Viscoelastic properties of nanostructured natural rubber/polystyrene interpenetrating polymer networks

The effects of the blend ratio and initiating system on the viscoelastic properties of nanostructured natural rubber/polystyrene‐based interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) were investigated in the temperature range of ?80 to 150 °C. The studies were carried out at different frequencies (100, 50, 10, 1, and 0.1 Hz), and their effects on the damping and storage and loss moduli were analyzed. In all cases, tan δ and the storage and loss moduli showed two distinct transitions corresponding to natural rubber and polystyrene phases, which indicated that the system was not miscible on the molecular level. However, a slight inward shift was observed in the IPNs, with respect to the glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) of the virgin polymers, showing a certain degree of miscibility or intermixing between the two phases. When the frequency increased from 0.1 to 100 Hz, the T_g values showed a positive shift in all cases. In a comparison of the three initiating systems (dicumyl peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, and azobisisobutyronitrile), the dicumyl peroxide system showed the highest modulus. The morphology of the IPNs was analyzed with transmission electron microscopy. The micrographs indicated that the system was nanostructured. An attempt was made to relate the viscoelastic behavior to the morphology of the IPNs. Various models, such as the series, parallel, Halpin–Tsai, Kerner, Coran, Takayanagi, and Davies models, were used to model the viscoelastic data. The area under the linear loss modulus curve was larger than that obtained by group contribution analysis; this showed that the damping was influenced by the phase morphology, dual‐phase continuity, and crosslinking of the phases. Finally, the homogeneity of the system was further evaluated with Cole–Cole analysis. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1680–1696, 2003     

Epoxy based coatings on glass: strengthening mechanisms

Glass may be strengthened by epoxy coatings although the strengthening mechanisms remain unclear. Possible strengthening mechanisms are reviewed and are used to analyse strength data for both a solvent based and a water based coating system. The coatings either fill (solvent based coatings), or partially fill (water based coatings) surface cracks and it is shown that closure stresses arising from the thermal expansion mismatch of the coating within these cracks can account for the observed degrees of strengthening. It is also demonstrated that other suggested mechanisms such as flaw healing cannot fully account for the observed degree of strengthening.     

Influence of support properties on the sound radiated from the vibrations of rectangular plates

The control of the forced vibration response of structures through the optimal tuning of its supports is desirable in many applications. Tuning may enhance the dissipation of vibration energy within the supports, thereby reducing fatigue and structure-borne noise. Two different models were developed to calculate the optimal support stiffness that minimizes the velocity response of homogeneous plates. The first model, based on the wave propagation at the edge, yields a good first cut approximation of the optimal properties. The optimal viscous and viscoelastic support stiffness for minimal reflection at the edge was calculated. Maximum absorption of the incident waves occurs when the viscous support stiffness matches the characteristic mechanical impedances of the plate. The second model, based on the Rayleigh-Ritz method, yields more accurate estimates of the optimal support stiffness required to minimize the forced velocity response of the finite rectangular plate. The optimal support properties calculated from the two different methods were in good agreement. This suggested that the modal response of the plate is strongly influenced by the wave reflections at the edges. Finally, the effects of support properties on the sound radiated from the plate were investigated. The optimal support stiffness that minimizes the radiated sound power was found to be smaller than the value that minimizes the velocity response. The results show that both the velocity response and sound radiation are strongly influenced by dissipation of vibration energy at the edges, and demonstrate that support tuning can yield significant noise and vibration reduction.     

Algorithm for Optimal Triangulations in Scattered Data Representation and Implementation

Scattered data collected at sample points may be used to determine simple functions to best fit the data. An ideal choice for these simple functions is bivariate splines. Triangulation of the sample points creates partitions over which the bivariate splines may be defined. But the optimality of the approximation is dependent on the choice of triangulation. An algorithm, referred to as an Edge Swapping Algorithm, has been developed to transform an arbitrary triangulation of the sample points into an optimal triangulation for representation of the scattered data. A Matlab package has been completed that implements this algorithm for any triangulation on a given set of sample points.     

Luminescence enhancement by hydrogenation of Si:Er,O

Erbium (Er)- and oxygen (O)-doped Cz–Si was additionally doped with hydrogen, using plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra show a large enhancement especially for samples treated with solid phase epitaxy before hydrogenation and annealing at 900°C later. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements give evidence for an enhanced diffusion of O and Er at this temperature towards the surface. Etching shows that the PL does not stem from the heavily doped surface layer but from a deeper region with lower Er concentration. This conclusion is supported by the appearance of the so-called “cubic” centre with low solubility. Comparing the PL yield of the hydrogenated samples to that of samples with similar Er volume concentration but without hydrogenation still gives a large enhancement. We thus conclude that hydrogen can enhance the solubility of the cubic centre in Si:Er,O.     

Large deviation for the empirical eigenvalue density of truncated Haar unitary matrices

Let U_m be an m×m Haar unitary matrix and U_[m,n] be its n×n truncation. In this paper the large deviation is proven for the empirical eigenvalue density of U_[m,n] as m/n→λ and n→∞. The rate function and the limit distribution are given explicitly. U_[m,n] is the random matrix model of quq, where u is a Haar unitary in a finite von Neumann algebra, q is a certain projection and they are free. The limit distribution coincides with the Brown measure of the operator quq.     

A Note on Caterpillar-Embeddings with No Two Parallel Edges

Let G be a set of n points in general position (i.e., no three points are on a line) in the plane, and let C be a caterpillar on n vertices. We show that one can always find a rectilinear embedding of C in the plane such that the vertices of C are the points of G and no two edges of C go to parallel segments. This proves a conjecture of Robert E. Jamison.     

A discontinuous Galerkin method for the Cahn-Hilliard equation

The Cahn-Hilliard equation is modeled to describe the dynamics of phase separation in glass and polymer systems. A priori error estimates for the Cahn-Hilliard equation have been studied by the authors. In order to control accuracy of approximate solutions, a posteriori error estimation of the Cahn-Hilliard equation is obtained by discontinuous Galerkin method.     

Surface free energies of electroless Ni–P based composite coatings

Surface free energy of a solid surface gives a direct measure of intermolecular interactions at interfaces and has a strong influence on adsorption and adhesion behaviour. However few data are available for the surface free energies of electroless Ni–P based composition coatings. In this paper, the electroless Ni–P, Ni–P-surfactant, Ni–Cu–P, Ni–P–PTFE and Ni–Cu–P–PTFE composite coatings were prepared under various coating conditions. The chemical compositions, surface morphology and thickness of the coatings were measured using an energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a digital micrometer respectively. The contact angles of water, diiodomethane and ethylene glycol on the coatings were measured automatically using dataphysics OCA-20 contact angle analyser. The surface free energy of the coatings and their components (e.g. dispersion, polar or acid/base portions) were calculated using various methods. The experimental results showed that the incorporation of surfactant or PTFE particles into Ni–P matrixes has a significant influence on the surface free energy of the coatings, while the incorporation of copper into Ni–P matrixes has no significant influence on the surface free energy of the coatings.     

The effect of Mn substitution on thermoelectric properties of Ca3MnxCo4−xO9 at low temperatures

The effects of partial substitution of Mn for Co on the thermoelectric properties of Ca₃Mn_xCo_4−xO₉ (x=0, 0.03, 0.9), prepared by sol-gel process, were investigated at the temperatures from 380 K down to 5 K. The results indicate that the substitution of Mn for Co results in increase in thermopower at temperatures >∼80 K, and substantial (23-31% at 300 K) decrease in lattice thermal conductivity in the whole temperature range investigated. The temperature behavior of ZT suggests that Ca₃Mn_xCo_4−xO₉ with light Mn substitution would be a promising candidate for high-temperature thermoelectric applications.