Surface anchoring of rodlike molecules on corrugated substrates

We studied the mechanism of surface anchoring of rodlike molecules on substrates with the surfaces corrugated at molecular scale by molecular-dynamics simulation. We constructed a model for substrates that can have anisotoropic topographical patterns such as corrugation. The structural and thermodynamic properties of rodlike molecules on the corrugated surfaces, including the elastic and anchoring properties, were calculated and the influence of the surface structure on the anchoring was discussed. We found that the rodlike molecules are aligned along the grooves of the corrugated surfaces guided by the anisotropic molecular interaction between the molecules and the corrugated surface. The strength of anchoring was found to be increased when the period of corrugation is decreased at molecular level.     

Radiation-induced oxidation of polymers. Effect of antioxidant and antirad agent on oxygen consumption and gas evolution

The effects of antioxidants and of an antirad agent mixed in polyethylene and ethylene-propylene copolymer were investigated by means of oxygen consumption and gas evolution. The antioxidants were NBC, Irganox 1010, and DPPD, and the antirad agent was propyl fluoranthene (PFR). A small amount of the antioxidant (0.5 phr) in polymer decreased oxygen consumption by one-half or one-third compared with pure polymer, but the activity was lost with increasing irradiation. The antirad agent also decreased oxygen consumption and it was assumed to act as the energy transfer agent in the polymer matrix.     

Highly Stereocontrolled Cyclopropanation by the 1,3-Elimination of a Bis(tributylstannyl)propanol Derivative

The highly stereoselective ring closure of gamma-hydroxystannyl derivative was realized. The aldol reaction of methyl bis(tributylstannyl)propionate (2) with aldehyde 5 proceeds stereoselectively to give (gamma-hydroxypropyl)stannane 6, and the cyclopropanation reaction of aldol product 6 proceeds smoothly in a highly stereoselective manner presumably via a W-shape transition state. The stannyl group on the cyclopropane ring can be converted into various electrophiles with a retention of configuration. As a result, various stereocontrolled 1,2,3-trisubstituted cyclopropanes can be obtained in high yields.     

Mesomorphic phase transition behavior of novel triphenylene compounds possessing fluoroalkylated side chains

This report discusses the effect of fluoroalkyl chain on the mesomorphism. Several homologues of novel triphenylene compounds possessing fluoroalkylated side chains were synthesized. Studies of X-ray diffraction, DSC and texture observations by polarized microscope revealed that these homologues show hexagonal columnar (Col_h) mesophase. These homologues made columnar mesophase stabilize and the melting point increase, as compared with corresponding alkyloxytriphenylenes. In the case of fluoroalkyloxytriphenylenes possessing fluoromethylene side chains, the increase of the fluoromethylene chain length stabilized columnar mesophase, made the phase transition enthalpy (Col_h-Iso) and entropy (Col_h-Iso) increase. It is considered that these results are due to the fluorophilic interaction, and that the fluorophilic interaction is important for stabilizing columnar mesophase.     

Phase-Drift-Suppression Method Using Higher Order Harmonics in Heterodyne Detection

The theory of phase-drift-suppression method and simulated results using sinusoidal and triangular phase modulation have been described. The computed signal intensity is defined as the square root of the sum of squares of each harmonic intensity in the heterodyne beat signal. The relations between the computed signal intensity, its relative standard deviation, and the modulation indexes are shown through simulations. Modulation indexes that suppress the phase drifts were obtained, including up to the eighth harmonic. The stability of the beat signal in sinusoidal and triangular phase modulation was confirmed to increase 245 times using harmonics from the fundamental to the fourth order and a modulation index of 2.8 rad, and to increase 490 times using harmonics from the fundamental to the second order and 2.9 rad.     

Synthesis of supramolecular boron complex with anthryl groups exhibiting specific optical response for chloride ion

Supramolecular boron complex having plural hydrogen bonding sites and anthracene moieties was synthesized and showed an excimer emission selectively accompanied with capture of chloride ions.     

New Phase-Shifting Method Using Two Images

We propose a continuous two-step method (CTSM) to obtain an image from two interference images for the measurement time reduction of optical coherence tomography. Image processing is performed for each pixel in CTSM. The calculated signal intensity has an average and standard deviation after processing since the heterodyne beat signal contains the noise in the measurements. We assume that the heterodyne beat signal contains the random noise in simulations and calculate the influence of the normalized standard deviation (NSD = standard deviation/average) on the random noise intensity for both CTSM and the conventional three-step method (TSM). We found that the NSD of the CTSM is only 1.4 times greater than that of the TSM despite processing only two images.     

Texture and molecular chain mobility in cold-deformed linear polyethylene

The fine texture and molecular motion in rolled (draw ratios λ = 2, λ = 5), cold-drawn (λ = 6), and hot-drawn (λ = 6), linear polyethylene (Sholex 6050) films were studied by small-angle x-ray scattering, wide-line nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and dynamic viscoelastic measurements. NMR spectra of the rolled (λ = 5) and cold-drawn samples show a small narrow component at room temperature. For these cold-deformed samples, a gradual decrease in the second moment is observed well below the α relaxation temperature and a new relaxation appears in the same temperature region in the logarithmic decrement versus temperature. This relaxation is absent in the original and hot-drawn samples. It is concluded that the new relaxation arises from molecular motion in intermediate regions where molecular chains are less mobile than in the amorphous state.