Ageing of Conductive Polyaniline/Poly(Ethylene-co-Vinylacetate) Composites Studied by Thermal Methods

The long-term environmental ageing of conductive composite films containing ethylene-co-vinyl-acetate (EVA) copolymer and a complex of polyaniline (PANI) and dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) was studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). We assume that both phase separation and crosslinking of PANI main chains occur in the systems. On the other hand, the competition between PANI–DBSA complex self-organization and crystallization of EVA matrix result in structural changes and formation of continuous conductive network, responsible for significantly increased (ca five orders of magnitude) electrical conductivity of the aged films. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Volatile phase profiling of mainstream smoke by glass capillary gas-chromatographic techniques

A heated injection system for a microprocessor-controlled GC has been developed for the (GC)² analysis of the volatile phase of whole smoke of a cigarette. Effects of injection port temperature and the presence of a Cambridge filter pad are demonstrated. Chromatograms are shown for smoke samples with and without a Cambridge Filter with the sample valve oven at 25°, 165° and 205°C. The use of a flame ionization and a nitrogen-phosphorous detector is illustrated.     

Infrared spectra of M+NO 3 − contact ion pairs in aprotic solvents and matrix isolated in the corresponding glasses

Studies of the vibrational spectra of matrix-isolated M⁺NO ₃ ^– ion pairs have been extended to glassy aprotic solvents. The deuterated form of the solvents DMSO, THF, and ACN have windows through the 7- nitrate ionv ₃(e) mode infrared region, so it was possible to clearly observe the splitting of the degeneracy of this mode,v ₃, produced by the contacting, but solvated, alkali metal cation. Primary attention has been directed to the extent to which this splitting is reduced relative to the argon matrix values. This reduction, which reflects electron-density transfer from the solvating molecules to the ion pairs, is comparable to that observed for H₂O and NH₃ matrices as the splitting is reduced to 20–35% of the argon-matrix values. The extent of reduction ofv ₃ for the different solvents has been related to Gutmann's donicity number scale with the correlation holding well for solvent molecules of comparable size, DMSO, THF and DMF, but breaking down for the smaller linear ACN, apparently because of more molecules in the cation solvation sphere. The matrix data have also been used, through comparison with spectra for saturated liquid solutions of Li⁺NO ₃ ^– , to show that the contact ion pair is the dominant species in liquid THF and ACN, whereas the ions are largely solvent separated in DMSO.     

Sol-gel processing of inorganic membranes

Basic principles involved in sol-gel processing of ceramic membranes are described. This process has been applied to ceramic ultrafiltration membranes and is now investigated to prepare ceramic nanofilters. In this paper special emphasis is put on new developments concerning microporous zirconia membranes obtained by the polymeric route. A zirconium alkoxide precursor modified with an acetylacetone ligand has been used in order to control particle growth in the sols and pore size distribution in the membranes. N₂ adsorption and X-ray diffraction analysis have been performed on membrane materials showing the influence of process parameters (molar ratio r = acacH/Zr and sintering temperature T) on membrane structural evolution.     

A study of PBT/PC blends by modulated DSC and conventional DSC

Two poly(butylene terephthalate)/polycarbonate (PBT/PC) blends with different formulations were analyzed by modulated DSC (MDSC) and conventional DSC to determine differences in crystallization behavior. A significant difference (30°C in cold crystallization temperature) between the two samples was detectable by MDSC while no significant difference was seen by conventional DSC. That indicatesthe total heat flow from MDSC is not always equivalent to the heat flow from conventional DSC as we have assumed or seen before. The reason has not been fully understood, but may be related to unusual nucleation and crystallization induced by modulation. Alternative conventional DSC methods were developed and compared to the MDSC results.Dedicated to Professor Bernhard Wunderlich on the occasion of his 65th birthdayThe authors like to thank Drs. Bernhard Wunderlich and Robert Gallucci for helpful discussion, David Shaker and Mary Parsonage for some DSC experiments. Technical support from TA Instruments is also greatly appreciated.     

Forms of vibrations and structural changes in liquid state

Summary The forms of vibrations and displacements of particles in amorphous structures have been investigated. The particles, moving on highly non-linear amplitude, are responsible for the creation of disordered structures of amorphous bodies. The non-linear oscillators, even if 'few' in concentration, are characterized by unpredictable trajectories in phase space. The non-linear oscillators are fully developed in the liquid state above the crossover temperature T_cr and between T_cr and T_g their number decreases. Under T_g they completely disappear. The interconnection between the linear oscillators in blocks plays the most important role in the characteristic time spectra in liquid state. Using the additive properties of elements polarizibilities, the number of acoustical units in individual blocks at T_cr is estimated to be about 600 units. The diameter of blocks at T_cr was estimated to be about 1.8 nm. Even if the non-linear high amplitude motions disappear at solidification, the remnants of structural irregularity remain and the disordered structure of glass is formed.     

Reduced inorganic phosphorus in the natural environment: significance, speciation and determination

It is commonly assumed that phosphorus occurs almost exclusively in the environment as fully oxidized phosphate (primarily H₂PO₄⁻ and HPO₄²⁻, where the oxidation state of phosphorus is +V). Recent developments in the field of microbiology and research on the origin of life have suggested a possibly significant role for reduced, inorganic forms of phosphorus in bacterial metabolism and as evolutionary precursors of biological phosphate compounds. Reduced inorganic forms of phosphorus include phosphorus acid (H₃PO₃, P(+III)), hypophosphorus acid (H₃PO₂, P(+I)) and various forms of phosphides (P(−III)). Reduced phosphorus has been detected in anaerobic sediments, sewage treatment facilities and in industrial and agricultural processes.Microbiological evidence suggests a significant role for reduced phosphorus species in metabolic processes and raises interesting questions regarding the biogeochemistry of this nutrient in the environment. However, the paucity of data on the presence and cycling of reduced phosphorus compounds in the environment requires attention in order to elucidate the role of these compounds in natural systems. This paper discusses the significance of reduced phosphorus in the natural environment, its speciation and methods of detection.     

新型陶瓷材料的光激励发光性质研究

针对以往电子俘获光存储材料存在的问题，利用高温固相反应发制备了一种Eu^2 掺杂的氟氧化物玻璃陶瓷，研究表明在该材料中具有光激励发光(PSL)特性，并可用于电子俘获光存储。XRD分析表明该材料含有大量的BaF2微晶。根据其与BaF2相似的发光特性，推断玻璃陶瓷的PSL有可能来源于微晶中Eu^2 的5d-4f发射。但是决定光激励发光过程中的电子(空穴)陷阱的存在方式、电子迁移途径都有待进一步探讨的问题。与传统的BaFCl：Eu相比，这种材料的光激励发光衰减速度较慢。     

Adsorption of polyamides and polyamide–silane mixtures at glass surfaces

The individual and combined adsorption behavior of polyamides and two different silanes to multicomponent glass surfaces was probed with a combination of x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and static contact angle measurements. Samples were analyzed with and without solvent rinsing to separate the weakly bound (physisorbed) and more strongly bound (chemisorbed) species. High‐resolution XPS on N 1s revealed that the polyamides adsorb to the glass surfaces via protonated amine species at the acidic (OH) sites on the glass surface. Angle‐resolved XPS confirmed this by showing that the alkyl portion of the polymer is oriented away from the glass interface. In competitive coadsorption studies it was found that amino‐terminated silanes preferentially adsorb to the glass surface, relegating the polyamide to a physisorbed outer layer. When mercaptoterminated silanes were competitively coadsorbed the polyamide was preferentially adsorbed even when present at a concentration twenty times less than that of the silane. Altogether, this work reveals the strong interaction between surface silanols and amino‐functionalized organics. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structure inhomogeneities of medium-range order in fluorozirconate glasses

Images of cleaved surfaces were obtained for 53ZrF₄-20BaF₂-4LaF₃-3AlF₃-20NaF (ZBLAN) glasses and fused quartz using an NTMDT atomic force microscope. It is shown that the scatter of particle size depends on the cooling rate and is 21–48.5 Å for the cleaved surface of ZBLAN glass obtained by very fast cooling and 68–172 Å for the cleaved surface of ZBLAN after slow cooling. For cleaved fused quartz, the range is 25-18 Å.