Small molecule diffusion in a rubbery polymer near Tg: Effects of probe size,shape, and flexibility

A novel experimental approach involving fluorescence nonradiative energy transfer (NRET) is employed to study the Fickian diffusion of small molecules in rubbery poly(isobutyl methacrylate) (PiBMA) films near the glass transition, using a formalism that directly relates the small molecule translational diffusion coefficient, D, to changes in the normalized nonradiative energy transfer efficiency, E_N. Values of D for pyrene, 1,3-bis-(1-pyrene) propane (BPP), 1,3-bis-(1-pyrene) decane (BPD), 9,10-bis-phenyl ethynyl anthracene (BPEA), diphenyl Disperse Red 4 (DPDR4), and decacyclene in PiBMA are measured over temperatures ranging from approximately T_g to T_g + 25°C. Among these chromophores, significant differences in both the magnitude and temperature dependence of D are observed which are attributed to differences in molecule shape and flexibility, as well as molar volume. Other factors being equal, chromophore flexibility was shown both to increase the magnitude of D and to decrease its dependence on temperature, as does an increase in aspect ratio. For BPD, these effects are attributed to the ability of the flexible molecule to diffuse in a piecewise manner, requiring the cooperative mobility of fewer polymer chain segments than a rigid molecule of the same molar volume. For BPEA and DPDR4, this deviation from D being dominated by molar volume effects is attributed the to high aspect ratio of these elongated molecules. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Light‐induced self‐thermophoresis of Janus spheroidal nanoparticles

A theoretical framework is provided for determining the self‐thermophoretic velocity of a light irradiated spheroidal Janus nanoparticle consisting of symmetric dielectric and perfectly conducting semi‐spheroids. The analysis is based on solving the linearized Joule heating problem due to uniform laser irradiance and on explicitly determining the temperature fields inside and outside the particle. We employ the thermoelectric (Peltier‐ Seebeck) methodology to find the surface self ‐ induced temperature gradient and the related slip velocity which determines the autonomous phoretic (self ‐ propulsion) mobility of the Janus particle. Simplified explicit expressions for the self ‐ thermophoretic velocities of spheroidal (prolate and oblate) Janus particles in terms of their aspect ratios are found and few practical limiting cases (i.e., sphere, disk and needle) are also discussed.     

Homopolyimides containing both benzimidazole and benzoxazole with high Tg and low coefficient of thermal expansion

A pair of isomer diamines containing both benzimidazole and benzoxazole and derived homopolyimides were synthesized for the first time. Due to rich rigid and linear benzoazole units, as well as the strong intermolecular interactions from the hydrogen bonding and the charge transfer complexation (CTC), the obtained polyimides (PIs) exhibited outstanding thermal properties, including high thermal weight loss temperature (T_d5% = 540–561°C), high glass transition temperature (T_g = 392–421°C), and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE = 1.3–20.9 ppm/°C). In addition, the obtained PIs also showed ideal mechanical properties (T_S = 189–240 MPa, T_M = 4.1–5.0 GPa and E_B = 2.9%–4.7%). These potential novel PI films with high T_g and low CTE were expected to be applied to next generation of flexible display substrate material.     

Host/Guest Simulation of Fluorescent Probes Adsorbed into Low‐Density Polyethylene, 1. Excimer Formation of 1,3‐Di(1‐pyrenyl)propane

Molecular dynamics and Rotational Isomer State/Monte Carlo techniques with a Dreiding 1.01 Force Field are employed to study the excimer formation of isolated 1,3‐di(1‐pyrenyl)propane and the probe adsorbed into a low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) matrix model. The probability of formation of each molecular conformer at several temperatures was calculated using these theoretical techniques. Conformational statistical analysis of the four torsion angles (ϕ₁, ϕ₂, θ₁, θ₂) of Py3MPy showed that the angles —C—C^ar— (ϕ₁, ϕ₂) present two states c ^± = ±90°; and the angles —C—C— (θ₁, θ₂), the three trans states = 180°, g ^± = ±60°. The correlation of θ₁–θ₂ torsion angles showed that the most probable pairs were g⁺g^– and g^–g⁺ for the excimer‐like specimens, although these angles are distorted because of interactions with the polymer matrix. The temperature dependence of the excimer‐formation probability revealed that this process was thermodynamically controlled in the isolated case. When the probe was adsorbed into the LDPE matrix, the excimer formation process was reversed at T = 375 K. At T >  375 K, the behavior was similar to the isolated case but, at T < 375 K, excimer formation probability increased with temperature as found experimentally by steady‐state fluorescence spectroscopy. This temperature was coincident with the onset of the LDPE melting process, determined experimentally by thermal analysis.     

氮苄叉基苯胺分子的平面扭曲驱动力的DFT研究

为了探索DFT方法中氮苄叉基苯胺分子的扭曲驱动力, 通过把非平面氮苄叉基苯胺(NBA)分子的DFT能量分成π和σ的方法, 分析了垂直离域能ΔE^V(θ)及σ-π轨道作用能ΔE^σπ(θ)的失稳定性, 并讨论了在扭曲过程中它们所起的作用. 在B3LYP/6-31G*, 6-311G*, 6-31G(2d), 6-311G(2d)水平下的计算结果显示: 与经典观点不同, π电子的离域是失稳定的, 且平面时失稳定性最强, 是分子扭曲的动力; 但σ-π轨道作用也是失稳定的, 随着扭角的增大其失稳定性增强, 是分子扭曲的阻力. NBA分子的大扭角构象, 是包含π-π, σ-π轨道作用在内的各种电子相互作用共同作用的结果.     

An indirect thermodynamic model developed for initial stage sintering of an alumina compacts by using porosity measurements

The specific micro- and mesopore volumes (V) of alumina compacts fired between 900 and 1250 °C for 2 h were determined from nitrogen adsorption/desorption data. The V value was taken as a sintering equilibrium parameter. An arbitrary sintering equilibrium constant (K _a) was estimated for each firing temperature by assuming K _a = (V _i − V)/V, where V _i is the largest value at 900 °C before sintering. Also, an arbitrary Gibbs energy (ΔG _a °) of sintering was calculated for each temperature using the K _a value. The graph of ln K _a versus 1/T and ΔG _a ° versus T were plotted, and the real enthalpy (ΔH°) and the real entropy (ΔS°) of sintering were calculated from the slopes of the obtained straight lines, respectively. On the contrary, real ΔG° and K values were calculated using the real ΔH° and ΔS° values in the ΔG° = −RT lnK = 165814 − 124.7T relation in SI units.     

Polar anchoring strengths of nematic liquid crystal on high-density polymer brush surfaces

ABSTRACT

Herein, the polar anchoring energy coefficient (A_θ) of nematic liquid crystal (NLC) was examined for high-density polymer brushes via capacitance measurements. The A_θ is 10^?4 J m^?2 for the brushes of poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(ethyl methacrylate) and poly(styrene). The value decreases to 10^?5 J m^?2 for poly(n-butyl methacrylate) and poly(hexyl methacrylate) with lower glass transition temperatures. However, each polymer brush displays a constant A_θ value over a temperature range of ?15°C to 90°C, which is hardly affected by the graft density and brush thickness. At 25°C, A_θ is 10 times greater than the corresponding azimuthal anchoring energy coefficient (A_φ); therefore, NLCs on polymer brushes can be preferentially aligned along the in-plane component of the applied field.     

Physical aging and dye diffusion in polysulfone below the glass transition temperature

The effect of physical aging on the tracer diffusion coefficient D of camphorquinone in polysulfone is investigated. It is shown that if the sample is sufficiently annealed and physical aging is nearly complete, the temperature dependence of D will reflect the primary α-relaxation process of the host polymer. In the temperature range between T_g (=185°C) and 165°C, D is found to be a function of time, and the time dependence of D is given by D = At^?μ, with μ approximately equal to unity. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Experimental study of the kinetics of reaction of chlorine atoms with tetrahydrofuran and fully deuterated tetrahydrofuran

The overall rate constants for H-abstraction (k_H) from tetrahydrofuran and D-abstraction (k_D) from fully deuterated tetrahydrofuran by chlorine atoms in the temperature range of 298-547 K were determined. In both cases, very weak negative temperature dependences of the overall rate constants were observed, described by the expressions: k_H = (1.55 ± 0.13) × 10⁻¹⁰ exp(52 ± 28/T) cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ and k_D = (1.27 ± 0.25) × 10⁻¹⁰exp(55 ± 62/T) cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹. The experimental results show that the value of the kinetic isotope effect (k_H/k_D), amounting to 1.21 ± 0.10, is temperature independent at 298-547 K.     

Differential scanning calorimetric examination of ruptured lower limb tendons in human

The tendon ruptures are serious injuries of the lover limb in middle age and physically active population. While the Achilles tendon rupture is common, the patellar ligament and quadriceps ligament ruptures are an absolutely rare injury. Usually there is no correlation between the velocity of the trauma and the supervening of the rupture. The aetiology of the degenerative changes in the collagen structures of the tendons and ligaments which could be disposed for the rupture are still not clear. Our hypothesis was that before the injury there are clear pathological abnormalities in the tissues of the tendons, which are predisposed for the rupture, and could be monitored besides the classical histological methods by differential scanning calorimetry. The thermal denaturation of human samples was monitored by a SETARAM Micro DSC-II calorimeter. All the experiments were performed between 0 and 100 °C. The heating rate was 0.3 K/min. DSC scans clearly demonstrated significant differences between the control and ruptured samples (control: T _m = 59.7 °C, T _1/2 = 1.4 °C and ΔH _cal = 8.54 J/g; ruptured Achilles tendon: T _m = 62.75 °C, T _1/2 = 2.6 °C and ΔH _cal = 1.54 J/g, ruptured Quadriceps tendon: T _m = 64.8 °C, T _1/2 = 1.6 °C and ΔH _cal = 1.53 J/g, ruptured Patellar tendon: T _m = 63.9 °C, T _1/2 = 1.41 °C and ΔH _cal = 0.97 J/g). These observations could be explained with the structural alterations caused by the biochemical processes. With our investigations we could demonstrate that DSC is a useful and well applicable method for the investigation of collagen tissue of the degenerated human tendons and ligaments. We can prove with this method that the degenerative changes of the tissue elements increase the thermal stability of collagen tissues of the tendons which could be disposed for the rupture.     

The effect of composition of parenteral solution on the thermal resistance of Bacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus subtilis spores

Large-volume parenteral solutions were submitted to heat treatments after being inoculated with Bacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 7953 (T _r =121°C) and Bacillus subtilis ATCC 9372 (T _r =104.5°C) spores. The average decimal reduction time for B. stearothermophilus ranged from a D _121°C value of 1.31 to 3.14 min, in glucophysiologic and Ringer’s solutions respectively. For B. subtilis, D _104.5°C value increased from 0.69 to 1.37 min, in Ringer’s (pH=5.91) and 50% glucose (pH 3.05) solutions respectively. The z value ranged from 7.95°C (20% mannitol solution) to 13.14°C (50% glucose solution), corresponding to an activation energy (Ea) of 81.48 and 49.30 kcal/mol, respectively.     

Preparation of barium ferrite films with high Fe/Ba ratio by sol–gel method

Hexagonal BaFe₁₂O₁₉ ferrite (BaM) thin films were prepared on Si (100) substrate successfully by sol–gel technology and post annealing. The results showed the BaM phase can be formed and crystallized into c-axis textured grains even when the Fe/Ba ratio of the precursor varied from 6.5 to 9.5. However, the behavior of the saturation magnetization (M _s) and intrinsic coercivity (H _c) depended strongly on the Fe/Ba ratio and annealing temperature (T _a) varied from 700 to 900 °C. The M _s and H _c values deceased with an increase of Fe/Ba ratio, for instance, were about 290 emu/cm³ and 4,200 Oe for the Fe/Ba = 6.5 film but only 116 emu/cm³ and 2,300 Oe for the Fe/Ba = 9.5 film. The M _s and H _c values of the Fe/Ba ratio = 6.5 film increased monotonously with increasing T _a, were about 120 emu/cm³ and 2,500 Oe at T _a = 800 °C, and reached to 345 emu/cm³ and 4,600 Oe at T _a = 950 °C.     

Dielectric Properties and Structure of Aqueous Decaoxyethylene p-Isononylphenyl Ether Solutions

The static permittivity _s of aqueous decaoxyethylene p-isononylphenyl ether (NOP-10 grade) solutions is measured at surfactant concentrations of 1.14 and 4.97 wt % within 275–351 K temperature range; at concentrations of 9.96, 20, and 30 wt %, within 275–313 K range. Data on _s are analyzed, using the models of dilute disperse systems of oil–water type containing spherical particles, oblate and prolate spheroids. At 30, 20, and 9.96 wt % NOP-10 content, fragments of hexagonal mesophase are still retained in the isotropic phase near the interface, where there is a certain orientation of micelles acquiring the shape of prolate spheroids instead of cylindrical micelles. Upon heating up to 313 K, micelles are disoriented and their shape changes in prolate spheroid spherical micelle oblate spheroid sequence. With a further rise in water content, the fragments of lamellar mesophase appear in the isotropic phase at 4.97 and 1.14 wt % NOP-10 near the melting points of these solutions. They can exist with equal probability as the regions where either spherical micelles are located in the nodes of cubic lattice or oblate spheroidal micelles are distributed at random. As the temperature approaches the cloud point of dilute solutions, the randomly oriented oblate spheriodal micelles tend to acquire the disc-like shape.     

Thermodynamics of tetraphenylantimony acetophenoneoxymate

In the present research for the first time, the heat capacity C_\textp ^° C_{\text{p}}^{ \circ } of crystalline tetraphenylantimony acetophenoneoxymate Ph₄SbONCPhMe has been measured using the methods of precision adiabatic vacuum calorimetry over the range from 6 to 350 K, the standard thermodynamic functions: heat capacity C_\textp ^° (T ) C_{\text{p}}^{ \circ } (T ) , enthalpy H°(T) − H°(0), entropy S°(T), and Gibbs function G°(T) − H°(0) have been calculated over the range from T → 0 K to 350 K. Low-temperature (20 K ≤ T ≤ 50 K) heat capacity data have shown a chain-layered structure topology of the compound under study. The energy of combustion of the compound has been determined in the isothermal combustion calorimeter with a stationary bomb. The standard thermodynamic functions of formation of crystalline Ph₄SbONCPhMe at 298.15 K have been calculated. The differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis studies have shown the compound melts with decomposition and its melting temperature has been estimated. Thermodynamic properties of Ph₄SbONCPhMe, Ph₅Sb and Ph₄SbONCPh₂ have been compared.     

Kinetic study of crystallization of PHB in presence of hydroxy acids

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), PHB, has been structurally modified through reaction with hydroxy acids (HA) such as tartaric acid (TA) and malic acid (MA). The crystallization kinetic of the samples was evaluated by isoconversional method through nonlinear fitting to obtain the estimation for activation energy (E _a ) and pre-exponential (A) values. The thermal behavior of the crystallization temperature, 44.8 and 58.9 °C at 5 °C/min, and results obtained to the average activation energy, 73 ± 9 kJ mol⁻¹ and 63 ± 1 kJ mol⁻¹, to PHB/MA and PHB, respectively, are suggesting that malic acid may be deriving plasticizer units from its own PHB chain. PHB/TA show increase in the medium value of E _a, 119 ± 2 kJ mol⁻¹ and T _c = 48.2 °C (at 5 °C/min), indicating that tartaric acid is probably interacts in different way to the of PHB chain (E _a=73 ± 9 kJ mol⁻¹, T _c = 44.8 °C at 5 °C/min).     

Matched ring diblock and linear triblock copolymers in dilute solution

A unique diblock copolymer ring and its linear triblock copolymer precursor composed of polystyrene and polydimethylsiloxane have been characterized by static and dynamic light scattering in dilute solution. The measurements were carried out with cyclohexane as the solvent over a temperature range of 12–35°C. Cyclohexane has the useful property that it is nearly isorefractive with the PDMS so that the PDMS block segments are invisible to the light-scattering technique and it is a theta solvent for polystyrene at 34.5°C. The block polymers in this work contain 35.1 wt % of styrene as determined by proton NMR. In the linear triblock polymer, the polystyrene is the center block with PDMS blocks on each side. Static light scattering measurements give 4.31 × 10⁴ for the average molecular weight of the whole polymer. Light scattering also shows that the apparent theta temperature for the linear triblock is shifted by 15°C to a value of 20°C at which point the second virial coefficient drops sharply and phase separation begins to induce aggregation. The diblock ring, however, shows a strongly positive second virial coefficient and no aggregation even at 12°C which is the limit of these experiments. The diffusion coefficients of cyclic diblock (D_c) and linear triblock copolymer (D₁) are measured by dynamic light scattering. The ratio of diffusion coefficients of cyclic and linear copolymers at 14.9°C and 30°C are D_c/D_l = 1.13 and 1.107 respectively. These compare well with prediction of 1.18 for this ratio from consideration of the hydrodynamics of matched linear and cyclic polymer chains. Dynamic light scattering quantitatively confirms that the linear copolymer experiences a solvent quality change near 20°C but the cyclic polymer remains in good solvent over the entire experimental temperature range. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Boron increases the transition temperature and enhances thermal stability of heme proteins

Transition temperature and thermal stability of proteins were studied in the presence and absence of boron. The observed midpoint of thermal denaturation (T _m) of cytochrome c (Cyt c) at pH 9.2 was 68.8 °C, which in the presence of boron increased to 71.0 °C. For metmyoglobin, T _m increased from 79.7 °C in the absence of boron to 83.5 °C in the presence of boron. Boron caused an increase of 10% in the reversibility of thermal denaturation of cytochrome c when compared with control. Activity measurements of the heat treated proteins and T _m suggest an increased thermal stability toward inactivation and denaturation of heme proteins in the presence of boron.     

EPR spectroscopy of multicomponent,multispin molecular system obtained by the photolysis of 2,4,6-triazido-3-cyano-5-fluoropyridine in solid argon

Complex multicomponent, multispin molecular system, consisting of a septet trinitrene, two quintet dinitrenes, and three triplet mononitrenes, was obtained by the photolysis of 2,4,6-triazido-3-cyano-5-fluoropyridine in solid argon. To identify these paramagnetic products, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy in combination with line-shape spectral simulations and density functional theory calculations was used. The products of the photolysis was found to be triplet 2,4-diazido-3-cyano-5-fluoropyridyl-6-nitrene (D_T = 1.000 cm⁻¹, E_T = 0), triplet 2,4-diazido-3-cyano-5-fluoropyridyl-2-nitrene (D_T = 1.043 cm⁻¹, E_T = 0), triplet 2,6-diazido-3-cyano-5-fluoropyridyl-4-nitrene (D_T = 1.128 cm⁻¹, E_T = 0 cm⁻¹), quintet 4-azido-3-cyano-5-fluoropyridyl-2,6-dinitrene (D_Q = 0.211 cm⁻¹, E_Q = 0.0532 cm⁻¹), quintet 2-azido-3-cyano-5-fluoropyridyl-4,6-dinitrene (D_Q = 0.208 cm⁻¹, E_Q = 0.0386 cm⁻¹), and septet 3-cyano-5-fluoropyridyl-2,4,6-trinitrene (D_S = −0.1017 cm⁻¹, E_S = −0.0042 cm⁻¹) in a 38:4:7:22:14:4 ratio, respectively.     

Debye–Einstein model and anomalies of heat capacity temperature dependences of solid solutions at low temperatures

An approach is proposed for analysing the deviations of the heat capacity C_p(T) of solid solutions from the Kopp–Neumann rule (KNR) ΔC(T)?=?C_p(T)???C_KNR(T). Temperature dependences of the heat capacity C_p(T) of selected compositions of systems (InP)_x (InAs)_1?x and (GaAs)_x (InAs)_1?x at temperatures of 5–300 K are analysed in the Debye–Einstein approximation. It was established that in the case of substitution of atoms in the cation subsystem (Ga³⁺???In³⁺) with the same subsystem of anions (As^3?), the positive values of ΔC(T) at T?<?100 K are due to the appearance of the low-frequency Einstein mode, whereas the negative values of ΔC(T) at T?>?100 K are the result of a decrease in the fraction of the Debye contribution without changing the upper limit of the oscillation frequency. In the case of substitution in the cation subsystem (P^3????As^3?) with the invariant cation subsystem (In³⁺) to the low-temperature positive contribution of the additional low-frequency Einstein mode, a positive part is added from the modified Debye mode having the characteristic temperature θ_D below the additive value θ_DKNR. The adequacy of this model is confirmed by Raman scattering data.

     

Room temperature processable heat‐resistant epoxy‐oxazolidone‐based syntactic foams

Syntactic foams based on oxazolidone‐modified epoxy resin using glass microballoons as reinforcing filler with varying densities were processed. The influence of various grades of microballoons and their concentration on the mechanical, thermal, thermomechanical, and flammability characteristics were investigated. The effect of temperature on the compressive strength with density was monitored in detail. By incorporating the microballoons, T_g of the syntactic foam increased from 90 °C to 115 °C. Thermal conductivity was found to decrease from (0.064 to 0.056 W/(m·K)) in conjunction with decreasing resin to filler ratio. In the case of composites filled with K25 alone, the creation of large voids due to less effective packing between the microballoons led to lower thermal conductivity. The specific heat of the different composites was in the range of 0.32 to 0.44 cal/g/°C, and the coefficient of thermal expansion was in the range of 13.2 to 17.4 × 10⁻⁶/°C with limiting oxygen index of 28% to 33%.