Studies of the isotopomer determination method for the hydrogen-deuterium exchange of methane. Introduction of methane by a pulse in a deuterium stream at high temperature

The H/D exchange reactions of methane in a deuterium stream using a fixed bed flow reactor were studied. In order to precisely determine the ratio of the exchanged products by a quadrupole mass spectrometry, a new method of corrections for the fragmentation peaks was developed.     

Photosensitive fluorinated polyimides with a low dielectric constant based on reaction development patterning

The fluorinated polyimide PI(6FDA/HFBAPP) was prepared by the reaction of 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) with 2,2‐bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]hexafluoropropane (HFBAPP) in 1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone/toluene. A multiblock copolyimide with both fluorinated and rigid‐rod segments, PI(6FDA/HFBAPP)(BPDA/2‐DMB), was prepared by the addition of a second dianhydride, 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), and a second diamine, 2,2′‐dimethylbenzidine (2‐DMB), to the polyimide main chain. The potential lithographic performance of photosensitive polyimides composed of nonphotosensitive fluorine‐containing polyimides and photosensitive diazonaphthoquinone (DNQ) was studied on the basis of a new imaging principle recently proposed by our laboratory, that is, reaction development patterning. Neat PI(6FDA/HFBAPP) showed a low dielectric constant (?) of 2.41 and a low dissipation factor (tan δ) of 0.0027 at 20 GHz, and a 10‐μm resolution of the fluorinated polyimide/DNQ system was demonstrated with reactive development with a solution including ethanolamine after ultraviolet exposure. Although slight changes in the dielectric properties were observed in the presence of DNQ residues, these values (? = 2.63 and tan δ = 0.0033 at 20 GHz) were low enough for use in microelectronic applications. However, PI(6FDA/HFBAPP)(BPDA/2‐DMB), having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE; 33 ppm/°C) than PI(6FDA/HFBAPP) (49 ppm/°C), exhibited good positive photosensitivity, whereas the relatively low‐CTE multiblock copolyimide displayed a much higher ? value (3.48 at 1 MHz) than the highly fluorinated polyimide (2.88 at 1 MHz). A film consisting of PI(6FDA/HFBAPP)(BPDA/2‐DMB) and the remaining DNQ derivatives showed a CTE value comparable to that of the neat polyimide film. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 861–871, 2003     

Photo‐alignment material with azobenzene‐functionalized polymer linked in film

Application of a new azo‐polymer as a photo‐alignment material for liquid crystals (LCs) was demonstrated. 4‐(Vinyloxyethyloxy)azobenzene (VAZO), which has thermally reactive vinyl ether groups, reacted with the ? OH groups of poly(4‐hydroxystyrene) (PHS) during the baking process. The azo‐attached polymer (PHS‐VAZO) film showed anisotropic spectra after exposure to 365‐nm linear polarized light (LPL) unlike the VAZO‐doped poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) film. The anisotropy of the film was small at high concentration of the azo‐chromophore because of thermal randomization of the polarized state. In the evaluation of photo‐alignment of the LC, the LC hybrid cell using the PHS‐VAZO film achieved high LC alignment. The azo‐attached polymer using the thermal reaction of vinyl ethers is useful for a photo‐alignment material. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polarization-Dependent Light-Gated Phase Conjugation in Methyl-Orange Doped Polymer Film

We have investigated the polarization state of a gated phase conjugate beam using a methyl-orange doped poly-vinyl alcohol (MO/PVA) film in 16 different combinations of linear and circular polarization states of a probe beam and pump beams. The experimental results agree with the theoretical prediction based on the Jones matrix method. Of the third-order nonlinear susceptibility tensors X_ijkl of the MO/PVA film, the X₁₂₂₁ at the 647 nm wavelength in degenerate four-wave mixing under exposure of a gating 515 nm light takes a very small value compared with X₁₁₁₁ and X₁₁₂₂. On the other hand, in the configuration of a probe beam and pump beams having linearly crossed polarizations and without gating light, the MO/PVA film generates a strong linearly polarized PC beam, so that X₁₂₂₁ takes a large value at 515 nm.     

Photoinitiated cationic polymerization of monofunctional benzoxazine

The photoinitiated ring‐opening cationic polymerization of a monofunctional benzoxazine, 3‐phenyl‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐1,3‐benzoxazine, with onium salts such as diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate and triphenylsulfonium hexafluorophosphate as initiators was examined. The structures of the polymers thus formed were complex and related to the ring‐opening process of the protonated monomer either at the oxygen or nitrogen atoms. The phenolic mechanism also contributed, but its influence decreased with decreasing monomer concentration. Thermal properties of the polymers were also investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3320–3328, 2003     

Xantholipin, a novel inhibitor of HSP47 gene expression produced by Streptomyces sp.

In the course of our screening program to identify inhibitors of HSP47 gene expression, we obtained a novel aromatic substance from Streptomyces sp. named Xantholipin. Its structure was determined based on physicochemical data of Xantholipin and its derivatives. The absolute configuration was also established by the modified Mosher's method.     

Multiple-Scattering-Free Optical Glucose Monitoring Based on Femtosecond Pulse Interferometry

We have designed a novel multiple-scattering-free optical glucose monitoring system based on femtosecond pulse interferometry. The glucose concentration is determined by a time-of-flight method, while multiple-scattering light is rejected by a coherence gate. The resultant accuracy and precision were 94.7 and 24.5 mg/dl, respectively, for physiological-equivalent glucose concentrations in a scattering medium of 1.0% intralipid solution, while the accuracy and precision for a reference sample containing no scattering medium were 65.3 and 23.8 mg/dl, respectively. Comparing these results, we conclude that the proposed method is effective for glucose measurement in a scattering medium.