Investigation of the optical properties of polyfluorene/ZnO nanocomposites

Polyfluorene (PF) and its derivatives are very promising candidates for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) in lighting applications because of their high photoluminescence and electroluminescence efficiencies. Recent investigations of potential materials for OLEDs have shown that introducing n-type inorganic nanoparticles into conjugated polymers is efficient to produce stable and high performance devices. In this study, composite thin films made by incorporation of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles into a PF derivative have been prepared and their optical properties have been investigated.The prepared thin films were stored in different media (in air, in vacuum, in the dark or exposed to light) in order to study environmental influences on the material stability. Analysis of spectral data obtained from infrared (IR), Raman, UV-vis, and photoluminescence (PL) measurements shows a large enhancement in luminescence for polymer nanocomposites while using high nanoparticle concentrations (within a limit of 10% ZnO). Time-resolved PL performed on those nanocomposite films corroborated the above result: it indicated that the light-emission enhancement can be explained by efficient energy transfer from nanoparticles to the polymer chains and increase of the chain separation distance. In addition, the nanocomposites were found to be more stable than pristine polymer films whatever the storage conditions were used. It was confirmed by IR analysis that incorporation of nanoparticles into polymers prohibited the formation of fluorenonyl groups in PF chains, which was identified as the main cause of the degradation of the polymer under photo-oxidation.     

Effects of age and gender on adolescents'' food habits and preferences

This study explored food habits and preferences of 222 French adolescents of 10 to 20 years old. They completed a questionnaire about their eating habits and quoted 10 of their favourite and 10 of their most disliked foods or beverages. They also mentioned any change in their preferences.

These results show that food habits and tastes are mostly related to age and gender. Girls pay more attention to dietetics and snack less than boys. Young adolescents prefer bland and familiar foods whereas older ones learn to appreciate ‘adult’ foods. As they grow older, children snack more, skip more meals and seem more interested in foreign foods. Before puberty teenagers reject many foods they previously liked. After puberty they begin to appreciate some foods they didn't like before. Their food repertoire widens at this period because of social and cognitive influences.     

Modeling the delamination process during shear premixing of nanoclay/thermoset polymer nanocomposites

As shear premixing is an important process for the dispersion of nanoclays in polymeric resins, this article studies the effect of temperature, duration, speed of premixing, and also the interlamellar spacing of clay platelets on the dispersion of organoclay in epoxy by using a high speed premixing technique which can generate high shear. The quality of dispersion and intercalation/exfoliation of organoclay in epoxy after premixing (before adding hardener) was analyzed by means of X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and rheological measurement. The dispersion and intercalation/exfoliation of organoclay in the epoxy nanocomposites (ENCs) after curing were characterized by TEM. The results illustrate that the intercalation/exfoliation of organoclay in epoxy at the premixing step is very much depending on the premixing parameters. This article also presents a model which takes into account the parameters such as the interlamellar spacing of clay platelets, the viscosity of the epoxy‐clay mixtures, and the velocity of the mixer to explain their effect on the dispersion of clay in epoxy resin. The study focuses on the flow of epoxy clay in the high shear mixer to describe a model for predicting the processing conditions necessary for achieving delamination of the clay layers. Experimental results on the dispersion of clay are also provided to validate the model. The model provides a guide for the premixing parameters necessary to separate the clay layers. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Static and kinetic studies of polystyrene/poly(vinylmethylether) blends

A systematic study of static and kinetic phase behavior of deuterated polystyrene/poly(vinylmethylether) blends is presented in this paper. The static properties are studied by the small angle neutron scattering techniques and the kinetics of phase decomposition are studied by the temperature jump light scattering; technique. This procedure provides detailed information about phase behavior with regard to both thermodynamics and kinetics.     

Routes to residue-free zinc refining

Present zinc refining in sulfate circuits creates considerable amounts of residuals that are often disposed in densely populated sites around the world, creating disposal and environmental liability issues for producers. A combination of chloride and sulfate circuits offers attractive possibilities for residue-free zinc refining, resulting in lower capital and operating costs for producers. For more information, contact G. Van Weert, OreTome Limited, 16668 Humberstation Road, R.R. No. 3, Caledon East, Ontario, Canada L0N 1E0; (905) 880-3142; fax (905) 880-3748.     

Structural investigations of β′ triacylglycerols: An x-ray diffraction and microscopic study of twinned β′ crystals

To reveal the structure ofβ′ triacylglycerols in detail, LML (C₁₂C₁₄C₁₂) was purified by a zone-melting procedure, and twinned crystals ofβ′ stable LML were obtained from a melt,β′ LML crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C₂, with eight molecules in the unit cell. A powder X-ray diffraction study of solid compounds of 1:1 mixtures of selected triacylglycerols led to the conclusion that the triacylglycerol molecules in theβ modification have a 1,2 chair-conformation (i.e., the fatty acid chains on glycerol positions 1 and 2 are adjacent, with the chain on the 3-position forming the back rest of the chair). Packing studies and the positions of two-fold axes and two-fold screw axes in the unit cell require that the molecules are bent at the glycerol site. The fatty acid chains make an angle of 25° with the long axis of the unit cell. Electron micrographs and precession photographs indicate that the twinning results from the stacking of a large number of thin crystalline platelets in two distinct orientations.     

Dimethylformamide: an effective dispersant for making ceramic-carbon nanotube composites

Carbon nanotube (CNT) and alumina dispersions were prepared separately in dimethylformamide (DMF) and ethanol by ultrasonication. The colloidal stability of the dispersions was monitored and a particle size analysis was performed to evaluate the size range of the agglomerates after different times. DMF was found to be a much more effective dispersant than ethanol for making stable, homogeneous CNT and composite dispersions. Alumina-CNT (4.65?vol%) nanocomposites were sintered in a spark plasma sintering (SPS) furnace. DMF dispersions produced homogeneously distributed and agglomerate-free CNT-alumina nanocomposites with higher electrical conductivity as compared to nanocomposites prepared using ethanol.     

Native language influences on word recognition in a second language: A megastudy.

Many studies have reported that word recognition in a second language (L2) is affected by the native language (L1). However, little is known about the role of the specific language combination of the bilinguals. To investigate this issue, the authors administered a word identification task (progressive demasking) on 1,025 monosyllabic English (L2) words to native speakers of French, German, and Dutch. A regression approach was adopted, including a large number of within- and between-language variables as predictors. A substantial overlap of reaction time patterns was found across the groups of bilinguals, showing that word recognition results obtained for one group of bilinguals generalize to bilinguals with different mother tongues. Moreover, among the set of significant predictors, only one between-language variable was present (cognate status); all others reflected characteristics of the target language. Thus, although influences across languages exist, word recognition in L2 by proficient bilinguals is primarily determined by within-language factors, whereas cross-language effects appear to be limited. An additional comparison of the bilingual data with a native control group showed that there are subtle but significant differences between L1 and L2 processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)