Novel colloidal nanofiber electrolytes from PVA‐organoclay/poly(MA‐alt‐MVE), and their NaOH and Ag‐carrying polymer complexes

Novel multifunctional polymer nanofiber electrolytes with covalence crosslinked structures from various solution blends of reactive intercalated poly(vinyl alcohol)/octadecylamine montmorillonite (as a matrix polymer), poly(maleic anhydride‐alt‐methyl vinyl ether) (as a partner polymer) and their NaOH‐absorbing and Ag‐carrying polymer complexes were fabricated via electrospinning. Chemical, physical, morphological, and electrical properties of nanofiber structures were investigated by FTIR, XRD, SEM, and electrical analysis methods. Ag precursors in fiber composites significantly improved phase separation processing, fiber morphologies, diameter distributions, and electrical properties of the fibers. In situ generation of Ag nanoparticles and their distribution on nanofiber surfaces during fiber formation occurred via complex formation between silver cations and electronegative functional groups from both matrix and partner polymers as stabilizing/reducing agents. Electrical resistance and conductivity strongly depended on matrix/partner polymer ratios and absorption time of NaOH solution on nanofibers. Addition of NaOH changed the electrical properties of fiber structures from almost dielectric state to excellent conductivity form. The fabricated unique nanofiber electrolytes are promising candidates for applications in power and fuel cell nanotechnology, electrochemical, and bioengineering processes as reactive semiconductive platforms. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 56:204–213, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Polystyrene and deuteropolystyrene plastic scintillators for a polarized active target

Results of light output measurements for a polystyrene scintillator deuterated to a degree of 96 at. % are presented. Applications of the deuterated scintillator are considered, in particular, as an active detector. In order to polarize the hydrogen nuclei in the scintillation target, a special additive, 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO), was introduced into it. This resulted in a light output of the sample with a thickness of 3.6 mm 50% that of the initial sample.     

Measurement of the γ-anisotropy in

The study of the radiative neutron capture by protons, n+p→d+γ, provides valuable information about the nucleon–nucleon interaction. So far, no experimental value has existed for the γ-anisotropy which may appear if neutrons and protons both are polarised. A non-vanishing γ-anisotropy η is a clear-cut signal for the existence of transitions ³S₁→ ³d₁ from the triplet initial state to the ground state of the deuteron. We report the first measurement of this observable. The result is η=(1.0±2.5)×10⁻⁴ at 50.5% polarisation of neutrons and protons.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Trithiocarbonate-Organoclays Nanohybrids and Their Interaction with MCF-7 Cancer Cells

This work presents a new approach for the fabrication of organic/inorganic nanohybrids as anticancer drugs by an intercalation method using S,S-bis（α,α′-dimethyl-α″-acetic acid） （trithiocarbonate） as a modifier and two organoclays, such as reactive octadecylamine/MMT （montmorillonite） and non-reactive dimethyldidodecyl ammonium/MMT. The chemical and physical structures and the surface morphology of these covalently and non-covalently linked nanohybrids were investigated by FT-IR （Fourier translbrm infrared） spectroscopy, ^13C and ^29Si solid state NMR （nuclear magnetic resonance） spectroscopy, XRD （X-ray powder diffraction） and SEM （scanning electron microscopy） analyses, respectively. To evaluate the anticancer activities of the novel BATC/organoclay hybrids against MCF-7 breast cancer cells, a combination of different biochemical and biophysical testing techniques were used. Cell proliferation and cytotoxicity were detected in vitro using a real-time analysis. Cell death was confirmed by using apoptotic and necrotic analyses, the effects of which were detennined by the double staining and Annexin-V-FLUOS testing method. The results demonstrate that intercalated hybrid complexes containing a combination of various anticancer sites, such as free and complexed carboxyl, trithiocarbonate, amine and ammonium cations significantly induced cell death in breast cancer via their interactions with the DNA macromolecules of cancer cells by destroying the self-assemb｜ed structure of growing cells. Fabricated hybrid complexes may represent a new generation of effective and selective anticancer drug systems with a synthetic/natural origin for cancer chemotherapy.     

Experimental Setup for Measuring P Asymmetry in the Resonance Region of Elastic Pion–Proton Scattering

The SPIN-P experimental setup was designed for measuring the P asymmetry during pion scattering into the backward hemisphere at a minimum differential cross section of elastic pscattering. The physical grounds of the experiment and the results of its simulation by the Monte Carlo method are presented. The setup is composed of a polarized proton target in a superconducting solenoid with vertical polarization of free protons, wire track detectors, scintillation counters, electronics for data readout and processing, and an appropriate computer network. The experimental program has been under way since 2002 on the pion beam of the proton synchrotron at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (Moscow).