Fiber-Optic Chemical Sensor for Detection of NO2 Using Poly (3-Octylthiophene)

A fiber-optic chemical sensor (FOCS) for detection of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) molecules is reported. The FOCS presents an optropode structure because of the transmission properties of the sensitive material. The NO₂ FOCS is activated by using the semiconductor polymer: regioregular head-to-tail poly(3-octylthiophene-2,5-diyl). The operation wavelength of the sensor is 543.5 nm such that a simple LED and detector can be used for the design of this device. The sensor response decreases after each exposure, demonstrating the reduction in sensitivity as well as irreversibility lower than 5%. However, its properties such as rapid response, high selectivity, high sensitivity (0.43 ± 0.01 muW/ppm), hygroscopic properties, and its operation at room temperature make this kind of FOCS a good alternative for NO₂ toxic gas detection.     

A Dominated Theorem on 5L(2, R) and Its Application

In this paper, we give the following dominated theorem: Let φ(g) ∈ L1(G//K),φε(t)=ε> 0, and the least radical decreasing dominatedfunction φ(t) = sup |φ(y)| ∈L1(G//K). If shtφ(t) is monotonically decreasingon (0, ∞), then for any f∈L1loc(G//K) , the following inequality holds:sup |φε * f(x)| ≤ Cmf(x),where mf(x) is the Hardy-Littlewood maximal function of f, and C = ||φ||1.An application of this dominated theorem is also given.     

Generation of UV laser light by stimulated Raman scattering in D2, D2/Ar and D2/He using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser at 355nm

A pulsed Nd:YAG laser at 355nm is used to pump Raman cell filled with D_2, D_2/Ar and D_2/He. With adequately adjusted parameters, the maximum photon conversion efficiency of the first-order Stokes light (S_1, 396.796nm) reaches 33.33% in D_2/Ar and the stability of S_1 in pure D_2 is fairly high, the energy drift being less than 10% when the pump energy drifts in the range of 5%. The conversion efficiency and stability, which are functions of the composition and pressure of the Raman medium and the energy of pump laser, are investigated. The result has been used to optimize the laser transmitter system for a differential absorption lidar system to measure NO_2 concentration profiles.     

Förster energy transfer from poly(arylene–ethynylene)s to an erbium–porphyrin complex

We study the infrared emission at 1.54 μm of an organolanthanide complex, Er(III)-tetraphenylporphyrin [Er(TPP)acac], both as a result of direct optical excitation and via energy transfer from host π-conjugate polymers of type poly(arylene–ethynylene) [PAE]. In the first case, the emission of the neat complex is characterized in inert transparent materials and a value of the quantum yield at 1.54 μm φ_IR=4×10⁻⁴ is measured. Then, fluorescence resonance transfer is investigated in blends of Er(TPP)acac with PAEs by monitoring the quenching of the polymer fluorescence along with the enhancement of both the visible emission of the ligand and the near-infrared band of Er³⁺. These different procedures allow a detailed analysis of the transfer efficiency within a specific implementation of the Förster model for polymeric donors. The experimental values of the critical radius R₀, ranging from 1.3 to 2.5 nm for the different blends, are in good agreement with theory for a wide interval of the physical and spectroscopic parameters. This suggests that other mechanisms for excitation transfer do not play a significant role in these materials.     

Improvements in Depth Selective Electron Mössbauer Spectroscopy

The conditions for achievement of high resolving power of depth selective conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy method at a combined installation ‘electron spectrometer–nuclear gamma-resonance spectrometer’ have been obtained. There has been made a considerable step in development of the method at its realization at a magnetic sector electron spectrometer with double focusing, equipped with electron source (a sample under investigation) of large-area and position-sensitive detector. The paper presents a prospective symmetrical version of a magnetic sector electron spectrometer that allows realizing more completely possibilities of the method. It is noted that the proposed method is particularly valuable for investigations of nanosystems, nanostrutures that contain Mössbauer nuclei.     

Investigation into the ROMP copolymerization of peptide‐ and PEG‐functionalized norbornene derivatives

The ring‐opening metathesis polymerizations (ROMP), using RuCl₂ (PCy₃)₂CHPh, of a series of peptide‐functionalized norbornene derivatives have been investigated. Incorporation of a PEG‐monomer was found to prevent premature precipitation of polymer strands during the course of polymerization reactions and yield water compatible polymers in high conversions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3178–3190, 2007     

Synthesis and refractive‐index control of fluoropolymers by the polyaddition of bis(epoxide)s and triazine di(aryl ether)s

The polyaddition of fluorine‐containing bis(epoxide)s and fluorine‐containing triazine di(aryl ether)s were examined to give the corresponding fluorine‐containing poly(cyanurate)s. It was observed that the synthesized fluoropolymers had good thermal stabilities and good film‐forming properties. The glass transition temperatures (T_g's) and refractive‐indices (n_D's) of synthesized polymers were determined by differential scanning calorimetry and ellipsometry, respectively, and it was found that the values of T_g's and n_D's were supported by their fluorine containing ratios and skeletons. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4421–4429, 2007     

Evidences of phase separation in moisture‐cured poly(urethane urea)s by means of temperature modulated differential scanning calorimetry

The degree of phase separation in several moisture‐cured poly(urethane urea)s (PUUs) was studied by FTIR spectroscopy, wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), and temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC). This latter technique was shown to be particularly useful in analysing the degree of phase separation in PUU polymers. Both phase mixing and phase segregation coexisted in the PUUs and the degree of phase separation increased as the urea hard segment (HS) content in the PUU increased. The maximum solubility of urea HSs into the polyol soft segments (SSs) was achieved for 50 wt % urea HS content in diol‐based PUUs, whereas for triol‐based PUUs the highest solubility between HS and SS was reached for lower urea HS amount. Finally, the higher the urea HS content the higher the extent of phase separation in the PUU. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 3034–3045, 2007     

A parallel method for time discretization of parabolic equations based on Laplace transformation and quadrature

We consider the discretization in time of an inhomogeneous parabolicequation in a Banach space setting, using a representation ofthe solution as an integral along a smooth curve in the complexleft half-plane which, after transformation to a finite interval,is then evaluated to high accuracy by a quadrature rule. Thisreduces the problem to a finite set of elliptic equations withcomplex coefficients, which may be solved in parallel. The paperis a further development of earlier work by the authors, wherewe treated the homogeneous equation in a Hilbert space framework.Special attention is given here to the treatment of the forcingterm. The method is combined with finite-element discretizationin spatial variables.