Transport properties of polyphenylquinoxalines

The correlation between chemical structure and gas transport properties is considered for a new class of membrane materials based on structurally similar polyphenylquinoxalines that are characterized by different numbers of flexible-O-ether bonds in the repeating unit and different chain rigidities. Permeability, diffusion, and solubility coefficients have been estimated for the gases H₂, He, O₂, N₂, CO, CO₂, and CH₄; separation factors for various gas pairs have been determined. For the materials with a similar level of cohesive energy density, which characterizes interchain interactions, permeability decreases with a decrease in chain rigidity, whereas selectivity of gas separation increases.     

The effect of gamma irradiation and shelf aging in air on the oxidation of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene

This study has investigated the effect of shelf aging, for up to one year in air, on the properties of gamma-irradiated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). A variety of techniques were used to characterize the properties of treated samples. Differential scanning calorimetery (DSC) was used to characterize the morphology. The extent of cross-linking in a polymer network was detected by swelling measurements. The durometer hardness test was used to measure the relative hardness of this material, and changes in density were also measured. Results from all these measurements were combined to explain the changes in the microstructure of the aged, irradiated UHMWPE. This study shows that crystallinity is increased with radiation dose and with aging due to chain scission, which leads to a reduction in the molecular weight of the material. This allows the chains to rearrange to form crystalline regions. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy confirms these conclusions. Fractional free volumes have been deduced from lifetime parameters, which correlate with the data obtained by the other techniques.     

Influence of octupole interactions on the behavior of negative-parity states at low spins

The energies of negative-parity levels based on two-particle states exhibit a nonlinear behavior at low spins versus the core-rotation energy because the alignment process has not yet been completed for them. This behavior of negative-parity levels in the low-spin region is satisfactorily described upon the inclusion of octupole-octupole interactions. This is demonstrated within the rotational model involving the Coriolis mixing of states for the even-even isotopes ^162–168Hf.     

Electronic structure and elastic moduli of the simple cubic fullerite C24—A new allotropic carbon modification

The energy band structure, equation of state, density of states, and elastic moduli of a new allotropic carbon modification, namely, fullerite C₂₄ with a simple cubic lattice (known previously as cubic graphite), are calculated by the full-potential linearized augmented-plane-wave (FLAPW) method with geometry optimization for the first time. The dependence of the total energy on the lattice constant exhibits a minimum for a ₀ = 0.60546 nm. In this case, the lengths of the C-C bonds between fullerene molecules, the lengths of the 6,6-bonds shared by hexagons, and the lengths of the 4,6-bonds shared by a square and a hexagon are equal to 0.1614, 0.1503, and 0.1637 nm, respectively. An analysis of the energy band structure and the density of states demonstrates that the simple cubic fullerite C₂₄ is a direct-band-gap insulator or a semiconductor with a band gap of 1.6 eV. The calculated bulk modulus B ₀ = 196 GPa and the elastic moduli C ₁₁ = 338 GPa, C ₁₂ = 139 GPa, and C ₄₄ = 30 GPa indicate that the fullerite under investigation is a mechanically stable material. The inference is made that the simple cubic fullerite C₂₄ is a new diamond-like molecular zeolite with a unique combination of properties, such as the porosity and nonpolarizability, on the one hand, and the mechanical strength, chemical inertness, and high thermal conductivity, on the other hand. The simple cubic fullerite C₂₄ can be considered a promising low-dielectric-constant (low-k) material (?₀ < 5.7) for use in fabricating interconnections and substrates intended for integrated circuits and nanoelectronics.     

Propagation of a focused light beam in a circuital system of tunnel-coupled waveguides

The propagation of a pencil beam in a circuital system of tunnel-coupled waveguides is considered. It is shown that the beam periodically focuses into a point when moving along the trajectory. A maximal number of waveguides supporting the propagation of the beam can be estimated in simple terms. The cross-sectional area of the waveguides can be subdivided into three zone with the beam pulsing only in the central one.     

Surface distortions of the magnetic structure of a uniaxial antiferromagnet: The “magnetic field-roughness” phase diagram

Magnetic-structure distortions induced by an external magnetic field near a rough surface of a uniaxial collinear antiferromagnet are analyzed using mathematical modeling. The “magnetic field-roughness” phase diagram of these distortions is constructed. It is demonstrated that, under specific conditions, the presence of atomic steps leads to the formation of domains in the surface layer of the antiferromagnet. In the case of a strong roughness, there arise static vortices at the surface and a 90° domain wall aligned parallel to the surface of the antiferromagnet.     

Structure of (Ba0.7Sr0.3)TiO3 films prepared by chemical solution deposition during crystallization on a sublayer

Barium strontium titanate (BST) films on Si-SiO₂-Ti-Pt substrates are prepared by chemical solution deposition upon crystallization on a sublayer. The structure of the BST films is investigated using transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction analysis.     

Nonlinear-optical and micro-Raman diagnostics of thin films and nanostructures of ABO3 ferroelectrics

Ferroelectric composite two-dimensional ferroelectric/aluminum oxide nanostructures were studied. A porous aluminum oxide matrix was used as a template into which a ferroelectric precursor was introduced, followed by annealing. The prepared nanostructures were studied using optical second harmonic generation and micro-Raman scattering.