Narrow Results

We have prepared three C₆₀ polymers under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, and confirmed them to be orthorhombic (1D), tetragonal and rhombohedral (2D) polymer by XRD method, respectively. The ¹³C MAS NMR spectra of both orthorhombic and rhombohedral polymer have been measured and two resonance peaks observed. One resonance at 73 ppm resulted from the sp³ carbons with an intermolecular bonding, the other at 145 ppm is from the inequivalent sp² carbons on the C₆₀ molecule. For 1D polymer, the fine structure of the main peak at 145 ppm has been analyzed. By simulation of the ¹³C MAS NMR peak shape of the inequivalent carbons, we propose that there exist nine inequivalent carbons on a C₆₀ molecule in the orthorhombic (1D) polymer.

Dynamic Monte Carlo simulations are performed for lattice self-avoiding tail-like polymer chains with one end attached to a non-interacting and impenetrable flat surface. The configurational entropy S_TL of the tail-like chain is determined by the scanning method. The entropy S_TL is smaller than that of the free chain without surface S_F. The entropy drop ΔS=S_F-S_TL increases linearly with lnn for short chains and increases linearly with n for long chains. However, the average entropy drop per bead ΔS/n decreases with n, indicating that the average effect of the surface on one chain bead decreases with the increase in chain length.

The purpose of this study is to obtain some information about the viscoelastic properties of the material and to see the effect of the addition of plasticizer on these properties. In particular, we try to study the loss of plasticizer, caused by ageing under conditions of utilization, on the properties of material at the neighborhood of vitreous transition.

Using a viscoelastimeter, the study of a polyamide-11 (PA11) at the neighborhood of its temperature of vitreous transition Tv has shown that the increase of the plasticizer rate clearly improves the properties of the material by decreasing its Tv temperature. The comparison of the curves giving the modulus of elasticity E' of the various samples showed that the mechanical properties of the material improve with the increase of the concentration of plasticizer, but ageing reduces this improvement by causing the loss of plasticizer, thus, the temperature range of utilization of material is reduced.

The translocation of polymer chain through an interacting pore under chemical potential difference Δμ is simulated using Monte Carlo technique. Three translocation modes, dependent on the polymer–pore interaction ε and Δμ, are discovered. The translocation process is found to be an nonequilibrium process, which influences the dependence of translocation time τ on ε and Δμ. It is found that τ decreases in a power law relation with the increase of Δμ, and the exponent is dependent on the interaction.

Diffusion of polymer in narrow periodical channels, patterned alternately into part $\alpha$ and part $\beta$ with the same length $l_p/2$, was studied by using Monte Carlo simulation. The interaction between polymer and channel $\alpha$ is purely repulsive, while that between polymer and channel $\beta$ is attractive. Results show that the diffusion of polymer is remarkably affected by the periodicity of channel, and the diffusion constant $D$ changes periodically with the polymer length $N$. At the peaks of $D$, the projected length of polymer along the channel is an even multiple of $l_p/2$, and the diffusion of polymer in periodical channel is nearly the same as that of polymer in homogeneous channel. While at the valleys of $D$, the projected length of polymer is an odd multiple of $l_p/2$, and polymer is in a trapped state for a long time and it rapidly jumps to other trapped regions during the diffusion process. The physical mechanisms are discussed from the view of polymer–channel interaction energy landscape.

Materials having nanoscale structures have shown potentials for applications in microelectronics, biomedicine and energy storage. A continuing challenge is the capability of fabricating multi-function nanodevices with controlled nanostructures and excellent performances. Measurement platforms, which provide accurate and detailed information on internal structures, surface morphologies, mechanical properties and electrochemical properties are a key to this challenge. In this review, we, in particular, highlight the crucial role of measurement techniques in quantifying these nanostructures and their properties.

The measurement of patients’ dosages of radiation caused by medical diagnostics continues to be challenging. A Cantor sequence photonic crystal structure using porous silicon doped with a polymer of polyvinyl alcohol, carbol fuchsin and crystal violet (DPV) is proposed. The influence rules of geometrical and optical parameters such as the radiation doses, number of periods, porosity of porous layers, incident angle and thickness of layers are investigated using MATLAB based on the transfer matrix method. The transmittance of the Cantor sequence of a defective photonic crystal sensor under different conditions is investigated to select the optimum conditions. The proposed system recorded the accepted sensitivity of 0.265nm/Gy, FoM of 6.5Gy${}^{-1}$, Q of 12,701, RS of $6\times 10^{-3}$ and LoD of $8\times 10^{-3}$ for gamma radiation. The suggested detector has simple design, accurate monitoring efficiency and immense potential for gamma radiation sensing.

In this work, the structure, dielectric and optical properties of PVDF/zirconia-based polymer nanocomposites were investigated. The morphology and structure of the nanocomposites were analyzed by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, UV and EDS analyses. It was determined that the forbidden gap for the PVDF/1%ZrO₂-based nanocomposite is 4.7eV, for PVDF/5%ZrO₂-4.5eV, and for PVDF/10%ZrO₂-4.2eV. It is shown that the dielectric permittivity of the nanocomposites increases sharply up to 3% of ZrO₂ nanoparticles in the polymer and then decreases slightly with an increase in the concentration of nanoparticles. An increase in the permittivity indicates an increase in polarization processes in nanocomposites at a 3% conentration of ZrO₂ nanoparticles in the PVDF matrix. It has been established that the dielectric loss tangent at low frequencies starts to decrease, and at high frequencies, it increases. The increase in the dielectric loss tangent at high frequencies is explained by an increase in relaxation processes and energy dissipation in these systems.

The two-temperature description of the RNA-like molecule is invented. Instead of equilibrium treatment of the polymer state, the steady state viewpoint is proposed. The molecule is considered as being in an adiabatic steady state, which is a non-equilibrium one. The general approach to the molecule in such a steady state is discussed and the simple model with saturating bonds is considered. The relation between mean square end-to-end distance and the number of monomers is derived for the simple system under condition T>Θ. The obtained relation depends on additional so-called disorder temperature.

In this paper, a Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) variable optical attenuator (VOA) based on Norland Optical Adhesive73 (NOA73) material has been designed and fabricated. At 1550 nm wavelength, the insertion loss of the VOA was measured to be about 8.1 dB. The developed VOA exhibited ultra-low power consumption of 1.96 mW and high optical attenuation of -29.3 dB. When the attenuation at 1550 nm wavelength was -24.6 dB, the spectral variation was ±2.5 dB within wavelength range of 1510 nm to 1590 nm. The rise and fall times of the device were 1.7 ms and 1.3 ms, respectively.

Formation of laterally continuous ultrathin gold films on polymer substrates is a technological challenge. In this work, the vacuum thermal evaporation method is adopted to form continuous Au films in the thickness range of 7–17 nm on polymers of Poly(methyl-methacrylate-glycidly-methacrylate) and SU-8 film surface without using the adhesion or metallic seeding layers. Absorption spectrum, scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope images are used to characterize the Au film thickness, roughness and optical loss. The result shows that molecular-scale structure, surface energy and electronegativity have impacts on the Au film morphology on polymers. Wet chemical etching is used to fabricate 7-nm thick Au stripes embedded in polymer claddings. These long-range surface plasmon polariton waveguides demonstrate the favorable morphological configurations and cross-sectional states. Through the end-fire excitation method, propagation losses of 6-$\mu \mathrm{\text{m}}$ wide Au stripes are compared to theoretical values and analyzed from practical film status. The smooth, patternable gold films on polymer provide potential applications to plasmonic waveguides, biosensing, metamaterials and optical antennas.

Dynamical systems and defects in liquid crystals (LCs) are described using topological methods. Meanwhile, the director field distribution in LC droplets is affected by many bulk and surface factors that are difficult to take into account in the topological analysis. Therefore, the structural instability of a LC droplet formed in a magnetic field has been investigated by us in the framework of the catastrophe theory. The effect of temperature on the control parameters of the cusp catastrophe, which leads to the transition from a bipolar structure with extended poles to the homogeneous or radial configuration, has been estimated. It has been established from the potential curves that the transition is induced by the variation in the LC director orientation between the potential minima related to the LC polymer anchoring energy and magnetic field. The interplay of the cusp catastrophe control parameters and anchoring parameters has been elucidated.

In this study, we describe the synthesis, characterization and evaluation of colloidal dispersion gels (CDGs) to be used as in-situ fluid diversion. The chemical stability of CDGs was improved by modifying the polymer mixture. The CDGs were synthesized by free radical crosslinking polymerization using 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS), Acrylic acid (AAc), partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) and chromium triacetate crosslinker. The effect of crosslinker/polymer concentration, salinity, gelation time, rheological behavior, particle size distribution of CDGs, also their thermo-chemical stabilities and resistance/residual resistance factor (RRF) were investigated.

Thermal hysteresis and stability of agarose–water gelling systems were studied by the spectrophotometer for different concentrations at different temperatures. Gelation temperature depends on the concentration of agarose. With the increase in the concentration of agarose gelation temperature, strength of agarose increases too. With the increase in the concentration of polymer solvent–gel phase transition, gel melting happens at higher temperatures. The price of enthalpy was determined (150.0127 KC/mol). In gelation process, the phase separation is completed and in this process, the value of this $\mathrm{\Delta }t=t_{\mathrm{\text{melting}}}-t_{\mathrm{\text{gelation}}}$ equally increases.

Free rotating chain (FRC) is a well-known model of polymer but the knowledge to its mechanical property is yet incomplete. This work uses Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate the relation between force and extension, the specific heat, the stretching strength and the fourth-order cumulants of the order parameter of a three-dimensional (3D) FRC. We simplify some expressions to calculate the thermodynamical quantities. Our results reveal that at low force, the behavior of the mechanical property of the model is the same as that of a free jointed chain (FJC) in both two-dimensional (2D) and 3D cases. But beginning from a moderate force, the two models have different mechanical properties. Moreover, we find that a 3D FRC has essential different mechanical property from its 2D counterpart, because the extension of a stretched 2D FRC can subject to a first order transition when the bond angle is large enough, but there is no such a transition for a 3D chain despite its stretching strength exhibits a peaks at large bond angle. Our findings reveal that the space constraint on a stretched polymer favors a sharp change in its size.

This paper presents the results of a study on the production of nanofiber anisotropic nanoporous materials based on silk fibroin and cotton cellulose by electrospinning using a rotating screen-receiver of nanofibers in the form of a thin material. The difference in the anisotropic properties of the nanofiber material is shown by the method of birefringence, sorption of water vapor and filtration of a liquid-phase mixture. The possibility of using nanofiber nanoporous fibroin and cotton cellulose materials as a nanofilter of gaseous and liquid-phase mixtures has been shown.

UV embossing for polymeric micro-patterning thin film is an emerging replication technique. This paper investigates UV curable multifunctional acrylates pre-polymer resin patterned by a micro-structured mold and subsequently cured by UV irradiation. To further enhance this duplication method for high aspect ratio production, demolding must be reliable and repeatable without damage to the embossing or mold. Previously, it has been reported that UV embossed patterns for aspect ratios as high as 14 have been achieved experimentally. Finite element analyses for patterns with aspect ratios of 5 using parallel demolding between two parallel plates have also been reported. However, the parallel demolding method may not be suitable for large area patterns as forces generated were high. As such, an alternative demolding method, namely peel demolding, for micro-patterns with an aspect ratio of 14 was investigated and key parameters identified. The parameters governing the demolding process were the peel angle, the pre-crack condition, shrinkage, interface fracture toughness, tensile strength and modulus of polymer. A pre-crack between the polymer and mold was introduced before peel demolding. Numerical analyses in terms of Cohesive Zone Modeling (CZM) were used to simulate the demolding process. Shrinkage caused by UV exposure was represented by thermal strain effects and the fully cured polymer was peeled off using displacement control. The ultimate tensile strength (U.T.S) of the cured polymer was used as a failure criterion. The stresses involved were crucial for determining clean demolding. As peeling progressed, stresses experienced in the polymer matrix increased rapidly in the region ahead of the crack with little or no stress at the cracked region. When stresses experienced by the polymer were below the U.T.S, demolding was deemed to be successful.

Electrospinning is a very simple and versatile process by which polymer nanofibers with diameters ranging from a few nanometers to several micrometers can be produced using an electrostatically driven jet of polymer solution (or polymer melt). Significant progress has been made in this process throughout the last decade and the resultant nanostructures have been exploited to a wide range of applications. An important feature of the electrospinning process is that electrospinning nanofibers are produced in atmospheric air and at room temperature. This paper reviews the assembled polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon nanofibers with various processing parameters such as electrical potential, distance between capillary and collector drum, solution flow rate (dope extrusion rate), and concentration of polymer solution. The average fiber diameter would increase with increasing concentration of the polymer solution and the flow rate. Therefore, the screen distance could also increase but the average electrical potential of the fibers diameter decreases. Electrospinning process can be conducted at higher electrical potentials, lower flow rate, nearer screen distance, and higher concentrations of dope.

One of the most important techniques to improve the functional properties of organized molecular films is to introduce nanometer-size solid particles into them. The Langmuir balance has proved to be useful for controlling and modifying these films by organizing molecules into highly ordered structures. Our aim is to study the efficacy of this technique to improve the compactness of biocompatible polymer films by incorporating nanosilica particles. The experimental technique consists of first adsorbing the polymer on silica particles in an aqueous medium, followed by preparation of a monolayer at the air–water interface in a Langmuir balance. The film is organized by repeated expansion and compression. The surface pressure-surface area characteristics are recorded during each cycle. The pressure of the film increases with decrease in the mean molecular area, but reaches a plateau, probably due to instability of the film. With repeated cycling, the plateau pressure increases indicating that the film has become more stable and rigid. The cycling is continued till plateau pressure does not change with further cycling. The amount of the polymer loaded on the subphase and the ratio of PEO to silica in the film, on the plateau pressure has been studied. A substantial increase in the stability and rigidity of the film is achieved by this technique.

In this project, nanocomposite films were prepared with different Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) percentages. Properties of polycarbonate (PC) and PC–TiO₂ nanocomposite films were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The structure of samples was studied by XRD. The mechanical properties of PC–TiO₂ nanocomposite films were investigated by conducting tensile tests and hardness measurements. Thermal stability of the nanocomposites was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) method. The elastic modulus of the composite increased with increasing weight fraction of nanoparticles. The microhardness value increases with increasing TiO₂ nanoparticles. The results of tensile testing were in agreement with those of micro-hardness measurements. In addition, TGA curves showed that nanocomposite films have higher resistance to thermal degradation compared to polycarbonate. There are many reports related to the modification of polycarbonate films, but still a systematic study of them is required.