The influence of the liquid crystalline core geometry on the mesogenicity of novel chiral 2-(4-substituted-phenoxy)propanonitriles

The synthesis and characterization of seven novel (R)-2-(4-substituted-phenoxy)propanonitriles are described. The propanonitriles were prepared to evaluate their potential use as thermochromics and ferroelectric dopants, as well as to determine their twist sense properties. The materials exhibit smectic and chiral nematic phases of high thermal stability; the mesogenic behaviour of the nitriles is directly related to the type of two-ring core unit employed. The effects of the different molecular geometries and polarizabilities of the liquid crystalline cores on mesophase stability are discussed, particularly in relation to other members of this series. The chiral nematic phase of the propanonitriles is assigned as having a left-handed twist sense from contact preparation studies, and this is in agreement with rules relating absolute configuration and molecular structure to helical twist sense.     

Metal–Nitrosyl complexes as a source of new vasodilators: Strategies derived from systematic chemistry and nitrosyl ligand reactivity

A series of nitrosyl complexes of empirical formula K_n[M(CN)₅NO], where M = V, Cr, Mn and Co and n = 3, or M = Mo and n = 4, have been prepared which are notional analogues of the widely used vasodilator sodium nitroprusside. Their reactivity towards common nucleophiles (OH^?, NH₂R, NHR₂, HS^? and RS^?), acid and photolysis has been investigated to elucidate the desired properties required of new metal nitrosyls which may have some potential as new non-cyanide-based vasodilators.     

Kinetic model for hydrocarbon-assisted particulate boron combustion

A kinetic model is presented to describe the high temperature (1800 K < T < 3000 K) surface oxidation of particulate boron in a hydrocarbon combustion environment. The model includes a homogeneous gas-phase B/O/H/C oxidation mechanism consisting of 19 chemical species and 58 forward and reverse elementary reactions, multi-component gas-phase diffusion, and a heterogeneous surface oxidation mechanism consisting of ‘elementary’ adsorption and desorption reaction steps. Thermochemical and kinetic parameters for the surface reactions are estimated from available experimental data and/or elementary transition state arguments. The kinetic processes are treated using a generalized kinetics code, with embedded sensitivity analysis, for the combustion of a one-dimensional (particle radius), spherical particle. Model results are presented for the oxidation of a 200 μm boron particle in a JP-4/air mixture at ambient temperatures of 1400 K and 2000 K. These results include temperature and gas-phase species profiles as a function of radial distance and particle burning rates. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Multivalued differential equations on closed convex sets in Banach spaces

New derivation results for integrands and multifunctions via the Lipschitzean approximations are obtained. Applications to multivalued differential equations on closed convex sets are presented.     

Aspects of the transpiration model for aerofoil design

Transpiration is a technique in which extra non-physical normal flows are created on an aerofoil surface in order to form a new streamline pattern such that the surface streamlines no longer follow the aerofoil surface under inviscid flow. The transpiration model is an important technique adopted in aerofoil design either to avoid mesh regeneration when aerofoil profile co-ordinates are adjusted or to find shape corrections in inverse design methods. A first-order approximation (with respect to the normal streamline displacement) to the transpiration model is commonly adopted; it is shown that this can be a poor approximation especially in regions of high curvature. In this paper more accurate approximations are developed to address this problem and improve the accuracy.     

Distribution of melamine in polyester–melamine surface coatings cured under nonisothermal conditions

The influence of experimental cure parameters on the diffusion of reactive species in polyester–melamine thermoset coatings during curing has been investigated with X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared. The diffusion of melamine plays a vital role in the curing process and, therefore, in the ultimate properties of coatings. At a low (<20%) hexamethoxymethylmelamine (HMMM) crosslinker concentration, the matrix composition is uniform, but at high HMMM concentrations, excess HMMM rapidly segregates to the air–coating interface. The rate of migration is governed by the difference in the surface free energies of polyester and HMMM and the concentration gradient of HMMM between the bulk and the surface. An increased rate of energy absorption also increases the rate of migration of HMMM to the surface. A physical model has been proposed to explain this surface segregation phenomenon in terms of cocondensation and self‐condensation reactions. It suggests that an appropriate amount of melamine can be segregated on the surface and allowed to self‐condense to form a desired thickness of a melamine topcoat through the control of the binder composition and cure conditions. This technique can be implemented to apply a melamine topcoat during cure. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 83–91, 2004     

UV curing of a novel resin derived from poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The synthesis and characterization of photopolymerizable unsaturated polyester resins based on PET waste are described. The resins came from a depolymerization process based on the glycolysis of PET by diethylene glycol (DEG). Different molecular weights of glycolysates were synthesized. Then, the latter was functionalized by a methyl hemiester of maleic acid to obtain unsatured α,ω‐bismaleate PET oligomers. In the presence of an electron donor monomer, such as triethylene glycol divinyl ether, these electron acceptor oligomers were copolymerized by way of charge‐transfer complexes under UV irradiation. The reaction was monitored in situ by real‐time IR spectroscopy to study the kinetics of photopolymerization. This one was studied in relation with the physical and chemical characteristics of oligoesters and the composition of mixtures containing divinyl ethers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1324–1335, 2007     

Elevation of the glass transition temperature in flexible‐chain semicrystalline polymers

In the idealized two‐phase model of a semicrystalline polymer, the amorphous intercrystalline layers are considered to have the same properties as the fully‐amorphous polymer. In reality, these thin intercrystalline layers can be substantially influenced by the presence of the crystals, as individual polymer molecules traverse both crystalline and amorphous phases. In polymers with rigid backbone units, such as poly(etheretherketone), PEEK, previous work has shown this coupling to be particularly severe; the glass transition temperature (T_g) can be elevated by tens of degrees celsius, with the magnitude of the elevation correlating directly with the thinness of the amorphous layer. However, this connection has not been explored for flexible‐chain polymers, such as those formed from vinyl‐type monomers. Here, we examine T_g in both isotactic polystyrene (iPS) and syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS), crystallized under conditions that produce a range of amorphous layer thicknesses. T_g is indeed shown to be elevated relative to fully‐amorphous iPS and sPS, by an amount that correlates with the thinness of the amorphous layer; the magnitude of the effect is severalfold less than that in PEEK, consistent with the minimum lengths of polymer chain required to make a fold in the different cases. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1198–1204, 2007