Adjustable low dynamic pumps based on hydrogels

This paper discusses the suitability of hydrogel actuators as drives of automatic pumps for long-term drug release. We demonstrate that such actuators can execute a defined task if several functional units are connected serially. Investigated functions of this pump are the adjustability of the time-delay from the initial operation up to the beginning of the drug release, opening the sterile drug ampoule, and the drug release at a specified timeframe. The described parameters to influence the pump behaviour are satisfying only for realization of continuous working devices. An outlook of the development of programmable pulsate pumps is given.     

Field-induced phase transition in lead magnesium niobate

The temperature dependence of the dielectric constant, polarization, and elastic compliance as well as the field dependence of the polarization and strain at different temperatures was measured at lead magnesium niobate single crystals for three different directions. From the results some conclusions with respect to the symmetry of the field-induced ferroelectric phases can be drawn. Below −70°C and after complete poling, the spontaneous polarization is probably directed along [111].     

Application of sensitive hydrogels in chemical and pH sensors

In the present work, pH-sensitive poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acrylic acid) (PVA/PAA) blends as well as hydrogels based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), which are sensitive to organic solvent concentration in aqueous solutions, were used in silicon micromachined sensors. A sensitivity of approximately 15 mV/pH was obtained for a pH sensor with a 50 μm thick PVA/PAA hydrogel layer in a pH range above the acid exponent of acrylic acid (pK_a=4.7). The output voltage versus pH-value characteristics and the long-term signal stability of hydrogel-based sensors were investigated and the measurement conditions necessary for high signal reproducibility were determined. The influence of the preparation conditions of the hydrogel films on the sensitivity and response time of the chemical and pH sensors is discussed.     

Copolymerization of ethene with cyclic and other sterically hindered olefins

Sterically hindered olefins like norbornene, dimethanooctahydronaphthalene (DMON), 4‐methylpentene, and 3‐methylbutene can be copolymerised with ethene by metallocene/MAO catalysts. Different C₂‐, C_s‐ and C₁‐symmetric and meso‐zirconocenes were used. Only isolated and alternating norbornene sequences but no norbornene blocks are formed by substituted [Me₂C(Cp‐R)(Flu)]ZrCl₂ catalysts. The alternating microstructure leads to melting points up to 270°C for ethene‐norbornene copolymers and up to 380°C for the semi‐crystalline alternating copolymer of ethene and DMON. Other sterically hindered olefins such as 3‐methylpentene build more blocky structures with high glass transition temperatures. The mechanism for the insertion reaction of the different catalysts is discussed.     

The use of hydrophobic spacers in the development of new temperature- and pH-sensitive polymers

The preparation and characterization of two series of methacrylic acid derivative polymers is described. One series contains aliphatic spacers with one to ten methylene units, while the other series includes an aromatic ring with changes in the position of the acid, as spacer. Both series of polymers were obtained as methoxy-ester protected acid polymers and as polymers containing free acid groups in different amounts. pH-sensitive gels and temperature-sensitive N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) copolymers were prepared by using some of the monomeric structures described. The pH of the swelling transition of the gels changed from 3.5 up to 9.0 as a function of the spacer length and type. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of NIPAAm copolymers in water was lowered from 33.6°C to 6°C as a function of the co-monomer content and type. The observed changes in the pH of the swelling transition of gels and in the LCST of NIPAAm copolymers can only be explained if hydrophobic-hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonding interactions are considered in connection with the specific chemical structure of the monomers used.     

Comparison of Various K̄N Partial Wave Analyses in the Region 0–1400 MeV/c

A comprehensive comparative study of the available K̄N partial wave analyses is made with a view to bring out their similarities and disagreements and to point towards those momentum regions that require particular attention in all future analyses. The multichannel nature of the K̄N scattering is discussed along with the presently available scattering cross-section data for various channels. The parametrization of the various partial wave analyses is discussed and their amplitudes calculated and compared under the set of conventions proposed by Levi Setti.