Miscibility and isothermal crystallization behavior of polyamide 6/poly(vinyl alcohol) blend

An investigation of miscibility and isothermal crystallization behavior of Polyamide 6 (PA6)/Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blends was conducted. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) analysis indicated that the interactions between the carbonyl groups of PA6 and hydroxyl groups of PVA increase as the weight ratios of PA6 to PVA of PA6/PVA specimens increase. This interaction between PA6 and PVA leads to their miscibility in the amorphous region and even some extent effects on their crystal phase, respectively. Further isothermal crystallization behavior of PA6/PVA indicate that the miscibility of PVA in PA6 leading difficulty in crystallization of PA6. Several kinetics equations are employed to describe the effects of PVA on the crystallization properties of PA6 in PA6/PVA blends in detail. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 1360–1368, 2008     

A phenomenological theory for elastic superconductors

The purpose of the present study is to develop a phenomenological theory for elastic superconductors that is based on a rigorous thermodynamical internal variable theory in which the concept of complex internal variable is introduced to include the phase effect of quantum mechanics. Two phenomena of superconductivity, i.e., perfect conductivity and perfect diamagnetism, can be explained in the formulation. In the equilibrium state, this theory can be reduced to the well-known Ginzburg-Landau (GL) theory. Upon linearizing the field equations, boundary conditions and constitutive equations, the governing equations of the rigid-body state and the perturbed state are obtained. These equations then serve to analyze the effect of the hydrostatic deformation on the penetration depth, the GL coherence length and the critical field.     

Synthesis of polyphilic hexaazatrinaphthylenes and mesomorphic properties

Methodologies for the synthesis of polyphilic hexaazatrinaphthylenes (HATN) with reduced symmetry based on the sequential condensation reactions of 1,2-bisalkoxy-4,5-diaminobenzenes with either tetrahydroxy-1,4-quinone or hexaketocyclohexane are described. The synthesized HATN possesses improved mesogenic properties and is liquid crystalline at room temperature.     

Direct electron transfer of cytochrome C and its electrocatalytic properties on multiwalled carbon nanotubes/ciprofloxacin films

In this study, stable and homogenous thin films of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were obtained on conducting surface using ciprofloxacin (CF, fluoroquinolone antibiotic) as an effective-dispersing agent. Further, MWCNTs/CF film modified electrodes (glassy carbon and indium tin oxide-coated glass electrode) are used successfully to study the direct electrochemistry of proteins. Here, cytochrome C (Cyt-C) was used as a model protein for investigation. A MWCNTs/CF film modified electrode was used as a biocompatible material for immobilization of Cyt-C from a neutral buffer solution (pH 7.2) using cyclic voltammetry (CV). Interestingly, Cyt-C retained its native state on the MWCNTs/CF film. The Cyt-C adsorbed MWCNTs/CF film was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–visible spectrophotometry (UV-vis) and CV. SEM images showed the evidence for the adsorption of Cyt-C on the MWCNTs/CF film, and UV–vis spectrum confirmed that Cyt-C was in its native state on MWCNTs/CF film. Using CV, it was found that the electrochemical signal of Cyt-C was highly stable in the neutral buffer solution and its redox peak potential was pH dependent. The formal potential (−0.27 V) and electron transfer rate constant (13 ± 1 s⁻¹) were calculated for Cyt-C on MWCNTs/CF film modified electrode. A potential application of the Cyt-C/MWCNTs/CF electrode as a biosensor to monitor H₂O₂ has been investigated. The steady-state current response increases linearly with H₂O₂ concentration from 2 × 10⁻⁶ to 7.8 × 10⁻⁵ M. The detection limit for determination of H₂O₂ has been found to be 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ M (S/N = 3). Thus, Cyt-C/MWCNTs/CF film modified electrode can be used as a biosensing material for sensor applications.     

Employing dual-saturable-absorber-based filter for stable and tunable erbium-doped fiber ring laser in single-frequency

In this demonstration, a stable and wavelength-tunable erbium-doped fiber (EDF) ring laser using dual-saturable-absorber-based (DSAB) filter inside loop cavity is proposed and experimentally investigated. The proposed DSAB filter not only can filter the side-mode in single-frequency output, but also can obtain the flattened output power spectrum within 1 dB variation in the effectively range of 1529 to 1563 nm. In addition, the output stabilities of wavelength and power are also measured experimentally and discussed.     

Strain-induced pseudo-magnetic fields and charging effects on CVD-grown graphene

Atomically resolved imaging and spectroscopic characteristics of graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on copper are investigated by means of scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS). For CVD-grown graphene remaining on the copper substrate, the monolayer carbon structures exhibit ripples and appear strongly strained, with different regions exhibiting different lattice structures and electronic density of states (DOS). In particular, ridges appear along the boundaries of different lattice structures, which exhibit excess charging effects. Additionally, the large and non-uniform strain induces pseudo-magnetic field up to ~ 50 T, as manifested by the DOS peaks at quantized energies that correspond to pseudo-magnetic field-induced integer and fractional Landau levels. In contrast, for graphene transferred from copper to SiO₂ substrates after the CVD growth, the average strain on the whole diminishes, so do the corresponding charging effects and pseudo-magnetic fields except for sample areas near topological defects. These findings suggest feasible nano-scale “strain engineering” of the electronic states of graphene by proper design of the substrates and growth conditions.     

Optically controllable and focus-tunable Fresnel lens in azo-dye-doped liquid crystals using a Sagnac interferometer

This study demonstrates a tunable Fresnel lens in an azo-dye-doped liquid crystal (ADDLC) film using an interference technique. One Fresnel-patterned green beam using a Sagnac interferometer irradiated the UV-illuminated ADDLC cell, yielding a concentric zone plate distribution with homeotropic and isotropic structures in bright and dark regions of the green interference pattern. The proposed Fresnel lens is polarization independent, focus tunable, and the focusing efficiency of the device can be optically controlled.     

Structural and mechanical properties of multi-element (TiVCrZrHf)N coatings by reactive magnetron sputtering

In this study, (TiVCrZrHf)N multi-component coatings with quinary metallic elements were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering system. The composition, structure, and mechanical properties of the coatings deposited at different N₂ flow rates were investigated. The (TiVCrZrHf)N coatings deposited at N₂ flow rates of 0, 1, and 2 SCCM showed an amorphous structure, whereas those deposited at N₂ flow rates of 4 and 6 SCCM showed a simple face-centered cubic solid solution structure. A saturated nitride coating was obtained for N₂ flow of 4 SCCM and higher. By increasing N₂ flow to 4 SCCM, the hardness and modulus reached a maximum value of 23.8 ± 0.8 and 267.3 ± 4.0 GPa, respectively.