Miscibility of bisphenol-A polycarbonate with poly(methyl methacrylate)

The miscibility of bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) has been reexamined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and optical indications for phase separation on heating, i.e., lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior. Various methods have been used to prepare the blends including methylene chloride (CH₂Cl₂) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution casting, melt mixing, and precipitation of PC and PMMA simultaneously from THF solution by using the nonsolvents methanol and heptane. It is shown that the resulting phase behavior for PC/PMMA blends is strongly affected by the blend preparation method. However, these blends are miscible over the whole blend composition range (unambiguous single composition-dependent T_g's and LCST behavior) when prepared by precipitation from solution using heptane as the nonsolvent. To the contrary, solution-cast and melt-mixed PC/PMMA blends were all phase separated, which may be attributed to the “solvent” effect and LCST behavior, respectively, not discovered in previous reports. Methanol precipitation does not lead to fully mixed blends, which demonstrates the importance of the choice of nonsolvent when using the precipitation method.     

Semi‐analytical integration of the 8‐node plane element stiffness matrix using symbolic computation

The semi‐analytical integration of an 8‐node plane strain finite element stiffness matrix is presented in this work. The element is assumed to be super‐parametric, having straight sides. Before carrying out the integration, the integral expressions are classified into several groups, thus avoiding duplication of calculations. Symbolic manipulation and integration is used to obtain the basic formulae to evaluate the stiffness matrix. Then, the resulting expressions are postprocessed, optimized, and simplified in order to reduce the computation time. Maple symbolic‐manipulation software was used to generate the closed expressions and to develop the corresponding Fortran code. Comparisons between semi‐analytical integration and numerical integration were made. It was demonstrated that semi‐analytical integration required less CPU time than conventional numerical integration (using Gaussian‐Legendre quadrature) to obtain the stiffness matrix. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2006     

Nonequilibrium Ionization by Vibrationally Excited Molecules in Supersonic Flows

The results of experimental investigations on thermal nonequilibrium ionization in CO₂: N₂: He mixtures are presented. Measurements of electron density, n_e, in vibrationally excited nitrogen were made in a supersonic flow with different CO₂ contents as well as in a CO₂: N₂: He = 1 : 5 : 4 mixture laser gas. The mixtures were heated in a shock tube and expanded through a supersonic nozzle. Furthermore, supersonic mixing of N₂ and CO₂ + He was used in some experiments. The measured values of n_e in the plenum chamber and in the supersonic nozzle are reported, and the processes responsible for nonequilibrium ionization in a laser-active medium are discussed.     

Rate constants for the gas‐phase reaction of CF3CF2CF2CF2CF2CHF2 with OH radicals at 250–430 K

The rate constants k₁ for the reaction of CF₃CF₂CF₂CF₂CF₂CHF₂ with OH radicals were determined by using both absolute and relative rate methods. The absolute rate constants were measured at 250–430 K using the flash photolysis–laser‐induced fluorescence (FP‐LIF) technique and the laser photolysis–laser‐induced fluorescence (LP‐LIF) technique to monitor the OH radical concentration. The relative rate constants were measured at 253–328 K in an 11.5‐dm³ reaction chamber with either CHF₂Cl or CH₂FCF₃ as a reference compound. OH radicals were produced by UV photolysis of an O₃–H₂O–He mixture at an initial pressure of 200 Torr. Ozone was continuously introduced into the reaction chamber during the UV irradiation. The k₁ (298 K) values determined by the absolute method were (1.69 ± 0.07) × 10^?15 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 (FP‐LIF method) and (1.72 ± 0.07) × 10^?15 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 (LP‐LIF method), whereas the K₁ (298 K) values determined by the relative method were (1.87 ± 0.11) × 10^?15 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 (CHF₂Cl reference) and (2.12 ± 0.11) × 10^?15 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 (CH₂FCF₃ reference). These data are in agreement with each other within the estimated experimental uncertainties. The Arrhenius rate constant determined from the kinetic data was K₁ = (4.71 ± 0.94) × 10^?13 exp[?(1630 ± 80)/T] cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1. Using kinetic data for the reaction of tropospheric CH₃CCl₃ with OH radicals [k₁ (272 K) = 6.0 × 10^?15 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1, tropospheric lifetime of CH₃CCl₃ = 6.0 years], we estimated the tropospheric lifetime of CF₃CF₂CF₂CF₂CF₂CHF₂ through reaction with OH radicals to be 31 years. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 26–33, 2004     

Investigation of multicomponent fluoride optical materials in the UV spectral region: I. Single crystals of Ca1−x R xF2+x (R = Sc, Y, La, Yb, Lu) solid solutions

Crystalline materials that are transparent in the vacuum UV spectral region and currently used have been reviewed. Transmission of crystals of solid solutions with the fluorite structure Ca_1?x R _xF_2+x (R = Sc, Y, La, Yb, Lu) in the UV and vacuum UV spectral regions has been investigated. It is shown that application of different methods of purification of fluorides from some impurities can significantly improve the optical quality of fluoride multicomponent crystals in the short-wavelength spectral region.