450 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
A rapid supercritical extraction process for the production of silica aerogels
Silica aerogels are a special class of porous materials in which both the pore size and interconnected particle size have nanometer dimensions. This structure imparts unique optical, thermal, acoustic, and electrical properties to these materials. Transmission electron microscopy and small angle x-ray scattering show that this nanostructure is sensitive to variations in processing conditions that influence crosslinking chemistry and growth processes prior to gelation. Recently, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has demonstrated that a Rapid Supercritical Extraction (RSCE) process can be used to prepare near-net shape silica aerogels in hours rather than days. Preliminary data from RSCE silica aerogels show that they have improved mechanical properties and slightly lower surface areas than their conventionally dried counterparts, while not compromising their optical and thermal performance
Graphitized Needle Cokes and Natural Graphites for Lithium Intercalation
This paper examined effects of heat treatment and milling (before or after heat treatment) on the (electrochemical) intercalating ability of needle petroleum coke; natural graphite particles are included for comparison. 1 tab, 4 figs, 7 refs
Entropy-induced separation of star polymers in porous media
We present a quantitative picture of the separation of star polymers in a
solution where part of the volume is influenced by a porous medium. To this
end, we study the impact of long-range-correlated quenched disorder on the
entropy and scaling properties of -arm star polymers in a good solvent. We
assume that the disorder is correlated on the polymer length scale with a
power-law decay of the pair correlation function . Applying
the field-theoretical renormalization group approach we show in a double
expansion in and that there is a range of
correlation strengths for which the disorder changes the scaling
behavior of star polymers. In a second approach we calculate for fixed space
dimension and different values of the correlation parameter the
corresponding scaling exponents that govern entropic effects. We
find that , the deviation of from its mean field value
is amplified by the disorder once we increase beyond a threshold. The
consequences for a solution of diluted chain and star polymers of equal
molecular weight inside a porous medium are: star polymers exert a higher
osmotic pressure than chain polymers and in general higher branched star
polymers are expelled more strongly from the correlated porous medium.
Surprisingly, polymer chains will prefer a stronger correlated medium to a less
or uncorrelated medium of the same density while the opposite is the case for
star polymers.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure
Three-dimensional coherent X-ray diffraction imaging of a ceramic nanofoam: determination of structural deformation mechanisms
Ultra-low density polymers, metals, and ceramic nanofoams are valued for
their high strength-to-weight ratio, high surface area and insulating
properties ascribed to their structural geometry. We obtain the labrynthine
internal structure of a tantalum oxide nanofoam by X-ray diffractive imaging.
Finite element analysis from the structure reveals mechanical properties
consistent with bulk samples and with a diffusion limited cluster aggregation
model, while excess mass on the nodes discounts the dangling fragments
hypothesis of percolation theory.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 30 reference
A Comparison of the Electrochemical Behavior of Carbon Aerogels and Activated Carbon Fiber Cloths
Electrochemical capacitative behavior of carbon aerogels and commercial carbon fiber cloths was studied in 5M KOH, 3M sulfuric acid, and 0.5M tetrethylammonium tetrafluoroborate/propylene carbonate electrolytes. The resorcinol-formaldehyde based carbon aerogels with a range of denisty (0.2-0.85 g/cc) have open-cell structures with ultrafine pore sizes (5-50 nm), high surface area (400-700 m{sup 2}/g), and a solid matrix composed of interconnected particles or fibers with characteristic diameters of 10 nm. The commercial fiber cloths in the density range 0.2-04g/cc have high surface areas (1000-2500 m{sup 2}/g). The volumetric capacitances of high-density aerogels are shown to be comparable to or exceeding those from activated carbon fibers. Electrochemical behavior of these materials in various electrolytes is compared and related to their physical properties
High capacitance carbon-based xerogel film produced without critical drying
This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS. 93(19):193112 (2008) and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2976684 .ArticleAPPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS. 93(19):193112 (2008)journal articl
Recommended from our members
LLNL input to FY94 hydrogen annual report
This report summarizes the FY 1994 progress made in hydrogen research at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Research programs covered include: Technical and Economic Assessment of the Transport and Storage of Hydrogen; Research and Development of an Optimized Hydrogen-Fueled Internal Combustion Engine; Hydrogen Storage in Engineered Microspheres; Synthesis, Characterization and Modeling of Carbon Aerogels for Hydrogen Storage; Chemical Kinetic Modeling of H2 Applications; and, Municipal Solid Waste to Hydrogen
Micro-fabrication of Carbon Structures by Pattern Miniaturization in Resorcinol-Formaldehyde Gel
A simple and novel method to fabricate and miniaturize surface and
sub-surface micro-structures and micro-patterns in glassy carbon is proposed
and demonstrated. An aqueous resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) sol is employed for
micro-molding of the master-pattern to be replicated, followed by controlled
drying and pyrolysis of the gel to reproduce an isotropically shrunk replica in
carbon. The miniaturized version of the master-pattern thus replicated in
carbon is about one order of magnitude smaller than original master by
repeating three times the above cycle of molding and drying. The
micro-fabrication method proposed will greatly enhance the toolbox for a facile
fabrication of a variety of Carbon-MEMS and C-microfluidic devices.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure
Photon air showers at ultra-high energy and the photonuclear cross-section
Experimental conclusions from air shower observations on cosmic-ray photons
above 10^19 eV are based on the comparison to detailed shower simulations. For
the calculations, the photonuclear cross-section needs to be extrapolated over
several orders of magnitude in energy. The uncertainty from the cross-section
extrapolation translates into an uncertainty of the predicted shower features
for primary photons and, thus, into uncertainties for a possible data
interpretation. After briefly reviewing the current status of ultra-high energy
photon studies, the impact of the uncertainty of the photonuclear cross-section
for shower calculations is investigated. Estimates for the uncertainties in the
main shower observables are provided. Photon discrimination is shown to be
possible even for rapidly rising cross-sections. When photon-initiated showers
are identified, it is argued that the sensitivity of photon shower observables
to the photonuclear cross-section can in turn be exploited to constrain the
cross-section at energies not accessible at colliders.Comment: Based on a talk presented at the international conference "From
Colliders to Cosmic Rays", Prague, September 7-13 (2005
- …