Luminescent cellulose fibers activated by Eu3+-doped nanoparticles

UV- active cellulose fibers were obtained by dry-wet method spinning an 8?% by weight α-cellulose solution in N-methylomorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) modified by europium-doped gadolinium oxyfluoride Gd₄O₃F₆:Eu³⁺ containing 5?mol (%) of the dopant. Photoluminescent nanoparticles were introduced in the in powder form into a polymer matrix during the process of cellulose dissolution in NMMO. The dependencies of emission intensity on excitation energy and the concentration of Gd₄O₃F₆:Eu³⁺ nanoparticles in the final cellulosic products were examined by photoluminescence spectroscopy (excitation and emission). The fiber structure was studied by X-ray powder diffraction analysis. The size and dispersity of the nanoparticles in the polymer matrix were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis. The influence of different concentration particles (in the range from 0.5 to 5?% by weight) on the mechanical properties of the fibers, such as tenacity and elongation at break, were determined.     

Effect of the Initiator Anion and of the Polarity of the Medium on the Intra-Intermolecular Growth in the Cationic Polymerization of 2,5-DimethyM, 5-hexadiene

The influence of solvents and catalysts on the formation of soluble and insoluble polymer during cationic polymerization of 2,5-dimethyl-l,5-hexadiene was studied. In nonpolar medium (n-heptane or without solvent) the amount of the insoluble part is dependent on the catalyst used and increases as follows: BF₃ ? AlBr₃ < TiCl₄. Especially soluble polymers are obtained in a solution of methylene chloride or in a mixture of methylene chloride-nitrobenzene. The temperature range studied, -30° to -78°, did not show any important influence on the polymer composition. It was found that the bulky anion of the initiator and the polarity of the medium considerably influenced cyclization during intra-intermolecular propagation of the polymer chain.     

The Initiating Effect of Vinyl Aromatic and Diene Monomers on the Polymerization of Isobutylene with VCl4

The polymerization of isobutylene with VCl₄ in n-heptane or in the bulk does not proceed in the dark at temperatures lower than -20°C, yet it may be induced by the addition of styrene, α-methylstyrene, p-divinylbenzene, 1,3-butadiene, isoprene, and 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene. In these cases the polymerizations proceed with variously long induction periods depending on the type of comonomer used. The shortest induction period was observed after the addition of p-divinylbenzene and 2, 3-dimethyl-1, 3-butadiene. In a nonpolar medium the copolymerization of isobutylene with isoprene or butadiene in the dark gives rise to copolymers insoluble in heptane, benzene, and CCl₄, while co-polymers formed with the effect of light are soluble. Unlike polymerizations carried out in a nonpolar solution, the polymerization of isobutylene with VCl₄ in methyl chloride proceeds spontaneously in the absence of protonic coinitiators. Also, soluble copolymers of isobutylene with isoprene or butadiene arise in the copolymerization in methylchloride solution irrespective of the procedure used when the copolymerization is carried out (in the dark or with the effect of light). Polymerizations and copolymerizations carried out both in nonpolar and in polar solutions are inhibited by the presence of oxygen.     

Selective Reduction of the N-O Bond in Heteroaromatic N-Oxides by TiCl4/SnCl2

Heteroaromatic N-oxides bearing various functionalities are readily and selectively converted under mild conditions into the corresponding bases using TiCl₄/SnCl₂.     

Fuzzy identification of cutting acoustic emission with extended subtractive cluster analysis

This paper presents fuzzy acoustic emission identification in high precision hard turning process based on extended subtractive cluster analysis combined with the least-square estimation method. The fuzzy identification method provides a simple way to arrive at a definite conclusion based upon the information obtained with the difficulty in understanding the exact physics of the machining process. The experimental results prove that the proposed method is efficient and feasible.     

Modified Guanines as Constituents of Smart Ligands for Nucleic Acid Quadruplexes

Repetitive guanine‐rich nucleic acid sequences play a crucial role in maintaining genome stability and the cell life cycle and represent potential targets for regulatory drugs. Recently, it has been demonstrated that guanine‐based ligands with a porphyrin core can be used as markers of G‐quadruplex assemblies in cell tissues. Herein, model systems of guanine‐based ligands are explored by DFT methods. The energies of formation of modified guanine tetrads and those of modified tetrads stacked on the top of natural guanine tetrads have been calculated. The interaction energy has been decomposed into contributions from hydrogen bonding, stacking, and ion coordination and a twist–rise potential energy scan has been performed to find the individual local minima. Energy decomposition analysis reveals the impact of various substituents (F, Cl, Br, I, Me, NMe₂) on individual energy terms. In addition, cooperative reinforcement in forming the modified and stacked tetrads, as well as the frontier orbitals participating in the hydrogen‐bonding framework involving the HOMO–LUMO gap between the occupied σ_HOMO on the proton‐accepting C=O and =N? groups and unoccupied σ_LUMO on the N?H groups, has been studied. The investigated systems are demonstrated to have a potential in ligand development, mainly due to stacking enhancement compared with natural guanine, which is used as a reference.     

Thermal transformation of polyacrylonitrile deposited on SBA-15 type silica

Thermogravimetry, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used for the studying of thermally induced structural changes of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) deposited on the surface of SBA-15 type mesoporous silica. Polymer was introduced onto the support by the precipitation polymerization of acrylonitrile in aqueous suspension of SBA-15. Low temperature transformation (to 723?K) of the deposited PAN was analyzed. It was found that at about 523?K, exothermic cyclization of polymer chains to the so-called ladder form of PAN occurred. However, the total cyclization of PAN required higher carbonization temperatures, at which gradual dehydrogenation followed by graphitization was initiated. XPS revealed that the cyclic form of PAN and a relatively large amount of carbonyl species, formed during the carbonization of the PAN/SBA-15 composite at 623?K, were responsible for the high sorption capacity in the methyl?Cethyl ketone (MEK) vapor elimination. The efficiency in the MEK adsorption was also influenced by the content of PAN-derived carbon deposited on the SBA-15 surface.     

Projection Evolution of Quantum States—the Delayed Choice Puzzle

Physics of Atomic Nuclei - We discuss the problem of the time variable in the nearly standard formulation of the quantum mechanics. In order to be able to describe the outcome of some of the...