UV‐Induced [2+2] Grafting‐To Reactions for Polymer Modification of Cellulose

Benzaldehyde‐functional cellulose paper sheets have been synthesized via tosylation of cellulose (Whatman No 5) followed by addition of p‐hydroxy benzaldehyde. Via UV‐induced Paterno–Büchi [2+2] cycloaddition reactions, these aldehyde functional surfaces are grafted with triallylcyanurate, trimethylolpropane allyl ether, and vinyl chloroacetate. In the following, allyl‐functional polymers (poly(butyl acrylate), pBA, M_n = 6990 g mol⁻¹, Đ = 1.12 and poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide), pNIPAAm, M_n = 9500 g mol⁻¹, Đ = 1.16) synthesized via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization are conjugated to the celloluse surface in a UV‐induced grafting‐to approach. With pBA, hydrophobic cellulose sheets are obtained (water contact angle 116°), while grafting of pNIPAAm allows for generation of “smart” surfaces, which are hydrophilic at room temperature, but that become hydrophobic when heated above the characteristic lower critical solution temperature (93° contact angle). The Paterno–Büchi reaction has been shown to be a versatile synthetic tool that also performs well in grafting‐to approaches whereby its overall performance seems to be close to that of radical thiol‐ene reactions.

     

Sustained photon pulse revivals from inhomogeneously broadened spin ensembles

A very promising recent trend in applied quantum physics is to combine the advantageous features of different quantum systems into what is called “hybrid quantum technology”. One of the key elements in this new field will have to be a quantum memory enabling to store quanta over extended periods of time. Systems that may fulfill the demands of such applications are comb‐shaped spin ensembles coupled to a cavity. Due to the decoherence induced by the inhomogeneous ensemble broadening, the storage time of these quantum memories is, however, still rather limited. Here we demonstrate how to overcome this problem by burning well‐placed holes into the spectral spin density leading to spectacular performance in the multimode regime. Specifically, we show how an initial excitation of the ensemble leads to the emission of more than a hundred well‐separated photon pulses with a decay rate significantly below the fundamental limit of the recently proposed “cavity protection effect”.

     

Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Utilization of Methanol as a C1 Source in Organic Synthesis

Methanol is used as a common solvent, cost-effective reagent, and sustainable feedstock for value-added chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and materials. Among the various applications, the utilization of methanol as a C₁ source for the formation of carbon–carbon, carbon–nitrogen, and carbon–oxygen bonds continues to be important in organic synthesis and drug discovery. In particular, the synthesis of C-, N-, and O-methylated products is of central interest because these motifs are found in a large number of natural products as well as fine and bulk chemicals. In this Minireview, we summarize the utilization of methanol as a C₁ source in methylation, methoxylation, formylation, methoxycarbonylation, and oxidative methyl ester formation reactions.     

Non-Pincer-Type Manganese Complexes as Efficient Catalysts for the Hydrogenation of Esters

Catalytic hydrogenation of carboxylic acid esters is essential for the green production of pharmaceuticals, fragrances, and fine chemicals. Herein, we report the efficient hydrogenation of esters with manganese catalysts based on simple bidentate aminophosphine ligands. Monoligated Mn PN complexes are particularly active for the conversion of esters into the corresponding alcohols at Mn concentrations as low as 0.2 mol % in the presence of sub-stoichiometric amounts of KO^tBu base.     

On the covering radius of lattice zonotopes and its relation to view-obstructions and the lonely runner conjecture

The goal of this paper is twofold; first, we show the equivalence between certain problems in geometry, such as view-obstructions, billiard ball motions, and the estimation of covering radii of lattice zonotopes. Second, we utilize the latter interpretation and provide upper bounds of said radii by virtue of the Flatness Theorem. Our results allow us to specify how rational dependencies in the view-direction influence the obstruction parameter. These problems are similar in nature to the famous Lonely Runner Problem for which we draw analogous conclusions.     

A hierarchical multiscale finite element approach for modelling the heat affected zone of welded joints

In the present work a hierarchical multiscale approach, based on finite element method, is applied in order to characterize the heat affected zone (HAZ) of a welded joint with parent material S460M. The metallurgical constituents of particular regions of the HAZ was determined experimentally and, regarding the multiscale approach, a first-order computational homogenization method was implemented. In this context, effective stress-strain-relations in particular spots of the HAZ are determined applying prescribed displacement boundary conditions. The obtained relations were considered in subsequent finite element calculations of butt-welded joints under tensile loading, allowing a comparison of the numerical strain states to experimental results. (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Electrothermal Description of Organic Semiconductor Devices by p(x)-Laplace Thermistor Models

We consider a p(x)-Laplace thermistor model for electrothermal effects in organic semiconductor devices and propose a hybrid finite-volume/finite-element scheme which is combined with path-following methods to find a numerical solution. (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)