Studies on calcium‐containing poly(urethane ether)s

The calcium salt of mono(hydroxyethoxyethyl)phthalate [Ca(HEEP)₂] was synthesized by the reaction of diethylene glycol, phthalic anhydride, and calcium acetate. Calcium‐containing poly(urethane ether)s (PUEs) were synthesized by the reaction of hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) or tolylene 2,4‐diisocyanate (TDI) with a mixture of Ca(HEEP)₂ and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG₃₀₀ or PEG₄₀₀) with di‐n‐butyltin dilaurate as a catalyst. A series of calcium‐containing PUEs of different compositions were synthesized with Ca(HEEP)₂/PEG₃₀₀ (or PEG₄₀₀)/diisocyanate (HMDI or TDI) molar ratios of 2:2:4, 3:1:4, and 1:3:4 so that the coating properties of the PUEs could be studied. Blank PUEs without calcium‐containing ionic diols were also prepared by the reaction of PEG₃₀₀ or PEG₄₀₀ with HMDI or TDI. The PUEs were well characterized by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, solid‐state cross‐polarity/magic‐angle‐spinning ¹³C NMR, viscosity, solubility, and X‐ray diffraction studies. The thermal properties of the polymers were also studied with thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The PUEs were applied as top coats on acrylic‐coated leather, and their physicomechanical properties were also studied. The coating properties of PUEs, such as the tensile strength, elongation at break, tear strength, water vapor permeability, flexing endurance, cold crack resistance, abrasion resistance, color fastness, and adhesive strength, were better than the standard values. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2865–2878, 2003     

Chaos-controlling technique for suppressing self-modulation in backward-wave tubes

A method for suppressing self-modulation in backward-wave tubes is proposed. Additional delay is introduced into the feedback circuit, owing to which the output signal amplitude affects the electron beam current that enters into the interaction space. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the operating current in the single-frequency oscillation mode may be increased roughly twofold.     

1,1,3-Trimethyl-3-phenylindan as a Luminescent Additive to a Plastic Scintillator Based on Poly(methyl Methacrylate)

The luminescence and scintillation properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) containing 1,1,3-trimethyl-3-phenylindan were studied.     

Kinetics of proton transfer in a green fluorescent protein: A laser-induced pH jump study

The sub-millisecond protonation dynamics of the chromophore in S65T mutant form of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) was tracked after a rapid pH jump following laser-induced proton release from the caged photolabile compoundo-nitrobenzaldehyde. Following a jump in pH from 8 to 5 (which is achieved within 2 μs), the fluorescence of S65T GFP decreased as a single exponential with a time constant of ∼90 μs. This decay is interpreted as the conversion of the deprotonated fluorescent GFP chromophore to a protonated non-fluorescent species. The protonation kinetics showed dependence on the bulk viscosity of the solvent, and therefore implicates bulk solvent-controlled protein dynamics in the protonation process. The protonation is proposed to be a sequential process involving two steps: (a) proton transfer from solvent to the chromophore, and (b) internal structural rearrangements to stabilize a protonated chromophore. The possible implications of these observations to protein dynamics in general is discussed     

Depth profile analysis of polyimide film treated by potassium hydroxide

The structural change in the depth direction of a polyimide (UPILEX‐S) film treated in alkaline solution, which was a representative surface treatment used to form a seed layer for plating and to improve the adhesive strength, was analyzed by means of micro Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection (FTIR‐ATR) line analysis with gradient shaving preparation. The polyimide film was treated with KOH. The imide ring opened through the alkaline treatment, and the amide structure and carboxylic acid salt were formed. The attainment depth of this structural change was almost proportional to the treatment time, and it reached about 8 μm after a 30‐min treatment. The degree of structural change through the alkaline treatment was almost constant after it reached a considerably degraded stage, and the chemically changed region penetrated into the inner part of the film from the surface. An intermediate layer before the final degraded stage appeared in the treated layer, and its thickness increased with the treatment time. The region that was changed chemically by the alkaline treatment progressed to the inner part simultaneously and continuously as the treatment time increased. The combined use of gradient shaving preparation and micro FTIR‐ATR line analysis was found to be extremely effective for the depth profiling of organic materials. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 2071–2078, 2003     

Theory of Linear Dissipative Scattering Systems with Discrete Time and with Space States of the Class π k

An arbitrary operator-valued function from the generalized Shur class is realized as the transfer function of a minimal optimal and minimal *-optimal dissipative scattering system with the Pontryagin state space. These results generalize Arov's results for the case of the Hilbert state space. Bibliography: 11 titles.     

Degradation of ZnS:Cu,Al,Au phosphor powder in different gas mixtures

The ZnS:Cu,Al,Au (P22G) phosphor powder was bombarded by an electron beam in an O₂ ambient, Ar ambient and other mixture of gases. These gases consisted of mixtures of O₂ and CO_x, and O₂, CO_x and Ar gas. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) was used to monitor changes in the surface composition of the P22G phosphor during electron bombardment. When the P22G phosphor powder was exposed to the electron beam in a water-rich O₂ ambient, a chemically limited ZnO layer was formed on the surface. The electron beam degradation of the P22G phosphor powder was also performed in a dry O₂ ambient and a layer of ZnSO₄ was formed on the surface. The ZnSO₄ formation decayed exponentially with time and it is postulated that this was due to the diffusion of the charge reactants through the ZnSO₄ film to the reaction interfaces. The P22G phosphor exposed to the electron beam in an Ar ambient and to the other gas mixtures degraded at a lower rate than in the case of the O₂ ambient. This suggests that Ar and CO_x may suppress the degradation of the P22G phosphor powder.