Nanocomposites from Untreated Clay : A Myth ?

Polyamide 6 and pristine montmorillonite have been melt blended in an extruder and water was injected into the melt in order to produce nanocomposites. The pristine clay was found to be exfoliated and dispersed homogenously in the nanocomposites. A mechanism explaining the formation of such nanocomposites is presented.     

Dünne Lamellen und ihre physikalischen Eigenschaften

Ohne Zusammenfassung übersetzt von K. Popp (Dresden).     

20 Gbit/s high-performance integrated MQW TANDEM modulators andamplifier for soliton generation and coding

We report on the integration of two InGaAsP-InGaAsP MQW electroabsorption ridge modulators and an amplifier on the same active layer. The two modulators are separated by a 500-μm ridge waveguide optical amplifier, in order to prevent electrical crosstalk, and to compensate for optical losses. The first modulator is used as a soliton generator, and the second codes the generated pulses. The amplifier showed 8.2-dB gain for 120-mA injected current. This allowed a low fiber to fiber insertion loss of 9 dB for the tandem. We present here for the first time to our knowledge, a 20 Gbit/s operation for a tandem-amplifier device, together with transmission experiments     

40 Gbit/s OTDM soliton transmission over transoceanic distances

40 Gbit/s soliton transmission is achieved in a recirculating loop over 10000 km, for the first time to the authors' knowledge. With a single carrier wavelength. Propagation has been tested with and without polarisation multiplexing thanks to low polarisation dependency electroabsorption modulators for in-line control and for the time demultiplexing receiver     

Blends of bisphenol a polycarbonate and acrylic polymers. I. A chemical reaction mechanism

The chemical reaction at high temperature (above 200°C) between PC and PMMA has been very recently highlighted. However, no clear reaction mechanism has been proposed to explain this phenomenon. We suggest a reaction mechanism following two steps. The first step consists of hydrolysis of the ester bonds of the PMMA leading to acid pendant groups. These acids can then either ring close into glutaric anhydride, or acidolyze the carbonate bonds of PC during the second step. At the same time, benzoic acid produced by PC degradation could further react with PMMA or acidolyze the carbonate groups leading to the crosslinking of the system. A satisfactory contact between the reacting units is a key point in the proces. Significant amounts of PC-PMMA copolymer are obtained when the reaction is performed from a miscible system. On the contrary, no reaction occurs during melt mixing. Understanding the process enables us to specify the conditions, in which no chemical reaction takes place. In nonreactive conditions, PC/PMMA blends remain immiscible for several hours at 300°C. The thermodynamic UCST proposed in the literature is just an artifact due to the occurrence of the chemical reaction. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

An automated system for the registration and comparison of photographic images in medicine

A system is presented for digitization and automated comparison of photographic images of patients obtained at different times using a high-precision video camera. The images can be acquired either directly or from slides. The two images to be compared are registered using a complex geometrical and gray-level registration model including six parameters (planar, translation, rotation, magnification, linear transformation of the gray levels). The values of the registration parameters are automatically calculated by maximizing an integer similarity measure selected for robustness. The optimization of this function with respect to the registration parameters is performed using an adaptive random search strategy. The analysis of the differences between the registered images can be carried out through visual inspection of the subtraction image in which artifacts due to remaining infrapixel shifts have been suppressed.     

Molecular characterization of maleic anhydride-functionalized polypropylene

This work deals with the molecular characterization of maleic anhydride melt-functionalized polypropylene (PP-g-MA). The functionalization mechanism, the nature, the concentration, and the location of grafted anhydride species onto the polypropylene chain are discussed. The polypropylene functionalization was performed using a pre-heated Brabender Plastograph (190°C, 4 min of mixing time). Several concentrations of maleic anhydride and organic peroxide were used for this study. In those experimental conditions, the organic peroxide undergoes an homolytic rupture and carries out a polypropylene tertiary hydrogen abstraction. The resulting macroradical undergoes a β-scission leading to a radical chain end which reacts with maleic anhydride. When a termination reaction occurs at this first step a succinic type anhydride chain end is obtained. However, oligomerization of maleic anhydride is found to occur more frequently leading to poly (maleic anhydride) chain end. Concentration of both anhydride types and minimal length of the grafted poly (maleic anhydride) were determined. A fraction of maleic anhydride does not react with polypropylene or homopolymerize leading to nongrafted poly (maleic anhydride). © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Supramolecular Organization of Dye Molecules in Zeolite L Channels: Synthesis,Properties, and Composite Materials

Sequential insertion of different dyes into the 1D channels of zeolite L (ZL) leads to supramolecular sandwich structures and allows the formation of sophisticated antenna composites for light harvesting, transport, and trapping. The synthesis and properties of dye molecules, host materials, composites, and composites embedded in polymer matrices, including two‐ and three‐color antenna systems, are described. Perylene diimide (PDI) dyes are an important class of chromophores and are of great interest for the synthesis of artificial antenna systems. They are especially well suited to advancing our understanding of the structure–transport relationship in ZL because their core fits tightly through the 12‐ring channel opening. The substituents at both ends of the PDIs can be varied to a large extent without influencing their electronic absorption and fluorescence spectra. The intercalation/insertion of 17 PDIs, 2 terrylenes, and 1 quaterrylene into ZL are compared and their interactions with the inner surface of the ZL nanochannels discussed. ZL crystals of about 500 nm in size have been used because they meet the criteria that must be respected for the preparation of antenna composites for light harvesting, transport, and trapping. The photostability of dyes is considerably improved by inserting them into the ZL channels because the guests are protected by being confined. Plugging the channel entrances, so that the guests cannot escape into the environment is a prerequisite for achieving long‐term stability of composites embedded in an organic matrix. Successful methods to achieve this goal are described. Finally, the embedding of dye–ZL composites in polymer matrices, while maintaining optical transparency, is reported. These results facilitate the rational design of advanced dye–zeolite composite materials and provide powerful tools for further developing and understanding artificial antenna systems, which are among the most fascinating subjects of current photochemistry and photophysics.     

Melt properties and crystal morphology of polydodecamide plasticized by benzenesulfonamides

The melt of polydodecamide (PA‐12) shows a significant viscosity decrease upon incorporation of benzenesulfonamide plasticizers (BSAs), this effect being maximum for a monofunctional BSA with a 12‐carbon‐atom‐long alkyl chain. Nonexhaustive X‐ray diffraction analysis developed on isothermally crystallized samples validated a two‐phase model for describing PA‐12 plasticized by N‐(n‐butyl)benzenesulfonamide (BBSA). The massive presence of BBSA between the lamellar crystals was established, and lamellar fragmentation was also observed. Further, a steady increase in PA‐12 crystallinity with an increasing BBSA content was evident (and confirmed by DSC) and is consistent with the plasticizer easing the mobility of polymer chains during crystallization. Large melting point depressions resulting from both polymer–plasticizer miscibility and lamellar fragmentation were observed with several mono‐ and bifunctional BSA plasticizers. Phase separation in PA‐12 solid state was only observed at 20 mol % of ?SO₂NH₂, alhough miscibility occurred in the melt. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2022–2034, 2001