Liquid Ethanol Research Articles

Properties and Sensing Performance of All-Dielectric Metasurface THz Absorbers

We have designed, fabricated, and experimentally verified highly sensitive all-dielectric metasurface THz absorbers (AMTAs) device in the terahertz (THz) frequency range. By designing different structures of the resonant, different types of absorber, which have perfect absorption can be realized. The proposed AMTA with simplified designs is demonstrated by single-layer all-silicon array. Furthermore, the simulated results of absorption frequency changes under different refractive index demonstrate that the proposed AMTAs can act as refractive index sensors in the biochemical application, such as detection of liquid paraffin, cancer cells, and ethanol. Also, experiments of detecting different concentrations of 2, 4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) have demonstrated that the proposed absorbers have great potential to improve the performance in biological and chemical sensing. These results show that the AMTAs can be used as sensors, which can detect the presence of trace pesticides and residues of some chemicals in adsorption analyses, among other practical applications.

Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction Based on Ionic Liquid and Spectrophotometric Determination of Bilirubin in Biological Samples

Background: An Ionic Liquid-based based Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction (IL-DLLME) method was not applied to preconcentration and determination of bilirubin. Ionic Liquids (ILs) are new chemical compounds. In recent years, Ionic Liquids (ILs) have been employed as alternative solvents to toxic organic solvents. Due to these perfect properties, ILs have already been applied in many analytical extraction processes, presenting high extraction yield and selectivity for analytes. Methods: In this study, IL-DLLME was applied to biological samples (urine and serum) for the spectrophotometric detection of bilirubin. For bilirubin analysis, the full-color development was based on the reaction with periodate in the presence of hydrochloric acid. The high affinity of bilirubin for the ionic liquid phase gave extraction percentages above 98% in 0.3 M HCl solution. Results: Several IL-extraction parameters were optimized and room temperature ionic liquid 1-butyl- 1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and ethanol were used as extraction and disperser solution. The linear range was found in the range of 0.5-6.0 μM (0.3-3.5 μg mL-1) and the limits of detection of the proposed method was 0.5 μM (0.3 μg mL-1). The proposed method was applied for the preconcentration and separation of trace bilirubin in real urine samples. Also, the recoveries for bilirubin in spiked biological samples (urine and serum) were found to be acceptable, between 95-102%. Conclusion: The proposed IL-DLLMEapproach was employed for the enrichment and determination of trace levels of bilirubin in urine samples using NaIO4 as an oxidizing agent and Uv-vis spectrophotometric detection. The periodate oxidation of bilirubin is rapid, effective, selective, and simple to perform. The method contains only HCl, NaOI4, and an anionic surfactant. The method may be useful for economizing in the consumption of reagents in bilirubin determining. The IL-DLLMEmethod ensures a high yield and has a low toxicity no skin sensitization, no mutagenicity and no ecotoxicity in an aquatic environment since only very low quantities of an IL is required. For full-color formation, no any extra auxiliary reagents are required. Besides, the IL-DLLME technique uses a low-cost instrument such as Uv-vis which is present in most of the medical laboratories.

Lingering Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Basal and Ethanol-Evoked Expression of Inflammatory-Related Genes in the CNS of Adolescent and Adult Rats.

Emerging data suggest that alcohol’s effects on central inflammatory factors are not uniform across the lifespan. In particular, prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) significantly alters steady-state levels of neuroimmune factors, as well as subsequent reactivity to later immune challenge. Thus, the current experiment investigated developmental sensitivities to, and long-lasting consequences of, PAE on ethanol-evoked cytokine expression in male and female adolescent and adult rats. Pregnant dams received either an ad libitum ethanol liquid diet (2.2% GD 6–8; 4.5% GD 9–10; 6.7% GD11–20; 35% daily calories from ethanol) or free-choice access to a control liquid diet and water. At birth, offspring were fostered to dams given free-choice access to the control liquid diet. Pups then matured until mid-adolescence [postnatal day (PD) 35] or adulthood (PD90), at which time they were challenged with either a binge-like dose of ethanol (4 g/kg; intragastrically) or tap water. During intoxication (3 h post-ethanol challenge), brains and blood were collected for assessment of neuroimmune gene expression (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction; RT-PCR) in the hippocampus, amygdala, and PVN, as well as for blood ethanol concentrations (BEC) and plasma corticosterone levels. Results revealed that rats challenged with ethanol at either PD35 or PD90 generally exhibited a characteristic cytokine signature of acute intoxication that we have previously reported: increased Il-6 and IkBα expression, with decreased Il-1β and Tnfα gene expression. With a few exceptions, this pattern of gene changes was observed in all three structures examined, at both ages of postnatal ethanol challenge, and in both sexes. While few significant effects of PAE were observed for ethanol-induced alterations in cytokine expression, there was a consistent (but nonsignificant) trend for PAE to potentiate the expression of Il-6 and IkBα in all groups except adult females. Although these data suggest that later-life ethanol challenge was a far greater driver of inflammatory signaling than PAE, the current results demonstrate PAE resulted in subtle long-term alterations in the expression of many key neuroinflammatory factors associated with NF-κB signaling. Such long-lasting impacts of PAE that may engender vulnerability to later environmental events triggering neuroinflammatory processes, such as chronic ethanol exposure or stress, could contribute to heightened vulnerability for PAE-related alterations and deficits.

On heat and mass transfer using evaporating self-rewetting mixtures in microchannels

Evaporation heat and mass transfer in open microchannels was investigated using pure liquids (ethanol, deionized water and butanol), an ordinary (non-self-rewetting) mixture (5% v/v ethanol/water mixture) and a self-rewetting fluid (5% v/v butanol/water mixture). The applied heating power ranged from 0 mW to 282.76 mW (giving heat fluxes from 0 W/m2 to 4501 W/m2) with wall temperatures ranging from 24 °C to 95 °C. When the microchannel had no external heating, diffusion was found to be the main mechanism of mass transfer. With external heating, the diffusion model underestimated the experiment results, and buoyancy-driven convection may account for this. Evaporation rates remain high for the self-rewetting fluid even when the meniscus recedes significantly (by 6 times the inner diameter) in the microchannel under heating conditions. Additionally, the self-rewetting fluid showed the highest conduction rate in the axial direction in high heating power conditions. Meniscus-wall contact angles and flow visualizations were obtained for various heating rates. The “contact angle shift” phenomenon of the self-rewetting fluid was observed. Marangoni-induced convection in the microchannel accounts for the mechanism of better heat and mass transfer as well as the “contact angle shift” phenomenon for the self-rewetting fluid.

Depolymerization of Pine Ethanol Lignin in the Medium of Supercritical Ethanol in the Presence of Catalysts NiCu/SiO₂ and NiCuMo/SiO₂

The regularities of thermocatalytic transformation of pine ethanol lignin in supercritical ethanol in the presence of catalysts NiCu/SiO₂ and NiCuMo/SiO2 in the temperature range 250–400 °C were established. The composition and structure of ethanol lignin, liquid and solid products of its conversion were studied by methods of elemental analysis and gel-permeating chromatography (GPC). The composition of gaseous products – by method of gas chromatography. At the process temperature of 250 °C the catalysts do not have a significant effect on conversion of ethanol lignin. The maximal yield of liquid products (83.5 wt. %) was obtained at temperature 300 °C in the presence of catalyst NiCuMo/SiO₂ containing 8.8 wt. % of molybdenum. At temperature 350 °C NiCu/SiO₂ and NiCuMo/SiO2 catalysts contribute to the almost complete conversion of ethanol lignin into liquid and gaseous products, and the yield of solid products does not exceed 1 wt. %. In liquid products of catalytic conversion there is a decrease in the atomic ratio of O/C and the increase of H/C atomic ratio as compared to initial ethanol lignin due to catalytic intensification of reactions of deoxygenation and hydrogenation of lignin and products of its depolymerization. According to GPC data on the curves of molecular mass distribution (MMD) of liquid products of thermocatalytic conversion of ethanol lignin at 300 °C there are peaks with highs at 160 and 380 Da, probably related to guiacyle monomers and dimmers, respectively. From the comparison of MMD of liquid products obtained by ethanol lignin depolymerization at 300 °C over catalysts NiCu/SiO₂ and NiCuMo/SiO₂ it follows, that the introduction of molybdenum in the catalyst promotes the formation of monomeric guaiacyl products

Raman study of mixed solutions of methanol and ethanol

Methanol and ethanol are the simplest alcohols, which are widely used in industrial and medical fields, and even in daily life, we are often exposed to them because the basic component of various wines is ethanol, but the so-called “fake wine” is often accompanied by some methanol components. Here, in order to establish a method for measuring the concentration of methanol using Raman spectroscopy, the laser Raman method was used to study Raman spectroscopy of methanol and ethanol liquid samples. The research results show that due to the difference in the chemical structure, the Raman spectra of ethanol and methanol have significantly different characteristics. This study indicates that the 2840.2 cm−1 Raman shift is the main spectral basis for the detection of methanol; for ethanol, 888 cm−1, 1054.7 cm−1, and 1287.3 cm−1 are the most characteristic ones, and the identification of methanol in various liquid phases has certain practical value.

Impact of Statistical Fluctuations on High Harmonic Generation in Liquids.

High harmonic generation (HHG) from gases and solids has been studied extensively. Whereas for liquids, it is far more challenging to understand the ultrafast dynamics with conventional methods. From a statistical perspective, we investigate the liquid-phase HHG theoretically by using a disordered linear chain. Our results reveal that (i)the harmonic spectra are characterized by a transition energy that separates the spectra into a low-energy region containing only odd harmonics and a high-energy region containing both even and odd harmonics with low yields; (ii)the transition energy depends on the fluctuation of structure and the field strength, but independent of the laser wavelength; (iii)the occurrence of dephasing is a natural result of the electron dynamics modulated by the long-range disorder. Furthermore, a simple formula is proposed to identify the transition energy, from which we correctly reproduce the experimental cutoff energies of HHG from liquid ethanol. Our results pave the way to better understand and control the HHG in liquids as another compact HHG source.

Synergistic effect of mesoporous metal oxides and PtO2 nanoparticles in aerobic oxidation of ethanol and ionic liquid induced acetaldehyde selectivity

We report on the catalytic performance of mesoporous metal oxides (MMOs) as catalysts and as potential supports for platinum (Pt) nanoparticles in aerobic oxidation of ethanol. Synthesis of MMOs was achieved through the hard-template method and the resulting MMOs resembled the 3-D structure of the templating KIT-6. The Pt nanoparticles were templated and stabilized using poly(amidoamide), PAMAM, dendrimer to achieve dendrimer-encapsulated Pt nanoparticles (Pt-DENs) with an average size of 3.5 ± 0.4 nm. All the components of the catalysts (Pt-DENs and MMOs) were first characterized separately and thereafter, followed the preparation of MMO-immobilized Pt nanoparticles. Upon characterization of the MMO-immobilized Pt nanoparticles, the Pt nanoparticle size increased as determined from hydrogen-chemisorption and organothiol-adsorption technique. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that Pt has an oxidation state of 4+ after removal of the dendrimer at 550 °C signifying an oxide state (PtO2). The hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR) revealed a change in electronic structure of MMOs as reduction peaks shifted to lower temperatures upon immobilization of PtO2 nanoparticles. This change in electronic structure of the mesoporous metal oxides upon immobilization of PtO2 nanoparticles is found to be one of the reasons for enhanced catalytic activity. Improved selectivity towards acetaldehyde was induced by introduction of an ionic liquid layer in a solid catalyst with ionic liquid layer, SCILL concept. Furthermore, the amount of ionic liquid coating plays a pivotal role in impacting selectivity and has an impact in the reaction turnover frequency.

Optical and dielectric analysis of ZnO nanorods doped polymer dispersed liquid crystal and ethanol gas sensing investigation

ABSTRACT The spectra and dielectric properties of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal films doped with different concentrations of ZnO nanorods were studied. The scanning electron microscopy images show that doping ZnO nanorod concentration can increase the size of liquid crystal droplets to microscale. The absorption spectra of the films also show that the edge of the absorption band of the composite system moves towards high energy with the increase of the concentration of ZnO nanorods. On the other hand, the investigation results show that the dielectric constant and loss increase with the increase of doping concentration from 4 Hz-1 MHz. Further analysis of the Cole–Cole diagram fitted by Havriliak-Negami equation shows that there are three relaxation processes. The improvement of dielectric strength and relaxation frequency of nanocomposites was observed at low frequencies of 100 Hz. A threefold reduce in relaxation time for the doped sample (0.5 wt.%) was obtained compared with that of pure sample without doping. In addition, the studies show that the temperature has a great influence on the activation energy of materials, which have a slight increase (~5°C) in transition temperature of liquid crystals. Practically, in ethanol gas sensing experiment, the results show the value of permittivity increases and impedance decreases.

Cis-4-[18F]fluoro-L-proline Molecular Imaging Experimental Liver Fibrosis.

Introduction: Early-stage liver fibrosis is potentially reversible, but difficult to diagnose. Clinical management would be enhanced by the development of a non-invasive imaging technique able to identify hepatic injury early, before end-stage fibrosis ensues. The analog of the amino acid proline, cis-4-[18F]fluoro-L-proline ([18F]fluoro-proline), which targets collagenogenesis in hepatic stellate cells (HSC), was used to detect fibrosis.Methods: Acute steatohepatitis was induced in experimental animals by liquid ethanol diet for 8 weeks, intra-gastric binge feedings every 10th day along with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection. The control animals received control diet for 8 weeks and an equivalent volume of saline on the same schedule as the acute steatohepatitis model. First, in vitro cellular experiments were carried out to assess [3H]proline uptake by HSC, hepatocytes and Kupffer cells derived from rats with acute steatohepatitis (n = 14) and controls (n = 14). Next, ex vivo liver experiments were done to investigate unlabeled proline-mediated collagen synthesis and its associated proline transporter expression in acute steatohepatitis (n = 5) and controls (n = 5). Last, in vivo dynamic and static [18F]fluoro-proline micro-PET/CT imaging was performed in animal models of acute steatohepatitis (n = 7) and control (n = 7) mice.Results: [3H]proline uptake was 5-fold higher in the HSCs of steatohepatitis rats than controls after incubation of up to 60 min. There was an excellent correlation between [3H]proline uptake and liver collagen expression (r-value > 0.90, p < 0.05). Subsequent liver tissue studies demonstrated 2–3-fold higher proline transporter expression in acute steatohepatitis animals than in controls, and proline-related collagen synthesis was blocked by this transporter inhibitor. In vivo micro-PET/CT studies with [18F]fluoro-proline showed 2–3-fold higher uptake in the livers of acute steatohepatitis mice than in controls. There was an excellent correlation between [18F]fluoro-proline uptake and liver collagen expression in the livers of acute steatohepatitis mice (r-value = 0.97, p < 0.001).Conclusion: [18F]fluoro-proline localizes in the liver and correlates with collagenogenesis in acute steatohepatitis with a signal intensity that is sufficiently high to allow imaging with micro-PET/CT. Thus, [18F]fluoro-proline could serve as a PET imaging biomarker for detecting early-stage liver fibrosis.

Nanoasperity Adhesion of the Silicon Surface in Humid Air: The Roles of Surface Chemistry and Oxidized Layer Structures.

The interfacial adhesion between silicon oxide surfaces is normally believed to be governed by the surface chemistry of the topmost surface affecting the water contact angle and hydrogen bonding interactions. In the case of a silicon wafer, the physical structure of the native oxide at the surface can vary drastically depending on the aging process; thus, not only the surface chemistry but also the history of surface treatment can also have a profound impact on nanoasperity adhesion. This study reports the effect of aging conditions (ambient air, liquid water, and liquid ethanol) on the nanoasperity adhesion behaviors of a silicon surface. When the silicon surface is kept in liquid alcohol, the surface remains hydrophobic, and adhesion in ambient air can be explained with the capillary effect of the liquid meniscus condensed around the annulus of the nanoasperity contact. When the silicon surface is oxidized in ambient air, the surface gradually becomes hydrophilic, and the strongly hydrogen-bonded water network of adsorbed water plays a dominant role in the nanoasperity interfacial adhesion force. When the silicon surface is aged in liquid water, the interfacial adhesion force measured in ambient air is significantly larger than the value predicted from the theoretical model based on the water contact angle and the hydrogen bonding interaction at the topmost surface. This is because the surface layer oxidized in liquid water is gel-like and thus can swell upon uptake of water from the humid air. To fully encompass all these behaviors, a solid-adsorbate-solid model predicting the adhesion force is developed by introducing a fitting parameter β, which can be adjusted depending on the adsorbed water structure and the swelling capacity of the oxidized surface layer.

Extraction of tannin from garlic skins by using microwave with ethanol as solvent

Tannins are phenolic compounds which have benefits as an anti-oxidant, anti-diarrhea, anti-bacterial and astringent. This study aims to determine the tannin content and antioxidant activity of garlic skins by microwave assisted extraction method. In this research, ethanol is used as solvent and the various experimental consist of 1:6 g/ml, 1:8 g/ml and 1:10 g/ml of garlic skin (solid) to ethanol (liquid) ratio; 30 s, 60 s, 120 s, 180 s and 240 s of extraction time; and 100 W and 180 W of microwave power. The tannin content of garlic skins is determined with Folin-Ciocalteu method. The antioxidant activity of garlic skins is evaluated with DPPH method. The results showed that extraction conditions had significant effect on the extraction content of tannin compounds, and the optimum condition is found at solid to liquid ratio of 1:8; extraction time of 180 s and microwave power of 100 W. Tannin content under this condition is about 1.77% and the antioxidant activity index of garlic skin extract is 1.994. The results showed that microwave-assisted extraction method is suitable and effective to extract tannin from garlic skin.

Microbottle-Resonator Ethanol Liquid Sensor

This investigation studies the use microbottle resonator (MBR) as ethanol liquid sensor. This resonator made-up from silica fiber SMF28 using process recognized as “soften- and-compress” to form bottle structure with a diaphragm diameter Db = 170μm, stem diameter of Ds = 125μm and bottle length Lb = 180μm. The MBR characterized by via 3μm tapered microfiber and bright to have >104 for the quality factor value (Q-factor). The MBR was formerly used as ethanol liquid sensor for the range between 10% to 100% and compared with non-MBR microfiber for wide-ranging performance. The MBR sensor was initiate to have a sensitivity 0.1756 dB/%ppm with linearity 99.28% and standard deviation of 3.355 dB, which was exceptional compare to the non-MBR microfiber in all limitation measured.

Speed of sound for ethanol in vicinity of the critical point from Rayleigh-Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy

The speed of sound in ethanol was measured in liquid, near-critical and supercritical fluid over the temperature range from (298.52–655.67) K along five isobaric lines from (0.1–9.0) MPa from Rayleigh-Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy. The expanded relative uncertainty for the reported speed of sound is estimated to be 1.3% with the level of confidence of 0.95 (coverage factor k = 2). The correlation for experimental speeds of sound in liquid ethanol are presented, and the averaged absolute percentage deviation between the calculated values and literature data is 0.16%. The variation tendencies of the speed of sound in ethanol with increasing temperature and pressure were illustrated over the whole investigated p-T region. The accuracy of the three fundamental equations available in the NIST Standard Reference Database 23 were assessed by the experimental speeds of sound in ethanol.

Development of Electronic Nose for Qualitative and Quantitative Monitoring of Volatile Flammable Liquids.

A real-time electric nose (E-nose) with a metal oxide sensor (MOS) array was developed to monitor 5 highly flammable liquids (ethanol, tetrahydrofuran, turpentine, lacquer thinner, and gasoline) in this work. We found that temperature had a significant impact on the test results and temperature control could efficiently improve the performance of our E-nose. The results of our qualitative analysis showed that principal component analysis (PCA) could not efficiently distinguish these samples compared to a back-propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) which had a 100% accuracy rate on the test samples. Quantitative analysis was performed by regression analysis and the average errors were 9.1%–18.4%. In addition, through anti-interference training, the E-nose could filter out the potential false alarm caused by mosquito repellent, perfume and hair jelly.

Determination of manganese in human urine by dispersive ionic liquid-liquid microextraction-graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Objective: To establish a method for the determination of manganese in urine with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) by using ionic liquid microextraction. Methods: The ethanol, 8-hydroxyquinoline and ionic liquid 1-octyl-3-methyl-imidazolium hexafluorophosphate were used as dispersive solvent, chelating agent and extraction solvent respectively, for the preconcentration of manganese. After the optimal extraction conditions were optimized by single factor rotations, evaluate the performance indicators such as methodological precision, accuracy, and detection limit. Results: The linear range of urine manganese was 0.0-1.6 μg/L, and the correlation coefficient of standard curve line was 0.992, the detection limit was 0.03 μg/L, the recovery of sample spiked was 84.90%-96.50%, and the relative standard deviation was 0.36%-1.84%. Conclusion: The method has the advantages of low detection limit, high recovery rate and high sensitivity. It is suitable for the determination of manganese in urine samples from occupational exposure populations and the general population.

New Approach to Simultaneous In Situ Measurements of the Air/Liquid/Solid Interface Using PM-IRRAS.

Vibrational spectroscopy techniques have evolved to measure gases, liquids, and solids at surfaces and interfaces. In the field of surface-sensitive vibrational spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy measures the adsorption on surfaces and changes from reactions. Previous polarized modulated-infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) measurements at the gas/solid interface were developed to observe catalytic reactions near reaction conditions. Other PM-IRRAS measurements use liquid cells where the sample is submerged and compressed against a prism that has traditionally been used for electrochemical reactions. This article presents a new method that is used to observe in situ adsorption of molecules using PM-IRRAS at the gas/liquid/solid interface. We demonstrate the meniscus method by measuring the adsorption of octadecanethiol on gold surfaces. Characterization of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), the "gold standard" for PM-IRRAS calibration measurements, was measured in ethanol solutions. The condensed-phase (air/liquid) interface in addition to the liquid/solid interface was measured simultaneously in solution. These are compared with liquid attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy measurements to confirm the presence of the SAM and liquid ethanol. A model of the three-phase system is used to approximate the thickness of the liquid ethanol layer and correlate these values to signal attenuation using PM-IRRAS. This proof-of-concept study enables the measurement of reactions at the gas/liquid/solid interface that could be adapted for other reactions at the electrode and electrolyte interfaces with applications in environmental science and heterogeneous catalysis.

Experimental study on the influence of obstacle aspect ratio on ethanol liquid vapor deflagration in a narrow channel

A series of experimental tests were conducted in a narrow obstructed channel to investigate the influence of obstacle distribution mode (unilateral and bilaterally symmetrical distribution) and obstacle aspect ratio (the width-to-height ratio in flame propagation direction) on vapor deflagration. Rectangular obstacles with different aspect ratios 0.9–2.1 were used. The flame propagation speed, flame front structure, overpressure and local temperature near obstacles were recorded and analyzed. The results indicated that different obstacle distribution modes would not fundamentally alter the propagation mechanism of deflagration flame and overpressure. The shear action of obstacle edges and the confined space structural form between the obstacle and the channel boundaries both exerted a significant effect on deflagration flame propagation. And two acceleration stages existed in the deflagration, and the flame speed peaks appeared above obstacle and near the channel portal, respectively. Specifically, when aspect ratio was 1.8, the maximum flame speed peaked to 102.5 m/s. Moreover, obstacle aspect ratio has shown a significant influence on flame front, and the flame front structure experienced complex changes as it passed through obstacle. What's more, an interesting reverse flame phenomenon was observed, which resulted in a larger area of violent flame combustion. The maximum length of reverse flame decreased firstly and then increased with the increase of obstacle aspect ratio, which probably ascribed to the inertial force of fluid. Accordingly, a simple empirical equation was proposed to predict the reverse flame length during flame propagation in the narrow obstructed channel. This equation performs well in prediction of reverse flame length in current application range. Meanwhile, the local temperature peak is closely related to the local deflagration reaction intensity affected by obstacle aspect ratio. In addition, it is also found that the deflagration overpressure and flame propagation involved the obvious coupling mechanism. Deflagration overpressure and flame speed reached peaks almost simultaneously. This coupling mechanism could significantly expend the impact range of deflagration.

Plasma-enabled liquid ethanol conversion for hydrogen production: discharge characteristics and process control

Recent years have witnessed successful applications of non-thermal plasmas (NTPs) as efficient and flexible tools for direct conversion of liquid alcohols into higher-value energy carriers at mild or even near-room-temperature conditions. Better understanding of the fundamental physical properties of the liquid alcohol discharges is needed for development and optimization of NTP-based applications. Here we investigate the discharge characteristics of a plasma-based liquid ethanol conversion under different process parameters and reveal the general trends of the discharge behavior. Two discharge modes, namely the self-pulsed and direct current (DC) modes, are sustained during the in-liquid discharge. These two modes can be easily interchanged and flexibly controlled by adjusting the processing parameters. The behavior of the bubbles generated during the discharge plays an important role in the transition between the discharge modes. When the discharge is sustained with the diffusion and floating of the bubbles, the DC mode is observed. Otherwise, the discharge develops into the pulse mode. The production rates and composition of the gaseous products are also shown to depend on the discharge modes.

High-sensitivity temperature and magnetic sensor based on magnetic fluid and liquid ethanol filled micro-structured optical fiber

Abstract A high sensitivity temperature and magnetic sensor based on the micro-structured optical fiber (MOF) is proposed. According to the coupled-mode theory, by filling magnetic fluid and liquid ethanol in some air holes of the micro-structured fiber, the resonant wavelength (λR) is calculated. The drift of λR which reflects the changes in magnetic fields and temperatures is obtained. The results show that the sensor possesses high magnetic field and temperature sensitivity, which can reach 18.37 nm/Oe and 113.1 nm/°C respectively under certain temperature and magnetic field conditions. It provides some theoretical and technical support for the research of temperature and magnetic field precision sensor, to develop new research methods and ideas for fiber optic sensors, and to provide broader application prospects for devices based on micro-structured optical fiber.