Effect of methyl substituents on permeability and permselectivity of gases in polyimides prepared from methyl-substituted phenylenediamines

Permeability and solubility coefficients for H₂, CO₂, O₂, CO, N₂, and CH₄ in polyimides prepared from 6FDA and methyl-substituted phenylenediamines were measured to investigate effects of the substituents on gas permeability and permselectivity. The methyl substituents restrict internal rotation around the bonds between the phenyl rings and the imide rings. The rigidity and nonplanar structure of the polymer chain, and the bulkiness of methyl groups make chain packing inefficient, resulting in increases in both diffusion and solubility coefficients of the gases. Polyimides from tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine and trimethyl-m-phenylenediamine display very high permeability coefficients and very low permselectivity due to very high diffusion coefficients and very low diffusivity selectivity, as compared with the other polyimides having a similar fraction of free space. This suggests that these polyimides have high fractions of large-size free spaces.     

Microchip-based plasma separation from whole blood via axial migration of blood cells

Highly efficient cell-free plasma separation from 200 μL of human whole blood was realized via axial migration of blood cells and cross-flow filtration in a microchip. Although various analyses of small volumes of blood have been reported, a large volume of blood is necessary for obtaining blood cells and plasma for the conventional plasma separation technique of centrifugation. A highly efficient plasma separation method using small volumes of blood without hemolysis is an important issue. We developed a plasma separation method based on a microchip with a filter, which utilizes the axial migration of blood cells observed in blood vessels. Clogging and hemolysis on the filter can be prevented by the axial migration of the blood cells. Using this method, 65% of the plasma from 200 μL of whole blood was successfully separated without hemolysis. When the plasma separation microchip interfaced with a micro-ELISA system was applied to C-reactive protein (CRP) analysis, the CRP concentration obtained by the microchip showed good correlation with that obtained by conventional centrifugation. Total analysis time, including plasma separation, was achieved in only 25 min.     

Associated production of light gravitinos in e+e? and e?γ collisions

Light gravitino productions in association with a neutralino (selectron) in e ⁺ e ⁻ (e ⁻ γ) collisions are restudied in a scenario that the lightest supersymmetric particle is a gravitino and the produced neutralino (selectron) promptly decays into a photon (electron) and a gravitino. We explicitly give the helicity amplitudes for the production processes by using the effective goldstino interaction Lagrangian, and present the cross sections with different collision energies and mass spectra. We also examine selection efficiencies by kinematical cuts and beam polarizations for the signal and background processes, and show that the energy and angular distributions of the photon (electron) can explore the mass of the t-channel exchange particle as well as the mass of the decaying particle at a future e ⁺ e ⁻ (e ⁻ γ) collider.     

End-on double azido bridged copper (II) complex with (N, N, O) schiff base: synthesis, structure and magnetic study

A rare asymmetric end-on double-bridged copper (II) azido complex with ∠Cu-N(azide)-Cu=89.1°, has been synthesized and characterized structurally and magnetically. The Cu-N(azide)-Cu angle is unusually low in the complex reported here in comparison to the same in other similar complexes. The magnetic study reveals that the interaction between metal centers in this complex is antiferromagnetic in nature. Though a ferromagnetic interaction between the metal centers is expected in the complex the coupling has actually been found to be antiferromagnetic, instead.     

Epitaxial growth of isotactic polypropylene on oriented polyethylene from solution

Oriented polyethylene (PE) films with surfaces bounded by the (100) plane were prepared. On the film surfaces, isotactic polypropylene (iPP) was crystallized epitaxially from solution as quadrits with their sides parallel and perpendicular to the polyethylene chain axis. In the through wide-angle x-ray diffraction pattern (taken with incident x-rays normal to the polyethylene film surface), the 111 iPP reflections was observed on the meridian (Parallel to the polyethylene chain axis). In the edge patterns (taken with x-rays incident on the edge of the polyethylene film), 040 and 060 reflections were observed on the equator. From the diffraction patterns, the following lattice coincidence was observed between polyethylene and isotactic polypropylene: (010)iPP//(100) PE, [101]iPP//[001] PE. The Small-angle x-ray scattering patterns showed that edge-on isotactic polypropylene lamellae 9 nm thick were arranged with their long axes inclined at an angle of 40° from the polyethylene axis. Molecular chains were oriented within the lamellae normal to the surfaces.     

Interference effects in the strong isospin dependence of the polarization asymmetry in 12C(p,p′)12C11+ transitions

The strong isospin-dependence observed in the polarization asymmetry data for the ¹²C(p,p′)¹²C¹ 1⁺ transitions has been successfully interpreted as a result of interference effects between one-step and two-step (pdp′) excitation mechanisms, in addition to the interference between the central and tensor terms in the one-step excitation process.     

Rheo-optical studies on the deformation mechanism of semicrystalline polymers. XIV. Alpha and beta mechanical dispersions of spherulitic high-density polyethylene and the dynamic orientation distribution function of crystallites

The dynamic tensile deformation mechanism of spherulitic high-density polyethylene was investigated by dynamic x-ray diffraction at various temperatures and frequencies in order to assign the α and β mechanical dispersions explicity. The uniaxial orientation distribution function q(ζ_j,0) of the jth crystal plane and its dynamic response Δq′_j(ζ_j,0) in phase with dynamic strain were observed for the (110), (200), (210) and (020) crystal planes. Then the orientation distribution function w(ζ,0,η) of crystallites (crystal grains) and its dynamic response Δw′(ζ,0,η), also in phase with the dynamic strain, were determined by a mathematical transformation procedure proposed by Roe and Krigbaum on the basis of the Legendre addition theorem. The temperature and frequency dependences of w′(ζ,0,η) were analyzed in terms of the model parameters for dynamic spherulite deformation combining affine orientation of crystal lamellae with several types of preferential reorientation of the crystal grains within the orienting lamellae. The following assignments are made: (i) The α mechanical dispersion must be assigned to the dynamic orientation dispersion of crystal grains within the crystal lamellae, involving two types of preferential rotations of the grains about their own crystal b and a axes. The rotation about the b axis is associated with lamellar detwisting, mostly in the equatorial zone of uniaxially deformed spherulites; the rotation about the a axis is associated with intralamellar shearing, mostly in the polar zone of the spherulites. Thus both rotations are intralamellar grain-boundary phenomena. (ii) The β mechanical dispersion must be assigned to the dynamic orientation dispersion of the crystal lamellae behaving as rigid bodies. It is not accompanied by reorientation of the crystal grains, but is associated with orientation dispersion of noncrystalline material between the lamellae. Thus it is an interlamellar grain-boundary phenomena.     

Modification of active carbon and zeolite as ammonia separation materials for a new de-NO<Subscript>x</Subscript> process with ammonia on-site synthesis

Ammonia adsorption and desorption behavior of surface treated active carbon (AC) and ion-exchanged Y zeolite, as ammonia separation and storage materials for a new de-NO_x process with ammonia on-site synthesis, were studied. Surface oxidized AC adsorbed more ammonia than non-treated AC due to ammonium ion formation. These materials were found to increase weak adsorption of ammonia and to be useful for pressure swing adsorption. Transition metal ion exchanged Y-zeolite adsorbed more ammonia (both weak and strong form) than Na Y-zeolite due to ammine complex formation. These materials adsorb and desorb more ammonia than treated AC when used for temperature swing adsorption.     

Synthesis and molecular recognition of pyrenophanes with polycationic or amphiphilic functionalities: artificial plate-shaped cavitant incorporating arenes and nucleotides in water

Water-soluble pyrenophanes possessing polycationic or amphiphilic side chains have been developed as synthetic host molecules to investigate hydrophobic and/or pi-stacking interactions. By utilizing omega-acetalic alkyl side chains to retain solubility and versatility, water-soluble macrocyclic pyrenophanes could be easily obtained by Stille coupling, followed by conversion of the acetal groups to hydrophilic substituents. Among the pyrenophanes synthesized, hexaammonium-, bis(diazoniacrown)-, and tetrakis[octa(oxyethylene)]-derived ones showed enough solubility in pure water. The former two cationic pyrenophanes strongly recognized anionic arenes including nucleotides, while the latter neutral one associated with monopyrenyl guests regardless of their electric natures. The strength of recognition for nucleotides by bis(diazoniacrown)pyrenophane depended on the number of phosphate moieties, decreasing in the following order: triphosphate > diphosphate approximately monophosphate.