Boiling heat transfer rates impact the performance of various processes like quenching, steam generation, desalination, and boiling water reactors. The film boiling regime of the boiling curve has very low heat transfer rates around the Leidenfrost point which corresponds to the formation of a stable and continuous vapor layer at the solid-liquid interface (Leidenfrost effect). This insulating ...

Vapor adsorption is an important process influencing the migration and the fates of many organic pollutants in the environment. In this study, adsorption of ethylene glycol (EG) vapor onto single crystal alpha-Al2O3 (0001) and fused SiO2 (amorphous) surfaces was studied with sum frequency generation spectroscopy, a well-suited surface specific technique for probing interfacial phenomena atthe m...

A technique for determination of mercury is described; it is based on electrolytic reduction of Hg(II) ion on a graphite cathode, the trapping of mercury vapor and its volatilization into a quartz tube aligned in the optical path of an atomic absorption spectrometer. The electrochemical cell consisted of a graphite cathode and an anode operating with constant direct current for the production o...

While the inclusion of visual, aural, and tactile senses into virtual reality systems is widespread, the sense of smell has been largely ignored. We have developed a chemical vapor sensing system for the automated identification of chemical vapors (smells). Our prototype chemical vapor sensing system is composed of an array of tin-oxide vapor sensors coupled to an artificial neural network. The...

Laser spectroscopy of atoms confined in vapor cells can be strongly affected by the presence of background gases. A significant source of vacuum contamination is the permeation of gases such as helium (He) through the walls of the cell. Aluminosilicate glass (ASG) is a material with a helium permeation rate that is many orders of magnitude lower than borosilicate glass, which is commonly used f...

The chemistry that occurs at surfaces has been an intense area of study for many years owing to its complexity and importance in describing a wide range of physical phenomena. The vapor/water interface is particularly interesting from an environmental chemistry perspective as this surface plays host to a wide range of chemistries that influence atmospheric and geochemical interactions. The appl...