64 research outputs found
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The application of soft X-ray microscopy to the in-situ analysis of sporopollenin/sporinite in a rank variable suite of organic rich sediments
Soft X-ray imaging and carbon near edge absorption fine structure spectroscopy (C-NEXAFS) has been used for the in-situ analysis of sporinite in a rank variable suite of organic rich sediments extending from recent up to high volatile A bituminous coal. The acquisition of chemically based images (contrast based on the 1s - 1{pi}* transition of unsaturated carbon), revealed a homogeneous chemical structure in the spore exine. C-NEXAFS microanalysis indicates chemical structural evolution in sporopollenin/sporinite with increases in maturation. The most significant change in the C-NEXAFS spectrum is an increase in unsaturated carbon, presumably aromatic, with rank. The rate of aromatization in sporinite exceeds that of the surrounding vitrinite. Increases in the concentration of unsaturated carbon are compensated by losses of aliphatic and hydroxylated aliphatic carbon components. Carboxyl groups are present in low and variable concentrations. Absorption due to carboxyl persists in the most mature specimen in this series, a high volatile A rank coal. The reactions which drive sporopollenin chemical structural evolution during diagenesis presumably involve dehydration, Diels-Alder cyclo-addition, and dehydrogenation reactions which ultimately lead to a progressively aromatized bio/geopolymer
Experimental investigation of the bonding of sulfur in highly reduced silicate glasses and melts
peer reviewe
Galaxy bulges and their massive black holes: a review
With references to both key and oft-forgotten pioneering works, this article
starts by presenting a review into how we came to believe in the existence of
massive black holes at the centres of galaxies. It then presents the historical
development of the near-linear (black hole)-(host spheroid) mass relation,
before explaining why this has recently been dramatically revised. Past
disagreement over the slope of the (black hole)-(velocity dispersion) relation
is also explained, and the discovery of sub-structure within the (black
hole)-(velocity dispersion) diagram is discussed. As the search for the
fundamental connection between massive black holes and their host galaxies
continues, the competing array of additional black hole mass scaling relations
for samples of predominantly inactive galaxies are presented.Comment: Invited (15 Feb. 2014) review article (submitted 16 Nov. 2014). 590
references, 9 figures, 25 pages in emulateApJ format. To appear in "Galactic
Bulges", E. Laurikainen, R.F. Peletier, and D.A. Gadotti (eds.), Springer
Publishin
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Magnetic resonance imaging of solvent transport in polymer networks
The spectroscopic technique of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has recently provided a new window into transport of solvents in polymer networks. Diffusion of solvent as a rate-controlling phenomenon is paramount to understanding transport in many important industrial and biological processes, such as upgrading fossil fuels, film casting and coating, development of photoresists, design of drug-delivery systems, development of solvent resistant polymers, etc. By MRI mapping the migration of solvent molecules through various polymer specimens, researchers Robert Botto and George Cody of Argonne National Laboratory, with support from the Division of Chemical Sciences at DOE, were able to characterize and distinguish between different modes of transport behavior associated with fundamentally different types of polymer systems. The method was applied to rubbers, glassy polymers, and coals. In polymers shown to undergo a glass transition from a rigid to rubbery state, a sharply defined solvent front was observed that propagated through specimens in the manner of a constant velocity shock wave. This behavior was contrasted with a smooth solvent concentration gradient found in polymer systems where no glass transition was observed. The results of this analysis have formed the basis of a new model of anomalous transport in polymeric solids and are helping to ascertain fundamental information on the molecular architectures of these materials
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Small angle neutron scattering studies of coal-extract solutions
Interest in the physics and chemistry of coal extracts has extended for over 100 years. Early on it was recognized that pyridine was a particularly good solvent capable of extracting a significant weight percent of intermediate rank coals. Many of the current theories regarding the macromolecular structure of coals (type III kerogens) are based on the fact that there exists a physically definable limit in the extractability of soluble organics from coal in pyridine. The non-extractable residue is generally considered to be a cross-linked macromolecular network. The extract-solvent {open_quotes}solutions{close_quotes}, although acknowledged to be far from ideal (thermodynamically), are presumed to be {open_quotes}molecular solutions{close_quotes} in the sense that random mixing of the constituents occurs within a single solution phase. This research set out to characterize the solution structures of coal extracts to gain insight into the nature of coal-solvent interactions
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Small angle neutron scattering applications in fuel science
A wide range of physical and chemical methods have been used to study complex, multicomponent systems in fuel chemistry (crude oil, coal), and we are still far from complete understanding. Since chemical modification and/or solvent extraction of coal result in a number of different systems, it is important to understand the products in terms of their colloidal properties as a function of the solvent type, as well as other physical conditions. This would be helpful in design of processing techniques. Another area of research where SANS can be useful is characterization of the synthetic and modified clays being developed for processing in the petroleum industry. Major limitations for performing SANS experiments are nonavailability/high cost sof certain deuterated solvents and the paucity of beam time at the neutron scattering centers. This paper reports briefly on analysis of coal and asphaltenes
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Recent advances in magnetic resonance microscopy to the physical structure characterization of carbonaceous and inorganic materials
Magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) techniques have been employed to study the molecular architectures and properties of structural polymers, fossil fuels, microporous carbons and inorganic catalysts
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