Triphilic pentablock copolymers with perfluoroalkyl segment in central position

Adding perfluoroalkyl (PF) segments to amphiphilic copolymers yields triphilic copolymers with new application profiles. Usually, PF segments are attached as terminal blocks via Cu(I) catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). The purpose of the current study is to design new triphilic architectures with a PF segment in central position. The PF segment bearing bifunctional atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiator is employed for the fabrication of triphilic poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(glycerol monomethacrylate)-b-PF-b-poly(glycerol monomethacrylate)-b-poly(propylene oxide) PPO-b-PGMA-b-PF-b-PGMA-b-PPO pentablock copolymers by a combined ATRP and CuAAC reaction approach. Differential scanning calorimetry indicates the PF-initiator to undergo a solid–solid phase transition at 63°C before the final crystal melting at 95°C. This is further corroborated by polarized optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction studies. The PF-initiator could successfully polymerize solketal methacrylate (SMA) under typical ATRP conditions producing well-defined Br-PSMA-b-PF-b-PSMA-Br triblock copolymers that are then converted into PPO-b-PSMA-b-PF-b-PSMA-b-PPO pentablock copolymer via CuAAC reaction. Subsequently, acid hydrolysis of the PSMA blocks afforded water soluble well-defined triphilic pentablock copolymers PPO-b-PGMA-b-PF-b-PGMA-b-PPO with fluorophilic central segment, hydrophilic middle blocks, and lipophilic outer blocks. The triphilic block copolymers could self-assemble, depending upon the preparatory protocol, into spherical and filament-like phase-separated nanostructures as revealed by transmission electron microscopy.     

On interpolatory divergence-free wavelets

We construct interpolating divergence-free multiwavelets based on cubic Hermite splines. We give characterizations of the relevant function spaces and indicate their use for analyzing experimental data of incompressible flow fields. We also show that the standard interpolatory wavelets, based on the Deslauriers-Dubuc interpolatory scheme or on interpolatory splines, cannot be used to construct compactly supported divergence-free interpolatory wavelets.

     

Electronic structure and topography of annealed SrTiO3(1 1 1) surfaces studied with MIES and STM

Perovskites of ABO₃ type like strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) are of great practical concern as materials for oxygen sensors operating at high temperatures. It is well known that the surface layer shows different properties compared to the bulk. Numerous studies exist for the SrTiO₃(1 0 0) and (1 1 0) surfaces which have investigated the changes in the electronic structure and topography as a function of the preparation conditions. They have indicated a rather complex behaviour of the surface and the near surface region of SrTiO₃ at elevated temperatures. Up to now, the behaviour of the SrTiO₃(1 1 1) surfaces under thermal treatment is not sufficiently known. This contribution is intended to work out the relation between alteration of the surface topography with respect to the preparation conditions and the simultaneous changes of the electronic structure. We applied scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to investigate the surface topography and, additionally, metastable impact electron spectroscopy (MIES) to study the surface electronic structure of reconstructed SrTiO₃(1 1 1) surfaces. The crystals were heated up to 1000 °C under reducing and oxidizing conditions. Both preparation conditions cause strong changes of the surface topography and electronic structure. A microfaceting of the topmost layers is found.     

Exponential averaging for traveling wave solutions in rapidly varying periodic media

Reaction diffusion systems on cylindrical domains with terms that vary rapidly and periodically in the unbounded direction can be analyzed by averaging techniques. Here, using iterated normal form transformations and Gevrey regularity of bounded solutions, we prove a result on exponential averaging for such systems, i.e., we show that traveling wave solutions can be described by a spatially homogenous equation and exponentially small remainders. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Plunger measurements on highly stripped O-ions as tool for detecting electron polarization on emergence from thin ferromagnetic layers

From hyperfine interaction studles on free single electron¹⁶O(3⁻) ions. in a time differential mode using the recoil distance technique. It is shown that these ions are polarized when emerging from magnetized thin layers of Fe. The observed degree of polarization , however, is smaller than expected from transient field measurements.     

An integrated organic photoconductive detector for optoelectronics

In the system (poly-(N-vinyl carbazole) (PVK): trinitrofluorenone (TNF) a photoconductive complex is formed. Thin metal films are sputtered on BK7 glass substrates, forming two electrodes with 1 mm separation. The photoconductive complex is deposited from a solution in chlorobenzene/tetrahydrofurane on the glass substrate between the electrodes, forming a photoconductive detector. Photoconductivity of these planar detectors is studied using He-Ne laser light (=633 nm) as a function of electric field and for different TNF concentrations. An increase of photosensitivity is found for high TNF concentrations.Time resolution of the photoconductive PVK:TNF detector is investigated using a ruby pulse laser (=694 nm). The possible use of such detectors in combination with other polymer lightguides is demonstrated. Compared to most polymer waveguide materials PVK exhibits a rather high refractive index ofn=1.7. Thus the coupling of light into the photoconductive film is achieved directly. The planar structure allows further integration of polymeric components for optoelectronics.     

The search for a new model structure of β-Factor XIIa

We present the search for a new model of -factor XIIa, a blood coagulation enzyme, with an unknown experimental 3D-structure. We decided to build not one but three different models using different homologous proteins as well as different techniques and different modellers. Additional studies, including extensive molecular dynamics simulations on the solvated state, allowed us to draw several conclusions concerning homology modelling, in general, and -factor XIIa, in particular.