Elastic incoherent neutron scattering studies on glass forming hydrogen-bonded systems

Neutron incoherent elastic scattering data have been collected on homologues disaccharides (trehalose, maltose, sucrose)/H₂O mixtures as a function of temperature. The results show a dynamical transition at T238 K, T235 K and T233 K for trehalose, maltose and sucrose/H₂O mixtures, respectively, marking a cross-over in molecular fluctuations between harmonic and non-harmonic dynamical regimes, proving a higher ‘rigidity’ of trehalose mixture with respect to maltose and sucrose mixtures. This finding accounts for the higher cryptobiotic effectiveness of trehalose, namely a capability to encapsulate biostructures in a more rigid environment.     

Study of the effect of swift heavy Ni ion irradiation on ruby single crystal by using the XANES and EXAFS techniques

We have made the XAFS measurements at the Cr–K-edge on natural Indian ruby single crystals (corundum) and its two irradiated samples with fluence 1×10¹² Ni⁶⁺ and 5×10¹² Ni⁶⁺ ions/cm². Irradiated samples show interesting changes in their physical appearance. XANES measurements show progressive decrease in Δ_oct value on increase of Ni fluence in irradiated samples. EXAFS measurements on these samples show decrease in Cr–O distance on increase of Ni fluence. Lowering of Δ_oct value is correlated with the increase of Cr–O distance.     

Influence of preparation method on SrMoO4 impurity content and magnetotransport properties of double perovskite Sr2FeMoO6 polycrystals

The magnetic and electric properties of the Sr₂FeMoO₆ compound produced under different preparation conditions were studied. Depending on the preparation condition, a strong variation in the nonmagnetic SrMoO₄ impurity content was found, which in turn determined the metallic or semiconducting behavior of the resistivity of the Sr₂FeMoO₆ compound. There was also evidence that SrMoO₄ played a crucial role in modifying the low magnetic field intergrain tunneling magnetoresistance in Sr₂FeMoO₆. In addition, we have established a simple method to prepare the single phase Sr₂FeMoO₆ polycrystals.     

UV curing of a novel resin derived from poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The synthesis and characterization of photopolymerizable unsaturated polyester resins based on PET waste are described. The resins came from a depolymerization process based on the glycolysis of PET by diethylene glycol (DEG). Different molecular weights of glycolysates were synthesized. Then, the latter was functionalized by a methyl hemiester of maleic acid to obtain unsatured α,ω‐bismaleate PET oligomers. In the presence of an electron donor monomer, such as triethylene glycol divinyl ether, these electron acceptor oligomers were copolymerized by way of charge‐transfer complexes under UV irradiation. The reaction was monitored in situ by real‐time IR spectroscopy to study the kinetics of photopolymerization. This one was studied in relation with the physical and chemical characteristics of oligoesters and the composition of mixtures containing divinyl ethers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1324–1335, 2007     

Elevation of the glass transition temperature in flexible‐chain semicrystalline polymers

In the idealized two‐phase model of a semicrystalline polymer, the amorphous intercrystalline layers are considered to have the same properties as the fully‐amorphous polymer. In reality, these thin intercrystalline layers can be substantially influenced by the presence of the crystals, as individual polymer molecules traverse both crystalline and amorphous phases. In polymers with rigid backbone units, such as poly(etheretherketone), PEEK, previous work has shown this coupling to be particularly severe; the glass transition temperature (T_g) can be elevated by tens of degrees celsius, with the magnitude of the elevation correlating directly with the thinness of the amorphous layer. However, this connection has not been explored for flexible‐chain polymers, such as those formed from vinyl‐type monomers. Here, we examine T_g in both isotactic polystyrene (iPS) and syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS), crystallized under conditions that produce a range of amorphous layer thicknesses. T_g is indeed shown to be elevated relative to fully‐amorphous iPS and sPS, by an amount that correlates with the thinness of the amorphous layer; the magnitude of the effect is severalfold less than that in PEEK, consistent with the minimum lengths of polymer chain required to make a fold in the different cases. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1198–1204, 2007     

Neuropeptide imaging on an LTQ with vMALDI source: The complete ‘all-in-one’ peptidome analysis

Direct tissue imaging was performed on dissected insect tissue using a MALDI ion trap to visualize endogenous neuropeptides. Coupling tissue imaging to tandem MSⁿ allows for the identification of previously known species and the ability to identify new ones by de novo sequencing, as searchable databases for insects are sparse. Direct tissue imaging is an attractive technique for the study of neuropeptides as minimal sample preparation is required prior to mass spectrometry. We successfully identified neuropeptides present in the corpora cardiaca and allata of Acheta domesticus (the house cricket). Diagnostic fragments at low m/z were used to distinguish between lipids and neuropeptides. The distribution of peptides appears to be more differentially localized than that of phospholipids, which seem to be more evenly distributed within the tissue.     

Modal properties of circular and noncircular optical waveguides

We give a review and a comparison of recent methods of analyzing circular and noncircular optical waveguides. Comparison among competing methodologies is made as follows: Galerkin's method is used with Laguerre-Gauss basis functions in circular geometry to examine the modal solution in a step index fiber, and comparison with the exact solution is made. A W-fiber, which has no exact solution, is then examined. Rectangular geometry is considered, and discussion centers on the use of Galerkin's method using trigonometric basis functions and Hermite-Gauss basis functions. Re difficulty arising from the use of basis functions that do not decay exponentially for large argument (trigonometric functions) is illustrated. Finally, a square step index waveguide is used to illustrate a comparison between a variational method that uses the Gaussian approximation as the starting point, and Galerkin's method using Hermite-Gauss basis functions. We conclude that the variational method does well in predicting the propagation constant β but does not do well in predicting the modal field.     

Mössbauer studies on some Argentinian soil: Mollisols from Bahia Blanca

Clay fractions of a Mollisol sample as is, treated with ammonium oxalate (AO), with dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate (DCB) and with dithionite-ethilene-diamine-tetraacetic acid (D-EDTA) methods, were studied. Illite-montmorillonites together with hematites, goethites and maghemites, all of the AI-substituted and with a wide range of sizes, were identified. It is found that the AO attack extracts little iron, whereas the other two attacks extract the magnetic signal. Furthermore, the DCB attack facilitates the reduction of the Fe³⁺ ions, while the D-EDTA method does not. Instead, this attack extracts more clay mineral Fe ions. A comparison with large grain soil samples is made.     

Dynamic mechanical analysis

Using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) we have studied thermal degradation for a system containing a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and 1,3-bisaminomethylcylohexane (1,3-BAC). The changes of dynamic mechanical properties during thermal degradation indicated a shift of the glass transition temperature (T _g) to higher temperatures and a decrease in the peak value of the dynamic loss factor (tan δ) with an increasing of aging time. The value of dynamic storage modulus (E′) at the rubbery state showed an increase with aging time, whiteE′ at the glassy state only underwent a moderate change with increased thermal degradation. From these results it can be argued that thermal degradation during the stage prior to the onset of the severe degradation involves structural changes in the epoxy system, as further crosslinking and loss of dangling chains in the crosslinked network.