Effects of polymer viscosity on the polymerization switching and electro-optical properties of unaligned liquid crystal/UV curable polymer composites

Polymer dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystal composite films consisting of varying polymer viscosities were prepared by polymerization induced phase separation (PIPS) technique. It was found that polymer viscosity influences the polarization switching and optical responses. A polymer dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystal film of low polymer viscosity shows faster switching, however a higher optical transmission at ~ 70% was observed in a higher polymer viscosity film.     

Preparation and electrooptic study of reverse mode polymer dispersed liquid crystal: Performance augmentation with the doping of nanoparticles and dichroic dye

Reported herein, the preparation, morphological, and electrooptic (EO) characterization of reverse mode polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) with nematic liquid crystal (LC) and UV curable polymer optical adhesive using polymerization induced phase separation method. The PDLCs are switchable between transparent and opaque states due to the homeotropic and planar alignment of LC in their OFF and ON states of applied voltage, respectively. Further, effect of doping of a fixed concentration of azo dye and silica nanoparticles (NPs) on morphological, EO and response characteristics of same PDLC sample was also analyzed. Experimental results showed that doped reverse mode PDLCs have the higher OFF state optical transmission and boost up in the scattering ON state compared with pristine reverse mode PDLC. The phenomenon is also supported by extinction coefficient and absorption study based on Beer's law. The threshold and operating voltages were found reduced ~1.56 and ~1.73 times for NPs and (NPs + dye) doped reverse mode PDLCs, respectively, along with better contrasts to the pristine reverse mode PDLC. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48745.     

The Torrance Phenomenon: Extended Creative Search for Lord Vishvakarma

With grateful acknowledgement to a prepublication release by Georgia Studies of Creative Behavior (1994).     

Characterization and thermal behaviour of lanthanum tartrate crystals grown from silica gels

Results obtained on characterization of lanthanum tartrate crystals, grown by the gel method, using chemical analysis, x-ray and electron diffraction, infra-red and mass spectroscopy are reported. The thermal behaviour is studied using DTA, TGA and DTG. The decomposition pattern is reported to be typical of a hydrated metal tartrate. Kinetic parameters like order of reaction, frequency factor and activation energy are evaluated. Contracting cylinder kinetic model is found to be the best fit for the decomposition processes involved. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate the material to be diamagnetic.     

Direct contact heat transfer with phase change: Bubble growth and collapse

A theoretical expression has been presented for the prediction of the instantaneous heat transfer coefficient of a condensing two-phase bubble. The modified form of this model predicts very well the available experimental data. Another expression, presented for the total time taken by an evaporating two-phase drop, also gives very good agreement with the available experimental data.     

Growth of lanthanum tartrate crystals in silica gel

The spherulitic, dendritic and single-crystal growth of hydrated lanthanum tartrate by controlled diffusion in silica gels is reported. The influence of growth parameters, e.g. reactant concentrations, gel pH, gel ageing, on the size and nucleation density of crystals has been studied. Operative mechanisms of crystallization, results of growth kinetics and morphology of crystals are discussed. The adsorption property of the gel is found to play a vital role during the crystallization of lanthanum tartrate crystals, Parabolic kinetics, characteristic of a one-dimensional diffusion-controlled process, for single crystals is observed to be obeyed in case of variation of upper reactant concentration.     

Rotibot: Use of Rotifers as Self‐Propelling Biohybrid Microcleaners

Self‐propelled biohybrid microrobots, employing marine rotifers as their engine, named “rotibot,” are presented and their practical utility and advantages for environmental remediation are demonstrated. Functionalized microbeads are attached electrostatically within the rotifer mouth and aggregated inside their inner lip. The high fluid flow toward the mouth, generated by the strokes of rotifer cilia bands, forces an extremely efficient transport of the contaminated sample over the active surfaces of the functionalized microbeads. The reactive particles confined around the rotifer's lip are thus exposed to a high flow rate of the pollutant solution, resulting in dramatically accelerated decontamination processes, without external mixing or harmful fuels. Theoretical simulations, modeling the greatly enhanced fluid dynamic associated with such built‐in mixing effect, correlate well with the experimental observations. The rotibot thus proves to be an effective, versatile, and robust dynamic microcleaning platform for removing diverse environmental pollutants. Microbeads functionalized with lysozyme and organophosphorus hydrolase enzymes are shown to be extremely useful for enzymatic biodegradation of Escherichia coli and the nerve agent methyl paraoxon, respectively, while ligand (meso‐2,3‐dimercaptosuccinic acid) modified beads are used for removing heavy metal contaminants. Rotifer‐based biohybrid microrobots hold considerable promise as self‐propelling dynamic pumps for diverse large‐scale environmental remediation applications.