The present disclosure provides a method of determining a relative decrease in catalytic efficacy of a catalyst in a test sample of a catalyst solution with unknown catalytic activity. The method includes (a) mixing the test sample with a test solvent to form a test mixture and (b) measuring the increase in the temperature of the test mixture at predetermined time intervals immediately after forming the test mixture. A predetermined feature is used to determine both a test value in the increase in temperature measured in (b) and a control value in a known increase in temperature of a control mixture of the test solvent with a control sample of a control catalyst solution. The relative decrease in catalytic efficacy of the catalyst in the test sample having the unknown catalytic activity is then determined from: Relative Decrease in Catalytic Efficacy=Control Value−Test Value/Control Value.

A curable matrix resin composition containing a thermoset resin component and metastable thermoplastic particles, wherein the metastable thermoplastic particles are particles of semi-crystalline thermoplastic material with an amorphous polymer fraction that will undergo crystallization upon heating to a crystallization temperature T.sub.c. A fiber-reinforced polymeric composite material containing metastable thermoplastic particles is also disclosed.

An optical fiber-based gamma-ray calorimeter (OFBGC) sensor array which uses a thermal mass with a low thermal conductivity is provided. Advantages of the OFBGC sensor array include: 1) the number of sensors in the OFBGC sensor array is adjustable and limited only by the spatial resolution of the OFBGC sensors, within the OFBGC sensor array, and 2) the OFBGC sensor design is simpler to build than a conventional optical fiber-based gamma thermometer (OFBGT) sensor array. One purpose of the OFBGC is to determine the power distribution in nuclear reactors.

A method and a system for determining material-, size-, and morphology-dependent photothermal properties of particles dispersed in solutions, the method comprising using coherently detected pulsed THz radiation, tracking a temperature-dependent refractive index change of the particles dispersion in time and space, and correlating the temperature-dependent refractive index change of the particles dispersion in time and space to temperature values. A system comprises a source of electromagnetic radiation; a THz emitter; a THz detector; and a vessel containing a dispersion of particles, wherein the source of electromagnetic radiation is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation to excite the particles in the dispersion; the THz emitter is configured to send THz radiation to the vessel and the THz detector is configured to receives THz radiation returned by from the vessel.

Ultrasensitive, ultrathin thermodynamic sensing platforms for the detection of chemical compounds in the vapor phase at trace levels are disclosed. Embodiments of the ultrathin vapor sensor comprise a substrate layer, an adhesion layer, a metallic microheater layer, and a catalyst layer. A sensor array may be provided including a plurality of sensors each having a different catalyst. When a sensor array exposed to an analyte, each of the various ultrathin vapor sensors of the array may experience an endothermic reaction, an exothermic reaction, or no reaction. A comparison of the reaction results to data comprising previously-obtained reaction results may be used to determine the presence and the identity of the analyte. Advantageously, these ultrathin vapor sensors utilize less power and provide greater sensitivity than known systems, and may be used to detect and identify analytes at the parts per trillion level. Specialized sensors configured to detect analytes falling into a certain category (e.g., explosives, drugs and narcotics, biomarkers, etc.) as disclosed, as well as general purpose sensors capable of detecting analytes from a plurality of categories.

Disclosed is a method for enhancing thermal energy storage performance of industrial grade hydrated salts based on phase change, comprising: heating an aqueous system of industrial grade hydrated salts containing 105-130 percent (%) by mass of m.sub.0 industrial grade hydrated salt to m.sub.0, taking a sample for differential scanning calorimeter testing and recording its melting enthalpy as ΔH.sub.1; melting and adding water into, or melting and evaporating the residual aqueous system of industrial grade hydrated salts or the residual industrial grade hydrated salts system with a mass of m.sub.1 to increase or decrease the mass by 0.4-0.8% m.sub.0 until a melting enthalpy ΔH.sub.n of a sample that taken from the residual aqueous system of industrial grade hydrated salts with a mass of m.sub.n satisfies ΔH.sub.2< . . . <ΔH.sub.n>ΔH.sub.n+1.

A thermal analysis of samples and proposes a device for a thermal analysis of a sample, having: a sample chamber for receiving a sample crucible including a crucible cover attached thereto, in the interior of which a sample to be analyzed is located, wherein the sample chamber has a chamber opening for introducing the sample crucible into the sample chamber; a temperature control mechanism for controlling the temperature of the sample chamber; a measuring mechanism for measuring a temperature of the sample and one or several further measured variables; a gas conveying mechanism for creating a gas atmosphere in the sample chamber; a chamber cover, which can be attached to the chamber opening of the sample chamber; and a piercing mechanism equipped with a needle, which is suitable to pierce a hole into the crucible cover of the sample crucible by means of the needle when the sample crucible is received in the sample chamber and when the chamber cover is attached to the chamber opening. A corresponding method for a thermal analysis of a sample, a sample crucible including a crucible cover, as well as a covering/piercing unit are further proposed as part of the invention.

A thermal analysis of samples and proposes a device for a thermal analysis of a sample, having: a sample chamber for receiving a sample crucible including a crucible cover attached thereto, in the interior of which a sample to be analyzed is located, wherein the sample chamber has a chamber opening for introducing the sample crucible into the sample chamber; a temperature control mechanism for controlling the temperature of the sample chamber; a measuring mechanism for measuring a temperature of the sample and one or several further measured variables; a gas conveying mechanism for creating a gas atmosphere in the sample chamber; a chamber cover, which can be attached to the chamber opening of the sample chamber; and a piercing mechanism equipped with a needle, which is suitable to pierce a hole into the crucible cover of the sample crucible by means of the needle when the sample crucible is received in the sample chamber and when the chamber cover is attached to the chamber opening. A corresponding method for a thermal analysis of a sample, a sample crucible including a crucible cover, as well as a covering/piercing unit are further proposed as part of the invention.

The present invention relates to a method for identifying a blend of nucleators with reduced haze in nucleated polyolefin material compared to blends of the same nucleators having different component weight ratios. The method comprises: i) preparing multiple blends of at least two nucleators wherein each blend containing the same nucleators in different weight ratios, wherein the blends include one or more blends in which one of the nucleators is a major weight fraction and one or more blends where the same nucleator is a minor weight fraction; ii) determining, for each blend, a minimum dissolution temperature when the blend completely dissolves in individual samples of the same molten polyolefin resin, wherein the concentration of each blend is substantially the same and below the saturation point in the molten polyolefin resin; and iii) identifying a blend that has a lower minimum dissolution temperature than the majority of the blends.

Provided is a high-voltage power cable. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to a high-voltage power cable that exhibits excellent dielectric strength, such as dielectric breakdown voltage and impulse breakdown strength, and that is capable of implementing and maintaining dielectric characteristics even when a temperature of a cable insulator rises due to the transmission of power or when negative impulse or polarity reversal occurs.