Prognostication of aging of polymeric composite materials

Experimental data demonstrate that a study of accelerated aging can enable prognostication of the working capacity and storage life of polymeric formulations used in aircraft components on the basis of changes in thermogravimetric constants of these polymeric formulations.     

Cosmic γ-ray bursts: Observations and modeling

It is now commonly accepted that cosmic γ-ray bursts (GRBs) are of cosmological origin. This conclusion is based on the statistical analysis of GRBs and the measurements of line redshifts in GRB optical afterglows, i.e., in the so-called long GRBs. In this review, the models of radiation and models of GRB sources are considered. In most of these models, if not in all of them, the isotropic radiation cannot provide the energy release necessary for the appearance of a cosmological GRB. No correlation is noted between the redshift, the GRB-spectrum shape, and the total detected energy. The comparison between data obtained in the Soviet experiment KONUS and the American experiment BATSE shows that they substantially differ in statistical properties and the detection of hard x-ray lines. The investigation of hard gamma (0.1–10 GeV) afterglows, the measurement of prompt optical spectra during the GRB detection, and the further investigation of hard x-ray lines is of obvious importance for gaining insight into the GRB origin. Observations of two bright optical GRB afterglows point to the fact that an initially bright optical flare is directly related to the GRB itself, and the subsequent weak and much more continuous optical radiation is of a different nature. The results of observations of optical GRB afterglows are discussed. They point to the fact that the GRBs originate in distant galaxies with a high matter density, where intense star formation takes place. The interaction of the cosmological GRB radiation with a dense surrounding molecular cloud results in the appearance of long-duration (up to 10 years) weak optical afterglows associated with the heating and reradiation of gas. Results of 2D numerical simulation of the heating and reradiation of gas in various variants of the relative disposition of GRB and molecular clouds are presented. In conclusion, the possible relation between the so-called short GRBs and recurrent sources of soft γ rays in our Galaxy, the so-called “soft gamma repeaters,” is discussed.     

Influence of the counterion size on swelling and collapse of polyelectrolyte gel

A theory that predicts the effect of the counterion size on the swelling and collapse of a weakly charged polyelectrolyte gel was developed. In addition to excluded-volume interactions between monomer units of the gel, the theory involves the counterion-monomer unit and counterion-counterion interactions in terms of the virial approximation. The character of interactions between different units in the system varies from repulsion to attraction depending on the type of solvent, counterion, and dielectric permittivity of the solvent. For solvents with a low permittivity, the effect of condensation of counterions resulting in the formation of ion pairs is taken into account.     

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.     

Dispersion and distribution of organically modified montmorillonite in nylon‐66 matrix

Nylon‐66 nanocomposites were prepared by melt‐compounding nylon‐66 with an alkyl ammonium surfactant pretreated montmorillonite (MMT). The thermal stability of the organic MMT powders was measured by thermogravimetric analysis. The decomposition of the surfactant on the MMT occurred from 200 to 500 °C. The low onset decomposition temperature of the organic MMT is one shortcoming when it is used to prepare polymer nanocomposites at high melt‐compounding temperatures. To provide greater property enhancement and better thermal stability of the polymer/MMT nanocomposites, it is necessary to develop MMT modified with more thermally stable surfactants. The dispersion and spatial distribution of the organic MMT layers in the nylon‐66 matrix were characterized by X‐ray diffraction. The organic MMT layers were exfoliated but not randomly dispersed in the nylon‐66 matrix. A model was proposed to describe the spatial distribution of the organic MMT layers in an injection‐molded rectangular bar of nylon‐66/organic MMT nanocomposites. Most organic MMT layers were oriented in the injection‐molding direction. Layers near the four surfaces of the bar were parallel to their corresponding surfaces; whereas those in the bulk differed from the near‐surface layers and rotated themselves about the injection‐molding direction. The influence of the spatial distribution of the organic MMT on crystallization of nylon‐66 was also investigated. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1234–1243, 2003     

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.     

Development of a parallel storm surge model

A new parallel storm surge model, the Parallel Environmental Model (PEM), is developed and tested by comparisons with analytic solutions. The PEM is a 2‐D vertically averaged, wetting and drying numerical model and can be operated in explicit, semi‐implicit and fully implicit modes. In the implicit mode, the propagation, Coriolis and bottom friction terms can all be treated implicitly. The advection and diffusion terms are solved with a parallel Eulerian–Lagrangian scheme developed for this study. The model is developed specifically for use on parallel computer systems and will function accordingly in either explicit of implicit modes. Storm boundary conditions are based on a simple exponential decay of pressure from the centre of a storm. The simulated flooding caused by a major Category 5 hurricane making landfall in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida is then presented as an example application of the PEM. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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