Evaluation of piezoelectric PVDF polymers for use in space environments. III. Comparison of the effects of vacuum UV and gamma radiation

Films of piezoelectric PVDF and P(VDF‐TrFE) were exposed to vacuum UV (115–300 nm VUV) and γ‐radiation to investigate how these two forms of radiation affect the chemical, morphological, and piezoelectric properties of the polymers. The extent of crosslinking was almost identical in both polymers after γ‐irradiation, but surprisingly, was significantly higher for the TrFE copolymer after VUV‐irradiation. Changes in the melting behavior were also more significant in the TrFE copolymer after VUV‐irradiation due to both surface and bulk crosslinking, compared with only surface crosslinking for the PVDF films. The piezoelectric properties (measured using d₃₃ piezoelectric coefficients and D‐E hysteresis loops) were unchanged in the PVDF homopolymer, while the TrFE copolymer exhibited more narrow D‐E loops after exposure to either γ‐ or VUV‐radiation. The more severe damage to the TrFE copolymer in comparison with the PVDF homopolymer after VUV‐irradiation is explained by different energy deposition characteristics. The short wavelength, highly energetic photons are undoubtedly absorbed in the surface layers of both polymers, and we propose that while the longer wavelength components of the VUV‐radiation are absorbed by the bulk of the TrFE copolymer causing crosslinking, they are transmitted harmlessly in the PVDF homopolymer. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3253–3264, 2006     

The effect of oxidation on physical properties of porous silicon layers for optical applications

In order to understand the optical loss mechanisms in porous silicon based waveguides, structural and optical studies have been performed. Scanning and transmission electron microscopic observations of porous silicon layers are obtained before and after an oxidation process at high temperature in wet O₂. Pore size and shape of heavily p-type doped Si wafers are estimated and correlated to the optical properties of the material before and after oxidation. The refractive index was measured and compared to that determined by the Bruggeman model.     

Pulsed pump: Thermal effects in solid state lasers under super-Gaussian pulses

Solid state laser (SSL) powers can be realistically scaled when pumped by a real, efficient and multimode pulse. In this work, a fourth-order super-Gaussian pulse was assumed as a pump for SSL’s and a complete analytical expression for the thermal phase shift is given. Moreover, the focal length of thermal lens in paraxial ray approximation regime was studied. The results when applied to a Ti: sapphire crystal show an appreciable correction for abberation compared to a top-hat pulse.     

单个波长到多个波长的变换实验

报道一种波长变换的新方法.采用此方法不需要任何泵浦光便能够直接将信号光变换成在特定谱宽内的任意多个任意波长的变换光,这对于将来的波分复用光网络提供了较大的方便.此波长变换的原理是利用色散位移光纤的非线性效应产生超连续光谱(SC)信号,由于这种SC信号携带有变换光信号,对这种连续谱进行滤波便能够得到所需要的任意频率的变换信号.此变换方式具有变换频带宽,偏振不敏感的优点。     

单层光学薄膜中薄膜－衬底体系的双重干涉效应及其应用

提出了单层光学薄膜中薄膜与衬底反射光之间的双重干涉效应的理论，实验结果证实了理论分析的正确性。双重干涉效应使薄膜－衬底体系的热致反射调制度高达８０％，这一效应可望有极广泛的应用     

Eu^2＋：BaFCl光激励发光过程中紫外线的激发与漂白效应

通过改变紫外线的辐射照能量范围，研究了Ｅｕ＾２＋：ＢａＦＣｌ的光激励发光性质。发现紫外线能量大于Ｅｕ＾２＋的最低激发态能量及紫外线的能量小于Ｅｕ＾２＋最低激发态的能量两种情况下，光激励发光具有明显的差异，分析了产生差异的原因，给出了紫外线的辐照能量发生转时所对应的能级位置。     

A new quantum statistical evaluation method for time correlation functions

Considering a system ofN identical interacting particles, which obey Fermi-Dirac or Bose-Einstein statistics, we derive new formulas for correlation functions of the type (whereB _j is diagonal in the free-particle states) in the thermodynamic limit. Thereby we apply and extend a superoperator formalism, recently developed for the derivation of long-time tails in semiclassical systems. As an illustrative application, the Boltzmann equation value of the time-integrated correlation functionC(t) is derived in a straightforward manner. Due to exchange effects, the obtained t-matrix and the resulting scattering cross section, which occurs in the Boltzmann collision operator, are now functionals of the Fermi-Dirac or Bose-Einstein distribution.     

Surface properties of finite classical Coulomb systems: Debye-Hückel approximation and computer simulations

We report analytical and numerical studies of surface correlations in finite, homogeneously polarizable, classical Coulomb systems placed in an insulating or conducting environment. Their purpose is to understand the phenomenological, shape-dependent laws of electrostatics, from the point of view of statistical mechanics; we focus on the knowledge of the dielectric susceptibility of the system, a quantity proportional to the equilibrium fluctuation of the system's instantaneous polarization per unit volume. This goal has been achieved for a system in a conducting state. The picture is that the shape-dependent part of the susceptibilities results from the action of unbounded observables (the second moments of the instantaneous polarization of the system) on long-range surface correlations and that the relations of electrostatics are verified by means of shape-dependent thermodynamic limits. This picture is supported (i) by exact solutions and asymptotic analysis of the Debye-Hückel approximation of multicomponent plasmas in disks and spheres with insulating and conducting environment and also in ellipses in a vacuum, and (ii) by computer simulations of a one-component plasma in a disk with different environments, notably a conducting environment with permeable and impermeable wall. These observations have revealed for the first time the reason why the susceptibility of a conducting disk in a conductor with impermeable walls diverges linearly with the radius of the disk: this is due to the occurrence of long-range radial correlations in the conductor. These findings are quantitatively interpreted in terms of a novel canonical Debye-Huckel approximation as contrasted to the ordinary grand canonical version. Lastly a fresh look at the problem of the surface correlations of a conductor in a vacuum, which places the observer close to the surface of the conductor but in the vacuum, is presented and applied to the disk, the ellipse, the cylinder, the sphere, and the wedge.     

Solution structure, mutagenesis, and NH exchange studies of the MutT enzyme–Mg-8-oxo-dGMP complex

The MutT pyrophosphohydrolase from E. coli (129 residues) catalyzes the hydrolysis of nucleoside triphosphates (NTP), including 8-oxo-dGTP, by substitution at Pβ, to yield NMP and pyrophosphate. The product, 8-oxo-dGMP is an unusually tight binding, slowly exchanging inhibitor with a K_D=52 nM, (ΔG°=−9.8 kcal/mol) which is 6.1 kcal/mol tighter than the binding of dGMP (ΔG°=−3.7 kcal/mol). The higher affinity for 8-oxo-dGMP results from a more favorable ΔH_binding (−32 kcal/mol) despite an unfavorable −TΔS°_binding (+22 kcal/mol). The solution structure of the MutT–Mg²⁺-8-oxo-dGMP complex shows a narrowed, hydrophobic nucleotide-binding cleft with Asn-119 and Arg-78 among the few polar residues. The N119A, N119D, R78K and R78A single mutations, and the R78K+N119A double mutant all showed largely intact active sites, on the basis of small changes in the kinetic parameters of dGTP hydrolysis and in ¹H–¹⁵N HSQC spectra. However, the N119A mutation profoundly weakened the active site binding of 8-oxo-dGMP by 4.3 kcal/mol (1650-fold). The N119D mutation also weakened 8-oxo-dGMP binding but only by 2.1 kcal/mol (37-fold), suggesting that Asn-119 functioned both as a hydrogen bond donor to C8=O, and a hydrogen bond acceptor from N7H of 8-oxo-dGMP, while aspartate at position −119 functioned as an acceptor of a single hydrogen bond. Much smaller weakening effects (0.3–0.4 kcal/mol) on the binding of dGMP and dAMP were found, indicating specific hydrogen bonding of Asn-119 to 8-oxo-dGMP. While formation of the wild type MutT–Mg²⁺-8-oxo-dGMP complex slowed the backbone NH exchange rates of 45 residues distributed throughout the protein, the same complex of the N119A mutant slowed the exchange rates of only 11 residues at or near the active site, indicating an increase in conformational flexibility of the N119A mutant. The R78K and R78A mutations weakened the binding of 8-oxo-dGMP by 1.7 and 1.1 kcal/mol, respectively, indicating a lesser role of Arg-78 than of Asn-119 in the selective binding of 8-oxo-dGMP, likely donating a single hydrogen bond to its C6=O. The R78K+N119A double mutant weakened the binding of 8-oxo-dGMP (K_I^slope=3.1 mM) by 6.5±0.2 kcal/mol which overlaps, within error with the sum of the effects of the two single mutants (6.0±0.3 kcal/mol). Such additive effects of the two single mutants in the double mutant are most simply explained by the independent functioning of Asn-119 and Arg-78 in the binding of 8-oxo-dGMP. Independent functioning of these two residues in nucleotide binding is consistent with their locations in the MutT–Mg²⁺-8-oxo-dGMP complex, on opposite sides of the active site cleft, with a distance of 8.4±0.5 Å between their side chain nitrogens.     

A hydrogen rearrangement of formamidine and the solvent effects thereupon

The nature of the 1,3 hydrogen rearrangement of formamidine (H₂N-CH=NH) and the solvent effects on that reaction are studied with ab initio molecular orbital calculations on the basis of the supermolecule model. The reaction path and the motion of the migrating hydrogen atom are traced by using the concept of the intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC). Four types of orientation of one water molecule to formamidine at the transition state of reaction are examined and the results are discussed from the standpoint of the orbital interactions.