Direct observation of molecular cooperativity near the glass transition

We describe direct observations of molecular cooperativity near the glass transition in poly-vinyl-acetate (PVAc), through nanometer-scale probing of dielectric fluctuations. Molecular clusters switched spontaneously between two to four distinct configurations, producing complex random-telegraph-signals (RTS). Analysis of the RTS and their power spectra shows that individual clusters exhibit both transient dynamical heterogeneity and non-exponential kinetics.Comment: 14 pages pdf, need Acrobat Reade

The Effectiveness of Antifungal Controlling Aspergillus Niger Growth on Plasterboard

Good indoor environmental quality is desired for a healthy indoor environment. The microbial growth under indoor environments contribute to the poor indoor environmental quality that can cause various of health problems. In this study, the applications of three types of antifungals to prevent microbial migration, subsequent growth and bio-deterioration of the substrates. The aim of this research was to evaluate the coating-bio resistance in remediation of indoor fungal using three types of antifungals with different types of wall finishing materials. The treatment was exposed to optimum temperature and relative humidity at 30°C and 90% respectively. The potassium sorbate, zinc salicylate and calcium benzoate are tested against Aspergillus niger which is collected from indoor rooms. This study has revealed the growth of A. niger are more affected by the potassium sorbate on thick wallpaper, which is the percentage growth are 47%

The Shapes of Cooperatively Rearranging Regions in Glass Forming Liquids

The shapes of cooperatively rearranging regions in glassy liquids change from being compact at low temperatures to fractal or ``stringy'' as the dynamical crossover temperature from activated to collisional transport is approached from below. We present a quantitative microscopic treatment of this change of morphology within the framework of the random first order transition theory of glasses. We predict a correlation of the ratio of the dynamical crossover temperature to the laboratory glass transition temperature, and the heat capacity discontinuity at the glass transition, Delta C_p. The predicted correlation agrees with experimental results for the 21 materials compiled by Novikov and Sokolov.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure