Characterization of denture acrylic resin surfaces modified by glow discharges

Resin samples prepared by compression molding using a poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) denture base material were exposed to radio-frequency (rf) glow discharges to improve the wettability of the material. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) reflectance, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and contact-angle measurements have been employed to characterize the changes introduced by the glow discharge plasma. FT-IR measurements cannot detect any modification. XPS reveals an increase in the O/C atomic ratio. Contact angles of the plasma-treated samples are always lower when compared with untreated ones. The increased O atomic concentration is attributed to formation of -COH groups on the surface during plasma treatment. The O/C atomic ratio decreases upon heating the samples in vacuum to 100 °C for 1-2 min and exposing the samples to liquid CH2Cl2 for 1-2 min. Exposure to distilled water for prolonged periods causes a slight decrease during the initial 1-20 days but levels off to a constant value up to a period of 60 days. Plasma treatment seems to offer a durable increase in the wettability for these materials left in air or distilled water

Complex-Radical Copolymerization of Vinylcyclohexyl Ketones with Maleic Anhydride and N-p-tolylmaleimide

Some features of the formation and photochemical reactions of cyclohexylketone containing macromolecules including copolymers of vinylcyclohexyl ketone (VCHK) and its derivatives (V-a-Cl-CHK and V- d-C1-CHK) with maleic anhydride (MA) and N-p-tolylmaleimide (TMI) have been revealed. It has been established that keto-enol tautomerism is the only reaction realized in the vinylcyclohexylketone molecules having mobile hydrogen atom at a -position in the cyclohexane ring, enol form of which is formed by charge-transfer complexes with anhydride or imide of maleic acid as acceptor monomers. The kinetic parameters of these reactions, including complex-formation and copolymerization constants, as well as the ratios of chain growth rates for the participation of monomeric charge-transfer complexes and free monomers,В are all determined. It is shown that an alternative copolymerization is realized with the monomer systems containing VCHK and V- d -C1-CHK, which are carried out through a complex-mechanism due to the keto-enol tautomerism; while random copolymer enriched with vinyl ketone units is formed with the system containing oc-substituted VCHK. It is found that characteristics of photochemical reactions ofВ alternating copolymer synthesized depend on the type of substitutation in the vinyl ketone molecule; unlink VCHK-MA(TMI) and V-d-C1-CHK-MA(TMI) copolymers case which easily crosslink upon UVirradiation, and the N-substituted derivatives of these copolymers which decompose under similar condition

Ground-γ\gamma band coupling in heavy deformed nuclei and SU(3) contraction limit

We derive analytic expressions for the energies and $B(E2)$-transition probabilities in the states of the ground and $\gamma$ bands of heavy deformed nuclei within a collective Vector-Boson Model with SU(3) dynamical symmetry. On this basis we examine the analytic behavior of the SU(3) energy splitting and the B(E2) interband transition ratios in the SU(3) contraction limits of the model. The theoretical analyses outline physically reasonable ways in which the ground-$\gamma$ band coupling vanishes. The experimental data on the lowest collective states of even-even rare earth nuclei and actinides strongly support the theoretical results. They suggest that a transition from the ground-$\gamma$ band coupling scheme to a scheme in which the ground band is situated in a separate irreducible representation of SU(3) should be realized towards the midshell regions. We propose that generally the SU(3) group contraction process should play an important role for such a kind of transitions in any collective band coupling scheme in heavy deformed nuclei.Comment: 24 pages (LaTeX), 7 figures (12 postscript files

Proton Radioactivity Measurements at HRIBF: Ho, Lu, and Tm Isotopes

Two new isotopes, {sup 145}Tm and {sup 140}Ho and three isomers in previously known isotopes, {sup 141m}Ho, {sup 150m}Lu and {sup 151m}Lu have been discovered and studied via their decay by proton emission. These proton emitters were produced at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) by heavy-ion fusion-evaporation reactions, separated in A/Q with a recoil mass spectrometer (RMS), and detected in a double-sided silicon strip detector (DSSD). The decay energy and half-life was measured for each new emitter. An analysis in terms of a spherical shell model is applied to the Tm and Lu nuclei, but Ho is considerably deformed and requires a collective model interpretation

Proton Decay Studies of the Light Lu, Tm and Ho Isotopes

A double-sided Si-strip detector system has been installed and commissioned at the focal plane of the Recoil Mass Spectrometer at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility. The system can be used for heavy charged particle emission studies with half-lives as low as a few {micro}sec. In this paper the authors present identification and study of the decay properties of the five new proton emitters: {sup 140}Ho, {sup 141m}Ho, {sup 145}Tm, {sup 150m}Lu and {sup 151m}Lu

Study of sol-gel processing for fabrication of low density alumina microspheres

A sol-gel process for producing microspheres of low density alumina has been developed. A Dispal alumina sol and aluminum monohydrate were used as starting materials. Microspheres with spherical shape and controllable size have been produced by using a drop generation technique, The technique consists of producing a continuous stream Of uniform droplets of alumina sol and then converting the drops into a rigid form by exposing them to an ammonium hydroxide gelation medium. By using this technique. alumina spheres with surface area 351 m(2)g(-1) and pore size 10.7 Adegrees have been prepared

Studies on the modification of interphase/interfaces by use of plasma in certain polymer composite systems

Calcium carbonate and carbon fiber surfaces were modified by use of a series of plasma polymers at different selected plasma conditions, and the effect of surface modification, mainly on the mechanical properties of composite systems prepared, was investigated. The matrices for the composite systems employed were polypropylene and epoxy, for the chalk and C fiber, respectively. Mechanical and thermal studies and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pictures revealed that inclusion surfaces, being independent of their geometry and size, can be modified effectively by plasma. A polypropylene matrix with 30% modified chalk had better properties than composites with 10% unmodified chalk. Tensile strength and stress to failure values for single carbon fibers were found to be improved by plasma treatment. Surface-treated carbon fibers yielded at composites with better interlaminar shear strength and flexural strengths