Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy was used to investigate the properties of residual water in lyophilized formulations of a proprietary tri-phosphate drug containing a sugar (trehalose, lactose or sucrose) or dextran. The dielectric properties of each formulation were determined in the frequency range (0.1 Hz-0.1 MHz) and temperature range (30˚C-T g ). The temperature dependence of the relaxation times for all samples showed Arrhenuis behaviour, from which the activation energy was derived. Proton hopping through the hydrogen-bonded network (clusters) of water molecules was suggested as the principle mode of charge transport. Significant differences in dielectric relaxation kinetics and activation energy were observed for the different formulations, which were found to correlate with the amount of monophosphate degradation product.

The existence of glass or amorphous component in Portland cement clinker has been questioned for a long time. However, besides the crystalline phases, there are reports in the literature of noncrystalline material in cement clinker, which is considered to be the residue of the melt that has failed to crystallize. Absolute phase abundances were determined in this study by Rietveld refinements with laboratory X-ray data, using both internal and external phase composition standards. The results clearly demonstrate the existence of an amorphous component in Portland cement clinker. The presence of an amorphous component was also apparent from diffraction data for clinker from which the silicate phases had been chemically removed, using both laboratory X-ray and synchrotron radiation patterns.

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Coplanar waveguide transmission lines have been used to show that the temperature dependent properties of Ba 0.5 Sr 0.5 TiO 3 thin films used for microwave phase shifters in the frequency range 45 MHz-50 GHz are correlated strongly with the microstructure of the films. The highest tunability and figure of merit of the phase shifters were obtained for films with the narrowest ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition range, lowest mosaic spread, and widest columnar microstructure. The study also showed that the operating temperature plays an important role in achieving the optimum phase shift for microwave applications.