Influence of organic modifiers on morphology and crystallization of poly(ϵ‐caprolactone)/synthetic clay intercalated nanocomposites

ε‐caprolactone was polymerized in the presence of neat montmorillonite or organomontmorillonites to obtain a variety of poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL)‐based systems loaded with 10 wt % of the silicates. The materials were thoroughly investigated by different X‐ray scattering techniques to determine factors affecting structure of the systems. For one of the nanocomposites it was found that varying the temperature in the range corresponding to crystallization of PCL causes reversible changes in the interlayer distance of the organoclay. Extensive experimental and literature studies on this phenomenon provided clues indicating that this effect might be a result of two‐dimensional ordering of PCL chains inside the galleries of the silicate. Small angle X‐ray scattering and wide angle X‐ray scattering investigation of filaments oriented above melting point of PCL revealed that polymer lamellae were oriented perpendicularly to particles of unmodified silicate, while in PCL/organoclay systems they were found parallel to clay tactoids. Calorimetric and microscopic studies shown that clay particles are effective nucleating agents. In the nanocomposites, PCL crystallized 20‐fold faster than in the neat polymer. The crystallization rate in nanocomposites was also significantly higher than in microcomposite. Further research provided an insight how the presence of the filler affects crystalline fraction and spherulitic structure of the polymer matrix in the investigated systems. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 2350–2367, 2007     

Unified approach to photo-and electro-production of mesons with arbitrary spins

A new approach to identify the independent amplitudes along with their partial wave multipole expansions, for photo-and electro-production is suggested, which is generally applicable to mesons with arbitrary spin-parity. These amplitudes facilitate direct identification of different resonance contributions.      

Determination of electron temperature based on a semicoronal model in Hall accelerator plasma flows

We present the results of a spectroscopic study of a nonequilibrium plasma in a Hall accelerator, in particular for such an important parameter as the electron temperature. For the studied conditions, we used the semicoronal equilibrium model, which relates the intensity ratios for two successive ionization steps for the same element. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 74, No. 1, pp. 93–96, January–February, 2007.     

Ammonium violurate: a compact structure with extensive hydrogen bonding in three dimensions

The title compound [systematic name: ammonium pyrimidine‐2,4‐5,6(1H,3H)‐tetrone 5‐oximate], NH₄⁺·C₄H₂N₃O₄⁻, crystallizes from water in the triclinic space group P and is ismorphous with a known rubidium complex [Gillier (1965). Bull. Soc. Chim. Fr. pp. 2373–2384]. The principal feature of the structure is hydrogen bonding; each ammonium H atom acts as a bifurcated donor and three of the four violurate O atoms are bifurcated acceptors, with the fourth acting as a trifurcated acceptor. The pattern of hydrogen bonding around the cation is very similar to the rubidium coordination environment in the related structure. The violurate anions pack as hydrogen‐bonded crinkled tapes, which are linked and separated by the ammonium cations to give a compact three‐dimensional structure.     

Tetrakis(1‐naphthylamino)silane and its tetrahydrofuran trisolvate

In both title structures, C₄₀H₃₂N₄Si and C₄₀H₃₂N₄Si·3C₄H₈O, the angles around the Si atom deviate significantly from the tetrahedral value [104.34 (7)–116.63 (7)° in the nonsolvate and 99.91 (15)–116.85 (15)° in the solvate]. The amino H atoms in the solvated structure are involved in hydrogen bonding with two of the tetrahydrofuran solvent molecules.     

Phase liquid-crystalline transitions in hydroxypropylcellulose-ethanol and hydroxypropylcellulose-acetic acid systems under deformation

The phase transitions and phase state of hydroxypropylcellulose mixtures with ethanol and acetic acid under static conditions and in the shear field have been studied by the turbidity-point method and polarization microscopy with the use of a polarization-photoelectric setup and a modified plastoviscometer. The deformation of solutions leads to a decrease in the temperature of mesomorphic phase formation and to a change in the type of liquid crystals from cholesteric to nematic.     

Application of N,N‐bis(diphenylphosphino)aniline palladium(II) complexes as pre‐catalysts in Heck coupling reactions

Palladium(II) complexes with N,N‐bis(diphenylphosphino)aniline ligands catalyse the Heck reaction between styrene and aryl bromides, affording stilbenes in good yield. The structures of two of the complexes used as pre‐catalysts have been determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural-morphological and biological properties of selenium nanoparticles stabilized by bovine serum albumin

Nanostructures formed during the reduction of ionic selenium in the selenite-ascorbate redox system in an aqueous solution of bovine serum albumin (BSA) were studied using static and dynamic light scattering and flow birefringence. It was established that this process results in the formation of stable aggregates of selenium nanoparticles that adsorb BSA molecules. It was found that highly-ordered superhigh-molecular-weight spherical nanostructures with high density and unique morphology are formed. Experiments with a cell culture of promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 showed that BSA adsorbed on selenium nanoparticles can inhibit the growth of tumor cells and deactivate free radicals with an efficiency comparable with that of sodium selenite.     

Solid-State Thin-Film Sensors Based on Chalcogenide Materials Obtained by Planar Technology and Pulsed Laser Deposition

Methods of silicon planar technology and pulsed laser deposition were applied to fabricate fully solid-state chemical sensors for determining ions of copper, lead, cadmium, thallium, and also sulfide and chloride ions on the basis of thin chalcogenide films as ion-sensitive membranes.