Theoretical investigation of the He-I2(E3Πg) ion-pair state: ab initio intermolecular potential and vibrational levels

We present a theoretical study on the potential energy surface and vibrational bound states of the E electronic excited state of the HeI(2) van der Waals system. The interaction energies are computed using accurate ab initio methods and large basis sets. Relativistic small-core effective core potentials in conjunction with a quintuple-zeta quality basis set are employed for the heavy iodine atoms in multireference configuration interaction calculations for the (3)A' and (3)A" states. For the representation of the potential energy surface we used a general interpolation technique for constructing potential surfaces from ab initio data based on the reproducing kernel Hilbert space method. The surface presents global and local minima for T-shaped configurations with well-depths of 33.2 and 4.6 cm(-1), respectively. Vibrational energies and states are computed through variational quantum mechanical calculations. We found that the binding energy of the HeI(2)(E) T-shaped isomer is 16.85 cm(-1), in excellent agreement with recent experimental measurements. In lieu of more experimental data we also report our predictions on higher vibrational levels and we analyze the influence of the underlying surface on them. This is the first attempt to represent the potential surface of such a highly excited electronic state of a van der Waals complex, and it demonstrates the capability of the ab initio technology to provide accurate results for carrying out reliable studies to model experimental data.     

An ab initio study of the E 3Πg state of the iodine molecule

The E (3)Π(g) state of the iodine molecule is studied by ab initio multireference methods coupled with effective core potentials and large basis sets. Two potential minima are found, a global featuring an ion-pair character, and a local presenting a purely Rydberg nature. Four avoided crossings along the dissociation coordinate attribute an interesting topology to its potential energy curve, and their effect on the vibrational levels of I(2) is discussed.     

Specializations of Multigradings and the Arithmetical Rank of Lattice Ideals

In this article, we study specializations of multigradings and apply them to the problem of the computation of the arithmetical rank of a lattice ideal I _{L 𝒢}  ? K[x ₁,…, x _n ]. The arithmetical rank of I _{L 𝒢} equals the ?-homogeneous arithmetical rank of I _{L 𝒢} , for an appropriate specialization ? of 𝒢. To the lattice ideal I _{L 𝒢} and every specialization ? of 𝒢, we associate a simplicial complex. We prove that combinatorial invariants of the simplicial complex provide lower bounds for the ?-homogeneous arithmetical rank of I _{L 𝒢} .     

Grothendieck groups arising from contravariantly finite subcategories

The subject of the paper is the study of the relative homological properties of a given additive category C in relation to a given contravariantly finite subcategory X in C under the assumption that any X-epic has a kernel in C. We introduce the notion of the Grothendieck group relative to the pair (C, X) and also that of the Cartan map cx relative to (C, X) and we show that the cokernel of cx is isomorphic to the corresponding Grothendieck group of the stable category C/Jx We also show that if the right x-dimension of C is finite, then cx is an isomorphism. In case C is a finite dimensional k-additive Krull-Schmidt category, we introduce the notion of the x-dimension vector of an object of C. We give criteria for when an indecomposable object is determined, up to isomorphism, by its x-dimension vector.     

On the relative homology of cleft extensions of rings and abelian categories

We study the relative homological behaviour of the omnipresent class of cleft extensions of abelian categories. This class of extensions is a natural generalization of the trivial extensions studied in detail by Fossum, Griffith and Reiten and by Palmer and Roos. We apply our results to the relative homology of cleft extensions of rings.     

Dielectric and dynamic mechanical studies on homogeneous PBA/PBMA interpenetrating polymer networks

Broadband dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS, 10⁻²‐10⁹ Hz), thermally stimulated depolarization currents (TSDC) techniques and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) were employed to investigate the dynamic glass transition and, thus, phase morphology in sequential IPNs of poly(butyl acrylate) (PBA) and poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) with 10 weight % of ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as branching agent. In a parallel investigation, similar IPNs with only 0.1% branching agent showed clearly phase separation. In the highly branched IPNs, forced compatibilization induces miscibility of the two components. The results are discussed in terms of suppression of cooperativity and dynamic heterogeneity in the IPNs.     

Poly(methyl acrylate)/poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate) sequential interpenetrating polymer networks. Miscibility and water sorption behavior

Sequential poly(methyl acrylate)/poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate) interpenetrating polymer networks with different poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate) contents were prepared by free radical polymerization of hydroxyethyl acrylate inside the previously polymerized poly(methyl acrylate) network. Differential scanning calorimetry on dry samples shows that the interpenetrating polymer networks exhibit phase separation, and no differences are found between the glass transition temperatures of the two phases present in the interpenetrating polymer network and those of the pure components. Thermally stimulated depolarization current experiments were used to study the influence of water sorption on the mobility of the different molecular groups in the poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate) phase of the interpenetrating polymer network. Isothermal water sorption of the interpenetrating polymer networks and pure poly(methyl acrylate) and poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate) networks is analyzed with different theories to compare the behavior of the poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate) phase in the interpenetrating polymer networks with that of the pure poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate) network. Diffusion coefficients of water in the interpenetrating polymer networks are obtained by means of dynamic sorption experiments. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1587–1599, 1999     

Molecular dynamics in nanostructured polyimide-silica hybrid materials and their thermal stability

Molecular motion and thermal stability in two series of nanophase-separated polyimide-silica (PI-SiO₂) hybrid networks with chemically bound components were studied. The hybrids were prepared via a sol-gel process and differed in PI structure and chain length, and in SiO₂ content ranging from 10 to 50 wt.%. Differential scanning calorimetry, laser-interferometric creep rate spectroscopy, dielectric relaxation spectroscopy, thermally stimulated depolarization current techniques, and thermogravimetry were used covering, on the whole, the ranges of 100–900 K and 10⁻³-10⁹ Hz. Silica domains influenced PI dynamics in two opposite directions. Loosened segmental packing in chains confined to nanovolumes resulted mainly in rise of small-scale motion below β-relaxation region, while anchoring of chain ends to ‘rigid walls’ caused, contrarily, a partial or total suppression of segmental motion above T_β, especially drastically at the temperatures close to and within glass transition. The latter resulted in a large change in thermal stability, e.g., 2.5-fold increasing of the apparent activation energy of thermooxidative degradation, and more than 100° rise of predicted long-term thermal stability for the hybrids as compared to that for PI.