Effectiveness of Maleic Anhydride Grafted EPDM Rubber (EPDM-g-MAH) as Compatibilizer in NR/Organoclay Nanocomposites Prepared by Melt Compounding

The effectiveness of maleic anhydride grafted ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM-g-MAH) as an interfacial compatibilizer in enhancing the extent of interaction between natural rubber (NR) matrix and organoclay (OC) nanolayers, and also the eventually developed microstructure during a melt mixing process, has been evaluated as an alternative material to be used in place of commonly used epoxidized NR with 50 mol % epoxidation (ENR50). The latter usually weakens the processability of the final compound. The curing behavior, rheological, and dynamic mechanical properties of the prepared nanocomposites have been evaluated. Microstructural characterizations revealed better interfacial compatibilization by EPDM-g-MAH than ENR50, which is attributed to the lower polarity of the EPDM-g-MAH and hence more affinity for the NR matrix to be diffused onto the galleries of OC. This was confirmed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) examination and higher elasticity exhibited by the unvulcanized NR/OC/EPDM-g-MAH nanocomposites in melt rheological measurements. Also, lower damping behavior was observed for the vulcanized NR/OC/EPDM-g-MAH samples. These imply intensified polymer–filler interfacial interaction and hence restricted viscous motions by the NR segments. Vulcanized NR/OC nanocomposites compatibilized with EPDM-g-MAH showed greater enhancements in tensile properties than the sample compatibilized with ENR50.     

Asymmetry in Negative Refraction of Nonlinear Waves

Recently, inwardly propagating waves (called antiwaves, AWs) in nonlinear oscillatory systems have attracted much attention. An interesting negative refraction phenomenon has been observed in a bidomain system where one medium supports forwardly propagating waves (normal waves, NWs) and the other AWs. In this paper we find that negative refraction (NR) in nonlinear media has an asymmetric property, i.e., NR can be observed only by applying wave source withproper frequency to one medium, but not the other. Moreover, NR appears always when the incident waves are dense and the refractional waves are sparse. This asymmetry is a particular feature for nonlinear NR, which can neither be observed in linear refraction processes (both positive and negative refractions) nor in nonlinear positive refraction. The mechanism underlying the asymmetry of nonlinear NR are fully understood based on the competition of nonlinear waves.     

Residues at the tip of the pore loop of NR3B-containing NMDA receptors determine Ca<Superscript>2+</Superscript> permeability and Mg<Superscript>2+</Superscript>block

Background  

Members of the complex N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) subfamily of ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) conventionally assemble from NR1 and NR2 subunits, the composition of which determines receptor properties. Hallmark features of conventional NMDARs include the requirement for a coagonist, voltage-dependent block by Mg²⁺, and high permeability for Ca²⁺. Both Mg²⁺ sensitivity and Ca²⁺ permeability are critically dependent on the amino acids at the N and N+1 positions of NR1 and NR2. The recently discovered NR3 subunits feature an unprecedented glycine-arginine combination at those critical sites within the pore. Diheteromers assembled from NR1 and NR3 are not blocked by Mg²⁺ and are not permeable for Ca²⁺.     

Theoretical and experimental investigations of photophysics of the nile red molecule and its protonated structures

Results of quantum-chemical studies of the nile red (NR) molecule and its protonated structures by the INDO/S method are presented. It is demonstrated that the best agreement between the calculated and experimental data is obtained for the flat molecule in the ground electron state. Energies of the strongest singlet and triplet electronic states, molecular nature of these states, transition oscillator force, dipole moments in the ground and excited states, electron density distribution around atoms and molecular fragments in the S₀ and S₁ states, and rate constants of radiative, internal, and intercombination conversion are presented for the NR molecule and its protonated structures. The most probable NR protonation centers are analyzed using the molecular electrostatic potential (MESP) method. It is established that the reaction of proton addition to the NR molecule proceeds at the cyclic nitrogen atom. As demonstrated the results of quantum-chemical calculations, low fluorescent properties of the protonated NR structures (with a quantum yield of 4%) are due to a high rate of the S₁ – T₄ intercombination conversion.     

Effective nucleon masses in symmetric and asymmetric nuclear matter

The momentum and isospin dependence of the in-medium nucleon mass are studied. Two definitions of the effective mass, i.e., the Dirac mass m*D and the nonrelativistic mass m*NR which parametrizes the energy spectrum, are compared. Both masses are determined from relativistic Dirac-Brueckner-Hartree-Fock calculations. The nonrelativistic mass shows a distinct peak around the Fermi momentum. The proton-neutron mass splitting in isospin asymmetric matter is m*D,nm*NR,p, which is consistent with nonrelativistic approaches.     

Unconditionally convergent nonlinear solver for hyperbolic conservation laws with S-shaped flux functions

This paper addresses the convergence properties of implicit numerical solution algorithms for nonlinear hyperbolic transport problems. It is shown that the Newton–Raphson (NR) method converges for any time step size, if the flux function is convex, concave, or linear, which is, in general, the case for CFD problems. In some problems, e.g., multiphase flow in porous media, the nonlinear flux function is S-shaped (not uniformly convex or concave); as a result, a standard NR iteration can diverge for large time steps, even if an implicit discretization scheme is used to solve the nonlinear system of equations. In practice, when such convergence difficulties are encountered, the current time step is cut, previous iterations are discarded, a smaller time step size is tried, and the NR process is repeated. The criteria for time step cutting and selection are usually based on heuristics that limit the allowable change in the solution over a time step and/or NR iteration. Here, we propose a simple modification to the NR iteration scheme for conservation laws with S-shaped flux functions that converges for any time step size. The new scheme allows one to choose the time step size based on accuracy consideration only without worrying about the convergence behavior of the nonlinear solver. The proposed method can be implemented in an existing simulator, e.g., for CO₂ sequestration or reservoir flow modeling, quite easily. The numerical analysis is confirmed with simulation studies using various test cases of nonlinear multiphase transport in porous media. The analysis and numerical experiments demonstrate that the modified scheme allows for the use of arbitrarily large time steps for this class of problems.     

Body fixed frame,rigid gauge rotations and largeN random fields in QCD

The body fixed frame with respect to local gauge transformations is introduced. Rigid gauge rotations in QCD and their Schrödinger equation are studied for static and dynamic quarks. Possible choices of the rigid gauge field configuration corresponding to a nonvanishing static colormagnetic field in the body fixed frame are discussed. A gauge invariant variational equation is derived in this frame. For large numberN of colors the rigid gauge field configuration is regarded as random with maximally random probability distribution under constraints on macroiscopic-like quantities. For the uniform magnetic field the joint probability distribution of the field components is determined by maximizing the appropriate entropy under the area law constraint for the Wilson loop. In the quark sector the gauge invariance requires the rigid gauge field configuration to appear not only as a background but also as inducing an instantaneous quark-quark interaction. Both are random in the largeN limit.Communicated by F. Lenz     

Thermoplastic Elastomers Based on Natural Rubber/Polypropylene Blends: Effect of Blend Ratios and Dynamic Vulcanization on Rheological,Thermal, Mechanical,and Morphological Properties

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) based on natural rubber (NR)/polypropylene (PP) with different blend ratios were prepared and studied. The TPEs were obtained by dynamic vulcanization of NR/PP using a sulfur (S)/N-tert-butyl-2-benzothiazolesulphenamide (TBBS) and tetramethylthiuram disulphide (TMTD) curative system during processing in the melt state in an internal mixer equipped with cam rotors. Rheological, thermal, mechanical, dynamic, and morphological properties of the TPEs prepared were investigated. Based on this study a mechanism for the NR crosslinking was proposed where the sulfur vulcanization occurs through radical substitution in the forms of polysulfide bridges. The dynamic vulcanization process increases the stiffness of the NR phase in the TPEs and modifies the rheological and thermal behavior of the system compared to the behavior of the basic material PP. The crosslinked NR particles restrict the spherulitic growth and the regular arrangement of the spherulites of PP phase, decreasing the crystallinity degree. On the other hand, a reduction of mobility of the chain segments was also observed and, consequently, an increase of the T_g values. NR/PP TPEs with high content of NR showed superior mechanical performance compared to the uncrosslinked NR/PP blends in terms of tensile strength, Young's modulus and hardness. An increase of approximately 320% in Young's modulus values was obtained for the NR70/PP30 TPE compared to NR70/PP30. Morphological studies revealed the formation of large aggregates of NR domains in NR/PP TPEs which increased in size with an increase of the rubber content.     

Effect of Wood Flour on the Curing Behavior,Mechanical Properties,and Water Absorption of Natural Rubber/Wood Flour Composites

The preparation of natural rubber/wood flour (NR/WF) composites and the influence of WF content, modification, and particle size on the vulcanizing behavior, mechanical properties, and water absorption of NR/WF composites are described. Results show that the addition of WF into NR delayed the scorching time and vulcanizing time of NR. The appropriate WF contents can improve the mechanical properties of NR. However, the overloading of WF destroys the mechanical properties of NR. The addition of WF increased the water absorption of NR. The silicone couple agents that were used to modify the WF had little effect on the water absorption of NR/WF composites. Decreasing the WF particle size enhanced the water absorption of NR/WF composites because the water-absorbing surface area increased with decreasing WF particle size. The water absorption of sisal-fiber-filled NR-based composites was larger than that of the WF-filled NR-based composites. A useful equation, w=ktⁿ , was inferred from the water absorption results to calculate the water absorption (w) of the NR/WF composites as a function of time (t), where k was a constant concerning the compounds’ character that was primarily determined by the WF's character and n was the power of time that was related to the NR's inherent character, such as cross-linking density, and primarily determined the water absorption rate.     

Stress-Strain Behaviors and Crosslinked Networks Studies of Natural Rubber-Zinc Dimethacrylate Composites

The stress-strain behaviors of natural rubber (NR)-zinc methacrylate (ZDMA) composite have been studied by uniaxial tension. The results indicated that there was a large reinforcement by ZDMA and the NR/ZDMA composites exhibited a high stress-softening effect. Meanwhile, the recovery stretch curve was close to the second stretch curve; thus a weak stress recovery of the composites was shown. The analysis of crosslink density indicated that the damage to the crosslink network was mainly due to the breakage of ionic crosslinks at low strain (100%). A more developed ionic crosslink network was formed at a higher content of ZDMA. When the vulcanizate is subjected to loading in tension, the ionic crosslink network will suffer the force first. Next, the slippage of ionic bonds will take place under the stress. A new ionic crosslink network might be formed rapidly after the ionic bonds were broken during the stretching. Therefore, it could not return to the initial state. The analysis of crosslink density and stress recovery indicated that the rubber chains could be adsorbed to the ZDMA aggregates due to the formation of poly-zinc methacrylate (PZDMA). A molecular analysis of NR/ZDMA composites is proposed in the last part of this article.     

Numerical relativity simulations in the era of the Einstein Telescope

Numerical-relativity (NR) simulations of compact binaries are expected to be an invaluable tool in gravitational-wave astronomy. The sensitivity of future detectors such as the Einstein Telescope (ET) will place much higher demands on NR simulations than first- and second-generation ground-based detectors. We discuss the issues facing compact-object simulations over the next decade, with an emphasis on estimating where the accuracy and parameter space coverage will be sufficient for ET and where significant work is needed.     

Microhardness Studies of the Interphase Boundary in Rubber‐Softened Glassy Polymer Blends Prepared with/without Compatibilizer

Abstract

The interphase boundary of incompatible polymer blends such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/natural rubber (NR) and polystyrene (PS)/NR, and of compatible blends such as PMMA/NR/epoxidized NR (ENR) and PS/NR/styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) block copolymer, where ENR and SBS were used as compatibilizers, was studied by means of microindentation hardness (H) and microscopy. Cast films of neat PMMA and PS, and blended films of PMMA/NR, PS/NR, PMMA/NR/ENR, and PS/NR/SBS were prepared by the solution method using a common solvent (toluene). Hardness values of 178 and 173 MPa were obtained on the surfaces of the neat PMMA and PS, respectively. After the inclusion of soft phases, the binary (incompatible) and the ternary (compatible) blend surfaces show markedly lower H‐values. Scanning electron and optical microscopy reveal a clear difference at the phase boundary of the surface of compatible (smooth boundary) and incompatible (sharp boundary) blends. The compatibilized blends were characterized by using microhardness measurements, as having the thinnest phase boundary (～30 µm), while incompatible blends were shown to present a boundary of about 60 µm. The hardness values indicate that the compatibilizer is smoothly distributed across the interface between the two blend components. Results highlight that the microindentation technique, in combination with microscopic observations, is a sensitive tool for studying the breadth and quality of the interphase boundary in non‐ or compatibilized polymer blends and other inhomogeneous materials.     

Multiple andreev reflections in topological insulator nanoribbons

Superconducting proximity junctions made of topological insulator (TI) nanoribbons (NRs) provide a useful platform for studying topological superconductivity. We report on the fabrication and measurement of Josephson junctions (JJs) using Sb-doped Bi₂Se₃ NRs in contact with Al electrodes. Aharonov–Bohm and Altshuler–Aronov–Spivak oscillations of the axial magneto-conductance of TI NR were observed, indicating the existence of metallic surface states along the circumference of the TI NR. We observed the supercurrent in the TI NR JJ and subharmonic gap structures of the differential conductance due to multiple Andreev reflections. The interface transparency of the TI NR JJs estimated based on the excess current reaches τ = 0.83, which is among the highest values reported for TI JJs. The temperature dependence of critical current is consistent with the short and ballistic junction model confirming the formation of highly transparent superconducting contacts on the TI NR. Our observations would be useful for exploring topological Josephson effects in TI NRs.     

A modified Feautrier method for expanding atmospheres

Rybicki's rearrangement scheme is applied to a plane parallel expanding stellar atmosphere, as solved in the co-moving frame with the Feautrier method by Noerdlinger and Rybicki (NR). The gain in timing requirement is slight, because fewer frequencies are needed in a fluid frame code, but the gain in storage is great, because back-substitution becomes unnecessary. The formulation becomes much simpler, because the rectangular matrices of NR become square. Furthermore, the “interleaving” technique of NR, wherein the mean intensity and fluxlike variables are defined in alternate layers, can be preserved, with the bonus that the local values of the radiation force naturally alternate with those of the mean intensity in the solution vector. The scheme is readily adaptable to non-monotonically varying velocity fields, in contrast to the original formulation.     

Preparation and Properties of Natural Rubber (NR)/Polycaprolactone (PCL) Bio-Based Shape Memory Polymer Blends

Shape memory NR/PCL bio-based blends, where NR served as the reversible phase and PCL served as the switching phase, were prepared using a melt blending process. Peroxide, besides its role as a cross-linking agent to NR, was used to enhance the compatibility between NR and PCL, which was confirmed via Fourier transform infrared spectra and scanning electron microscopy analyses. With increasing peroxide content, the tensile strength increased steadily with decreasing PCL contents, up to 12.3 ± 0.8 MPa for the NR/PCL (70/30) blend at 2 phr peroxide. The shape fixing ratio decreased slightly with increasing peroxide content, especially for high NR content. The values of the shape recovery ratio were high, up to 100%, regardless of PCL content. The recovery stress was found to reach its maximum value around 60°C. In order to consider both fixing ratio (R_f) and recovery ratio (R_r) together, an additional denotation of shape memory index, R_fR_r, coupling both ratios by the product of the fixing ratio and recovery ratio, is proposed. The shape memory index (R_fR_r) reached values close to 100%, at the NR/PCL composition of 50/50 and 70/30; in particular, the highest value was for the 50/50 case regardless of peroxide concentration. The shape recovery ratio and fixing ratio remained largely unchanged even after 30 cycles of deformation and recovery processes for a typical NR/PCL/DCP (30/70/0.5) blend which, thus, outperformed all known shape memory blends in the literature.     

Carbon Black Filled Powdered Natural Rubber

Carbon black (CB) filled powdered natural rubber [P(NR/N234)] was prepared using a patented method of latex/CB coagulation technology. The influence of curing recipes and CB contents on the curing, mechanical, and dynamic properties were studied in depth, and the results were compared with that of NR/N234 compounds based on traditional dry mixing of bale NR and CB. The results showed that, compared with NR/N234, P(NR/N234) showed higher tensile strength, tear strength, rebound elasticity and flexibilities, and the antiabrasion properties were similar, while the dynamic temperature-build-up and dynamic compression permanent set were about 50% of that of NR/N234. The analysis based on scanning electron micrographs (SEM) and the Payne effect showed that the fine dispersion of CB in the rubber and the enhanced interaction between CB and rubber contributed to the excellent properties of P(NR/N234), sufficient that they make P(NR/N234) a potential material for the tread compounds of heavy-duty all-steel cord radial tires.     

基于金属狭缝阵列的各向异性偏振分束器

在金属-电介质结构的基础上提出了一种基于金属狭缝阵列的各向异性偏振分束器,并采用有限元法研究了横磁(TM)和横电(TE)偏振光入射后结构所表现出的负反射和镜面反射等特性.计算结果表明,当偏振光的入射角设定在20?—70?时,入射的TM光发生强烈的负反射,而TE光的负反射很弱,并随着波长的增加而急剧下降.分析可得偏振分束光栅的理想负反射点和反射面的完美对称响应效果.通过仿真得到了理想负反射点的取值范围.结合严格耦合波法软件,计算不同偏振光入射时负反射和镜面反射条件下的反射率,其消光比高达10~6.     

Fiber-optic pH sensor based on sol-gel film immobilized with neutral red

In this study, we developed a fiber-optic pH sensor based on a sol-gel film immobilized with neutral red (NR). A solgel film was prepared by mixing tetramethylorthosilicate (TMOS), trimethoxymethylsilane (MTMS), ethanol (EtOH), distilled water (H₂O), and NR powder. Accordingly, the thin pH sol-gel film was fabricated through a sol-gel process with a dip-coating method. The thickness and diameter of the fabricated pH sol-gel film are 0.11 and 0.6 mm, respectively. We measured the optical absorbance and the light intensity with the spectra of reflected light, which change with the color variation of the pH sol-gel film in the fiber-optic sensing probe. From the experimental results, we demonstrated that the proposed fiber-optic pH sensor has good reversibility, reproducibility, and a fast response time, in which the optical properties of the NR-based pH sol-gel film change with the pH value.     

Portable smart films for ultrasensitive detection and chemical analysis using SERS and SERRS

Metallic nanostructures, much smaller than the wavelength of visible light, which support localized surface plasmon resonances, are central to the giant signal enhancement achieved in surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and surface‐enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS). Plasmonic driven SERS and SERRS is a powerful analytical tool for ultrasensitive detection down to single molecule detection. For all practical SERS applications a key issue is the development of reproducible and portable SERS‐active substrates, where the most widely used metals for nanostructure fabrication are silver and gold. Here, we report the fabrication of a ‘smart film’, containing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), produced by in situ reduction of gold chloride III (Au⁺³) in natural rubber (NR) membranes for SERS and SERRS applications. The composite films (NR/AuNP membranes) show characteristic plasmon absorption of Au nanostructures, which notably do not influence the mechanical properties of the NR membranes. The term ‘smart film’ has to do with the fact that the SERS substrate (smart film) is flexible and standalone, which allows one to take it anywhere and to dip it into solutions containing the analyte to be characterized by SERS or SERRS technique. Besides, the synthesis of the AuNPs at the surface of NR films is much simpler than making an Au colloid and cast it onto a substrate surface or preparing an Au evaporated film. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A computer study of the relationship between noise rating assessment and dB(A) levels

The paper discusses the merits of using a single dB(A) reading in preference to the more complicated and time-consuming process of deriving an NR number. It is shown that, for commonly-encountered spectra, there is a small numerical difference between the dB(A) and NR values. This difference depends upon spectral shape and the overall level of the noise. Octave bands above 1 kHz tend to make the dB(A) level less than the NR number, while the octave bands below 1 kHz generally have the opposite effect.