Compression of a soft sphere packing

Mechanical properties of packings of deformable spheres of polyelectrolyte gel are studied experimentally. These particles are plunged into a brine. They have the property to swell and shrink when the concentration of salt of the solution is varied. An oedometric compression is performed imposing cycles of deformation at constant speed and constant salinity C_s. Under many different conditions, we study the laws of deformation relating the macroscopic compression force F, to the macroscopic strain . We find empirical non linear relations of the type . The values of this exponent m are discussed and compared to the results of measurements on a single sphere compressed on a plane as well as to the results of experiments and simulations on dry model granular assemblies. The swelling and deswelling properties of the spheres are used to perform isotropic compression tests. In this situation we determine the relation between the force at equilibrium and the macroscopic strain . The results are compared with those obtained in the oedometric compression tests. Received 27 January 1998     

External and internal quenching in photochemical reactions of vinylbenzophenone-vinyl ferrocene copolymers: The problem of triplet energy transfer

The quantum yield of the photochemical reaction of the benzophenone group, either free or bound to a macromolecular chain in polyvinylbenzophenone, with a proton donor (isopropanol) has been measured in the absence and in the presence of an efficient triplet acceptor (Ferrocene), either free (external) or copolymerized (internal quenching). From an analysis of the quantum yields and Stern-Volmer constants using the proper local concentration, it is concluded that energy migration along the polymer chain is negligible in this system at the time scale of the triplet life-time (≈ 10^?7 sec). Re-examination of data of Luká? et al. on polyvinylphenylketone, taking in account the local concentration, shows that in this last system energy migration is however efficient even with a shorter triplet life-time.     

Phase diagram of GaAs

Abstract

Optical measurements in the diamond anvil cell (DAC) as well as thermodynamics, show cubic GaAs I to be unstable at 300 K, at 13 GPa. The thermodynamic phase line from GaAs I to the high pressure (H.P.) form(s) is at 11 ± 2 GPa. Large hyteresis makes the actual I→II transition observable only at 17.5 ± 1 GPa.     

Spin diffusion in the nuclear magnetic relaxation of isotopically labelled (CH)x

Isotopically labelled (CH)_x samples have been studied to probe the influence of nuclear spin diffusion on the relaxation mechanisms of polyacetylene. The results are discussed in terms of two spin species: those relaxing by direct interaction with solitons and those diffusing by mutual flip-flop towards this well relaxed core. Predictions are made for the time dependence of magnetization recovery and for the frequency dependence of long T₁.     

Antioxidant hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives isolated from Brazilian bee pollen

One novel and three known hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives having antioxidant activities were isolated from a Brazilian bee pollen. They were identified as kaempferol 3-O-[2-O-p-coumaroyl]-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside, N(1), N(5), N(10)-tri-p-coumaroyl spermidine, N(1), N(5), N(10), N(14)-tetra-p-coumaroyl spermine, and monocaffeoyl-tri-p-coumaroyl spermine, respectively. The structure of the kaempferol glycoside was established on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical investigations. Among the isolated compounds, monocaffeoyl-tri-p-coumaroyl spermine showed the strongest free radical-scavenging activity, which was almost identical to that of alpha-tocopherol. On the other hand, the antioxidant effect of tri-p-coumaroyl spermidine on autooxidation of linoleic acid was strongest and nearly equal to that of alpha-tocopherol.     

Dynamics in the crystalline polymorphic forms I and II and form III of isotactic poly‐1‐butene

Following an earlier study of the ¹H relaxation and NMR line shapes, we have carried out selective one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional ¹³C solid‐state NMR studies that yield to detailed interpretation of the dynamics in form I, II, and III polymorphs of isotactic poly‐1‐butene. A specific defect diffusion along the side group is proposed to account for the temperature dependence of the ¹³C spectra in form I. The backbone of the helix in forms II and III is shown to undergo large angle motions above the glass‐transition temperature. High‐resolution solid‐state ¹³C two‐dimensional exchange NMR under magic‐angle spinning with cross‐polarization techniques demonstrates the existence of slow rotational jumps of the helices in form III with typical jump rates of about 10 s⁻¹. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 2611–2624, 2000