Characteristic Shear Rate for Nonlinear Viscoelastic Behavior in a Polydisperse Polymer Solution

The characteristic shear rate for nonlinear viscoelastic behavior in a polydisperse polymer system was investigated by the study of the stress overshoot behavior of polybutadiene solutions. The frequency at the crossing point of the dynamic moduli () was determined by oscillation frequency sweeps. For the stress overshoot observed in the shear flow at a fixed rate, the dependency of the stress drop, , defined as the difference between the stress at the peak and the stress at the steady state, on the shear rate can be well described by a fitting function: , and a critical shear rate () can be obtained using this fitting function. The correlation between and for the solutions can be expressed as and the proportionality factor is dependent on the degree of chain interpenetration. When the shear rate was normalized by , the dependency of the stress drop on this normalized shear rate for the solutions with different concentrations can be superposed well. This observation indicates that can be viewed as a characteristic shear rate for nonlinear viscoelastic behavior in a polydisperse polymer solution.     

Hansen Solubility Parameters in the Analysis of Solvent–Solvent Interactions by Inverse Gas Chromatography

The Flory–Huggins interaction parameters, for a solute with pure nonvolatile solvents and with binary mixtures of nonvolatile solvents were evaluated using Inverse Gas Chromatography (IGC) data at 403.15 K. The five solvents used have similar structure and nearly the same molar volume and their mixtures form regular solutions. The values were used to evaluate the Hansen solubility parameters (HSP) for the pure solvents and mixed solvent systems. The HSP are plotted as a function of composition of the polar solvent. The dispersion component, , and the polar component, , exhibited negative deviation whereas the hydrogen bonding component, , showed positive deviation in the four mixtures. However, the total solubility parameter was found to be almost linear with composition in the four binary systems. Further the total solubility parameter, , was used to calculate the molar excess heat of vaporization for the solvents (C78 + POH, C78 + PCN, C78 + TTF, and C78 + TMO) that was found to be negative for C78 (19,24-dioctadecyldotetracontane) + POH(18,23-dioctadecylhentetracontan-1-ol) and C78 + PCN(1-cyano-18,23-dioctadecylhentetracontane) systems and positive for C78 + TTF [19,24-bis(18,18,18-trifluorooctadecyl)-1,1,1,42,42,42-hexafluorodotetracontane), and C78 + TMO(17,22-bis-(16-methoxyhexadecyl)-1,38-dimethoxyoctatriacontane] and the other systems.     

Hansen Solubility Parameters for the Solid Surface of Cellulose Acetate Propionate by Inverse Gas Chromatography

The specific retention volumes, V ⁰ _g , for adsorption of 21 solute probes on the solid surface of cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) were determined in the temperature range 343.15–403.15 K by inverse gas chromatography. In the temperature range studied the retention diagrams drawn between vs. 1/T were found to be linear for all the solutes. Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs) were calculated by relating with the cohesive energy of adsorption of the solutes on the surface of CAP following the Snyder and Karger adsorption model. The three components of HSP decreased linearly with increase of temperature. The HSP of CAP were compared with the corresponding values determined on cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) and discussed in the light of the chemical nature of the two solid surfaces. Enthalpies of adsorption were found to be more negative for CAP than for CAB.     

Thermal Oxidation and Structural Changes of Degraded Polyethylene in an Oxygen Atmosphere

High-temperature bulk thermolysis of high density polyethylene was performed to obtain degraded polyethylene, which was then left in an oxygen atmosphere for oxidation reaction at 160°C at different oxidation times, yielding a series of polyethylene degradation–oxidation products. Using infrared spectroscopy, chemical titration, gel chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry, the structural changes of the polyethylene degradation–oxidation products were investigated. Hydroxyl, carboxyl, ester, and other functional groups were introduced into the molecular chains of oxidation products, and the number of carboxyl groups sharply increased with increasing oxidation time. The breaking of molecular chains as well as combination reactions, such as esterfication, during the oxidation process lead to decrease of number-average molecular weight () and increase of both weight-average molecular weight () and molecular weight distribution, and an initial increase and leveling off of the carboxyl number per molecular chain. It is noteworthy that oxidation occurred primarily near weak bonds, mainly terminal vinyl unsaturations. Thus, compared with degraded polyethylene, the oxidation products showed little changes in the melting and crystallization behaviors; even when the oxidation time was up to 4 hr, the drop in the melting and crystallization temperature was less than 3°C. These results might lay a foundation for exploring tailored low molecular weight polymers to be used just as they are or after chemical modifications of olefinic functions.     

Dual-Mode Sorption of Inorganic Acids in Polybenzimidazole (PBI) Membrane

The sorption behaviors of sulfuric, perchloric, and phosphoric acids in polybenzimidazole membranes have been investigated. The results of sorption isotherms are consistent with the general form of a dual-mode sorption isotherm. The dual-mode sorption parameters were found using a least-squares program by fitting experimental data to a dual-mode equation. Results indicate a correlation between permeant properties like acidity, size, and the affinity constant in Langmuir-mode sorption species. Moreover, the results show that the size of the permeants has the dominant effect on Henry's constant. The obtained results for , site saturation constant, in Langmuir-mode sorption in the case of perchloric and phosphoric acids, reveals that the two acid molecules interact with two N?H basic groups in the polybenzimidazole repeat units. But in the case of sulfuric acid, it is shown that sulfuric acid neutralizes some of the basic groups in the polymer by its strong second hydrogen and the obtained value for was 1.25.     

Structural phase transitions at clean and metal-covered Si(111) surfaces investigated by RHEED spot analysis

Structural phase transitions between various kinds of superlattice structures formed on a Si(111) surface have been investigated by spot analysis of reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). Reversible transitions induced by temperature changes and irreversible ones induced by metal depositions were observed. Detailed discussions on the dynamics of the phase transitions are made by quantitative analyses of integrated spot intensity and profile. For a phase transition of 7′7  1′1 structures on a clean Si(111) surface, a hysteresis with temperature difference of 5°C. between in heating and cooling processes was found in the spot intensity change, indicating a first-order transition. Hysteresis was hardly recognized, on the other hand, for transitions of Au-induced superstructures (5×2-Au or ×-Au)  1×1-Au. The spot profiles were found to be broadened during the transition of Si(111)-×-Au  1×1-Au, which was a signature of a continuous transition, while the profiles remained unchanged during the transitions of the 7×7  1×1 and 5×2-Au  1×1-Au phases. Structural conversions induced by In adsorption on the Si(111) surface kept at constant temperatures were also analyzed. The conversions at room temperature were totally dependent on the initial substrate surface structures; the 7×7 surface did not show any structural conversion with In adsorption, while the ×-In surface successively converted to a 2×2 and a × phase with coverage increase. The structural transitions at elevated temperatures were sensitively dependent on the temperatures. Sequences of transitions among the 7×7, 4×1, ×, 1×, and ×4 were quantitatively revealed as changes in RHEED spot intensity.     

Interrelations of discrete Painlevé equations through limiting procedures

We study the discrete Painlevé equations associated to the affine Weyl group which can be obtained by the implementation of a special limits of -associated equations. This study is motivated by the existence of two -associated discrete both having a double ternary dependence in their coefficients and which have not been related before. We show here that two equations correspond to two different limits of a -associated discrete Painlevé equation. Applying the same limiting procedures to other -associated equations we obtained several -related equations most of which have not been previously derived.