Epoxy based coatings on glass: strengthening mechanisms

Glass may be strengthened by epoxy coatings although the strengthening mechanisms remain unclear. Possible strengthening mechanisms are reviewed and are used to analyse strength data for both a solvent based and a water based coating system. The coatings either fill (solvent based coatings), or partially fill (water based coatings) surface cracks and it is shown that closure stresses arising from the thermal expansion mismatch of the coating within these cracks can account for the observed degrees of strengthening. It is also demonstrated that other suggested mechanisms such as flaw healing cannot fully account for the observed degree of strengthening.     

The Effect of Atmospheric Ionization on Oxygen Diffusion in Polycrystalline Ferrites under e-Beam Irradiation

It is shown that activation of the process of oxygen diffusion in polycrystalline lithium-titanium ferrites heated by a beam of high-energy electrons in the range of temperatures 873–1173 K occurs due to two factors: gas medium ionization by an e-beam and acceleration of diffusion processes directly in the matrix in the irradiation field.     

Large deviation for the empirical eigenvalue density of truncated Haar unitary matrices

Let U_m be an m×m Haar unitary matrix and U_[m,n] be its n×n truncation. In this paper the large deviation is proven for the empirical eigenvalue density of U_[m,n] as m/n→λ and n→∞. The rate function and the limit distribution are given explicitly. U_[m,n] is the random matrix model of quq, where u is a Haar unitary in a finite von Neumann algebra, q is a certain projection and they are free. The limit distribution coincides with the Brown measure of the operator quq.     

A Note on Caterpillar-Embeddings with No Two Parallel Edges

Let G be a set of n points in general position (i.e., no three points are on a line) in the plane, and let C be a caterpillar on n vertices. We show that one can always find a rectilinear embedding of C in the plane such that the vertices of C are the points of G and no two edges of C go to parallel segments. This proves a conjecture of Robert E. Jamison.     

Surface free energies of electroless Ni–P based composite coatings

Surface free energy of a solid surface gives a direct measure of intermolecular interactions at interfaces and has a strong influence on adsorption and adhesion behaviour. However few data are available for the surface free energies of electroless Ni–P based composition coatings. In this paper, the electroless Ni–P, Ni–P-surfactant, Ni–Cu–P, Ni–P–PTFE and Ni–Cu–P–PTFE composite coatings were prepared under various coating conditions. The chemical compositions, surface morphology and thickness of the coatings were measured using an energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a digital micrometer respectively. The contact angles of water, diiodomethane and ethylene glycol on the coatings were measured automatically using dataphysics OCA-20 contact angle analyser. The surface free energy of the coatings and their components (e.g. dispersion, polar or acid/base portions) were calculated using various methods. The experimental results showed that the incorporation of surfactant or PTFE particles into Ni–P matrixes has a significant influence on the surface free energy of the coatings, while the incorporation of copper into Ni–P matrixes has no significant influence on the surface free energy of the coatings.     

The effect of Mn substitution on thermoelectric properties of Ca3MnxCo4−xO9 at low temperatures

The effects of partial substitution of Mn for Co on the thermoelectric properties of Ca₃Mn_xCo_4−xO₉ (x=0, 0.03, 0.9), prepared by sol-gel process, were investigated at the temperatures from 380 K down to 5 K. The results indicate that the substitution of Mn for Co results in increase in thermopower at temperatures >∼80 K, and substantial (23-31% at 300 K) decrease in lattice thermal conductivity in the whole temperature range investigated. The temperature behavior of ZT suggests that Ca₃Mn_xCo_4−xO₉ with light Mn substitution would be a promising candidate for high-temperature thermoelectric applications.     

Repetition rate multipliers for efficient implementation of multiphoton and pump-probe fluorescence microscopy

With the advances in pulsed laser systems, microscopic imaging techniques such as multiphoton and pump-probe fluorescence microscopy have developed into effective tools for investigating intensity and time-resolved phenomena inside biological systems. However, pulsed lasers used in these techniques usually are commercial systems with repetition frequencies of around 80 MHz. While these systems have proven to be adequate for multiphoton and pump-probe microscopic imaging applications, the temporal separation of the laser pulse train (around 12.5 ns) is long compared to the fluorescence lifetimes of many common fluorescence species. In this work, we present the designs of repetition rate multipliers based on passive optical components that can be used to increase the efficiency in multiphoton and pump-probe fluorescence microscopy. Depending on the lifetime of fluorescence molecules under investigation, the passive repetition rate multiplier can increase the duty cycle of multiphoton or pump-probe microscopy up to fourfold.     

Generalized Darboux transform in the Ishimori magnet model on the background of spiral structures

The integration procedure based on the generalized Darboux transform is suggested for the Ishimori magnet model. Exact solutions are constructed for the model on the background of spiral structures. The possibility of phase transition in the system is hypothesized.     

Catalytic Hydrosilylation of Furan, Thiophene, and Pyridine Aldimines

The addition of hydrosilanes (HSiEt₃, HSiMe₂Ph, H₂SiPh₂) to the CH=N bond of heterocyclic azomethines has been studied in the presence of monovalent complexes of rhodium and palladium. The effect on the reaction of the CF₃ group of the aldimines, which were obtained from O-, S-, and N-heteroaromatic aldehydes and 2-trifluoromethylaniline, has been clarified, as were other regularities of the processes being studied. A series of corresponding furans, thiophenes, and pyridine amines has been synthesized.