Preparation and characterization of poly(ethyl acrylate)/bentonite nanocomposites by in situ emulsion polymerization

Transparent poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA)/bentonite nanocomposites containing intercalated-exfoliated combinatory structures of clay were synthesized by in situ emulsion polymerizations in aqueous dispersions containing bentonite. The samples for characterization were prepared through direct-forming films of the resulting emulsions without coagulation and separation. An examination with X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy showed that intercalated and exfoliated structures of clay coexisted in the PEA/bentonite nanocomposites. The measurements of mechanical properties showed that PEA properties were greatly improved, with the tensile strength and modulus increasing from 0.65 and 0.24 to 11.16 and 88.41 MPa, respectively. Dynamic mechanical analysis revealed a very marked improvement of the storage modulus above the glass-transition temperature. In addition, because of the uniform dispersion of silicate layers in the PEA matrix, the barrier properties of the materials were dramatically improved. The permeability coefficient of water vapor decreased from 30.8 x 10(-6) to 8.3 x 10(-6) g cm/cm(2)s cmHg. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Poly(ethylene glycol) block poly(butyl acrylate) .1. Synthesis

Prepolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) (Pre-PEG) were synthesized by reacting azoisobutyronitrile (AIBN) with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and their structures were characterized by IR and UV. The molecular weight of pre-PEG was related to the feed ratio and reaction time. These prepolymers can be used to prepare block copolymers - poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(butyl acrylate) (PEO-b-PBA) by radical polymerization in the presence of butyl acrylate (BA). Solution polymerization was a suitable technique for this step. The yield and the molecular weight of the product were related to the ratio of the prepolymer to BA, the reaction time, and temperature. GPC showed that the molecular weight increased with a higher ratio of BA to pre-PEO. The intrinsic viscosity of the copolymers was only slightly dependent on reaction time, but decreased at higher reaction temperatures, as did the amount of PEA homopolymer. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

聚酯-聚酯多嵌段共聚物的合成及其动态力学性能

聚酯-聚醚多嵌段共聚物的动态力学性能谱上有两个T_8,不宜做阻尼材料。本文报道聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯(PET)-端羟基聚己二酸乙二醇酯(PEA)共聚物(简称嵌段共聚酯),比聚醚-聚酯多嵌段共聚物有更好的相容性。我们研究了PEA的分子量,间苯二甲酸的用量对嵌段共聚酯的结晶度,以及结晶度对嵌段共聚酯的动态力学性能的影响。

Comparative molecular population genetics of phycoerythrin locus in Prochlorococcus

As the only remainder type of phycobiliproteins in Prochlorococcus, the actual role of phycoerythrin still remains unknown. Previous studies revealed that two different forms of phycoerythrin gene were found in two ecotypes of Prochlorococcus that are specifically adapted to either high light (HL) or low light (LL) conditions. Here we analyze patterns of phycoerythrin nucleotide variation in the HL- and LL-Prochlorococcus populations. Our analyses reveal a significantly greater number of non-synonymous fixed substitutions in peB and peA than expected based on interspecific comparisons. This pattern of excess non-synonymous fixed substitutions is not seen in other five phycoerythrin-related genes (peZ/V/Y/T/S). Several neutrality statistical tests indicate an excess of rare frequency polymorphisms in the LL-Prochlorococcus data, but an excess of intermediate frequency polymorphisms in the HL-Prochlorococcus data. Distributions of the positively selected sites identified using the likelihood ratio test, when mapped onto the phycoerythrin tertiary structure, reveal that HL- and LL-phycoerythrin should be under different selective patterns. These findings may provide insights into the likely role of selection at the phycoerythrin locus and motivate further research to unveil the function of phycoerythrin in Prochlorococcus.

动物地磁导航磁受体的磁学探测及其矿化机理研究

This thesis focuses on the study of the geomagnetic orientation and navigation of homing pigeon and migrating bats. Magnetic minerals, possibly the base of the “magnetoreceptors”, which can perceive the magnetic information from geomagnetic field, are studied using advanced mineral magnetic methods in combination of non-magnetic techniques. In addition, the mechanism of magnetite biomineralization in organism has been probed through the formation of ferritin under laboratory-controlled conditions. A series of magnetic measurements of selected pigeon samples found the biogenic magnetite particles. a significant rapid decay of SIRM5K in the interval of 5–20 K on both zero-field cooled and field cooled warming curves suggests the dominance of superparamagnetic particles in the samples. Additionally, we noted that the content of magnetite particles in the male and the female are different. It is also found that bats contain magnetite. The results of room temperature magnetic measurements of Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and Chaerophon　plicatus samples indicates there are magnetite in the heads of bats. The concentration of magnetic materials in the brain is higher than that in the skull. The results of low temperature magnetic measurements in Nyctalus plancyi samples show that the head may contain a small quantity of magnetite particles. In order to study the magnetite biomineralizaiton, ferritin was reconstituted. The results of electron nanodiffraction patterns indicate that the dominant mineral phases in the reconstituted ferritin are ferrihydrite, which is similar to that in the native ferritin. The blocking temperature (TB) is near 20K. A series of magnetic hysteresis at low temperatures (3-21K) show the wasp-waisted hysteresis loop. This can be interpreted by either grain size effects (SP + SD) or different coercivities minerals.