Preparation and Properties of Aramid-Silica Hybrids with Inter-Phase Bonding Through (3-glycidoxypropyl)-trimethoxysilane

Nano-composites from aramid-silica system have been prepared via sol-gel process. Poly (phenyleneterephthalamide) copolymer chains were prepared by reacting a mixture of p- and m-phenylenediamines with terephthaloyl chloride in dimethylacetamide used as solvent. The sol-gel process in the polymer matrix was carried out through hydrolysis and condensation of a mixture of tetraethoxysilane and (3-glycidoxypropyl) trimethoxysilane. The latter was used to develop linkage, on one hand with silica network structure using alkoxy groups and on the other hand with aramid chains at its secondary amine groups through glycidal groups of silane. Mutual interaction between the two disparate phases aramid and silica network was thus created. Thin films of the composites containing different proportions of silica ranging from 5.0 to 25.0-wt% were cast by the solvent elution technique. The α-relaxation temperature associated with the glass transition was measured by the dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The results showed an increase in the glass transition temperature from 328°C for the pure aramid to 352°C for the hybrid materials containing 25-wt% silica, an indicative of the increased interfacial interaction between the two phases. Films having relatively low silica content were flexible and transparent, but those with high silica content were opaque and brittle. These films were tested for their tensile strength, modulus and toughness. The mechanical strength of the composites as compared to the pure aramid increased initially but with further addition of silica the strength decreased. The initial increase can be explained due to increased interfacial interaction between the two phases, however agglomeration of silica particles was responsible for decreasing strength at higher silica contents.     

On a property of conformal spacetimes

A generalisation of Carter's Circular metrics has been used for working out N potentials. It is pointed out here that the conformal extension of these metrics has the interesting property that the conformal time-like Killing vector depends only on time.

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Zusammenfassung Bekanntlich existieren Raum-Zeit-Mannigfaltigkeiten, welche keine zeitartige Isometrie zulassen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird gezeigt: Falls die Metriken diese Raum-Zeit-Mannigfaltigkeiten als spezielle Verallgemeinerung der Carterschen zirkularen Metriken so gewählt werden, daß sie einen konformen zeitartigen Killing-Vektor zulassen, dann hängt dieser Vektor nur von der Zeit ab.

     

Sensitive and selective spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of osmium with 1,2,3-indanetrione monothiosemicarbazone

Summary Sensitive and Selective Spectrophotometric Method for the Determination of Trace Amounts of Osmium with 1,2,3-Indanetrione Monothiosemicarbazone A simple, sensitive and selective spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of osmium using 1,2,3-indane-trione monothiosemicarbazone (ITMT). The method is based on the colour reaction between ITMT and osmium(VIII) in hydrochloric acid (0.32–0.60 M) medium. The calibration graph for measurement at 440 nm is linear in the range 1.4–33.6g of osmium per 25ml, with a molar absorptivity of 6.43×10⁴l·mole^–1·cm^–1. The effect of interferences has been studied and the method applied to the determination of osmium in synthetic samples whose composition correspond to osmiridium or syserkite, with good results.     

Determination of mercury by radiochemical displacement method

A radiochemical displacement method for the determination of micro amounts of Hg(II) has been developed. 65Zn was displaced from the Zn-1-(2-pyridylazo-2-naphthol) complex at pH 5 in borate buffers by Hg (II). 10-80 micrograms of mercury could be determined. Interference of various metal ions and methods for suppression have also been carried out.