Anisotropy in the dimensional and elastic parameters of confined macromolecules

Using lattice simulations the effect of confinement on the size, orientation and elastic properties of athermal chains was investigated. For chains confined in a slit or in a “cylinder” with square profile a minimum was observed in the dependence of the mean‐square end‐to‐end distance 〈R²〉 on the plate distance D. However, the components of the mean chain dimensions perpendicular and parallel to the walls, 〈R²_⟂〉 and 〈R²_∥〉, steadily diverge with reduction of the pore size. In a slit the distribution functions of the chain vector perpendicular and parallel to the plates, W〈R²_⟂ 〉 and W〈R²_∥〉, respectively, were computed. The marked difference between these distribution functions is interpreted as a sign of enhanced alignment of chains of the shape of elongated ellipsoids along the pore walls. A major part of the free energy of confinement ΔA_cf stems from this mechanism of pore‐induced macromolecular orientation. A striking anisotropy was observed in the elastic free energies A^el_⟂ and A^el_∥ of chains deformed in the direction perpendicular and parallel to the walls and in the corresponding force‐displacement functions. Finally, the relation between the elastic free energy A^el and the free energy of confinement ΔA_cf and between the forces f and f_solv derived thereof is analysed.     

A variation principle for energy differences between states of two different Hamiltonians

A modification of a variation principle due to Delves, is derived which permits the direct calculation of energy differences between states of two different Hamiltonians: [Δ ??] = 〈X₀| ??_x – W_x|X₁〉 – 〈Y₀|??_y – W_y|y₁〉 + 〈X₀| Δ ??|Y₀〉 · 〈X₀| Y₀〉^?1. Δ ?? = ??_y – ??_x, |X₀〉 and |Y₀〉 are the wave functions for the X and Y states and |X₁〉 and |Y₁〉 are functions defined in the text. The principle is applied to a few simple examples.     

Unperturbed chain dimensions of isotactic polypropylene in theta solvents

The unperturbed mean-square end-to-end distance 〈R₀²〉 and its temperature variation d In 〈R₀²〉/dT for isotactic polypropylene have been estimated from intrinsic viscosity data in three theta solvents, i.e., diphenyl, diphenyl ether, and dibenzyl ether, measured at their θ temperatures as determined by precipitation temperature measurements. The characteristic ratios, 〈R₀²〉/nl², where n is the number of bonds of length l in the main chain, evaluated by assuming Φ = 2.87 × 10²¹, are 5.80 in diphenyl (at θ = 125.1°C.), 5.41 in diphenyl ether (at θ = 142.8°C.), and 4.56 in dibenzyl ether (at θ = 183.2°C.). These values lead to the temperature coefficient d In 〈R₀²〉/dT = ?4.09 × 10^?3 deg.^?1 Results are compared with the data previously reported on polyethylene.     

Influence of excluded volume on the conformational property of tail-like chain on the simple cubic lattice

The influence of excluded volume on the conformational property of linear tail-like chain with one end attached to a flat surface is investigated by means of dynamic Monte Carlo method. Conformational properties such as mean-square end-to-end distance 〈R²〉, mean-square radius of gyration 〈S²〉 and mean asphericity parameter 〈A〉 are calculated for random walking (RW) and self-avoiding walking (SAW) tail-like chains on the simple cubic lattice. We find that the EV has nearly the same effect on 〈R²〉 as on 〈S²〉: (1) 〈R²〉_SAW/〈R²〉_RW≈〈S²〉_SAW/〈S²〉_RW∝n^0.204±0.05, where n is the chain length, and (2) the limiting value of 〈R²〉/〈S²〉≈7.7 for both chains. The distribution P(R) of the SAW tail-like chain can be expressed as a R⁴ correction of that of the RW one. We find that the value 〈A〉 of the SAW tail-like chain is bigger than that of the RW tail-like chain for all chain lengths, and the limiting values are 0.446±0.006 and 0.403±0.005 respectively.     

Interfacial properties of diblock copolymers at penetrable interfaces: Density profile,stretching, and interfacial tension

The interfacial properties of diblock (AB) copolymers near an interface between two solvents are studied by using the exact Green's function of a Gaussian copolymer chain at an attractive penetrable interface. We have studied the mean‐square end‐to‐end distance of the copolymer, 〈R²(z)〉, as a function of the distance of the joint point of the copolymer to the interface, z, the segment density distribution ρ(z), and the reduction of the interfacial tension Δγ_c due to the presence of the diblock copolymer. The density profile and the stretching of the copolymer chain are in agreement with both experimental results and simulations. The reduction in the interfacial tension is found to decrease with the increase in the degree of polymerization of the copolymer chain.     

Synthesis and application of novel fluoroalkyl end-capped cooligomers having adamantane as a pendant group

Fluoroalkyl end-capped cooligomers having adamantane as a pendant group [R_F-(Ad-HAc) _x –(Co-M) _y -R_F] were prepared by the reactions of fluoroalkanoyl peroxide with 3-hydroxy-1-adamantylacrylate (Ad-HAc) and comonomers (Co-M) such as acrylic acid (ACA), N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA), and acryloylmorpholine (ACMO) under mild conditions. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) showed that thermal stability of R_F-(Ad-HAc) _x –(Co-M) _y -R_F was superior to that of the corresponding fluoroalkyl end-capped cooligomers having adamantane in the main chains [R_F-(Ad) _x –(Co-M) _y -R_F] and the fluoroalkyl end-capped homooligomers possessing no adamantyl segments [R_F-(M) _n -R_F]. It is interesting to note that fluoroalkyl end-capped Ad-Hac–DMAA cooligomer [R_F-(Ad-HAc) _x –(DMAA) _y -R_F] was found to form the nanometer size-controlled cooligomeric aggregates which consist of around 16 fluorinated cooligomeric molecules in methanol/water mixed solvents. Furthermore, these fluorinated cooligomeric aggregate could occupy around 320 ADMDD [5-(2-adamantylidene)-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane-4,6-dione] molecules as guest molecules per aggregate core, although ADMDD could not be encapsulated into the R_F-(Ad) _x –(Co-M) _y -R_F cooligomeric and R_F-(M) _n -R_F homooligomeric aggregate cores under similar conditions.     

Effects of Nonpolar and Polar Solvents on the Qx and QY Energies of Bacteriochlorophyll a and Bacteriopheophytin a

The effects of nonpolar and polar solvents on the Q_x and Q_y energies of bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) a and bacteriopheophytin (BPhe) a were examined by electronic absorption spectroscopy. All of the four different energies exhibited a linear dependence on R(n) = (n² - l)/(n²+ 2), where n is the refractive index of the solvent, in both nonpolar and polar solvents. The energy of each state of both pigments could be expressed as v = -dR(n) + e (in cm^-1) where coefficient d was related to the dispersive interaction between the solute and the solvent molecules. A theory developed by Nagae showed that coefficient d originates from the quantum-mechanical fluctuation of the multipole moments of the solute, in terms of which the following characteristics of the observed d values were explained: (1) In all of the four cases of the Q_x, and Q_y energies of both BChl a and BPhe a, the d values for the polar solvents were smaller than those for the non-polar solvents. (2) In both nonpolar and polar solvents, the d value of BChl a was larger than that of BPhe a in the Q_y energy, whereas the d value of BPhe a was larger than that of BChl a in the Q_x energy. (3) The d value of the Q_x energy was larger than that of the Q_y, energy for either case of BChl a or BPhe a.     

Pair distribution function and related properties of star‐branched chains

Pair configurations of linear and star‐branched chains with F = 4, 8 and 12 arms embedded in the tetrahedral lattice were investigated. Pair data were determined by exact enumeration of all possible pair configurations. When the separation between two (linear) chains reached zero (r → 0) the pair distribution function g (r) read ≈ 0.15 for athermal and ≈ 0.6 for theta conditions in full accordance with former work. For star‐branched chains, g (r) approached a value zero at small separations for both thermodynamic conditions and the range of g (r) = 0 increased with an increase of the number of arms. As a consequence, the characteristic maximum of g (r) for theta conditions was the more pronounced the larger the number of arms. For stars, the extent to which mean squared dimensions and shape parameters depend on intermolecular distance was similar to that of linear chains, at least in the region of intermediate and large intermolecular separations. Transformation of the data into a concentration dependence revealed that with an increase in concentration, the dimensions decreased in the case of athermal solvents while they increased for θ‐solvents regardless of the functionality given.     

Synthesis and sorption properties of new synthesized rare-earth-doped sodium titanate

A series of rare-earth-doped sodium titanates with the chemical formula R _x H _y Na_{4 − (x+y)}TiO₄·nH₂O (where R = Ce³⁺, Nd³⁺ and Sm³⁺) were grown employing solid-state fusion reaction technique. The physico-chemical investigations indicated that the new materials were self engineered into large particles enough to be used in sorption process and having crystalline structures containing localized Na⁺ ions. Equilibrium studies revealed that an enhancement in sorption efficiency of sodium titanate after rare-earth doping. The neodymium-rich sodium titanate exhibited a better exchange affinity for Cs⁺ compared to the other studied series. Data on the kinetics of cesium exchange fit well to pseudo-second order and intra-particle diffusion models. In a separate experiment, it was reported that the R-HNaTi series showed responsible sorption affinity toward Ce, Nd and Sm ions in their solution mixture with insignificant selectivity trend which reflects the high stability of titanate matrices.     

Stabilization of the γ form of the rare earth sesquisulfides at lower temperature by doping with Calcium

The preparation of several samples forming a solid solution that can be formulated as Ca_(3/2)yR_2−y_{0.25−(1/2)y}S₃ (R = Ce, Sm, Gd) (0 ≤ y ≤ 0.30) is reported, together with their structural characterization, mainly through transmission electron microscopy. The introduction of Ca²⁺ into the rare earth metal sesquisulfide matrix stabilizes the γ form phase at 900 °C. This effect can be related to the non-stoichiometric nature of this phase, R_3−x_xS₄, because the introduction of Ca²⁺ requires the elimination of cation vacancies from the structure: 2R³⁺ + → 3Ca²⁺ (R = rare earth metal;  = cation vacancies). However, a NaCl-type solid solution is formed for R = Eu, formulated as Eu_1−yCa_yS. Well-ordered crystals are found in every sample, as it is revealed by transmission electron microscopy images and diffraction patterns. The color properties of the samples have been evaluated with reflectance spectra in the visible range and with L*–a*–b* coordinates.     

Mononukleare und mehrfach verbrückte dinukleare Phthalocyaninate(1–/2–) des Yttriums durch Solvenz‐kontrollierte Kondensation; kleine Solvenz‐Cluster als Liganden

Mononuclear and Multiply Bridged Dinuclear Phthalocyaninates(1–/2–) of Yttrium by Solvent Controlled Condensation; Small Solvent Clusters as Ligands Green chlorophthalocyaninato(2–)yttrium(III), [Y(Cl)pc^2–] forms when yttrium chloride is heated with o‐phthalonitrile in 1‐chloronaphthalene. Black cis‐di(chloro)phthalocyaninato(1‐)yttrium(III), ^cis[Y(Cl)₂pc^–] is obtained as a stable intermediate by partial reduction. Both complexes are soluble in many O‐donor solvents and pyridine. The solubility in water is remarkable: [Y(Cl)pc^2–] dissolves with green, ^cis[Y(Cl)₂pc^–] with red‐violet color. Typical absorptions of the pc^2– ligand are observed at 14800 and 29700 cm^–1. A solvent dependent monomer‐dimer equilibrium is found for the pc^– radical. The monomer with absorptions at 12100 and 19900 cm^–1 is favored in non‐polar solvents, while in polar solvents the dimer with absorptions at 8700, 13200 and 18600 cm^–1 is preferred. cis‐Tri(dimethylformamide)chlorophthalocyaninato(2–)yttrium(III) etherate ( 1 ) crystallises from a solution of [Y(Cl)pc^2–] in MeOH/dmf, cis‐tetra(dimethylsulfoxide)phthalocyaninato(2–)yttrium(III) chloride etherate methanol disolvate ( 2 ) from thf/dmso, μ‐di(chloro)‐μ‐di〈di(pyridine)(μ‐water)〉di(phthalocyaninato(2–)‐ yttrium(III)) ( 5 ) from py, and cis‐(chloro)pyridine(triphenylphosphine oxide)phthalocyaninato(2–)yttrium(III) semi‐etherate ( 3 ) is obtained from a solution of [Y(Cl)pc^2–] and triphenylphosphine oxide in py. 1 condenses in MeOH yielding a (1 : 1)‐mixture ( 4 ) of μ‐di(chloro)di(〈trans‐(diwaterdimethanol)〉〈dimethanol〉phthalocyaninato(2–)yttrium(III)) ( 4 a ) and μ‐di(chloro)di(dimethylformamide〈dimethanol〉phthalocyaninato(2–)yttrium(III)) ( 4 b ); co‐ordinatively bound solvent clusters are in brakets. The structures of 1 – 5 have been established by X‐ray crystallography. Apart from 3 with hepta‐co‐ordinated yttrium, the metal ion prefers octa‐co‐ordination, and the bond arrangement around Y³⁺ is always a distorted quadratic antiprism. In the dinuclear complexes obtained by solvent controlled condensation both antiprisms share an edge by two μ‐Cl atoms in 4 , while in 5 the antiprisms are face‐shared by two trans positioned μ‐Cl atoms and μ‐O atoms, respectively. In 5 , the bent ^b〈{py}₂(μ‐H₂O)〉 cluster is stabilised by a combined interplanar bonding of pyridine by short N…H–O bonds (d(N…O) = 2.664(7) Å; 2.81(2) Å) and strong van‐der‐Waals interactions with the ecliptic pc^2– ligands. 4 a and 4 b contain the dimeric methanol cluster 〈(MeOH)₂〉, and 4 a in addition the cyclic heterotetrameric trans‐diwaterdimethanol cluster, trans^c〈(H₂O)₂(MeOH)₂〉. The neutral clusters co‐ordinatively bound to the Y atom are compared with structurally established cluster‐anions of type 〈(OMe)(MeOH)〉^–, linear ^l〈(OMe)(MeOH)₂〉^–, cyclic ^c〈(OH)₃(H₂O)₃〉^3–, ^b〈{H₂O}₂(μ‐O)〉^2–, and ^b{H₂O}₂(μ‐F)〉^–.     

A low‐temperature phase of bis(tetrabutylammonium) octa‐μ3‐chlorido‐hexachlorido‐octahedro‐hexatungstate

The title compound, (C₁₆H₃₆N)₂[W₆Cl₁₄], undergoes a reversible phase transition at 268 (1) K. The structure at 150 and 200 K has monoclinic (P2₁/c) symmetry. Both crystallographically independent tungsten chloride cluster anions sit on crystallographic inversion centers [symmetry codes: (−x, −y + 1, −z) and (−x + 1, −y + 2, −z)]. Two previous studies at room temperature describe the structure in the space group P2₁/n with a unit‐cell volume approximately half the size of the low‐temperature unit cell [Zietlow, Schaefer et al. (1986). Inorg. Chem. 25 , 2195–2198; Venkataraman et al. (1999). Inorg. Chem. 38 , 828–830]. The unit cells of the room‐ and low‐temperature polymorphs are closely related. The hydrocarbon chain of one of the tetrabutylammonium cations is disordered at both 150 and 200 K.     

Sr,Ba and Cd arsenates with the apatite‐type structure

X‐ray diffraction analysis of single crystals of three new arsenates adopting apatite‐type structures yielded formula Sr₅(AsO₄)₃F for strontium arsenate fluoride, (I), (Sr_1.66Ba_0.34)(Ba_2.61Sr_0.39)(AsO₄)₃Cl for strontium barium arsenate chloride, (II), and Cd₅(AsO₄)₃Cl_0.58(OH)_0.42 for cadmium arsenate hydroxide chloride, (III). All three structures are built up of isolated slightly distorted AsO₄ tetrahedra that are bridged by Sr²⁺ in (I), by Sr²⁺/Ba²⁺ in (II) and by Cd²⁺ in (III). Compounds (I) and (II) represent typical fluorapatites and chlorapatites, respectively, with F⁻ at the 2a (0, 0, ) site and Cl⁻ at the 2b (0, 0, 0) site of P6₃/m. In contrast, in (III), due to the requirement that the smaller Cd²⁺ cation is positioned closer to the channel Cl⁻ anion (partially substituted by OH⁻), the anion occupies the unusual 2a (0, 0, ) site. Therefore, Cl⁻ is similar to F⁻ in (I), coordinated by three A2 cations, unlike the octahedrally coordinated Cl⁻ in (II) and other ordinary chlorapatites. Furthermore, in (III), using FT–IR studies, we have inferred the existence of H⁺ outside the channel in oxyhydroxyapatites and provided possible atomic coordinates for a H atom in HAsO₄²⁻, leading to a proposed formulation of the compound as Cd₅(AsO₄)_3−x(HAsO₄)_xCl_0.58(OH)_{0.42−x−(y/2)}O_x+(y/2)□_y/2.     

Angle‐resolved XPS of fluorinated and semi‐fluorinated side‐chain polymers

Angle‐resolved XPS data (elemental quantification and high‐energy‐resolution C 1s) are presented for ten polymers with side‐chains of the form ? OCO(CF₂)_yF, ? COO(CH₂)₂OCO(CF₂)_yF (y = 1, 2, 3) and ? COO(CH₂)_x(CF₂)_yF (x = 1, y = 1, 2, 3; x = 2, y = 8). Particular attention was paid to charge compensation and speed of data acquisition, with co‐addition from multiple fresh samples to give spectra with good energy resolution and good signal‐to‐noise ratio free from the effects of x‐ray‐induced degradation. Water contact angles for the polymers are also reported. The XPS data demonstrate preferential surface segregation of fluorine‐containing groups for all but the shortest side‐chain polymer, where the ? OCOCF₃ side‐chain either does not surface segregate or is too short for surface segregation to be detectable by angle‐resolved XPS. In the other polymers studied the relative positions of functional groups in the side‐chains correlate with the angle‐resolved behaviour of the corresponding C 1s components. This shows that the surface side‐chains are oriented towards the polymer surface. For the ? COO(CH₂)₂OCO(CF₂)_yF (y = 1) side‐chain, the angle‐resolved C 1s data suggest reduced ordering and linearity compared with y = 2 and 3. For any particular series of polymers, e.g. ? COO(CH₂)_x(CF₂)_yF, the water contact angles increase with y, consistent with burying of the hydrophilic ester groups as y increases. For any particular value of y the sequence of water contact angles is ? COO(CH₂)_x(CF₂)_yF > ? OCO(CF₂)_yF ～ ? COO(CH₂)₂OCO(CF₂)_yF, suggesting greater ordering and density of fluorocarbon species at the surface of the ? COO(CH₂)_x(CF₂)_yF side‐chain polymers compared with the other polymers studied. For the ? COO(CH₂)₂(CF₂)₈F polymer a water contact angle of 124° is measured, which is greater than that of poly(tetrafluoroethene). The ? COO(CH₂)₂OCO(CF₂)F polymer is unusual in that it shows a particularly low water contact angle (83° ), suggesting that the probe fluid is able to sense both ester groups, consistent with the reduced ordering of the side‐chain detected by angle‐resolved XPS. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Formation and properties of the new Al8V10W16O85 and Fe8?xAlxV10W16O85 phases with the M–Nb2O5 structure

A new, previously unknown phase Al₈V₁₀W₁₆O₈₅ has been obtained from reaction taking place in the solid state. It forms continuous solid solution with Fe₈V₁₀W₁₆O₈₅ of the Fe_8−x Al _x V₁₀W₁₆O₈₅ general formula. All these phases are isostructural with M–Nb₂O₅ and (W_0.35V_0.65)₂O₅ and belong to a block structure phases with ReO₃ type blocks of 4 × 4×∞ dimensions. Al₈V₁₀W₁₆O₈₅ is tetragonal and has the lattice constants a = b = 1.9487(1) nm and c = 0.36706(4) nm. It melts incongruently at 1,183 K depositing Al₂(WO₄)₃ and WO₃. The increase of the Al³⁺ ions content in the crystal lattice of Fe₈V₁₀W₁₆O₈₅ causes the melting point increasing, and decreasing of a = b unit cell parameters with c being almost constant. IR spectra of Al₈V₁₀W₁₆O₈₅ and Fe_8−x Al _x V₁₀W₁₆O₈₅ phases have been recorded.     

Coil-globule transition: Self-assembly of a single polymer chain

The coil collapse problem is of interest not only because it represents the simplest model of protein folding, but also because of its fundamental importance as related to polymer nanostructures and fractionation. It is extremely difficult to observe the coil-to-globule transition experimentally because at finite concentrations in a poor solvent, the macromolecules tend to aggregate due to phase separation when the collapsed state is being achieved. In the mid-1980s, two-stage kinetics of a single-chain collapse was proposed theoretically.^1,2 The first successful experimental observation of a two-stage coil-to-globule transition was achieved by quenching a dilute solution of polystyrene (PS) in cyclohexane.³ By using a thinnest capillary tube cell with a wall thickness of 0.01 mm and a diameter of 5 mm for dynamic light scattering, two relaxation times, τ_crum for the crumpled globule state and τ_eq for the compact globule state, were determined⁴ for the first time. The relaxation times were much slower than expected. From the size of the crumpled globule and that of the compact globule and by assuming the intraglobular density to be uniform, the volume fraction of the PS chain in the crumpled globule state, ϕ_crum, and that in the compact globule state, ϕ_comp, can be estimated, with ϕ_crum = 0.02 and ϕ_comp ∼ 0.24-0.4 at 28°C for polystyrene in cyclohexane. The results imply that a single-chain globule contains a large amount of solvent. It should also be noted that ϕ_comp is temperature dependent, i.e., one would have to go to hypothetically low temperatures in order to squeeze out all the solvent (cyclohexane) in the compact PS globule. The single-chain coil collapse state could be achieved under equilibrium conditions by using a high molecular weight, M_w ∼ 1.08 × 10⁷ g/mol; M_w/M_n < 1.06) poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) in water,<⁵ even though the ten million molecular weight for PNIPAM was substantially lower than that for polystyrene (M_w ∼ 50 × 10⁶ g/mole).⁶ Under equilibrium conditions, it was feasible to determine both the hydrodynamic radius R_h and the radius of gyration R_g. The ratio of R_g/R_h changed from 1.45 to 0.77, clearly demonstrating the transition from the theta coil state to the compact globule state. At the maximum value of the scaled expansion factor α_s³ |τ| M_w^1/2, R_g/R_h = 1.33 where α_s = R_g/R_g (θ) and τ = |T-θ| / θ with θ being the theta temperature. In the compact globule, R_g/R_h was of the order of 0.7, implying that the PNIPAM compact globule in water still contained ∼80% water, of the same order of magnitude as the PS compact globule in cyclohexane at 7° below its theta temperature (35°C).     

微乳液法合成白光LED NaLu(MO_4)_2:Eu~(3+)/Eu~(3+),Tb~(3+)(M=W,Mo)荧光粉

采用微乳液法制备Na Lu(WO4)2-x(Mo O4)x∶8%Eu3+(x=0,0.5,1.0,1.5,2.0)/y%Eu3+,5%Tb3+(y=1,3,5,7,9)系列荧光粉。通过X射线衍射(XRD)表征,所制样品的X射线衍射峰与标准卡片PDF#27-0729基本吻合,表明所制的样品为白钨矿结构,属于四方晶系。扫描电镜(SEM)显示制备的纳米粒子是梭子状的,粒径大约是110 nm。激发发射光谱显示,在Eu3+离子掺杂物质的量分数为8%时,Na Lu(WO4)(Mo O4)∶Eu3+发光强度最大。Na Lu(WO4)2-x(Mo O4)x∶8%Eu3+(x=0,0.5,1.0,1.5,2.0)荧光粉在nMo/nW比达到1∶1(x=1)时发光强度最大,强烈的红光发射表明该材料可用于白光LED材料。该荧光粉在268、394和466 nm波长光激发下分别发出橙红色、黄色和淡黄色光,可以满足不同光色需要。Na Lu(WO4)(Mo O4)∶y%Eu3+,5%Tb3+(y=1,3,5,7,9)荧光粉,随着y值增大,从绿光区(x=0.278,y=0.514)进入白光区(x=0.356,y=0.373),(x=0.278,y=0.313),同时观察到Tb3+到Eu3+有效能量传递。     

Matrix-Inducing Synthesis of SrxY10?x(SiO4)y(PO4)6?yO2: Eu3+ Micron Crystalline Coral Like Phosphors by Sol-Gel Composition of Hybrid Precursors

In the context, Sr_xY_10−x(SiO₄)_y(PO₄)_6−yO₂ doped with 1 mol%Eu³⁺ (x = 2, y = 6; x = 4, y = 4; x = 5, y = 3; x = 8, y = 0) were synthesized by using 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APES) as the sources of the silicate network. X-ray diagrams confirm that Sr_xY_10−x(SiO₄) _y(PO₄)_6−yO₂: Eu³⁺ solid solutions are formed as a pure apatitic phase. The SEM picture shows that there exist some novel unexpected coral like morphological structures. The luminescent intensity is the strongest for the host composition of Sr₄Y₆(SiO₄)₄(PO₄)₂O₂ although the effect of the composition on the luminescent intensity is little.     

Trigonal Prismatic Coordination of Discrete Rare Earth Ions,Enforced by the Polyoxotungstate [P4W27O99(H2O)]16–

A family of solution-stable polyanions [Na⊂{Ln^III(H₂O)}{W^VIO(H₂O)}P^V₄W^VI₂₆O₉₈]¹²⁻ (Ln=Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu and Y) represent the first examples of polyoxometalates comprising a single lanthanide(III) or yttrium(III) ion in a rare trigonal prismatic O₆ environment. Their synthesis exploits the reactivity of the organophosphonate-functionalized precursor [P₄W₂₄O₉₂(C₆H₅P^VO)₂]¹⁶⁻ with heterometal ions and yields hydrated potassium or mixed lithium/potassium salts of composition K_xLn_yH_12–x–y[Na⊂{Ln(H₂O)}{WO(H₂O)}P₄W₂₆O₉₈]⋅nH₂O⋅mLiCl (x=8.5–11; y=0–2; n=24–34; m=0–1.5). The Dy, Ho, Er and Yb derivatives are characterized by slow magnetization relaxation.     

Thermodynamic and conformational properties of partially butyralized poly(vinyl alcohol) in aqueous solution

Phase separation behavior has been studied in aqueous solutions of partially butyralized poly(vinyl alcohol) (BuPVA) with various degrees of butyralization x_Bu and various molecular weights. It is found that these systems exhibit both upper and lower critical solution temperatures. The theta temperatures θ_LCST, evaluated by means of Shultz–Flory plots, are found to be 25.1, 23.3, and 14.4°C for BuPVAs with x_Bu of 7.5, 9.9, and 12.7 mol %, respectively. The unperturbed dimension 〈R²〉₀/M is evaluated as ca. 1.2 × 10^?16 Ų in the above range of x_Bu from viscosity measurement at θ_LCST. Properties of the BuPVA solutions are compared with those of other PVA copolymers.