The Effects of Polymer Properties and Solution Composition on the Distribution,Properties, and Amount of Water in Swollen Ion Exchangers

The effects of the composition and concentration of an external solution on the swelling degree of polystyrene-based ion exchangers crosslinked with different amounts of divinylbenzene have been analyzed within the heterophase model of polymer gel structure. It has been confirmed experimentally that, upon variations in the composition of the external solution, the swelling degree of polymers is determined by the content of “sorbed” water alone. Therewith, the volume of the external solution incorporated into the swollen polymer remains constant; i.e., it depends neither on an ionic form of an ion exchanger nor the concentration and composition of the external solution, but rather depends linearly on the polymer crosslinking degree. An algorithm has been proposed for calculating the volume of water in a polymer gel and some quantitative estimates have been presented.     

Effect of the procedure of chemostimulator application on the surface characteristics of V x O y /InP structures in the process of their thermooxidation

Evolution of morphology of surface and the composition of layer near the surface in the process of thermooxidation of V _x O _y /InP formed by soft and hard methods is shown. Dependence of morphology of film surface on the way of application of chemostimulator and the regime of thermooxidation is established. Both methods permit to obtain layers with the sufficiently smooth surface, but while using the hard method nanostuctured films are finally formed.     

Interface reconstruction in the Ga<Subscript>2</Subscript>Se<Subscript>3</Subscript>/GaAs(100) and In<Subscript>2</Subscript>Se<Subscript>3</Subscript>/InAs(100) nanoheterostructures

The surface of GaAs(100) and InAs(100) substrates thermally treated in selenium vapor has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and reflection high-energy electron diffraction. Transmission electron microscopy and high-energy electron diffraction data on these heterostructures confirms the epitaxial pseudomorphic growth of the gallium selenide Ga₂Se₃(100) and indium selenide In₂Se₃(100) phases with ordered stoichiometric cation vacancies. A model of the atomic structure of the Ga₂Se₃(100) and In₂Se₃(100) surfaces is proposed, and the 2 × 2 reconstruction of the GaAs(100) and InAs(100) surfaces after treatment in selenium vapor is discussed within this model.     

Cryogenics for the future accelerator complex NICA at JINR

The NICA cryogenics will be based on the modernized liquid helium plant that was b uilt in the early 90’s for the superconducting synchrotron known as the Nuclotron. The main goals of the modernization are: increasing of the total refrigerator capacity from 4000 W to 8000 W at 4.5 K, making a new distribution system of liquid helium, and ensuring the shortest possible cool down time. These goals will be achieved by means of an additional 1000 l/hour helium liquefier and “satellite” refrigerators located near the accelerator rings. This report describes the design choices of the NICA, demonstrates helium flow diagrams with major new components and briefly informs of the liquid nitrogen system that will be used for shield cooling at 77 K and at the first stage of cooling down of three accelerator rings with the total length of about 1 km and “cold” mass of 290 tons.     

Concerted and stepwise proton-coupled electron transfers in aquo/hydroxo complex couples in water: oxidative electrochemistry of [Os(II)(bpy)(2)(py)(OH(2))](2+)

Successive oxidation of transition metal(II) aqua complexes (M(II)OH(2) to M(III)OH) is a domain in which proton-coupled electron transfer reactions are extremely common. The mechanism of these PCET reactions-concerted or stepwise-is an important issue in the understanding and design of natural or artificial systems catalyzing the formation of dioxygen by four-electron oxidation of water. Concerted proton-coupled electron transfer from an aqua metal(II) to a hydroxo metal(III) complex requires the close proximity of a proton-accepting group with a pK value between those of the aqua complexes. Otherwise, stepwise electron-proton or proton-electron pathways involving high-energy intermediates are followed. Concerted proton-electron pathways involving water as proton-acceptor or proton-donor group are inefficient. Cyclic voltammetry of the title complex in buffered aqueous solution and re-examination of previous results for the same complex attached to an electrode surface are used to establish these conclusions, which provide a starting point on the route to higher degrees of oxidation, such as those involved in the catalysis of water oxidation.     

Numerical simulation of the consequences of a mechanical action on a human brain under a skull injury

A two-dimensional mathematical model of the mechanical response of a human head to a shock action is proposed. It describes the spatial distribution of the mechanical loads on the brain. Some numerical results obtained using the grid characteristic methods on unstructured triangular grids are presented.     

Appearance of a Debye process at the conductivity relaxation frequency of a viscous liquid

The existence of a Debye-type ultraslow process in dielectric spectra of bulk polyalcohols and similar materials has been reported repeatedly in the recent literature. Its loss peak is observed at frequencies that are decades below those of the primary structural relaxation, in a range where the loss signal is usually dominated by dc-conductivity or even electrode polarization. We show that this peak originates from an incomplete filling of the capacitor volume, e.g., as a result of gas bubbles, a situation that gives rise to a Debye process at the conductivity relaxation frequency of the material, where the values of storage and loss components of permittivity are identical. The result implies that these peaks are not endemic to the liquid and can lead to various misinterpretations of the dielectric relaxation spectra. Techniques avoiding the occurrence of such artifacts are discussed.     

Development of radiation medicine at DLNP, JINR

The Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems’ activity is aimed at developing three directions in radiation medicine: 3D conformal proton therapy, accelerator techniques for proton and carbon treatment of tumors, and new types of detector systems for spectrometric computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET). JINR and IBA have developed and constructed the medical proton cyclotron C235-V3. At present, all basic cyclotron systems have been built. We plan to assemble this cyclotron at JINR in 2011 and perform tests with the extracted proton beam in 2012. A superconducting isochronous cyclotron C400 has been designed by the IBA-JINR collaboration. This cyclotron will be used for radiotherapy with proton, helium and carbon ions. The ¹²C⁶⁺ and ⁴He²⁺ ions will be accelerated to an energy of 400 MeV/amu, the protons will be extracted at the energy 265 MeV. The construction of the C400 cyclotron was started in 2010 within the framework of the Archarde project (France). Development of spectrometric CT tomographs may allow one to determine the chemical composition of a substance together with the density, measured using traditional CT. This may advance modern diagnostic methods significantly. JINR develops fundamentally new pixel detector systems for spectrometric CT. The time-of-flight (TOF) system installed in the positron emission tomograph (PET) permits essential reduction in the detector noise from occasional events of different positron annihilations. The micropixel avalanche photodiodes (MAPDs) developed at JINR allow a factor of 1.5 reduction in the resolution time for the PET TOF system and suppression of the noise level as compared to commercial PET. The development of a combined PET/MRI is of considerable medical interest, but it cannot be made with the existing PET tomographs based on detectors of compact photomultipliers due to strong alternating magnetic field of MRI. Change-over to detectors of micropixel avalanche photodiodes permits making a combined PET/MRI.     

内埋炸药下超高韧性水泥基复合材料的抗爆性能

为研究超高韧性水泥基复合材料(ultra-high toughness cementitious composites, UHTCC)在内埋炸药爆炸下的抗爆性能和损伤破坏规律,对不同炸药埋深下的UHTCC和高强混凝土(high-strength concrete, HSC)进行了内埋炸药抗爆实验。得到了两种材料靶体的破坏状态,并利用接触爆炸的实验结果计算出了两种材料的抗爆性能参数。结果表明,在相同条件下,UHTCC抗爆性能优于高强混凝土。为了进一步探究UHTCC的抗压强度、抗拉强度以及拉伸韧性对靶体在内埋炸药下抗爆性能的影响,首先,采用改进的K&C模型对炸药埋深为40 mm的超高韧性水泥基复合材料靶体进行数值模拟,模拟结果与实验结果基本吻合,并根据数值模拟的结果得到了爆炸冲击波沿靶体径向衰减速度大于轴向衰减速度这一规律,验证了数值模型的有效性;然后,通过调整改进K&C模型中与抗压强度、抗拉强度以及拉伸韧性相关的参数,数值预测了不同抗压强度、抗拉强度以及拉伸韧性下UHTCC靶体的破坏状态,发现增强UHTCC的韧性可以有效防止靶体发生整体性破坏,增大UHTCC的抗拉强度可以减小靶体迎爆面的开坑直径,增大UHTCC的抗压强度对减小开坑直径效果不明显。