γ-irradiation of polypropylene in vacuum and in air

Polypropylene films were irradiated with ⁶⁰Co γ-rays in vacuum or in air and stored in air. Just after irradiation, the concentration of carbonyl group of the sample irradiated in air only increased with dose. The concentrations of both samples increased with storage time. The more the absorbed doses, the higher the increasing rates. The increasing rate of the concentration of carbonyl group during irradiation in air was higher than those during storage in air. Just after irradiation, the tensile strengths and the elongations of the both samples somewhat increased with dose at the doses less than 5 Mrad, but decreased at doses more than 13 Mrad. The tensile strength and the elongation of the sample irradiated in air decreased with storage time. Those of the sample irradiated in vacuum also decreased with storage time but the decreasing rates were much smaller than those in the sample irradiated in air. The gel fractions of the samples irradiated in vacuum and annealed in vacuum were somewhat higher than those irradiated in vacuum and not annealed. To elucidate high oxidation rate in the sample irradiated in air during and after irradiation, reaction mechanisms were discussed. To clarify the difference of mechanical properties between the samples irradiated in vacuum and in air, the effect of crosslink was considered, together with the oxidation.     

Seco‐Tremulanes from Cultures of the Basidiomycete Flavodon flavus BCC 17421

A new seco‐tremulane, 11,12‐epoxy‐5,6‐secotremula‐1,6(13)‐dien‐5,12‐olide ( 1 ), was isolated together with the known compounds, conocenolides A ( 2 ) and B ( 3 ), tremulenediol A ( 4 ), tremulenolide A ( 5 ), and two lanostane triterpenoids, trametenolic acid B ( 6 ), and pinicolic acid A ( 7 ), from cultures of the basidiomycete Flavodon flavus BCC 17421. Interconversion of conocenolides A/B was demonstrated. Compound 1 exhibited weak cytotoxic activities, whereas tremulenediol A showed antiplasmodial activity (IC₅₀ 8.6 μg/ml). Pinicolic acid A exhibited activity against herpes simplex virus type‐1 (IC₅₀ 15 μg/ml) as well as cytotoxic activities.     

Which is reactive in alkaline solution, boronate ion or boronic acid? Kinetic evidence for reactive trigonal boronic acid in an alkaline solution

That boronic acid is a reactive species toward a diol moiety even in an alkaline solution and that the boronate ion is not very reactive were demonstrated by the estimated upper limit of the rate constants for the reactions of some boronic acids with 2,2'-biphenol and 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene in a neutral-alkaline solution, which will correct a common misunderstanding in boron chemistry and would renew the idea of effective boronic acid sensor design for carbohydrates.     

RBM band shift-evidenced dispersion mechanism of single-wall carbon nanotube bundles with NaDDBS

The dispersion process of single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) by using sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (NaDDBS) was studied by means of surface tension measurements, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM). The critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the concentration where the surface tension begins to drop increase by the presence of SWNT. The isotherm of NaDDBS amount adsorbed on SWNT shows the plateau region at 0.2-6 mM and the saturated region above 40 mM. The external surface of SWNT bundle is fully covered with adsorbed NaDDBS at the plateau region, showing that SWNTs can be dispersed with the bundle form. On the other hand, SWNTs are dispersed in individual tubes at the saturated region, where the adsorption amount corresponds to coating of individual tube surfaces with NaDDBS. This dispersion state was confirmed by SEM and TEM observations. The effect of the dispersion state of SWNTs on radial breathing mode in Raman spectrum gave inherent peak shifts, being the in situ evidences on the step-wise dispersion mechanism of the SWNT bundle to the individual tubes.     

Surfactant-mixing effects on the interfacial tension and the microemulsion formation in water/supercritical CO2 system

The effects of surfactant mixing on interfacial tension and on microemulsion formation were examined for systems of air/water and water/supercritical CO2 (scCO2) interfaces and for water/scCO2 microemulsions. A fluorinated surfactant, sodium bis(1H,1H,2H,2H-heptadecafluorodecyl)-2-sulfosuccinate (8FS(EO)2), was mixed with the three hydrocarbon surfactants, Pluronic L31, Tergitol TMN-6, and decyltrimethylammonium chloride (DeTAC), at equimolar ratio. For all the cases, the interfacial tension was significantly lowered by the mixing. The positive synergistic effect suggests that the mixed surfactants tend to pack more closely on the interface than the pure constituents. It was found, however, that the microemulsion formation in scCO2 was never facilitated by the mixing, except for the case of TMN-6. This is probably due to the segregation of the surfactants into hydrocarbon-rich and fluorocarbon-rich phases on the microemulsion surface.     

Structure and dewetting behavior of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-filled polystyrene thin films

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) meets increasing interest as a building unit for inorganic-organic hybrid materials. The incorporation of cyclopentyl-substituted POSS (CpPOSS) into polystyrene (PS) thin films led to an inhibition of dewetting. In this paper, the dispersion state of CpPOSS in the CpPOSS/PS hybrid films and, furthermore, the relationships between the structure and dewetting inhibition effect are discussed. Structural analysis of the hybrid films revealed that CpPOSS segregated to the film surface and crystallized. The segregation of CpPOSS to the surface changes the surface free energy and spreading coefficient of the film. Interfacial structure was also roughened by the segregation of CpPOSS, which can contribute to the inhibition of dewetting by pinning the contact line of the PS film with the substrate. The inhibition of dewetting can be attributed to the modification of the film surface and interface by the segregation of CpPOSS.     

Films Consisting of Innumerable Tapered Nanopillars of Mesoporous Silica for Universal Antireflection Coatings

Films with a fine structure consisting of innumerable nanopillars of mesoporous silica (MPS) are formed by a reactive ion etching process with a fluorine‐containing gas. Each nanopillar has a tapered shape with a uniform height, which effectively suppresses reflection by the formation of an ideal graded refractive index structure. The nanopillars are spontaneously formed under low‐pressure conditions, wherein locally deposited Al?F compounds, originating from an alumina plate in the etching chamber, work as a fine etching mask. The high etching rate of the MPS film allows a very high aspect ratio of the nanopillars. The refractive index of the MPS nanopillars can be universally tuned by a controlled incorporation of TiO₂ into the mesopores, which results in effective reduction of reflectance on a given substrate. The outstanding antireflection performance is experimentally demonstrated for glass substrates with a wide refractive index range.     

Photoinduced Charge‐Transfer State of 4‐Carbazolyl‐3‐(trifluoromethyl)benzoic Acid: Photophysical Property and Application to Reduction of Carbon−Halogen Bonds as a Sensitizer

The photoinduced persistent intramolecular charge‐transfer state of 4‐carbazolyl‐3‐(trifluoromethyl)benzoic acid was confirmed. It showed a higher catalytic activity in terms of yield and selectivity in the photochemical reduction of alkyl halides compared to the parent carbazole. Even unactivated primary alkyl bromides could be reduced by this photocatalyst. The high catalytic activity is rationalized by considering the slower backward single‐electron transfer owing to the spatial separation of the donor and acceptor subunits.     

Sparsely substituted chlorins as core constructs in chlorophyll analogue chemistry. I. Synthesis

Five routes to stable chlorins bearing 0 or 1 meso substituents have been investigated, among which reaction of a 9-bromo-1-formyldipyrromethane and 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1,3,3-trimethyldipyrrin proved most effective. Application of this route afforded metallochlorins [Cu(II), Zn(II), and Pd(II)] including the chlorin lacking any β-pyrrole and meso substituents.