The oxidative polymerization of aniline as topochemical process. The statistical analysis of grain growth

The films of polyaniline (PANI) on the glass slides with granular morphology were prepared by oxidative polymerization with ammonium peroxydisulfate in strong acidic conditions. The kinetics of polymerization was monitored recording of scanning electron microscopy images of deposit PANI films on glass slides. Statistical analysis of the PANI grain size was successfully applied for characterization of the polymerization process. It was shown that oxidative PANI polymerization could be described as a topochemical process. This allowed us explaining the existence of three phase of process (induction period, acceleration stage and decay) and finding the kinetics parameters of these stages. The model of phenazine nucleates was used to described induction stage. It was shown that phenazine nucleation process can be described kinetically as zero-order reaction. The acceleration stage of PANI polymerization was connected with increase of PANI grain surface during reaction and the mechanism of this acceleration was discussed. The decay stage of process was attributed with formation fuse loose PANI film with reduced available interphase surface for polymerization process.     

Generation of superintense femtosecond pulses by the Cr:forsterite laser system

A repetitively pulsed chromium-forsterite laser system is created. High-power femtosecond light pulses are generated at the fundamental (1.24 μm) and second-harmonic (0.62 μm) wavelengths. Theoretical analysis is performed to optimize the output pulse energy. Laser pulses with a duration of 110 fs, an energy of 1 mJ, and a repetition rate of 1–50 Hz are generated. The intensity of the focused beam is greater than 10¹⁶ W/cm². High-efficiency radiation conversion into the second harmonic is used to increase the energy contrast of the generated pulses. Original Text ? Astro, Ltd., 2006.     

流体力学半径对估算胶体微球聚集速率常数的影响

胶体粒子聚集速率常数实验值远低于理论值一直是被普遍关注的问题.聚集速率常数的理论推导是基于粒子的几何半径来考虑的,但决定粒子扩散速率及聚集速率的应该是粒子的流体力学半径(大于几何半径),因而它是使聚集速率常数实验值低于理论值的因素之一.影响流体力学半径的因素很多,其中,带电粒子在溶液中因表面存在双电层,会明显增大流体力学半径,造成聚集速率减慢.而双电层的厚度又随溶液中离子强度的不同而改变.本工作在聚集速率的公式中引入了修正因子,即几何半径与其流体力学半径之比,以修正由于用几何半径代替流体力学半径带来的误差.其中几何半径和流体力学半径可以分别用扫描电镜(SEM)和动态光散射(DLS)来测定.以两种粒径的聚苯乙烯带电微球为例,考察了在不同离子强度下,该误差的大小.结果发现,对于半径为30 nm的微球,用流体力学半径计算的慢聚集速率常数比理论值偏低约8%.该误差随离子强度增加而减少.对于快聚集情况,流体力学半径对聚集速率基本没有影响.     

Spectral-temporal properties and nonlinear-optical transformation of supercontinuum radiation with an energy over 1 μJ generated by a large-mode-area photonic-crystal fiber

Nonlinear-optical transformation of chirped femtosecond Cr:forsterite-laser pulses in a large-mode-area photonic-crystal fiber gives rise to the generation of a supercontinuum in the near infrared spectral range with an energy exceeding 1 μJ. A broadband light source with a wavelength tunability range from 550 to 1800 nm is implemented through second-harmonic-and sum-frequency-generation transformation of the supercontinuum photonic-crystal fiber output.     

Synthetic magnetic opals

We present studies of novel nanocomposites of BiNi impregnated into the structure of opals as well as inverse opals. Atomic force microscopy and high resolution elemental analyses show a highly ordered structure and uniform distribution of the BiNi filler in the matrix. These BiNi-based nanocomposites are found to exhibit distinct ferromagnetic-like ordering with transition temperature of about 675 K. As far as we know there exists no report in literature on any BiNi compound which is magnetic.     

High-power mid-IR (4–5 μm) femtosecond laser system with a broadband amplifier based on Fe<Superscript>2+</Superscript>:ZnSe

Concept of a solid-state femtosecond laser system with a multigigawatt power level in the 4–5 μm range has been proposed. The system contains an ultrashort pulse seeder, a two-stage chirped pulse amplifier based on a broadband Fe²⁺:ZnSe active element with optical pumping by a YSGG:Cr:Er laser, and an output stage that provides additional nonlinear optical compression of an amplified pulse to approximately 30 fs in a dielectric CaF₂ medium with anomalous group velocity dispersion in this spectral range.     

Second-and third-harmonic generation by carbon nanotubes irradiated with femtosecond laser pulses

Femtosecond pulses of a Cr:forsterite laser are used to study second-and third-harmonic generation in a layer of single-wall carbon nanotubes produced by low-velocity spraying. The harmonic amplitude in our experiments scales as (I _p)ⁿ as a function of the pump intensity I _p, with n=2 and 3 for the second and third harmonics, respectively. This scaling law holds up to pump intensities on the order of 10¹²W/cm². The ratio of the maximum signal to the averaged background in the spectra of the second and third harmonics is estimated as 50 and 30, respectively. The second and third harmonics produced by a linearly polarized pump field are also linearly polarized, with their polarization vectors oriented along the polarization direction of the pump field. The capabilities of nonlinear-optical methods for structural and morphological analysis of carbon nanotubes are discussed, as well as ways to create solid-state carbon-nanotube generators of optical harmonic.