Preparation of Superabsorbent Polymers with Increased Saline Absorbency

Superabsorbent having enhanced absorbency of 0.9%NaCl solution was synthesized on one basis of incorporating zwitterionic (sulfobetaine) monomer into the previous monomer mixture, which comprises ionic (AA) and nonionic monomers, and another basis of introducing inorganic salt B. As far as saline absorbency is concerned, introduction of inorganic salt B is more useful than the sulfobetaine monomer.

Influence of Reaction Parameters on Water Absorbency of Starch Grafted Superabsorbents

Superabsorbents starch grafted sodium polyacrylate was synthesized by inverse suspension polymerization, using toluene as the continuous phase, potassium persulfate as the initiator. The effect of reaction parameters, such as starch pretreatment temperature, neutralization degree of monomer, reaction time and temperature, concentration of initiator, molar ratio of monomer and starch, on water absorbency of the starch grafted polymer was studied. The effects of the last two parameters were investigated by uniform design method, and the prediction equation was obtained.

Influence of Suspension Parameters on Water Absorbency of Starch-poly(sodium acrylate) Synthesized by Inverse Suspension Polymerization

Superabsorbents starch grafted sodium polyacrylate was prepared by inverse suspension polymerization, using toluene as the continuous phase, potassiun persulfate as the initiator. The effect of suspension parameters, such as volume ratio of continuous phase and dispersed phase,type and dosage of suspending agents, on water absorbency of the starch grafted polymer was studied.Different starch derivatives were also investigated.Superabsorbents made of cationic starch has higher water absorbency than that made of native corn starch.

Effects of Particle Size, Stem Component and Genotype on Absorbency of Kenaf (Hibiscus Cannabinus L.) Grown in Nigeria for Oil-Spill Clean-Up

The efficacies of different products made from different parts of the stem of different varieties of kenaf grown in Nigeria as oil absorbents were tested. Particle sizes, genotypes and whether mixed or sole stem core or bast differed among the treatments. The fibre component sank in water, and so was not buoyant;the core was partially buoyant while the mixed fibre and core was completely buoyant. Sorption capacity was the highest in the ground whole stem (8.16 g oil/g sorbent), which also retained (6.31 g oil/g sorbent) the highest quantity of oil. Sorption and retention of oil were the lowest in the fibre (1.66 and 0.69 g oil/g sorbent, respectively). After the first use, only the ground stem can be used to re-absorb up to 1.97 g oil/g sorbent of used sorbent. A mixture of genotypes was more absorbent than a single genotype. The implications of these findings in absorbency research are discussed.

Multiphase Interfacial Regulation Based on Hierarchical Porous Molybdenum Selenide to Build Anticorrosive and Multiband Tailorable Absorbers

Electromagnetic wave(EMW)absorbing materials have an irreplaceable position in the field of military stealth as well as in the field of electromagnetic pollution control.And in order to cope with the complex electromagnetic environment,the design of multifunctional and multiband high efficiency EMW absorbers remains a tremendous challenge.In this work,we designed a three-dimensional porous structure via the salt melt synthesis strategy to optimize the impedance matching of the absorber.Also,through interfacial engineering,a molybdenum carbide transition layer was introduced between the molybdenum selenide nanoparticles and the three-dimensional porous carbon matrix to improve the absorption behavior of the absorber.The analysis indicates that the number and components of the heterogeneous interfaces have a significant impact on the EMW absorption performance of the absorber due to mechanisms such as interfacial polarization and conduction loss introduced by interfacial engineering.Wherein,the prepared MoSe_(2)/MoC/PNC composites showed excellent EMW absorption performance in C,X,and Ku bands,especially exhibiting a reflection loss of−59.09 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth of 6.96 GHz at 1.9 mm.The coordination between structure and components endows the absorber with strong absorption,broad bandwidth,thin thickness,and multi-frequency absorption characteristics.Remarkably,it can effectively reinforce the marine anticorrosion property of the epoxy resin coating on Q235 steel substrate.This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between interfacial engineering and the performance of EMW absorbers,and provides a reference for the design of multifunctional,multiband EMW absorption materials.

Optical Nonlinearity of Violet Phosphorus and Applications in Fiber Lasers

A D-shaped fiber is coated with a new two-dimensional nanomaterial,violet phosphorus(VP),to create a saturable absorber(SA)with a modulation depth of 3.68%.Subsequently,the SA is inserted into a fiber laser,enabling successful generation of dark solitons and bright–dark soliton pairs through adjustment of the polarization state within the cavity.Through further study,mode-locked pulses are achieved,proving the existence of polarization-locked vector solitons.The results indicate that VP can be used as a polarization-independent SA.

A flexible ultra-broadband multi-layered absorber working at 2 GHz-40 GHz printed by resistive ink

A flexible extra broadband metamaterial absorber(MMA)stacked with five layers working at 2 GHz–40 GHz is investigated.Each layer is composed of polyvinyl chloride(PVC),polyimide(PI),and a frequency selective surface(FSS),which is printed on PI using conductive ink.To investigate this absorber,both one-dimensional analogous circuit analysis and three-dimensional full-wave simulation based on a physical model are provided.Various crucial electromagnetic properties,such as absorption,effective impedance,complex permittivity and permeability,electric current distribution and magnetic field distribution at resonant peak points,are studied in detail.Analysis shows that the working frequency of this absorber covers entire S,C,X,Ku,K and Ka bands with a minimum thickness of 0.098λ_(max)(λ_(max) is the maximum wavelength in the absorption band),and the fractional bandwidth(FBW)reaches 181.1%.Moreover,the reflection coefficient is less than-10 dB at 1.998 GHz–40.056 GHz at normal incidence,and the absorptivity of the plane wave is greater than 80%when the incident angle is smaller than 50°.Furthermore,the proposed absorber is experimentally validated,and the experimental results show good agreement with the simulation results,which demonstrates the potential applicability of this absorber at 2 GHz–40 GHz.

Study of relationship between motion of mechanisms in gas operated weapon and its shock absorber

The article deals with the motion of the breech block carrier and the weapon casing of an automatic weapon mounted on a flexible carriage and the base of the weapon.Earlier works,which did not consider the dynamic properties of the base of the weapon,did not allow to reconcile the calculated and experimental results of the weapon casing displacement when shooting from firing rests.For the analysis of the motion of individual parts,the methods of mathematical modelling and firing experiments using a high-speed camera were chosen.Calculations show the best accord with experiment when modelling the system with 4 degrees of freedom.The oscillation of the system regarding the movement of the breech block carrier and the weapon casing was investigated under changed conditions of rate of fire,the use of a muzzle brake and different types of shock absorbers.The velocities and displacements of the weapon casing and the breech block carrier at different values of the impulse of the gases to the breech block carrier were determined.

Preparation and Swelling Kinetic Analysis of Poly (HPMC-co-AA-co-AM) Super Absorbent Resin

Super absorbent resin(SAR)is prepared by aqueous high temperature polymerization using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose(HPMC)as monomer backbone material,acrylic acid(AA)and acrylamide(AM)as the graft copolymer monomer,potassium persulfate(KPS)as the initiator to generate free radicals,and N,N`-methylenebisacrylamide(MBA)as cross-linking agent for cross-linking reaction.Simutaneously,the influence of individual factors on the water absorption is investigated,and these factors are mainly AA,AM,KPS,MBA,HPMC,and reaction temperature.The optimized conditions are obtained by the experiment repeating for several times.The water absorption multiplicity and salt absorption multiplicity under the conditions are 782.4 and 132.5 g/g,respectivity.Furthermore,the effects of different temperatures and salt concentrations on its water absorption,as well as the swelling kinetics of SAR are studied.It is indicated the water-absorbing swelling process is mainly caused by the difference in water osmotic pressure and Na+concentration inside and outside the cross-linked molecular structure of the resin,which is not only consistent with the quasi-secondary kinetic model,but also with the Fick diffusion model.

A low-profile metamaterial absorber with ultrawideband reflectionless and wide-angular stability

An ultrawideband reflectionless metamaterial absorber(MA)is proposed by replacing the metallic ground with the complementary split-ring resonator(CSRR)structure.The proposed MA exhibits-10 d B reflectivity spectrum from 1 GHz to 20 GHz,which maintains more than 90%absorption from 1.5 GHz to20 GHz.Furthermore,it achieves angle stability for TE and TM polarization at oblique incident angles up to 40°and 65°,respectively.To achieve broadband absorption spectrum,we have adopted a single-layer high-impedance surface(HIS)loaded with a double-layer magnetic material(MM)structure.To further realize the RCS reduction into a lower frequency range,we have employed the scattering cancellation technology into the traditional metallic ground.Finally,we have fabricated a sample exhibiting the 10 d B RCS reduction from 1 GHz to 20 GHz with a thickness of 10 mm.Measurement and simulation results confirm that the proposed MA exhibits excellent comprehensive performance,making it suitable for many practical applications.

Measurement of Radon Concentration and Estimation of Cancer Risk in Twenty-Four Model Houses in the Town of Koudougou

The objective of our study is to evaluate the concentration of radon (86Rn) inside houses in the town of Koudougou in order to estimate its impact on the health of the population. Indeed, when uranium-rich minerals are found near the surface of the ground, radon concentrations can reach tens of becquerels per cubic meter in enclosed spaces. Given the nature of the geological base of Burkina Faso, this situation is quite probable and certain places that are sometimes poorly ventilated (house, school, office, etc.) can have radon levels high enough to constitute a health problem for occupants. Thus, twenty-four (24) sample houses were identified. In each house, the Corentium digital detector was between 0.8 m and 2 m for at least one week in a place where the occupants estimate that they spend more time of time and measure the concentration of radon in the long term and short term. The recorded data allowed us to determine the Absorbed Dose and the Annual Effective Dose of radon gas for each house in order to estimate the Risk of Cancer and the probable Number of Cases of Lung Cancer per million inhabitants. Thus, the results indicate that the long-term radon concentration varies between 6 Bq/m3 and 285 Bq/m3 respectively in houses 11 and 4 compared to 1 Bq/m3 to 208 Bq/m3 in the short term in the same houses. Also, in the long term, in control houses 1, 3 and 4, the radon level is above the recommended threshold interval. For the short term, these are houses 1, 3, 4 and 17 respectively with 110 Bq/m3, 142 Bq/m3, 208 Bq/m3 and 105 Bq/m3. As for the long-term and short-term effective doses, only houses 1, 3, 4, 17 and 24 have values between 3 - 10 Sv/year. The estimation of the relative risk of lung cancer gives values relatively close to unity and between 1.006 and 1.142 with an average of 1.035 and that of the Number of Lung Cancer Cases per million inhabitants gives values between 8 and 166 with an average of 42. Thus, we can conclude that with the exception of houses 1, 3, 4 and 17, the radon concentrations are relatively low in the twenty-four control houses in the city of Koudougou. The lifestyle of the populations can well explain this situation when we know that people are in the habit of always leaving doors and windows open, especially when they are not sleeping. We can therefore say that the risk of population exposure to radon gas is relatively low in the town of Koudougou.

Research on the Damping Mechanism of Time-Delay Coupled Negative Stiffness Dynamic Absorber in Nonlinear Vibration Damping System

A study was conducted on the effect of time delay and structural parameters on the vibration reduction of a time delayed coupled negative stiffness dynamic absorber in nonlinear vibration reduction systems. Taking dynamic absorbers with different structural and control parameters as examples, the effects of third-order nonlinear coefficients, time-delay control parameters, and negative stiffness coefficients on reducing the replication of the main system were discussed. The nonlinear dynamic absorber has a very good vibration reduction effect at the resonance point of the main system and a nearby area, and when 1 increases to a certain level, the stable region of the system continues to increase. The amplitude curve of the main system of a nonlinear dynamic absorber will generate Hop bifurcation and saddle node bifurcation in the region far from the resonance point, resulting in almost periodic motion and jumping phenomena in the system. For nonlinear dynamic absorbers with determined structural parameters, time-delay feedback control can be adopted to control the amplitude of the main system. For different negative stiffness coefficients, there exists a minimum damping point for the amplitude of the main system under the determined system structural parameters and time-delay feedback control parameters.

Enhanced Microwave Absorption for High Filler Content Composite Molded from Polymer Coated Flaky Carbonyl Irons Modified by Silane Coupling Agents

A microwave absorbing sheet with a high complex permeability and a relatively low complex permittivity is obtained by molding of the densely coated flaky carbonyl iron particles(FCIPs)by styrenebutadiene-styrene block copolymer(SBS)in the assistance of coupling agent modification.Direct molding of the core-shell FCIPs without adding extra binder results in a large permeability due to the high filling ratio(55vol%)of absorbents.Importantly,the permittivity is well suppressed by the dense insulate polymer shell on the FCIPs,avoiding the severe impedance mismatch problem of the high filler content microwave absorbing materials.Investigations show that modifying the surface of FCIPs by proper amount of silane coupling agent is critical for the coating quality of the SBS shell,which is verified by resistivity and corrosion current density measurements,and can be interpreted by improved interfacial compatibility between the modified FCIPs and SBS.The obtained microwave absorbing sheet shows a minimum reflection loss of-38.74 dB at 1.57 GHz and has an effective absorption bandwidth from 1.1 to 2.3 GHz at a relatively small thickness of 2 mm.

Enhanced microwave absorption property of silver decorated biomass ordered porous carbon composite materials with frequency selective surface incorporation

Porous carbon(PC)is a promising electromagnetic(EM)wave absorbing material thanks to its light weight,large specific surface area as well as good dissipating capacity.To further improve its microwave absorbing performance,silver coated porous carbon(Ag@PC)is synthesized by one-step hydro-thermal synthesis process making use of fir as a biomass formwork.Phase compositions,morphological structure,and microwave absorption capability of the Ag@PC has been explored.Research results show that the metallic Ag was successfully reduced and the particles are evenly distributed inward the pores of the carbon formwork,which accelerates graphitization process of the amorphous carbon.The Ag@PC composite without adding polyvinyl pyrrolidone(PVP)exhibits higher dielectric constant and better EM wave dissipating capability.This is because the larger particles of Ag give rise to higher electric conductivity.After combing with frequency selective surface(FSS),the EM wave absorbing performance is further improved and the frequency region below-10 d B is located in8.20-11.75 GHz,and the minimal reflection loss value is-22.5 dB.This work indicates that incorporating metallic Ag particles and FSS provides a valid way to strengthen EM wave absorbing capacity of PC material.

Initiating Binary Metal Oxides Microcubes Electromagnetic Wave Absorber Toward Ultrabroad Absorption Bandwidth Through Interfacial and Defects Modulation

Cobalt nickel bimetallic oxides(NiCo_(2)O_(4))have received numerous attentions in terms of their controllable morphology,high temperature,corrosion resistance and strong electromagnetic wave(EMW)absorption capability.However,broadening the absorption bandwidth is still a huge challenge for NiCo_(2)O_(4)-based absorbers.Herein,the unique NiCo_(2)O_(4)@C core-shell microcubes with hollow structures were fabricated via a facile sacrificial template strategy.The concentration of oxygen vacancies and morphologies of the three-dimensional(3D)cubic hollow core-shell NiCo_(2)O_(4)@C framework were effectively optimized by adjusting the calcination temperature.The specially designed 3D framework structure facilitated the multiple reflections of incident electromagnetic waves and provided rich interfaces between multiple components,generating significant interfacial polarization losses.Dipole polarizations induced by oxygen vacancies could further enhance the attenuation ability for the incident EM waves.The optimized NiCo_(2)O_(4)@C hollow microcubes exhibit superior EMW absorption capability with minimum RL(RLmin)of-84.45 dB at 8.4 GHz for the thickness of 3.0 mm.Moreover,ultrabroad effective absorption bandwidth(EAB)as large as 12.48 GHz(5.52-18 GHz)is obtained.This work is believed to illuminate the path to synthesis of high-performance cobalt nickel bimetallic oxides for EMW absorbers with excellent EMW absorption capability,especially in broadening effective absorption bandwidth.

Maximizing Terahertz Energy Absorption with MXene Absorber

Achieving high absorption in broad terahertz bands has long been challenging for terahertz electromagnetic wave absorbers.Recently in Nature Photonics,Xiao et al.reported the high absorption approaching the theoretical upper limit across the whole terahertz band of MXene-based terahertz absorbers and,on this basis,constructed an applicable,updated alternating current impedance matching model.

Exogenous addition of nitrate nitrogen regulates the uptake and translocation of lead (Pb) by Iris lacteal Pall. var. chinensis (Fisch.) Koidz.

Since Pb is a non-biodegradable inorganic pollutant and a non-essential metal,its long-term presence in soil poses a great threat to the environment.Iris lactea Pall.var.chinensis(Fisch.)Koidz.,a perennial dense bush herb with high resistance of Pb and wide adaptability,was used in pot experiments to study the effects of exogenous nitrate N(NO_(3)^(–)-N)on the absorption and transportation of Pb and plant growth under different Pb concentrations.Then,the mechanism of NO_(3)^(-)-N affecting Pb and nutrient uptake and transport was explored.The concentration of Pb in the experiment ranged from 0 to 1600 mg/kg,and the added concentration of NO_(3)^(-)-N was 0.0–0.3 g/kg.The results showed that I.lactea was highly tolerant to Pb,and the shoot fraction was more sensitive to varied Pb concentrations in the soil than the root fraction.This protective function became more pronounced under the condition of raised Pb concentration in the soil.When the concentration of Pb in the soil reached 800 mg/kg,the highest Pb content of I.lactea was found under the condition of 0.1 g/kg of NO–3-N addition.When Pb concentration in the soil increased to 1600 mg/kg,the increase in NO_(3)^(-)-N addition promoted Pb uptake by the root.To ensure the well growth of I.lactea and the effect of remediation of Pb-contaminated soil,the recommended concentration of NO–3-N in the soil is 0.1 g/kg.This result provides a theoretical basis for exogenous N regulation of phytoremediation of Pb-contaminated soil.

Bidirectional visible light absorber based on nanodisk arrays

A perfect bidirectional broadband visible light absorber composed of titanium nitride and tungsten nanodisk arrays is proposed.The average absorption of the absorber exceeds 89%at 400 nm–800 nm when light is normally incident on the front-side.Illumination from the opposite direction(back-side)results in absorption of more than 75%.Through the theoretical analysis of the electric and magnetic fields,the physical mechanism of the broadband perfect absorption is attributed to the synergy of localized surface plasmons,propagating surface plasmons,and plasmonic resonant cavity modes.Furthermore,the absorber also exhibits excellent polarization-independence performance and a high angular tolerance of~30°for both front-and back-side incidence.The designed bidirectional broadband visible light absorber here has wide application prospects in the fields of solar cells and ink-free printing.

Editorial for special issue on electromagnetic wave absorbing materials

With the rapid development of information technology and electronics industry,stealth warplanes,radar stealth,electronic countermeasures,microwave communications,and other equipment have played an increasingly important role in military defense.Therefore,the design and development of new electromagnetic wave(EMW)absorbing materials with high performance and environmental applicability that can be widely used in the microwave field has become a key issue and a major strategic challenge that needs to be urgently addressed in the modernization and upgrading of major advanced military equipment.However,how to effectively address the growing electromagnetic pollution has been an important issue that has plagued researchers in the field of EMW absorption for many years.

Single-frequency linearly polarized Q-switched fiber laser based on Nb_(2)GeTe_(4)saturable absorber

We report a single-frequency linearly polarized Q-switched fiber laser based on an Nb_(2)GeTe_(4)saturable absorber(SA).The Nb_(2)GeTe_(4)SA triggers passive Q-switching of the laser,and an un-pumped Yb-doped fiber together with a 0.08-nmbandwidth polarization-maintaining fiber Bragg grating(FBG)acts as an ultra-narrow bandwidth filter to realize singlelongitudinal-mode(SLM)oscillation.The devices used in the laser are all kept polarized,so as to ensure linearly polarized laser output.Stable SLM linearly polarized Q-switching operation at 1064.6 nm is successfully achieved,producing a laser with a shortest pulse width of 1.36μs,a linewidth of 28.4 MHz,a repetition rate of 28.3 kHz-95.9 kHz,and a polarization extinction ratio of about 30 dB.It is believed that the single-frequency linearly polarized pulsed fiber laser studied in this paper has great application value in gravitational wave detection,beam combining,nonlinear frequency conversion,and other fields.