Fine structural analysis,formation of interfacial particle films,and accurate estimation of orientation in polyguanamine derivatives with a high refractive index

Precise analyses of the molecular arrangement of three‐dimensional crystals, two‐dimensional molecular films, and interfacial particle layers of polyguanamine derivatives with a high refractive index have been performed. The high refractive index of the polyguanamine derivatives is not due to the chemical structure of the molecule, but is based on the packing of molecular chains or the refraction of transmitted light due to the difference in electron density between the crystalline and amorphous regions. A highly crystalline polymer has been produced by polycondensation of guanamine derivatives bearing a triazine ring and phenyl rings. The packing models of molecular chains in the three‐dimensional crystal have been determined using wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction measurements and reciprocal lattice analysis. Highly hydrophobic polyguanamine derivatives undergo a transition from monolayer to single particle layer at the air/water interface. The π‐conjugated molecular plane in the two‐dimensional films is densely stacked. Multiparticle layers are formed with a highly ordered layered structure. Polymer nanoparticles are formed by the integration of units of the collapsed polymer monolayer folded along the height direction. Since this folding occurs within the amorphous region, formation of fine particles with a high refractive index and their integrated films with densely packed π‐conjugated planes is feasible. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 999–1009     

Precise determination of elastic constants by high‐resolution inelastic X‐ray scattering

Inelastic X‐ray scattering (IXS) measurements have been performed on an MgO single crystal in order to evaluate IXS as a methodology for accurate and precise determination of elastic constants and sound velocities. By performing the IXS experiment using a 12‐analyzer array, the complete set of single‐crystal elastic constants of MgO were determined to a precision better than 0.8% (sound velocities to better than 0.2%). The results are consistent with values in the literature. The precision and accuracy of this work, which is significantly better than other published work to date, demonstrates the potential of IXS in determining elastic properties.     

A transition from unimodal to multimodal activations in four sensory modalities in humans: an electrophysiological study

Background  

To investigate the long-latency activities common to all sensory modalities, electroencephalographic responses to auditory (1000 Hz pure tone), tactile (electrical stimulation to the index finger), visual (simple figure of a star), and noxious (intra-epidermal electrical stimulation to the dorsum of the hand) stimuli were recorded from 27 scalp electrodes in 14 healthy volunteers.     

Characterization of AgInS2 thin films prepared by vacuum evaporation

We characterized AgInS₂ thin films prepared by vacuum evaporation. In the case of thin films annealed at 400 °C, diffraction peaks were observed only for the chalcopyrite AgInS₂ phase. The chemical composition of the thin films annealed at 400 °C was 26.5 at% Ag, 23.8 at% In, and 49.7 at% S. PL spectra of the AgInS₂ thin films at 10.7 K showed peaks at 1.70, 1.80, and 1.83 eV. The PL peak at1.80 eV was attributed to sulfur deficiency.     

High pressure X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic studies of the phase change of D2O ice VII at approximately 11 GPa

High pressure experiments were performed on D₂O ice VII using a diamond anvil cell in a pressure range of 2.0–60 GPa at room temperature. In situ X-ray diffractometry revealed that the structure changed from cubic to a low symmetry phase at approximately 11 GPa, based on the observed splitting of the cubic structure's diffraction lines. Heating treatments were added for the samples to reduce the effect of non-hydrostatic stress. After heating, splitting diffraction lines became sharp and the splitting was clearly retained. Although symmetry and structure of the transformed phase have not been determined, change in volumes vs. pressure was calculated, assuming that the low-symmetry phase had a tetragonal structure. The bulk modulus calculated for the low-symmetry phase was slightly larger than that for the cubic structure. In Raman spectroscopy, the squared vibrational frequencies of ν₁ (A_1g), as a function of pressure, showed a clear change in the slope at 11–13 GPa. The full width at half maxima of the O-D modes decreased with increasing pressure, reaching a minimum at approximately 11 GPa, and increased again above 11 GPa. These results evidently support the existence of phase change at approximately 11 GPa for D₂O ice VII.