Thermal properties and phase transition behaviors of possible caloric materials Bi₀.₉₅Ln₀.₀₅NiO₃

Thermal properties and phase transition behaviors of possible caloric materials Bi₀.₉₅Ln₀.₀₅NiO₃ (Ln = La, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy), which show intersite charge transfer between Bi and Ni ions, were investigated. Although a few of the compounds showed large latent heats at the intersite-charge-transfer transition temperatures, the values are not comparable to that observed in the giant caloric effect compound NdCu₃Fe₄O₁₂. In the present Bi₀.₉₅Ln₀.₀₅NiO₃, contrary to our expectation, the magnetic transitions of Ni²⁺ spins are not induced by the intersite-charge-transfer transitions and the magnetic entropy changes do not contribute to the latent heat produced by the intersite-charge-transfer transitions. To obtain giant caloric effects, materials for which the “intrinsic” magnetic transition temperatures are much higher than the charge-transfer-transition temperatures may be needed

Threshold of photoelectron emission from CNx films deposited at room temperature and at 500 °C

The threshold of photoelectron emission was measured for amorphous CNx films deposited at room temperature (RT) and at 500 °C. The x values of the films deposited at RT and at 500 °C by magnetron sputtering of a graphite target in a mixed N2/Ar gas were 0.6 and 0.3, respectively. Ratios of the sp2- to sp3-hybridized components of both C and N for the film deposited at 500 °C were larger by 4 times than those for the film deposited at RT. The onsets of the electron emission by photon irradiation were 5.0 and 4.7 eV for the films deposited at RT and at 500 °C, respectively

Determinatin of Hydrogen in Aluminium by the Argon-Carrier Hot Extraction Method

The argon carrier hot extraction method for the determination of hydrogen in metals previously reported was applied to the case of aluminium with satisfactory results. Sufficient sensitivity was attained by using an oil manometer as the detector. The sample was scraped with an ordinary lathe under a dry condition and heated to 600℃ in a stream of purified argon to extract hydrogen. The hydrogen extracted was filtered through a palladium tube at 550℃ and determined manometrically. Through this palladium tube, even 10～20μl of hydrogen could be filtered quantitatively. The extraction time was about 1hr and the shape of the extraction curve resembles that obtained by hot extraction in vacuo. Surface gas was determined by re-turning the degassed sample followed by extraction. It was found that the amount of surface gas was dependent not only upon the smoothness but also upon the freshness of the surface of sample. Coefficients of variation of the internal gas (the mean value of which was 0.36Nml/100g) and the surface gas (the mean value of which was 3.2×10^Nml/cm^2) of 99.9% aluminium were 7.8% and 11%, respectively

Investigation of a Peptide Responsible for Amyloid Fibril Formation of β2-Microglobulin by Achromobacter Protease I

This research was originally published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Gennady V. Kozhukh, Yoshihisa Hagihara, Toru Kawakami, Kazuhiro Hasegawa, Hironobu Naiki and Yuji Goto. Investigation of a Peptide Responsible for Amyloid Fibril Formation of β2-Microglobulin by Achromobacter Protease I. J. Biol. Chem. 2002; 277, 1310-1315. © the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biolog