Recent advances in the homogeneous polymerisation of olefins mediated by nickel complexes

A brief overview is presented on recent advances in the application of nickel coordination complexes as mediators of olefin polymerisation; in some cases involving stereo-regular polymer formation where appropriate. Emphasis is also given on recent findings concerning di- and tri-nuclear Ni clusters with details on ethylene, methyl methacrylate or styrene-based monomer polymerisations.     

Modal and characteristics-based approaches for modeling elastic waves induced by time-dependent boundary conditions

In this paper, we present a characteristics-based approach for solving elastic wave problems with time-dependent traction boundary conditions. A generalized mathematical model for this important class of problems is expressed as a set of first-order, linear, hyperbolic partial differential equations. We analyze the mathematical structure of this first-order linear system, verify its hyperbolicity, derive its characteristic form, and deduce its eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and Riemann invariants. The eigenvalues correspond to the wave speeds, while the Riemann invariants are used to construct a solution by the method of characteristics.     

Fundamental problems of solid mechanics in high technologies

The paper provides an analytical review of some fundamental problems of solid mechanics in high technologies. The review relies partly on the invited report presented by the authors at the 10th All-Russian Congress on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics held in Nizhny Novgorod in 2011. Attention is focused on the problems involved in technologies of materials with a bulk fine-grained (nano) structure and in technologies used to control mechanical properties of surfaces and interfaces.     

Kinetic Study of Propylene Hydrogenation over Pt/Al2O3 by Parahydrogen-Induced Polarization

Parahydrogen-induced polarization has been successfully used for a kinetic study of propylene hydrogenation over a Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst. It was shown that the reaction orders with respect to hydrogen are different for the pairwise and the non-pairwise hydrogen addition and are equal to 0.7 and 0.1, respectively. This observation of different reaction orders confirms the coexistence of different types of active sites which are responsible for the overall and the pairwise hydrogen addition to the propylene C=C double bond. Moreover, 0.7 reaction order with respect to H₂ for pairwise hydrogen addition indicates that the contribution of pairwise addition depends on the concentration of molecular hydrogen. Therefore, this observation can be developed into a practical tool for producing fluids with highly polarized nuclear spins by changing the hydrogen concentration.