Self-driven gel conveyer: effect of interactions between loaded cargo and self-oscillating gel surface

A "self-oscillating" gel that swells and deswells periodically under constant conditions is developed as a novel biomimetic gel differing from conventional stimuli-responsive polymer gels. By utilizing the peristaltic motion of the self-oscillating gel, autonomous mass-transport systems can be realized. With the propagation of the chemical wave, the loaded gel cargo is autonomously transported by rotating on the surface. To apply the self-driven gel conveyer to a wider range of uses, it is important to investigate the influence of the physical interaction between the self-oscillating gel and the loaded cargo on its transporting ability. Here, the effect of the interaction is evaluated by using several kinds of gel cargo with varying charge states, hydrophilicities, and surface roughnesses.     

Synthesis of methyl‐substituted azobenzene–carbazole conjugated copolymers with photoinduced structural changes

Azobenzene switches its structure instantaneously by reversible trans‐to‐cis and cis‐to‐trans photoisomerization with light irradiations. Dynamic change in polymer structure is expected via introducing an azobenzene unit into the main chain. In this study, a set of methyl‐substituted azobenzene–carbazole conjugated copolymers is synthesized by the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling method. Introduction of methyl substituents to the azobenzene unit of the monomer, and polymerization in a high‐boiling solvent improve the molecular weight of the polymer. Decrease of effective conjugation length due to the twisted structure of the main chain allows progress of photoisomerization. The microstructure of the polymer was determined with grazing incidence X‐ray diffraction (GIXD) measurements using synchrotron radiation. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 1756–1764     

Frequency measurement of pure rotational transitions in the v2 = 1 state of H2O

Frequencies of pure rotational transitions in the v₂ = 1 vibrationally excited state of H₂¹⁶O were measured with a tunable far-infrared spectrometer in the frequency range of 0.5-5 THz. Molecular parameters of Watson’s A-reduced Hamiltonian have been obtained to reproduce the observed frequencies.     

Compact quantum ergodic systems

We develop theory of multiplicity maps for compact quantum groups. As an application, we obtain a complete classification of right coideal C^∗-algebras of C(SUq(2)) for q∈[−1,1)?{0}. They are labeled with Dynkin diagrams, but classification results for positive and negative cases of q are different. Many of the coideals are quantum spheres or quotient spaces by quantum subgroups, but we do have other ones in our classification list.     

Thermodynamics of aqueous solutions of nonelectrolytes. I. Enthalpies of transfer of 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone from water to aqueous methanol

Molar excess enthalpies were measured for 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone mixed with water and with methanol over the whole concentration range and with aqueous methanol at the low mole fraction of 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone at 298.15°K, using a LKB flow microcalorimeter. Enthalpies of transfer of 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone from water to aqueous methanol were estimated from the molar excess enthalpies. The result was qualitatively in agreement with the conclusion described by Arnett et al.     

Classification of minimal actions of a compact Kac algebra with amenable dual on injective factors of type III

We classify a certain class of minimal actions of a compact Kac algebra with amenable dual on injective factors of type III. The structural analysis of type III factors and the canonical extension of endomorphisms introduced by Izumi are our main technical tools.     

Contrast viscosity changes upon photoirradiation for mixtures of poly(acrylic acid)-based alpha-cyclodextrin and azobenzene polymers

Polymer-polymer interactions were investigated for mixtures of a poly(acrylic acid) (pAA) carrying azobenzene (pC12Azo) and two kinds of pAA carrying alpha-cyclodextrin (CD), in which CDs are attached to the main chain through the 3- and 6-positions in CD (p3alphaCD and p6alphaCD, respectively), using several techniques, such as viscosity and NMR measurements. Viscosity data exhibited contrast changes upon UV irradiation: thinning (p3alphaCD/pC12Azo) and thickening (p6alphaCD/pC12Azo). NOESY spectra confirmed that the contrast viscosity changes were ascribable to differences in how CD moieties interact with pC12Azo after photoisomerization of azobenzene moieties from trans to cis: dissociation of inclusion complexes (p3alphaCD/pC12Azo) and formation of interlocked complexes (p6alphaCD/pC12Azo).     

Accurate determination of formaldehyde amount fraction in cylinders using mixtures of primary standards of formaldehyde in nitrogen prepared by a gravimetric permeation method

Accreditation and Quality Assurance - A reliable method for the quantification of formaldehyde (HCHO) amount fractions is required, because the results of comparisons between individual techniques...