Shear dependence of viscosity for perfluoropolyether fluids

The shear dependence of the bulk viscosities of two structurally different types of perfluoropolyether fluids was determined by two different techniques. The first involved direct measurement in a high shear Couette viscometer, the second utilized the time-temperature superposition principle to establish master curves from viscosity determinations at low shear rates and temperature; the results are comparable. Both fluids begin to show non-Newtonian behavior at shear rates above 10,000 s^–1.     

The influence of pressure on the capillary flow of poly(methyl methacrylate)

Summary Pressure effects in the capillary flow of a single sample of poly(methyl methacrylate),M _v = 1.33 · 10⁵, were evaluated. The length/diameter ratios of the different capillaries used varied from 4 to 100. The tests were made with an Instron rheometer in the range 160–250 °C. The pressure-viscosity model, derived from the free volume-WLF equation, was used to pressure correct the capillary data. The corrected data agreed well with data obtained at atmospheric pressure using aWeissenberg rheogoniometer. A derived expression to calculate an increase in the flow activation energy with increasing stress predicts the observed increase in activation energy.

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Zusammenfassung Druckeffekte bei der Kapillarströmung einer einzelnen Polymethylmethacrylat-ProbeM _v = 1,33 · 10⁵ werden abgeschätzt. Die Längen/Durchmesserverhältnisse der verschiedenen verwendeten Kapillaren variierten zwischen 4 und 100. Im Temperaturbereich zwischen 160 und 250 °C wurden die Versuche mit einem Instron-Rheometer durchgeführt. Das Druck-Viskositätsmodell, das aus der WLF-Gleichung abgeleitet war, wurde zur Druckkorrektur der Kapillardaten verwendet. Die korrigierten Werte zeigten eine gute Übereinstimmung mit den Werten, die bei Atmosphärendruck mit Hilfe einesWeissenberg-Rheogoniometers gewonnen worden waren. Ein abgeleiteter Ausdruck zur Berechnung des Anstiegs der Strömungs-Aktivierungsenergie mit steigender Spannung sagt den beobachteten Anstieg in der Aktivierungsenergie voraus.

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On leave from Montecatini Edison, Milan (Italy).     

Synthesis of PbSeTe single ternary alloy and core/shell heterostructured nanocubes

We report a robust method for synthesis of monodisperse PbSeTe single ternary alloy and core/shell heterostructured nanocubes, respectively. The key synthetic strategy to produce such different classes of nanocubes is to precisely control the time of reaction and successive growth. The crystallinity, shape/size distributions, structural characteristics, and compositions of as-prepared nanocubes, both ternary alloy and core/shell, were carefully studied. A plausible growth mechanism for developing each type of lead chalcogenide nanocubes is proposed. These delicately designed PbSeTe nanoscale architectures offer tunable compositions in PbSeTe ternary alloy and nano-interfaces in core/shell nanocubes, which are the critical factors in controlling thermal conductivity for applications in thermoelectrics.     

Eisenuntersuchungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

QUENCHING OF CHLOROPHYLL FLUORESCENCE BY NITROBENZENE

Abstract—Nitrobenzene quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence in ethanol has been investigated. Steady state relative quantum yields have been measured and fluorescence decay rates were determined using both nanosecond photon counting and picosecond pulses from a mode-locked Nd³⁺ glass laser.
The fluorescence decay is described by
1( t )= I ₀ exp (- t/τ−At^1/2 )
the form predicted for decay governed by the kinetics of the continuum model of diffusion controlled reactions. From the parameters of the fluorescence decay, the encounter distance is 5–7 A° the mutual diffusion coefficient is 0.62 × 10^--⁵ cm2s^-1± 12%.
Some of the fluorescence quenching is also attributed to static quenching by a nitrobenzene-chlorophyll, ground-state complex. The equilibrium constant for formation of this ground-state complex was determined to be 4.1 M ^-1. The combined dynamic and static quenching model allows calculation of quantum yields of fluorescence in good agreement with the experimentally determined quantum yields.     

Mimicry of host-defense peptides by unnatural oligomers: antimicrobial beta-peptides

We have designed beta-amino acid oligomers that are helical, cationic, and amphiphilic with the intention of mimicking the biological activity of amphiphilic, cationic alpha-helical antimicrobial peptides found in nature (e.g., magainins). We have previously identified a 17-residue beta-peptide (called beta-17) with antibiotic activity similar to that of a magainin derivative against four bacterial species, including two clinical isolates that are resistant to common antibiotics. This beta-peptide displays very low hemolytic activity against human red blood cells, which indicates selectivity for bacterial cells over mammalian cells. Here we examine some of the factors important for activity in this class of beta-peptides. An amphiphilic helix is necessary, because a nonamphiphilic isomer proved to be inactive. The ratio of cationic to hydrophobic residues is also important. Active beta-peptides induce the leakage of beta-galactosidase from treated Bacillus subtilis cells, as do alpha-helical antibiotic peptides, and this similarity suggests that the beta-peptide mode of action involves disruption of microbial membranes. This class of beta-peptides is not degraded by proteases, which bodes well for biological applications.     

On the cardinality of Urysohn spaces

Recently, in Cammaroto et al. (2013) [4] we obtained a generalization of the famous inequality established by A.V. Arhangel?ski? in 1969 for Hausdoff spaces. In this paper, following this line of research, we present a common variation of this inequality for Urysohn spaces by developing a Main Theorem for obtaining inequalities. In particular, we extend a 2006 inequality by Hodel for Urysohn spaces. Moreover, this extended inequality is used to analyze a result containing an increasing chain of spaces that satisfies the same cardinality inequality and this new result solves an open problem in Cammaroto et al. (2013) [4] for Urysohn spaces. This general theorem also provides a new cardinal inequality for Hausdorff spaces. The paper is concluded with some open problems.