Enhancing CO_(2) transport with plasma-functionalized ionic liquid membranes

The ionic liquid(IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate treated with radiofrequency plasma is proposed for functionalization and immobilization on polyethersulfone supports to form supported ionic liquid membranes for CO_(2) separation.The effects of treatment time and transmembrane pressure difference on CO_(2) permeance were evaluated.The best gas permeation performance was obtained with a treatment time of 10 min and the transmembrane pressure difference was 0.25 MPa.Characterization of the materials by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy demonstrates that the IL is grafted with carboxyl groups and deprotonated through plasma treatment.A preliminary mechanism for the plasma treatment and facilitated transport of CO_(2)has been proposed on this basis.

Preparation and Properties of Lanthanum Trivalent Ion Doped TiO_2 Nanopowders by Liquid Plasma Spray

The lanthanum trivalent ion doped TiO2 nanopowders were prepared by liquid plasma spray with solution of titanium tetra-tert-butoxide and alcohol as feedstock and La(NO3)3·6H2O as doping component. The photocatalytic activity of samples at different doping concentrations in photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange was discussed. The powders were characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and the effect of doped ion on the pattern, phase composition and crystallite sizes were analyzed. The results indicated that lanthanum trivalent ion doped TiO2 nanopowders could be prepared by liquid plasma spray. Lanthanum trivalent ion doping increased the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 greatly, the optimal doping concentration was 0.5%. The doped powders were the mixture of anatase phase and rutile phase. The contents of anatase phase decreased firstly and then increased with an increase in the contents of lanthanum trivalent ion. Doping lanthanum trivalent ion could make the TiO2 nanopowders uniform and reduced its particle size.

Influence of the Powder on the Properties of the Liquid Crystal Emulsions

The purpose of study was to evaluate the effect of four powder including titanium dioxide,bismuth oxychloride,silica,and kaolin on the properties of the liquid crystal emulsions.The results show that the addition of titanium dioxide and bismuth oxychloride had no obvious effect on the liquid crystal structure.In addition,the addition of Kaolin and silica have an effect on the stability of the liquid crystal structure.Sensory evaluation and Texture analyzer results shown that the addition of titanium dioxide and bismuth oxychloride had no obvious effect on the spreadability of liquid crystal system.The addition of silica and Kaolin was increased the hardness and adhesive of the liquid crystal system.Rheological experiments shown that the kaolin system had lower structural stability.the system with titanium dioxide,bismuth oxychloride,and silica has good stability.This paper provides data support for the application of powders in the formulation of liquid crystal system,which aims to provide a data basis for the preparation and applications of liquid crystal emulsion.

Spark plasma sintering on mechanically activated W-Cu powders

Mechanically activated W-Cu powders were sintered by a spark plasma sinteringsystem (SPS) in order to develop a new process and improve the properties of the alloy. Propertiessuch as density and hardness were measured. The microstructures of the sintered W-Cu alloy sampleswere observed by SEM (scanning electron microscope). The results show that spark plasma sinteringcan obviously lower the sintering temperature and increase the density of the alloy. This processcan also improve the hardness of the alloy. SPS is an effective method to obtain W-Cu powders withhigh density and superior physical properties.

Synthesis and Characterization of Nano-sized Boron Powder Prepared by Plasma Torch

Hydrogen thermal plasma jet was employed to prepare nano-sized boron powder with hydrogen reduction of BCI3. The maximum yield of nano-sized boron powders was about 50% with the operational conditions of H2/BCl3 of 4.5：1, total feed of 4.9 m3/h, and plasma power of 25 kW. The samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, field emission scanning electron microscopy （FE-SEM）, and inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry （ICP-MS）, inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectrometry （ICP-AES）, inductive combustion infrared absorption （ICIA） and infrared thermal conductivity of oxygen and nitrogen analyzer （ITCA）. The results show that the boron powders have different crystal structures with higher dispersion and purity. The average diameter is about 50 nm, and the purity is 90.29% or so. This new technology can use simple process to produce high quality boron powders, and is feasible for industrial production.

Plasma free amino acid profiling of esophageal cancer using high-performance liquid chromatography spectroscopy

AIM: To perform plasma free amino acid (PFAA) profiling of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients at different pathological stages and healthy subjects.

Spheroidization of silica powders by radio frequency inductively coupled plasma with Ar–H2 and Ar–N2 as the sheath gases at atmospheric pressure

Amorphous spherical silica powders were prepared by inductively coupled thermal plasma treatment at a radio frequency of 36.2 MHz. The effects of the added content of hydrogen and nitrogen into argon(serving as the sheath gas), as well as the carrier gas flow rate, on the spheroidization rate of silica powders, were investigated. The prepared silica powders before and after plasma treatment were examined by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and laser granulometric analysis. Results indicated that the average size of the silica particles increased, and the transformation of crystals into the amorphous state occurred after plasma treatment. Discharge image processing was employed to analyze the effect of the plasma temperature field on the spheroidization rate. The spheroidization rate of the silica powder increased with the increase of the hydrogen content in the sheath gas. On the other hand, the spheroidization rate of the silica power first increased and then decreased with the increase of the nitrogen content in the sheath gas. Moreover, the amorphous content increased with the increase of the spheroidization rate of the silica powder.

Research of precise pulse plasma arc powder welding technology of thin-walled inner hole parts

The inner hole parts played an oriented or supporting role in engineering machinery and equipment,which are prone to appear surface damages such as wear,strain and corrosion. The precise pulse plasma arc powder welding method is used for surface damage repairing of inner hole parts in this paper. The working principle and process of the technology are illustrated,and the microstructure and property of repairing layer by precise pulse plasma powder welding and CO2 gas shielded welding are tested and observed by microscope,micro hardness tester and X-ray residual stress tester etc. Results showed that the substrate deformation of thin-walled inner hole parts samples by precise pulse plasma powder welding is relatively small. The repair layer and substrate is metallurgical bonding,the transition zones( including fusion zone and heat affected zone) are relatively narrow and the welding quality is good. It showed that the thin-walled inner hole parts can be repaired by this technology and equipment.

Plasma preparation and low-temperature sintering of spherical TiC –Fe composite powder

A spherical Fe matrix composite powder containing a high volume fraction （82vo1%） of fine TiC reinforcement was produced using a novel process combining in situ synthesis and plasma techniques. The composite powder exhibited good sphericity and a dense structure, and the fine sub-micron TiC particles were homogeneously distributed in the α-Fe matrix. A TiC-Fe cermet was prepared from the as-prepared spherical composite powder using powder metallurgy at a low sintering temperature; the product exhibited a hardness of HRA 88.5 and a flexural strength of 1360 MPa. The grain size of the fine-grained TiC and special surface structure of the spherical powder played the key roles in the fabrication process.

Numerical investigation on flow process of liquid metals in melt delivery nozzle during gas atomization process for fine metal powder production

Based on volume of fluid(VoF)interface capturing method and shear-stress transport(SST)k-ω turbulence model,numerical simulation was performed to reveal the flow mechanism of metal melts in melt delivery nozzle(MDN)during gas atomization(GA)process.The experimental validation indicated that the numerical models could give a reasonable prediction on the melt flow process in the MDN.With the decrease of the MDN inner-diameter,the melt flow resistance increased for both molten aluminum and iron,especially achieving an order of 10^(2) kPa in the case of the MDN inner-diameter≤1 mm.Based on the conventional GA process,the positive pressure was imposed on the viscous aluminum alloy melt to overcome its flow resistance in the MDN,thus producing powders under different MDN inner-diameters.When the MDN inner-diameter was reduced from 4 to 2 mm,the yield of fine powder(<150μm)soared from 54.7%to 94.2%.The surface quality of powders has also been improved when using a smaller inner-diameter MDN.

Study on the RF inductively coupled plasma spheroidization of refractory W and W-Ta alloy powders

Spherical powders with good flowability and high stacking density are mandatory for powder bed additive manufacturing. Nevertheless, the preparation of spherical refractory tungsten and tungsten alloy powders is a formidable task. In this paper, spherical refractory metal powders processed by high-energy stir ball milling and RF inductively coupled plasma were investigated. By utilizing the technical route, pure spherical tungsten powders were prepared successfully, the flowability increased from 10.7 s/50 g to 5.5 s/50 g and apparent density increased from 6.916 g cm-3 to 11.041 g cm-3. Alloying element tantalum can reduce the tendency to micro- crack during tungsten laser melting and rapid solidification process. Spherical W-6Ta （%wt） powders were prepared in this way, homogeneous dispersion of tantalum in a tungsten matrix occurred but a small amount of flake-like shape particles appeared after high-energy stir ball milling. The flake-like shape particles can hardly be spheroidized in subsequent RF inductively coupled plasma process, might result from the unique suspended state of flaky particles under complex electric and magnetic fields as well as plasma-particle heat exchange was different under various turbulence models. As a result, the flake-like shape particles cannot pass through the high-temperature area of thermal plasma torch and cannot be spheroidized properly.

Methane conversion under cold plasma over Pd-containing ionic liquids immobilized on γ-Al_2O_3

Pd-containing ionic liquid （IL） 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate （C6MIMBF4） immobilized on γ-Al2O3 （Pd-IL/γ-Al2O3） was prepared and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and Brunauer-Emmett- Teller （BET） analysis. The influences of C6MIMBF4 loading and Pd on methane conversion to C2 hydrocarbons under cold plasma were investigated. FTIR and SEM analyses indicated that C6MIMBF4 had been successfully immobilized on γ-Al2O3 and the C6MIMBF4 showed excellent stability under cold plasma. The results of BET and methane conversion showed that with the increase in immobilization amount of C6MIMBF4 onto γ-Al2O3, the specific surface area and pore volume of IL/γ-Al2O3 decreased, while the selectivity and yield of C2 hydrocarbons increased. The selectivity of C2 hydrocarbons was 94.6% when the loading of C6MIMBF4 was 40%, and the percentage of C2H4 in C2 hydrocarbons was as high as 64% when using Pd-IL/γ-Al2O3 as a catalyst with no conventional thermal reduction treatment. Optical emission spectra （OES） from the cold plasma reactor during methane conversion were also studied. The results indicated that the intensity of the C2, CH, H, and C active species from methane and hydrogen decomposition increased when IL/γ-Al2O3 or Pd-IL/γ-Al2O3 was introduced into the plasma system. Based on the analyses of the gas product and OES spectra, it can be concluded that the surface catalyzed reactions between plasma and ionic liquid were very important for the reduction of Pd2＋ and the formation of C2H4.

Thermal behavior of B_4 Cparticles under plasma arc powder surfacing condition

The effect of plasma arc powder surfacing process on the amount of B4C particles in the coating and the thermal behavior of B4C particles in different surfacing stages has been investigated.The results showed that the feeding rate of B4C partiles is the most important factor affecting the amount of B4C particles in the surfacing coating among all the surfacing parameters,and the most part of B4C Particles in the coating is nto the remainders of original solid B4C particles,but the consolidation products of the unmelted liquid B4C globules in the pool.The results also showed that the B4C particles would not be melted in the plasma arc column, their melting process mainly takes place in the anode spot region on the surface of the pool when surfacing current is less than 200A.

A Simple and Sensitive Liquid Chromatographic Technique for the Determination of Cefotetan Disodium in Human Plasma and Its Application in a Pharmacokinetic Study

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatographic method was developed for quantification of cefotetan disodium (CTT),a semi-synthetic cephamycin antibiotic,in human plasma.CTT and the internal standard chloramphenicol were extracted from plasma by a simple one-step protein precipitation with 35% (v/v) perchloric acid.Separation was carried out on a reverse-phase C18 column with a mobile phase of acetonitile-water containing 0.5% (v/v) phosphoric acids (20:80,v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min.The column effluent was monitored by UV detection at 300 nm.The column temperature was maintained at 40°C.This method demonstrated good linearity in the range of 0.525-300.0 μg/mL,with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99.The limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.525 μg/mL in human plasma.Intra-and inter-day precisions were less than 6.63% in terms of relative standard deviation (RSD).The accuracy,when expressed by the bias,ranged from 0.57% to 4.04%.The mean extraction recovery of CTT was higher than 40.94%.The method was found to be precise,accurate,and specific for CTT quantitative analysis,and was successfully applied for a pharmacokinetic study of CTT after a single intravenous dose of 1.0 g of CTT in healthy Chinese subjects.

Spheroidization of molybdenum powder by radio frequency thermal plasma

To control the morphology and particle size of dense spherical molybdenum powder prepared by radio frequency（RF） plasma from irregular molybdenum powder as a precursor, plasma process parameters were optimized in this paper. The effects of the carrier gas flow rate and molybdenum powder feeding rate on the shape and size of the final products were studied. The molybdenum powder morphology was examined using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. The powder phases were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The tap density and apparent density of the molybdenum powder were investigated using a Hall flow meter and a Scott volumeter. The optimal process parameters for the spherical molybdenum powder preparation are 50 g/min powder feeding rate and 0.6 m^3/h carrier gas rate. In addition, pure spherical molybdenum powder can be obtained from irregular powder, and the tap density is enhanced after plasma processing. The average size is reduced from 72 to 62 μm, and the tap density is increased from 2.7 to 6.2 g/cm^3. Therefore, RF plasma is a promising method for the preparation of high-density and high-purity spherical powders.

Development of a Liquid Chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Determination of Butoconazole Nitrate in Human Plasma and Its Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study

Summary： A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC-MS/MS） method was developed and validated for the determination of butoconazole in human plasma. Human plasma samples of 0.2 μL were pretreated by a single step protein precipitation procedure and analyzed using a high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） electrospray tandem mass spectrometer system. The compounds were eluted isocratically on an Inertsil ODS-SP column （100 min×2.1 mm, 3 μm）, ionized using a positive ion atmospheric pressure electrospray ionization source and analyzed using multiple reaction monitoring （MRM） mode. The ion transitions monitored were m/z 412.8→q65.1 for butoconazole and m/z 453.4→230.3 for the internal standard. The chromatographic run time was 3.5 min per injection, with retention time of 2.47 rain and 2.15 min for butoconazole and repaglinide, respectively. The method was validated to be linear over the range of 20 to 8000 pg/mL （r〉0.999） by using a weighted （1/x2） quadratic regression. The mean recovery rate was more than 86.7%, and the intra- and inter-day precision of the quality control samples （QCs） was less than 8.3% and the accuracy ranged from 96.0% to 110.2%, which indicated that the quantitative method was reliable and accurate. The method is simple, rapid, and has been applied successfully to a pharmacokinetics study of butoconazole nitrate suppositories in healthy Chinese females.

A Steam-Plasma Igniter for Aluminum Powder Combustion

High-temperature ignition is essential for the ignition and combustion of energetic metal fuels, including aluminum and magnesium particles which are protected by their high- melting-temperature oxides. A plasma torch characterized by an ultrahigh-temperature plasma plume fulfills such high-temperature ignition conditions. A new steam plasma igniter is designed and successfully validated by aluminum power ignition and combustion tests. The steam plasma rapidly stabilizes in both plasma and steam jet modes. Parametric investigation of the steam plasma jet is conducted in terms of arc strength. A high-speed camera and an oscilloscope method visualize the discharge characteristics, and optical emission spectroscopy measures the thermochemical properties of the plasma jet. The diatomic molecule OH fitting method, the Boltzmann plot method, and short exposure capturing with an intensified charge coupled device record the axial distributions of the rotational gas temperature, excitation temperature, and OH radical distribution, respectively. The excitation temperature at the nozzle tip is near 5500 K, and the gas temperature is 5400 K.

Estimation of plasma parameters in the process of micro-scale powder plastic and characteristics of its products

The temperature and density of plasma jets were estimated with a Boltzmann plot and Stark broadening of Ar I(696.54 nm) lines by optical emission spectroscopy(OES) in the process of plasma plastic, and the morphology and microstructure of tungsten(W) powders were investigated by scanning electron microscope(SEM) and x-ray Diffraction(XRD), respectively.The results show that the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium(LTE) was invalid at the end of the plasma jets, and earlier than this after the injection of tungsten powder. The temperature and electron density of the plasma jets were up to about T?=?6797 K with Qc?=?50 slpm and ne?=?1.05?×?1016 cm-3 with Qs?=?115 slpm at Z?=?60 mm, respectively, and both dropped rapidly with the injected tungsten powders of 20 μm. After the plasma plastic process,the spherical tungsten powders were prepared and there were some satellite particles on the surface of the spherical products. The tungsten powders were both composed of a single equilibrium α-W phase with a body centered cubic(bbc) crystal structure before and after plasma treatment.

A cold plasma plume with a highly conductive liquid electrode

A cold dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） plasma plume with one highly conductive liquid electrode has been developed to treat thermally sensitive materials, and its preliminary discharging characteristics have been studied. The averaged electron temperature and density is estimated to be 0.6eV and 1011/cm3, respectively. The length of plasma plume can reach 5cm with helium gas （He）, and the conductivity of the outer electrode affects the plume length obviously. This plasma plume could be touched by bare hand without causing any burning or painful sensation, which may provide potential application for safe aseptic skin care. Moreover, the oxidative particles （e.g., OH, O＊, 03） in the downstream oxygen （02） gas of the plume have been applied to treat the landfill leachate. The results show that the activated 02 gas can degrade the landfill leachate effectively, and the chemical oxygen demand （COD）, conductivity, biochemical oxygen demand （BOD）, and suspended solid （SS） can be decreased by 52%, 57%, 76% and 92%, respectively.

DC Plasma Technology Applied to Powder Metallurgy: an Overview

DC plasma is a very promising technology for processing different materials, and is becoming especially interesting when low environmental impact and high-performance treatments are needed. Some of the intrinsic characteristics of DC plasma technology, which make it suitable for powder metallurgy （PM） and powder injection molding （PIM） parts production, are low- pressure processing and plasma environment high reactivity. Moreover it can be considered as a highly competitive green technology. In this work, an overview of some of the important DC plasma techniques applied to PM and PIM parts processing is presented. Emphasis is given to the descriptions of the main characteristics and the technique potentials of plasma-assisted nitriding, plasma-assisted thermal debinding, plasma-assisted sintering, and simultaneously plasma-assisted sintering and surface alloying. The aspects presented and discussed in this paper indicate that DC plasma processes are promising and competitive techniques for PM and PIM parts processing.