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Two fluoride-encapsulated octasilsesquioxane cage compounds have been prepared using the TBAF route as important molecular models for studying ion entrapment in siliceous zeolites. Analyses by X-ray crystal structure and solution 19F/29Si NMR spectroscopy reveal very similar environments for the encapsulated fluoride ion perfectly centered within each cage with evidence of weak silicon−fluoride ion interactions. By comparing our NMR and X-ray data with those of nonencapsulated cage analogues from the literature, we observe the effect the fluoride ion has on the geometry of the cage and use the findings of related studies in the literature to suggest reasons fluoride ion may be becoming entrapped in the silsesquioxane core.

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Positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) is a noninvasive technique capable of imaging the three-dimensional dynamics of a wide variety of powders, particles, grains, and/or fluids. The PEPT technique can track the motion of particles with high temporal and spatial resolution and can be used to study various phenomena in systems spanning a broad range of scales, geometries, and physical states. We provide an introduction to the PEPT technique, an overview of its fundamental principles and operation, and a brief review of its application to a diverse range of scientific and industrial systems.

Positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) is a technique which allows the high-resolution, three-dimensional imaging of particulate and multiphase systems, including systems which are large, dense, and/or optically opaque, and thus difficult to study using other methodologies. In this work, we bring together researchers from the world's foremost PEPT facilities not only to give a balanced and detailed overview and review of the technique but, for the first time, provide a rigorous, direct, quantitative assessment of the relative strengths and weaknesses of all contemporary PEPT methodologies. We provide detailed explanations of the methodologies explored, including also interactive code examples allowing the reader to actively explore, edit and apply the algorithms discussed. The suite of benchmarking tests performed and described within the document is made available in an open-source repository for future researchers.

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The axial segregation of granular and particulate media is a well-known but little-understood phenomenon with direct relevance to various natural and industrial processes. Over the past decades, many attempts have been made to understand this phenomenon, resulting in a significant number of proposed mechanisms, none of which can provide a full and universally applicable explanation. In this paper, we show that several mechanisms can be simultaneously active within a single system, and that by considering all relevant mechanisms, it is possible to understand and explain a system's segregative behaviours over a wider range of parameter space than is possible by considering any one, single process. We explore the interrelation and competition between the individual mechanisms present within a given system and demonstrate that by understanding these interactions, we can predict and even, through carefully designed systems, control their behaviour. In particular, we demonstrate that it is possible to deliberately direct segregation, allowing an arbitrary number of pre-determined segregation patterns to be induced in a system. We also illustrate a manner in which the competition between two opposing segregation mechanisms may be exploited in order to enhance the mixing of two dissimilar species of particle-a much sought after ability.