Mobility of Li+, Na+, and Cs+ cations in Nafion membrane,as studied by NMR techniques

The local mobility and diffusion of Li⁺, Na⁺, and Cs⁺ cations in Nafion 117 membrane were explored by ⁷Li, ²³Na, and ¹³³Cs spin relaxation and pulsed field gradient NMR techniques. It was shown that the macroscopic mass transfer of cations is controlled by ion motion near sulfonate groups. Lithium and sodium cations, whose hydrated energy is higher than the water hydrogen bond energy, are moving together with water molecules, but cesium cations possessing a low hydrated energy are jumping directly between the neighboring sulfonate groups.     

Comonotone approximation with interpolation at the ends on an interval

Let a function f ∈ C[-1, 1], changes its monotonisity at the finite collection Y := {y1,… ,ys} of s points yi ∈ (-1, 1). For each n ≥ N(Y), we construct an algebraic polynomial Pn, of degree ≤ n, which is comonotone with f, that is changes its monotonisity at the same points yi as f, and |f(x)-Pn(x)|≤c(s)ω2(f,(√1-x2)/n), x∈[-1,1],where N(Y) is a constant depending only on Y, c(s) is a constant depending only on s and ω2 (f, t) is the second modulus of smoothness of f.     

Terminal Ligand and Packing Effects on Slow Relaxation in an Isostructural Set of [Dy(H2dapp)X2]+ Single Molecule Magnets**

We report three structurally related single ion Dy compounds using the pentadentate ligand 2,6-bis((E)-1-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)-hydrazineylidene)ethyl)pyridine (H₂dapp) [Dy(H₂dapp)(NO₃)₂]NO₃ ( 1 ), [Dy(H₂dapp)(OAc)₂]Cl ( 2 ) and [Dy(H₂dapp)(NO₃)₂]Cl_0.92(NO₃)_0.08 ( 3 ). The (H₂dapp) occupies a helical twisted pentagonal equatorial arrangement with two anionic ligands in the axial positions. Further influence on the electronic and magnetic structure is provided by a closely associated counterion interacting with the central N−H group of the (H₂dapp). The slow relaxation of the magnetisation shows that the anionic acetates give the greatest slowing down of the magnetisation reversal. Further influence on the relaxation properties of compounds 1 and 2 is the presence of short nitrate-nitrate intermolecular ligand contact opening further lattice relaxation pathways.     

Red Blood Cell Stiffness and Adhesion Are Species-Specific Properties Strongly Affected by Temperature and Medium Changes in Single Cell Force Spectroscopy

Besides human red blood cells (RBC), a standard model used in AFM-single cell force spectroscopy (SCFS), little is known about apparent Young’s modulus (Ea) or adhesion of animal RBCs displaying distinct cellular features. To close this knowledge gap, we probed chicken, horse, camel, and human fetal RBCs and compared data with human adults serving as a repository for future studies. Additionally, we assessed how measurements are affected under physiological conditions (species-specific temperature in autologous plasma vs. 25 °C in aqueous NaCl solution). In all RBC types, Ea decreased with increasing temperature irrespective of the suspension medium. In mammalian RBCs, adhesion increased with elevated temperatures and scaled with reported membrane sialic acid concentrations. In chicken only adhesion decreased with higher temperature, which we attribute to the lower AE-1 concentration allowing more membrane undulations. Ea decreased further in plasma at every test temperature, and adhesion was completely abolished, pointing to functional cell enlargement by adsorption of plasma components. This halo elevated RBC size by several hundreds of nanometers, blunted the thermal input, and will affect the coupling of RBCs with the flowing plasma. The study evidences the presence of a RBC surface layer and discusses the tremendous effects when RBCs are probed at physiological conditions.     

New polymer electrolyte membrane for medium-temperature fuel cell applications based on cross-linked polyimide Matrimid and hydrophobic protic ionic liquid

New hydrophobic protic ionic liquid, 2-butylaminoimidazolinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (BAIM-TFSI), has been synthesized. The ionic liquid showed good thermal stability to at least 350 °C. The conductivity of BAIM-TFSI determined by electrochemical impedance method was found to be 5.6 × 10^?2 S/cm at 140 °C. Homogeneous composite films based on commercial polyimide (PI) Matrimid and BAIM-TFSI containing 30–60 wt% of ionic liquid were prepared by casting from methylene chloride solutions. Thermogravimetric analysis data indicated an excellent thermal stability of PI/BAIM-TFSI composites and thermal degradation points in the temperature range 377 °C–397 °C. The addition of ionic liquid up to 50 wt% in PI films does not lead to any significant deterioration of the tensile strength of the polymer. The dynamic mechanical analysis results indicated both an increase of storage modulus E′ of PI/BAIM-TFSI composites at room temperature and a significant E′ decrease with temperature compared with the neat polymer. The cross-linking of the PI with polyetheramine Jeffamine D-400 allowed to prepare PI/Jeffamine/BAIM-TFSI (50%) membrane with E′ value of 300 MPa at 130 °C. The ionic conductivity of this cross-linked composite membrane reached the level of 10^?2 S/cm at 130 °C, suggesting, therefore, its potential use in medium-temperature fuel cells operating in water-free conditions.     

Elevated temperature nanoindentation characterization of poly(para-phenylene vinylene) conjugated polymer films

Temperature dependent mechanical properties of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) were investigated using quasi-static (QS) and dynamic nanoindentation (NI) at temperatures over the range of 25 to 100 °C. The reduced modulus decreased from about 4.40 GPa to 3.64 GPa over this temperature range. The plasticity indices at all measurement temperatures were lower than the critical value of 0.875, characterizing material “sink-in”, rather than “pile-up” during measurements. The plasticity index showed a non-monotonic trend, with a minimum value at around 70 °C. Analysis of indentation stress relaxation data, obtained at different temperatures, was also performed using generalized Maxwell viscoelastic models. From these analyses, a relaxation mode, with a characteristic relaxation time of approximately 0.5 s, was evident. The characteristic time remained relatively unchanged over the temperature range of 25 to 100 °C. However, the relaxation modulus associated with this mode showed the expected decrease with increase in temperature.     

环烷酸对油水界面膜流变性质的影响研究

研究了环烷酸对油水界面膜界面张力、弹性模量、损耗模量以及界面膜破裂速率常数的影响,同时对环烷酸与沥青质之间的相互作用进行了测定。结果表明,环烷酸使得原油油水界面张力下降;弹性模量随着环烷酸加量以及振荡频率的增加都分别逐渐增大,并且最终都趋于平衡;在任何振荡频率值时,损耗模量都随着环烷酸加量先增大后减小;当环烷酸加量增加时,界面膜破裂速率常数降低。环烷酸与沥青质之间存在相互作用,随着环烷酸加量的增加,其对沥青质界面膜弹性模量的影响与对原油界面膜弹性模量的影响相似,表明环烷酸主要是通过与沥青质相互作用而促进乳状液稳定性的。     

羧酸桥联的四核镧系簇合物的磁热效应和慢磁弛豫

在水热条件下,通过使用羧酸和螯合配体得到了一个系列的四核镧系簇合物,即[Ln₄(mnba)₁₂(tzp)₂(H₂O)₂](Ln=Gd(1),Tb(2),Er(3);Hmnba=间硝基苯甲酸;tzp=2-(1H-1,2,4-三唑-3-基)吡啶))。这3个化合物是同构的,且具有线性的四核簇结构。磁性研究表明,化合物1和3中簇内镧系离子之间是弱铁磁耦合的,但化合物2中铽离子之间是弱的反铁磁相互作用和(或)铽离子激发的斯塔克能级的去布居。化合物1具有较大的磁热效应(-ΔS_m^max=20.6 J·kg^-1·k^-1)。交流磁化率测试表明化合物3展现出频率和温度依赖的虚部信号,这是慢磁弛豫的典型特征,原因是铒离子的强各向异性和铁磁耦合的存在。     

一维和二维镝(Ⅲ)配合物的慢磁弛豫

分别用稀土醋酸盐和稀土高氯酸盐与希弗碱配体和巯基烟酸配体反应得到了两例镝配合物[Dy₂(OAc)₆H₂O]_n(1)和{[DyL(H₂O)₄]ClO₄·H₂O}_n(2)(L=2,2'-二硫代-二(3-吡啶甲酸)),并通过单晶X-射线衍射、元素分析、红外光谱和磁性测试对其进行了表征。结构研究和磁性测试表明:化合物1是羧基桥连的一维链结构,该化合物表现出慢磁弛豫性质,有效能垒为2 K;化合物2是通过原位生成的二硫键桥连的二维网状结构,表现出明显的铁磁相互作用和慢磁弛豫行为。