Service Orientation and the Smart Grid state and trends

The energy market is undergoing major changes, the most notable of which is the transition from a hierarchical closed system toward a more open one highly based on a “smart” information-rich infrastructure. This transition calls for new information and communication technologies infrastructures and standards to support it. In this paper, we review the current state of affairs and the actual technologies with respect to such transition. Additionally, we highlight the contact points between the needs of the future grid and the advantages brought by service-oriented architectures.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles with tunable pore size for tailored gold nanoparticles

The aim of this paper was to verify a possible correlation between the pore-size of meso- porous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) and the sizes of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) obtained by an impreg- nation of gold(III) chloride hydrate solution in the MSNs, followed by a specific thermal treatment. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles with tunable pore diameter were synthesized via a surfactant-assisted method. Tetraethoxysilane as silica precursor, cetyl- trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as surfactant and toluene as swelling agent were used. By varying the CTAB–toluene molar ratio, the average dimension of the pores could be tuned from 2.8 to 5.5 nm. Successively, thiol groups were grafted on the surface of the MSNs. Finally, the thermal evolution of the gold salt, followed by ‘‘in situ’’ X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), revealed an evident correlation among the degradation of the thiol groups, the pore dimension of the MSNs and the size of the AuNPs. The samples were characterized by means of nitrogen adsorption– desorption, transmission electron microscopy, small- angle X-ray scattering, XRPD ‘‘in situ’’ by synchro- tron radiation, and ‘‘ex situ’’ by conventional tech- niques, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, and TGA

BANKING REFORM IN ASIA: A PROGRESS REPORT

This article surveys and quantifies the progress made by five Asian economies during the period 1997-1999 in the reform and restructuring of their banking systems, paying particular attention to the very different circumstances and policy solutions in each of them. It develops a simple and objective scoring system of the progress achieved-one that puts South Korea at the top, Japan and Malaysia in the middle, and Thailand and Indonesia at the bottom. The relative success achieved in South Korea and Malaysia is attributed in part to their establishment of "Asset Management Corporations," bodies charged with buying non-performing loans, managing (and in some cases restructuring) the assets underlying the loans, and eventually reselling the loans. This practice has allowed for a more direct approach to corporate restructuring. 1999 Morgan Stanley.

Evolution of the Nonionic Inverse Microemulsion-Acid-TEOS System during the Synthesis of Nanosized Silica via the Sol-Gel Process

The cyclohexane-igepal inverse microemulsion, comprehensively established for the synthesis of silica nanoparticles in an ammonia-catalyzed sol-gel process, was alternatively studied with an acid-catalyzed sol-gel process. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was used as the silica precursor, while two different aqueous phases containing either HNO3 or HCl at two different concentrations, 0.1 and 0.05 M, were examined in the presence and in the absence of NaF, a catalyst of the condensation step. The evolution of the overall reacting system, specifically hydrolysis and polycondensation of reaction intermediates, was monitored in situ by time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering. No size variation of the inverse micelles was detected throughout the sol-gel process. Conversely, the density of the micellar core increased after a certain time interval, indicating the presence of the polycondensation product. The IR spectra of the reacting mixture were in agreement with such a hypothesis. 1Hand 13CNMRmeasurements provided information on the soluble species, the surfactant, and TEOS. The TEOS consumption was well fitted by means of an exponential decay, suggesting that a first-order kinetics for TEOS transpires in the various systems examined, with rate constants dependent not only on the acid concentration but also on its nature (anion specific effect), on the presence of NaF, and on the amount of water in the core of the inverse micelle. The self-diffusion coefficients, determined by means of PGSTE NMR, proved that a sizable amount of the byproduct ethanol was partitioned inside the inverse micelles. Characterization of the final product was carried out by means of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which concurrently confirmed that the silica isolated from the inverse nonionic microemulsion is not significantly different from the product of a bulk acid-catalyzed sol-gel synthesis. TEM micrographs illustrated particles with diameters smaller than the diameter of the inverse micelles as determined by SAXS, due to a shrinkage effect, in addition to nanostructured aggregates in the range 20-100 nm

Synthesis and optical properties of sub-micron sized rare earth-doped zirconia particles

Sub-micron sized crystalline particles of Eu3+ and Er3+-doped zirconia (ZrO2) were prepared via a wet chemical sol–gel route and post synthesis annealing. The doping was achieved by introduction of the respective rare earth salts into the zirconia precursor solution, with insitu generation of sodium chloride for stabilization of the particle surface during growth. A series of materials with differing europium content, nominally 0.3, 3 and 6 mol% within the ZrO2 lattice, were prepared for respective comparison and characterization of their optical properties following annealing at 700 °C. Average emission lifetimes of up to 2.3 ms were observed for the Eu3+-doped particles. Particle sizes, approximated from SEM micrographs, were observed in the range 250–400 nm. The synthesis of Er3+-doped ZrO2 particles (0.5 mol%) produced 300 nm sized particles which exhibited emission in the visible and infrared regions after annealing at 1000 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) with Rietveld analysis for phase quantification, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra were used to characterize the samples

Evolution of the Nonionic Inverse Microemulsion−Acid−TEOS System during the Synthesis of Nanosized Silica via the Sol−Gel Process

The cyclohexane−igepal inverse microemulsion, comprehensively established for the synthesis of silica nanoparticles in an ammonia-catalyzed sol−gel process, was alternatively studied with an acid-catalyzed sol−gel process. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was used as the silica precursor, while two different aqueous phases containing either HNO3 or HCl at two different concentrations, 0.1 and 0.05 M, were examined in the presence and in the absence of NaF, a catalyst of the condensation step. The evolution of the overall reacting system, specifically hydrolysis and polycondensation of reaction intermediates, was monitored in situ by time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering. No size variation of the inverse micelles was detected throughout the sol−gel process. Conversely, the density of the micellar core increased after a certain time interval, indicating the presence of the polycondensation product. The IR spectra of the reacting mixture were in agreement with such a hypothesis. 1H and 13C NMR measurements provided information on the soluble species, the surfactant, and TEOS. The TEOS consumption was well fitted by means of an exponential decay, suggesting that a first-order kinetics for TEOS transpires in the various systems examined, with rate constants dependent not only on the acid concentration but also on its nature (anion specific effect), on the presence of NaF, and on the amount of water in the core of the inverse micelle. The self-diffusion coefficients, determined by means of PGSTE NMR, proved that a sizable amount of the byproduct ethanol was partitioned inside the inverse micelles. Characterization of the final product was carried out by means of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which concurrently confirmed that the silica isolated from the inverse nonionic microemulsion is not significantly different from the product of a bulk acid-catalyzed sol−gel synthesis. TEM micrographs illustrated particles with diameters smaller than the diameter of the inverse micelles as determined by SAXS, due to a shrinkage effect, in addition to nanostructured aggregates in the range 20−100 nm

Structural and photoluminescence properties of ZrO2:Eu3+ @ SiO2 nanophosphors as a function of annealing temperature

The synthesis, morphology and luminescence properties of two systems comprising luminescent Eu3+-doped zirconium oxide nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous silica matrix are reported. The two systems, prepared with the same overall wt% composition of silica (75%) and EuxZr(1−x)O(2−x/2) solid solution (25%), have been annealed in the range 135–1000 °C and subsequently functionalized with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane. Detailed X-ray diffraction analyses and transmission electron micrographs, combined with infrared spectroscopy and luminescence spectroscopy data, have been used to demonstrate the influence of annealing temperature on the: (i) nanostructure, (ii) luminescence properties and (iii) availability of superficial –OH groups for efficient surface functionalization. The optimum calcination temperature was found to be 700 °C for each series in terms of luminescence lifetime efficiency and post-functionalization efficiency with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane

Structural and luminescence properties of europium(III)-doped zirconium carbonates and silica-supported Eu3+-doped zirconium carbonate nanoparticles

The synthesis, morphology and luminescence properties of europium(III)-doped zirconium carbonates prepared as bulk materials and as silica-supported nanoparticles with differing calcination treatments are reported. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses have, respectively, been used to study the morphology and to quantify the atomic amount of europium present in the optically active phases of the variously prepared nanomaterials. Rietveld analysis was used to quantify the constituting phases and to determinate the europium content. Silica particles with an approximate size of 30 nm were coated with 2 nm carbonate nanoparticles, prepared in situ on the surface of the silica core. Luminescence measurements revealed the role of different preparation methods and of europium-doping quantities on the optical properties observed