Preparation of gels to obtain glasses of high homogeneity by low temperature synthesis

The conditions for the preparation of gels in order to obtain oxide glasses of high homogeneity by low temperature synthesis are discussed with reference to the system TiO₂SiO₄. Three kinds of titanium alkoxides, ethoxide, iso-propoxide and ter-amyloxide, were mixed with silicon methoxide or ethoxide by various methods and were hydrolysed to form gels. Titanium ethoxide was added to an ethanol solution of partially hydrolysed silicon ethoxide. The mixture of titanium iso-propoxide and silicon ethoxide was hydrolysed very slowly by adding distilled water. Titanium ter-amyloxide, the rate of hydrolysis of which is supposed to be much lower than those of ethoxide and methoxide, was mixed with silicon methoxide to be hydrolysed with ammonia water of pH = 11.2 ～ 11.3. The uniformity of composition in the gels so formed was investigated by measuring the homogeneity of the glasses obtained by melting the mixtures of gels and sodium nitrate for a very short time, i.e., until immediately after the melt became batch free. The gel obtained from titanium ter-amyloxide and silicon methoxide was the most homogeneous, indicating that the employment of alkoxides with a close rate of hydrolysis is essential for the preparation of glass of high homogeneity by the low temperature process.     

Low temperature synthesis of non-crystalline solids of the system SrO-SiO2

Non-crystalline solids within the liquid-liquid immiscibility region in the system SrO-SiO₂ have been prepared from a gel obtained by the hydrolysis of silicon tetramethoxide with an aqueous solution of strontium nitrate. The gel which was porous and translucent at room temperature increased in transparency with heating due to the collapse of micropores until it became completely clear. The gel became opaque again due to the precipitation of α-quartz at higher temperatures. The critical temperatures below which clear solids were obtained fell on a line connecting the glass transition temperatures of vitreous silica and those of SrO-SiO₂ glasses prepared by melting. The density and refractive index of the pore-free, clear glassy solid, changed continuously with the SrO content along lines connecting those of vitreous silica and SrO- SiO₂ glasses of high SrO content prepared by melting. The maximum amount Sr²⁺ which could be introduced using an aqueous solution as the starting material corresponded to a composition of 10 SrO · 90 SiO₂ by weight.     

Structural investigation of sodium borate glasses and melts by Raman spectroscopy.: I. Quantitative evaluation of structural units

Short-range and intermediate range structures of the sodium borate glass system were investigated using Raman spectroscopy to quantify their dependence on Na₂O concentration. High-resolution spectra were collected by Raman spectroscopy using the Q-switched, second-harmonic pulse of a Nd:YAG laser as an excitation source. The system was designed for measurement of the spectra of glasses and melts up to temperatures over 1000 °C with high signal to noise ratio. Use of polarized light and the simultaneous analysis of HH and VH spectra allowed deconvolution of Raman spectra into appropriate bands with high reproducibility. The deconvoluted bands in the high-frequency region of 1100-1600 cm⁻¹ could be assigned to the vibration modes due to the short-range structures of BO₃ and BO₂O⁻ units in the glasses. The band intensity ratios showed a simple linear relationship with the molar ratio, symmetric BO₃ triangle unit, N_3s, to asymmetric BO₂O⁻ triangle unit, N_3a, obtained from ¹¹B-NMR results. These results allowed a quantitative measure for normalizing the spectra leading to a direct comparison of the band intensities. The ring-structures of intermediate range order, boroxol, pentaborate, tetraborate and diborate groups, could be quantified from the spectra in the middle-frequency region. Their trends with Na₂O concentration showed a good consistency with ¹⁰B-NMR results and also Krogh-Moe’s model.     

On subset-resilient hash function families

Designs, Codes and Cryptography - In this paper, we analyze the security of subset-resilient hash function families, which is first proposed as a requirement of a hash-based signature scheme called...     

Energy Transfer Between Eu3+ Ions and CdS Quantum Dots in Sol-Gel Derived CdS/SiO2 : Eu3+ Gel

We have investigated the energetic correlation between rare-earth ions and semiconductor nanocrystals, using europium ion (Eu³⁺) doped silica (SiO₂) gel with adsorbed cadmium sulfide (CdS) particles. Samples were prepared by a sol-gel technique, in which several methods for the precipitation of CdS colloids were attempted. The fluorescence intensities were compared for different gels, with and without CdS particles. The intrinsic emission lines due to ⁵D₀ ⁷F_J(J = 0–4) transitions of Eu³⁺ were observed, which were enhanced for 24 h-immersed gel (dried at 50°C). From the results on the decay dynamics of fluorescence, we proposed the model that surface-trapped electrons on CdS particles nonradiatively excited 4f electrons in Eu³⁺ ions due to an energy transfer process.     

Architectural formation of a conjugated bimetallic Pd(II) complex via oxidative complexation and a tetracyclic Pd(II) complex via self-assembling complexation

The conjugated homobimetallic palladium(II) complex [(L1)Pd(qd)Pd(L1)] (qd = quinonediimine) was obtained in a one-pot reaction by the in-situ oxidative complexation of 1,4-phenylenediamine with the palladium(II) complex [(L1)Pd(MeCN)] (H2L1 = N,N'-bis(2-phenylethyl)-2,6-pyridinedicarboxamide) while in the absence of an additional ligand [(L1)Pd(MeCN)] was converted to the amide-bridged macrocyclic tetramer [Pd(L1)]4.     

Chemical state analysis of fluorine in various compounds using X-ray fluorescence spectra

F Kα X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectra of various fluorides were measured and to investigate the chemical state of fluorine in xHoF₃-20BaF₂-10AlF₃-(70 − x)GeO₂ (mol%, x = 10-50) glass. The main peak (Kα_1,2) position and the relative intensity of the satellite peak attributable to Kα_3,4 were discussed relating to the M-F bond covalency. Results showed that the fluorine in xHoF₃-20BaF₂-10AlF₃-(70 − x)GeO₂ (mol%, x = 10-50) glass had a completely different chemical state from that of starting materials. Quantitative analyses of the glasses were also undertaken using XRF measurements for each component. These results suggest that 30% fluorine in the 50HoF₃-20BaF₂-10AlF₃-20GeO₂ system is substituted by oxygen through pyrohydrolysis of the fluorides.     

Cooperative C(60) binding to a porphyrin tetramer arranged around a p-terphenyl axis in 1:2 host-guest stoichiometry

[structure: see text] Porphyrin tetramer 1 was newly designed and synthesized to construct a novel cooperative [60]fullerene (C(60)) binding system. Compound 1 has a p-terphenyl axis, which is expected to act as a scaffold for a guest-binding information transducer. In toluene, 1 can bind 2 equiv of C(60) to produce a 1:2 1/C(60) complex with association constants of 5800 M(-1) (K(1)) and 2000 M(-1) (K(2)). These values are significantly greater than those for control porphyrin dimers such as 2 and 3.     

Temperature‐sensitive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐grafted surfaces modulate blood platelet interactions

Interactions between a temperature‐responsive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐grafted surface and blood platelets have been analyzed with computerized image analysis. Platelet behavior on this surface is dramatically dependent upon temperature in contrast to that on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)‐grafted surfaces or polystyrene. The poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐grafted surface interacts with platelets similarly as the poly(ethylene glycol)‐rafted surface at 18°C. At 37°C, platelets readily adhere onto the poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐grafted surface similarly as to that of polystyrene.     

Rheological properties of linear and crosslinked polymer blends: Relation between crosslink density and enhancement of elongational viscosity

Strain‐hardening behavior in the elongational viscosity of binary blends composed of a linear polymer and a crosslinked polymer, in which the molecular chains of the linear polymer were incorporated into the network chains of the crosslinked polymer, was studied. Blending the crosslinked polymer characterized as the gel just beyond the sol–gel transition point greatly enhanced the strain‐hardening behavior in the elongational viscosity, even though the amount of the crosslinked polymer was only 0.3 wt %. However, the crosslinked polymer, which was far beyond or below the sol–gel transition point, had little influence on the elongational viscosity as well as the shear viscosity. The stretching of the chain sections between the crosslink points was responsible for the strain‐hardening behavior. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 228–235, 2001