Light transmission by polymer-dispersed liquid crystals

Light transmission of nematic liquid crystals dispersed in a polymeric matrix is investigated. The paper gives a theoretical analysis of light transmission by the liquid crystal-polymer and liquid crystaldye-polymer systems based on determination of the total cross section of extinction. The mathematical model is considered in the anomalous diffraction approximation. The theoretical calculations are in good agreement with experimental data obtained for films based on cyanodiphenyl dispersed into a polyvinyl acetate matrix.Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated fromZhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 34, No. 6, pp. 118–122, November–December, 1993.Translated by L. Chernomorskaya     

Study of nanocomposite thick-film butanol vapor sensors

Gas sensing characteristics of multi-walled carbon nanotubes coated with tin dioxide nanoparticles nanocomposite thick-film structures (MWCNTs/SnO₂) prepared using hydrothermal synthesis, sol–gel technique and their combined process were investigated. Gas response test measurements of all studied nanocomposite structures carried out in air/target gas mixture showed that the most and at one time selective response to butanol vapor exposure in comparison to other mainly toxic and harmful gases such as acetone, toluene, formaldehyde, dimethylformamide, and others is observed for samples obtained by hydrothermal synthesis with 1:4 and 1:200 weight ratios of the nanocomposite components, respectively. These sensors are characterized by relatively short response and recovery times about 12 and 100 s, respectively, as well as low operating temperatures in the range of 150–200°C.     

Experimental study of subsonic flows by liquid‐crystal thermogfraphy

The physical basis of liquidcrystal thermography, which allows visualization and measurement of temperature and heatflux fields, are expounded. An experimental technique and methods of obtaining quantitative results are described. Two approaches (monochromatic and chromatic) to interpretation of visualization data are considered. Results illustrating the possibilities of the method in an aerophysical experiment are given.     

Peculiarities of the formation of the X-ray diffraction image of a surface acoustic wave in grazing geometry

The x-ray diffraction image of a Bluestein-Gulyaev surface acoustic wave (SAW) at grazing angles of incidence is considered in the noncoplanar symmetric Laue geometry. It is assumed that the SAW propagation direction makes a small angle with the diffraction vector. It is shown that small deviations from the Bragg angle (～0.01″) due to SAWs that do not lead to a change in the reflection coefficient result in the formation of diffraction satellites for both standing and traveling SAWs. The recorded x-ray diffraction image representing the time-averaged intensity distribution has characteristic profiles for even-and odd-order satellites.