Crosslinked integrally skinned asymmetric polyaniline membranes for use in organic solvents

Solvent stable integrally skinned asymmetric nanofiltration membranes were prepared from polyaniline. These membranes were made by phase inversion and then crosslinked using two different chemical crosslinkers, α,α′-dichloro-p-xylene and glutaraldehyde. The resultant membranes were found to be stable in various organic solvents including acetone, methanol, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran and N,N-dimethyl formamide. Nanofiltration experiments carried out in acetone and dimethyl formamide showed that the membranes gave stable permeate fluxes and good separation performances in the nanofiltration range. Molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of the membranes was found to be between 150 and 250 g mol⁻¹. These membranes were also found to be stable for operations at elevated temperatures up to 70 °C and possibly higher. Furthermore, no fillers or preservative agents are required to maintain the membranes in a dry state thereby increasing the ease of handling.     

Observation of B Meson decays to b1pi and b1K

We present the results of searches for decays of B mesons to final states with a b1 meson and a charged pion or kaon. The data, collected with the BABAR detector at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, represent 382x10(6) BB[over ] pairs produced in e+e- annihilation. The results for the branching fractions are, in units of 10(-6), B(B+-->b1(0)pi+)=6.7+/-1.7+/-1.0, B(B+-->b1(0)K+)=9.1+/-1.7+/-1.0, B(B0-->b1(-/+)pi(+/-))=10.9+/-1.2+/-0.9, and B(B0-->b1(-)K+)=7.4+/-1.0+/-1.0, with the assumption that B(b1-->omega pi)=1. We also measure charge and flavor asymmetries A(ch)(B+-->b1(0)pi+)=0.05+/-0.16+/-0.02, Ach(B+-->b1(0)K+)=-0.46+/-0.20+/-0.02, A(ch)(B0-->b1(-/+)pi(+/-))=-0.05+/-0.10+/-0.02, C(B0-->b1(-/+)pi(+/-))=-0.22+/-0.23+/-0.05, DeltaC(B0-->b1(-/+)pi(+/-))=-1.04+/-0.23+/-0.08, and A(ch)(B0-->b1(-)K+)=-0.07+/-0.12+/-0.02. The first error quoted is statistical, and the second systematic.     

Amplitude analysis of the B+/--->phiK*(892)+/- decay

We perform an amplitude analysis of B+/--->phi(1020)K*(892)+/- decay with a sample of about 384 x 10(6) BB[over ] pairs recorded with the BABAR detector. Overall, twelve parameters are measured, including the fractions of longitudinal fL and parity-odd transverse f perpendicular amplitudes, branching fraction, strong phases, and six parameters sensitive to CP violation. We use the dependence on the Kpi invariant mass of the interference between the JP=1(-) and 0+ Kpi components to resolve the discrete ambiguity in the determination of the strong and weak phases. Our measurements of fL=0.49+/-0.05+/-0.03, f perpendicular=0.21+/-0.05+/-0.02, and the strong phases point to the presence of a substantial helicity-plus amplitude from a presently unknown source.     

Next‐Generation o‐Nitrobenzyl Photolabile Groups for Light‐Directed Chemistry and Microarray Synthesis

Light as an external trigger is a valuable and easily controllable tool for directing chemical reactions with high spatial and temporal accuracy. Two o‐nitrobenzyl derivatives, benzoyl‐ and thiophenyl‐NPPOC, undergo photo‐deprotection with significantly improved efficiency over that of the commonly used NPPOC group. The two‐ and twelvefold increase in photo‐deprotection efficiency was proven using photolithograph synthesis of microarrays.     

Methane as a Selectivity Booster in the Arc‐Discharge Synthesis of Endohedral Fullerenes: Selective Synthesis of the Single‐Molecule Magnet Dy2TiC@C80 and Its Congener Dy2TiC2@C80

The use of methane as a reactive gas dramatically increases the selectivity of the arc‐discharge synthesis of M‐Ti‐carbide clusterfullerenes (M=Y, Nd, Gd, Dy, Er, Lu). Optimization of the process parameters allows the synthesis of Dy₂TiC@C₈₀‐I and its facile isolation in a single chromatographic step. A new type of cluster with an endohedral acetylide unit, M₂TiC₂@C₈₀, is discovered along with the second isomer of M₂TiC@C₈₀. Dy₂TiC@C₈₀‐(I,II) and Dy₂TiC₂@C₈₀‐I are shown to be single‐molecule magnets (SMM), but the presence of the second carbon atom in the cluster Dy₂TiC₂@C₈₀ leads to substantially poorer SMM properties.     

Raman spectroscopic probing of plant material using SERS

We report surface‐enhanced Raman studies on intact plant material using onion layers as a biological target, and silver nanoaggregates and silver island films as enhancing plasmonic structures. Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement allows the detection of strong Raman signatures of chemical constituents of the surface of the onion layer such as cellulose, proteins, and flavonols. Because of long‐time incubation, SERS sensors can access the extracellular space in the inner of the layer. The location of silver nanoparticles inside the onion layer has been monitored by the SERS images collected from chemicals present in the onion and/or reporter molecules attached to the nanoparticles. Our studies show a competitive adsorption of intrinsic bio molecules of the onion layer and reporter molecules. Different spectra from different places of the layer indicate the complex heterogeneous chemical structure of the plant material. The pH‐sensitive reporter molecule para mercapto benzoic acid attached to the nanoparticles allows us to infer pH values inside the extracellular matrix of the onion layer. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the calculation of Topological Derivatives considering an exemplary nonlinear material model

In this contribution, a new approach for dealing with material nonlinearities in structural optimization is presented. The method combines the advantage of the calculation of the Topological Derivatives in elasticity problems with the use of meta-modelling for capturing complex correlations. For an exemplary nonlinear material model, the calculation of the Topological Derivative and the resulting difference to the linear elastic material model is shown. An academic example shows the difference between the linear and the nonlinear material model. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Magneto-Structural analysis of rotating electrical machines

The vibrations of the stator core of a rotating electrical machine induce acoustic noise. These oscillations of the stator yoke are excited of the force density due to the magnetic field in the air gap. This requires a transient magnetic field analysis coupled with a dynamic mechanical analysis. Coupling these two different physical fields results in a high numerical effort and usually one direction of the interaction is disregarded. This paper presents a method to calculate the vibrations of a stator core under design operating conditions. For this purpose, harmonic electromagnetic excitation forces have been calculated in a linear magnetic field analyses using the finite element method. The resulting forces have been applied to a linear structural dynamic FE model in the frequency domain. The results of the calculations are harmonic velocities specified by amplitude and phase from the structural surface of the stator core. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)