Surface modification of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) films via environmental crazing

This work addresses the phenomenon of the development of a patterned surface relief on polymer films via different modes of environmental crazing. Commercial films of semicrystalline poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) and amorphous glassy poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were subjected to tensile drawing in the presence of physically active liquid environments (carbon tetrachloride or aliphatic alcohols). The structure parameters and wettability of the modified films were studied by AFM, SEM, profilometer measurements and contact angle measurements. Environmental intercrystallite crazing of PTFE is accompanied by the development of an unstable structure with a high free surface, which experiences marked strain recovery upon unloading. As a result of the relief formation, PTFE hydrophobicity is enhanced (the water contact angle increases by 25°). Classical environmental crazing of PET films is accompanied by the formation of an anisotropic surface relief which is an assembly of crazes oriented perpendicular to the direction of tensile drawing, thus leading to the phenomenon of anisotropic wetting. The proposed approach for structural surface modification makes it possible to use the advantages of surface instability and spontaneous self‐organization of the polymer towards the development of a unique surface microrelief. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

Self-diffusion of low-generation PAMAM dendrimers with hydroxyl surface groups in solutions: a general regularity

An experimental study of the self-diffusion and nuclear magnetic relaxation of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers with hydroxyl surface groups (PAMAM-OH) dissolved in methanol over a wide range of concentration (?) is reported. It is shown that experimental concentration dependences of PAMAM-OH self-diffusion coefficients (D) can be reduced to the so-called generalized ? dependence. Over macromolecular concentration range studied, the generalized concentration dependence of PAMAM-OH D coincides with analogous curve obtained for poly(allylcarbosilane) dendrimers of high generations. This result confirms the existence of common regularities of the dendritic macromolecule self-diffusion, and their independence of the individual physicochemical and structural properties of dendrimer, solvent, and features of their interactions in the given systems. The concentration dependence of the PAMAM-OH diffusion also exhibits a clear signature of an inflexible molecule.     

Regeneration of platinum-metal-based catalysts with carboxyphosphines as extractants

Separation of platinum-metal-based homogeneous catalysts was achieved by their conversion to complexes of functionalized phosphines of the general formulae R_3-n P[(CH₂) _x CO₂H)] _n , R = Me, Et, Ph,n = 1, 2, 3,x = 1, 2, and [(HO₂CCH₂)PCH₂]₂, followed by extraction of the complexes into aqueous phase. This approach to regeneration of platinum metals from reaction mixtures after carrying out homogeneously catalyzed reactions was demonstrated on 11 examples of various types of reactions with Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir and Pt compounds as catalysts.     

CTmod-a toolkit for Monte Carlo simulation of projections including scatter in computed tomography

The CTmod toolkit is a set of C++ class libraries based on the CERN's application development framework ROOT. It uses the Monte Carlo method to simulate energy imparted to a CT-scanner detector array. Photons with a given angle-energy distribution are emitted from the X-ray tube approximated by a point source, transported through a phantom, and their contribution to the energy imparted per unit surface area of each detector element is scored. Alternatively, the scored quantity may be the fluence, energy fluence, plane fluence, plane energy fluence, or kerma to air in the center of each detector element. Phantoms are constructed from homogenous solids or voxel arrays via overlapping. Implemented photon interactions (photoelectric effect, coherent scattering, and incoherent scattering) are restricted to the energy range from 10 to 200keV. Variance reduction techniques include the collision density estimator and survival biasing combined with the Russian roulette. The toolkit has been used to estimate the amount of scatter in cone beam computed tomography and planar radiography.     

Unexpected products of the allyldiethylamine hydroformylation homogeneously catalyzed by rhodium complexes

Attempts to carry out the hydroformylation of allyldiethylamine homogeneously catalyzed by rhodium complexes led to unexpected formation of N,N,N,N-tetraethyl-1,4-diaminobutane and 4-(diethylamino)-1-butanole as final products. The role of the catalyst on the product formation and the reaction mechanism are briefly discussed.     

Producing a compact long-lived plasma formation

A method of producing compact long-lived plasma formations (plasmoids) is described. The method is based on the effect of capture of a high-current relativistic electron beam under conditions of significant overcompensation of space charge of the beam by positive background ions. Requirements are formulated which are placed on the parameters of a plasma-beam system for the realization of this method, and numerical estimates are given of the overall electric charge and energy content of the electron component of a plasmoid. The dynamics of forming a plasmoid are investigated experimentally.Translated from Teplofizika Vysokikh Temperatur, Vol. 42, No. 6, 2004, pp. 843–849.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by B. V. Alekhin, A. E. Dubinov, V. S. Zhdanov, V. G Kornilov, K. E. Mikheev, V. D. Selemir, N. V. Stepanov, V. I. Chelpanov, and O. A. Shamro.     

GaAs-Based Laser Diode with InGaAs Waveguide Quantum Wells

Semiconductors - The results of studying a GaAs-based laser with InGaAs waveguide quantum wells, which operates at room temperature in the electric-pumping mode, are presented. The minimal...     

Investigation of Stimulated Emission from HgTe/CdHgTe Quantum-Well Heterostructures in the 3–5 μm Atmospheric Transparency Window

Semiconductors - Stimulated emission based on interband transitions depending on the pumping wavelength is studied for heterostructures with Hg(Cd)Te/CdHgTe quantum wells in the wavelength region...