Proportion Of Bi Research Articles

Enhancing the Tribological Performance of MoS$$_2$$ Coatings in Humid Environments with the Addition of Bi$$_2$$S$$_3$$

The present work investigates the friction and wear properties of composite Bi\(_2\)S\(_3\)–MoS\(_2\) soft coatings under different humidity levels. To achieve this goal, suspensions containing different proportions of Bi\(_2\)S\(_3\) and MoS\(_2\) were sprayed onto polished SAE 1010 steel substrates to generate soft lubricating coatings. The coatings were subjected to reciprocating sliding tribological tests in air at different humidity levels, between 20 and 80%. Additionally, the formation of tribofilms in dry conditions was evaluated by means of reciprocating tests with increasing total sliding distances. The resulting wear surfaces were analyzed using SEM-EDS, Raman microspectroscopy, and laser confocal microscopy. The frictional behavior of the composite coatings was more stable than that of neat ones. The addition of Bi\(_2\)S\(_3\) to MoS\(_2\) greatly enhanced the durability of the coatings at all the tested humidity levels, reaching up to a 760% increase in their durabilities. This effect depended on the humidity level and the ratio between Bi\(_2\)S\(_3\) and MoS\(_2\).

An Experimental Study of the Failure Mode of ZnO Varistors Under Multiple Lightning Strokes

In this study, in order to explore the failure mode of ZnO varistors under multiple lightning strokes, a five-pulse 8/20 μs nominal lightning current with pulse intervals of 50 ms was applied to ZnO varistors. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) were used to analyze the microstructure of the material. The failure processes of ZnO varistors caused by multiple lightning impulse currents were described. The performance changes of ZnO varistors after multiple lightning impulses were analyzed from both macro and micro perspectives. According to the results of this study’s experiments, the macroscopic failure mode of ZnO varistors after multiple lightning impulses involved the rapid deterioration of the electrical parameters with the increase of the number of impulse groups, until destruction occurred by side-corner cracking. The microstructural examination indicated that, after the multiple lightning strokes, the proportion of Bi in the crystal phases was altered, the grain size of the ZnO varistors became smaller, and the white intergranular phase (Bi-rich grain boundary layer) increased significantly. The failure mechanism was thermal damage and grain boundary structure damage caused by temperature gradient thermal stress, generated by multiple lightning currents.

Correlation between main structural group parameters of crude oils of the Volga–Urals oil and gas basin by 1H and 13C NMR data

In Volga−Urals crude oils, an increase in the aromatics content is characterized by a rapid increase in the relative amount of polysubstituted aromatic rings and a generally lower proportion of bi- and polycyclic aromatics, unlike the case of Western Siberia oils. The difference between the oil and gas basins is most probably due to the special features of the source organic matter of the oils. The regional features of the Volga−Urals oils are a relatively weak relationship between the concentrations of mono- and bi- + polycyclic aromatics and a relatively close relation of Σn-Alk to typically uninformative parameter Hβ, which indicate a high uniformity of the composition of saturated cyclic compounds and moieties of hybrid naphthenoaromatic components. In addition, the assumption that (H/C)ar/(H/C)al = const does not hold for Volga−Urals oils. However, the relationships between the main parameters describing total aromaticity (primarily, Car, Har) and n-alkyl structures (primarily, Σn-Alk) are identical for oils from both the basins. The total number of relationships that can be universal for oils from different oil-and-gas basins is fifteen. To estimate Car from 1H NMR data for Volga−Urals crude oils, a linear dependence on the two variables Har and Hα should be used. The expressions obtained to relate the structural-group parameters have made it possible to reveal a number of oils that stands out among the others.

IMPACT OF Zn SUBSTITUTION ON PHASE FORMATION AND SUPERCONDUCTIVITY OF Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3-xZnxO10-δ WITH x = 0.0, 0.015, 0.03, 0.06, 0.09 AND 0.12

Samples of series Bi 1.6 Pb 0.4 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3-x Zn x O 10-δ with x = 0.0, 0.015, 0.03, 0.06, 0.09 and 0.12 are synthesized by solid-state reaction route. All the samples crystallize in tetragonal structure with majority (> 90%) of Bi -2223( Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10) phase (c-lattice parameter ~ 36 Å). The proportion of Bi -2223 phase decreases slightly with an increase in x. The lattice parameters a and c of main phase ( Bi -2223) do not change significantly with increasing x. Superconducting critical transition temperature (Tc) decreases with x as evidenced by both resistivity [ρ(T)] and ac magnetic susceptibility [χ(T)] measurements. Interestingly the decrement of Tc is not monotonic and the same saturates at around 96 K for x > 0.06. In fact Tc decreases fast (~ 10 K/at%) for x = 0.015 and 0.03 samples and later nearly saturates for higher x values. Present results of Zn doping in Bi -2223 system are compared with other Zn -doped HTSC (high temperature superconducting) systems, namely the RE -123 ( REBa 2 Cu 3 O 7) and La -214 (( La, Sr )2 CuO 4).

Oxidative dehydrodimerisation and aromatisation of isobutene on Bi 2O 3-SnO 2 catalysts

A Bi 2O 3-SnO 2 system had been chosen to study the oxidative dehydrodimerisation and aromatisation of isobutene. Two different types of catalysts were prepared. One consisted of simple mechanical mixtures of the two oxides in different proportions of Bi:Sn from 0.1:1 to 10:1 and the other of co-precipitates in the same proportion of Bi:Sn. After calcination at 750 °C, the co-precipitates were mainly composed of Bi 2Sn 2O 7, Bi 2O 3, SnO 2 while the mechanical mixtures were composed of Bi 2O 3 and SnO 2 only. Catalytic testing was performed with all samples including the single oxides and it has been found that intermediate compositions of the two oxides were much better than the two single oxides both in activity and in selectivity to dimer (dimethyl hexadiene, DMH 2=) and aromatics ( p-xylene). All mixed samples behaved quite similarly with the Sn-rich samples being slightly better. Characterisation of the catalysts by H 2-TPR, XRD and EDX-HRTEM after reaction showed that all systems turned into a heterogeneous mixture of Bi 2O 3, SnO 2 and a very small amount of Bi 2Sn 2O 7 and that the Bi 2O 3 component is more reducible in the presence of SnO 2. This accounted for the similarity in their catalytic behaviour as this change was very rapid, i.e. within the first 5 min of reaction. It is suggested that very small particles of Bi 2Sn 2O 7 or simply the very close interaction between the two oxides is the cause of activity and selectivity to DMH 2= and p-xylene.

Structure, mapping, and expression of erp, a growth factor-inducible gene encoding a nontransmembrane protein tyrosine phosphatase, and effect of ERP on cell growth.

We have characterized a growth factor-inducible gene, erp, and demonstrated that it encodes a 367-amino-acid nontransmembrane tyrosine phosphatase protein with significant similarity to the vaccinia virus H1 protein. Immunoprecipitation analyses show that the erp protein, ERP, is rapidly induced following serum stimulation of quiescent fibroblasts. ERP has been expressed as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase and shown to have tyrosine as well as serine protein phosphatase activity. The enzymatic activity of ERP depends on the presence of reducing agents such as dithiothreitol, and its tyrosine phosphatase activity is inhibited by sodium vanadate, a potent inhibitor of protein tyrosine phosphatases. The number of stable NIH 3T3 clones obtained after transfection with a vector expressing the complete ERP protein is reduced more than 90% compared with that after transfection with a vector expressing a mutated inactive ERP protein. The remaining ERP-expressing clones present a significant increase in the proportion of bi- and multinucleated cells and a decrease in proliferation rate. Studies on the genomic structure reveal that the erp transcription unit is 2.8 kbp long and split into four exons. The erp gene maps to the 17A2-17C region of the murine genome. Our results demonstrate that the protein product of the immediate-early gene erp has a negative effect on cell proliferation.

Structure, Mapping, and Expression of erp, a Growth Factor-Inducible Gene Encoding a Nontransmembrane Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, and Effect of ERP on Cell Growth

We have characterized a growth factor-inducible gene, erp, and demonstrated that it encodes a 367-amino-acid nontransmembrane tyrosine phosphatase protein with significant similarity to the vaccinia virus H1 protein. Immunoprecipitation analyses show that the erp protein, ERP, is rapidly induced following serum stimulation of quiescent fibroblasts. ERP has been expressed as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase and shown to have tyrosine as well as serine protein phosphatase activity. The enzymatic activity of ERP depends on the presence of reducing agents such as dithiothreitol, and its tyrosine phosphatase activity is inhibited by sodium vanadate, a potent inhibitor of protein tyrosine phosphatases. The number of stable NIH 3T3 clones obtained after transfection with a vector expressing the complete ERP protein is reduced more than 90% compared with that after transfection with a vector expressing a mutated inactive ERP protein. The remaining ERP-expressing clones present a significant increase in the proportion of bi- and multinucleated cells and a decrease in proliferation rate. Studies on the genomic structure reveal that the erp transcription unit is 2.8 kbp long and split into four exons. The erp gene maps to the 17A2-17C region of the murine genome. Our results demonstrate that the protein product of the immediate-early gene erp has a negative effect on cell proliferation.

Analysis of the five glycosylation sites of human alpha 1-acid glycoprotein.

Orosomucoid (OMD) contains complex bi-, tri- and tetra-antennary glycan chains. Subfractionation of OMD into three molecular variants using concanavalin A lectin chromatography is based on variations in these complex structures. Standard h.p.l.c. profiles have been developed to analyse the percentage and distribution of the glycoforms present at each glycosylation site in OMD and its molecular variants. The ability to quantify the glycoforms present at each site allows us to extend the earlier results of others and resolve the remaining questions concerning the glycan structures of these variants. Most significantly, the proportions of bi-, tri- and tetra-antennary chains differ at each site for the three molecular variants. The most strongly retained variant from concanavalin A is uniquely capable of possessing biantennary chains at all five sites, whereas the unretained variant is completely devoid of biantennary chains. Only glycosylation site II of the five present is 100% biantennary in the retained and weakly retained variants. In addition, the two gene products of OMD were differentially glycosylated. Molecular masses of the glycoforms were verified by matrix-assisted u.v. laser desorption mass spectrometry. On the basis of the site distribution of oligosaccharides in the variants, efforts were made to understand the factors that control the processing of the carbohydrate chains in OMD. The results indicate that the 'site-directed' model of processing offers the most consistent explanation for the structures seen at the individual glycosylation sites of OMD.