Enhancement of the light-scattering ability of coatings by using hollow pigments

The light-scattering properties of coatings based on monodisperse polymeric spheres of two different diameters (ca 0.5 and 1 m) were evaluated from reflectance measurements as a function of the wavelength from 400 to 700 nm. Some of these plastic pigments were hollow and it was noted that these particles gave coatings with a greater light-scattering ability than coatings based on solid particles of a similar size. It was possible to estimate the contribution of the internal pores to the scattering ability of the coating layers by saturating the layers with an oil of a refractive index similar to that of the polymeric pigment particles. A simple model accounting for the scattering provided by the internal pores of the hollow particles is suggested. The agreement between the experimental results and the prediction of the model is fair. It was noted that the light scattering coefficient of the coatings increased when the external diameter of their constituent hollow particles increased from ca 0.5 to 1 m.     

Theoretical Investigation on the Second-order Nonlinear Optical Properties of Chiral Amino Acid Zinc（Ⅱ） Porphyrins

Static second-order nonlinear optical effects of amino acid zinc(Ⅱ) porphyrins 1, 2,3 and 4 were calculated by the TDHF/PM3 method based on the molecular structures optim.zed at the semiempirical PM3 quantum chemistry level, showing due to the cancellation of symmetric center, these amino acid zinc(H) porphyrins exhibit second order nonlinear optical response. The analysis of β components indicated that these amino acid zinc(Ⅱ) porphyrins are of multipolarizabilities, and they may be ascribed as the “mixture” of octupolar and dipoar molecules with ||βJ=3||/||βJ=1||≈5. It is found that there are no significant differences between the static β values of non-chiral and chiral amino acid zinc(Ⅱ) porphyrins. However, the βxyz component, which is quite important to quadratic macroscopic X^(2) susceptibility of chiral material, is increased significantly with the increase of side chain group of amino acids.     

Hybrid genetic algorithm–tabu search approach for optimising multilayer optical coatings

Constructing multilayer optical coatings (MOCs) is a difficult large-scale optimisation problem due to the enormous size of the search space. In the present paper, a new approach for designing MOCs is presented using genetic algorithms (GAs) and tabu search (TS). In this approach, it is not necessary to specify how many layers will be present in a design, only a maximum needs to be defined. As it is generally recognised that the existence of specific repeating blocks is beneficial for a design, a specific GA representation of a design is used which promotes the occurrence of repeating blocks. Solutions found by GAs are improved by a new refinement method, based on TS, a global optimisation method which is loosely based on artificial intelligence. The improvements are demonstrated by creating a visible transmitting/infrared reflecting filter with a wide variety of materials.     

Determination of paraquat in human blood plasma using reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography with direct sample injection

This report describes the determination of paraquat (PQ) in human blood plasma samples by a direct-injection reversed-phase ion-pair chromatographic method. Blood plasma filtrate was injected directly into the LiChrospher® RP-18 alkyl-diol silica (ADS) precolumn integrated in a column switching system using a mixture of 3% 2-propanol and 10 mM sodium octane sulfonate (SOS) in a 0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH 2.8). After washing with this phase, the ADS precolumn was back-flushed with the analytical mobile phase consisting of 40% of methanol and 10 mM SOS in a 0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH 2.8) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml min⁻¹, in order to carry the analyte to a conventional reversed-phase analytical column, where the separation of PQ was achieved and finally detected by UV at 258 nm. The recoveries of PQ from human blood plasma samples ranged between 95.0 and 99.5% at nine different concentrations (from 0.05 to 3.00 μg of PQ ml⁻¹) with coefficients of variation <2.5% (n=3). The precision expressed as relative standard deviation was below 3.5% for between-day and below 4.3% for within-day measurements (n=5). The detection limit (signal-to-noise ratio, S/N>3) was 0.005 μg ml⁻¹ with an injection volume of 200 μl. The proposed method is promising for the identification and quantification of PQ at low concentration levels and is suitable for its analysis in human blood plasma samples from intentional or accidental poisonings cases with a sample throughput of 5 samples per hour.     

PEO-LiClO_4-ZSM5 composite polymer electrolyte (IV): Polarized optical microscopy study

All solid-state lithium polymer batteries may be one of the best choices for the future electrochemical power source, characterized by high energy densities, good cyclability, reliability and safety[1,2]. Owing to its potential capability to replace the t…     

Synthesis and photochemistry of side-chain liquid crystal polymers based on cinnamate esters

The syntheses of three methacrylate monomers with cinnamate ester side-chains and of a further monomer with a corresponding cinnamide side-chain are described. Two of the monomers, with isomeric structures, were thermotropic liquid crystals. Although the clearing points were very similar the crystal melting points differed by 8°C. One compound also exhibited a monotropic smectic phase, behavior not shown by its isomer. The other two monomers were not liquid crystalline. The monomers were polymerized by free radical polymerization, both as homopolymers and as copolymers with methyl methacrylate. In the case of one of the mesogenic ester monomers, copolymers with a cyanophenyl benzoate monomer were also prepared. Three of the four monomers formed thermotropic liquid crystalline homopolymers and the copolymers with the benzoate monomer were also liquid crystalline. The monomers were considered as photoactive components of polymeric liquid crystals. As a preliminary investigation of their photochemistry, copolymers with methyl methacrylate were prepared and irradiated in solution with a broad-band source. Under these conditions two of the materials show a facile photo-Fries rearrangement of the aryl cinnamate ester group. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Potassium-selective optrode based on an immobilized fluorogenic crown ether

A new optical sensor phase for potassium ions has been developed based on the immobilization of the pH-dependent fluorogenic crown ether 4-acryloylamidobenzo-18-crown-6 on the non-ionic polymeric resin Amberlite XAD-2.Two different optical designs, a flow-through sensor and a fibre optic probetype sensor (optrode), have been constructed and their analytical performance characteristics have been evaluated. The resulting fluorimetric sensors for K⁺ ions exhibited detection limits of 0.4 or 0.8 M of K⁺ (16 g/l or 31 g/l), depending on the design, while the linear response occurred from 1 to 25 M of the metal concentrations. The precision, evaluated as the relative standard deviation of measurements of K⁺ levels at around ten times the detection limit (e.g. 5 M), turned out to be around ±2%.Advantageous features of this fluorimetric sensing phase and optrode include ease of construction, simplicity of use, reversibility, short response times (ca. 1 min full scale deflection) selectivity and operational stability, suitable for sensing potassium at low levels in complex matrices such as biological fluids.The fluorimetric optical sensor has been successfully applied to the direct determination of potassium in clinically important samples (serum and urine) and in natural waters. Very good accuracy has been obtained just using adequate synthetic aqueous potassium standards for calibration.     

Optical Alignment of Organic Dopants in a Solid Gel Matrix: Dispersed and Grafted Rhodamine B Molecules

We study herein the rotational mobility of organic dye molecules and their ability to align on a strong optical electric field when they are encaged in the pores of an inorganic silica xerogel matrix. We compare the case of dye molecules simply dispersed in the pores of the gel—and possibly held by hydrogen bonds—to the case of molecules chemically grafted on the inner surface of these pores through covalent bonds. The study is led on hybrid silicon-zirconium based inorganic matrices doped with organic rhodamine B molecules. The stronger holding of the dopants when these are grafted to the matrix enhances the molecular alignment—and thus the induced anisotropy—as well as the remanence of this alignment. Furthermore, we show that submitting the samples to a supplementary drying at higher temperature tends to increase both the alignment anisotropy and its stability. We explain these results in terms of mobility of the molecules, in relation to their immediate environment.     

Preparation and Characterization of N-4-Nitrophenyl-L-prolinol Nanocrystals in Sol-Gel Matrices

Organic nanocrystals of N-4-nitrophenyl-l-prolinol (NPP) have been grown in sol-gel matrices prepared from silicon alkoxide precursors. Our process is based on the control of the nucleation and growth kinetics of the dye in the pores of dense gels. Nanocomposites gel-glasses are obtained with a high optical quality due to the small size of the nanocrystals (10-20 nm). Differential scanning calorimetry experiments evidenced clearly the melting point of NPP nanocrystals, which is registered 51°C above that of NPP powder. Micro-Raman and solid state NMR spectroscopies allowed us to demonstrate that our nanocrystallization process does not chemically modify NPP molecules. We specified also the nature of interactions existing between the NPP nanocrystals and the xerogels. These strong interactions, which explain the important increase of the melting point of the nanocrystals in comparison to the NPP powder, are hydrogen bonds between nitro groups of NPP and uncondensed silanol functions of the silicate network.     

Synthesis and Second‐Order Nonlinearities of Chiral Prolinol‐Substituted Chromophores

A new series of thiophene‐ and furan‐containing chromophores with a chiral prolinol donor and a sulfone acceptor has been synthesized. The UV‐vis absorptions, second‐order nonlinear optical properties, and X‐ray crystal structures are described.