Supermolecular structures and flow birefringence in polymer solutions

Experimental studies of supermolecular structures and localized flow birefringence in solutions of high-molecular weight polymer are described. Advantage is taken of poly(ethylene oxide) and polyisobutylene. Supermolecular structures are examined with the aid of optical microscopy using freeze-dried samples of the polymer solutions. Birefringence is investigated that arises in planar elongational flow in a cross-slot cell. Flow velocities at which the onset of the localized birefringence occurs are determined. Then these velocities are correlated with viscoelastic characteristics of the solutions. The presence of a liquid-crystalline fibrillar network in the polymer solutions exhibiting flow birefringence is ascertained. The fibrils are birefringent objects. The fibrils are birefringent objects. The localized birefringence phenomenon is explained in term of the orientation of the fibrils in elongational flow. It has been shown that the onset of localized birefringence occurs at a critical Weissenberg number, the value of which is close to unity.     

Apparent Molar Volume, Heat Capacity, and Conductance of Lithium Bis(trifluoromethylsulfone)imide in Glymes and Other Aprotic Solvents

Lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfone)imide (LiTFSI) is a promising electrolyte for high-energy lithium batteries due to its high solubility in most solvents and electrochemical stability. To characterize this electrolyte in solution, its conductance and apparent molar volume and heat capacity were measured over a wide range of concentration in glymes, tetraethylsulfamide (TESA), acetonitrile, -butyrolactone, and propylene carbonate at 25°C and were compared with those of LiClO₄ in the same solvents. The glymes or n(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ethers (nEGDME), which have the chemical structure CH₃–O–(CH₂–CH₂–O) _n –CH₃ for n = 1 to 4, are particularly interesting since they are electrochemically stable, have a good redox window, and are analogs of the polyethylene oxides used in polymer-electrolyte batteries. TESA is a good plasticizer for polymer-electrolyte batteries. Whenever required, the following properties of the pure solvents were measured: compressibilities, expansibilities, temperature and pressure dependences of the dielectric constant, acceptor number, and donor number. These data were used in particular to calculate the limiting Debye-Hückel parameters for volumes and heat capacities. The infinite dilution properties of LiTFSI are quite similar to those of other lithium salts. At low concentrations, LiTFSI is strongly associated in the glymes and moderately associated in TESA. At intermediate concentrations, the thermodynamic data suggests that a stable solvate of LiTFSI in EGDME exists in the solution state. At high concentrations, the thermodynamic properties of the two lithium salts approach those of the molten salts. These salts have a reasonably high specific conductivity in most of the solvents. This suggests that the conductance of ions at high concentration in solvents of low dielectric constant is due to a charge transfer process rather than to the migration of free ions.     

Compartmentalized polymerization initiated by oil-soluble initiators. Calculation of average number of radicals per particle

Expressions for calculating the stationary state distribution of radicals in compartmentalized systems with a constant number of reaction loci containing an oil-soluble initiator are given. Besides pairwise formation of radicals in the particles, desorption and reabsorption, water phase termination, solubility of the initiator in the aqueous phase, and the possibility of formation of a single radical species are taken into consideration. The calculation is based on a probabilistic analysis leading to a third-order recurrence relation solved using confluent, hypergeometric Kummer functions. Some calculated curves illustrating the de-pendence of the average number of radicals per particle on various relevant parameters are included. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

茜素红与壳聚糖的相互作用机理研究

应用光谱法研究在pH=5.0的反应体系中壳聚糖（CTS）与茜素红（AR）的结合 反应，考察了反应体系中AR/CTS摩尔比、NaCl浓度及CTS的脱乙酰度对茜素红与壳 聚糖相互作用的影响，通过实验测得CTS对AR的最大结合数N_E=4.78×10~3，理论 模型预测最大结合数N_c=4.73×10~3，实验值与理论值一致，并对壳聚糖与茜素红 的相互作用机理提出了合理的解释。     

Practical uses of FTIR spectroscopy in wood science and technology

Based on own research activities this survey demonstrates the potential applications of FTIR spectroscopy in wood and wood-product research. This rapid method can be used e.g. with success for determination of lignin in woody materials and pulps. Crucial analytical data of lignins were also determined by quantitative evaluation of FTIR data. The degree of substitution of cellulose derivatives can be estimated. The course of delignification during pulping was monitored using transmission and circular ATR cells for the IR spectroscopy of the cooking liquors. Based on these spectra the Kappa number of pulps can be predicted.     

Multiple-locus variable number tandem repeats analysis for genetic fingerprinting of pathogenic bacteria

DNA fingerprinting has attracted considerable interest as means for identifying, tracing and preventing the dissemination of infectious agents. Various methods have been developed for typing of pathogenic bacteria, which differ in discriminative power, reproducibility and ease of interpretation. During recent years a typing method, which uses the information provided by whole genome sequencing of bacterial species, has gained increased attention. Short sequence repeat (SSR) motifs are known to undergo frequent variation in the number of repeated units through cellular mechanisms most commonly active during chromosome replication. A class of SSRs, named variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs), has proven to be a suitable target for assessing genetic polymorphisms within bacterial species. This review attempts to give an overview of bacterial agents where VNTR-based typing, or multiple-locus variant-repeat analysis (MLVA) has been developed for typing purposes, together with addressing advantages and drawbacks associated with the use of tandem repeated DNA motifs as targets for bacterial typing and identification.     

Cation-crown ether complex formation in water. II. Alkali and alkaline earth cations and 12-crown-4, 15-crown-5, and 18-crown-6

The stability constants and the partial molal volume and isentropic partial molal compressibility changes of complex formation between cations and crown ethers in water at 25°C are presented. The cations involved are Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, Cs⁺, Ca²⁺, and Ba²⁺, and the crown ethers are 12-crown-4, 15-crown-5, and 18-crown-6. Values of V of complex formation have been discussed in terms of two simple models, one based on the scaled particle theory, and the others on the Drude-Nernst continuum model. The results indicate that the charge of the potassium cation in 18-crown-6 is especially well screened from the water. On this basis hydration numbers of complexed cations have been calculated. This shows that the size of the cation compared to the crown ether hole is important for the contacts between complexed cations and water.     

Random walks on inhomogeneous lattices

For lattices with two kinds of points (black and white), distributed according to a translation-invariant joint probability distribution, we study statistical properties of the sequence of consecutive colors encountered by a random walker moving through the lattice. The probability distribution for the single steps of the walk is considered to be independent of the colors of the points. Several exact results are presented which are valid in any number of dimensions and for arbitrary probability distributions for the coloring of the points and the steps of the walk. They are used to derive a few general properties of random walks on lattices containing traps.Presented at the Symposium on Random Walks, Gaithersburg, MD, June 1982.     

Preparation of light-stable micelles with azo dyes from a nonamphiphilic random block copolymer

Light-stable micelles with azo dyes were prepared by micelle formation of a nonamphiphilic diblock copolymer containing azobenzene and UV absorbent at ca. 1 mol% as the unit ratios. The nonamphiphilic block copolymer consists of two different kinds of random copolymer blocks: poly[4-(phenylazophenoxymethyl)styrene-co-vinylphenol] (P(AS-co-VPh)) and poly[4-(2-hydroxybenzophenoxymethyl)styrene-co-styrene] (P(HBS-co-St)). This random block copolymer, P(AS-co-VPh)-b-P(HBS-co-St) formed the micelles in the presence of 1,4-butanediamine (BDA) through hydrogen bond cross-linking between the VPh units via BDA. The micelles had the azobenzene moieties at the cores and the UV absorbents at the coronas. The micelles showed a small color difference in color fading experiments, in comparison with the unimers and with micelles having no UV absorbent at the coronas. It is significant that the diblock copolymer forms the micelles and has the UV absorbents at the coronas to suppress the color fading. Furthermore, the chain length of ,-diamines had no effect on the hydrodynamic radius of the micelles, but affected the aggregation number and the cmc.     

稀土改性L沸石在烃类催化裂化催化剂中的应用

采用离子交换的方法制备了一系列复合稀土（含La及Ce）质量分数不同的稀土改性超稳L沸石（RE-USL），以RE USL沸石替代质量分数为5%的REUSY作为催化裂化催化剂的活性组分,用标准轻油微反活性试验（MAT）评价了其催化性能,并同单一稀土元素改性USL沸石进行了对比。结果表明,一定量的复合稀土改性USL沸石的催化性能优于单一稀土（La或Ce）改性的USL沸石，在催化裂化催化剂中加入稀土改性USL沸石,可以降低汽油产品的烯烃质量分数；可以提高汽油的辛烷值。当复合稀土在RE USL沸石中的质量分数为0.4%左右时， 与不加稀土改性USL沸石催化剂相比较，催化剂的活性指数MAT提高3.6个单位，烯烃质量分数降低1.57个单位，研究法辛烷值（RON）提高2.08个单位，产品分布更合理。