The anisotropic diffusion of water in Kevlar-epoxy composites

The diffusion of water into unidirectional Kevlar fibre reinforced epoxy resins was studied as a function of fibre orientation and, for unidirectional (0°) composites, as a function of volume fraction (V_f). As the angle increased from 0 to 90°, the diffusivity increased dramatically; i.e. as more and more fibre-ends were exposed to the shorter diffusion path, the diffusivity increased. The equilibrium weight gain of water (M) in the composites increased with theV _f of the fibre. M of Kevlar fibre was calculated to be 4.9%. At a constantV _f, specimens of the same thickness and width but different lengths were used to determineD ₂₂, the diffusion coefficient of the composite along the fibre, andD ₂₂, the diffusion coefficient transverse to the fibre. The initial data for the percentage weight gain against the square root of time were non-linear, which was attributed to the anisotropy of the diffusion process. The anisotropy arises from the much higher value ofD ₁₁ as compared toD ₂₂. AsV _f increased from 0.37 to 0.59,D ₁₁ increased from about 0.83 to about 4.2 × 10^–12m² sec^–1, whereasD ₂₂ decreased from 0.21 to 0.033 × 10^–12 m2 sec^–1. Thus, the ratioD ₁₁/D ₂₂ increased from 3 to over 100 as U increased. The experimental sorption data could be fitted satisfactorily with these diffusion coefficients.     

New corrosion cast media and its ability for SEM and light microscope investigation

SEM of corrosion casts (CC) provides the opportunities to study the vessels and ducts in the phyllogenetic and ontogenetic (age‐related) settings, as well as the pathogenesis, compensation, and sanogenesis in different diseases and experimental models. Along with the refinement of SEM CC, the requirements toward casting media (CM) as nontoxicity, low viscosity, quick polymerization, resistance to corrosion solutions, availability, and so on, gradually has developed. We aimed to adapt the sets widely used in dental practice toward the modern requirements to the CC. The following ratio of the components of Protacryl‐M and Aycryl‐C sets were used for the preparation CM—0.25 g MAYCRYL Powder +0.08 g Benzoyl Peroxide +5.0 ml Protacryl‐M liquid component +0.2 Redont Colour (dye concentrate). The obtained solidifying mass was injected in the blood vessels and biliary ducts of the adult Wistar white rats. The SEM of CC of different organs’ vascular networks, as well as a biliary tract, reveals that offered CM excellently replicates the forms and branching features of studied tubular structures of all sizes and gives the adequate imprinting of their luminal surfaces. Besides, CM may provide the replication of perivascular spaces and give the casts having no analogous in the appropriate literature. The CM prepared by us perfectly reproduces all possibilities of famous rubbers widely used for the casting of different vascular–ductular structures. Besides, it presents the new implications, which should be implemented in the profound research of the connective‐tissue skeleton of different organs.     

DOUBLE FJORD MOTIF IN OVERCROWDED LARGE POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS: THE CONFORMATIONAL SPACE OF HEXABENZO[a,cd,f,j,lm,o]PERYLENE

The overcrowded large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (LPAH) hexabenzo[a,cd,f,j,lm,o]perylene (HBP) was subjected to a theoretical study. The ab-initio Hartree-Fock (HF) and the density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP methods were employed to calculate energies and geometries of the stationary point conformations of HBP. The global minimum was found to be the twisted t-D ₂ ; the local minimum anti-folded a-C _2h was 20.5 kJ/mol higher in energy (B3LYP/6-31G(d)). Thus, only t-D ₂ -HBP exists at room temperature in solution. The enantiomerization of HBP proceeds via a pathway that connects the chiral t-D ₂ to the achiral a-C _2h through a chiral twisted-folded transition state, tf-C ₁ . The energy barrier for enantiomerization was 134.4 kJ/mol. The central benzene ring F of t -D ₂ is highly distorted from planarity (torsion angles of 15.4° and ?30.5°), and has a remarkable resemblance to the twist angle of the central ene in the parent BAE bifluorenylidene (32°). Yet, nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) values, calculated at GIAO-B3LYP/6-31G(d)//B3LYP/6-31G(d) and the almost equal bond lengths (ca. 142 pm) of the central ring are indicative of the aromatic character of this ring. The NICS values are also indicative of the aromatic character of the peripheral rings and the central rings of the two minima and the transition state, consistent with the Clar picture.     

Orientated CNT‐polypropylene nanocomposite films made from extruded monofilaments

In this study, a method for making an orientated polymer nanocomposite film was developed. Melt‐drawn nanocomposite monofilaments of isotactic polypropylene and acicular nanofillers, i.e. carbon nanotubes (CNT) or vapor grown carbon nanofibers (VGCF), were prepared and characterized from the aspect of polymer chain orientation, mechanical properties, and overall morphology. A marked improvement in mechanical properties was observed as a function of the addition of CNT, increasing draw down ratio (DDR) and annealing. Nanocomposite films were prepared from drawn monofilaments by hot‐pressing under low pressure in order to maintain the orientation of the monofilaments. Wide angle X‐ray diffraction showed a high degree of residual orientation in the films. Electron microscopy (high‐resolution scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy) unexpectedly revealed that the CNT‐matrix interface is amorphous. However, differential scanning calorimetry found no measurable influence of the CNT on the overall crystallinity as determined by the enthalpy of melting of the matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

The many faces of pulmonary aspiration

The population pharmacokinetics of nevirapine (NVP), zidovudine (ZDV), and didanosine (ddI) were evaluated in a total of 175 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus randomized to receive either a double combination of ZDV plus ddI or a triple combination of NVP plus ZDV plus ddI as a substudy of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 241. Levels (approximating 3.5 determinations/patient) of the three drugs in plasma were measured during 44 of a total 48 weeks of study treatment, and a set of potential covariates was available for nonlinear mixed-effect modeling analysis. A one-compartment model with zero-order input and first-order elimination was fitted to the NVP data. Individual oral clearance (CL) and volume of distribution (V) averaged 0.0533 liters/h/kg of body weight and 1.17 liters/kg, respectively. Gender was the only covariate which significantly correlated with the CL of NVP. ZDV and ddI data were described by a two-compartment model with zero-order input and first-order elimination. Individual mean oral CL, VSS (volume of distribution at steady state), and V of ZDV were 1.84 liters/h/kg and 6.68 and 2.67 liters/kg, respectively, with body weight and age as correlates of CL and body weight as a correlate of VSS. The average individual oral CL, VSS, and V of ddI were 1.64 liters/h/kg and 3.56 and 2.74 liters/kg, respectively, with body weight as a significant correlate of both CL and VSS. The relative bioavailability (F) of ZDV and ddI in the triple combination compared to that in the double combination was also evaluated. No significant effects of the combination regimens on the F of ddI were detected (FTRIPLE = 1.05 and FDOUBLE = 1 by definition), but the F of ZDV was markedly reduced by the triple combination, being only 67.7% of that of the double combination. Large (>50%) intraindividual variability was associated with both ZDV and ddI pharmacokinetics. Individual cumulative area under the plasma drug level-time curve of the three drugs was calculated for the entire study period as a measure of drug exposure based on the individual data and the final-model estimates of structural and statistical parameters.     

The contribution of grain boundary scattering versus surface scattering to the resistivity of thin polycrystalline films

Materials with nanometric dimensions exhibit higher electrical resistivity due to additional scattering centers for the conduction electrons, mainly from surfaces and grain boundaries. In this study we focus on the effect of grain boundaries by modeling the expected resistivity due to the observed log-normal distribution of boundaries, unlike the widely used model of Mayadas and Shatzkes that assumes a Gaussian distribution. The results of the model are then experimentally explored by correlating the resistivity of thin copper films with their grain size distribution. Applying a newly suggested analysis method solves the ambiguity in distinction between surface scattering and grain boundaries scattering. It is found that for the explored layers the increase in resistivity is dominated by the effect of grain boundaries.     

Crystallization in J-1 polymer/carbon-fibre composites: bulk and interface processes

The process of crystallization, during isothermal treatments from the melt, of a composite of a J-1 polymer (a polyamide homopolymer produced by Du Pont) containing a single carbon fibre was studied. Two main crystalline morphologies develop in the polymer, depending on the temperature. This was directly observed during the treatment of the sample in a hot-stage chamber placed under a light microscope, and confirmed by both X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses. Moreover, a transcrystalline layer grows at the interface with the carbon fibre. The kinetics of bulk and interface crystallization were evaluated and compared by measuring, at different temperatures, the radii of crystals and the thickness of the transcrystalline layer with time. Moreover, bulk crystallization kinetics, measured by the depolarization of the light passing through the polymer sample during the isothermal treatment, indicated the apparent presence of two regimes of bulk crystallization.     

The influence of thermal history on the mechanical properties of poly(ether ether ketone) matrix composite materials

The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the microstructural factors that affect the flexural fatigue performance of carbon-fibre-reinforced poly(ether ehter ketone) (PEEK) composites. Specifically, the effect of the degree of crystallinity on the mechanical properties is examined at two crystallinity levels of the as-received composites (35%) and of quenched composites (10%). Higher static flexural strength and modulus as well as longer fatigue life are observed for the higher crystallinity level. By varying the loading angle with respect to the fibre direction it is shown that the crystallinity effect is not matrix dependent alone. Rather, a strong effect is evident in the fibre direction, which is attributed to the influence of the transcrystalline layer formed on the fibre surface in the high-crystallinity material. As a result, the longitudinal fatigue life at 1·7GPa of the 35% crystallinity material is three orders of magnitude higher than that of the 10% crystallinity composite.     

Hybrid pulse position modulation/ultrashort light pulse code-division multiple-access systems - part II: time-space processor and modified schemes

For pt.I see ibid., vol.50, p.2018-31 (2002). In part I, we proposed and investigated a hybrid pulse position modulation/ultrashort light pulse code-division multiple-access (PPM/ULP-CDMA) system for ultrafast optical communication networks. In this scheme, the large bandwidth of a ULP is efficiently utilized by virtue of the very high time resolution of a time-space processor. More detailed analysis and discussion on the receiver scheme using the time-space processor is now presented; nonideal performance of the time-space processor, including the reference pulse realization problem, as well as amplifier and detector noise, are taken into account. Discussions on physically achievable ranges of the system parameters that determine the performance of the proposed PPM/ULP-CDMA system are also made based upon current, state of the art technology. As remedies to overcome the physical limitations on the system parameters, two modified modulation/demodulation schemes are proposed and investigated to enhance the performance of the hybrid PPM/ULP-CDMA system.     

Transverse loading of monofilament reinforced microcomposites: a novel fragmentation technique for measuring the fibre compressive strength

Carbon/J-polymer single fibre composite samples were tested under tensile conditions with the fibre direction perpendicular to the tensile loading axis. The Poisson ratio effect induced a compression strain field in the fibre, resulting in a fragmentation phenomenon similar to that observed in a fibre subjected to tensile loading. This observation introduces a novel technique for the measurement of the compressive strength of single fibres, calculated either from the stress at first break, or from the Weibull scale parameter obtained from the fragmentation data produced at various stress levels. The special sample loading configuration used here also provides the first measurement of the effect of the length of the fibre on its compressive strength value.