Novel Wormlike Nanostructures Self‐Assembled in a Well Defined Liquid Crystalline Diblock Copolymer with Azobenzene Moieties

Novel wormlike nanostructures were self‐assembled in bulk films of a well defined diblock copolymer with azobenzene moieties, which was prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). For comparison, a homopolymer with almost the same repeat units of azobenzene as those in the copolymer was also prepared. They both had well defined structures and exhibited a smectic liquid crystalline phase. Upon annealing the copolymer films, poly(methyl methacrylate) formed a matrix with excellent optical properties, and the azobenzene segment in the minority phase self‐assembled into a wormlike mesogenic domain in the bulk films. Such block copolymer films exhibited stability and transparency by eliminating the scattering of visible light, indicating their potential application as photoresponsive functional materials. Although wormlike morphologies have been obtained in micelles from block copolymer solutions, to the best of our knowledge, such wormlike nanostructures have never been explored in bulk films.

     

Accurate position detection of targets in noise image

Targets at various positions in a noise image were detected by the optical matched filtering technique. In this case the thermoplastic optical recorder was used as a matched filter recorder. High accuracy of position detection was obtained, i.e. the position error was 2% or less.     

Infrared seed inspection system (IRSIS) on painted car shells

This paper describes a newly-developed automated thermal system for detection of seeds on newly painted car shells. The system’s novel approach is to use thermal emission; previously applied techniques relied on light reflection strategies. The system is described beginning with analytical modeling of the underlying detection theory to verification on a pilot run in an automotive production line. Parker’s flash procedure, using a thermal detector, was performed to extract the thermal properties of inspected panels. New computer logic developed in-house for processing the acquired thermograms is also presented.     

The first x-ray structure determination of a -phosphaethylene: -2-phenyl-1-(2,4,6-tri-t-butylphenyl)phosphaethylene

The sterically protected -phosphaethylene, -2-phenyl-1-(2,4,6-tri-t-butylphenyl)phosphaethylene (1-Z), was analyzed by X-ray crystallography.     

Bench‐Stable Stock Solutions of Silicon Grignard Reagents: Application to Iron‐ and Cobalt‐Catalyzed Radical C(sp3)–Si Cross‐Coupling Reactions

A robust method for the preparation of silicon‐based magnesium reagents is reported. The MgBr₂ used in the lithium‐to‐magnesium transmetalation step is generated in situ from 1,2‐dibromoethane and elemental magnesium in hot THF. No precipitation of MgBr₂ occurs in the heat, and transmetalation at elevated temperature leads to homogeneous stock solutions of the silicon Grignard reagents that are stable and storable in the fridge. This method avoids the preparation of silicon pronucleophiles such as Si?Si and Si?B reagents. The new Grignard reagents were applied to unprecedented iron‐ and cobalt‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions of unactivated alkyl bromides. The functional‐group tolerance of these magnesium reagents is excellent.     

Littlewood-paley operators on the generalized Lipschitz spaces

Littlewood-Paley operators defined on a new kind of generalized Lipschitz spaces ₀ ^,p are studied. It is proved that the image of a function under the action of these operators is either equal to infinity almost everywhere or is in ₀ ^,p , where –n<<1 and 1<p<.     

Preparation of silk fibroin-supported Pd(0) catalyst for chemoselective hydrogenation: reduction of palladium(II) acetate by methanol on the protein

The Pd/fibroin (Fib) was easily prepared by the auto-reduction of the silk-fibroin conjugated Pd(OAc)₂ using MeOH as a solvent and a reductant and exhibited good chemoselectivity in the hydrogenation of olefins and azides in the presence of aromatic carbonyls and/or halogens or an O-benzyl protective group.