Stability criteria for positive linear discrete-time systems

Positivity - We prove new characterisations of exponential stability for positive linear discrete-time systems in ordered Banach spaces, in terms of small-gain conditions. Such conditions have...     

Structure of neutron-rich Be and C isotopes

The structure of neutron-rich beryllium isotopes has been investigated using different heavy-ion-induced transfer reactions. In neutron transfer reactions, the population of final states shows a strong sensitivity to the chosen core nucleus, i.e., the target nuclei ⁹Be or ¹⁰Be, respectively. Molecular rotational bands up to high excitation energies are observed with ⁹Be as the core due to its pronounced 2α-cluster structure, whereas only a few states at low excitation energies are populated with ¹⁰Be as the core. For ¹¹Be, a detailed investigation has been performed for the three states at 3.41, 3.89, and 3.96 MeV, which resulted in the most probable spin-parity assignments 3/2⁺, 5/2^?, and 3/2^?, respectively. Furthermore, we have studied particle-hole states of ¹⁶C using the ¹³C(¹²C, ⁹C)¹⁶C reaction and found 14 previously unknown states. Using the ¹²C(¹²C, ⁹C)¹⁵C reaction, five new states were observed for ¹⁵C.     

Influence of organic modifiers on morphology and crystallization of poly(ϵ‐caprolactone)/synthetic clay intercalated nanocomposites

ε‐caprolactone was polymerized in the presence of neat montmorillonite or organomontmorillonites to obtain a variety of poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL)‐based systems loaded with 10 wt % of the silicates. The materials were thoroughly investigated by different X‐ray scattering techniques to determine factors affecting structure of the systems. For one of the nanocomposites it was found that varying the temperature in the range corresponding to crystallization of PCL causes reversible changes in the interlayer distance of the organoclay. Extensive experimental and literature studies on this phenomenon provided clues indicating that this effect might be a result of two‐dimensional ordering of PCL chains inside the galleries of the silicate. Small angle X‐ray scattering and wide angle X‐ray scattering investigation of filaments oriented above melting point of PCL revealed that polymer lamellae were oriented perpendicularly to particles of unmodified silicate, while in PCL/organoclay systems they were found parallel to clay tactoids. Calorimetric and microscopic studies shown that clay particles are effective nucleating agents. In the nanocomposites, PCL crystallized 20‐fold faster than in the neat polymer. The crystallization rate in nanocomposites was also significantly higher than in microcomposite. Further research provided an insight how the presence of the filler affects crystalline fraction and spherulitic structure of the polymer matrix in the investigated systems. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 2350–2367, 2007     

Oxygen-distribution imaging with a novel two-tracer laser-induced fluorescence technique

We introduce a new technique for imaging oxygen concentrations in fuel/air mixtures that takes advantage of the different responses of toluene and 3-pentanone to collisional quenching by molecular oxygen. Since laser-induced fluorescence signals from both tracers upon excitation at 248 nm are spectrally well separated, simultaneous detection is possible. The technique is first applied to instantaneous imaging in turbulent mixing processes of interacting seeded air and nitrogen flows. Received: 1 August 2001 / Revised version: 29 October 2001 / Published online: 29 November 2001     

Photoreactions of benzonitrile with cyclic enol ethers

Upon irradiation, cyclic enol ethers such as 1-methoxy-cyclopentene (4) mainly add across the cyano group of benzonitrile (1), under formation of 2-azabutadienes of an imidoester type. This is in agreement with the so-called Δ G-correlation which was reported earlier (ref. 5 and 6). 4-Phenyloxazole (9) is formed from 1 and 1,3-dioxole (5) probably by a similar photochemical process followed by electrocyclic ring opening and hydrolysis. The low yield of the latter photoreaction and the almost exergonic electron transfer between 5 and 1 may point to back electron transfer as the main energy wasting process. From 1 and 2,3-dihydrido-furan (2) only the ortho cycloadduct 6 has been isolated in low yields.     

Solubility parameter determination of cationic surfactants by inverse GC

Summary The solubility parameters of cationic surfactants were obtained using the inverse gas chromatographic technique. The surfactants didodecyl dimethyl ammonium bromide, dioctadecyl dimethyl ammonium bromide and dodecyl pyridinium chloride were used as stationary phase and retention data of different probe solutes were measured at different temperatures. The results were analysed by the combination of Flory-Huggins and Hildebrand theories, and the solubility parameters of the surfactants were obtained in a range of temperatures between 80–120°C.