The asymmetrical orientational behavior of compatible blends of PMMA and PVC

The orientation and relaxation behavior of compatible blends of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was investigated. The deformation was performed at 9 K above the glass transition temperature. Based on birefringence and IR-dichroic measurements, it was found that the orientation of PMMA is strongly increased in the blends as compared to pure PMMA at identical draw ratios.The orientation of PVC, on the other hand, is not changed by blending. The results are discussed in terms of friction coefficients and their enhancement by molecular interactions.Dedicated to Prof. E. W. Fischer on the occasion of his 665th birthday     

Orientation of a chiral smectic C elastomer by mechanical fields

It is well known that, with respect to the director, nematic elastomers can be macroscopically aligned by uniaxial mechanical fields. Extending this method to a chiral smectic C elastomer, depending on the experimental set-up either smectic layer orientation or director orientation parallel to the stress axis occurs. In order to align the director and the smectic layers a biaxial mechanical field (e.g. shear field) consistent with the phase symmetry has to be used to achieve a macroscopically uniform orientation of the untwisted smectic C^* structure.     

预取向液晶单体光聚合反应

通过表面摩擦、施加外电场(或磁场)和应力剪切等手段使液晶单体取向后进行光聚合反应是制备高度取向、高度均匀和高度透明高分子液晶膜的重要方法。它在高分子非线性光学材料、导电商分子材料和光纤涂层等领域中具有广泛的应用前景。     

The auxiliary determination of the binding site of berberine binding to human serum albumin by surface-enhanced Raman scattering

We report on the joint application of fluorescence, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) and Raman spectroscopy to the study of berberine with human serum albumin (HSA). We propose the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique to improve the understanding of the quenching interaction caused by berberine which could be applied in recognition process of fluorescent drugs with large biomolecules. The fluorescence and UV-Vis spectroscopic results show that the fluorescence intensity of HSA is significantly decreased in the presence of berberine, and the quenching mechanism is static. The SERS technique demonstrates clear advantages over direct measurements in physiological conditions. By means of this method, we are able to deduce important information concerning the binding property of berberine when interacting with HSA. We show the nitrogen atom is free but the dioxolane is involved in the spontaneously electrostatic inducement and subsequently hydrophobic binding.     

拉伸过程中晶向对银单原子线形成几率影响的分子动力学模拟

采用基于原子镶嵌势函数的分子动力学方法, 模拟了银纳米线沿[100]、[110]和[111]晶向拉伸过程中的空间原子结构和性能. 研究结果表明不同晶向的材料力学性质有显著不同, 屈服应力按照[111]、[110]和[100]依次降低. 从形变位图观察到纳米线在断裂前形成单原子线排列. 由900个分子动力学模拟样本统计得出沿三个晶向形成单原子线的几率, 其中沿[111]晶向形成单原子线的几率明显高于其他两个晶向. 本文从形变机理阐述了单原子线生成几率与晶向的依赖关系.     

STUDY ON MAGNETIC FIELD-INDUCED 0RIENTATI0N OF A CHIRAL SIDE-CHAIN LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYACRYLATE USING INFRARED DICHROISM

Magnetic field-induced orientation of a chiral side chain liquid crystalline polyacrylate(P-11) was studied by using IR dichroism. For the investigated P-11, it has been shown thatthe magnetic alignment takes place over the entire temperature range between its meltingpoint and clearing point and the orientation level is strongly temperature-dependent, thedevelopment with time of the magnetic orieatation follows an exponeotial-type relation,and the smectic phase state influences the thermal relaxation process in the absence of themagnetic field.     

On the orientation of ellipsoidal particles in a turbulent shear flow

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) of small prolate ellipsoidal particles suspended in a turbulent channel flow is reported. The coupling between the fluid and the particles is one-way. The particles are subjected to the hydrodynamic drag force and torque valid for creeping flow conditions. Six different particle cases with varying particle aspect ratios and equivalent response times are investigated. Results show that, in the near-wall region, ellipsoidal particles tend to align with the mean flow direction, and the alignment increases with increasing particle aspect ratio. When the particle inertia increases, the particles are less oriented in the spanwise direction and more oriented in the wall-normal direction. In the core region of the channel, the orientation becomes isotropic.     

Porous polycrystals built up by uniformly and axisymmetrically oriented needles: homogenization of elastic propertiesPolycristaux poreux constitués d'aiguilles orientées de façon uniforme ou axisymétrique : homogénéisation des propriétés élastiques

Porous polycrystal-type microstructures built up of needle-like platelets or sheets are characteristic for a number of biological and man-made materials. Herein, we consider (i) uniform, (ii) axisymmetrical orientation distribution of linear elastic, isotropic as well as anisotropic needles. Axisymmetrical needle orientation requires derivation of the Hill tensor for arbitrarily oriented ellipsoidal inclusions with one axis tending towards infinity, embedded in a transversely isotropic matrix; therefore, Laws' integral expression of the Hill tensor is evaluated employing the theory of rational functions. For a porosity lower 0.4, the elastic properties of the polycrystal with uniformly oriented needles are quasi-identical to those of a polycrystal with solid spheres. However, as opposed to the sphere-based model, the needle-based model does not predict a percolation threshold. As regards axisymmetrical orientation distribution of needles, two effects are remarkable: Firstly, the sharper the cone of orientations the higher the anisotropy of the polycrystal. Secondly, for a given cone, the anisotropy increases with the porosity. Estimates for the polycrystal stiffness are hardly influenced by the anisotropy of the bone mineral needles. Our results also confirm the very high degree of orientation randomness of crystals building up mineral foams in bone tissues. To cite this article: A. Fritsch et al., C. R. Mecanique 334 (2006).     

Characterizing texture in polycrystalline materials by ultrasonic waves

A method for characterizing texture from measurements of ultrasonic wave velocities is proposed. In polycrystalline aggregates, ultrasonic wave velocities are strongly affected by orientation distribution coefficients (ODCs), which are usually used to describe the degree of preferred grain orientation in textured materials. In this work, velocities of longitudinal and transverse waves propagating into aluminum alloy 6061 were measured under pure shear, simple shear and uniaxial tension. From the measured ultrasonic wave velocities, the ODCs W₄₀₀ and W₄₂₀ were calculated to infer the deformation-induced texture. The predicted pole figures, obtained using ultrasonic velocities, were in good qualitative agreement with the finite element polycrystal model analyzed pole figures.     

Variation of fiber orientation in turbulent flow inside a planar contraction with different shapes

In this study, we have investigated the influence of shape of planar contractions on the orientation distribution of stiff fibers suspended in turbulent flow. To do this, we have employed a model for the orientational diffusion coefficient based on the data obtained by high-speed imaging of suspension flow at the centerline of a contraction with flat walls. This orientational diffusion coefficient depends only on the contraction ratio and turbulence intensity. Our measurements show that the turbulence intensity decays exponentially independent of the contraction angle. This implies that the turbulence variation in the contraction is independent of the shape, consistent with the results by the rapid distortion theory and the experimental results of axisymmetric contractions. In order to determine the orientation anisotropy, we have solved a Fokker–Planck type equation governing the orientation distribution of fibers in turbulent flow. Although the turbulence variation and the orientational diffusion are independent of the contraction shape, the results show that the variation of the orientation anisotropy is dependent on shape. This can be explained by the variation of the rotational Péclet number, Pe_r, inside the contractions. This quantity is a measure of the importance of the mean rate of the strain relative to the orientational diffusion. We have shown that when Pe_r < 10 turbulence can significantly influence the evolution of the orientation anisotropy. Since in contractions with identical inlet conditions the streamwise position where Pe_r = 10 depends on the shape, the orientation anisotropy is dependent on the variation of rate of strain in a given contraction. We demonstrate the shape effect by considering contraction with flat walls as well as three contractions with different mean rate of strain variation.