Effect of external Gaussian random field on phonon spectrum of linear atomic chains

We present the theoretical study of the effect of external random field characterized by a Gaussian probability distribution function on the continuous phonon spectrum of one-dimensional (1D) chain, based on the Jacobian matrix method. The cumulative effect of the random field and simple isotopic defect is studied analytically and numerically. The Gaussian random field removes a square-root divergence appearing in the phonon spectrum of ideal 1D chain. The impurity phonon DOS shows strong dependence on the variance and the mean of the random field and exhibits very different behavior from the non-random case: the continuous spectrum is expanded and the δ-peak, describing discrete impurity vibrations in the non-random chain with the impurity, falls into a continuous zone.     

Self‐curable polyester by a reaction of glycidol with maleic anhydride

The controlled reaction of equimolar quantities of maleic anhydride and glycidol in dimethoxyethane gives soluble polyesters with one hydroxyl group in each repeating unit. The reaction proceeds with stepwise ring opening of the components and gives highly viscous clear solutions in relatively short periods. In the first step, monomaleate ester formation takes place around 80 °C. The ring opening of the oxirane group is the second step, and it occurs at 120 °C. The overall reaction is the formation of soluble polyesters with moderate molecular weights (6000–18,000), without the elimination of water. The soluble polyesters can be crosslinked tightly by direct heating at 190 °C without additional vinyl monomer. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2549–2555, 2003     

Precise measurement of magnetic moment of short-lived β-emitting nuclei12B ( I π=1+, T 1/2=20.18 ms)

The spin polarized β-emitting nuclei¹²B (I ^π=1⁺,T _1/2=20.18 ms) were produced by the nuclear reaction¹¹B(d, p)¹²B and by the selection technique of the incident deuteron energy and the¹²B recoil angle following the nuclear reaction. The nuclear magnetic moment of the short-lived nuclei¹²B was measured by β-NMR with the β-NMR and β-NQR setup established for the first time in China. The nuclear magnetic moment of¹²B was determined to be μ=0.99993±0.00048 nm org=0.99993±0.00048 after the precise correction of the Knight shift.     

CuPc molecules adsorbed on Au(1 1 0)-(1 × 2): growth morphology and evolution of valence band states

We present the growth morphology, the long-range ordering, and the evolution of the valence band electronic states of ultrathin films of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) deposited on the Au(1 1 0)-(1 × 2) reconstructed surface, as a function of the organic molecule coverage. The low energy electron diffraction patterns present a (5 × 3) reconstruction from the early adsorption stages. High-resolution UV photoelectron spectroscopy data show the disappearance of the Au surface states related to the (1 × 2) reconstruction, and the presence of new electronic features related to the molecule-substrate interaction and to the CuPc molecular states. The CuPc highest occupied molecular orbital gradually emerges in the valence band, while the interface electronic states are quenched, upon increasing the coverage.     

Controlled/living polymerization of 2‐(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and its block copolymer with tert‐butyl methacrylate by atom transfer radical polymerization

Polymerization of 2‐(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) via homogeneous atom transfer radical polymerization under various reaction conditions is described. The effects of the initiators and solvents were examined. With 1,1,4,7,10,10‐hexamethyl triethylenetetramine/copper(I) chloride/p‐toluenesulfonyl chloride as the ligand/catalyst/initiator system in methanol, poly(DEAEMA) with a polydispersity index as low as 1.07 was synthesized. Kinetic studies demonstrated the polymerization was very well controlled and exhibited the living characteristic of the process. Well‐defined block copolymers of DEAEMA and tert‐butyl methacrylate (tBMA) were successfully synthesized. The copolymers could be synthesized with equally good results by starting with either p(DEAEMA) or p(tBMA) as the macroinitiators. However, only the macroinitiators terminated with chlorine should be used. The corresponding macroinitiators with bromine as a transferable group did not yield well‐defined copolymers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2688–2695, 2003     

Annealing behavior of gel‐spun polyethylene fibers at temperatures lower than needed for significant shrinkage

The annealing at 373 K of ultrastrong, gel‐spun polyethylene (PE) has been studied. At this temperature, the fibers show no significant shrinkage. Still, a significant decrease in the mechanical properties is observed. The fibers have been analyzed with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). During the annealing, the glass transition of the intermediate phase is exceeded, as shown by DSC. When split for structure analysis by AFM, the annealed fibers undergo plastic deformation around the base fibrils instead of brittle fracture. The quasi‐isothermal TMDSC experiments are compared to the minor structural changes seen with SAXS and AFM. The loss of performance of the PE fibers at 373 K is suggested to be caused by the oriented intermediate phase, and not by major changes in the structure or morphology. The overall metastable, semicrystalline structure is shown by TMDSC to posses local regions that can melt reversibly. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 403–417, 2003     

Influence of annealing and chain defects on the melting behaviour of poly(vinylidene fluoride)

The melting behaviour of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering in order to study the influence of the chain defects content and of the temperature of annealing on the crystallization and melting behaviour.All the DSC scans show a double endotherm and the analysis of the data suggests that the low temperature endotherm is due to the melting of a population of thin lamellae, whose thickness increases during the annealing, but a high content of chain defects prevents the lamellar thickening and the main effect in this case is the crystallization of thin lamellae from a portion of polymer which did not crystallize during the quenching from the melt. Furthermore, the two melting endotherms, which are observed, can be partially ascribed to a melting-recrystallization process.Furthermore, stepwise isothermal cooling was performed in a differential scanning calorimeter followed by melting scans of fractionated PVDF samples to point out the possible presence of a series of endothermic peaks.     

The analysis of volatile trace compounds in landfill gases,compost heaps and forest air

Landfill gas, cryotrapped on a loop fashioned from a length of a capillary gas chromatography (GC) column, was examined for volatile organometallic compounds (VOMCs) and for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by using GC–mass spectrometry (MS). A large number of organic components were present and many were identified, but the only VOMCs present in high enough concentrations to be detected were trimethylstibine and tetramethyltin. The use of inductively coupled plasma (ICP)‐MS as an element‐specific detector allowed the identification of a number of other organometallic species in the landfill gas, including trimethylarsine and trimethylbismuth, and, for the first time, butyltrimethyltin and dibutyldimethyltin. The presence of molybdenum hexacarbonyl was confirmed. Gas from a large‐scale compost heap and from compost incubated in the laboratory contained iodomethane but no common VOMCs (GC–ICP‐MS). Only VOCs were present in forest air (GC–MS). Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of tributyltin(IV) chloride on the gametes and fertilization of Ascidia malaca (Ascidiacea: Tunicata)

Ascidia malaca gametes before fertilization incubated in 10^?5 or 10^?7 M solutions of tributyltin(IV) chloride, TBTCl, for 3 h appear highly damaged under transmission electron microscopy observation. Also, the fertilization process is affected by the compound: the damaged spermatozoa are present in the vitelline coat and the egg does not cleave. An increase of microbodies, structurally similar to peroxisomes, have been detected in the egg peripheral cytoplasm, probably in relation to their role in alleviating damage to some cellular components. The results have shown that the reproduction of ascidians under unfavourable environmental conditions is prevented. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis transitions of partially and fully substituted cellulose fatty esters

The main transitions of cellulose fatty esters with different degrees of substitution (DSs) were investigated with dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Two distinct main relaxations were observed in partially substituted cellulose esters (PSCEs). They were attributed to the glass‐transition temperature and to the chain local motion of the aliphatic substituents. The temperatures of both transitions decreased when DS or the number of carbon atoms (n) of the acyl substituent increased. Conversely, all the transitions of fully substituted cellulose esters occurred within a narrow temperature range, and they did not vary significantly with n. This phenomenon was explained by the formation of a crystalline phase of the fatty substituents. The presence of few residual OH groups in PSCEs was responsible for a large increase in the storage bending modulus, and it eliminated the effect of n on damping. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 281–288, 2003