Testing the reliability of non-LTE spectroscopic models for complex ions

Collisional-radiative atomic models are widely used to help diagnose experimental plasma conditions through fitting and interpreting measured spectra. Here we present the results of a code comparison in which a variety of models determined plasma temperatures and densities by finding the best fit to an experimental L-shell Kr spectrum from a well characterized, but not benchmarked, laser plasma. While variations in diagnostic strategies and qualities of fit were significant, the results generally confirmed the typically quoted uncertainties for such diagnostics of ±20% in electron temperature and factors of about two in density. The comparison also highlighted some model features important for spectroscopic diagnostics: fine structure was required to match line positions and relative intensities within each charge state and for density diagnostics based on emission from metastable states; an extensive configuration set was required to fit the wings of satellite features and to reliably diagnose the temperature through the inferred charge state distribution; and the inclusion of self-consistent opacity effects was an important factor in the quality of the fit.     

Fabrication and evaluation of bacterial cellulose-polyaniline composites by interfacial polymerization

The fabrication and evaluation of nanocomposites based on microbial cellulose and polyaniline (PANi) are described. Microbial cellulose, so called, bacterial cellulose (BC) was introduced to interfacial polymerization of aniline. Two different phases based on water and chloroform made it easy for nanosized PANi particles to be synthesized on BC. Without any help of a surfactant or templates, BC played a critical role of supporting the growth of PANi. As a function of aniline concentration, the corresponding PANi content and volume resistivity were checked. From morphological images observed by FE-SEM, PANi nanoparticles were densely arrayed along every fiber of BC. The conjugated backbone of PANi was thought to contribute to the improvements of thermal stability of PANi/BC composites. The stiffness and brittleness of PANi were compensated by more ductile BC, suggesting BC can be a promising substrate for it. By the simple and facile interfacial polymerization, the electrical conductivity of PANi/BC composites reached up to 3.8?×?10^?1?S/cm when 0.32?M of aniline was used. This PANi/BC nanocomposite can be useful in applications requiring biocompatibility and electrical conductivity such as biological and chemical sensors.     

Energetic distribution of interface states extracted from photo-conductance of organic thin film transistors

In this paper, a new method is introduced to obtain the energetic distribution of the interface states (density of states; DOS) extracted from the photo-conductance of organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) which exhibit varied transfer characteristics under illumination with different photon energies. The method was applied to pentacene OTFTs, and the results were compared with existing data. The major findings were not only the existence of the well-known peaks of DOS at 1.82 eV (free exciton of pentacene), and at 1.49 eV (extrinsic exciton due to dihydropentacene) but also new peaks were found at 1.25 eV, 1.29 eV, 1.31 eV, and 1.35 eV in the mid-gap. The new peaks were strongly enhanced under exposure to oxygen, and thus seem to be related to the defects associated with the presence of oxygen.     

Mesogenic and optical properties of α,α′‐bis(4‐alkoxyphenylethynyl)oligothiophenes

Liquid crystalline α,α′‐bis(4‐alkoxyphenylethynyl)oligothiophenes (bi‐ and ter‐thiophene) have been synthesized and their mesogenic behaviour and optical properties investigated. They all exhibited a nematic mesophase, and compounds with long alkoxy chains also showed lamellar phases. Increasing the number of thiophene units increased both the transition temperatures and the mesophase ranges. As for their optical properties, incorporating more thiophene units results in red‐shifted absorption and emission spectra, slightly enhanced quantum efficiency, and a larger Stoke's shift. Most importantly, in terms of the absorption and emission maxima, the incorporation of one 4‐alkoxyphenylethynyl moiety was found to be equivalent to adding one thiophene ring.     

POLYIMIDES,POLYQUINOLINES AND POLYQUINOXALINES: Tg-STRUCTURE RELATIONSHIPS

Abstract

Since polyimides were invented more than 30 years ago, several books dealing with the subject have been published [33, 34, 40u, 48b, 55, 64]. While some of these books [33–35] have very thorough and systematic coverage of the chemistry and general physical, mechanical, and electrical properties of polyimides, most of the literature [40, 48b, 64] is made up of collections of results derived from application-related research on various polyimides. None of the earlier treatises is totally devoted to an understanding of the underlying principles involved in just a single, important property such as the glass transition temperatures of polyimides.     

Lignin‐based polymers via graft copolymerization

Lignin is an important source of synthetic materials because of its abundance in nature, low cost, stable supply, and no competition to the human food supply. Lignin, a cross‐linked phenolic polymer, contains a large number of aromatic groups that can be used as a substitute for petroleum‐based aromatic fine chemicals. However, modification of lignin is necessary for its application in advanced materials due to its chemically inert nature and structural complexity. Polymeric modification of lignin via graft copolymerization represents an important avenue for modification because this method forms stable covalent bond linkages between lignin and synthetic functional polymers. In this review, we discuss recent synthetic strategies toward polymeric modification of lignin using graft copolymerization and the special properties and applications of the produced lignin copolymers. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 3515–3528     

The inventory models under conditional trade credit in a supply chain system

In several recent investigations dealing with the economic order quantity with permissible delay in payments, the following assumptions are made: