Nanoparticle enabled thermal control of ions in liquid crystals

Typically, ionic species in thermotropic liquid crystals are nearly fully ionised. Therefore, the concentration of mobile ions practically does not depend on the temperature. Interestingly, the same liquid crystals doped with nanoparticles exhibit totally different behaviour. The concentration of mobile ions become temperature dependent. This paper reports the effects of the temperature on the concentration of ions in liquid crystal nanocolloids. Liquid crystals doped with both 100% pure and contaminated nanoparticles are considered. Regardless the ionic purity of nanodopants, the concentration of mobile ions in liquid crystal nanocolloids increases towards the saturation as their temperature goes up. The magnitude of this saturation level equals the initial concentration of ions in liquid crystals doped with 100% pure nanoparticles. The temperature induced release of ions by contaminated nanoparticles in liquid crystals increases the above-mentioned saturation level. While the dispersion of 100% pure nanoparticles in liquid crystals leads to the temperature-dependent purification only, the use of contaminated nanoparticles results in the temperature-driven switching between the purification and contamination regimes enabling thermal control of ions.     

Spin-crossover and liquid crystal properties in 2D cyanide-bridged Fe(II)-M(I/II) metalorganic frameworks

Novel two-dimensional heterometallic Fe(II)-M(Ni(II), Pd(II), Pt(II), Ag(I), and Au(I)) cyanide-bridged metalorganic frameworks exhibiting spin-crossover and liquid crystal properties, formulated as {FeL(2)[M(I/II)(CN)(x)](y)}·sH(2)O, where L are the ligands 4-(4-alkoxyphenyl)pyridine, 4-(3,4-dialkoxyphenyl)pyridine, and 4-(3,4,5-trisalkoxyphenyl)pyridine, have been synthesized and characterized. The physical characterization has been carried out by means of EXAFS, X-ray powder diffraction, magnetic susceptibility, differential scanning measurements, and Mo?ssbauer spectroscopy. The 2D Fe(II) metallomesogens undergo incomplete and continuous thermally induced spin transition at T(1/2) ≈ 170 K and crystal-to-smectic transition above 370 K.     

Effect of Pumping Pulse Duration on Echo Signal Amplitude in Four-Pulse PELDOR

The impact of pumping pulse duration on four-pulse pulsed electron?Celectron double resonance (PELDOR) data was experimentally studied. For biradicals with known distances between two spin labels, it is shown that refocused echo amplitude decreases with increasing the pumping pulse duration and decreasing the distance between spin labels. The effect becomes substantial when the pumping pulse duration is comparable or exceeds the inverse value of the dipole?Cdipole interaction between spin labels. This effect is essential for determination of distance distribution between labels in double-labeled molecules and for determination of the number of labels in clusters of spin-labeled molecules. PELDOR signal distortion was observed when the pumping pulse position in the time scale coincided with those of the detecting pulses. An approach of signal correction to eliminate this distortion is proposed.     

On Cohen-Macaulay modules over non-commutative surface singularities

We generalize the results of Kahn about a correspondence between Cohen-Macaulay modules and vector bundles to non-commutative surface singularities. As an application, we give examples of non-commutative surface singularities which are not Cohen-Macaulay finite, but are Cohen-Macaulay tame.     

The Neumann boundary problem for axisymmetric fractional heat conduction equation in a solid with?cylindrical hole and associated thermal stress

The theory of thermoelasticity based on the heat conduction equation with the Caputo time-fractional derivative of order α is used to study thermal stress in an infinite medium with a cylindrical hole. Two types of Neumann boundary conditions are considered: the constant value of the normal derivative of the temperature and constant heat flux at the surface of a cavity. The solution is obtained applying Laplace and Weber integral transforms. Numerical results are illustrated graphically.     

The influence of a complexing agent ion on the magnitude of the optical anisotropy of lanthanidomesogens

Measurements of the refractive indices and optical anisotropy of a series of liquid crystalline coordination compounds based on lanthanides with an identical ligand environment have been carried out. It was found that the magnitude of the optical anisotropy of the investigated complexes was several times smaller than the anisotropy of organic liquid crystals. Analysis of the results showed that the variation of the ion complexing agent had little effect on the magnitude of the optical anisotropy in the mesogenic complexes containing the same ligands. The even-odd alternation of the optical anisotropy of lanthanidomesogens at the increasing the number of protons in the ions of the lanthanides has been observed.

     

Synthesis of Modified Pectin and Its Flocculating Properties

Modified polysaccharide was synthesized by the reaction of amylopectin with a cationic monomer, (1,2-epoxyprop-3-yl)triethylammonium chloride, in alkaline solution in the presence of Fenton’s reagent. The influence of the concentrations of amylopectin, gelatin, their polymer-inorganic hybrids, and modified pectin on their flocculating properties in free (unrestricted) sedimentation of ocher suspension as a model disperse system was studied. Amylopectin exerts a stabilizing effect, whereas the modified pectin and polymer-inorganic hybrid exert a flocculating effect. The influence of the mode of introducing polymer additives on the flocculating effect and aggregation of ocher particles was analyzed.     

Application of the electron paramagnetic resonance method to determining the antioxidant activity of structured colloid systems

Possibility of using the electron paramagnetic resonance method to study the antioxidant activity of structured colloid systems with active components: polymeric cosmetic gels, foaming detergents (shampoos), and lotions. It is shown that this versatile method opens up new opportunities for determination of the antioxidant activity not only in liquid-phase systems, but also in gels without any considerable disintegration of their structure. The antioxidant activity is affected by the concentration of additives, nature of an extract, and composition of formulation ingredients.