The effect of nanoparticle shape on polymer‐nanocomposite rheology and tensile strength

Nanoparticles can influence the properties of polymer materials by a variety of mechanisms. With fullerene, carbon nanotube, and clay or graphene sheet nanocomposites in mind, we investigate how particle shape influences the melt shear viscosity η and the tensile strength τ, which we determine via molecular dynamics simulations. Our simulations of compact (icosahedral), tube or rod‐like, and sheet‐like model nanoparticles, all at a volume fraction ? ≈ 0.05, indicate an order of magnitude increase in the viscosity η relative to the pure melt. This finding evidently can not be explained by continuum hydrodynamics and we provide evidence that the η increase in our model nanocomposites has its origin in chain bridging between the nanoparticles. We find that this increase is the largest for the rod‐like nanoparticles and least for the sheet‐like nanoparticles. Curiously, the enhancements of η and τ exhibit opposite trends with increasing chain length N and with particle shape anisotropy. Evidently, the concept of bridging chains alone cannot account for the increase in τ and we suggest that the deformability or flexibility of the sheet nanoparticles contributes to nanocomposite strength and toughness by reducing the relative value of the Poisson ratio of the composite. The molecular dynamics simulations in the present work focus on the reference case where the modification of the melt structure associated with glass‐formation and entanglement interactions should not be an issue. Since many applications require good particle dispersion, we also focus on the case where the polymer‐particle interactions favor nanoparticle dispersion. Our simulations point to a substantial contribution of nanoparticle shape to both mechanical and processing properties of polymer nanocomposites. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1882–1897, 2007     

Determination of DNA structure in solution: enzymatic deuteration of the ribose 2' carbon

An enzymatic solution to the problem of obtaining 13C/15N-labeled nucleotides that are deuterated uniquely at the H2' ' position within the ribose ring is presented. Selective deuteration occurs with an overall yield of >80%. The deuteron at the H2' ' position allows measurement of the scalar and residual dipolar couplings for the bond vectors attached to the C2' carbon of each ribose sugar. These data allow the accurate determination of sugar conformation. Interesting DNA double helices of 2-3 turns are now within the reach of solution NMR spectroscopy. As an example, these labeled nucleotides are incorporated uniquely at positions 6-14 in a 20-bp DNA sequence containing the adenovirus major late promoter.     

The synthesis of cypridina etioluciferamine and the proof of structure of cypridina luciferin

An unambiguous synthesis of Cypridina etioluciferamine was accomplished in order to prove the structure of this important bioluminescent natural product. Several 2-aminopyrazine 1-oxides were synthesized in order to establish a spectroscopic method for determining the placement of substituents on the pyrazine nucleus of Cypridina etioluciferamine. Titanium tetrachloride was used to improve the yields of these compounds; for example, the yield of 2-amino-3-methyl-5-phenylpyrazine 1-oxide (19) from reaction of phenylglyoxal 1-oxime and α-aminopropionitrile was raised from 3% to 51% by the use of titanium tetrachloride. The pyrazine ring proton is found at τ 1·37 (DMSO-d₆). The isomeric 2-amino-3-methyl-6-phenylpyrazine 1-oxide (22) was similarly prepared and its pyrazine ring proton is found at τ 2·18. This large difference (0·81 ppm) in chemical shift was used to determine whether a 2-aminopyrazine 1-oxide was 5- or 6- substituted. Prepared in an analogous fashion were 2-amino-5-(indol-3-yl)-3-methylpyrazine 1-oxide (23) and 2-amino-5-(indol-3-yl)-3-(3-phthalimidopropyl)pyrazine 1-oxide (16). The structures of these compounds were verified by NMR spectroscopy. By treatment with Raney nickel and hydrogen gas, then 100% hydrazine hydrate, 16 was converted to 2-amino-3-(3-aminopropyl)-5-indol-3-ylpyrazine (5), isolated as the dihydrochloride. This compound, with the indole moiety definitely placed at C-5, is identical with Cypridina etioluciferamine dihydrochloride (IR, UV, TLC). These results show that the structures of Cypridina etioluciferamine and luciferin are correct as published.     

Cyclization of methyl 6,7-epoxycitronellate to methylcyclopentane derivatives : Alkoxide induced conversion of γ-lactones to γ,δ-unsaturated acids

The reaction of sodium hydride or potassium t-butoxide with methyl epoxycitronellate (1) in dimethylformamide affords a mixture of cis,cis-puleganolide (2) and cis,trans-puleganolide (3) in high yield. When the cyclization is conducted at 110°, the isomeric 2-isopropenyl-5-methylcyclopentanecarboxylic acids (8a–d) become the major products. It is demonstrated that γ-lactones undergo alkoxide-induced elimination to afford γ,δ-unsaturated acids.     

Adsorption of water molecules in slit pores

We report molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on the adsorption of water in attractive and repulsive slit pores, where the slit and a bulk region are in contact with each other. Water structure, surface force and adsorption behavior are investigated as a function of the overall density in the bulk region. The gas–liquid transition in both types of pores occurs at similar densities of the bulk region.     

Micelle studies using a metal ion/murexide indicator system

Summary Complex formation between divalent metal ions and the hydrophilic murexide anion in the presence of anionic micelles has been employed to study aspects of micelle formation, the binding of divalent metal ions to micelles, and the kinetics of metal-complex formation in the presence of micelles.

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Zusammenfassung Die Komplexbildung zweiwertiger Metallionen mit dem hydrophilen Indikator Murexid wurde in Gegenwart anionischer Mizellen untersucht. Die Indikatorreaktion wurde benutzt, um Aussagen über Mizellbildung, Bindung zweiwertiger Metallionen an Mizellen und die Kinetik der Metallkomplexbildung bei Anwesenheit von Mizellen zu erhalten.

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With 8 figures and 1 table

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Dedicated to Prof.G. Rehage on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

Superexchange in copper(II) Dimers. 3. Synthesis and characterization of binuclear adducts of copper(II) halides with some α,β-dione dioximes

Copper(II) halides, CuX₂ (X = Br^?, Cl^?), have been combined in non-aqueous medium with various α,-β-dione dioxime (α,β-dodoH) ligands to produce new 1:1 adducts, the di-μ-halo-bis[halo(α,β-dodoH)copper(II)] dimers. These are: Di-μ-bromo-bis[bromo(ethanedialdioxime)copper(II)]; di-μ-bromo-bis[bromo(diphenylethanedione dioxime)copper(II)]; di-μ-bromo-bis-[bromo(9,10phenanthrenedione dioxime)copper(II)]; di-μ-chloro-bis-[chloro(9,10-phenanthrenedione dioxime)copper(II)]. The materials were characterized by conventional methods. The results clearly indicate that the compounds crystallize in discrete dimers, quite consistent with the results of closely related dimers studied earlier.