Carbonization of electrospun poly(acrylonitrile) nanofibers containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes observed by transmission electron microscope with in situ heating

Composite nanofibers with 5% w/w multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in polyacrylonitrile (PAN) were fabricated using the electrospinning technique. Morphological development during the carbonization process was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with in situ heating. It was found that the orientation of graphitic layers increases with temperature and does not change significantly with time during our TEM measurement, except the 750 °C. In the heating stage at 750 °C noticeable enhancement of orientation with time was observed. The presence of embedded CNTs enhances the order of the formed graphitic structures even when the CNTs are irregular or entangled. The results indicate that embedded MWCNTs in the PAN nanofibers nucleate the growth of carbon crystals during PAN carbonization. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2010     

Codes And Xor Graph Products

What is the maximum possible number, f₃(n), of vectors of length n over {0,1,2} such that the Hamming distance between every two is even? What is the maximum possible number, g³(n), of vectors in {0,1,2}ⁿ such that the Hamming distance between every two is odd? We investigate these questions, and more general ones, by studying Xor powers of graphs, focusing on their independence number and clique number, and by introducing two new parameters of a graph G. Both parameters denote limits of series of either clique numbers or independence numbers of the Xor powers of G (normalized appropriately), and while both limits exist, one of the series grows exponentially as the power tends to infinity, while the other grows linearly. As a special case, it follows that f₃(n) = Θ(2ⁿ) whereas g₃(n)=Θ(n). * Research supported in part by a USA-Israeli BSF grant, by the Israel Science Foundation and by the Hermann Minkowski Minerva Center for Geometry at Tel Aviv University. † Research partially supported by a Charles Clore Foundation Fellowship.     

Small vertex‐transitive and Cayley graphs of girth six and given degree: an algebraic approach

We examine the existing constructions of the smallest known vertex‐transitive graphs of a given degree and girth 6. It turns out that most of these graphs can be described in terms of regular lifts of suitable quotient graphs. A further outcome of our analysis is a precise identification of which of these graphs are Cayley. We also investigate higher level of transitivity of the smallest known vertex‐transitive graphs of a given degree and girth 6 and relate their constructions to near‐difference sets. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 68:265‐284, 2011     

Canonical subgroups over Hilbert modular varieties

We obtain new results on the geometry of Hilbert modular varieties in positive characteristic and morphisms between them. Using these results and methods of rigid geometry, we develop a theory of canonical subgroups for abelian varieties with real multiplication. To cite this article: E.Z. Goren, P.L Kassaei, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 347 (2009).     

A micro-aerodynamic decelerator based on permeable surfaces of nanofiber mats

This work deals with nonwoven permeable light mats made of submicron-diameter nanofibers. The nanofibers were obtained through electrospinning of polymer solutions. The mats were positioned on light pyramid-shaped frames. These platforms fell freely through the air, apex down, at a constant velocity. The drag of such passive airborne platforms is of significant interest in a number of modern aerodynamics applications including, for example, dispersion of "smart dust" carrying various chemical and thermal sensors, dispersion of seeds, as well as movement of small organisms with bristle appendages. In the present work, drag is measured using the free fall method supplemented by extensive flow visualization. The effects of platform weight, average nanofiber diameter, and porosity of the nonwoven mats on the drag force are studied. The results are compared to data for the corresponding impermeable structures that are covered with plastic wrap. The data are presented in the form of standard dependencies of drag coefficient on the Reynolds number of the structure. It was found that permeable platforms with holes on the order of several microns (which is about ten times the diameter of the nanofibers) are essentially impermeable for airflow.     

Fluorescence of Acridine Orange in inorganic glass matrices

Steady-state, time-resolved and polarization-resolved fluorescence studies of glasses doped with acridine orange with concentrations near 10^–3 M/L are reported. It was found that at this concentration a noticeable part of dye molecules exists in the form of dimers. By means of a polarization-resolved spectroscopic technique the structure of dimers was found to be consistent with the simple exciton theory.     

Neutron multiplicities in inelastic collisions of132Xe with197Au

Neutrons have been detected in coincidence with charged reaction products in inelastic scattering of 7.5 MeV/u¹³²Xe ions from¹⁹⁷Au. The deduced neutron multiplicities associated with the heavy and light fragment, respectively, are roughly proportional to the total kinetic energy loss, and their ratios are close to the Au-Xe mass ratio for allQ-values. These results and the measured neutron energy spectra are consistent with the assumptions of thermal equilibrium between the fragments at scission, and of neutron emission from fully accelerated fragments. For deep inelastic events, the measured absolute multiplicities are smaller than expected from statistical model calculations, but an effect due to pre-equilibrium emission of particles — as suggested by an earlier analysis of the present data [1] — cannot be definitely established.