Single-crystal growth of sulphospinel CuIr2S4 from Bi solution

Single crystals of a sulphospinel CuIr₂S₄ have been grown from bismuth solution by a slow cooling method for the first time. The grown crystals have a maximum edge of about 1 mm in size and a mirror-like shining surface. Optimum growth conditions are fairly strict. The specific weight of starting materials for the crystal growth is found to be 0.30 g of CuIr₂S₄ and 10.0 g of Bi in order to obtain good quality crystals. The starting and finishing temperatures for the slow cooling step in the temperature control are 1000 and 500°C. The pertinent cooling rate is 2°C/h. Since the volume of bismuth itself expands in the transition from liquid phase to solid phase, a simple method of separation of the grown crystals from the liquid solution will be proposed for avoiding the mechanical damages to the grown crystals. The single crystals have the normal-spinel structure of the lattice constant a=9.849 Å at room temperature. A step-like anomaly in the susceptibility of the single crystals, corresponding to the metal–insulator transition in the resistivity, occurs much sharply than in the powder specimen.     

A tof neutron diffraction system for high pressure and low temperature

Abstract

Time-of-flight method of neutron diffraction is applied for materials under high pressure and low temperature. Extra-scattering from the pressure cell is reduced by geometrical design and by shielding with boron-plastics. Temperature is controled by adjusting the supply of liquid nitrogen: Successive transformations with pressure are observed in heavy ice.     

Using laser ultrasonics for nondestructive residual stress evaluation

A non-contact measuring technique of ultrasonic waves velocity is proposed, in which Rayleigh waves are detected by a laser Doppler velocimeter and the velocity is measured precisely by means of a sing-around unit and a digital oscilloscope. With the proposed technique, the acoustoelastic coefficient of Rayleigh waves in mild steel SS41 is obtained, which is in good agreement with that obtained by the contact method. Furthermore the non-contact technique is applied to evaluate the residual stress in a butt-welded steel plate, the result is reasonable.     

In situ observation of the pressure-induced mesophase for 4′-n-hexadecyloxy-3′-nitrobiphenyl-4-carboxylic acid

In situ observation of the optical texture, and X-ray patterns of the pressure-induced mesophase seen for 4′-n-hexadecyloxy-3′-nitrobiphenyl-4-carboxylic acid (ANBC-16) was performed under hydrostatic pressures up to 100MPa using a polarizing optical microscope equipped with a high pressure hot stage and a wide angle X-ray diffractometer equipped with a high pressure vessel respectively. It was found that the pressure-induced mesophase (hereafter refered to as ‘X’) appeared at pressures above 60 MPa, and exhibits a birefringent broken-fan or a sand-like texture that remain unaltered in the SmC phase. The POM-transmitted light intensity curve measured on heating clearly showed the Cr₄ → Cr₁ → SmC → ‘X’ → SmA → I transition sequence at 80 MPa. The optical texture and the POM-transmitted light intensity measured during a pressure cycle at 185°C showed a reversible change between the cubic and ‘X’ phases. The WAXD pattern of the ‘X’ phase showed a spot-like pattern, suggesting no layered structure for this phase, and also revealed a substantial decrease in the d-spacing of the low angle reflection at 80 and 100 MPa, compared with the d-spacings of the (0 0 1) reflection of the SmC phase and also the (2 1 1) reflection of the cubic phase. It is concluded from these data that the ‘X’ phase is a birefringent hexagonal columnar phase.     

Radiation-Induced Addition Reaction of Ethyl Mercaptan and Carbon Tetrachloride to 1,2-Polybutadiene

γ-Ray-induced addition reactions of syndiotactic 1,2-polybuta-diene film with various compounds were carried out at room temperature. The weight of the film markedly increased when ethyl mercaptan was used. In the reaction with ethyl mercaptan, only addition took place without crosslinking. The addition of ethyl mercaptan to the vinyl group of syndiotactic 1,2-poly-butadiene followed anti-Markownikoff rule, and gave a 1:1 addition product. The rate of addition increased as the crys-tallinity of syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene used became lower. A similar relation between the crystallinity and the rate of addition was also observed in the γ-ray-induced addition of carbon tetrachloride to syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene, but at the same time gelation was pronounced. When liquid 1,2-polybutadiene was used instead of syndiotactic-1,2-polybutadiene, gelation which made the polymer insoluble in carbon tetrachloride did not take place, although a crosslinking reaction was noted. The appearance of the product in this case changed from a viscous liquid to a white powder as the reaction proceeded. The addition of carbon tetrachloride to the vinyl group of liquid 1,2-polybutadiene was also of the anti-Markownikoff type. This addition was accompanied by unexpectedly large vinyl consumption. The total decrease in vinyl group was found to be much larger than the decrease in vinyl group which was brought about by the addition of carbon tetrachloride. This discrepancy was attributed to cyclization and crosslinking reactions which were ascribed to the vinyl group bound by the main chain.     

Mesomorphic phase transitions of a series of D-phase compounds

Mesomorphic phase transitions of 4'-n-alkoxy-3'-nitrobiphenyl-4-carboxylic acids (ANBC) with numbers of carbons (n) in the alkoxy group ranging from 11 to 22 have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarizing optical microscopy. The D phase, a mesophase of particular interest through its being optically isotropic, was observed for the n = 17, 19, 20, 21, and 22 members of the ANBCs, as well as for the n = 16 and 18 members, as reported previously. The S_c-D phase transition temperature decreased with increasing n, so that the temperature range of the D phase extended over 64° at n = 22. In the n = 15 member, the D phase was certainly observed on first heating, but was not seen on subsequent cooling and second heating processes.     

Determination of 2,4-dichlorophenol in dichlorophenol isomers by NMR

Quantitative analysis of isomers by NMR has been carried out in the measurement of species whose components present simple and sufficiently isolated spectra. Generally, the substituted aromatic proton splits into complicated spectral lines due to spin-spin coupling. The ring proton spectra of dichlorophenol isomers show a pattern peculiar to the three spin system. It was found that some of the signal attributable to these compounds appear in a position slightly isolated from each other. Therefore, we established the quantitative analysis method for dichlorophenol, using the signal intensity method. From the result of the quantitative analysis, the lowest detectable concentration was 1·1% (±0·3% at the standard deviation). The accuracy of the peak intensity method was found to be ±1·8% within the 50 to 80 mol% concentration range of 2,4-dichlorophenol isomer.     

Renormalization using the background-field method

Renormalization using the background-field method is examined in detail. The subtraction mechanism of subdivergences is described with reference to multi-loop diagrams and one- and two-loop counter-term formulae are explicitly given. The original one-loop counter-term formula of 't Hooft is thereby improved. The present method of renormalization is far easier to manage than the usual one owing to the fact that only gauge-invariant quantities are to be considered when worked in an appropriate gauge. Gravity and Yang-Mills theories are studied as examples.