LIGHT-SCATTERING STUDY OF POLYELECTROLYTE HOLLOW CAPSULES

Silver halide (AgX) microcrystal was used as template to synthesize hollow polyelectrolyte capsules. These hollow capsules were characterized by laser light scattering (LLS) used to measure the size of the capsules in solution. The ratio of hydrodynamic radius (Rh) from dynamic LLS to the radius of gyration (Rg) from static LLS is almost unity, revealing that the entities are hollow in solution. The results suggest that the LLS method can be regarded as a good complement to the confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) method for the characterization of small hollow capsules, and it possesses the advantage of not needing fluorescence labeling.     

Thermal behaviour of a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane with epoxy resin cured by diamines

A new material belongs to the family of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes, the 1-(3-glycidyl) propoxy-3,5,7,9,11,13,15-isobutylpentacyclo-[9.5.1.1(3,9).1(5,15).1(7,13)]octasiloxane (glycidylisobutyl-POSS) is characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and atomic force microscopy. Epoxy systems based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) cured with the diamines, 4,4'-diamine-diphenylmethane (DDM) and 1,4-phenylenediamine (pPDA), were kinetically studied by differential scanning calorimetry in isothermal and dynamic modes. The thermal behaviour of these systems as the glycidylisobutyl-POSS was added, is discussed later. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Voltage-Height Spectroscopy in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ex Situ</Emphasis> Configuration of a Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Basic regularities of electrochemical processes in the gap of an ex situ scanning tunneling microscope in conditions of condensation of air moisture at the sample surface are considered on a qualitative level. A layer of condensed moisture is viewed as an electrolyte in a two-electrode cell. The depolarizers present in this layer may experience electrochemical conversions on the tip and in an area of the sample surface near the tip. As a result, the recorded “tunneling” current includes electrochemical constituents. Depending on the electrochemical processes in the gap, various dependences of the tip-sample distance on the current and applied voltage can be expected. For preliminary diagnostics of processes in the gap it is suggested to use voltage-height spectra, whose shape and characteristic heights are sensitive to the nature and location of redox active species. Experimental data for various films on conducting supports (quasi-two-dimensional adsorbed layers of hemin and peroxidase, electrodeposited nonstoichiometric tungsten oxides, doped tin dioxide, solid electrolyte with ionic conduction) are presented as an examples.__________Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 5, 2005, pp. 583–595.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Yusipovich, Vassiliev.     

Deposition and characterization of Langmuir‐Blodgett films of cadmium arachidate/SWCNTs composites

The incorporation of single‐wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in cadmium arachidate film by means of the Langmuir‐Blodgett (LB) technique was investigated as a function of arachidic acid/SWCNT mass ratio at the air/water interface and in Langmuir‐Blodgett films. The behaviour at the air/water interface shows that SWCNTs act as an independent phase with respect to the cadmium arachidate. Deposition conditions are optimized when the weight ratio between the arachidic acid (AA) and SWCNTs is in the range 0.018:1 to 1:1. The general order of the LB multilayered structure was destroyed by the progressive density increase in SWCNT quantity as evidenced by X‐ray reflectivity (XRR) analysis. Scanning electron microscopy images indicated that when a multilayered structure was formed its layers consisted of SWCNT bundles stacked one over the other. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative surface analysis by Auger and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Recent developments in quantitative surface analysis by Auger (AES) and x-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopies are reviewed and problems relating to a more accurate quantitative interpretation of AES/XPS experimental data are discussed. Special attention is paid to consideration of elementary physical processes involved and influence of multiple scattering effects on signal line intensities. In particular, the major features of core-shell ionization by electron impact, Auger transitions and photoionization are considered qualitatively and rigorous approaches used to calculate the respective transition probabilities are analysed. It is shown that, in amorphous and polycrystalline targets, incoherent scattering of primary and signal Auger and photoelectrons can be described by solving analytically a kinetic equation with appropriate boundary conditions. The analytical results for the angular and energy distribution, the mean escape depth, and the escape probability as a function of depth of origin of signal electrons as well as that for the backscattering factor in AES are in good agreement with the corresponding Mote Carlo simulation data. Methods for inelastic background subtraction, surface composition determination and depth-profile reconstructions by angle-resolved AES/XPS are discussed. Examples of novel techniques based on x-ray induced photoemission are considered.     

Phase Transitions,Thermal Desorption of Gases,and Electroconduction in BaCeO<Subscript>3</Subscript>, a Base for High-Temperature Protonic Conductors

Investigations of phase transitions in barium cerate are carried out by methods of dilatometry and differential scanning calorimetry. Thermal desorption of gases and temperature dependences of electroconduction in dry and humid air are studied. Barium cerate exhibits complex polymorphism, undergoing a number of structural conversions at 300– 1300 K. The peaks in the spectra of thermal desorption of CO₂ and H₂O correlate with variations in the crystal lattice. Structural changes in BaCeO₃ affect activation energies for the carrier transport and the shares of partial conductivities.__________Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 5, 2005, pp. 620–626.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kuz’min, Gorelov, Vaganov, Korzun, Kazantsev, Aksenova, Khromushin.     

KINETICS OF NON-ISOTHERMAL CRYSTALLIZATION OF POLY (ETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE) MODIFIED BY POLY (ETHYLENE GLYCOL)

The non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) modified by poly (ethlene glycol) (PEG) were determined by DSC. The dual linear regression method was used to evaluate the relationship between the reciprocal of t 1/2 ( the half life of crystallization) and the appropriate temperature variable. The parameters such as the activation energy (Ed) for transport, the equilibrium melting temperature (T_m~0),the nucleation parameter (ψ),themaximum crystallization temperature (T_(e, max)), and the kinetic crystallizability (G) for the copolyesters were obtained. The influence of the PEG content in PET chains on the parameters characterizing crystallization kinetics and crystallization thermodynamics was discussed.     

胶束增敏导数—可变角同步荧光法同时测定两种羟基联苯

本文建立了２，２’－二羟基联苯（ＤＨＰ）和４－羟基联苯（ＨＰ）的胶束增敏导数－可变角同步荧光同时分析方法，可变角同步扫描所得到的ＤＨＰ和ＨＰ的谱峰位置均对应于常规光谱中的最佳激发－发射位置，经二阶求导后，消除分析谱带干扰，所得的二阶导数－可变角同步光谱即可用于两物质的同时测定，方法快速灵敏，ＤＨＰ测定范围为０．０５～０．５ｍｇ／Ｌ，ＨＰ测定范围为０．０７～２ｍｇ／Ｌ。     

Ageing of Conductive Polyaniline/Poly(Ethylene-co-Vinylacetate) Composites Studied by Thermal Methods

The long-term environmental ageing of conductive composite films containing ethylene-co-vinyl-acetate (EVA) copolymer and a complex of polyaniline (PANI) and dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) was studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). We assume that both phase separation and crosslinking of PANI main chains occur in the systems. On the other hand, the competition between PANI–DBSA complex self-organization and crystallization of EVA matrix result in structural changes and formation of continuous conductive network, responsible for significantly increased (ca five orders of magnitude) electrical conductivity of the aged films. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.