Ionic relaxation in nematic liquid crystal cells

We investigate the dependence of the relaxation time of the current flowing in a nematic cell submitted to an external dc voltage on the physical properties of the substrate. We show that previously presented analyses of the same problem are not very useful for practical applications. We compare our theoretical predictions with experimental data, and show that the agreement is rather good. The influence of the adsorption-desorption phenomenon on the relaxation time is also discussed.     

Site segregation in size-mismatched nanoalloys: Application to Cu-Ag

In order to determine the energetic driving forces for surface segregation in bimetallic clusters, we use a combined approach coupling numerical simulations within an N-body interatomic potential and a lattice-gas model. This approach, which has been used successfully to study both the superficial segregation in semi-infinite alloys and the intergranular segregation, allows us to determine the relative contributions of the three elementary driving forces for the different sites of the cluster surface (vertices, edges and facets) in both dilute limits for the Cu-Ag system. We show that the segregation hierarchy based on broken-bond arguments (preferential segregation to the vertex sites, less to edge sites, and least to facet sites) is not at all universal. In particular, unusual hierarchies are predicted when the sizes of the constituents are strongly different. Furthermore, we compare the segregation driving forces for cubo-octahedral and icosahedral clusters. They are similar for the vertex sites and edge sites, whereas they differ significantly for the sites of the triangular facets. The segregation of the species with the largest atomic radius (Ag) is indeed largely enhanced in the icosahedral structure due to dilations of the orthoradial distances.     

Study of the reciprocal space image of the biaxial nematic phase in the plane of the amphiphilic bilayer

High resolution synchrotron X-ray measurements have been performed on the uniaxial and biaxial phases of the lyotropic mixture potassuim laurate, decanol and water. An elegant magnetic orientational procedure allows us to obtain the cut of the reciprocal space image of the biaxial phase at the plane perpendicular to the amphiphilic bilayer. The analysis of densitometric profiles of the diffracted bands indicate an anisotropic micellar correlation in the plane of the amphiphilic bilayer. It is suggested that an anisotropic distribution of decanol and potassium laurate in this plane could be responsible for this effect.     

Evidence of shear-dependent boundary slip in newtonian liquids

The European Physical Journal E - The flow of Newtonian fluids was studied by directly measuring the hydrodynamic drainage force acting on a sphere approaching a flat surface. Our force...     

Co-doped In2O3 thin films: Room temperature ferromagnets

Laser-ablated Co-doped In₂O₃ thin films were fabricated under various growth conditions on R-cut Al₂O₃ and MgO substrates. All Co:In₂O₃ films are well-crystallized, single phase, and room temperature ferromagnetic. Co atoms were well substituted for In atoms, and their distribution is greatly uniform over the whole thickness of the films. Films grown at 550 °C showed the largest magnetic moment of about 0.5 μ_B/Co, while films grown at higher temperatures have magnetic moments of one order smaller. The observed ferromagnetism above room temperature in Co:In₂O₃ thin films has confirmed that doping few percent of magnetic elements such as Co into In₂O₃ could result in a promising magnetic material.     

Structural anisotropy in friction‐deposited layers of polystyrene

Friction‐deposited layers of atactic polystyrene (PS) on inert and OH‐grafted gold substrates were the subject of this study to establish a relationship between the friction process and the resulting anisotropy of the transferred polymer chains. We show, by using polarization‐modulation infrared reflection‐absorption spectroscopy that the deposited PS chains involve an anisotropy in which PS main backbone is rather perpendicular to the friction support, fact that is surprising when compared with the majority of polymers where the anisotropy is along the sliding direction. Moreover, our calculation of the orientation angles revealed that PS chains are more perpendicular in the transferred layers than in spin‐coated films. This particular anisotropy is probably due to a parallel reorientation of the phenyl ring on the friction support whatever the surface chemistry is. On the other hand, this study was useful to rectify the assignment of infrared bands unclearly reported in the literature. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3272–3281, 2006     

Studies toward the synthesis of salinosporamide A, a potent proteasome inhibitor

An α-methylenepyrrolidinone bearing all the functionalities and relative configurations of an advanced intermediate in the synthesis of salinosporamide A and analogues has been synthesized from methyl pyroglutamate through regio- and stereoselective N-methylnitrone cycloaddition.