Reflections on PPI from the 'Action on Living Well: Asking You' advisory network of people with dementia and carers as part of the IDEAL study.

This article describes the work of the 'Action on Living Well: Asking You' group - an involvement group of people with dementia and carers attached to the IDEAL research study. The article describes the work of the group, the methods that have helped them to stay involved and people's perspectives on their experiences of being involved and the impact it has had, for themselves and others. The article has been written following a reflective piece of work with the 'Action on Living Well: Asking You' group to review and remember the work of the past four years. An accompanying film brings to life the work and activities of the group, available at www.idealproject.org.uk/mclass/.

Boron nanoparticles with high hydrogen loading: mechanism for B-H binding and potential for improved combustibility and specific impulse.

Ball milling of boron in an H2 atmosphere was found to result in hydrogen uptake of up to 5% by weight (36 mol %). The nature of the hydrogen binding to boron was probed by a combination of ab initio theory, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and mass spectral measurements of gases evolved during sample heating. The dominant binding mode is found to be H atoms bound to B atoms in the surface layer of the particles, and the high hydrogen loading results from production of very high surface area, indicating that gaseous H2 is an effective agent promoting size reduction in milling. Hydrogen incorporated in the samples was found to be stable for at least a month under ambient conditions. Desorption is observed beginning at ∼60 °C and continuing as the temperature is increased, with broad desorption features peaking at ∼250 and ∼450 °C, and ending at ∼800 °C. Unprotected hydrogenated boron nanoparticles were found to be reactive with O2 producing a hydrated boron oxide surface layer that decomposed readily at 100 °C leading to desorption of H2O. Hydrogenated boron nanoparticles were found to promote a higher flame height in the hypergolic ignition of ionic liquids upon contact with nitric acid.

Fourier transform infrared studies in hypergolic ignition of ionic liquids.

A class of room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) that exhibit hypergolic activity toward fuming nitric acid is reported. Fast ignition of dicyanamide ionic liquids when mixed with nitric acid is contrasted with the reactivity of the ionic liquid azides, which show high reactivity with nitric acid, but do not ignite. The reactivity of other potential salt fuels is assessed here. Rapid-scan, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of the preignition phase indicates the evolution of N 2O from both the dicyanamide and azide RTILs. Evidence for the evolution of CO 2 and isocyanic acid (HNCO) with similar temporal behavior to N 2O from reaction of the dicyanamide ionic liquids with nitric acid is presented. Evolution of HN 3 is detected from the azides. No evolution of HCN from the dicyanamide reactions was detected. From the FTIR observations, biuret reaction tests, and initial ab initio calculations, a mechanism is proposed for the formation of N 2O, CO 2, and HNCO from the dicyanamide reactions during preignition.