Material characteristics of an active matrix LCD based upon chiral smectics

We describe the material properties of a fast switching active matrix ferroelectric liquid crystal mode. The mode relies on a monostable monodomain having a high transmission and full grey scale capability. Experimental data are compared with the results of switching model calculations and the switching mechanism is discussed. The mode is suitable for video and multimedia application and compatible with conventional amorphous silicon thin film transistors due to the small value of the spontaneous polarization.     

Spectral lines in hot dense matter

An algorithm is presented for the computation of photoabsorption cross sections at arbitrary temperature and matter density. The “average atom” model is refined to give an approximaate account for the different ionization stages. The broadening of spectral lines is accounted for in a simple approximation. Calculations are presented for the beryllium and germanium plasmas in the frequency region of spectral lines.     

High-resolution NMR spectroscopic trends and assignment rules of metal-free, metallated and substituted corroles

Major advances over the last few years have facilitated the synthesis of a large variety of meso-only substituted corroles that display interesting catalytic, therapeutic and photophysical properties. This work is the first to study extensively the NMR spectral characteristics of both metallated and non-metallated triarylcorroles in various organic solvents and provide guidelines for easy and reliable assignments of 1D 1H spectra from trends of J coupling constants and chemical shifts. An excellent correlation is found between C=C bond lengths derived from 3J(H,H) values and experimental lengths determined by x-ray crystallography of the same molecules. The nuclear Overhauser effect provides a robust 1D 1H NMR tool for determining the selectivity of electrophilic substitutions. Variable-temperature NMR and isotopic labelling reveal a single preferred tautomerization state and unsymmetric ring orientations at -70 degrees C. The beta-pyrrole protons demonstrate long-range heteronuclear couplings with the coordination core (15N) and with the ortho-19F nuclei of the meso-carbon aryl rings. In sum, application of multinuclear magnetic resonance to corroles and their metal complexes, through the compilation of chemical shifts and J couplings and the recognition of trends therein, provides basic information essential to reliable spectral assignments. Additionally, the conclusions drawn about the structures of corroles and the electron densities at various positions of the corrole macrocycle resulting from the application of high-resolution NMR techniques are of importance to an in-depth understanding of the molecular interactions and processes of this relatively new and rapidly expanding class of compounds.     

Harnessing light to create defect-free, hierarchically structured polymeric materials

Computer simulations reveal how photoinduced chemical reactions in polymeric mixtures can be exploited to create long-range order in materials with features that range from the submicron to the nanoscale. The process is initiated by shining a spatially uniform light on a photosensitive AB binary blend, which thereby undergoes both a reversible chemical reaction and a phase separation. When a well-collimated, higher intensity light is rastered over the sample, the system forms defect-free, spatially periodic structures. If a nonreactive homopolymer C is added to the system, this component localizes in regions that are irradiated with a higher intensity light, and one can effectively "write" a pattern of C onto the AB film. Rastering over the ternary blend with the collimated light now leads to hierarchically ordered patterns of A, B, and C. Because our approach involves homopolymers, it significantly expands the range of materials that can be fashioned into a periodic pattern. The findings point to a facile process for manufacturing high-quality polymeric components in an efficient manner.     

Multiple "time step" Monte Carlo simulations: application to charged systems with Ewald summation

Recently, we have proposed an efficient scheme for Monte Carlo simulations, the multiple "time step" Monte Carlo (MTS-MC) [J. Chem. Phys. 117, 8203 (2002)] based on the separation of the potential interactions into two additive parts. In this paper, the structural and thermodynamic properties of the simple point charge water model combined with the Ewald sum are compared for the MTS-MC real-/reciprocal-space split of the Ewald summation and the common Metropolis Monte Carlo method. We report a number of observables as a function of CPU time calculated using MC and MTS-MC. The correlation functions indicate that speedups on the order of 4.5-7.5 can be obtained for systems of 108-500 waters for n=10 splitting parameter.     

Determining the phase behavior of nanoparticle‐filled binary blends

Nanoparticle additives provide a means of imparting the desired electrical, optical, or mechanical properties to a polymeric matrix. The difficulty faced in creating these composites is determining the optimal conditions for forming a thermodynamically stable mixture, where the particles will not phase separate from the matrix material. This challenge is even more daunting when the polymeric matrix is itself a multicomponent mixture, as is often the case in advanced materials. Ideally, the nanoparticles would not only contribute the needed physical properties, but also stabilize the mixture so that the entire system forms a single‐phase system. In this study, we use a free energy expression for a binary blend that contains nanoparticles and take the interaction parameters between the different species to be independent variables. Thus, the particles can have distinct enthalpic interactions with each of the polymeric components. Using this expression, we determine the conditions under which the mixture forms a stable, single‐phase material. In particular, we isolate how variations in the system's parameters (e.g., polymer composition, particle volume fraction, particle size, interaction energies) affect the phase diagrams. The findings provide guidelines for creating effective formulations and can allow researchers to understand how choices made in the nature of the components affect the overall macroscopic properties. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2389–2403, 2006     

Komplexbildung des tert-Butyliminovanadium(V)-trichlorids mit O-Donor-Liganden

Coordination Compounds of tert-Butyliminovanadium(V) Trichloride with O-Donor-Ligands The reaction of tert-butyliminovanadium(V)trichloride ( 1 ) with cyclic and acyclic ethers, ethylene carbonate and thietane has been studied. The 1:1-complexes have a different stability; reversible and irreversible cleavage of ether in the coordination sphere of the vanadium atom rearranging in ω-chloroalkanolato ligands are observed. The reaction of 1 with 2-chloroethanol, 3-chloropropanol and 5-chloropentanol yields the complexes ^tC₄H₉N = V(OR)Cl₂ (R = CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂Cl) and [^tC₄H₉N = V(OR)Cl₂ · ROH]; in the presence of triethylamine the disubstituted compounds ^tC₄H₉N = V(OR)₂Cl are formed. The ⁵¹V NMR spectra are discussed. The crystal structure of [^tC₄H₉N = VCl₃ · DME] ( 12 ) and [^tC₄H₉N = V(OCH₂CH₂Cl)Cl₂ · HOCH₂CH₂Cl] ( 13 ) has been determined. The vanadium atoms in 13 have a distorted octahedral coordination and are linked by the oxygen atoms of the 2-chloroethanolato ligands forming a binuclear complex. In solution molecular weight measurement and ⁵¹V NMR data indicate the equilibrium between a mononuclear complex 13 and its isomer [^tC₄H₉N = V(OCH₂CH₂Cl)₂Cl · HCl].