Gas transport in poly(n-alkyl acrylate)/poly(m-alkyl acrylate) blends

Poly(n-alkyl acrylate)s can have side chains that crystallize independently of the main chain; side-chain length can thus be used as a tunable parameter to control the gas permeability of membranes. The gas permeation response of poly(n-alkyl acrylate) and poly(m-alkyl acrylate) blends as a function of temperature is reported for varying side-chain lengths, n and m, and blend composition in the semi-crystalline and molten states. Macroscopic homogeneity is observed for a small range of n and m where |n − m| ≤ 2-4 methylene units. Thermal analysis indicates that the blend components crystallize independently of one another; however, crystallization is hindered by the presence of the other component. Permeation responses of the blends investigated in some cases exhibited two distinct permeation jumps or increases at the melting temperature of each component. Blends with continuous permeation responses but higher effective activation energies of permeation (i.e., more thermally responsive) were observed for some blends over the temperature of interest for membranes to be used for modified atmosphere packaging.     

Effects and properties of poly(arylene ether benzonitrile)s of various molecular weights blended with sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)

Poly(arylene ether benzonitrile) (PAEBN) was synthesized with 2,6‐dichlorobenzonitrile and biphenol. PAEBNs with various molecular weights (MWs), 1,640,000 and 185,000 g/mol, were synthesized by control of the stoichiometry of the monomers and were blended with sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK). The effects of MW on the water uptake, swelling, methanol permeability, and proton conductivity of the SPEEK/PAEBN blend membranes were investigated. The molecular mobility of the SPEEK/PAEBN blends was also examined in this study. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Investigation on interior moisture distribution inducing dielectric anisotropy of coals

Dielectric anisotropy phenomenon of coal was detectable by many dielectric measurements. The paper presented that it was attributed to coal interior moisture distribution. A new model describing interior moisture distribution was developed basing on microstructure observation of coal. In the model, coal interior moisture distribution was analyzed and simulated numerically, the relationship between interior moisture distribution and coal dielectric property was constructed, the character of the permittivity varying with moisture content had also been studied and coal dielectric anisotropy was deduced. Corresponding experiment results were well satisfied with the model analysis, demonstrating that the interior moisture content could cause coal dielectric anisotropy.     

Influence of the surface conditions on permeation in the deuterium–MANET system

The condition of the surfaces is of crucial importance for the deuterium permeation through materials. In this work a study of the surface constants for the adsorption (σk₁) and release (σk₂) of deuterium under different surface conditions on the martensitic steel DIN 1.4914 (MANET) has been carried out. The growth of an oxide surface layer (Cr₂O₃) of about 25–30 nm in a MANET sample, heat treated in an oxidizing environment, compared to the bare MANET that have a ‘natural' oxide of about 5 nm has provoked a reduction of both the permeation rate and the recombination coefficient (about 3 orders of magnitude). In addition, the permeation governing process has changed from diffusion-limited to surface-limited. The measurements of the permeation rate of deuterium were performed by a gas-phase permeation technique over the temperature range 574–746 K and for deuterium driving pressures in the range from 3 to 10⁵ Pa.     

Ultrasonic study of molecular association of poly(vinyl chloride) solution in tetrahydrofuran

Ultrasonic absorption, velocity, adiabatic compressibility, relaxation time and relaxation amplitude measurements are reported on poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) solution in tetrahydrofuran (THF) using pulsed ultrasonic apparatus operating at 2 MHz and 313 K. Results show a linear increase of velocity. density, viscosity, absorption coefficient, relaxation time and relaxation amplitude values with the increase of PVC concentration in THF. In contrast the compressibility decreases with increasing PVC concentration. This suggests interaction between PVC and THF molecules.     

NANO-MULTILAYERS WITH HIGH PERPENDICULAR ANISOTROPY FOR MAGNETIC RECORDING

(FePt/Ag)n nano-multilayers were deposited on MgO (100) single crystal with laser ablation and then subjected to annealing. FePt L1o grains with (001) texture and thus a large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy constant Ku of the order of 106 J/m3 were formed. A thick Ag layer is found to be favorable for decreasing the dispersion of the easy axis for magnetization. The measurement of time decay of magnetization gave rise to a small activation volume of the order of 10-25m3, showing the promising of being the recording medium for future high density perpendicular recording.     

Selective gas transport in miscible PPO-PS blends

The permeation rates of He, CO₂ and CH₄ though miscible blends of polystyrene and poly(phenylene oxide) at 35°C are reported as a function of pressure. Sorption isotherms for CO₂ and CH₄ are also presented. By using ratios of the permeabilities of the pure gases the separation factors for the gas pairs He---CH₄ and CO₂---CH₄ can be estimated. For both pairs the estimated separation factor goes through a prominent maximum, thus indicating that these blends are more permselective than expected from the behaviour of polystyrene and poly(phenylene oxide). This stems from mobility considerations rather than solubility effects and a qualitative free volume argument is proposed as an explanation. The sorption and transport data have been interpreted and correlated using the dual sorption-mobility models developed previously for glassy polymers. Since the commercial polystyrene used contained a small amount of mineral oil to improve flow behaviour, the effect of this additive on polystyrene properties was explored in some detail.     

Augment low-field intra-operative MRI with preoperative MRI using a hybrid non-rigid registration method

Background

Preoperatively acquired diffusion tensor image (DTI) and blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) have been proved to be effective in providing more anatomical and functional information; however, the brain deformation induced by brain shift and tumor resection severely impairs the correspondence between the image space and the patient space in image-guided neurosurgery.

Method

To address the brain deformation, we developed a hybrid non-rigid registration method to register high-field preoperative MRI with low-field intra-operative MRI in order to recover the deformation induced by brain shift and tumor resection. The registered DTI and BOLD are fused with low-field intra-operative MRI for image-guided neurosurgery.

Results

The proposed hybrid registration method was evaluated by comparing the landmarks predicted by the hybrid registration method with the landmarks identified in the low-field intra-operative MRI for 10 patients. The prediction error of the hybrid method is 1.92 ± 0.54 mm, and the compensation accuracy is 74.3 ± 5.0%. Compared to the landmarks far from the resection region, those near the resection region demonstrated a higher compensation accuracy (P-value = .003) although these landmarks had larger initial displacements.

Conclusions

The proposed hybrid registration method is able to bring preoperatively acquired BOLD and DTI into the operating room and compensate for the deformation to augment low-field intra-operative MRI with rich anatomical and functional information.     

凝胶色谱法表征我国几种有代表性超滤膜的截留率——分子量曲线

本文考察了凝胶色谱法的操作压力和进料流速的影响。对国内具有代表性的几种平板超滤膜(聚砜、聚砜酰胺、醋酸纤维素、聚丙烯腈、聚氯乙烯)以及聚砜中空纤维超滤膜的截留率——分子量曲线进行了测定。并给出它们的切割分子量数据。