ABA triblock copolymers with a ring‐opening metathesis polymerization/macromolecular chain‐transfer agent approach

Block copolymers containing polystyrene and polycyclooctene were synthesized with a ring‐opening metathesis polymerization/chain‐transfer approach. Polystyrene, containing appropriately placed olefins, was prepared by anionic polymerization and served as a macromolecular chain‐transfer agent for the ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of cyclooctene. These unsaturated polymers were subsequently converted to the corresponding saturated triblock copolymers with a simple heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation step. The molecular and morphological characterization of the block copolymers was consistent with the absence of significant branching in the central polycyclooctene and polyethylene blocks [high melting temperatures (114–127 °C) and levels of crystallinity (17–42%)]. A dramatic improvement in both the long‐range order and the mechanical properties of a microphase‐separated, symmetric polystyrene–polycyclooctene–polystyrene block copolymer sample was observed after fractionation. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 361–373, 2007     

Algorithms for extraction of spacing information from a head/tape interface

Various algorithms for the extraction of spacing information from an interferometric fringe pattern of the head/tape interface have been proposed. In this paper, a comparison of three algorithms is presented: tape unloading, polynomial fitting and Fourier transform. The relative merits of each method are discussed, together with implementation details. In an experiment with a transparent head and CrO₂ tape, it was found that all methods give a similar result to within ±5 nm, with none unilaterally preferable to the others. The Fourier transform method, which has not been used for this application before, gives smooth spacing data for high fringe orders, and is less sensitive to fringe order errors, but produces noisier spacing data in the contact region.     

Solid-state photochemical generation of polymeric polyradicals: Poly(4-vinylphenoxy) and copolymers with styrene

Synthesis of poly(4′-vinyl-2,4,6-tri-tert-butyl-diphenyloxalate) and its 65 : 35 and 19 : 81 copolymers with styrene are described. Rigid phase broad-band photolysis of the homopolymer with a quartz filtered xenon arc at 77 K results in production of up to 25% of the theoretical number of spins/mol expected for quantitative production of pendant phenoxyl radicals, and shows no major loss of radical signal in the ESR at temperatures below 100 K. Curie law analysis of the temperature dependence of the ESR radical signal intensity for the neat photolyzed homopolymer 1 shows curvature consistent with antiferromagnetic pairing of radical spins at low temperatures. Since through-bond conjugation of radical spins is not possible in this system, the antiferromagnetic interaction is interpreted in terms of intrachain and/or interchain through-space exchange interactions.     

A study of the oxidation of europium(II) sulphide by europium-151 Mössbauer spectroscopy

The oxidation of solid europium(II) sulphide under mild conditions has been examined by¹⁵¹Eu Mössbauer spectroscopy. The results show that europium(II) sulphide is remarkably stable to oxidation at 25°C and is only partially converted to Eu³⁺ after exposure to air for four days. Treatment in air at a temperature of 250°C for six hours induces a similar degree of oxidation. The mechanism and kinetics of oxidation of curopium(II) sulphide under mild conditions in the solid state are therefore non-trivial matters.     

Numerical semigroups of maximal and almost maximal length

Communicated by R. B. McFadden     

A general procedure for obtaining wave functions obeying the virial theorem

The virial theorem for molecules is shown to have two different forms, one employing the energy gradient the other involving the Hellmann–Feynman force. While the former VT can be fulfilled by a uniform scaling of the basis set, the latter cannot be satisfied in certain basis sets, and can give unrealistic results in others. The scaling procedure is applied to molecules at nonstationary points on the potential energy surface and it is found that energy components can change substantially, especially at short bondlengths, while the change in total energy is small. The effects on molecular properties are also small.     

Pressure and temperature dependence of the electric field gradient (EFG) in CdS

Using the time differential perturbed angular correlation technique (TDPAC), the electric hyperfine interaction of¹¹¹Cd in the II-VI-semiconductor CdS was investigated. The results of the temperature and pressure dependence of the electric field gradient (EFG) are discussed. The binding energyE _b for¹¹¹In at a Cd lattice site and a Cd vacancy (¹¹¹In_Cd–V_Cd–pair) could be estimated to 340 meV±80 meV by means of an Arrhenius-Plot. The disappearance of the 79 MHz and 73 MHz frequencies under a pressure of about 30 kbar could be due to their vacancy character or to the beginning of the phase transition to rocksalt structure.