was the direct observation of the collective phonon-roton mode in liquid (4)He by neutron scattering, verifying Landau's prediction and his fruitful concept of elementary excitations. In a Fermi system, collective density fluctuations (known as 'zero-sound' in (3)He, and 'plasmons' in charged systems) and incoherent particle-hole excitations are observed. At small wavevectors and energies, both types of excitation are described by Landau's theory of Fermi liquids. At higher wavevectors, the collective mode enters the particle-hole band, where it is strongly damped. The dynamics of Fermi liquids at high wavevectors was thus believed to be essentially incoherent. Here we report inelastic neutron scattering measurements of a monolayer of liquid (3)He, observing a roton-like excitation. We find that the collective density mode reappears as a well defined excitation at momentum transfers larger than twice the Fermi momentum. We thus observe unexpected collective behaviour of a Fermi many-body system in the regime beyond the scope of Landau's theory. A satisfactory interpretation of the measured spectra is obtained using a dynamic many-body theory.     

Order selection in fractional Fourier transform based beamforming

Traditionally, beamforming using fractional Fourier transform (FrFT) involves a trial-and-error based FrFT order selection which is impractical. A new numerical order selection scheme is presented based on fractional power spectra (FrFT moment) of the linear chirp signal. This method can adaptively determine the optimum FrFT order by maximizing the second-order central FrFT moment. This makes the desired chirp signal substantially concentrated whereas the noise is rejected considerably. This improves the mean square error minimization beamformer by reducing effectively the signal-noise cross terms due to the finite data length de-correlation operation.  Simulation results show that the new method works well under a wide range of signal to noise ratio and signal to interference ratio.     

A single-step synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene sheets decorated with cobalt hydroxide nanoflakes for the determination of dopamine

Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide(NrGO)sheets decorated with Co(OH)_2nanoflakes were prepared by a single-step hydrothermal process.The morphological and structural characterizations of as synthesized Nr GO@Co(OH)_2nanoflakes were performed by field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),EDX-mapping and X-ray diffraction(XRD).Nr GO@Co(OH)_2nanoflakes modified glassy carbon electrode(GCE)was used for electrochemical sensing of dopamine in neutral medium.The nanocomposite modified electrode showed enhanced electrochemical sensing ability for the detection of dopamine and the limit of detection(Lo D)was found to be 0.201μM with a sensitivity value of 0.0286±0.002 m A m M~(-1).Interference studies revealed that Nr GO@Co(OH)_2─GCE endow excellent selectivity for DA detection even in the presence of higher concentration of common co-existing physiological interfering analytes.Additionally,proposed sensor demonstrated excellent performance in urine samples with promising reproducibility and stability.     

Flavonoid wing pigments in grasshoppers

Yellow pigments extracted from the hindwings ofDissoteira carolina (L.) (Acrididae:Oedipodinae) were identified by HPLC, GLC, MS and absorbance spectra as primarily quercetin and quercetin--3-O-glucoside with minor amounts of luteolin. These flavonoids make up about 2% of the hindwing live weight and are also abundant in the yellow hindwings of several related species of band-winged grasshoppers. Fat body UDPG glucosyltransferase preferentially catalyzed glucosylation of the 3-OH of quercetin.     

Isolation of di-N-2-propylpentyl phthalate from human urine.

A higher percentage of di-N-2 propylpentyl phthalate isolated from the urine of the normals and a lower quantity in the patients suffering from Eales' disease accompanied with the occurrence in patients of another compound which is also most likely a phthalate ester has been correlated with the Eales' disease.