Polymerization behaviors of racemic and chiral amphiphilic monomers in organized bilayer membranes of lamellar liquid crystalline phase

A racemic amphiphilic monomer, n‐dodecyl glyceryl itaconate (DGI), forms bilayer membranes in water in the presence of small amount of ionic cosurfactant and shows iridescent color. A chiral DGI, S‐DGI, also shows an iridescent property, but with a rather red shift in the color, which can be ascribed to the increased packing density of the monomer in the bilayer membranes. Chrial DGI has a more compact packing density than racemic one owing to closer distance between the monomer molecules; the conversion rate, however, is slower than that of racemic one when H₂O₂ is used as an initiator. When the initiator is changed to an amphiphilic one, 4‐(2‐hydroxyethoxy) phenyl‐(2‐hydroxy‐2‐propyl) ketone (Irgacure 2959), the chiral DGI shows even a little faster conversion rate than that of racemic one. The NMR chemical shift results of protons in benzene ring show that the molecules of Irgacure 2959 insert into the bilayer membranes. The molecular weights of the corresponding polymers prove that the initiation by H₂O₂ is restricted compared to that by Irgacure 2959. It is concluded that the decelerated polymerization behavior of chiral DGI initiated by H₂O₂ is a result of limited diffusion of the initiator into the lamellar bilayer structures. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4891–4900, 2007     

Melting of heterogeneous vortex matter: The vortex ‘nanoliquid’

Disorder and porosity are parameters that strongly influence the physical behavior of materials, including their mechanical, electrical, magnetic and optical properties. Vortices in superconductors can provide important insight into the effects of disorder because their size is comparable to characteristic sizes of nanofabricated structures. Here we present experimental evidence for a novel form of vortex matter that consists of inter-connected nanodroplets of vortex liquid caged in the pores of a solid vortex structure, like a liquid permeated into a nanoporous solid skeleton. Our nanoporous skeleton is formed by vortices pinned by correlated disorder created by high-energy heavy ion irradiation. By sweeping the applied magnetic field, the number of vortices in the nanodroplets is varied continuously from a few to several hundred. Upon cooling, the caged nanodroplets freeze into ordered nanocrystals through either a first-order or a continuous transition, whereas at high temperatures a uniform liquid phase is formed upon delocalization-induced melting of the solid skeleton. This new vortex nanoliquid displays unique properties and symmetries that are distinct from both solid and liquid phases.     

Lamellar Organo-Bridged Silicones

The acid-hydrolysis of an organo-bridged bisdiethoxysilylated molecular precursor bearing urea groups, (EtO)₂MeSi(CH₂)₃NHCONH(CH₂)₁₂NHCONH(CH₂)₃SiMe(OEt)₂, has been performed in pure aqueous medium. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the resulting insoluble solid revealed plate-like forms with a lamellar structure as determined by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) studies with a sharp peak at 28.5 Å. The solid state ²⁹Si MAS-NMR spectrum of this bridged siloxane hybrid is consistent with a moderately condensed material with complete preservation of the Si–C bonds throughout the hybrid network. In comparison, the classical sol–gel hydrolysis-condensation of the molecular precursor in ethanol with stoichiometric amount of water and fluoride anion as catalyst produced an amorphous featureless solid.     

INTERNALIZATION OF GAP JUNCTIONS BETWEEN NEURON AND GLIAL CELL AND FORMATION OF ANNULAR LAMELLAR BODIES IN CHINESE LEECH Whitmania pigra

This paper reveals the formation of annular lamellar body (ALB) in the ganglion of leech by means of in situ fixation and the lanthanum nitrate tracer technique. This formation involves both wrapping and internalization of the gap junctions between glial processes themselves, as well as between neuron and glial process. The results indicate that there is probably an active process of internalization of membrane structures involving gap junctions between neuron and glial cell in the central nervous system in leech. The functions of ALB are discussed.     

非水层状液晶的稳定性与相行为

水体系层状液晶已研究较久,非水层状液晶则是近十年来才得到发展。本文以层状液晶的相行为和~2H NMR测量,研究并比较了非水层状液晶十二烷基硫酸钠/正癸醇溶剂以甘油或甲酰胺为溶剂时体系的结构与稳定性。 表面活性剂十二烷基硫酸钠(BDH,简写SDS)经无水乙醇重结晶两次提纯。用铂环法测     

Supramolecular architectures with ladder and lamellar topologies using metal-ligand coordination units via C–H···Cl and O–H···Cl hydrogen bonding

New Mn^II/Cu^II/Zn^II complexes [(L¹)MnCl₂] (1), [(L²)CuCl₂]·0.5H₂O (2) and [(L²)ZnCl(H₂O)][ClO₄] (3), containing (2-pyridyl)alkylamine ligands, N-methyl-N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (L¹) and methyl[2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl](2-pyridylmethyl)amine (L²), have been prepared and characterized, including X-ray crystallography. The most striking feature of the structures of these complexes is the formation of molecular ladder and lamellar topology through the crystal packing arrangement, determined by both strong O–H···Cl and weak (however, multiple) C–H···Cl hydrogen-bonding interactions, to maintain the neutral/cationic metal-ligand coordination units linked to each other. In 3, additional secondary interactions are observed involving coordinated solvent and the counter-ion. The results presented here demonstrate that (i) the choice of organic ligands to provide flexibility and inherent potential to participate in hydrogen-bonding interactions, (ii) the coordination geometry preferences of metal ions, (iii) the number of metal-bound chloride ion and (iv) the presence of solvent/counter-anion have a great influence on supramolecular network topology.     

Phase behavior of sucrose monoalkanoate in a water-long-chain alcohol system

Phase diagram of a water/sucrose monododecanoate (SE)/hexanol system was determined at 30°C. Aqueous micellar, reverse micellar, normal hexagonal liquid crystalline, and lamellar liquid crystalline phases appear in the phase diagram. The change in interlayer spacing and interfacial section area of surfactant in the liquid crystalline phases was investigated by small-angle x-ray scattering. Upon addition of water, the section area and the radius of cylindrical aggregates are almost constant in a hexagonal liquid crystal, whereas the distance between each cylinder is separated on the water-SE axis. The interlayer spacing slightly decreases or is almost unchanged on the surfactant-hexanol axis, because alcohol molecules penetrate into the palisade of bilayers. Although the average section area decreases with increasing alcohol content, each section area of SE and alcohol molecules are kept constant. Since the interfacial section area of alcohol is less than the section area of hydrocarbon chain, the phase transition from lamellar liquid crystal to reverse micelle occurs in an alcohol-rich region.     

A differential scanning calorimetry study on poly(ethylene terephthalate) isothermally crystallized at stepwise temperatures: multiple melting behavior re-investigated

The multiple melting behavior of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was investigated with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) by examining PET samples having been subjected to special schemes of crystallization and annealing treatment at multiple descending temperatures. Upon such step-wise annealing in decreasing temperatures, the existence of doublet melting peaks in addition to a series of multiple minor peaks in the PET has been demonstrated using carefully designed thermal schemes. Using the Hoffman theory, multiple lamellae populations, might be suggested to be simultaneously present in the PET subjected to such thermal treatments. However, direct experimental evidence has yet to be provided. The low-temperature minor crystals simply melt during normal scanning without having time enough to reorganize into higher-melt crystals. Nevertheless, the effect of scanning on non-isothermal crystallization does exist but is primarily confined to the temperature range much below the main melting region where the crystallization of polymer chains can progress at a reasonable rate. At higher temperatures near the main melting region, annealing for extended times is required in order to result in relative changes of the melting endotherms of the upper and lower peaks in the main melting doublet. In all we have shown that interpretations of the multiple melting phenomenon in semicrystalline polymers can be better refined.     

交联1,4—顺式聚丁二烯的取向结晶

用ＷＡＸＤ和ＳＡＸＳ研究交联１，４－顺式聚丁二烯的取向结晶。结果表明：该试样在拉伸状态时，形成折叠链片晶，而不是伸直链纤维晶。片晶之间断产生新的片晶，使长周期减小，并且片晶的横向尺寸不断增大，由此导致结晶度增大。     

Characterization of structural transitions in the SLS/decanol/water system

The ternary system sodium-dodecylsulphate (SLS)/decanol/water has been investigated at three different water contents and varying ratios of cosurfactant to surfactant by means of polarized optical microscopy,²H-NMR quadrupole splittings and small angle x-ray scattering. Upon addition of decanol a hexagonal phase transforms into a lamellar phase. For the highest water content of 0.65 no intermediate two-phase regions are detected but nematic phases are formed between. The lamellar phase at low cosurfactant content is very sensitive to changes of temperature and seems to be a so-called defective one with curved interfaces. From the scaling behavior it is concluded that the building units seem to be ribbons of increasing width on addition of cosurfactant or amphiphilic substance. By reaching a decanol mole fraction of 0.4 a classical lamellar phase with well-known behavior is formed. During these transformations the position of the first diffraction maximum changes gradually irrespective of phase transitions. The maximum mole fraction of cosurfactant the lamellar phase of our system can incorporate is 0.77.