Multicyclic polyethers derived from 1,1,1‐tris(4‐hydroxyphenyl)ethane and 2,6‐dihalopyridines

Poly(pyridine ether)s were prepared in two ways: the polycondensation of silylated 1,1,1‐tris(4‐hydroxyphenyl)ethane (THPE) with 2,6‐difluoropyridine (method A) and the polycondensation of free THPE with 2,6‐dichloropyridine (method B). With method A, the THPE/difluoropyridine feed ratio was varied from 1.0:1.0 to 1.0:1.6. Cycles, bicycles, and multicycles were the main reaction products, and crosslinking was never observed. When ideal stoichiometry was used exclusively, multicycles free of functional groups were obtained. These multicycles were detectable in matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectra up to B₃₈C₇₆ with a mass of approximately 32,000 Da. With method B, the reaction conditions were varied at a fixed feed ratio to achieve an optimum for the preparation of multicyclic polyethers, but because of the lower reactivity of 2,6‐dichloropyridine, a quantitative conversion was not achieved. The reaction products were characterized with MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry, viscosity measurements, and size exclusion chromatography. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5725–5735, 2004     

Adsorption Behaviour of 134Cs and 22Na Ions on Tin and Titanium Ferrocyanides

Tin and titanium ferrocyanides were studied as adsorbents for alkali metal ions, viz., ¹³⁴Cs and ²²Na, which represent radioactive wastes. The ferrocyanides were prepared in granular form. The tin version contained 11.2% water, while the titanium version contained 17.7% water. The exchange capacities for Cs⁺ and Na⁺ in the hydrated tin version were about 1.5 and 0.7 meq/g, respectively, while those in the titanium version were 2.2 and 1.2 meq/g, respectively. Drying at 250°C decimated those capacities. The diffusional time constant of Cs⁺ at 25°C, determined via Fick's second law, was of order of magnitude 1 × 10^–3 s^–1, though there were minor differences due to particle size and the form of ferrocyanide. Similarly, the effective diffusivity was of order of magnitude 1 × 10^–8 cm²/s. The titanium version responded slightly faster than the tin version. Likewise, equilibrium measurements in mixtures with sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, or uranium oxide, showed that the titanium version exhibited significantly greater selectivity for Cs⁺ than did the tin version. Unfortunately, tests of complete elution of the Cs⁺ from the ferrocyanides were mostly disappointing. Work continues on that subject.     

Behavior and surface energies of polybenzoxazines formed by polymerization with argon,oxygen, and hydrogen plasmas

Polybenzoxazine (PBZZ) thin films can be fabricated by the plasma‐polymerization technique with, as the energy source, plasmas of argon, oxygen, or hydrogen atoms and ions. When benzoxazine (BZZ) films are polymerized through the use of high‐energy argon atoms, electronegative oxygen atoms, or excited hydrogen atoms, the PBZZ films that form possess different properties and morphologies in their surfaces. High‐energy argon atoms provide a thermodynamic factor to initiate the ring‐opening polymerization of BZZ and result in the polymer surface having a grid‐like structure. The ring‐opening polymerization of the BZZ film that is initiated by cationic species such as oxygen atoms in plasma, is propagated around nodule structures to form the PBZZ. The excited hydrogen atom plasma initiates both polymerization and decomposition reactions simultaneously in the BZZ film and results in the formation of a porous structure on the PBZZ surface. We evaluated the surface energies of the PBZZ films polymerized by the action of these three plasmas by measuring the contact angles of diiodomethane and water droplets. The surface roughness of the films range from 0.5 to 26 nm, depending on the type of carrier gas and the plasma‐polymerization time. By estimating changes in thickness, we found that the PBZZ film synthesized by the oxygen plasma‐polymerization process undergoes the slowest rate of etching in CF₄ plasma. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4063–4074, 2004     

Structure and properties of the mesophase of syndiotactic polystyrene. VIII. Solvent sorption behavior of syndiotactic polystyrene/p‐chlorotoluene mesophase membranes

A crystalline δ form of a syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) membrane was prepared from a solution of sPS (1 wt %) and p‐chlorotoluene (p‐CT) by a solution‐casting method. The mesophase (δ empty form) of sPS was obtained by the extraction of the guest solvent from the δ form of sPS by a stepwise solvent‐extraction method. The sPS/p‐CT mesophase membrane [p‐CT (A‐M)] was used for the sorption of 1 mol % p‐CT for different times and for the sorption of different concentrations of p‐CT, chlorobenzene (CB), p‐xylene (p‐X), toluene, and chloroform for 48 h. The presence of solvents in the sPS membrane was confirmed by IR analysis. A thermal study revealed that the sorption amount of 1 mol % p‐CT increased with increasing immersion time, and the sorption amounts of different solvents increased with increasing solvent concentration. Differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the desorption peak temperature increased as the amount of the solvent increased in the clathrated sPS membrane. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction results showed that 2θ at 8.25° was slightly shifted toward 8°, and there was no change in the peak position at 10° for p‐CT (A‐M), which was immersed in different solvents (1 mol %); however, the intensity of 2θ at 10° was not similar for all the samples. Among the solvents used for the sorption studies at 1 mol %, p‐CT (A‐M) could sorb more p‐CT and CB than p‐X, toluene, and chloroform. The solvent sorption isotherm was the Langmuir sorption mechanism. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3439–3446, 2004     

Pressure and temperature dependence of the gas‐transport properties of dense poly[2,6‐toluene‐2,2‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxylphenyl)hexafluoropropane diimide] membranes

The gas‐transport properties of poly[2,6‐toluene‐2,2‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxylphenyl)hexafluoropropane diimide] (6FDA‐2,6‐DAT) have been investigated. The sorption behavior of dense 6FDA‐2,6‐DAT membranes is well described by the dual‐mode sorption model and has certain relationships with the critical temperatures of the penetrants. The solubility coefficient decreases with an increase in either the pressure or temperature. The temperature dependence of the diffusivity coefficient increases with an increase in the penetrant size, as the order of the activation energy for the diffusion jump is CH₄ > N₂ > O₂ > CO₂. Also, the average diffusion coefficient increases with increasing pressure for all the gases tested. As a combined contribution from sorption and diffusion, permeability decreases with increases in the pressure and the kinetic diameter of the penetrant molecules. Even up to 32.7 atm, no plasticization phenomenon can be observed on flat dense 6FDA‐2,6‐DAT membranes from their permeability–pressure curves. However, just as for other gases, the absolute value of the heat of sorption of CO₂ decreases with increasing pressure at a low‐pressure range, but the trend changes when the feed pressure is greater than 10 atm. This implies that CO₂‐induced plasticization may occur and reduce the positive enthalpy required to create a site into which a penetrant can be sorbed. Therefore, a better diagnosis of the inherent threshold pressure for the plasticization of a glassy polymer membrane may involve examining the absolute value of the heat of sorption as a function of pressure and identifying the turning point at which the gradient of the absolute value of the heat of sorption against pressure turns from a negative value to a positive one. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 354–364, 2004     

Photodegradation of a herbicide derivative, 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid in aqueous suspensions of titanium dioxide

The photocatalytic degradation of a herbicide derivative, 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D, 1), has been investigated in aqueous suspensions of titanium dioxide. The degradation was studied by monitoring the change in substrate concentration employing UV spectroscopic analysis and decrease in Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content as a function of irradiation time in the presence of UV light source. The degradation kinetics was investigated under a variety of conditions, such as different types of TiO₂, pH, catalyst and substrate concentrations. Higher photonic efficiencies were observed with Degussa P25 as compared with other photocatalysts. The degradation products were analysed by GC-MS and probable pathways for the formation of different products were proposed.     

类钙钛矿化合物Ca(Mn2 Cu1)Mn4 O12的磁性与磁电阻效应

利用固相反应法制备了名义成分为Ca(Mn2 Cu1 )Mn4 O1 2 的类钙钛矿锰氧化物 .x射线衍射表明 ,为了获得较为致密的样品和减小杂相含量 ,可以采用高温烧结再在 10 73K长时间空气中退火的制备方法 .样品在低温下同时存在铁磁相和反铁磁相 ,由于反铁磁相的存在导致样品在 4 5K时的磁化强度显著降低 ,并在 8T的高磁场下仍未达到饱和 .样品呈半导体导电性质 ,在 85K和 6T磁场下磁电阻比的最大值可达 - 4 6 % .     

Cr3+：MgAl2O4晶体EPR参量及其电子精细光谱的研究

考虑了SS(Spin-Spin)作用和SOO(Spin-Other-Orbit)作用，采用完全对角化方法，结合自旋Hamiltonian理论，研究了Cr³⁺∶MgAl₂O₄晶体EPR参量及其吸收光谱，理论与实验符合甚好. 在此基础上，进一步研究了⁴A₂(3d³)离子EPR参量的微观起源. 研究表明，EPR参量起源于四种微观机制：(1) SO(Spin-Orbit) 耦合机制；(2) SS耦合机制；(3)SOO耦合机制；(4) SO～SS～SOO总联合作用机制. 在这些机制中，SO机制是最主要的.     

高压增氧T′相R_2CuO_(4+δ)(R=Nd～Tm)低温磁性研究

T′相R2CuO4稀土铜氧化合物由于尺度效应而产生弱铁磁性行为已经被人们关注,报导了通过高温高氧压(6GPa,1000℃)合成稀土T′相R2CuO4(R=Nd,Sm,Eu,Gd,Tb,Dy,Ho,Er和Tm)化合物的结构和磁学性能。磁化率曲线显示,在低温下所有的高压增氧R2CuO4样品都出现新的低温弱铁磁性反常行为,转变温度在28K附近。新的低温弱铁磁性行为是由于CuO2面上微量氧空穴的掺入,使处于反铁磁有序CuO2面形成局域化的铁磁性团簇造成。实验证明新发现的低温弱铁磁性行为与尺度效应产生弱铁磁性行为属于完全不同的物理机制。结果还预示T′相R2CuO4稀土铜氧化合物很难通过空穴掺杂而实现超导。     

闪烁光纤在γ射线辐照下部分特性的蒙特卡罗模拟

 闪烁光纤在射线成像方面的应用越来越广泛。为了进一步了解闪烁光纤在射线辐照下的基本特性，基于蒙特卡罗方法，利用计算机模拟分析了γ射线在闪烁光纤中的好事例率与光纤长度及射线能量的关系，能量沉积效率与光纤长度及射线能量的关系。此项工作对于闪烁光纤阵列在射线成像，剂量场测量等方面的研究很有价值。