A new route to obtain shape-controlled gold nanoparticles from Au(III)-beta-diketonates

Ligands with a beta-diketone skeleton have been employed for the first time as reductant to produce ligand stabilized gold nanoparticles of different shapes from aqueous HAuCl(4) solution. Evolution of stable gold nanoparticles follows first order (k approximately equal to 10(-2) min(-1)) kinetics with respect to Au(0) concentration. Growth of particles of different shapes (spherical or triangular or hexagonal) goes hand in hand under the influence of different beta-diketones, which have excellent capping and reducing properties. Chlorine insertion was observed to take place in the beta-diketone skeleton.     

Heat transfer in unsteady MHD oscillatory flow

Heat transfer in unsteady MHD channel flow (of an incompressible viscous and electrically conducting fluid) under oscillatory pressure gradient when the channel surfaces are conducting and moving with time-dependent velocities has been analysed. The velocity, magnetic field and temperature distributions have been obtained and their numerical results are shown graphically.Symbols u velocity - H _o applied magnetic field - H _x induced magnetic field - T temperature - T ₁ ^* ,T ₂ ^* temperatures of the upper and lower planes - density - p pressure - kinematic viscosity - magnetic diffusivity - electrical conductivity of the fluid - A ^* characteristic velocity - L characteristic length - _e magnetic permeability of the fluid - C _p specific heat - coefficient of viscosity - k thermal conductivity - ₁, ₂ permeabilities of the planes - ₁, ₂ conductivities of the planes - ₁, ₂ conductance ratios of the planes - Pr Prandtl number (=C _p /k) - E Eckert number - M Hartmann number (= _e H _o L/) - R _e Reynolds number (=LA ^*/) - R _m magnetic Reynolds number (= _e LA ^*) - S Pr.E(=S)     

Positron annihilation studies of poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) gel in mixed solvents

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy was used to characterize the reentrant volume‐phase‐transition behavior of poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) hydrogel in an ethanol/water mixed solvent. The polymer gel was synthesized with γ irradiation. The ortho‐positronium lifetime (τ₃) in the gel slowly increased with an increase in the ethanol content in the mixed solvent. τ₃ was not influenced by the volume phase transition. The ortho‐positronium intensity decreased with the collapse of the gel in an approximately 10% ethanol/water mixture. When swelled in pure ethanol, τ₃ initially increased with the solvent amount in the gel, showing the destruction of intramolecular hydrogen bonding and the relaxation of polymer chains. The lower critical solution temperature of the gel in the 10% ethanol/water mixture was lower than that in pure water, and τ₃ for various solvent contents showed behavior similar to that seen in pure solvent. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1028–1036, 2002     

Copolymerizations of alkyl methacrylates with vinyltriacetoxysilane

Copolymerizations of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and butyl methacrylate (BMA) with vinyltriacetoxysilane (VTAS) have been carried out in bulk at 70°. The compositions of the copolymers were determined from their silicon contents; the reactivity ratios were calculated by the Kelen-Tüdős method. For MMA/VTAS, r₁ = 7.75 ± 0.31 and for BMA/VTAS, r₁ = 4.62 ± 0.15; in both systems, r₂ is zero, indicating that VTAS does not homopolymerize under the experimental conditions. The influence of the silicon comonomer on properties of the copolymers, such as solubility annd thermal behaviour, was studied.     

Effects on the bifurcation and chaos in forced Duffing oscillator due to nonlinear damping

In this communication, the two-well Duffing oscillator with non-linear damping term proportional to the power of velocity is considered. We mainly focus our attention on how the damping exponent affects the global dynamical behaviour of the oscillator. In particular, we obtain analytically the threshold condition for the occurrence of homoclinic bifurcation using Melnikov technique and compare the results with the computational results. We also identify the major route to chaos and the regions of the 2D parameter space (consists of external forcing amplitude and damping coefficient) corresponding to the various types of asymptotic dynamics under linear (viscous or friction like) and nonlinear (drag like) damping. We also attempt to analyze how the basins of attraction patterns change with the introduction of nonlinear damping. We also present our analysis for the physically less-interesting cases where damping is proportional to the 3rd and 4th power of velocity for the sake of generalizing our findings and establishing firm conclusion.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Amphiphilic Block Copolymer by Block Copolymerization of Butadiene and Acrylamide using Macroazoinitiator

Abstract

Macroazoinitiator (MAI) was prepared from hydroxyl‐terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) and 4,4′‐azobis‐4‐cyanopentanoic acid by direct polycondensation in the presence of 1‐methyl‐2‐chloropyridinium iodide at room temperature. This MAI used for block copolymerization of AAm at 60°C gave the best results in chloroform but the formation of a crosslinked product could not be ruled out in dioxane. It was inferred that for production of a linear block copolymer, homogeneous reaction mixture was required.

The resulting products were characterized by spectral studies IR and NMR, viscosity measurements. Distinct phase segregation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic blocks was evident through DSC analysis.     

Synthesis of Some Novel bis‐Spiro[indole‐pyrazolinyl‐thiazolidine]‐2,4′‐diones

The reaction of 1H‐indol‐2,3‐diones with 1,6‐dibromohexane has resulted in the formation of new 1H‐indol‐2,3‐diones‐1,1′‐(1,6‐hexanediyl)bis in quantitative yields. These compounds have been used for the synthesis of novel [3′‐(2,3‐dimethyl‐5‐oxo‐1‐phenyl‐3‐pyrazolin‐4‐yl)spiro[3H‐indol‐3,2′‐thiazolidine]‐2,4′‐dione]‐1,1′‐(1,6‐hexanediyl)bis via bis Schiff's bases, [3‐(2,3‐dimethyl‐5‐oxo‐1‐phenyl‐3‐pyrazolin‐4‐yl) imino‐1H‐indol‐2‐one]‐1,1′‐(1,6‐hexanediyl)bis.     

Quality by Design Approach for Development of W/O Type Microemulsion-Based Transdermal Systems for Atenolol

The objective of the present investigation was to develop microemulsion-based transdermal systems of highly water soluble drug, Atenolol, by quality by design technique. Atenolol-loaded W/O microemulsions were optimized using D-optimal design with concentrations of oil, surfactants mixture, and water as independent variables, which was converted into microemulsion-based gel (MBG). The results of in vitro permeation of the optimized batch of Atenolol-loaded MBG revealed significant increase in permeability parameters as compared to its convention gel. All results suggested suitability of W/O type MEs as carriers for transdermal delivery of highly water soluble drug, Atenolol.