Letters to the Editor

The Mathematical Intelligencer encourages comments about the material in this issue. Letters to the editor should be sent to either of the editors-in-chief, Chandler Davis or Marjorie Senechal.     

Shape transition from InAs quantum dash to quantum dot on InP(3 1 1)A

We report on the shape transition from InAs quantum dashes to quantum dots (QDs) on lattice-matched GaInAsP on InP(3 1 1)A substrates. InAs quantum dashes develop during chemical-beam epitaxy of 3.2 monolayers InAs, which transform into round InAs QDs by introducing a growth interruption without arsenic flux after InAs deposition. The shape transition is solely attributed to surface properties, i.e., increase of the surface energy and symmetry under arsenic deficient conditions. The round QD shape is maintained during subsequent GaInAsP overgrowth because the reversed shape transition from dot to dash is kinetically hindered by the decreased ad-atom diffusion under arsenic flux.     

Developing a hybrid emulsion polymerization system to synthesize Fe3O4/polystyrene latexes with narrow size distribution and high magnetite content

A hybrid emulsion polymerization was formulated for synthesizing Fe₃O₄/polystyrene composite latex. This system, containing binary droplets that are magnetic (Mag)‐droplets with a diameter of 100–200 nm and styrene (St)‐droplets with a diameter of 3–4 μm, was obtained by mixing Mag‐miniemulsion and St‐macroemulsion. With extremely low surfactants concentration (?critical micelle concentration, CMC), the nucleated loci are selectively controlled in the Mag‐droplets, as the result of smaller droplet size and larger surface ratio. Both water‐soluble potassium persulfate (KPS) and oil‐soluble 2,2′‐azobis(2‐isobutyronitrile) was adopted to initiate the polymerization. In the presence of KPS, magnetic polystyrene latices with particles size of 60–200 nm, narrow size distribution, and high magnetite content (86 wt % measured by TGA) were attained successfully. The synthesized magnetic Fe₃O_4/polystyrene latices assembled into well‐ordered hexagonal structure in the surface of a carbon supported copper grid. The influence of various parameters on various aspects of the as‐synthesized Fe₃O₄/polystyrene was investigated in detail: type of initiator on composite morphology, feed ratio of Mag‐miniemulsion and St‐macroemulsion on magnetite content, and hydrophobic agent or amount of surfactant on size and size distribution. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5285–5295, 2007     

An experimental study of dynamic tensile properties of glass fiber at low-temperatures

Tensile impact experiments of EC8.0−24×7 glass fiber bundles at different low temperaturesT(14°C, −40°C and −10°C) and strain rates ɛ were carried out, and complete stress-strain curves were obtained. Within the range of the experiment temperatures and strain rates, it is found that the initial modulusE, the ultimate strength σ_max and the unstable strain ɛ _b of the glass fiber bundles all increase with ɛ at an identicalT. At an identical ɛ, with the decrease ofT, E and σ_max increase; but ɛ _b increases when 10°C>T>−40°C and decreases when −40°C>T>−100°C. The strain-rate- and temperature-dependent bimodal Weibull statistical constitutive theory was adopted for the statistical analysis of the experimental results, and the Weibull parameters of single fiber were obtained. The results show that the bimodal Weibull distribution function is suitable to represent the strength distribution of the glass fiber at low temperature and different strain rates. The differences in the mechanical properties between EC8.0−24×7 and EC5.5−12 ×14 glass fiber bundles were also discussed. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 19772058).     

Isoelectric focusing sample injection for capillary zone electrophoresis in a fused silica capillary.

An improvement has been made to couple isoelectric focusing (IEF) sample injection and capillary zone electrophoresis in an untreated fused silica capillary. Electroosmotic flow is efficiently prevented by simply using a rubber block at the outlet end of the capillary during IEF sample injection. The experimental conditions that affect the concentration effect are discussed. A concentration enhancement factor of over 100-fold can be easily obtained for two model proteins: lysozyme and ribonuclease A.     

Chemical analysis and distribution investigation of trace elements in indium matrix by spark source mass spectrometry

Summary High-purity indium was analysed by spark source mass spectrometry, using electrical and photoplate detection. For the calibration of the differences in elemental sensitivity, a standard sample was prepared in which 10 impurities were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. In this way accuracies of less than 40% were obtained for relatively homogeneous elements at ppm and sub-ppm level. About 40 elements could be determined with detection limits of 10 to 30 ppb. Two pattern recognition methods, principal component analysis and clustering analysis, were applied to obtain information on trace element distribution, which indicated that a number of elements were strongly spatially correlated in the analysed sample.

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Chemische Analyse und Verteilungsbestimmung von Spurenelementen in Indium-Matrix durch Funkenquellen-Massenspektrometrie

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On leave from: Department of Chemistry, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China     

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     

Kinetics of proton transfer in a green fluorescent protein: A laser-induced pH jump study

The sub-millisecond protonation dynamics of the chromophore in S65T mutant form of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) was tracked after a rapid pH jump following laser-induced proton release from the caged photolabile compoundo-nitrobenzaldehyde. Following a jump in pH from 8 to 5 (which is achieved within 2 μs), the fluorescence of S65T GFP decreased as a single exponential with a time constant of ∼90 μs. This decay is interpreted as the conversion of the deprotonated fluorescent GFP chromophore to a protonated non-fluorescent species. The protonation kinetics showed dependence on the bulk viscosity of the solvent, and therefore implicates bulk solvent-controlled protein dynamics in the protonation process. The protonation is proposed to be a sequential process involving two steps: (a) proton transfer from solvent to the chromophore, and (b) internal structural rearrangements to stabilize a protonated chromophore. The possible implications of these observations to protein dynamics in general is discussed