Oscillator Strength Calculations with the Compromised Orbitals

The oscillator strength has been calculated from a common set of compromised orbitals, instead of sets of the two separately optimized non-orthogonal orbitals for the two states involved in the transition. Inaccuracies of two types arose from the calculations were assessed by investigating simple atomic and molecular systems.     

Modification of the resistance of two epoxy resins to accelerated weathering using calcium sulfate as a photostabilizer

Epoxy-timber composites have received increasing attention during the last decades because there are many advantages related to their uses as construction materials in applications such as timber bridges. However, the durability of epoxy-timber composites under outdoor conditions has become a concern for many epoxy resins. This study evaluated the chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties of two cured epoxies, the product of the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A with 2,4-trimethyl-1,6-hexanediamine (DGEBA-TMDA) and the analogous resin prepared with the hydrogenated diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (HDGEBA-TMDA), each mixed with 2?wt. % calcium sulfate (CS). We hypothesized that the use of CS, as an inorganic UV absorber, could decrease undesirable effects arising from exposure to UV light, moisture, and extreme temperatures.

An accelerated aging chamber simulated natural weathering for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6?months. Chemical changes in cured epoxy systems over time in the presence and absence of CS fillers were determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Thermal degradation profiles before and after exposure to accelerated weathering were followed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The glass transition temperatures (T_g) before and after accelerated weathering were measured, and the effect of accelerated weathering on the surface morphology of the epoxy systems was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In the presence of CS, after 6?months accelerated weathering the tensile strength of DGEBA-TMDA reduced by 23.8?±?2.4%, compared to 46.5?±?5.5% in its absence, while the corresponding values for HDGEBA-TMDA were 21.4?±?2.1% and 28.7?±?1.8%.     

Determination of Fibre Pore Structure: Influence of Salt,pH and Conventional Wet Strength Resins

It has been shown, in the present investigation, that the two methods used to investigate the pore size distribution of unbleached chemical pulps, i.e. inverse size exclusion chromatography (ISEC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), give different average pore radius for the pores inside the fibre wall. This is due to the way in which these experiments are performed and the sensitivity of the methods to different types of pores in the cell wall. It was also shown that the two methods gave different results when changing the pH and the ionic strength of the pulp suspension. The pore radius, as detected with ISEC, decreased with both increasing ionic strength and decreasing pH, indicating a loose structure of the exterior of the fibrillar network. However, the pore radius as detected with NMR, was virtually unaffected when increasing the ionic strength, indicating a very rigid structure of the interior of the fibre wall. Decreasing pH though, lead to a decrease in pore radius indicating that upon protonation of the carboxylic groups in the fibre wall, the electrostatic repulsion is diminished and the average pore radius decreases. The NMR technique was also used to study wet strength aid penetration into the fibre wall. It was shown that wet strength aids with a small molecular weight, penetrated the fibre wall, as detected by a decrease in pore radius. It was also shown that addition of different wet strength aids increased the tensile index of the sheet and decreased the fibre strength, measured as zero span-strength of the sheets.     

Zur kenntnis ‚Kationen-reicher’︁ Tantalate und Niobate Über Na5TaO5 und Na5NbO5

On Tantalates and Niobates ‘rich in Cations’. On Na₅TaO₅ and Na₅NbO₅ Colourless, transparent single crystals of Na₅TaO₅ [annealed mixtures of Na₂O, Li₂O, and Ta₂O₅, Na : Li : Ta = 6.6 : 1.1 : 1, Ni-cylinder, 1000°C, 75 d] as well as Na₅NbO₅ [annealed mixtures of Na₂O, Li₂O, and Nb₂O₅, Na : Li : Nb = 6.6 : 1.1 : 1, Ni-cylinder, 1000°C, 75 d] have been prepared. Single crystal data show that both isotypic oxides represent a deformed variant of the NaCl-type of structure [Na₅TaO₅: 1154 from 1250 I₀ (hkl), four-cycle diffractometer Philips PW 1100, ω2-θ scan, Ag? Kα , R = 4.88%, space group c2/c with a = 629.3(1) pm, b = 1025.4(2) pm, c = 1004.6(2) pm, b? 106.80(2)°, z = 4 and Na₅NbO₅: 998 from 1247 I₀(hkl), four-cycle diffractometer Philips PW 1100, ω-2θ scan, Ag? Kα , R = 8.58% and R_w = 7.67%, space group C2/2 with a = 629.1(1) pm, b = 1024.4(2) pm, c = 1004.2(2) pm, b? = 106.80(2)°, Z = 4]. The Madelung Part of Lattice Energy, MAPLE, and Effective Coordination Numbers, ECoN, the latter derived from Mean Effective Fictive Ionic Radii, MEFIR, as well as Charge Distribution, CHARDI, are calculated.     

Correlation between C and O chemical shifts and torsional strain in spiroacetals

The relationship between the ¹³C and ¹⁷O NMR chemical shifts and the dihedral energies (non-bonding interactions) of 1,4-dioxaspiro[4.4]nonane, 1,4-dioxa- and 6,10-dioxaspiro[4.5]decane, 1,4-dioxa- and 6,11-dioxaspiro[4.6]undecane, 1,5-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane, 1,5-dioxa and 7,12-dioxaspiro[5.6]dodecane and 1,6-dioxaspiro[6.6]tridecane were analyzed. These data showed correlation of the non-bonding interactions with the chemical shift of the spiranic carbon, as well as a linear relationship between ¹³C and ¹⁷O.     

Synthesis and burst strength of water‐swollen immunoisolatory tubules

A series of amphiphilic hydrogel tubules have been prepared by copolymerizing/crosslinking hydrophilic poly(dimethylacrylamide) segments with hydrophobic di‐, tri‐, and octamethacrylate‐telechelic polyisobutylene crosslinkers, and their elastic modulus and burst strength in the water‐swollen state were investigated. Because the burst characteristics of hydrogels have not yet been quantitatively investigated, equipment was designed and built to generate fundamental insight into the burst properties of thin‐walled (200–250 μm) narrow lumen (2–3 mm i.d.) water‐swollen tubules. The theory developed to describe quantitatively the inflation behavior of thin‐walled rubber tubules was adapted to treat our experimental observations. Changes in the burst strength, elastic modulus, and expansion during the inflation of hydrogel tubules were interpreted in terms of the molecular weight of the hydrophilic segments between crosslinking sites (M_{c,hydrophilic}), which in turn was calculated according to the rubber elasticity theory. According to these investigations, the burst strength of our water‐swollen amphiphilic tubules is in the 0.2–0.5 MPa range, which is sufficient for implantation and immunoisolatory applications. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2075–2084, 2002     

Aging effect on the mechanical properties of hybrid gels

Sol-gel derived unsupported films and thin rods have been obtained from co-hydrolysis of triethoxysilane and methyldiethoxysilane. The materials are flexible, dense and transparent. Films and rods have been aged for different periods of time in air at room temperature. The elastic modulus has been measured by means of tensile or flexural tests. Measurements showed an increase of elastic modulus with aging time and showed different values for films and rods. The observed evolution of mechanical properties has been related to a corresponding structural modification as highlighted mainly by MAS-NMR studies. Analyses pointed out the crucial role of condensation processes and showed that the stiffness increase arises from the formation of relatively few bonds which link and constrain pre-existing mobile network regions.     

An investigation of dynamic mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of housing materials for outdoor polymeric insulators

The present paper reports the results about a study of mechanical, thermal, dynamic mechanical and electrical properties of housing (weather shed) materials for outdoor polymeric insulators. Silicone rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) and alloys of silicon-EPDM are known polymers for use as housing in high voltage insulators. The result of dynamical mechanical measurement shows that the storage modulus of blends enhances with increase EPDM in formulation. It can be seen from the result of TGA measurement that initial thermal degradation of silicone rubber improves by the effect of EPDM in blends. The blends of silicone-EPDM show good breakdown voltage strength compared to silicone rubber. Surface and volume resistance of silicone rubber improve by EPDM content. The mechanical properties of EPDM such as strength, modulus and elongation at break improve by silicone.     

Determination of various deformation processes in impact-modified PMMA at strain rates up to 105%/min

The deformation processes in impact-modified PMMA, which deforms homogeneously, were determined by means of the stress/strain experiment (, ) with simultaneous lateral strain measurement (_lat) in a wide range of strain rates () up to 10⁵%/min (impact stress). The elastic, plastic cavitation and plastic shear processes were determined as a function of strain. Therefore we calculated the elastic strain ( _el), the elastic volume expansion ( _{vol el}), the cavitation strain ( _cav), which is identical with the plastic volume expansion ( _{vol pl}), the shear strain ( _sh) and the energy densities (W_el, W_cav, W_sh) related to these three processes.For strains of 3 % onward it was found that plastic shear processes and plastic cavitation processes are responsible for a partial loss of elastically stored energy. Both plastic processes turn out to be mostly anelastic deformations, their amount depending strongly on the strain rate. The contributions of the processes to the total deformation of the unmodified PMMA in its strain range are similar to those of the impact-modified PMMA, and the high impact strength is caused by a shift of the catastrophic rupture to very high strains.