A method of manufacturing a liquid medium containing composite ultrafine particles comprises the steps of preparing a dispersion medium that is a liquid medium in which ultrafine particles of different materials from each other are dispersed, introducing the dispersion medium into first and second chambers, respectively, applying high frequency voltage to the chambers and exciting dispersion media, applying direct current voltage to each dispersion medium on the downstream side than the applying...

Disclosed is a novel method for steam reforming, by which selectivity to carbon monoxide is high, which is free from various side reactions, which may be carried out at a lower temperature and at a lower pressure than the conventional methods, and which may be carried out even if a catalyst is not used. In the method of the present invention, direct current pulse discharge is performed in a mixed gas containing a gaseous chain hydrocarbon and water vapor so as to react the chain hydrocarbon and ...

Disclosed is a method of treating, fly ash having an unacceptably high concentration of carbon, with ozone produced in situ by corona discharge. This method will allow high carbon-content fly ash to be used with air entrainment agents as an additive to cement. The corona discharge can be produced in the exhaust pipe with a venturi of various combustion systems. The device of this invention can be used in conjunction with a triboelectric carbon-fly ash separation system or in a conventional combu...

Disclosed is a method of treating, fly ash having an unacceptably high concentration of carbon, with ozone produced in situ by corona discharge. This method will allow high carbon-content fly ash to be used with air entrainment agents as an additive to cement. The corona discharge can be produced in the exhaust pipe of various combustion systems. The device of this invention can be used in conjunction with a triboelectric carbon-fly ash separation system or in a conventional combustion system. T...

A wide variety of substrates can be functionalized to attach spacer molecules therein by exposing the substrates to a cold plasma ignited in dichlorosilane, silicon tetrachloride or hexachlorodisilane gas to implant silicon-chlorine functionalities in the substrate surface. The plasma implanted surface functionalities can then be utilized to initiate second stage gas phase derivatization reactions to form linker molecules attached to the substrate. Active biomolecules such as enzymes can then be...

A method and an apparatus for the extraction of a solute from an aqueous feed solution into an aqueous stripping solution are described. The apparatus comprises vessel means for containing a continuous non-polar carrier liquid, the carrier liquid having therein a chemical having an affinity for ions of at least one species in said solute in said feed solution; means for providing at least one stream of each of said feed (42) and stripping solutions (46) through said carrier liquid in said vessel...

The invention relates to a method for modifying a wooden surface (7) where an electrode (1) is arranged opposite to the wooden surface (7) to be modified, and an alternating high voltage is applied to the electrode (1), in order to cause the discharge (11) between the wooden surface (7) and the electrode (1) under atmospheric pressure. A dielectric layer is arranged between the electrode (10) and the wooden surface as a counter-electrode (7) to be modified, and the alternating high voltage is ap...

A web or film is electrostatically charged by sequentially subjecting the web or film to a series of electric fields such that adjacent electric fields have substantially opposite polarities. Both a method and apparatus are disclosed for charging the web or film.

The method comprises (a) connecting a source of constant current in a series circuit with the plasma and the semiconductor body, (b) periodically illuminating the metal being anodized with light to produce photocurrents when the metal approaches the completion of anodization, (c) monitoring the voltage across the source of constant current, and (d) terminating the plasma anodization when the monitored voltage ceases to fluctuate as a result of the aforementioned periodic illumination.

Polymer materials such as film and fabrics, woven, non-woven and meltblown, may be non-destructively surface treated to improve water wettability, wickability, and other characteristics by exposure to a glow discharge plasma sustained at substantially atmospheric pressure in air or modified gas atmospheres comprising helium or argon.