In-situ generation of silica particles in solution styrene butadiene rubber – A possible material solution to improve the performance of rubber

In the field of tyre technology, silica filled tyres are generally considered as a lower energy consumption product due to their lower rolling resistance characteristics. Additionally, they can offer excellent grip on the wet and snowy conditions which are more essential from the safety perspective. However, the proper dispersion of the silica in rubber compounds is one of the challenging tasks to engineers, physicist and chemist. In this thesis, a very controlled in-situ silica based solution styrene butadiene rubber composites were developed and intensively investigated by the synthesis of sol-gel silica in presence of polymer solution. It means the silica particles were allowed to grow in the presence of rubber in the reaction mixture. It was observed that the sizes of the synthesized silica particles are rather larger than standard precipitated commercial silica particles. In depth morphological investigation revealed that the obtained sol-gel silica particles appear in strong cluster form with primary particle size of 10 - 15 nm and final aggregated size of 200 to 400 nm. Nevertheless, the final mechanical performance and other rubber related properties of in-situ derived silica composites are better in many important aspects for technical applications as compared with commercial silica at a given loading of fillers. Owing to the presence of more active hydroxyl group on the surface of sol-gel silica, the effective coupling between silica and rubber has been established. Furthermore, the permanent trapped rubber chains inside the large aggregates of sol-gel silica particles enable the compounds to offer good mechanical reinforcement, higher resilience, and dynamic mechanical properties. The present work is a humble approach to pave an alternative novel way for silica-rubber composite preparation in order to minimize the problem of silica mixing with the rubbers.Auf dem Gebiet der Reifentechnologie zeichnen sich Kieselsäure-(Silika)-gefüllte Reifen aufgrund ihres charakteristisch geringeren Rollwiderstands allgemein als ein Produkt mit geringerem Energieverbrauch aus. Darüber hinaus bieten sie ein hervorragendes Nasshaftvermögen, welches eine essentielle physikalische Kenngröße für die Fahrsicherheit darstellt. Allerdings stellt eine optimale Dispergierung der Silikafüllstoffs in Kautschukmischungen eine anspruchsvolle Aufgabe für Ingenieure, Physiker und Chemiker dar. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden Silika / Styrol-Butadien-Kautschuk-Verbundwerkstoffe mittels eines in-situ Sol-Gel-lösungsmittelbasierten Reaktionsverfahrens entwickelt. Diese Technologie beruht auf der Nukleierung von Kieselsäure-Partikeln in Gegenwart des Elastomers in einer Syntheselösung. Dabei wurde beobachtet, dass die Partikel der so synthetisierten Silika-Teilchen größer sind, als die eines kommerziellen Standard-Silika-Füllstoffs. Eine umfassende morphologische Untersuchung zeigt, dass die in-situ synthetisierten Silikapartikel sphärisch sind und eine Primärteilchengröße von 10 bis 15 nm aufweisen. Diese nanoskaligen Teilchen agglomerieren sich zu größeren sphärischen Clustern mit einer Größe von 200 bis 400 nm und weisen somit eine andere Morphologie auf, als die kommerziell erhältlichen Silika-Füllstoffe. Die statisch- und dynamisch-mechanischen Eigenschaften, sowie weitere elastomerbezogene Eigenschaften der in-situ synthetisierten Silika/Styrol-Butadien-Kautschuk-Verbundwerkstoffe, wie z.B. Rückprallelastizität, mechanisch induzierte Wärmeentwicklung und Spannung-Dehnungshysterese, zeigen verbesserte Werte im Vergleich zu Elastomermaterialien gefüllt mit kommerzieller Kieselsäure. Eine erhöhte Anzahl von Hydroxylgruppen auf der Oberfläche der in-situ synthetisierten Silikapartikel, verbunden mit permanenter Adsorption der Polymerketten des Elastomers auf der Teilchenoberfläche ermöglicht die Ausbildung eines Elastomerverbundes mit verbesserter mechanischer Verstärkung mit oder ohne Einsatz eines haftvermittelnden Silans, wie z.B. TESPT (Bis [3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]-tetrasulfid). Die Wechselwirkungen zwischen Elastomer und Füllstoff, zwischen den Füllstoffpartikeln, sowie der Verstärkungsmechanismus des in-situ synthetisierten Füllstoffes wurden mittels dynamischmechanischer Analyse (Amplitudentests), Festkörper-NMR und energiedispersiver Röntgenspektroskopie umfassend analysiert. Der vorliegende Ansatz verdeutlicht, dass die in-situ Generierung des Füllstoffes im Elastomer ein vielversprechendes und alternatives Verfahren zur Herstellung von Elastomermaterialien mit verbesserter Silika-Dispergierung, sowie erhöhter Elastomer-Füllstoff-Wechselwirkung bietet

In-situ generation of silica particles in solution styrene butadiene rubber – A possible material solution to improve the performance of rubber

In the field of tyre technology, silica filled tyres are generally considered as a lower energy consumption product due to their lower rolling resistance characteristics. Additionally, they can offer excellent grip on the wet and snowy conditions which are more essential from the safety perspective. However, the proper dispersion of the silica in rubber compounds is one of the challenging tasks to engineers, physicist and chemist. In this thesis, a very controlled in-situ silica based solution styrene butadiene rubber composites were developed and intensively investigated by the synthesis of sol-gel silica in presence of polymer solution. It means the silica particles were allowed to grow in the presence of rubber in the reaction mixture. It was observed that the sizes of the synthesized silica particles are rather larger than standard precipitated commercial silica particles. In depth morphological investigation revealed that the obtained sol-gel silica particles appear in strong cluster form with primary particle size of 10 - 15 nm and final aggregated size of 200 to 400 nm. Nevertheless, the final mechanical performance and other rubber related properties of in-situ derived silica composites are better in many important aspects for technical applications as compared with commercial silica at a given loading of fillers. Owing to the presence of more active hydroxyl group on the surface of sol-gel silica, the effective coupling between silica and rubber has been established. Furthermore, the permanent trapped rubber chains inside the large aggregates of sol-gel silica particles enable the compounds to offer good mechanical reinforcement, higher resilience, and dynamic mechanical properties. The present work is a humble approach to pave an alternative novel way for silica-rubber composite preparation in order to minimize the problem of silica mixing with the rubbers.Auf dem Gebiet der Reifentechnologie zeichnen sich Kieselsäure-(Silika)-gefüllte Reifen aufgrund ihres charakteristisch geringeren Rollwiderstands allgemein als ein Produkt mit geringerem Energieverbrauch aus. Darüber hinaus bieten sie ein hervorragendes Nasshaftvermögen, welches eine essentielle physikalische Kenngröße für die Fahrsicherheit darstellt. Allerdings stellt eine optimale Dispergierung der Silikafüllstoffs in Kautschukmischungen eine anspruchsvolle Aufgabe für Ingenieure, Physiker und Chemiker dar. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden Silika / Styrol-Butadien-Kautschuk-Verbundwerkstoffe mittels eines in-situ Sol-Gel-lösungsmittelbasierten Reaktionsverfahrens entwickelt. Diese Technologie beruht auf der Nukleierung von Kieselsäure-Partikeln in Gegenwart des Elastomers in einer Syntheselösung. Dabei wurde beobachtet, dass die Partikel der so synthetisierten Silika-Teilchen größer sind, als die eines kommerziellen Standard-Silika-Füllstoffs. Eine umfassende morphologische Untersuchung zeigt, dass die in-situ synthetisierten Silikapartikel sphärisch sind und eine Primärteilchengröße von 10 bis 15 nm aufweisen. Diese nanoskaligen Teilchen agglomerieren sich zu größeren sphärischen Clustern mit einer Größe von 200 bis 400 nm und weisen somit eine andere Morphologie auf, als die kommerziell erhältlichen Silika-Füllstoffe. Die statisch- und dynamisch-mechanischen Eigenschaften, sowie weitere elastomerbezogene Eigenschaften der in-situ synthetisierten Silika/Styrol-Butadien-Kautschuk-Verbundwerkstoffe, wie z.B. Rückprallelastizität, mechanisch induzierte Wärmeentwicklung und Spannung-Dehnungshysterese, zeigen verbesserte Werte im Vergleich zu Elastomermaterialien gefüllt mit kommerzieller Kieselsäure. Eine erhöhte Anzahl von Hydroxylgruppen auf der Oberfläche der in-situ synthetisierten Silikapartikel, verbunden mit permanenter Adsorption der Polymerketten des Elastomers auf der Teilchenoberfläche ermöglicht die Ausbildung eines Elastomerverbundes mit verbesserter mechanischer Verstärkung mit oder ohne Einsatz eines haftvermittelnden Silans, wie z.B. TESPT (Bis [3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]-tetrasulfid). Die Wechselwirkungen zwischen Elastomer und Füllstoff, zwischen den Füllstoffpartikeln, sowie der Verstärkungsmechanismus des in-situ synthetisierten Füllstoffes wurden mittels dynamischmechanischer Analyse (Amplitudentests), Festkörper-NMR und energiedispersiver Röntgenspektroskopie umfassend analysiert. Der vorliegende Ansatz verdeutlicht, dass die in-situ Generierung des Füllstoffes im Elastomer ein vielversprechendes und alternatives Verfahren zur Herstellung von Elastomermaterialien mit verbesserter Silika-Dispergierung, sowie erhöhter Elastomer-Füllstoff-Wechselwirkung bietet

Detecting itinerant single microwave photons

Single photon detectors are fundamental tools of investigation in quantum optics and play a central role in measurement theory and quantum informatics. Photodetectors based on different technologies exist at optical frequencies and much effort is currently being spent on pushing their efficiencies to meet the demands coming from the quantum computing and quantum communication proposals. In the microwave regime however, a single photon detector has remained elusive although several theoretical proposals have been put forth. In this article, we review these recent proposals, especially focusing on non-destructive detectors of propagating microwave photons. These detection schemes using superconducting artificial atoms can reach detection efficiencies of 90\% with existing technologies and are ripe for experimental investigations.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

Clinical considerations in transitioning patients with epilepsy from clonazepam to clobazam: a case series.

IntroductionIn treating refractory epilepsy, many clinicians are interested in methods used to transition patients receiving clonazepam to clobazam to maintain or increase seizure control, improve tolerability of patients' overall drug therapy regimens, and to enhance quality of life for patients and their families. However, no published guidelines assist clinicians in successfully accomplishing this change safely.Case presentationsThe following three case reports provide insight into the transition from clonazepam to clobazam. First, an 8-year-old Caucasian boy with cryptogenic Lennox-Gastaut syndrome beginning at 3.5 years of age, who was experiencing multiple daily generalized tonic-clonic, absence, myoclonic, and tonic seizures at presentation. Second, a 25-year-old, left-handed, White Hispanic man with moderate mental retardation and medically refractory seizures that he began experiencing at 1 year of age, secondary to tuberous sclerosis. When first presented to an epilepsy center, he had been receiving levetiracetam, valproate, and clonazepam, but reported having ongoing and frequent seizures. Third, a 69-year-old Korean woman who had been healthy until she had a stroke in 2009 with subsequent right hemiparesis; as a result, she became less physically and socially active, and had her first convulsive seizure approximately 4 months after the stroke.ConclusionsFrom these cases, we observe that a rough estimate of final clobazam dosage for each mg of clonazepam under substitution is likely to be at least 10-fold, probably closer to 15-fold for many patients, and as high as 20-fold for a few. Consideration and discussion of the pharmacokinetic, pharmacologic, and clinical properties of 1,4- and 1,5-benzodiazepine action provide a rationale on why and how these transitions were successful

Storage and on-demand release of microwaves using superconducting resonators with tunable coupling

We present a system which allows to tune the coupling between a superconducting resonator and a transmission line. This storage resonator is addressed through a second, coupling resonator, which is frequency-tunable and controlled by a magnetic flux applied to a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). We experimentally demonstrate that the lifetime of the storage resonator can be tuned by more than three orders of magnitude. A field can be stored for 18 {\mu}s when the coupling resonator is tuned off resonance and it can be released in 14 ns when the coupling resonator is tuned on resonance. The device allows capture, storage, and on-demand release of microwaves at a tunable rate.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Resonant and off-resonant microwave signal manipulation in coupled superconducting resonators

We present an experimental demonstration as well as a theoretical model of an integrated circuit designed for the manipulation of a microwave field down to the single-photon level. The device is made of a superconducting resonator coupled to a transmission line via a second frequency-tunable resonator. The tunable resonator can be used as a tunable coupler between the fixed resonator and the transmission line. Moreover, the manipulation of the microwave field between the two resonators is possible. In particular, we demonstrate the swapping of the field from one resonator to the other by pulsing the frequency detuning between the two resonators. The behavior of the system, which determines how the device can be operated, is analyzed as a function of one key parameter of the system, the damping ratio of the coupled resonators. We show a good agreement between experiments and simulations, realized by solving a set of coupled differential equations.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Simple, robust and on-demand generation of single and correlated photons

We propose two different setups to generate single photons on demand using an atom in front of a mirror, along with either a beam-splitter or a tunable coupling. We show that photon generation efficiency ~99% is straightforward to achieve. The proposed schemes are simple and easily tunable in frequency. The operation is relatively insensitive to dephasing and can be easily extended to generate correlated pairs of photons. They can also in principle be used to generate any photonic qubit of the form $\mu |0 \rangle + \nu |1\rangle$ in arbitrary wave-packets, making them very attractive for quantum communication applications.Comment: 10 pages, Added appendi

Clinical profile of vigabatrin as monotherapy for treatment of infantile spasms

Jason T Lerner1, Noriko Salamon2, Raman Sankar1,31Departments of Pediatrics, 2Radiological Sciences, 3Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles and Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USAAbstract: Vigabatrin, the first therapeutic agent to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of infantile spasms, as well as for adjunctive use in the treatment of refractory complex partial epilepsy, represents an important advance for patients with difficult-to-manage epilepsy. This review summarizes the complex history, chemistry, and pharmacology, as well as the clinical data leading to the approval of vigabatrin for infantile spasms in the US. The long path to its approval reflects the visual system and white matter toxicity concerns with this agent. This review provides a brief description of these concerns, and the regulatory safety monitoring and mitigation systems that have been put in place to enhance benefit over risk.Keywords: vigabatrin, infantile spasms, monotherap

Interrater reliability in visual identification of interictal high-frequency oscillations on electrocorticography and scalp EEG.

High-frequency oscillations (HFOs), including ripples (Rs) and fast ripples (FRs), are promising biomarkers of epileptogenesis, but their clinical utility is limited by the lack of a standardized approach to identification. We set out to determine whether electroencephalographers experienced in HFO analysis can reliably identify and quantify interictal HFOs. Two blinded raters independently reviewed 10 intraoperative electrocorticography (ECoG) samples from epilepsy surgery cases, and 10 scalp EEG samples from epilepsy monitoring unit evaluations. HFOs were visually marked using bandpass filters (R, 80-250 Hz; FR, 250-500 Hz) with a sampling frequency of 2,000 Hz. There was agreement as to the presence or absence of epileptiform discharges (EDs), Rs, and FRs, in 17, 18, and 18 cases, respectively. Interrater reliability (IRR) was favorable with κ = 0.70, 0.80, and 0.80, respectively, and similar for ECoG and scalp electroencephalography (EEG). Furthermore, interclass correlation for rates of Rs (0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96-0.99) and FRs (0.77, 95% CI 0.41-0.91) were superior in comparison to EDs (0.37, 95% CI -0.60 to 0.75). Our data suggest that HFO identification and quantification are reliable among experienced electroencephalographers. Our findings support the reliability of utilizing HFO data in both research and clinical arenas

A nonequilibrium model for particle networking/jamming and time-dependent dynamic rheology of filled polymers

We describe an approach for modeling the filler network formation kinetics of particle-reinforced rubbery polymers—commonly called filler flocculation—that was developed by employing parallels between deformation effects in jammed particle systems and the influence of temperature on glass-forming materials. Experimental dynamic viscosity results were obtained concerning the strain-induced particle network breakdown and subsequent time-dependent reformation behavior for uncross-linked elastomers reinforced with carbon black and silica nanoparticles. Using a relaxation time function that depends on both actual dynamic strain amplitude and fictive (structural) strain, the model effectively represented the experimental data for three different levels of dynamic strain down-jump with a single set of parameters. This fictive strain model for filler networking is analogous to the established Tool–Narayanaswamy–Moynihan model for structural relaxation (physical aging) of nonequilibrium glasses. Compared to carbon black, precipitated silica particles without silane surface modification exhibited a greater overall extent of filler networking and showed more self-limiting behavior in terms of network formation kinetics in filled ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM). The EPDM compounds with silica or carbon black filler were stable during the dynamic shearing and recovery experiments at 160 °C, whereas irreversible dynamic modulus increases were noted when the polymer matrix was styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), presumably due to branching/cross-linking of SBR in the rheometer. Care must be taken when measuring and interpreting the time-dependent filler networking in unsaturated elastomers at high temperatures