Sloshing dynamics-modulated fluid angular momentum and moment fluctuations driven by orbital gravity gradient and jitter accelerations in microgravity

The dynamical behavior of spacecraft propellant affected by the asymmetric combined gravity gradient and jitter acceleration are studied. In particular the effect of surface tension on partially-filled rotating fluids applicable to a full-scale Gravity Probe-B Spacecraft dewar tank has been investigated. Three different cases of orbital accelerations: (a) gravity gradient-dominated, (b) equally weighted between gravity gradients and jitter, and (c) gravity jitter-dominated accelerations are considered. Fluctuations of angular momentum, fluid moment and bubble mass center caused by slosh wave excitations driven by gravity gradient and jitter accelerations are also investigated.     

Uniform Mesoporous Silica Hexagon and Its Two‐Dimensional Colloidal Crystal

Well‐ordered mesoporous silica nanoparticles with uniform hexagonal disk shapes are synthesized under dilute alkaline conditions with a two‐step process, separating the nucleation and growth process. The resulting monodisperse hexagons can be arranged in a 2‐dimensional (2D) ordered periodical super‐structure. The hexagonal symmetry is similar in both scales. A statistical mechanical cell model is applied to analyze consequences of the interesting packing structure, including osmotic bulk modulus, phase separation and defects.     

Sloshing dynamics modulated cryogenic helium fluids driven by gravity gradient or jitter accelerations associated with slew motion in microgravity

The mathematical formulation of the Dewar container sloshing dynamics for a partially filled liquid of cryogenic superfluid helium II driven by the gravity gradient or jitter accelerations associated with slew motion in a microgravity environment are studied. The numerical computation of sloshing dynamics is based on the non-inertia container bounded frame and the solution of time-dependent, three-dimensional partial differential equations subjected to the initial and boundary conditions. This study discloses that the capillary effect of sloshing dynamics governs the liquid-vapor interface fluctuations driven by the gravity gradient or jitter accelerations associated with slew motion in a microgravity environment. The peculiar behavior of superfluid helium in response to sloshing dynamics is also investigated.     

Reactions of Bis[Diphenyl‐3‐(4‐Methoxyphenylsydnonyl)]Phosphine Palladium Chloride and Phosphorus Ligands and Crystal Analysis of Its Phosphite Adduct

Reactions of bis[diphenyl‐3‐(4‐methoxyphenylsydnonyl)]phosphine palladium chloride and phosphines or phosphites were performed yielding cis‐dichloropalladium complexes. Complexes have been characterized by spectroscopic techniques (compounds 5–13 ) and by X‐ray diffraction for compound 5 . Bond lengths of P‐C(10) and P‐C(16) de creased more than that of P‐C(s) after complex formation suggesting that the phenyl rings were able to contribute more electron density to phosphorus for binding with Pd(II) than the sydnone ring does. The equilibrium constants and rate constants for the reaction between complex 4 and phosphorus ligands depend not only on the basicity but also on steric size (i.e., cone angle) of phosphorus ligands used.     

Synthesis,photoluminescence, and electrochromic properties of wholly aromatic polyamides bearing naphthylamine chromophores

A series of novel polyamides with pendent naphthylamine units having inherent viscosities of 0.15–1.02 dL/g were prepared via direct phosphorylation polycondensation from various diamines and a naphthylamine‐based aromatic dicarboxylic acid, 1‐[N,N‐di(4‐carboxyphenyl)amino]naphthalene. These amorphous polyamides were readily soluble in various organic solvents and could be cast into transparent and tough films. The aromatic polyamides had useful levels of thermal stability associated with high glass‐transition temperatures (268–355 °C), 10% weight loss temperatures in excess of 480 °C, and char yields at 800 °C in nitrogen higher than 60%. These polymers showed maximum ultraviolet–visible absorption at 350–358 nm and exhibited fluorescence emission maxima around 435–458 nm in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone solutions with fluorescence quantum yields ranging from 0.4 to 15.0%. The hole‐transporting and electrochromic properties were examined with electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical methods. Cyclic voltammograms of the polyamide films cast onto an indium tin oxide coated glass substrate exhibited one oxidative redox couple around 1.08–1.16 V (oxidation onset potential) versus Ag/AgCl in an acetonitrile solution and revealed good stability of the electrochromic characteristics, with a color change from colorless to green at applied potentials ranging from 0 to 1.6 V. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6094–6102, 2006     

Photolytic transformation of aryl benzobisoxazole and aryl benzobisthiazole compounds into carbon dioxide

Solid‐state aryl benzobisoxazole and aryl benzobisthiazole compounds photolyzed in the presence of O₂ undergo cleavage to produce benzobisoxazoles (or benzobisthiazoles), benzonitriles, and benzamides. A very high percentage of the carbon atoms in one of the two segments from chain cleavage are converted to CO₂. This very unusual observation has been carefully confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy analysis of the gaseous components in the photolysis vessel before and after photolysis, labeling experiments, and the correlation of the mass reduction in photolyzed polymers and the amount of CO₂ that evolves. The rate of CO₂ generation is used to compare the relative photostability of aryl benzobisoxazole and aryl benzobisthiazole model compounds, films, and fibers. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1868–1877, 2007     

Effects of external magnetic field on biodistribution of nanoparticles: A histological study

This study investigates the effect of external magnetic fields on the biodistribution of nanoparticles (NP). A NdFeB magnet of 2.4 kG was externally applied over the left femoral artery or right kidney. The 250 nm dextran-coated Fe₃O₄ NP was injected via tail vein in healthy rats, and organs were taken 1 or 24 h later. Prussian blue stain revealed that NP were more rapidly retained in the liver and spleen than in the lungs. NP aggregation observed in the kidney and femoral artery after application of external magnets was time dependent. Hollow organs such as the intestine, colon, and urinary bladder retained little NP.     

Functional Dihydro‐1H‐Imidazole Derivatives for MALDI Signal Enhancement of a Lysine‐Specific Chemical Modification

The enhancement of signal sensitivity and quantification of low‐abundance proteins is of great importance in proteomic analysis. The preparation of 2‐methoxy‐4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐imidazole (MeO‐DHIM) derivatives was accomplished by one‐step synthesis of O‐methyl‐isourea. The signal enhancement induced by these attached moieties increases in an order of compound 1 ≈? 4 < 2 < 5 ≈? 6 < 3 in MALDI mass spectrometry. Peptide‐compound 3 adduct was approximately 20 times signal enhancement of the unmodified peptide and of 9 times of the peptide‐compound 1 adduct. This result demonstrates that the rational designed organic molecules are capable of providing a sensitive tool in the detection of low‐abundance proteins in proteomics.     

Synthesis and interfacial behaviors of amphiphilic poly(oxypropylene) amidoacids

A series of hydrophobic poly(oxypropylene) (POP)‐backboned and hydrophilic poly(oxyethylene)‐backboned amidoacids and imidoacids were prepared through the reaction of poly(oxyalkylene) diamines and trimellitic anhydride (TMA) under mild conditions. The synthesized copolymers were characterized with nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared. Their ability to lower the water surface tension and toluene/water interfacial tension was measured and correlated with the hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance with multiple sodium carboxylate functionalities. The specific POP2000/TMA copolymers, consisting of a 2000 g/mol POP segment and multiple amidoacid functionalities, enabled the demonstration of a strong surfactant tendency and a critical micelle concentration at 0.1 wt %. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 646–652, 2006     

Synthesis of highly conductive EDOT copolymer films via oxidative chemical in situ polymerization

Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)s (PEDOT) represent a class of conjugated polymers that can be potentially used as an electrode material for flexible organic electronics due to their superior conductivity and transparency. In this study, we demonstrate that the conductivity of a PEDOT containing copolymer film can be further enhanced by the oxidative chemical in situ copolymerization of a liquid film spun coated from monomer mixture (3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) and 3‐thienyl ethoxybutanesulfonate (TEBS)), oxidant (iron(III) p‐toluenesulfonate (Fe(OTs)₃)), weak base (imidazole), and solvent (methanol). We investigated that the effect of the processing parameters such as the molar ratios TEBS/EDOT, IM/EDOT, and Fe(OTs)₃/EDOT on the surface morphology, optical property, and the conductivity of the resulting copolymer films. These parameters have been optimized to achieve conductivities for the copolymer films as high as 170 S/cm compared with a conductivity of 30 S/cm for the pure PEDOT film synthesized using the same fabrication method. This conductivity enhancement for the copolymer films was found to be resulted from the fact that the addition of TEBS monomer reduces the copolymerization rate, leading to the formation of much more uniform film surface without defects and copolymers of higher molecular weight which increase the conductivity of the resulting copolymer film. The composition of two monomers in the copolymer film is not related to the variation of conductivity. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 1662–1673, 2008