Viscoelastic properties of UHMW-PE fibers in simple elongation

Stress relaxation after a simple elongational step strain, creep under a constant simple elongational stress, and stress build-up under a constant Hencky strain rate have been measured for ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) fibers. The data from the various experiments are consistent with the Boltzman superposition principle in the experimental region of small strains or short times. This leads to a simple constitutive equation in which temperature can be incorporated via time-temperature superposition. The measured power-law relaxation of the UHMW-PE fiber leads to analytical expressions for the dynamic quantities in simple elongation. The constitutive equation is the one-dimensional equivalent of the gel equation derived for cross-linking gels at the gel point. The similarity between the rheological behavior of fibers and cross-linking gels at the transition point might lead to an enhanced understanding of the molecular processes occurring during deformation.     

An elongation method for large systems toward bio-systems

The elongation method, proposed in the early 1990s, originally for theoretical synthesis of aperiodic polymers, has been reviewed. The details of derivation of the localization scheme adopted by the elongation method are described along with the elongation processes. The reliability and efficiency of the elongation method have been proven by applying it to various models of bio-systems, such as gramicidin A, collagen, DNA, etc. By means of orbital shift, the elongation method has been successfully applied to delocalized π-conjugated systems. The so-called orbital shift works in such a way that during the elongation process, some strongly delocalized frozen orbitals are assigned as active orbitals and joined with the interaction of the attacking monomer. By this treatment, it has been demonstrated that the total energies and non-linear optical properties determined by the elongation method are more accurate even for bio-systems and delocalized systems like fused porphyrin wires. The elongation method has been further developed for treating any three-dimensional (3D) systems and its applicability is confirmed by applying it to entangled insulin models whose terminal is capped by both neutral and zwitterionic sequences.     

Photocurrents in simple polymer systems

Photocurrents have been detected in a wide range of simple polymer systems at irradiation wavelengths as high as 365 mμ. These photocurrents are shown to be due to phtoemission from the electrode system. Pulsed photoconductivity experiments show that at least two stages of charge transport are involved. In the first stage photoemitted electrons travel a short distance into the polymer before being trapped. This is followed by a slower process of trap-dominated charge transport.     

An elastic neutron scattering on dynamical transition in hydrogen-bonded systems

Elastic incoherent neutron scattering measurements have been performed on trehalose and sucrose/D₂O mixtures as a function of temperature. The study provides an effective way for characterizing the dynamical behaviour, furnishing a set of parameters characterizing the ‘flexibility’ and the ‘rigidity’ that justifies the better cryptobiotic effect of trehalose with respect to sucrose. Elastic scans make evident a non-Gaussian behaviour of the intensity profiles, which is more marked for sucrose, with a dynamical transition at T253 and 250 K for trehalose/D₂O and sucrose/D₂O mixtures, respectively.     

Spatially confined simple quantum mechanical systems

A study of two simple quantum mechanical system, i.e., harmonic oscillator (HO ) and hydrogen atom (H ) trapped inside the wells is performed. The influence of the spatial confinement on the energy spectra of both systems is investigated. An analytically solvable model of the well potential is presented in the case of the HO . A central and noncentral localization of HO in the well is discussed. The results are used to explain some reported anomalous experimental data on the porphine IR spectrum. The case of hydrogen atom is studied by solving the problem of the electron in the potential V = Z/R cot r/R. An exact formula for the energy is derived for s states. For others, analytically nonsolvable symmetries, a formula with correct asymptotic behavior is proposed. The results are compared with some numerical calculations for spherical rectangular well and an extension to many-electron atoms is also presented. The effect of breaking degeneracy and of ordering energies of H in a different way than in the case of many-electron systems is broadly discussed. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Heterogeneous exchange reactions of unstable simple systems

The analysis of less than 10⁻⁹ g of the isotope²⁰⁴Pb in lunar samples was carried out by an (n, 2n) activation using high energy (>8. 8 MeV) neutrons. A procedure of using the neutrons produced by bombardment of a specially designed Be sample holder with deuterons in a cyclotron was developed and compared to irradiation carried out in the core of a nuclear reactor, Radiochemical separations and X ray-γ ray coincidence counting techniques are necessary to achieve the required sensitivity. Although the flux of neutrons of sufficient energy from the cyclotron procedure is somewhat lower can be obtained in the best reactor irradiations, the high radioactivity due to other elements produced by the (n, γ) reactions in the reactor is eliminated. Radiochemical procedures for the analysis of Bi, Tl, Zn in the same samples are also described.     

Thermophysical behaviour of solid polymers in simple elongation: A structural and molecular interpretation

Thermodynamic aspects of reversible simple extension of solid polymers have been considered in terms of the conventional equation of state and equations have been obtained for the thermodynamic functions. It is shown that simple deformation of solids is accompanied by inversion of internal energy which is controlled by coefficient of thermal expansion. Work, heat and internal energy as functions of strain have been determined by deformation calorimetry for the typical glass-like and crystalline polymers and it has been found that in uniaxially oriented crystalline polymers at aboveT _g the internal energy undergoes inversion due to the negative coefficient of thermal expansion. It has been demonstrated that the thermoelastic behaviour of two-phase crystalline polymers is controlled by the volume (irrotational) elasticity of amorphous regions rather than by shape elasticity typical of rubber elasticity. From this position, a thermophysical analysis of the deformation of the basic models of oriented crystalline polymers and combined investigation of the thermal phenomena and structural changes in oriented PE and PP have been carried out. It has been shown that the Peterlin-Prevorsek model which implies existence of both intra- and interfibrillar amorphous regions quite adequately account for the thermophysical and structural effect observed in tension of the oriented specimens in the original and annealed state. Thermoelastic properties of super-oriented crystalline polymers have also been discussed in brief.Dedicated to Professor Dr. F. H. Müller     

Non-empirical SCF molecular orbital studies on simple zeolite model systems

Non-empirical molecular orbital studies on the relative stabilities of topologically closed ring clusters H₈Si₄O₄, [H₈Si₃AlO₄]^? and [H₈Si₂Al₂O₄]^? modelling building units of zeolite frameworks, have been carried out. According to the calculations, AlOAl type bridges are unstable in doubly negative charged species, but can be stabilized in the presence of cations. This stabilization effect increases with increasing cation charge. Several hypothetical bimolecular cluster equilibria are also discussed.     

Plastic and elastic properties of the systems interstratified clay-water-electrolyte-xanthan

The present study concerns the rheological behavior of the Jebel Shemsi clay dispersions (Shp). Shp is an interstratified illite/smectite clay from southern Tunisia. The influences of clay concentration, NaCl, and xanthan-a semirigid polymer-on the yield stress, the elastic modulus, and the xanthan adsorption were investigated. The sol-gel transition and the scale laws of rheometric properties are established. Progressive addition of NaCl to the clay dispersions decreases the thickness of the diffuse double layer, which makes the system rigid, increasing the yield and the elastic modulus. In the presence of xanthan, the negative surface charges become higher and the repulsive interparticle interactions increase; consequently the yield and the elastic modulus increase. The xanthan adsorption on the clay particle surface increases slightly with the NaCl concentration. The particle aggregation due to the salt and the particle dispersion due to the polymer are observed. The behavior of this interstratified clay is compared to that found for pure smectite. The 15% illite stratified with smectite in the Shp clay does not change the gels' rheological properties significantly. Meanwhile the amount of Shp clay needed to obtain a gel is more important than in the case of a pure smectite.     

Photocurrents in simple polymer systems. II

Large photocurrents have been observed in films of some simple polymers (containing no π-orbitals), of which poly(vinyl fluoride) is a typical example. Not only are the currents large (up to 10^?5 A/cm²) but also they are capable of being excited by light in the visible wavelength region where absorption by the polymer is too low to be detectable. The results indicate that the effects are electronic, rather than ionic, in nature.     

Counterpoise-corrected potential energy surfaces of simple H-bonded systems

Geometries and stabilization energies of various simple H-bonded complexes (water dimer, hydrogen fluoride dimer, formamide dimer, formic acid dimer) have been determined by a gradient optimization that eliminates the basis set superposition error (BSSE) by the counterpoise (CP) method in each gradient cycle as well as by the standard gradient optimization. Both optimization methods lead to different potential energy surfaces (PES). The difference depends on the theoretical level used and is larger if correlation energy is considered. Intermolecular distances from the CP-corrected PES are consistently longer, and this difference might be significant (∼0.1 ?); also angular characteristics determined from both surfaces differ significantly. Different geometries were obtained even when passing to larger basis sets (aug-cc-pVDZ). The standard optimization procedure can result in a completely wrong structure. For example, the “quasi-linear” structure of the (HF)₂ (global minimum) does not exist at the standard MP2/ 6-31G** PES (where only cyclic structure was detected) and is found only at the CP-corrected PES. Stabilization energies obtained from the CP-corrected PES are always larger than these from the standard PES where the BSSE is added only a posteriori for the final optimized structure; both energies converge only when passing to a larger basis set (aug-cc-pVDZ). Received: 11 March 1998 / Accepted: 19 June 1998 / Published online: 4 September 1998 RID=" ID=" <E6>Acknowledgements.</E6> The project was supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (Grant No. 203/98/1166). RID=" ID=" <E5>Correspondence to</E5>: P. Hobza     

Quasi-algebraic treatment of bound states of simple one-electron systems

We present a straightforward, quasi-algebraic treatment of simple one-particle quantum-mechanical systems. The method consists primarily of a canonical transformation that changes the Schrödinger equation into a first-order differential equation, thus allowing an easier derivation of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. We express the latter in a way which is not commonly encountered in the standard literature on quantum mechanics and quantum chemistry. The derivation of generating functions for the eigenfunctions offers no difficulty because the method is formulated in the coordinate representation. As illustrative examples, we consider the harmonic oscillator and a particle in a Kratzer potential.     

Hypervirial theorems for some simple quantum chemistry systems

A very general form of the hypervirial theorems, which can be applied to several quantum systems of great interest for the theoretical quantum chemists is presented.     

Solubility of pyrene in simple and mixed solvent systems

The solubility of pyrene was experimentally determined in simple and complex solvent systems (single, binary, ternary, quaternary and pentinary solvent systems) composed of benzene, ethylbenzene, hexane, hexanol and methylcyclohexane over a temperature range from 293 to 318 K. In addition, six models were used in this study to represent pyrene solubility in the different solvent systems. The interaction parameters for modified Wilson, NIBS/Redlich-Kister, UNIQUAC and NRTL models were estimated using the solubility data generated for pyrene in single, binary and ternary solvent systems. By re-adjusting the interaction parameters reported for Dortmund UNIFAC and ASOG models, a better representation of the solubility of pyrene was obtained compared to using reported values. Furthermore, a correction term is introduced for the ASOG model in this study to better improve pyrene solubility prediction in simple and mixed solvent systems. These estimated or re-adjusted interaction parameters for the different models, along with the reported parameters for Dortmund UNIFAC and ASOG models, were tested on complex solvent systems (quaternary and pentinary solvent mixtures), in order to check their validity and accuracy for such predictions.     

Spectroscopic characteristics of simple systems in a spherical cavity

Trends in the changes in the characteristics of spectral transitions of the simplest one-electron systems (atoms, oscillators) in an impenetrable spherical cavity upon changing the parameters and size of a system are discussed. Methods for the qualitative analysis of changes in the characteristics of transitions are developed by analyzing the changes in electronic distributions and through the use of scale transformations.     

Optimized linear combinations of simple exponentials for atomic systems

Hartree-Fock wave functions for the He and Be isoelectronic sequences of ions are calculated using orbitals which are linear combinations of simple exponential functions. By a full optimization of the exponents and coefficients close approximations to the HartreeFock energies were obtained. To the same order of accuracy the resulting Hartree–Fock orbitals require fewer basis functions than used previously. A number of difficulties which arise in the numerical procedures as the size of the basis set is increased are analysed in detail. Similar results are obtained for the Li sequence using the Unrestricted HartreeFock method with and without projection.