Exact controllability of infinite dimensional systems persists under small perturbations

This paper studies the concept of controllability for infinite-dimensional linear control systems in Banach spaces. First, we prove that the set of admissible control operators for the semigroup generator is unchanged if we perturb the generator by the Desch–Schappacher perturbations. Second we show that exact controllability is not changed by such perturbations.     

On the application of slip boundary condition on curved boundaries

Hydrodynamic simulations of sloshing phenomena often involve the application of slip boundary condition at the wetted surfaces. If these surfaces are curved, the ambiguous nature of the normal vector in the discretized problem can interfere with the application of such a boundary condition. Even the use of consistent normal vectors, preferred from the point of view of conservation, does not assure good approximation of the continuum slip condition in the discrete problem, and non‐physical recirculating flow fields may be observed. As a remedy, we consider the Navier slip condition, and more successfully, the so‐called BC‐free boundary condition. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling of a single drop impact onto liquid film using particle method

The process of single liquid drop impact on thin liquid surface is numerically simulated with moving particle semi‐implicit method. The mathematical model involves gravity, viscosity and surface tension. The model is validated by the simulation of the experimental cases. It is found that the dynamic processes after impact are sensitive to the liquid pool depth and the initial drop velocity. In the cases that the initial drop velocity is low, the drop will be merged with the liquid pool and no big splash is seen. If the initial drop velocity is high enough, the dynamic process depends on the liquid depth. If the liquid film is very thin, a bowl‐shaped thin crown is formed immediately after the impact. The total crown subsequently expands outward and breaks into many tiny droplets. When the thickness of the liquid film increases, the direction of the liquid crown becomes normal to the surface and the crown propagates outward. It is also found that the radius of the crown is described by a square function of time: r_C = [c(t ? t₀)]^0.5. When the liquid film is thick enough, a crown and a deep cavity inside it are formed shortly after the impact. The bottom of the cavity is initially oblate and then the base grows downward to form a sharp corner and subsequently the corner moves downward. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Free boundary viscous flows at micro and mesolevel during liquid composites moulding process

Numerical simulation aspects, related to low Reynolds number free boundary viscous flows at micro and mesolevel during the resin impregnation stage of the liquid composite moulding process (LCM), are presented in this article. A free boundary program (FBP), developed by the authors, is used to track the movement of the resin front accurately by accounting for the surface tension effects at the boundary. Issues related to the global and local mass conservation (GMC and LMC) are identified and discussed. Unsuitable conditions for LMC and consequently GMC are uncovered at low capillary numbers, and hence a strategy for the numerical simulation of such flows is suggested. FBP encompasses a set of subroutines that are linked to modules in ANSYS. FBP can capture the void formation dynamics based on the analysis developed. We present resin impregnation dynamics in two dimensions. Extension to three dimensions is a subject for further research. Several examples are shown and efficiency of different stabilization techniques are compared. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mesoscopic details of crack tip deformation field by application of differential interference contrast method

An experimental method is developed to examine the near tip deformation at the mesoscopic scale level. The differential interference contrast (DIC) method is used by application of the Nomarski prism in polarized microscope for measuring the out of surface deformation. The method is very sensitive to small height changes detected by different interference color. Discussed are results for the crack tip deformation field.     

Photochemical attachment of polymers on planar surfaces with a covalently anchored monolayer of a novel naphthyl ketone photochemical radical generator

A monolayer of covalently anchored, novel, binaphthyl ketone is used as a surface‐confined photochemical radical generator (PRG) for anchoring a variety of polymers to silicon surfaces. The precursor PRG is synthesized by the application of a facile and novel method for the oxidation of sterically hindered benzylic hydrocarbons to carbonyl compounds. Oxidation was carried out with a stoichiometric amount of potassium peroxydisulfate, in the presence of a catalytic amount of copper sulfate in an acetonitrile/water mixture. The PRG synthesized is characterized by ¹H NMR, UV, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The covalently attached monolayers are characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and water contact angle measurements. The method developed is applicable to the preparation of a monolayer of a variety of polymers on a wide range of substrates carrying surface hydroxyl groups. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5413–5423, 2004     

Preparation and characterization of acrylic‐based black particles of poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) by dispersion polymerization for electrophoretic displays

Ultrafine black particles, ranging in diameter from 1 to 3 μm, were prepared by dispersion polymerization in a methanol/water mixture with vinyl monomers, nonpolymerizable Sudan black B dyes, and fluorescein isothiocyanate labeled charge control additives. Both the ratio of the methanol to the water dispersion medium and the polymeric stabilizer concentration had significant effects on the particle size. The important role of the stabilizer concentration lay in the particle formation step, during which it determined the particle stability and final particle size. These could affect the extent of the aggregation of nuclei by changing the adsorption rate of the stabilizer and the viscosity of the dispersion medium, resulting in smaller particles. The fluorescent‐labeled charge control additives strongly affected the electrophoretic mobility. A small concentration of fluorescent‐labeled charge control additives increased the electrophoretic mobility. However, a further addition reduced the electrophoretic mobility of the polymer particles. The concentration dependence of the fluorescent‐labeled charge control additives on the deposition behavior in the polymer particles was successfully imaged and thereafter quantified by image analysis. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5608–5616, 2004     

Stereological simulations of asymmetric polymerization in channels of bile acid inclusion compounds: A detailed analysis of the monomer arrangements in the channels

We studied simulations by computer graphics to estimate the steric mechanism of the asymmetric polymerization of prochiral diene monomers in channels of inclusion compounds of steroidal bile acids, such as deoxycholic acid (DCA) and cholic acid. We applied a hierarchization method to interpret the crystal structures of bile acids, clarifying that the chiral host molecules associated to form characteristic 2₁-helical assemblies with uneven surfaces. A detailed analysis of the uneven channels in a close-packing state indicated that there were many possible arrangements of the monomers in the channels. The plausible arrangements in the channel could explain a previous study, which showed that the polymerization in the DCA channel yielded chiral polymers with a predominant configuration from prochiral diene monomers, such as 2-methyl-trans-1,3-pentadiene. On the basis of such simulation studies of the arrangements of guest monomers in the channel, we examined a plausible steric mechanism for asymmetric inclusion polymerization. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4648–4655, 2004     

Behavior and surface energies of polybenzoxazines formed by polymerization with argon,oxygen, and hydrogen plasmas

Polybenzoxazine (PBZZ) thin films can be fabricated by the plasma‐polymerization technique with, as the energy source, plasmas of argon, oxygen, or hydrogen atoms and ions. When benzoxazine (BZZ) films are polymerized through the use of high‐energy argon atoms, electronegative oxygen atoms, or excited hydrogen atoms, the PBZZ films that form possess different properties and morphologies in their surfaces. High‐energy argon atoms provide a thermodynamic factor to initiate the ring‐opening polymerization of BZZ and result in the polymer surface having a grid‐like structure. The ring‐opening polymerization of the BZZ film that is initiated by cationic species such as oxygen atoms in plasma, is propagated around nodule structures to form the PBZZ. The excited hydrogen atom plasma initiates both polymerization and decomposition reactions simultaneously in the BZZ film and results in the formation of a porous structure on the PBZZ surface. We evaluated the surface energies of the PBZZ films polymerized by the action of these three plasmas by measuring the contact angles of diiodomethane and water droplets. The surface roughness of the films range from 0.5 to 26 nm, depending on the type of carrier gas and the plasma‐polymerization time. By estimating changes in thickness, we found that the PBZZ film synthesized by the oxygen plasma‐polymerization process undergoes the slowest rate of etching in CF₄ plasma. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4063–4074, 2004     

Control of self‐organized low‐dimensional morphology in poly(styrene‐b‐4vinylpyridine)/polystyrene blend thin films

The surface morphologies of poly(styrene‐b‐4vinylpyridine) (PS‐b‐P4VP) diblock copolymer and homopolystyrene (hPS) binary blend thin films were investigated by atomic force microscopy as a function of total volume fraction of PS (?_PS) in the mixture. It was found that when hPS was added into symmetric PS‐b‐P4VP diblock copolymers, the surface morphology of this diblock copolymer was changed to a certain degree. With ?_PS increasing at first, hPS was solubilized into the corresponding domains of block copolymer and formed cylinders. Moreover, the more solubilized the hPS, the more cylinders exist. However, when the limit was reached, excessive hPS tended to separate from the domains independently instead of solubilizing into the corresponding domains any longer, that is, a macrophase separation occurred. A model describing transitions of these morphologies with an increase in ?_PS is proposed. The effect of composition on the phase morphology of blend films when graphite is used as a substrate is also investigated. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3496–3504, 2004