Copper-cerium oxide catalysts prepared by the Pechini method for CO removal from hydrogen-containing mixtures

A series of copper-cerium oxide catalysts was prepared by the Pechini method, and their physicochemical and catalytic properties in CO oxidation in hydrogen-containing gas mixtures were studied. The method chosen for catalyst preparation yields finely dispersed copper and cerium oxides in the catalyst.     

Stiffness and conformations of molecular bottle-brushes strongly adsorbed on a flat surface

A theory of the conformational behavior and analysis of the persistence length of molecular bottle-brushes strongly adsorbed on a flat surface in a good solvent is presented. For long enough side chains we have shown that the adsorption of a small fraction of side chains already leads to significant increase of the stiffness and drastic conformational changes of the brush in comparison with the 3D case. For a symmetrical distribution of the adsorbed side chains with respect to the backbone, the equilibrium conformation of the brush is close to a rod-like one due to the very large stiffness of the molecule. Under certain conditions the excluded-volume interactions of the side chains of an asymmetrical brush can lead to its bending or twisting in spiral. The obtained results are in good agreement with computer simulations. Received 13 April 2000 and Received in final form 18 August 2000     

Comblike macromolecules

The theoretical and experimental data on the physical properties of comblike macromolecules are surveyed. Stiffening of comblike macromolecules in solution and on the surface; spontaneous curvature of adsorbed macromolecules resulting from the jump of side chains; rod-globule transitions in adsorbed macromolecules induced by various physical factors; self-organization in the systems of amphiphilic macromolecules; and certain other effects are considered.     

Directions in structure formation of oxyhydrate gels of zirconium and rare earth elements

The formation of oxyhydrate gel systems occurs under conditions that are far from equilibrium. Classical methods of synthesis lead to low reproducibility of the properties of these gels, which is due to principal irreproducibility of colloid systems. When special conditions of the synthesis are used (slow precipitation and prolonged aging at room temperature), directed structure formation takes place: self-similar helical structures are formed, variations of physicochemical characteristics of air-dry samples being insignificant. The directions in structure formation of oxyhydrate gels that lead to self-similar helical structures are discussed. Oligomeric gel moieties, the ratio between which determines the properties of the sample as a whole, have been revealed. The results of computer simulation of gel agglomerates are briefly outlined.     

Stability of anionic liposome-cationic polymer complexes in water-salt media

Laser microelectrophoresis, dynamic light scattering, and fluorescence and UV spectroscopy are employed to study poly-N-ethyl-4-vinylpyridinium bromide adsorption on the surface of bilayer lipid vesicles (liposomes) formed from mixtures of anionic phosphatidyl serine and electroneutral phosphatidylcholine. It is established that polycation adsorption is accompanied by the neutralization of charges on liposomes and their aggregation. The subsequent addition of a low-molecular-weight salt (NaCl) solution to suspensions of complexes causes them to dissociate into their initial components, while the stability of the complexes with respect to the salt action increases with the fraction of the anionic lipid in the liposome membranes. The data obtained are interpreted from the position of the formation-disintegration of a molecular capacitor, the charge of which is generated by spatially separated anionic lipids located in the bilayer membrane and cationic units of the adsorbed polyamine.     

Generation of the third harmonic of near IR femtosecond laser radiation tightly focused into the bulk of a transparent dielectric in the regime of plasma formation

The generation of the third harmonic of femtosecond laser radiation with a wavelength of 1.24 μm tightly focused into the bulk of fused silica was simulated numerically for the regime with light intensity of 3 × 10¹³ W/cm², which is extreme for solid bodies. The efficiency of third harmonic generation (THG) was found to be restricted to 0.1% in the regime of plasma formation. This is determined by two competitive processes: a decrease of THG efficiency due to an increase of wave detuning and an increase of THG efficiency due to a growth of focusing asymmetry. In an isotropic medium, determination of the threshold of plasma formation by use of the third harmonic signal is shown to be a more sensitive method as compared with the standard scheme of nonlinear transmittance detection.     

Synthesis of Polyampholyte Janus-like Microgels by Coacervation of Reactive Precursors in Precipitation Polymerization

Controlling the distribution of ionizable groups of opposite charge in microgels is an extremely challenging task, which could open new pathways to design a new generation of stimuli-responsive colloids. Herein, we report a straightforward approach for the synthesis of polyampholyte Janus-like microgels, where ionizable groups of opposite charge are located on different sides of the colloidal network. This synthesis approach is based on the controlled self-assembly of growing polyelectrolyte microgel precursors during the precipitation polymerization process. We confirmed the morphology of polyampholyte Janus-like microgels and demonstrate that they are capable of responding quickly to changes in both pH and temperature in aqueous solutions.     

Structural Anisotropy of Amorphous Silicon Films Modified by Femtosecond Laser Pulses

It is demonstrated that the surface-relief orientation in the form of one-dimensional gratings with a period of 1.20 ± 0.02 μm formed under processing of hydrogenated-silicon films by femtosecond laser pulses (1.25 μm) with an energy density of 0.15 J/cm² is determined by the direction of the polarization vector of the radiation and total laser exposure. Based on the results of the analysis of Raman spectra, the presence of a nanocrystalline phase of silicon with a volume fraction between 15 and 67% (depending on processing conditions) is detected. The observed processes of micro- and nanostructuring are caused by excitation of the surface plasmon–polaritons and nanocrystallization in the near-surface region in the field of high-power femtosecond laser pulses, respectively. In addition, formation of polymorph modifications of silicon Si-III and Si-XII under femtosecond laser processing with a number of pulses exceeding 500 is discovered. Anisotropy of the Raman signal for the above polymorph modifications is revealed.     

The synthesis of N-substituted β-(5-amino-2-furyl) nitroolefins

Studying nucleophilic substitution reactions in a number of β-(5-halo-2-furyl) nitroolefins (I) with secondary amines, we have shown for the first time the possibility of synthesizing the previously unknown N-substituted β-(5-aminofuryl)nitroolefins (II). We have found that the smoothest substitution reaction takes place in the case of the 5-halo-furylnitropropenes (I, R=CH₃) with morpholine and methylaniline when their alcoholic solutions are heated.