The rise of Bulgarian nationalism and Russia\u27s influence upon it.

The exercise of nationalism is the assertion of the political sovereignty of a community in the form of a nation-state. In the case of Bulgaria, nationalism, in practice, was a long journey towards the establishment of a Bulgarian nation-state. This dissertation aims to clarify the place and role of nationalism in the reconstruction of the Bulgarian state and to examine to what extent the development of Bulgarian nationalism was influenced by Russia at the vital stage - the 1870s, when the nation fought hard against Ottoman rule and finally achieved national liberation. My motivation for examining Russo-Bulgarian historical, political and cultural relations and Russian elements in the rise of Bulgarian nationalism is to offer an example for future studies in how to construct a rational pattern of relationship between great powers and small nations with common faith and culture. The investigation in this dissertation is conducted in five disciplines: political science (constructivism), historiography, journalism, linguistics and literature. I apply a constructivist approach in discussing the factual ?process and structural change over a period of time in the Bulgarian public world, as well as how Russo-Bulgarian relations influenced the development of Bulgarian nationalism. Constructivism states that the structure leads actors to redefine their identities and interests in the process of interacting and that structures can be changed through acts of social and public will. By investigating a great number of primary documents, as well as analyzing the linguistic evolution of the Bulgarian, this dissertation concludes that Bulgarian national identity is not fixed or resistant to change, but fluid. It changes according to how the people (particularly the national elites) evaluate the domestic and international circumstances at a certain time and place. By examining the rise of Bulgarian nationalism, this research highlights Russia‘s special and complicated identity represented in the fluidity of Bulgarian national identity, concluding that Russia, as a Great Power, to which the Bulgarian national elites often went, played dual roles in the formation of the Bulgarian national identity and the consolidation of the Bulgarian nationalism. Based on the observation that Bulgarian nationalism played different roles in different historical periods, my project proves that nationalism is a process that defines, creates, and expresses the essential loyalty to the nation, and the term nationalism ought to be viewed in a neutral sense

Biosynthesis of Gold Nanoparticles by Foliar Broths: Roles of Biocompounds and Other Attributes of the Extracts

Biosynthesis of nanoparticles has arisen as a promising alternative to conventional synthetic methodologies owing to its eco-friendly advantages, and the involved bioprotocol still needs further clarification. This research, for the first time from the standpoint of statistics, confirmed an electrostatic force or ionic bond-based interaction between the chloroauric ions and the involved bioconstituents and manifested that reducing sugars and flavonoids were both important reductants responsible for conversion of Au(III) to Au(0). The result also demonstrated that the proteins were not the reducing agents, yet they might be protection agents in biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles (GNPs). Besides, a significant linear relationship was found between the anti-oxidant ability of the foliar broths and their capability to reduce Au(III) into Au(0). Furthermore, the preliminary investigation based on the boxplot on the size/shape distribution of the biosynthesized GNPs revealed that gold nanospheres with higher degree of homogeneity in size tended to be promoted by foliar broths containing higher content of reducing sugars/flavonoids and proteins. Otherwise, i.e., for those broths with lower content of the above biocompounds, sphere GNPs of wider size distribution or even gold nanotriangles tended to be fabricated

Synthesis of gold nanoparticles by Cacumen Platycladi leaf extract and its simulated solution: toward the plant-mediated biosynthetic mechanism

In this study, biogenic fabrication of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), respectively, by Cacumen Platycladi leaf extract and the simulation of its active components were thoroughly investigated. The simulated solution was prepared based on components measurement and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis of Cacumen Platycladi leaf extract before and after reaction. Several analytic methods such as UV-Vis spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric study were adopted to characterize the AuNPs. The results showed that flavonoid and reducing sugar were the main reductive and protective components in the extract vital in the biosynthesis of the AuNPs. In addition, pH of the reaction solution was proved to be the most significant factor upon the synthesis process. The bioreduction mechanism of chloroaurate ions and the formation mechanism of AuNPs were also discussed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on plausible elucidation of the biosynthetic mechanism through comparative study between a plant extract and its simulated solution.National Natural Science Foundation of China[21036004, 20776120, 20976146, 30700020]; Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China[2010J05032, 2010J01052]; Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities[2010121051

Large-scale chemical vapor deposition synthesis of graphene nanoribbions/carbon nanotubes composite for enhanced membrane capacitive deionization

The composite comprised of graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibited significantly enhanced electro-chemical performance due both to the improved dispersion and inhibition of restacking of graphene and CNTs. In this work, graphene nanoribbons (GNRs)/CNTs composite (GNRs/CNTs) was synthesized on gram-scale by chemical vapor deposition. Under optimal growth conditions, the yield of GNRs/CNTs as high as 26 g per gram catalyst could be achieved in 30 min growth time. The morphology and quality of the as-synthesized composite was verified by using SEM, TEM and Raman spectroscopy. The electrochemical properties of GNRs/CNTs was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge techniques. GNRs/CNTs exhibited specific capacitance of 242.3 F/g at 0.5 A g(-1), which was over 4 times of that of CNTs. The GNRs/ CNTs based electrodes exhibited excellent cycling stability at 1 A g(-1) for over 4000 cycles, which can be attributed to the excellent electrical conductivity and the unique structure. When employed as electrode for membrane capacitive desalination, the desalination capacity of 16.46 mg g(-1) has been achieved under 1.2 V with 500 mg L-1 NaCl solution as feeding water

Ni2P nanocrystals embedded Ni-MOF nanosheets supported on nickel foam as bifunctional electrocatalyst for urea electrolysis

It's highly desired but challenging to synthesize self-supporting nanohybrid made of conductive nanoparticles with metal organic framework (MOF) materials for the application in the electrochemical field. In this work, we report the preparation of Ni2P embedded Ni-MOF nanosheets supported on nickel foam through partial phosphidation (Ni2P@Ni-MOF/NF). The self-supporting Ni2P@Ni-MOF/NF was directly tested as electrode for urea electrolysis. When served as anode for urea oxidation reaction (UOR), it only demands 1.41 V (vs RHE) to deliver a current of 100 mA cm(-2). And the overpotential of Ni2P@Ni-MOF/NF to reach 10 mA cm(-2) for hydrogen evolution reaction HER was only 66 mV, remarkably lower than Ni2P/NF (133 mV). The exceptional electrochemical performance was attributed to the unique structure of Ni2P@Ni-MOF and the well exposed surface of Ni2P. Furthermore, the Ni2P@Ni-MOF/NF demonstrated outstanding longevity for both HER and UOR. The electrolyzer constructed with Ni2P@Ni-MOF/NF as bifunctional electrode can attain a current density of 100 mA cm(-2) at a cell voltage as low as 1.65 V. Our work provides new insights for prepare MOF based nanohydrid for electrochemical application

Microfluidic biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles: Effect of process parameters on size distribution

Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities [2010121051]; NSFC [21106117, 21036004, 20976146]; Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China [20100121110032, 20110121120018]; NSF-Fujian Projects [2010J05032]Here, microfluidic biosynthesis of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) in tubular microreactors in the presence of Cacumen Platycladi (C. Platycladi) extract was studied, focusing on the effect of technical parameters (volumetric flow rate, the concentration of C. Platycladi extract, inlet mixing pattern) and reactor parameters (reactor materials and inner diameter) on the size distribution of AgNPs. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was utilized to simulate the profile evolution of velocity, biomass concentration and temperature in the microreactors. It was found that, unlike in traditional bulk reactors, the interfacial effect between the solid surface and bulk solutions in microreactors could not be ignored and had crucial influence on particle size distribution. Results of CFD simulation confirmed that microchannels possessed some unique flow characteristics and various process parameters had specific influences on the size distribution of the AgNPs, which could be explained in terms of their influences on the interfacial effect and flow characteristics. Our work provides useful insight into the influence of process parameters on size distribution of AgNPs in microfluidic biosynthesis. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Microfluidic biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles: Effect of process parameters on size distribution

Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities [2010121051]; NSFC [21106117, 21036004, 20976146]; Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China [20100121110032, 20110121120018]; NSF-Fujian Projects [2010J05032]Here, microfluidic biosynthesis of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) in tubular microreactors in the presence of Cacumen Platycladi (C. Platycladi) extract was studied, focusing on the effect of technical parameters (volumetric flow rate, the concentration of C. Platycladi extract, inlet mixing pattern) and reactor parameters (reactor materials and inner diameter) on the size distribution of AgNPs. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was utilized to simulate the profile evolution of velocity, biomass concentration and temperature in the microreactors. It was found that, unlike in traditional bulk reactors, the interfacial effect between the solid surface and bulk solutions in microreactors could not be ignored and had crucial influence on particle size distribution. Results of CFD simulation confirmed that microchannels possessed some unique flow characteristics and various process parameters had specific influences on the size distribution of the AgNPs, which could be explained in terms of their influences on the interfacial effect and flow characteristics. Our work provides useful insight into the influence of process parameters on size distribution of AgNPs in microfluidic biosynthesis. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Transfer of Biosynthesized Gold Nanoparticles from Water into an Ionic Liquid Using Alkyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromide: An Anion-Exchange Process

Biosynthesized gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were transferred from water to a hydrophobic ionic liquid (IL), [Bmim]PF(6), with the assistance of alkyl trimethyl ammonium bromide. The phase transfer mechanism was illustrated through the exemplification of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). Interaction between GNPs and CTAB was demonstrated through zeta potential analysis. Moreover, an anion-exchange process was discovered between CTAB and IL. During the process, the hydrophobic CTAPF(6) formed in situ on the GNPs led to the hydrophobization and thus phase transfer of the GNPs. The phase transfer efficiency was found to be size-dependent.National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program)[2007AA03Z347]; National Natural Science Foundation of China[20776120, 20976146, 21036004

Stable Silver Nanoparticles with Narrow Size Distribution Non-enzymatically Synthesized by Aeromonas sp SH10 Cells in the Presence of Hydroxyl Ions

Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities [2010121051]; NSFC projects [21106117, 21036004, 20976146]; Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China [20100121110032, 20110121120018]; NSF-Fujian projects [2010J05032]Stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with narrow size distribution were non-enzymatically synthesized through hydroxyl ions (OH-) assisted bioreduction of diamine silver complex with dry Aeromonas sp. SH10 cells. The effects of reaction temperature, concentrations of OH-, silver and the dry cells on the reduction of Ag ions as well as on the properties of the AgNPs were investigated. Results show that the introduction of appropriate quantity of OH- ions considerably accelerates the process. In fact, higher yields of AgNPs (> 95%) could be obtained at relatively higher initial silver concentration (1 g.L-1) with more than 1 g((Ag)).g((bio))(-1) productivity of AgNPs. Plausible bioreductive mechanism is therefore proposed; wherein [Ag(NH3)(2)](+) ions initially reacted with OH- to form an unstable AgOH. This is then transformed into Ag2O spontaneously, and finally non-enzymatically reduced into AgNPs by the cells