The Significant Contribution of Small-Sized and Spherical Aerosol Particles to the Decreasing Trend in Total Aerosol Optical Depth over Land from 2003 to 2018

The optical and microphysical properties of aerosols remain one of the greatest uncertainties associated with evaluating the climate forcing attributed to aerosols.Although the trends in aerosol optical depth(AOD)at global and regional scales have been widely examined,little attention has been paid to the trends in type-dependent AODs related to aerosol particle properties.Here,using the aerosol optical component dataset from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer(MISR)instrument,we investigate decadal-scale trends in total aerosol loading as well as AODs for five aerosol components by particle size and morphology during 2003–2018 over land.Relationships between the total AOD(TAOD)trends and type-dependent AOD changes were examined,and the relative contribution of each type-dependent AOD to the overall TAOD trends was quantified.By dividing the TAOD values into four different aerosol pollution levels(APLs)with splits at 0.15,0.40,and 0.80,we further explored the relationships between TAOD changes and interannual variations in the frequency-of-occurrences(FoOs)of these APLs.Long-term trends in FoOs in the different APLs show that there was a significant improvement in air quality between 2003 and 2018 in most land areas,except South Asia,corresponding to a shift from lightly polluted to clean conditions.However,the effects of different APLs on TAOD changes are regionally dependent and their extent of correlation varied spatially.Moreover,we observed that the annual mean TAOD has decreased by 0.47%.a^(-1)over land since 2003(P<0.05).This significant reduction was mainly attributed to the continued reduction in small-sized(<0.7 mm diameter)AOD(SAOD)(-0.74%.a^(-1))and spherical AOD(SPAOD)(-0.46%.a^(-1)).Statistical analysis shows that SAOD and SPAOD respectively accounted for 57.5%and 89.6%of the TAOD,but contributed 82.6%and 90.4%of the trend in TAOD.Our study suggests that small-sized and spherical aerosols composed of sulfate,organic matter,and black carbon play a dominant role in determining interannual variability in land TAOD.

Microstructure evolution of directionally solidifi ed Sn-16%Sb hyperperitectic alloy

The directionally solidified microstructure of Sn-16%Sb hyperperitectic alloy has been investigated at various solidification rates using a high-thermal gradient directional solidification apparatus. The results indicate that the solidification microstructure consists of hard primary intermetallic SnSb phase embedded in a matrix of soft peritectic ,8-Sn phase. The primary SnSb phase exhibits faceted growth with tetragonal or trigonal shapes. At the same time, the primary SnSb phase is refined with an increase in the solidification rate and dispersed more uniformly in the matrix of,8-Sn phase. The volume fraction of the SnSb phase firstly decreases and then increases when the solidification rate increases in directional solidification of Sn-16%Sb hyperperitectic alloy.

Numerical simulation and experimental validation on fabrication of nickel-based superalloy Kagome lattice sandwich structures

Nickel-based superalloy lattice sandwich structures present higher stiffness,higher strength and higher temperature resistance in comparison with other metals.In this study,the Kagome unit was adopted to design the lattice sandwich structure and ProCAST software was used to simulate the filling and solidification processes of the nickel-based superalloy.Grain morphology and sizes of the nickel-based superalloy lattice sandwich structures were simulated by using of cellular automaton coupled with finite element model(CAFE),and indirect additive manufacture combining with investment casting were carried out to fabricate the nickel-based superalloy lattice sandwich structures.The calculated grain morphology and sizes are in good agreement with the experimental results.The grains are mainly equiaxed with an average size of about 500µm.The simulated results also show that the superheat of melting and the mold preheated temperature have significant influence on the grain size of the Kagome lattice sandwich structures,lower superheat of melting and mold preheated temperatures are encouraged to obtain the fine grains while assuring the integrity of the Kagome lattice sandwich structures for industrial application.

Morphology and size controlled synthesis of Co-doped MIL-96 by different alkaline modulators for sensitively detecting alpha-fetoprotein

This work introduces a simple and facile approach for the morphology and size controlled synthesis of Co-doped MIL-96.By using different bases as modulators,Co-doped MIL-96 was obtained with sizes that varied from 5 μm to 300 nm,and four different morphologies,including hexagonal prism,icosahedron,hexagonal spindle and ellipsoid.Among these,nano-sized Co-doped MIL-96 with an ellipsoid morphology exhibited the highest electroactive surface area and good conductivity as well as the best electrochemical sensing performance towards α-fetoprotein.

Effects of Flame Temperature and SiCl_4 Concentration on Particle Characteristics for Synthetic Silica Glass

Effects of flame temperature and SiCl4 concentration on the particle characteristics were studied.The flame temperature distributions were measured using modified sodium line-reversal technology.The particles were collected by quartz supports and were analyzed by scanning electron microscope（SEM） at different locations along the flame centerline.When the SiCl4 concentration is 16 g/min,the particles first grow and then shrink with the flame temperature increasing.When the SiCl4 concentration is 26 g/min,the flame temperature has little influence on the particle characteristics along the flame and many large spherical particles exist all the way.

Effect of UV Irradiation on PAN Precursor Fibers and Stabilization Process

A low-cost rout for modification the polyacrylontrile（PAN） precursor fibers was developed.The approach involved pretreatment PAN precursor fibers with UV irradiation for various periods of time before the fibers were stabilized.The effect of UV irradiation on the chemical structure,orientation factor,density,crystallite size and morphology of the fibers in the process of stabilization was characterized by use of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）,float-sink procedure,X-ray diffraction（XRD）,scanning electron microscope（SEM）,respectively.The results showed that UV irradiation could increase the density of the fibers in stabilization process.FTIR analysis indicated that the cyclization of nitrile groups was initiated at room temperature by UV irradiation.The transformation of C≡N groups to C=N ones was accelerated in the process of stabilization.The orientation factor of irradiated fibers was also increased.The crystallite size was decreased at first and increased later,and the better irradiation time of UV was 3 min according to the XRD test.SEM analysis indicated that irradiation could decrease the internal and surface defects of the stabilized fibers treated at 300 ℃.

Molecular Size and Morphology of Single Chains of Poly（sulfobetaine methacrylate）

The effects of the concentration of sodium chloride in an aqueous solution（cNacl and the temperature on the molecular size of poly（sulfobetaine methacrylate）（PSBMA） were studied via viscometry and dynamic light scattering（DLS）. The morphology of single-chain PSBMA was determined by atomic force microscopy（AFM）. The results demonstrate that the hydrodynamic diameter of PSBMA can be expressed as a continuous function of CNaCl, with the molecular size of PSBMA increasing and eventually approaching an asymptotic value with increasing CNaCl. The molecular size of PSBMA at a lower CNaCI（0.04 mol/L） increases with increasing temperature, which is the opposite of the temperature effect at a higher CNaCl（2.0 mol/L）. Therefore, the internal structure of PSBMA chains in solutions with a low salt concentration differs from that in solutions with a high salt concentration. In addition, the morphology of single chains of PSBMA appears to be spherical, containing 89% void space, and the apparent size of the dried chains is almost identical to that in solution.

The Preparation of Ultra-fine Calcium Carbonate and Its properties Study

This article adopts the double decomposition method, select the appropriate experimental conditions and operation process, respectively add appropriate amount of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose （CMC） as crystal control agent to study the influence of crystalline of ultrafine calcium carbonate. The experimental results show that the different concentrations of CMC as crystal control agent on the morphology and crystal structure of calcium carbonate have obvious effect, which emerge morphology change from square to spherical, crystalline transition from calcite to aragonite. Thus, the results provide experimental data and theoretical basis for the use of different additives, and provide experimental basis and feasible solution for this kind of reaction.

Size and elemental composition of dry-deposited particles during a severe dust storm at a coastal site of Eastern China

Dry-deposited particles were collected during the passage of an extremely strong dust storm in March, 2010 at a coastal site in Qingdao（36.15°N, 120.49°E）, a city located in Eastern China. The size, morphology, and elemental composition of the particles were quantified with a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray instrument（SEM–EDX）. The particles appeared in various shapes, and their size mainly varied from 0.4to 10 μm, with the mean diameters of 0.5, 1.5, and 1.0 μm before, during, and after the dust storm, respectively. The critical size of the mineral particles settling on the surface in the current case was about 0.3–0.4 μm before the dust storm and about 0.5–0.7 μm during the dust storm. Particles that appeared in high concentration but were smaller than the critical size deposited onto the surface at a small number flux. The elements Al, Si and Mg were frequently detected in all samples, indicating the dominance of mineral particles. The frequency of Al in particles collected before the dust storm was significantly lower than for those collected during and after the dust storm. The frequencies of Cl and Fe did not show obvious changes, while those of S, K and Ca decreased after the dust arrival. These results indicate that the dust particles deposited onto the surface were less influenced by anthropogenic pollutants in terms of particle number.

Effect of lubricant sulfur on the morphology and elemental composition of diesel exhaust particles

This work investigates the effects of lubricant sulfur contents on the morphology,nanostructure,size distribution and elemental composition of diesel exhaust particle on a light-duty diesel engine. Three kinds of lubricant（LS-oil,MS-oil and HS-oil,all of which have different sulfur contents：0.182%,0.583% and 1.06%,respectively）were used in this study. The morphologies and nanostructures of exhaust particles were analyzed using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy（TEM）. Size distributions of primary particles were determined through advanced image-processing software. Elemental compositions of exhaust particles were obtained through X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy（EDS）. Results show that as lubricant sulfur contents increase,the macroscopic structure of diesel exhaust particles turn from chain-like to a more complex agglomerate. The inner cores of the core-shell structure belonging to these primary particles change little; the shell thickness decreases,and the spacing of carbon layer gradually descends,and amorphous materials that attached onto outer carbon layer of primary particles increase. Size distributions of primary particles present a unimodal and normal distribution,and higher sulfur contents lead to larger size primary particles. The sulfur content in lubricants directly affects the chemical composition in the particles. The content of C（carbon）decreases as sulfur increases in the lubricants,while the contents of O（oxygen）,S（sulfur）and trace elements（including S,Si（silicon）,Fe（ferrum）,P（phosphorus）,Ca（calcium）,Zn（zinc）,Mg（magnesium）,Cl（chlorine）and Ni（nickel））all increase in particles.

Sol-gel synthesis and characterization of hydroxyapatite nanorods

In the present study hydroxyapatite （HA） nano-hexagonal rods with 70-90 nm diameter and 400-500 nm length are synthesized using a simple sol-gel route with calcium nitrate and potassium dihydrogenphosphate as calcium and phosphorus precursors respectively. Deionized water was used as a diluting media for HA sol preparation and ammonia was used to adjust the pH = 9. After aging, the HA gel was dried at 60 ℃ and calcined at different temperatures ranging from 300 to 700 ℃. The dried and calcined powders were characterized for phase composition using X-ray diffractrometry, elemental dispersive X-ray and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Rietveld analysis showed the calcined HA powders of high purity with a hexagonal unit cell structure. Calcination yielded HA nanopowders of increased particle size and crystallinity with increase in temperature. The particle size and morphology was studied using transmission electron microscopy. The aspect ratio （length to diameter ratio） of HA nanorods was measured to be between 6 and 7.

Preparation and characterization of zinc oxide nanoparticles

In the present study, the zinc oxide nanoparticles(ZnO NPs) were prepared by using a sol-gel method. The characterization of ZnO NPs, such as particle size, morphology, crystal form, optical properties and p H-responsive behavior, was carried out. The in vitro anti-tumor activity of ZnO NPs was evaluated on PC-3M and 4T1 cell lines. The results indicated that ZnO NPs were spherical NPs with uniform particle size, excellent fluorescence properties, and p H-responsive behavior. The in vitro anti-tumor activity of ZnO NPs was observed on PC-3M and 4T1 cell lines. Considering to above characteristics, Zn O NPs could be used as drug delivery carries for loading active compound performing therapeutic and diagnostic effect.

Effects of Annealing Temperature on the Structural,Optical,and Electrical Properties of ZnO Thin Films Grown on n-Si<100>Substrates by the Sol–Gel Spin Coating Method

The effects of annealing temperature on the sol–gel-derived ZnO thin films deposited on n-Sh100 i substrates by sol–gel spin coating method have been studied in this paper.The structural,optical,and electrical properties of ZnO thin films annealed at 450,550,and 650 °C in the Ar gas atmosphere have been investigated in a systematic way.The XRD analysis shows a polycrystalline nature of the films at all three annealing temperatures.Further,the crystallite size is observed to be increased with the annealing temperature,whereas the positions of various peaks in the XRD spectra are found to be red-shifted with the temperature.The surface morphology studied through the scanning electron microscopy measurements shows a uniform distribution of ZnO nanoparticles over the entire Si substrates of enhanced grain sizes with the annealing temperature.Optical properties investigated by photoluminescence spectroscopy shows an optical band gap varying in the range of 3.28–3.15 eV as annealing temperature is increased from 450 to 650 °C,respectively.The fourpoint probe measurement shows a decrease in resistivity from 2：1 10 2to 8：1 10 4X cm with the increased temperature from 450 to 650 °C.The study could be useful for studying the sol–gel-derived ZnO thin film-based devices for various electronic,optoelectronic,and gas sensing applications.

Monodisperse silver microspheres: A facile BSA template method

The spherical silver mirco/nano-particles with narrow size distributions were obtained by chemical reduction of silver ammonia solution with ascorbic acid as reducing agent and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as bio-template. The effects of the concentration of Ag+ ions, BSA and ammonia, reactive temperature on the silver morphology and particle sizes were investigated. SEM, TEM and XRD were employed to characterize the morphology and structures of the prepared silver mirco/nano-particles. The results show that the spherical silver particle with smooth surface and narrow size distributions can be obtained by controlling the concentration of Ag+ ions, BSA, reaction temperature, etc. By controlling the above parameters, the silver spherical mirco/nano-particles with particle sizes ranging from 0.2 to 2.3 m can be well prepared, which is expected to be used in manufacturing high performance electronic pastes.