Synthesis and properties of polyethersulphone–polydimethyisiloxane block copolymers

High molecular weight alternating block copolymers of polyethesulphone (PES) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were prepared by the condensation of dimethylamino-terminated PDMS oligomers and hydroxy-terminated PES oligomers in 1,2-dichlorobenzene. Microphase separation of the block copolymers at exceptionally short block lengths was observed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The Si? O? C intersegment linkage in these materials appeared to display poor hydrolytic stability which is contrary to results obtained for other block copolymers.     

Self-organized ZnAl2O4 nanostructures grown on -sapphire

Self-organized ZnAl₂O₄ nanostructures with the appearance (in SEM) of high aspect ratio horizontal nanowires are grown on uncatalysed c-sapphire by vapour phase transport. The nanostructures grow as three equivalent crystallographic variants on c-sapphire. Raman and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy confirm that the nanostructures are not ZnO and TEM shows that they are the cubic spinel, zinc aluminate, ZnAl₂O₄, formed by the reaction of Zn and O with the sapphire substrate.     

Synthesis and characterization of a semiflexible liquid crystalline polyester with a broad nematic region

In this paper, we report on the synthesis and detailed characterization of a new semiflexible nematic liquid crystalline polyester which could serve as a 'model' polyester for a variety of physical and physico-chemical investigations. The polymer is a nematic liquid over a wide temperature range-from the glass transition temperature at ∼95°C to the isotropic transition at ∼240°C. We expect this polyester to be particularly useful for studying the effect of flow on the orientation of liquid crystalline polymers, as well as the production and removal of disclinations.     

First synthesis of arylpyrrolo- and pyrazolopyrrolizinones as useful agents with potential biological interest

Novel arylpyrrolo- and pyrazolopyrrolizinones were prepared in three or four steps starting from aminoarylpyrrole and pyrazole carboxylates through the cyclisation of a Vilsmeier-Haack intermediate. This synthesis was enhanced by diverse N-protections of the aza-heterocycle and furnish new series with potential biological interest.     

Equivalence of inverse Sturm-Liouville problems with boundary conditions rationally dependent on the eigenparameter

Three inverse problems for a Sturm-Liouville boundary value problem −y″+qy=λy, y(0)cosα=y′(0)sinα and y′(1)=f(λ)y(1) are considered for rational f. It is shown that the Weyl m-function uniquely determines α, f, and q, and is in turn uniquely determined by either two spectra from different values of α or by the Prüfer angle. For this it is necessary to produce direct results, of independent interest, on asymptotics and oscillation.     

Construction of best Bregman approximations in reflexive Banach spaces

An iterative method is proposed to construct the Bregman projection of a point onto a countable intersection of closed convex sets in a reflexive Banach space.

     

The components of the Wired Spanning Forest are recurrent

 We show that a.s. all of the connected components of the Wired Spanning Forest are recurrent, proving a conjecture of Benjamini, Lyons, Peres and Schramm. Our analysis relies on a simple martingale involving the effective conductance between the endpoints of an edge in a uniform spanning tree. We believe that this martingale is of independent interest and will find further applications in the study of uniform spanning trees and forests. Received: 20 April 2001 / Revised version: 23 July 2002 / Published online: 14 November     

Photothermal microanalysis of thermal discontinuities in metallic samples

Modeling the behavior of a protective coating during a thermal shock not only requires the knowledge of its own thermophysical characteristics, but also those of the coating–substrate discontinuity. According to its nature, this discontinuity can be modeled as a zero-thickness interface (thermal contact resistance) or a finite thickness layer (thermal third body). This paper presents an experimental device and two associated thermal transfer models developed in view of the microscale characterization of such discontinuities.