Physical and chemical characteristics of PM<Subscript>2.5</Subscript> and its toxicity to human bronchial cells BEAS-2B in the winter and summer

With the increasing occurrence of haze during the summer, the physicochemical characteristics and toxicity differences in PM_2.5 in different seasons are of great concern. Hangzhou is located in an area that has a subtropical monsoon climate where the humidity is very high during both the summer and winter. However, there are limited studies on the seasonal differences in PM_2.5 in these weather conditions. In this test, PM_2.5 samples were collected in the winter and summer, the morphology and chemical composition of PM_2.5 were analyzed, the toxicity of PM_2.5 to human bronchial cells BEAS-2B was compared, and the correlation between PM_2.5 toxicity and the chemical composition was discussed. The results showed that during both the winter and summer, the main compounds in the PM_2.5 samples were water-soluble ions, particularly SO₄^2?, NO₃^?, and NH₄⁺, followed by organic components, while heavy metals were present at lower levels. The higher the mass concentration of PM_2.5, the greater its impact on cell viability and ROS levels. However, when the mass concentration of PM_2.5 was similar, the water extraction from the summer samples showed a greater impact on BEAS-2B than that from the winter samples. The cytotoxicity of PM_2.5 was closely associated with heavy metals and organic pollutants but less related to water-soluble ions.     

Catalytic properties of CuO/Sn0.9Ti0.1O2 and CuO/Sn0.7Ti0.3O2 in NO＋CO reaction

Using SnxTi1-xO2 as carriers, CuO/Sn0.9Ti0.1O2 and CuO/Sn0.7Ti0.3O2 catalysts with different loading amounts of copper oxide (CuO) were prepared by an impregnation method. The catalytic properties of CuO/Sn0.9Ti0.1O2 and CuO/Sn0.7Ti0.3O2 were examined using a microreactor-gas chromatography (GC) NO CO reaction system and the methods of BET (Brun- auer-Emmett-Teller), TG-DTA (themogravimetric and differential thermal analysis), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and H2-temperature programmed reduction (TPR). The results showed that NO conversions of Sn0.9Ti0.1O2 and Sn0.7Ti0.3O2 were 47.2% and 43.6% respectively, which increased to 95.3% and 90.9% at 6 wt% CuO loading. However, further increase in CuO loading caused a decrease in the catalytic activity. The nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm and pore-size distribution curve of Sn0.9Ti0.1O2 and Sn0.7Ti0.3O2 represented type IV of the BDDT (Brunauer, Deming, Deming and Teller) system and a typical mesoporous sample. There were two CuO diffraction peaks (2θ 35.5° and 38.7°), and the diffraction peak areas increased with increasing CuO loading. TPR analysis also detected three peaks (α, β and γ) from the CuO-loaded catalysts, suggesting that the α peak was the reduction of the highly dispersed copper oxide, the β peak was the reduction of the isolated copper oxide, and the γ peak was the reduction of crystal phase copper oxide. In addition, a fourth peak (δ) of the catalysts meant that the SnxTi1-xO2 mixed oxides could be reductive.     

The Electrochemical Performance of Ml0.7Mm0.3Ni3.7Co0.7Mn0.4Al0.2 Nanocrystalline Hydrogen Storage Alloy as Metal Hydride Electrode

Ml0.7Mm0.3Ni3.7Co0.7Mn0.4Al0.2 nanocrystalline hydrogen storage materials are prepared by melt-spinning(MS).X-ray diffraction is used for the measurement of the nanocrystalline size.Compared to the electrode of polycrystalline alloys,the property of activation MH9metal hydride)electrode of the alloys with nanometer scale became worse and the inital discharge capacity decreased.It may be ascribed to the decrease of the total amount of rare earth metals and the increase of oxygen on the surface from the analysis of components of the alloys.After heat-treatment,the electrochemical performance of MH electrode of as-spun alloys could be improved,which could be attributed to the alleviation of the lattice strain.     

V2O5-CaCo3-Nb2O5掺杂对低损耗功率Mn-Zn铁氧体的影响

Effect of the content of dopants in the manganese-zinc ferrites on the low power loss is studied by measuring magnetic properties and observing the grain boundary structures. The Mn0.738Zn0.206Fe2.066O4 composition powders were prepared by using conventional ceramic powder processing technique. The microstructure of grain boundary was observed by scanning electron microscope （SEM）. It has been found that power loss is greatly dependent upon the content of the additives.     

过冷液相区内轧制温度对Zr52.5Al10Ni10Cu15Be12.5大块金属玻璃表面形貌的影响

Surface morphologies of Zr52.5 Al10 Ni10 Cu15 Be12.5 bulk metallic glass after being rolled at both a temperature around T9 and near （ Tx - 50） K were investigated with a scanning electron microscopy. Macroscopic and microscopic observation results show that squamae, cracks, steps and wedges exist on the surface when the samples were rolled at temperatures around Ty. However, a smooth and fiat surface appears when the samples were rolled at temperatures near （ Tx - 50） K. These results indicate that the mode of deformation in the supercooled liquid region is a partially homogeneous flow at a temperature around T9, and a fully homogeneous one at temperatures near （ Tx - 50） K. According to the results, it is more feasible to roll the amorphous alloys at temperatures near （ Tx - 50） K to obtain parts with smooth and fiat surface.     

Study of transport behavior for Fe-doping La<Subscript>0.67</Subscript>Ca<Subscript>0.33</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> perovskite manganese

Systematic studies of the transport properties of La_0.67Ca_0.33Mn_1?xFe _x O₃ (x=0–0.3) systems showed that with increasing Fe-doping contentx the resistance increases and the insulator-metal transition temperature moves to lower temperature. For small doping content, the transport property satisfies metal transport behavior below the transition temperature, and above the transition temperature it satisfies the small polaron model. This behavior can be explained by Fe³⁺ doping, which easily forms Fe³⁺?O^2??Mn⁴⁺ channel, suppressing the double exchange Mn³⁺?O^2??Mn⁴⁺ channel and enhancing the spin scattering of Mn ions induced by antiferromagnetic clusters of Fe ions.     

A novel reduction of diketones with i-RMgBr catalyzed by Cp<Subscript>2</Subscript>TiCl<Subscript>2</Subscript> and deoxygenation of sulfoxides by Cp<Subscript>2</Subscript>TiCl<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Al system

α-diketones and β-diketones react with Grignard reagents in the presence of a catalytic amount of Cp₂TiCl₂ to yield α-ketols and corresponding ketones respectively. Sulfoxides can be deoxygenated by Cp₂TiCl₂/Al system. The possible mechanisms are also discussed. Project (No. 20072033) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education Ministry, China     

Green epoxidation of cyclooctene with molecular oxygen over an ecofriendly heterogeneous polyoxometalate-gold catalyst Au/BW<Subscript>11</Subscript>/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>

An ecofriendly heterogeneous polyoxometalate (POM)-gold catalyst Au/BW₁₁/Al₂O₃ was synthesized and used for solvent-free epoxidation of cyclooctene under mild reaction conditions using molecular oxygen as an oxidant and t-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as an initiator. The catalyst was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), induced coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). The catalyst showed good conversion and high selectivity without use of solvents or environmentally harmful oxidants. Moreover, the catalyst is recyclable up to three cycles with no significant loss in selectivity towards epoxide.     

Cloud <Subscript>Micro</Subscript>atlas

We begin by outlining the life cycle of a tall cloud, and then briefly discuss cloud systems. We choose one aspect of this life cycle, namely, the rapid growth of water droplets in icefree clouds, to then discuss in greater detail. Taking a single vortex to be a building block of turbulence, we demonstrate one mechanism by which we believe droplets grow rapidly.     

ZnS<Subscript>0.8</Subscript>Se<Subscript>0.2</Subscript> film for high resolution liquid crystal light valve

The structural characteristics and optical and electrical properties of molecular-beam-epitaxy (MBE) grown ZnS_0.8Se_0.2 thin films on indium-tin-oxide(ITO) glas substrates were investigated in this work. TheX-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicated that high quality polycrystalline ZnS_0.8Se_0.2 thin film grown at the optimized temperature had a prefered orientation along the (111) planes. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cross-sectional micrograph of the sample showed a well defined columnar structure with lateral crystal dimension in the order of a few hundred angstroms. Ultraviolet (UV) photoresponsivity as high as 0.01 A/W had been demonstrated and for wavelengths longer than 450 nm, the response was down from the peak response by more than 3 orders of magnitude. The thin ZnS_0.8Se_0.2 photosensor layer, with a wide energy gap and anisotropic electrical property, makes a transmission UV liquid crystal light valve (LCLV) with high resolution feasible. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 59910161981) and RGC grant from the Hong Kong Government Grant (No. NSFC/HKUST 35), China     

A SISO mixed<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript>/l<Subscript>1</Subscript> optimal control problem and its solution

Study of the SISO mixedH ₂/l₁ problem for discrete time systems showed that there exists a unique optimal solution which can be approximated within any prescribed missing error bound inl ₂ norm with solvable suboptimal solutions and solvable superoptimal solutions. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 60174026) and the Scientific Research Foundation for Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars of Zhejiang Province (No. J20020546)     

非晶态MgsoNi50氢化物电极的充放电滞后特性

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Electrochemical properties of CoFe<Subscript>3</Subscript>Sb<Subscript>12</Subscript> as potential anode material for lithium-ion batteries

A skutterudite-related antimonide, CoFe₃Sb₁₂, was prepared with vacuum melting. XRD analysis showed the material contained Sb, FeSb₂, CoSb₂ and CoSb₃ phases. The electrochemical properties of the ball-milled CoFe₃Sb₁₂−10 wt% graphite composite were studied using pure lithium as the reference electrode. A maximal lithium inserting capacity of about 860 mAh/g was obtained in the first cycle. The reversible capacity of the material was about 560 mAh/g in the first cycle and decreased toca. 320 mAh/g and 250 mAh/g after 10 and 20 cycles respectively.Ex-situ XRD analyses showed that the antimonides in the pristine material were decomposed after the first discharge and that antimony was the active element for lithium to insert into the host material. Project supported by the National Natural Foundation of China (No. 59771032) and the RFDP of the Education Ministry of China (No. 20010335045)     

Fall and rise of a D<Subscript>2</Subscript>O ice cube in liquid H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O

In this section of Resonance, we invite readers to pose questions likely to be raised in a classroom situation. We may suggest strategies for dealing with them, or invite responses, or both. “Classroom” is equally a forum for raising broader issues and sharing personal experiences and viewpoints on matters related to teaching and learning science.The demonstration described in this article is to show that while H₂O ice floats in water, D₂O ice sinks in water, proving the higher density of ‘heavy water’. This experiment can be done in a classroom or in an auditoriam.     

Science Letters：Nitrogen doping of activated carbon loading Fe2O3 and activity in carbon-nitric oxide reaction

Nitrogen doping of activated carbon loading Fe2O3 was performed by annealing in ammonia, and the activity of the modified carbon for NO reduction was studied in the presence of oxygen. Results show that Fe2O3 enhances the amount of surface oxygen complexes and facilitates nitrogen incorporation in the carbon, especially in the form of pyridinic nitrogen. The modified carbon shows excellent activity for NO reduction in the low temperature regime (<500 °C) because of the cooperative effect of Fe2O3 and the surface nitrogen species.     

Mixed G<Emphasis Type="Italic">l</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript>/G<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript> multi-channel multi-objective control synthesis for discrete time systems

This paper proposes a new approach for multi-objective robust control. The approach extends the standard generalizedl ₂ (Gl ₂) and generalizedH ₂ (GH ₂) conditions to a set of new linear matrix inequality (LMI) constraints based on a new stability condition. A technique for variable parameterization is introduced to the multi-objective control problem to preserve the linearity of the synthesis variables. Consequently, the multi-channel multi-objective mixed Gl ₂/GH ₂ control problem can be solved less conservatively using computationally tractable algorithms developed in the paper. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 60374028), and the Scientific Research Foundation for Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, Ministry of Education (No. [2004]176)     

Magnetic Properties of Nanocrystalline Fe60Cr40 Powders Prepared by Mechanical Alloying in Vacuum and Air

Magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Fe60 Cr40 powders prepared by mechanical alloying in vacuum and air were investigated by utilizing the measurements of magnetization, X-ray diffraction, and ^67Fe M（oe）ssbauer spectrum. The results show that the Fe60 Cr40 powders keep the bcc structure during milling in air and vacuum. The saturation magnetization of the Fe60 Cr40 powders milled in vacuum and air decreases with the increase of the milling time up to 45 h. The decrease of saturation magnetization of the Fe60Cr40 powders milled in vacuum is due to the formation of Fe-Cr solid solution, while in air it is due to the formation of paramagnetic disorder structure and solid solution.     

Solvothermal synthesis of nanosized CoSb<Subscript>3</Subscript> skutterudite

Nanostructures enhance phonon scattering and improve the figure of merit of thermoelectric materials. Nanosized CoSb₃ skutterudite was synthesized by solvothermal methods using CoCl₂ and SbCl₃ as the precursors. A “two-step” model was suggested for the formation of CoSb₃ based on the X-ray diffraction analysis. The first step is the formation of cobalt diantimonide in the earlier stage during the synthesis process. Diantimonide was then combined with antimony atoms to form the skutterudite structured triantimonide, CoSb₃, in the later stage of the synthesis process as the second step. The synthesized CoSb₃ powders consist of irregular particles with sizes of about 20 nm and sheets of about 80 nm. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50171064) and the Hi-Tech Research and Development Program (863) of China (No. 2002AA302406)     

Thermodynamic Optimization of DyCl3 -NaCl System

In this paper, the phase diagram of the DyCl3 -NaCl system is optimized and calculated with CALPHAD ( calculation of phase diagram ) technology. A set of thermodynamic functions of compounds Na3 DyCl6, NaDyCl4, and NaDY2 Cl7 have been optimized and calculated based on an interactive computer-assisted analysis. The optimized thermodynamic parameters, calculated phase diagram and experimental phase diagram are thermodynamically serf-consistent.     

在室温和常压下用机械合金化方法制备Fe5C2金属间化合物

Single phase Fe5C2 intermetallic compound was prepared by mechanical alloying method. The phase and crystal structure of sample were analyzed with X-ray differaction spectrum. The decomposing temperature of the Fe5C2 compound is 596.4℃ determined by the DSC curve. It is further shown that the size of nanometer crystal grain is an important condition for carrying out the solid state reaction at room temperature and normal pressure.