Accelerating Sulfated Polysaccharides Extraction from Fast-Growing Green Seaweed by Frequency-Controlled Microwaves.

sp. is a type of green algae and is widely distributed in coastal areas around the world due to eutrophication. Effective utilization of sp.

Ruthenium(II)-Bipyridine/NanoC N Hybrids: Tunable Photochemical Properties by Using Exchangeable Alkali Metal Cations.

A series of nanoporous carbon nitrides that contained a range of alkali metal cations (M@nanoC N : M=Li , Na , K , Rb , and Cs ) have been successfully synthesized from as-synthesized g-C N by delamination with concentrated sulfuric acid, followed by neutralization with aqueous solutions of the corresponding alkali metal hydroxides. Tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) complexes, [Ru(bpy) ] , were grafted onto the carbon nitrides in an effort to explore the physicochemical properties of the deposited [Ru(bpy) ] , as well as its photocatalytic activity in the aerobic photooxidation of phenylboronic acid and H production from aqueous media in the presence of a Pt co-catalyst under visible-light irradiation. Highly porous nanoC N could significantly enhance photocatalytic activity, because of its high surface area, owing to its unique porous structure.

Guided lock of a suspended optical cavity enhanced by a higher-order extrapolation.

Lock acquisition of a suspended optical cavity can be a highly stochastic process and is therefore nontrivial. Guided lock is a method to make lock acquisition less stochastic by decelerating the motion of the cavity length based on an extrapolation of the motion from an instantaneous velocity measurement. We propose an improved scheme that is less susceptible to seismic disturbances by incorporating the acceleration as a higher-order correction in the extrapolation.

Reduction of thermal fluctuations in a cryogenic laser interferometric gravitational wave detector.

The thermal fluctuation of mirror surfaces is the fundamental limitation for interferometric gravitational wave (GW) detectors. Here, we experimentally demonstrate for the first time a reduction in a mirror's thermal fluctuation in a GW detector with sapphire mirrors from the Cryogenic Laser Interferometer Observatory at 17 and 18 K. The detector sensitivity, which was limited by the mirror's thermal fluctuation at room temperature, was improved in the frequency range of 90 to 240 Hz by cooling the mirrors.

Search for a stochastic background of 100-MHz gravitational waves with laser interferometers.

This Letter reports the results of a search for a stochastic background of gravitational waves (GW) at 100 MHz by laser interferometry. We have developed a GW detector, which is a pair of 75-cm baseline synchronous recycling (resonant recycling) interferometers. Each interferometer has a strain sensitivity of approximately 10;{-16} Hz;{-1/2} at 100 MHz.

Effect of solvent exchange on the supramolecular structure, the molecular mobility and the dissolution behavior of cellulose in LiCl/DMAc.

We investigated the effect of solvent exchange on the supramolecular structure and the molecular mobility of the cellulose molecule to clarify the mechanism of the dissolution of cellulose in lithium chloride/N,N-dimethylacetamide (LiCl/DMAc). Among the celluloses that were solvent exchanged in different ways, the DMAc-treated celluloses dissolved most rapidly. Dissolution of the acetone-treated celluloses was much slower than the DMAc-treated ones, but considerably faster than the untreated one.

Morphological imaging of single methylcellulose chains and their thermoresponsive assembly on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surface.

Individual methylcellulose (MC) chains and their thermoresponsive assembly were successfully visualized on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Momentary contact of a dilute MC solution at 4 degrees C onto the HOPG substrate permitted clear imaging of individual MC chains having a molecular thickness of ca. 0.

Characterization of aggregate structure in mercerized cellulose/LiCl.DMAc solution using light scattering and rheological measurements.

The structure of a semidilute solution of mercerized cellulose (CC1m) in 8% (w/w) LiCl.DMAc, which contained some aggregates, was investigated using static and dynamic light scattering measurements. The static scattering function of the polymer solution containing a small amount of aggregates can be separated into fast- and slow-mode components by combining static and dynamic light scattering measurements.

Investigation of the structure of cellulose in LiCl/DMAc solution and its gelation behavior by small-angle X-ray scattering measurements.

Cellulose gels were prepared from cellulose in lithium chloride/N,N-dimethylacetamide (LiCl/DMAc) solution. When the cellulose concentration in the solution is above the one at which cellulose molecules overlap, cellulose gels were formed. While the gel prepared by the addition of water was turbid, the one prepared by the ion exchange was colorless, transparent, and optically anisotropic.

Rheological properties and molecular structure of tunicate cellulose in LiCl/1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone.

Solution properties and molecular structure of tunicate cellulose (TC), an animal cellulose from Halocynthia roretzi, were investigated in terms of rheological and dilute solution properties. The solvent used is 8 wt % LiCl/1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI). A solution of dissolving pulp (DP), derived from plant, was also used for comparison.

Effect of solvent exchange on the solid structure and dissolution behavior of cellulose.

Effects of solvent exchange and milling on the solid structure of cellulose were investigated, using small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering and solid-state NMR. The solvent exchange facilitated the dissolution of cellulose in LiCl/DMAc with no change of the crystalline structure of cellulose. In contrast, the milling never facilitated the dissolution of cellulose, though the crystalline structure was almost destroyed.

Evaluation of the performance of polished mirror surfaces for the TAMA gravitational wave detector by use of a wave-front tracing simulation.

We evaluated the performance of polished mirror surfaces for the TAMA interferometric gravitational wave detector by comparing the experimental results with a wave-front tracing simulation. The TAMA mirror surfaces were polished to a roughness of a few nanometer rms. We confirmed that these polished mirrors do not limit the present TAMA sensitivity and that the target shot-noise sensitivity will be achieved with these mirrors, even if a power-recycling technique is introduced in the next stage of the TAMA.