Stable hydrosols for TiO2 coatings

The optimum processing parameters required to synthesize, by hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide (TIP), highly stable hydrosols composed of nanoparticles of the smallest possible size, are deduced both from data available in literature and from our own experiments. The colloids prepared in these conditions are composed of aggregates of anatase (*90%) and brookite crystallites (5–6 nm). They are suitable for coatings and have longterm stability (more than one year) in terms of polymorphic composition, crystallite and agglomerate size. Stable sols composed solely of anatase crystallites (4 nm) can be prepared by partially complexing the TIP by acetylacetone before hydrolysis. It is not possible to produce porous films with these colloids because they are stabilized by electrostatic repulsion which causes the particles to organize themselves, during the drying step, to form materials with a close packed structure. However, coatings with controlled porosity can be prepared from these stable sols through the post addition of polymers, like PEG or block copolymers

Recent progress in inverse methods in France

Given the current level of jet engine performance, improvement of the various turbomachinery components requires the use of advanced methods in aerodynamics, heat transfer, and aeromechanics. In particular, successful blade design can only be achieved via numerical design methods which make it possible to reach optimized solutions in a much shorter time than ever before. Two design methods which are currently being used throughout the French turbomachinery industry to obtain optimized blade geometries are presented. Examples are presented for compressor and turbine applications. The status of these methods as far as improvement and extension to new fields of applications is also reported

Comparison of four methods for quantification of biofilms in biphasic cultures

Three methods for determining the total biofilm amount in biphasic cultures have been compared: dry weight by filtration after solvent treatment, optical density with a biomass probe and protein content. The activity of the biofilm was estimated through mineral nitrogen consumption. Calculation of the coefficients of variation shows that these parameters could be used to characterise such a biofilm. The optical density by biomass probe was the most reliable one (repeatability <0.5%) to quantify total biofilm and a linear relation was verified against dry weight

Convergence of a Finite Volume Scheme for a Corrosion Model

In this paper, we study the numerical approximation of a system of partial dif-ferential equations describing the corrosion of an iron based alloy in a nuclear waste repository. In particular, we are interested in the convergence of a numerical scheme consisting in an implicit Euler scheme in time and a Scharfetter-Gummel finite volume scheme in space