A microspectroscopic study of the electronic homogeneity of ordered and disordered Sr2FeMoO6

Disordered Sr₂FeMoO₆ shows a drastic reduction in saturation magnetization compared to highly ordered samples, moreover magnetization as a function of the temperature for different disordered samples shows qualitatively different behaviours. We investigate the origin of such diversity by performing spatially resolved photoemission spectroscopy on various disordered samples. Our results establish that e_xtensive electronic inhomogeneity, arising most probably from an underlying chemical inhomogeneity in disordered samples, is responsible for the observed magnetic inhomogeneity. It is further pointed out that these inhomogeneities are connected with composition fluctuations of the type Sr₂Fe_1+x Mo_1-x O₆ with Fe-rich (x > 0) and Mo-rich (x < 0) regions. Dedicated to Prof J Gopalakrishnan on his 62nd birthday.     

Synthesis and adsorption properties of gold nanoparticles within pores of surface‐functional porous polymer microspheres

Mesoporous polymer microspheres with gold (Au) nanoparticles inside their pores were prepared considering their surface functionality and porosity. The Au/polymer composite microspheres prepared were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) techniques. The results showed that the adsorption of Au nanoparticles could be increased by imparting the pore structure and surface‐functional groups into the supporting polymer microspheres (in this study, poly (ethylene glycol dimethacrylate‐co‐acrylonitrile) and poly (EGDMA‐co‐AN) system). Above all, from this study, it was established that the porosity of the polymer microspheres is the most important factor that determines the distribution and adsorption amount of face‐centered cubic (fcc) Au nanoparticles in the final products. Our study showed that the continuous adsorption of Au nanoparticles with the aid of the large surface area and surface interaction sites formed more favorably the Au/polymer composite microspheres. The BET measurements of Au/poly(EGDMA‐co‐AN) composite microspheres reveals that the adsorption of Au nanoparticles into the pores kept the pore structure intact and made it more porous. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5627–5635, 2004     

Dihalodimethyltin(IV) complexes of 2‐(pyrazol‐1‐ylmethyl)pyridine

Reaction of dichloro‐ and dibromodimethyltin(IV) with 2‐(pyrazol‐1‐ylmethyl)pyridine (PMP) afforded [SnMe₂Cl₂(PMP)] and [SnMe₂Br₂(PMP)] respectively. The new complexes were characterized by elemental analysis and mass spectrometry and by IR, Raman and NMR (¹H, ¹³C) spectroscopies. Structural studies by X‐ray diffraction techniques show that the compounds consist of discrete units with the tin atom octahedrally coordinated to the carbon atoms of the two methyl groups in a trans disposition (Sn? C = 2.097(5), 2.120(5) Å and 2.110(6), 2.121(6) Å in the chloro and in the bromo compounds respectively), two cis halogen atoms (Sn? Cl = 2.4908(16), 2.5447(17) Å; Sn? Br = 2.6875(11), 2.7464(9) Å) and the two donor atoms of the ligand (Sn? N = 2.407(4), 2.471(4) Å and 2.360(5), 2.455(5) Å). In both cases, the Sn? N(pyridine) bond length is markedly longer than the Sn? N(pyrazole) distance. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry studies on the origin of double melting peaks in isothermally melt‐crystallized poly(L‐lactic acid)

In this work, the melting behaviors of nonisothermally and isothermally melt‐crystallized poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) from the melt were investigated with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC). The isothermal melt crystallizations of PLLA at a temperature in the range of 100–110 °C for 120 min or at 110 °C for a time in the range of 10–180 min appeared to exhibit double melting peaks in the DSC heating curves of 10 °C/min. TMDSC analysis revealed that the melting–recrystallization mechanism dominated the formation of the double melting peaks in PLLA samples following melt crystallizations at 110 °C for a shorter time (≤30 min) or at a lower temperature (100, 103, or 105 °C) for 120 min, whereas the double lamellar thickness model dominated the formation of the double melting peaks in those PLLA samples crystallized at a higher temperature (108 or 110 °C) for 120 min or at 110 °C for a longer time (≥45 min). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 466–474, 2007     

On‐line Determination of Particle Size Distributions in Flowing Dispersions

Emulsions are of great importance to industry. They are involved in many engineering operations, including chemical reactions, extraction, emulsification and suspension polymerization, etc. However, an important problem for these processes is how to control the size distribution of the dispersed phase. Indeed, off‐line analysis of the emulsion may generate uncertainties due to sampling and dilution of the product, which are likely to change the dispersion state and physico‐chemical properties. In this work, an on‐line optical method is proposed to characterize dispersed media in real flowing conditions. This method is based on the time‐analysis of back‐scattered light fluctuations. The present paper deals with the development of this method and its application to dispersions of alumina in water. The results obtained with the on‐line optical method are compared with those acquired by classical laser light scattering and microscopy.     

A new alternating‐direction finite element method for hyperbolic equation

A modified backward difference time discretization is presented for Galerkin approximations for nonlinear hyperbolic equation in two space variables. This procedure uses a local approximation of the coefficients based on patches of finite elements with these procedures, a multidimensional problem can be solved as a series of one‐dimensional problems. Optimal order H₀¹ and L² error estimates are derived. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2007     

Amine‐blocked polyisocyanates. I. Synthesis of novel N‐methylaniline‐blocked polyisocyanates and deblocking studies using hot‐stage fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

A series of substituted N‐methylaniline‐blocked polyisocyanates based on 4,4′‐methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate) and poly(tetrahydrofuran) were prepared and characterized thoroughly with FTIR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy methods. Compared with unsubstituted N‐methylaniline, a blocking agent with an electron‐releasing substituent at the para position took a shorter time, whereas those with an electron‐releasing substituent at the ortho position or an electron‐withdrawing substituent at the ortho and para positions took longer times for the blocking reaction. The thermal dissociation reactions of blocked polyisocyanates were carried out with an FTIR spectrophotometer attached to hot‐stage accessories under dynamic and isothermal conditions. The dynamic method was used to determine the deblocking temperature, and the isothermal method was used to calculate the deblocking kinetics and activation parameters. The cure times of blocked polyisocyanates with hydroxyl‐terminated polybutadiene were also determined. The deblocking temperatures, the results of cure‐time studies, and the kinetic parameters revealed that the thermal dissociation of the N‐methylaniline‐blocked polyisocyanates was retarded by electron‐donating substituents and facilitated by electron‐withdrawing substituents. The action of N‐methylanilines as blocking agents for isocyanate was explained by the formation of a four‐center, intramolecularly hydrogen‐bonded ring structure during the thermal dissociation of the blocked polyisocyanates. The formation of such a hydrogen‐bonded ring structure was confirmed and supported by variable‐temperature ¹H NMR studies and entropy parameters, respectively. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1557–1570, 2007     

Synthesis and characterization of white‐light‐emitting polyfluorenes containing orange phosphorescent moieties in the side chain

Two orange phosphorescent iridium complex monomers, 9‐hexyl‐9‐(iridium (III)bis(2‐(4′‐fluorophenyl)‐4‐phenylquinoline‐N,C^2′)(tetradecanedionate‐11,13))‐2,7‐dibromofluorene (Br‐PIr) and 9‐hexyl‐9‐(iridium(III)bis(2‐(4′‐fluorophenyl)‐4‐methylquinoline‐N,C^2′)(tetradecanedionate‐11,13))‐2,7‐dibromofluorene (Br‐MIr), were successfully synthesized. The Suzuki polycondensation of 2,7‐bis(trimethylene boronate)‐9,9‐dioctylfluorene with 2,7‐dibromo‐9,9‐dioctylfluorene and Br‐PIr or Br‐MIr afforded two series of copolymers, PIrPFs and MIrPFs, in good yields, in which the concentrations of the phosphorescent moieties were kept small (0.5–3 mol % feed ratio) to realize incomplete energy transfer. The photoluminescence (PL) of the copolymers showed blue‐ and orange‐emission peaks. A white‐light‐emitting diode with a configuration of indium tin oxide/poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)/PIr05PF (0.5 mol % feed ratio of Br‐PIr)/Ca/Al exhibited a luminous efficiency of 4.49 cd/A and a power efficiency of 2.35 lm/W at 6.0 V with Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.46, 0.33). The CIE coordinates were improved to (0.34, 0.33) when copolymer MIr10PF (1.0 mol % feed ratio of Br‐MIr) was employed as the white‐emissive layer. The strong orange emission in the electroluminescence spectra in comparison with PL for these kinds of polymers was attributed to the additional contribution of charge trapping in the phosphorescent dopants. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. JPolym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1746–1757, 2007     

Characterization of reduced iso‐α‐acids derived from hops (Humulus lupulus) by NMR

Reduced forms of iso‐α‐acids (isohumulones), used in modern beer brewing were separated and characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Components from mixtures of rho‐iso‐α‐acids, tetrahydro‐iso‐α‐acids, and hexahydro‐iso‐α‐acids were isolated using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and analyzed by use of one‐ and two‐dimensional NMR experiments. The data presented assign the identities of the main peaks in the HPLC traces for the reduced iso‐α‐acids. Previous tentative assignments regarding the cis and trans configurations and the structures of the acyl residues of the reduced iso‐α‐acids were confirmed and extensive NMR assignments were made. Furthermore, the previously unknown stereochemistry in the C‐4 side‐chain of the rho‐ and hexahydro‐iso‐α‐acids was assigned. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.