Viscosity of liquid metal suspensions — experimental approaches and open issues

Knowing the viscosity of metal melts with suspended particles is necessary to interpret experimental results and to simulate fluid flow in such materials. At present, reliable viscosity data is only available for pure metals and alloys. In order to study the viscosity behavior of metal melts with suspended solid particles in detail, samples with defined particle amounts are needed. Various methods of incorporating particles into the metallic melts were evaluated, and viscosity was experimentally determined using an oscillating cup technique. It was shown that solid particles in suspension change the melts’ viscosities dramatically, far beyond the effects expected from normal colloidal rheology.     

Phase modulation of an electro-optic polymer cladded polarization-maintaining optic fiber

We present, for the first time based on our knowledge, a novel in-fiber optical phase modulator that is inherently broadband, efficient, and polarization-maintaining (PM). The modulator is a 25 mm long section of a D-shaped cladding PM fiber with half of its silica cladding replaced with an electro-optic (EO) silicone gel. A phase modulation of more than pi rad has been demonstrated. We describe techniques that enable the long-distance exposure of the fiber core, microfabrication of on-fiber electrodes, a low refractive index EO cladding material for replacing silica fiber cladding, and accurate phase measurement utilizing a Sagnac interferometer.     

Nonlinear modeling and analysis of rotors supported by magnetorheological squeeze film journal bearings

Meccanica - The driver coupled to a driven system through mechanical couplings is very common in rotating machinery. These couplings can present angular and parallel misalignments with more or less...     

Influence of Side‐Chain Composition on Polythiophene Properties and Supramolecular Assembly of Anionic Polythiophene Derivatives

A series of 10 polythiophene derivatives is reported, in which each polymer has a different percentage of carboxylic acid‐bearing repeat units. The properties of these polymers are explored under acidic conditions, where the carboxylic acid moieties remain neutral, and under basic conditions, where the carboxylic acid units become anionic carboxylates. The properties that are examined for both solutions and films include UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and red‐edge optical band gaps. All the properties studied are strongly dependent both on protonation state and percentage of carboxylic acid/carboxylate side chains along the polymer backbone. The anionic form of each polythiophene derivative was also used in layer‐by‐layer film deposition with a cationic phosphonium polyelectrolyte. The film growth process was studied by spectroscopic techniques to assess the influence of side‐chain composition on the film growth and optical properties. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019     

Spectroscopic Properties of Lumiflavin: A Quantum Chemical Study

In this work, the electronic structure and spectroscopic properties of lumiflavin are calculated using various quantum chemical methods. The excitation energies for ten singlet and triplet states as well as the analysis of the electron density difference are assessed using various wave function‐based methods and density functionals. The relative order of singlet and triplet excited states is established on the basis of the coupled cluster method CC2. We find that at least seven singlet excited states are required to assign all peaks in the UV/Vis spectrum. In addition, we have studied the solvatochromic effect on the excitation energies and found differential effects except for the first bright excited state. Vibrational frequencies as well as IR, Raman and resonance Raman intensities are simulated and compared to their experimental counterparts. We have assigned peaks, assessed the effect of anharmonicity, and confirmed the previous assignments in case of the most intense transitions. Finally, we have studied the NMR shieldings and established the effect of the solvent polarity. The present study provides data for lumiflavin in the gas phase and in implicit solvent model that can be used as a reference for the protein‐embedded flavin simulations and assignment of experimental spectra.     

Heavy metal complexes of macrocyclic trithioethers

We report here two crystal structures of heavy metal complexes containing macrocyclic trithioethers. The trithioether, 10S3 (1,4,7-trithiacyclodecane) complexes Pb(II) to form a compound of the formula [Pb(10S3)](ClO₄)₂(H₂O) (Compound 1). This behavior contrasts the related trithioether 9S3 (1,4,7-trithianonane), which readily forms a bis Pb(II) complex. Crystals of Compound 1 consist of [Pb(10S3)(H₂O)]²⁺ units and perchlorate anions which are weakly bound to the Pb²⁺ center. The two perchlorate anions serve as bidentate ligands to a single lead(II) center. However, a third oxygen in one of the perchlorates also serves as a bridging group between two lead(II) centers, linking the [Pb(10S3)(H₂O)]²⁺ units into zigzag chains. Thus, a highly irregular nine-coordinate (S₃O₆) environment around the Pb²⁺ion is formed by the three sulfur donors from the 10S3 ligand, one coordinated water, and five oxygens from three different perchlorate anions. Also, the lone pair electrons on the Pb center are stereochemically active. Compound 2, [Cd(9S3)₂](ClO₄)₂ 2 CH₃NO₂, forms a distorted octahedral structure with unusual hexakis(thioether) coordination to the Cd(II) center. Bond distances and angles are very comparable to those found in the structure of the tetrafluoroborate salt of the complex cation. (1): P2₁/c, a = 9.1720(6) Å, b = 15.7687(11) Å, c = 11.8427(8) Å, = 93.0180(10) , V = 1710.4 (2) ų, Z = 4; (2): P2₁/c , a = 10.4305(10) Å, b = 15.2059(6) Å, c = 9.4919(7) Å, = 99.324(9), V = 1485.6(2) ų, Z = 2.     

Matrix isolation FTIR spectroscopic and theoretical study of 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoropropane (HCFC-243)

The molecular structure and infrared spectrum of the atmospheric pollutant 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoropropane (HCFC-243) were characterized experimentally and theoretically. The theoretical calculations show the existence of two conformers, with the gauche (G) and trans (T) orientation around the HCCC dihedral angle. Conformer G was calculated to be more stable than form T by more than 10 kJ mol (-1). In consonance with the large predicted relative energy of conformer T, only the G form was identified spectroscopically in cryogenic argon (10 K) and xenon (20 K) matrices prepared from room-temperature equilibrium vapor of the compound. The observed infrared spectra of the matrix-isolated HCFC-243 were interpreted with the aid of high-level density functional theory calculations and normal coordinate analysis. For experimental identification of the weakest IR absorption bands, the spectrum of HCFC-243 in the neat solid state at 145 K was obtained. This spectrum also confirmed the sole presence of the G conformer in the sample. Natural bond orbital and atomic charge analyses were carried out for the two conformers to shed light on the most important intramolecular interactions in the two conformers, in particular those responsible for their relative stability.     

Azo-hydrazone tautomerism in protonated aminoazobenzenes: resonance Raman spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations

The protonation effect on the vibrational and electronic spectra of 4-aminoazobenzene and 4-(dimethylamino)azobenzene was investigated by resonance Raman spectroscopy, and the results were discussed on the basis of quantum-chemical calculations. Although this class of molecular systems has been investigated in the past concerning the azo-hydrazone tautomerism, the present work is the first to use CASSCF/CASPT2 calculations to unveil the structure of both tautomers as well the nature of the molecular orbitals involved in chromophoric moieties responsible for the resonance Raman enhancement patterns. More specifically both the resonance Raman and theoretical results show clearly that in the neutral species, the charge transfer transition involves mainly the azo moiety, whereas in the protonated forms there is a great difference, depending on the tautomer. In fact, for the azo tautomer the transition is similar to that observed in the corresponding neutral species, whereas in the hydrazone tautomer such a transition is much more delocalized due to the contribution of the quinoid structure. The characterization of protonated species and the understanding of the tautomerization mechanism are crucial for controlling molecular properties depending on the polarity and pH of the medium.     

Revisiting the concept of the (a)synchronicity of diels‐alder reactions based on the dynamics of quasiclassical trajectories

A number of model Diels‐Alder (D‐A) cycloaddition reactions (H₂C?CH₂ + cyclopentadiene and H₂C?CHX + 1,3‐butadiene, with X = H, F, CH₃, OH, CN, NH₂, and NO) were studied by static (transition state ‐ TS and IRC) and dynamics (quasiclassical trajectories) approaches to establish the (a)synchronous character of the concerted mechanism. The use of static criteria, such as the asymmetry of the TS geometry, for classifying and quantifying the (a)synchronicity of the concerted D‐A reaction mechanism is shown to be severely limited and to provide contradictory results and conclusions when compared to the dynamics approach. The time elapsed between the events is shown to be a more reliable and unbiased criterion and all the studied D‐A reactions, except for the case of H₂C?CHNO, are classified as synchronous, despite the gradual and quite distinct degrees of (a)symmetry of the TS structures. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.