A novel and convenient method of thermo-immersion was used to fabricate of a large of lead-bismuth (Pb-Bi) eutectic nanoparticles on an uniform size anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. The AAO with a 60 nm pore diameter was used as a template for nanoparticles nucleation and growth. Both Pb-Bi and AAO were placed in a glass tube in vacuum at 10 À6 Torr, controlled by a molecular turbo pump then heated up to the melting point of the alloy. Nanoparticles nucleated and grew on the AAO template when the molten Pb-Bi solidified. The nanoparticles nucleated on the pore corners of the AAO template initially, grew simultaneously and assembled into a big nanoparticle on top of the AAO template later. Additionally, the size diameters of the initial nanoparticles were approximately 15 nm on the pore corners of the AAO template, and 80 nm when the initial nanoparticles formed a large nanoparticle. Latent heat was released when the molten Pb-Bi solidified to form nanoparticles. The size diameters distribution of nanoparticles was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) such that, the diameters of the nanoparticles were 80 nm on top of the AAO template, and 200 nm in depths of the concave.

In this study, machining characteristics and mechanical properties of aluminum (Al) alloy 6061 were investigated with variations in discharge currents in electrical discharge machining. The machining characteristics included the electrode wear rate, material removal rate, and roughness. Mechanical properties such as the fatigue life and surface hardness were also discussed in this work. Experimental results showed that better fatigue property of the electrical discharge machined workpiece could be obtained when the discharge current was 15 A; meanwhile, the thickness of the white layer was around 19 mm. The relationship between the thickness of the white layer and the fatigue lifetime had a very strong positive correlation. Furthermore, the repeatability and stability of the machining process were explored by the quality control chart and Shewhart control chart. The results indicated that the electrical discharge machining process under optimum operating conditions was a well-controlled procedure and stable over time.

The "click chemistry" of using organic azides and terminal alkynes is arguably the most efficient and straightforward route to the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles. In this paper, an alternative and direct access to ethyl 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylate is described. Treatment of ethyl diazoacetate with 4-methoxyaniline derived aryl imines in the presence of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene provided fully substituted 1,2,3-triazoles in good to high chemical yields. The base-mediated reaction tolerates various substituted phenyl imines as well as ethyl diazoacetate or the more bulky diazoacetamide. A reasonable mechanism is proposed that involves the addition of an imine nitrogen atom to the terminal nitrogen atom of the diazo compound, followed by aromatization to give the 1,2,3-triazole. The presence of the 4-carboxy group is advantageous as it can be easily transformed into other functional groups.

In this study, an organic-inorganic semiconductor gas sensor was fabricated to detect ammonia gas. An inorganic semiconductor was a zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire array produced by atomic layer deposition (ALD) while an organic material was a p-type semiconductor, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). P3HT was suitable for the gas sensing application due to its high hole mobility, good stability, and good electrical conductivity. In this work, P3HT was coated on the zinc oxide nanowires by the spin coating to form an organic-inorganic heterogeneous interface of the gas sensor for detecting ammonia gas. The thicknesses of the P3HT were around 462 nm, 397 nm, and 277 nm when the speeds of the spin coating were 4000 rpm, 5000 rpm, and 6000 rpm, respectively. The electrical properties and sensing characteristics of the gas sensing device at room temperature were evaluated by Hall effect measurement and the sensitivity of detecting ammonia gas. The results of Hall effect measurement for the P3HT-ZnO nanowires semiconductor with 462 nm P3HT film showed that the carrier concentration and the mobility were 2.7 × 1019 cm−3 and 24.7 cm2∙V−1∙s−1 respectively. The gas sensing device prepared by the P3HT-ZnO nanowires semiconductor had better sensitivity than the device composed of the ZnO film and P3HT film. Additionally, this gas sensing device could reach a maximum sensitivity around 11.58 per ppm.

Organocatalytic domino Michael-hemiacetalization of β-tetralones with α,β-unsaturated aldehydes is presented. Treatment of β-tetralones with α,β-unsaturated aldehydes in the presence of diphenylprolinol silyl ether gave 2,3,5,6-tetrahydro-1-alkyl/aryl-1H-benzo[f]chromen-3-ol derivatives with high to excellent chemical yields (50-99%) and high levels of enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee).