Electric-Arc Plasma Installation for Preparing Nanodispersed Carbon Structures

An electric-arc plasma installation operated in the hidden anode arrangement is constructed and used for the preparation of carbon nanostructures. A contracted plasma arc generated by a plasma torch using an inert gas is used as heat source. The average mass temperature of arc is higher than 10^4 K, while its power density, which is directly transferred onto the electrode （anode）, is - 2 kW/mm^2. The anode contact area formed on the electrode moves against the arc by way of shifting the electrode and is hidden completely in the interior of plasma gas stream moving towards it. As a result of both the direct plasma attack and the opposite movement of streams in the hidden anode contact area, a temperature higher than 6000 K is reached. Thus, intensive vaporization takes place, which forms a saturated plasma-gas-aerosol phase of the initial material of electrode （anode）. This gas phase is mixed in and carried by the plasma stream. Over that mixed plasma stream, a controlled process of quenching （fixation） is carried out by twisted turbulent fluid streams. After the fixation, the resultant carbon nano-structures are caught by a filter and collected in a bunker.

Nanodispersed Oxides-Plasma-Chemical Synthesis and Properties

We discuss the plasma-chemical synthesis and the properties of transition metals oxides, Al2O3, SiO2, rare-earth oxides, oxides for ceramics and metal-ceramics, and oxides used as catalysts. Bearing in mind the indisputable advantages of using plasma-chemically synthesized nanodispersed oxides for the needs of various industrial fields, we set out to review the articles published in the past few years devoted to the problems of plasma-chemical synthesis and characterization of nanodispersed oxides.

Study of Nanodispersed Iron Oxides Produced in Steel Drilling by Contracted Electric-Arc Air Plasma Torch

The optimal conditions on the plasma-forming gas flowrate, discharge current and voltage, distance between the plasma-torch nozzle and the metal plate surface for the process of penetration in and vaporization of steel plates by the contracted electric-arc air plasma torch accompanied by water quenching, were determined. The X-ray structural and phase studies as well as Mossbauer and electron microscope studies on the samples treated were performed. It was demonstrated that the vaporized elemental iron was oxidized by the oxygen present in the air plasma jet to form iron oxides （wiistite, magnetite, hematite）, which, depending on their mass ra- tios, determined the color of the iron oxide pigments, namely, beginning from light yellow, through deep yellow, light brown, deep brown, violet, red-violet, to black. A high degree of dispersity of the iron oxides is thus produced, with an averaged diameter of the particles below 500 nm, and their defective crystal structure form the basis of their potential application as components of iron-containing catalysts and pigments.

3,6-Bis-β-Dicarbonylsubstituted Carbazoles Bearing N-Spacers and Their Eu(III) Complexes as Immunofluorescent Labelling Agents

New reagents for immunofluorescence analysis of carbazole series containing fluorinated β-dicarbonyl fragments and carboxylic substituent groups separated by spacers of different lengths from the light-gathering carbazole scaffold have been developed. The markers in complex with Eu3+ ions possess stability in the aqueous phase, intense and prolonged luminescence (τ 550 - 570 μs) with characteristic emission maxima in the region of 615 nm and excitation wavelengths in the region of 380 - 390 nm, which distinguishes them from most of the analogs used. In the study of marker conjugation with streptavidin, a reagent containing 4 - 5 europium labeling complexes based on spacer-containing carbazole tetraketone was obtained. The marker-doped silicate nanoparticles exhibit intense and long-lived luminescence in the characteristic region.

High-gravity-assisted emulsification for continuous preparation of waterborne polyurethane nanodispersion with high solids content

In this work,we developed a continuous preparation strategy for the production of high-solidscontent waterborne polyurethane(WPU)emulsions via high-gravity-assisted emulsification in a rotating packed bed(RPB)reactor.By adjusting the experimental parameters and formula,WPU emulsions with a high solids content of 55%and alow viscosity were prepared.Preliminary applications of the high-solids-content WPU as a thermally insulating material were demonstrated.RPB emulsification is an economical and environmentally friendly production strategy because of the low energy consumption,short emulsification time,and effective devolatilization.This study demonstrated an effective method for preparation of high-solids-content WPU,moving toward commercialization and industrialization.

Preparation of transparent BaSO_(4) nanodispersions by high-gravity reactive precipitation combined with surface modification for transparent X-ray shielding nanocomposite films

BaSO_(4) nanoparticles as important functional materials have attracted considerable research interests,due to their X-rays barrier and absorption properties.However,most of BaSO_(4) nanoparticles prepared by traditional technology are nanopowders with broad size distribution and poor dispersibility,which may greatly limit their applications.To the best of our knowledge,the synthesis of transparent BaSO_(4) nanodispersions was rarely reported.Here,we firstly present a novel and efficient method to prepare transparent and stable BaSO_(4) nanodispersions with a relatively small particle size around 10 to 17 nm using a precipitation method in a rotating packed bed(RPB),followed by a modification treatment using stearic acid.Compared with the BaSO_(4) prepared in a traditional stirred tank,the product prepared using an RPB has much smaller particle size and narrower size distribution.More importantly,by using RPB,the reaction time can be significantly decreased from 20 min to 18 s.Furthermore,the transparent BaSO_(4)-polyvinyl butyral nanocomposite films with good X-ray shielding performance can be easily fabricated.We believe that the stable BaSO_(4) nanodispersions may have a wide range of applications for transparent composite materials and coatings with X-ray shielding performance for future research.