A Reaction–Diffusion–Reaction System for Forming Periodic Precipitation Bands of Cu-Fe-Based Prussian Blue Analogues

We propose a simple and novel system to form precipitation patterns of Cu-Fe-based Prussian blue analogues (Cu-Fe PBA) in agarose gel through coupled electrochemical reactions, reactant ion diffusion influenced by electric field, and precipitation reactions. The spatiotemporal evolution, spatial distribution, and crystallite morphologies of the precipitates were investigated by visual inspection, Fe Kα intensity distribution measurements, and optical and scanning electron microscope observations. The observed precipitation patterns and their evolution depended on the applied voltage. Multicolored periodic precipitation bands were stochastically formed under cyclic alternating voltage (4 V for 1 h and then 1 V for 4 h per cycle). The distances between adjacent bands were randomly distributed (0.30 ± 0.25 mm). The sizes and shapes of the crystallites generated in the gel were position-dependent. Cubic but fairly irregular crystallites (0.1–0.8 μm) were formed in the periodic bands, whereas definitely cube-shaped crystallites (1–3 μm) appeared close to the anode. These cube-like reddish–brown crystallites were assigned to Cu-FeII PBA. In some periodic bands, plate-like blue crystallites (assigned to Cu(OH)2) were also present. Future issues for potential applications of the observed periodic banding for selective preparation of Cu-Fe PBA crystallites were discussed.

Application of remote sensing technology in the analysis of periodic precipitation change in China’s Northern semi-arid area

The remote sensing technology is used to analyze the periodic changes of precipitation in the semi-arid areas of northern China and provide a reference basis for precipitation prediction. Authors were based on GPS observation data and corresponding ground meteorological parameters to obtain the study area’s comprehensive water vapor content value and use precipitation and time to establish a linear regression equation based on the content value to express the precipitation trend change. The periodic structure and abnormal changes of the periodic precipitation series on different time scales were obtained through wavelet analysis, combined with anomaly calculations to analyze the increase and decrease precipitation characteristics. The Morlet continuous wavelet transform map was also used to reflect the periodic oscillations of precipitation on different time scales. The wavelet variance map was used to reflect the distribution of regional precipitation with scale years. The authors analyzed the cycle change characteristics of the comprehensive precipitation series in Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, and Dalian. They concluded that the annual precipitation in the four regions showed a decreasing trend in 50 years. And through the wavelet cycle frequency-domain relationship change law, the change characteristics of precipitation in the northern semi-arid area in the entire time domain were obtained.

An Electrochemical System for Forming Periodic Precipitation Bands of Cu-Fe-Based Prussian Blue Analogues

We propose a novel electrochemical system to form precipitation patterns of Cu-Fe-based Prussian blue analogues (Cu-Fe PBA) in agarose gels, using an applied voltage to produce reactant ions. The spatiotemporal evolution, spatial distribution, and crystallite morphologies of the precipitates were investigated by visual inspection, Fe Kα intensity distribution measurements, and optical and scanning electron microscope observations. The precipitation patterns and their evolution depended on the applied voltage. Multicolored periodic precipitation bands were stochastically formed under cyclic alternating voltage (4 V for 1 h and then 1 V for 4 h per cycle). The distances between adjacent bands were randomly distributed (0.30 ± 0.25 mm). The sizes and shapes of the crystallites generated in the gel were position-dependent. Almost cubic but fairly irregular crystallites (0.1–0.8 μm) were formed in the periodic bands, whereas definitely cube-shaped crystallites (1–3 μm) appeared close to the anode. These cube-like reddish-brown crystallites were assigned to Cu-FeII PBA. In some periodic bands, plate-like blue crystallites (assigned to Cu(OH)2) were also present. Future issues for applications of the observed periodic banding were discussed.

Regular-Type Liesegang Pattern of AgCl in a One-Dimensional System

The Liesegang phenomenon can be used for micro- and nanofabrication processes to yield materials with periodic precipitation of diverse types of materials. Although there have been several attempts to control the periodicity of the Liesegang patterns, it remains unclear whether the periodic precipitation of AgCl in gel medium causes regular- or revert-type patterns. To confirm the periodicity of the AgCl pattern, we conduct one-dimensional experiments under various ion concentration conditions. From microscopic observations, three different precipitation modes were observed, i.e., continuous precipitation with a sharp front, periodic precipitation and continuous precipitation with a gradual front. For these three modes, numerical analyses of the pattern geometry are performed for the periodic precipitation. It was confirmed that the regular-type pattern appeared for all concentration conditions conducted in the present experiments. Furthermore, the pattern was found to obey the spacing law and the Matalon–Packter law. From our experiments, we concluded that AgCl forms regular-type Liesegang patterns, regardless of the dimension of diffusion.

Interplay between two radical species in the formation of periodic patterns during a polymerization reaction

Interplay between initiator and monomer radicals forms periodic precipitation of polymers.