Understanding of the Mechanism and Kinetics of the Fast Solid-State Reaction between NaF and VPO to Form NaV(PO)F.

The solid-state reaction between NaF and VPO is widely used to produce NaV(PO)F, a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries. In the present work, the mechanism and kinetics of the reaction between NaF and VPO were investigated, and the effect of preliminary high-energy ball milling (HEBM) was studied using time-resolved synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, etc. The reaction was attributed to a "dimensional reduction" formalism; it proceeds quickly with the unilateral diffusion of Na and F ions into VPO particles as a limiting stage.

Preparation of porous Co-Pt alloys for catalytic synthesis of carbon nanofibers.

A simple and convenient procedure for the production of highly dispersed porous Co-Pt alloys to be used as catalysts for the synthesis of nanostructured carbon fibers (CNF) has been developed. The technique is based on the thermal decomposition of specially synthesized multicomponent precursors in a reducing atmosphere. A series of porous single-phase alloys Co-Pt (10-75 at% Pt) have been synthesized.

Dynamic observation of X-ray Laue diffraction on single-crystal tungsten during pulsed heat load.

The dynamics of the diffraction peak shape during pulsed heat load on mosaic single-crystal tungsten were measured at the `Plasma' scattering station on the eighth beamline of the VEPP-4 synchrotron radiation source at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics. The observed evolution of the diffraction peak shape agrees with theoretical predictions based on calculations of deformation caused by pulsed heating. Three clearly distinguishable stages of the diffraction-peak evolution were found, correlating with the evolution of temperature and deformation distributions.

Preparation of Zr(Mo,W)O with a larger negative thermal expansion by controlling the thermal decomposition of Zr(Mo,W)(OH,Cl)∙2HO.

Solid solutions of Zr(Mo,W)O(OH,Cl)∙2HO with a preset ratio of components were prepared by a hydrothermal method. The chemical composition of the solutions was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). For all the samples of ZrMoWO(OH,Cl)∙2HO (x = 0.

Structural characteristics of amorphous K-Bi citrate (De-Nol) and its aqueous solutions from EXAFS spectra.

EXAFS (Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure) spectra of an amorphous solid Bi complex with citrate (known as De-Nol) and its aqueous solutions in a wide concentration range are measured. For the solutions good agreement is revealed between their structural parameters and the averaged interatomic distances and coordination numbers of the crystalline polymeric bismuth citrate compound composed of 12-nuclear Bi clusters based on the structure BiO. So, it is found that droplets of the colloidal solution have a core structure close to the solid BiO cluster structure.

Gut-Associated Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Display an Immature Phenotype and Upregulated Granzyme B in Subjects with HIV/AIDS.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in the periphery of subjects with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) decrease over time, and the fate of these cells has been the subject of ongoing investigation. Previous studies using animal models as well as studies with humans suggest that these cells may redistribute to the gut. Other studies using animal models propose that the periphery pDCs are depleted and gut is repopulated with naive pDCs from the bone marrow.