Optical Properties and Radiation Stability of Al2O3 Microparticles,Nanoparticles and Microspheres

Journal of Surface Investigation: X-ray, Synchrotron and Neutron Techniques - A comparative analysis of the diffuse reflectance spectra in the range from 200 to 2500 nm is carried out on...     

Effects of crosslinker density on the polymer network structure in poly‐N,N‐dimethylacrylamide hydrogels

To investigate the effects of crosslinker density on the properties of hydrogels, compression tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Raman measurements were performed on poly‐N,N‐dimethylacrylamide hydrogels. The results of the compression tests showed that the Young's modulus increases as the crosslinker density increases. To understand the mechanism of the change in the mechanical properties, the structures of the polymer networks and water and the molecular vibrations were analyzed using SEM, DSC, and Raman methods. From the SEM images, it was found that the porosity estimated from the mesh size and cell density increases with increasing crosslinker density. In addition, the DSC and Raman results show that the thickness of the bound water increases as the porosity increases, although the density of the polymer chains in the porous wall remains nearly constant. The increase in the number density of polymer chains can be one of the mechanisms contributing to the increase in the mechanical strength of the hydrogels at lower crosslinker density below 5 mol %, as proposed by previous studies. At higher crosslinker density, however, the number density of polymer chains does not increase with increasing crosslinker density. The present results suggest that the bound water plays an important role in strengthening the hydrogel. The water structure may be one of the dominant factors governing the chemical and physical properties of hydrogels. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013 , 51, 1017–1027     

Microrheology of polysaccharide nanogel-integrated system

The viscoelastic behavior of a cholesterol-modified pullulan (CHP) nanogel at various concentrations was measured using passive particle-tracking microrheology. Microrheology measures stress–strain relationships in small volumes of material by monitoring the response of probes embedded in the medium. Although microrheology is a useful way to overcome sample volume limitations, the application of the method to CHP nanogel systems has not been reported. The viscoelastic spectra of the CHP nanogels obtained from the microrheological measurements were in good agreement with the bulk rheological measurements for each sample, demonstrating that microrheological measurement is effective in CHP nanogel systems. The gelation behavior of CHP nanogel dispersions containing pullulans of different molecular weights was also investigated by microrheology. CHP nanogels made from 1.0 or 4.0?×?10⁵ molecular weight pullulans formed a macrogel at around 3.0 wt%, whereas the CHP nanogel consisting of 0.55?×?10⁵ molecular weight pullulan did not form a macrogel. This suggests that the mechanical properties of the system can be controlled by the molecular weight of the pullulan used. These insights into gelation behavior should be useful in predicting the most favorable conditions for developing novel materials.     

Biomimetic multifunctional porous chalcogels as solar fuel catalysts

Biological systems that can capture and store solar energy are rich in a variety of chemical functionalities, incorporating light-harvesting components, electron-transfer cofactors, and redox-active catalysts into one supramolecule. Any artificial mimic of such systems designed for solar fuels production will require the integration of complex subunits into a larger architecture. We present porous chalcogenide frameworks that can contain both immobilized redox-active Fe(4)S(4) clusters and light-harvesting photoredox dye molecules in close proximity. These multifunctional gels are shown to electrocatalytically reduce protons and carbon disulfide. In addition, incorporation of a photoredox agent into the chalcogels is shown to photochemically produce hydrogen. The gels have a high degree of synthetic flexibility, which should allow for a wide range of light-driven processes relevant to the production of solar fuels.     

Composition of the essential oil ofTanacetum vulgare

The essential oil of the common tansy obtained from a population growing in the Dzhungarain Ala-Tau has been investigated. More than 50 substances have been detected, of which 39, including the main ones, have been identified.     

Systems based on the hydrophobically modified poly(ethylene imines) and surfactants: Aggregation and catalysis

The aggregation in aqueous systems of hydrophobically modified poly(ethylene imines) and their mixtures with cationic surfactants, as well as the catalytic activity of these compositions in the hydrolysis of O-4-nitrophenyl-O-ethylchloromethylphosphonate, are studied by conductometry, tensiometry, light-scattering, and viscometry methods. Critical association concentration, hydrodynamic radii of polymer and polymer-colloid aggregates formed in such systems, as well as kinetic parameters of hydrolysis are determined.     

Features of сhitosan interaction with copper(II) and cobalt(II) tetrasulfophthalocyanines

The interaction of chitosan with copper(II) and cobalt(II) tetrasulfophthalocyanines is studied by spectral methods. The main parameters of binding of chitosan to anionic metal phthalocyanines are determined by Scatchard analysis. It is found that the formation of the polymer complex is considerably contributed by donor?acceptor interactions between the coordinately unsaturated metal phthalocyanine and chitosan amino groups. Сhitosan reacts with a monomeric cobalt(II) tetrasulfophthalocyanine, whereas copper(II) tetrasulfophthalocyanine in its complex with chitosan remains in the dimeric state. The reaction centers responsible for the Cu(SO₃H)₄Pc)₂–chitosan and Co(SO₃H)₄Pc–chitosan complexes are revealed by means of IR spectroscopy.     

Fabrication of silver patterns on polyimide films based on solid-phase electrochemical constructive lithography using ion-exchangeable precursor layers

We report a fully additive-based electrochemical approach to the site-selective deposition of silver on a polyimide substrate. Using a cathode coated with ion-doped precursor polyimide layers, patterns of metal masks used as anodes were successfully reproduced at the cathode-precursor interface through electrochemical and ion-exchange reactions, which resulted in the generation of silver patterns on the polyimide films after subsequent annealing and removal from the substrate. Excellent interfacial adhesion was achieved through metal nanostructures consisting of interconnecting silver nanoparticles at the metal-polymer interface, which are electrochemically grown "in" the precursor layer. This approach is a resist- and etch-free process and thus provides an effective methodology toward lower-cost and high-throughput microfabrication.     

Chitosans: Thermochemical Study

The physical and phase transitions of a series of chitosans differing in molecular weight and deacetylation degree have been revealed by means of differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, and mass spectrometry. The temperature ranges corresponding to the dehydration and thermolysis of the considered polymers have been determined. The devitrification temperature of the polymers has been recorded, and its two-parametric regression on the chitosans molecular weight and deacetylation degree has been found. The molecular weight of the polymer revealed stronger effect on the devitrification temperature in comparison with the deacetylation degree.