3,848 research outputs found
Monte Carlo simulations of infinitely dilute solutions of amphiphilic diblock star copolymers
Single-chain Monte Carlo simulations of amphiphilic diblock star copolymers
were carried out in continuous space using implicit solvents. Two distinct
architectures were studied: stars with the hydrophobic blocks attached to the
core, and stars with the polar blocks attached to the core, with all arms being
of equal length. The ratio of the lengths of the hydrophobic block to the
length of the polar block was varied from 0 to 1. Stars with 3, 6, 9 or 12
arms, each of length 10, 15, 25, 50, 75 and 100 Kuhn segments were analysed.
Four distinct types of conformations were observed for these systems. These,
apart from studying the snapshots from the simulations, have been
quantitatively characterised in terms of the mean-squared radii of gyration,
mean-squared distances of monomers from the centre-of-mass, asphericity
indices, static scattering form factors in the Kratky representation as well as
the intra-chain monomer-monomer radial distribution functions.Comment: 12 pages, 11 ps figures. Accepted for publication in J. Chem. Phy
The partition function versus boundary conditions and confinement in the Yang-Mills theory
We analyse dependence of the partition function on the boundary condition for
the longitudinal component of the electric field strength in gauge field
theories. In a physical gauge the Gauss law constraint may be resolved
explicitly expressing this component via an integral of the physical
transversal variables. In particular, we study quantum electrodynamics with an
external charge and SU(2) gluodynamics. We find that only a charge distribution
slowly decreasing at spatial infinity can produce a nontrivial dependence in
the Abelian theory. However, in gluodynamics for temperatures below some
critical value the partition function acquires a delta-function like dependence
on the boundary condition, which leads to colour confinement.Comment: 14 pages, RevTeX, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Conformational transitions of heteropolymers in dilute solutions
In this paper we extend the Gaussian self-consistent method to permit study
of the equilibrium and kinetics of conformational transitions for
heteropolymers with any given primary sequence. The kinetic equations earlier
derived by us are transformed to a form containing only the mean squared
distances between pairs of monomers. These equations are further expressed in
terms of instantaneous gradients of the variational free energy. The method
allowed us to study exhaustively the stability and conformational structure of
some periodic and random aperiodic sequences. A typical phase diagram of a
fairly long amphiphilic heteropolymer chain is found to contain phases of the
extended coil, the homogeneous globule, the micro-phase separated globule, and
a large number of frustrated states, which result in conformational phases of
the random coil and the frozen globule. We have also found that for a certain
class of sequences the frustrated phases are suppressed. The kinetics of
folding from the extended coil to the globule proceeds through non-equilibrium
states possessing locally compacted, but partially misfolded and frustrated,
structure. This results in a rather complicated multistep kinetic process
typical of glassy systems.Comment: 15 pages, RevTeX, 20 ps figures, accepted for publication in Phys.
Rev.
Dynamics of thermoelastic thin plates: A comparison of four theories
Four distinct theories describing the flexural motion of thermoelastic thin
plates are compared. The theories are due to Chadwick, Lagnese and Lions,
Simmonds, and Norris. Chadwick's theory requires a 3D spatial equation for the
temperature but is considered the most accurate as the others are derivable
from it by different approximations. Attention is given to the damping of
flexural waves. Analytical and quantitative comparisons indicate that the
Lagnese and Lions model with a 2D temperature equation captures the essential
features of the thermoelastic damping, but contains systematic inaccuracies.
These are attributable to the approximation for the first moment of the
temperature used in deriving the Lagnese and Lions equation. Simmonds' model
with an explicit formula for temperature in terms of plate deflection is the
simplest of all but is accurate only at low frequency, where the damping is
linearly proportional to the frequency. It is shown that the Norris model,
which is almost as simple as Simmond's, is as accurate as the more precise but
involved theory of Chadwick.Comment: 2 figures, 1 tabl
Local probing of ionic diffusion by electrochemical strain microscopy: spatial resolution and signal formation mechanisms
Electrochemical insertion-deintercalation reactions are typically associated
with significant change of molar volume of the host compound. This strong
coupling between ionic currents and strains underpins image formation
mechanisms in electrochemical strain microscopy (ESM), and allows exploring the
tip-induced electrochemical processes locally. Here we analyze the signal
formation mechanism in ESM, and develop the analytical description of operation
in frequency and time domains. The ESM spectroscopic modes are compared to
classical electrochemical methods including potentiostatic and galvanostatic
intermittent titration (PITT and GITT), and electrochemical impedance
spectroscopy (EIS). This analysis illustrates the feasibility of spatially
resolved studies of Li-ion dynamics on the sub-10 nanometer level using
electromechanical detection.Comment: 49 pages, 17 figures, 4 tables, 3 appendices, to be submitted to J.
Appl. Phys
Anti-corrosion ceramic coatings on the surface of Nd-Fe-B repelling magnets
The results of vacuum-arc deposition of thin ZrO₂coatings to protect the surface of Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets used as repelling devices in orthodontics are presented. The structure, phase composition and mechanical properties of zirconium dioxide films have been investigated by means of SEM, XRD, EDX, XRF and nanoindentation method. It was revealed the formation of polycrystalline ZrO₂ films of monoclinic modification with average grain size 25 nm. The influence of the ZrO₂ coating in terms of its barrier properties for corrosion in quasi-physiological 0.9 NaCl solution has been studied. Electrochemical measurements indicated good barrier properties of the coating on specimens in the physiological solution environment
Wavelet treatment of the intra-chain correlation functions of homopolymers in dilute solutions
Discrete wavelets are applied to parametrization of the intra-chain two-point
correlation functions of homopolymers in dilute solutions obtained from Monte
Carlo simulation. Several orthogonal and biorthogonal basis sets have been
investigated for use in the truncated wavelet approximation. Quality of the
approximation has been assessed by calculation of the scaling exponents
obtained from des Cloizeaux ansatz for the correlation functions of
homopolymers with different connectivities in a good solvent. The resulting
exponents are in a better agreement with those from the recent renormalisation
group calculations as compared to the data without the wavelet denoising. We
also discuss how the wavelet treatment improves the quality of data for
correlation functions from simulations of homopolymers at varied solvent
conditions and of heteropolymers.Comment: RevTeX, 19 pages, 7 PS figures. Accepted for publication in PR
Vibration and buckling of thin-walled composite I-beams with arbitrary lay-ups under axial loads and end moments
A finite element model with seven degrees of freedom per node is developed to study vibration and buckling of thin-walled composite I-beams with arbitrary lay-ups under constant axial loads and equal end moments. This model is based on the classical lamination theory, and accounts for all the structural coupling coming from material anisotropy. The governing differential equations are derived from the Hamilton’s principle. Numerical results are obtained for thin-walled composite I-beams to investigate the effects of axial force, bending moment and fiber orientation on the buckling moments, natural frequencies, and corresponding vibration mode shapes as well as axial-moment-frequency interaction curves
Integrated tunneling sensor for nanoelectromechanical systems
Transducers based on quantum mechanical tunneling provide an extremely sensitive sensor principle, especially for nanoelectromechanical systems. For proper operation a gap between the electrodes of below 1nm is essential, requiring the use of structures with a mobile electrode. At such small distances, attractive van der Waals and capillary forces become sizable, possibly resulting in snap-in of the electrodes. The authors present a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the interplay between the involved forces and identify requirements for the design of tunnelingsensors. Based on this analysis, a tunnelingsensor is fabricated by Si micromachiningtechnology and its proper operation is demonstrated
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