The Relevance of the Collaborative Effect in Determining the Performances of Photorefractive Polymer Materials

A derivative of 2‐methylindole, 3‐[2‐(4‐nitrophenyl)ethenyl]‐1‐allyl‐2‐methylindole, NPEMI‐A, is studied for its photoconductivity and photorefractivity behaviour. Its blends with the organic polymer poly‐(2,3‐dimethyl‐N‐vinylindole), PVDMI, are also investigated. Due to the expected and devised mutual solubility of the two components of the blends, it is possible to carry out measurements with the weight percent of the chromophore NPEMI‐A changing from zero to 100. Films were produced by a squeezing process between two ITO‐covered glass sheets. No opacity phenomena, that are so common for many other organic blends due to the segregation of the dissolved chromophore, are observed. The photorefractive optical gain Γ₂ is obtained as a function of the chromophore content. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements (DSC) are also carried out to obtain the whole change of the glass transition temperature T_g as a function of the amount of chromophore contained in the blends. From the experimental trend of T_g a meaningful quantitative estimate of the value of the electrostatic interactions acting in the studied blends, is obtained. The importance of the value of T_g, and of the electrostatic interactions, in determining the extent of the photorefractivity is clearly evident. The results are compared for NPEMI‐A (Γ₂=210 cm^?1) and for NPEMI‐E (Γ₂ ≈ 2000 cm^?1) that has a N‐2‐ethylhexyl group instead of a N‐allyl group. The Pockels and Kerr contributions and—for the first time—a “collaborative effect” of the photorefractivity of NPEMI‐A are distinguished and quantitatively evaluated.     

Semi-quantitative time resolved LIBS measurements

Received: 2 February 1996/Accepted: 20 January 1997     

Benchmark Experiments of Fusion Neutron Induced Gamma-Ray Radioactivity in Various Structural Materials

The fusion reactor inventory code FISPACT, together with the European Activation File EAF, is the European reference software for calculating the neutron-induced activation of fusion reactor relevant materials. Experimental verifications (benchmarks) of the code predictions have been performed at ENEA Frascati by means of an irradiation facility consisting of a D-T neutron generator and a moderator/reflector structure which is employed to mimic the neutron spectrum at the a fusion device first wall. Various materials (vanadium alloy, SiC, AISI 316, martensitic steel F82H, copper, tungsten, iron, niobium), candidates to be used in a fusion reactor, have been exposed to neutrons produced in the facility (about 10⁹ n cm^–2 s^–1) and the short and medium-lived induced radioactivity has been measured by gamma-ray spectroscopy. The experimental results have been used to validate the inventory code FISPACT, the physical database EAF, including its uncertainty predictions, and the composition of the material irradiated in particular for its minor elements and impurities. The comparison between calculated (C) and experimental results (E) is reported as C/E values and shows a satisfactory agreement for almost all radionuclides. Radionuclides for which there is not agreement between calculations and experiments are also discussed and an analysis of the causes of the lack of agreement is carried out.     

Rapid crack growth in a thermoelastic solid under mixed-mode thermomechanical loading

A two-dimensional steady-sate analysis of semi-infinite brittlecrack growth at a constant subcritical rate in an unboundedfully-coupled thermoelastic solid under mixed-mode thermomechanicalloading is made. The loading consists of normal and shear tractionsand heat fluxes applied as point sources (line loads in theout-of-plane direction). A related problem is solved exactly in an integral transformspace, and robust asymptotic forms used to reduce the originalproblem to a set of integral equations. The equations are partiallycoupled and exhibit operators of both Cauchy and Abel types,yet can be solved analytically. The temperature change field at a distance from the moving crackedge is then constructed, and its dominant term is found tobe controlled by the imposed heat fluxes. The role of this termis, indeed, enhanced if the heat fluxes serve to render thecrack as a net heat source/sink for the solid, as opposed tobeing a transmitter of heat across its plane. More generally,the influence of the thermoelastic coupling on this field, aswell as other functions, is found to increase with crack speed.     

Zeeman effect on the nuclear quadrupole resonance of 81Br in single crystals of methyl 4-bromobenzoate, 4,4′-dibromodiphenyl-ether and 4,4′-dibromodiphenylsulphide at 77 K

The Zeeman effect on the N.Q.R. of methyl 4-bromobenzoate, 4,4′-dibromodiphenylether, 4,4′-dibromodiphenylsulphide has been studied at 77 K on single crystals, using the ‘geometric method’. The apparatus used in the measurements, which allows one to maintain any temperature between room temperature and 77 K, is described, and the possible significance of the slight variations in the molecular arrangement found in the present measurements and in those performed at room temperature is discussed.     

Synthetic magnetic opals

We present studies of novel nanocomposites of BiNi impregnated into the structure of opals as well as inverse opals. Atomic force microscopy and high resolution elemental analyses show a highly ordered structure and uniform distribution of the BiNi filler in the matrix. These BiNi-based nanocomposites are found to exhibit distinct ferromagnetic-like ordering with transition temperature of about 675 K. As far as we know there exists no report in literature on any BiNi compound which is magnetic.     

Light response of a pure liquid Xenon scintillator irradiated with 2.5 MeV neutrons

In this paper the results obtained by exposing a pure liquid Xenon scintillator to 2.5 MeV neutrons are presented. In particular, the ratio of the measured amount of light from a recoil nucleus to the amount of light from an electron of the same kinetic energy has been investigated. Results substantially in agreement with previous determinations are obtained. A figure of r = 0.46 ± 0.10 is cumulatively obtained.     

Effect of the encapsulating material on the peak3/peak5 response ratio of TLD-300 irradiated with neutrons of various energy

The analysis of experimental data available in the literature shows that the neutron sensitivity ratio m=k₃/k₅ for the two main glow peaks P₃ and P₅ of TLD-300 (for ribbons of 3.2×3.2×0.9 mm³) is dependent upon the response ratio R₃/R₅ of these two peaks. This finding is in agreement with predictions from an equation derived from the two-peak method equations. The result implies that the peak response ratio R₃/R₅ for TLD-300 surrounded by Tissue Equivalent material is independent of the encapsulating material. This is also demonstrated experimentally.     

Identification and Spectroscopic Characterization of Nonheme Iron(III) Hypochlorite Intermediates

Fe^III–hypohalite complexes have been implicated in a wide range of important enzyme‐catalyzed halogenation reactions including the biosynthesis of natural products and antibiotics and post‐translational modification of proteins. The absence of spectroscopic data on such species precludes their identification. Herein, we report the generation and spectroscopic characterization of nonheme Fe^III–hypohalite intermediates of possible relevance to iron halogenases. We show that Fe^III‐OCl polypyridylamine complexes can be sufficiently stable at room temperature to be characterized by UV/Vis absorption, resonance Raman and EPR spectroscopies, and cryo‐ESIMS. DFT methods rationalize the pathways to the formation of the Fe^III‐OCl, and ultimately Fe^IV?O, species and provide indirect evidence for a short‐lived Fe^II‐OCl intermediate. The species observed and the pathways involved offer insight into and, importantly, a spectroscopic database for the investigation of iron halogenases.     

Combinatorial study of a gold nanoparticle infusion process in a polymer film

A novel two-step process is described for infusion of gold nanoparticles (5–20 nm typical diameter) into a polymer film. The technique is demonstrated for the first time in a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU). An amine-functional monomer, 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, and a free-radical photoinitiator are infused into the surface of the TPU, followed by photopolymerization. An amine-functional semi-interpenetrating network (SIPN) is created within a shallow (~100 μm) surface layer. In the second step, a gold salt, HAuCl₄·3H₂O, is infused into the SIPN from a ternary solvent mixture, and redox reaction with the immobilized amine functional groups produces Au⁰ nanoparticles. Combinatorial processing is conducted to visualize the interdependent effects of two variables, monomer soak time (t ₁) and gold salt solution soak time (t ₂). Combinatorial infusion is accomplished by creating orthogonal gradients in t ₁ and t ₂ in a square TPU plate, allowing examination of sample color, particle size, and polydispersity over a wide range of parameter space. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is employed as non-invasive means to characterize the Au⁰ particles at three locations in the plate. SAXS measurements are validated by TEM analysis of Au⁰ particle size in a reference sample. A rationale is developed for changing particle size and polydispersity through variation of simple process parameters.