SnO nanostructures for Li-ion battery anodes

Factiva: "All of these hierarchical SnO nanostructures are constructed by smaller nanosheets. The driving force of aggregation is reducing the surface energy of nanocrystals. Water played a key role in the control morphologies of hierarchical SnO nanostructures. The water control decomposition (WCD) mechanism was proposed to explain the effect of water on the morphologies. On the basis of reaction kinetics, the different superfluous injected water after reaction would restrain the decomposition Of Sn6O4(OH)(4) to SnO nanosheets; a different amount of superfluous injected water would induce a different reaction rate. At different reaction rates, SnO nanosheets would have different sizes and different approaches to aggregation, and different hierarchical SnO nanocrystals appeared by injecting different amounts of water into the reaction. Typically, hierarchical SnO nanocrystals as an anode material for lithium ion batteries are studied. These SnO nanocrystals show good potential for lithium battery materials,"

BaTiO3 nanoparticles doped with Sn2+

Factiva: "Ternary oxides containing Sn2 are rare and difficult to prepare using solid state reaction due to disproportionation of Sn2 at high temperature. In this paper, nanoparticles of barium titanate doped with different amounts of Sn2 consisting of single phase perovskite structure were successfully synthesized for the first time by using a microwave-assisted solvothermal reaction,' researchers in Sendai, Japan report.

'The particle sizes were about 20-40 nm in diameter and increased with increasing the amount of doped tin. Solidified ceramic bodies were obtained using a spark plasma sintering method under argon atmosphere avoiding the disproportionation and oxidation of Sn2 in the air,' wrote Y.H. Xie and colleagues, Tohoku University.

The researchers concluded: 'The grain size and dielectric constant of the sintered body decreased with increasing the amount of doped tin.."

First 3-D Patterned Nanostructures

Technology Review:: "Chemists have become very skilled at building 2-D nanostructures, but making 3-D patterned structures for drug delivery, electronics and other applications has proved more challenging. In particular, no one has been able to make 3-D structures with patterned surfaces.

David Gracias and Jeong-Hyun Cho of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have overcome this problem. They first made arrays of patterned, cross-shaped nickel structures on a silicon wafer, then added tin hinges. When placed in a plasma etching chamber, the flat structures folded up into cubes and released from the wafer. To make nanocubes as small as 100 nanometers a side, the researchers added another panel."

Fluid heater using tin

WO2009102099A1: "The present invention relates to a fluid heating apparatus. In the present invention, a heating unit is installed to a housing to be exposed to a water reserving space 30 for storing fluid. The heating unit has a heating film, which is made of a metallic composition mainly containing tin, deposited in a film shape on an inner surface of a frame made of a non-metallic material, and electrodes connected to an external power source is formed on the heating film"

Ammo under fire

Factiva: "The Army is scrapping the latest design for its eco-friendly 5.56mm ammo after some of the bullets began to show trajectory problems when exposed to hot temperatures.

Army ballistics officials halted production of the M855A1 Lead Free Slug ammunition in mid July, launched an investigation and decided to replace the bismuth-tin alloy slug with another material, said Lt. Col. Jeff Woods, product manager for Small Caliber Ammunition.

'We are currently evaluating alternate lead-free materials, and we will resume qualification once a selection is made,' Woods told Army Times.

In the M855A1 LFS bullet's design, the bismuth-tin alloy sits beneath a steel penetrating tip. A copper jacket encases all but the point of the bullet. The round was designed to work specifically with the M4 carbine. Army officials have maintained that the new round will provide more 'consistent performance' than the current M855 round and perform better against hard targets.

The problem surfaced when some of the bullets did not follow their trajectory or planned flight path.

'During ballistic testing of production LFS cartridges, we noticed that some projectiles occasionally varied from the intended trajectory,' Woods said.

The plan was to start issuing the first of 20 million rounds in August, replacing the standard M855 lead round"

New material for nanoscale computer chips.

Factiva: "Nanochemists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry at University of Copenhagen have developed nanoscale electric contacts out of organic and inorganic nanowires. In the contact they have crossed the wires like Mikado sticks and coupled several contacts together in an electric circuit. In this way they have produced prototype computer electronics on the nanoscale.

Thomas Bjornholm, Director of the Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry at University of Copenhagen explains: We have succeeded in placing several transistors consisting of nanowires together on a nano device. It is a first step towards realisation of future electronic circuitry based on organic materials - a possible substitute for today's silicon-based technologies. This offers the possibility of making computers in different ways in the future. The researchers have used organic nanowires combined with the tin oxide nanowires in a so-called hybrid circuit"

Tin(IV) Oxide Nanoparticles Decrease Pollutants Faster

Nanotechnology Now: "According to the Iranian Nanotechnology Initiative Council (en.nano.ir), unfortunately, wastes from many industries including textile, leather, rubber, paint, etc enter and pollute the environment every day. Armed with nanotechnology, Iranian scientists are determined to battle against these threats against environment.

'Tin(IV) oxide (SnO2) is a n-type semiconductor. This chemical can be used in metals protection against corrosion, electrochromism devices, photocatalysts and electro-photocatalysts in REDOX reactions, reduction of dye or other environmental pollutants, and gas sensors,' Ali Hasanzadeh, head of nanotechnology research center of the Urmia University said."

Paper

Minsur wraps up acquisition of Chilean assets

Factiva: "Peruvian tin miner Minsur reported that a subsidiary has wrapped up the purchase of the Chilean subsidiary of French cement producer Lafarge.

The operation was carried out by the Chilean subsidiaries of Minsur subsidiary Minera Latinoamericana, under the terms of an agreement signed in July between Minsur parent company Inversiones Breca and Lafarge Chile, Minsur said in a statement.

The total transaction price tag is US$435mn, of which Minera Latinoamericana has paid US$292mn so far.

The company has bought 100% of Blue Circle Chilean Holdings, which owns 82.7% of Lafarge Chile and 96.8% of construction company Inmobiliaria San Patricio."

Dynamic dislocation effects in low-temperature creep stimulated in Β -tin single crystals by a superconducting trans

Scopus: "Low-temperature creep of high-purity Β -tin single crystals oriented for plastic slip in the system (100)〈010〉is studied. The experiments are performed in the temperature interval 0.5<T< Tc, where Tc ≈3.7 K is the critical superconducting transition temperature. The samples were loaded above the yield stress and nonstationary creep was induced in them by using a magnetic field to induce a transition from the normal (N) into the superconducting (S) state."

Characteristics of nano-sized tin dioxide powders prep

Scopus: "Nano-sized SnO2 powders with uniform morphology and narrow size distribution were prepared by spray pyrolysis from the spray solution with citric acid and ethylene glycol. The precursor powders with hollow and thin wall structure turned to nano-sized SnO2 powders with regular morphology after post-treatment process.

The mean sizes of the SnO2 powders were changed from 56 and 350 nm when the post-treatment temperatures were changed from 600 and 1200C. The initial charge capacities of the SnO2 powders were changed from 224 to 443 mAh/g when the post-treatment temperatures were changed from 600 to 1200C. The SnO2 powders had the maximum charge capacity at a post-treatment temperature of 800C"

Evidence of tin and other anthropogenic metals in particulate matter in Lisbon, Portugal

Scopus: "Thermal and epithermal neutron activation analysis techniques were used to analyze 27 Teflon air filters which were exposed to ambient air in Lisbon, Portugal, in February 2007. Tin was detected which is strongly suggestive of an anthropogenic source. Arsenic, antimony and copper were shown to be highly correlated, which is also suggestive of anthropogenic pollution.

Trace element analysis of short- and medium-lived isotopes was performed yielding concentration information of various elements. Analytical sensitivities were enhanced using a Compton suppression system. Enrichment factor analysis shows that arsenic, tin, zinc, copper and antimony are at elevated concentrations in the Lisbon atmosphere."

Experimental investigation of the oxidation of tin nanoparticles

Scopus: "Oxidation of tin nanoparticles is studied in this paper using a simultaneous TGA/DSC technique under both constant rates of heating and isothermal modes. A two-stage oxidation process is identified. XRD study shows that the only oxide product is SnO at a temperature below 400C, and SnO and SnO2 coexist at the temperature range between 400 and 900'C.

On the basis of the identified oxide constituent, the first-stage oxidation of tin nanoparticles is investigated by the model-free Kinssinger method. The activation energy is found to be dependent on the conversion ratio in a broad range of 0.32-1.33 eV, and the oxidation kinetics is identified to be the classical nucleation mechanism that can be modeled by the Avrami-Erofeev equation. The melting of tin and large pressure built up in a rigid oxide shell are believed to be responsible for the heterogeneous nucleation mechanism."

Queen Mary College, UK

Theoretical study of a melting curve for tin

Scopus: "The melting curve of Sn has been calculated using the dislocation-mediated melting model with the zone-linking method. The results are in good agreement with the experimental data.

According to our calculation, the melting temperature of γ-Sn at zero pressure is about 436 K obtained by the extrapolation of the method from the triple point of Sn. The results show that this calculation method is better than other theoretical methods for predicting the melting curve of polymorphic material Sn"