Structure and morphology of diamond-like carbon coated on nylon 66/poly(phenylene ether) alloy

In order to investigate the structure and morphology of diamond-like carbon (DLC) film coated on a polymer alloy prepared by a particular four-steps method in the plasma-based ion implantation and deposition (PBIID) process, studies were made on the structure and properties of the DLC film with special reference to its surface morphology by scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopies. It is revealed from TEM microscopy that the amorphous structure of the DLC film consists of a silicon-implanted layer on the polymer substrate, a hard acetylene-implanted layer and a flexible acetylene/toluene-deposited layer. Some properties of the DLC film can be accounted for by the morphology examined in this study

Structural arrangement of crystalline/amorphous phases of polyethylene-block-polystyrene copolymer as induced by orientation techniques

A polyethylene-block-polystyrene copolymer film having a bicontinuous crystalline/amorphous phases was tensile-drawn under various conditions for the structural arrangement of these phases. The prepared film could be drawn below the melting temperature of the polyethylene component, with the highest drawability obtained at 60ｰC. However, the initial bicontinuous structure was gradually destroyed with increasing strain because the drawing temperature was lower than the glass-transition temperature of the polystyrene component. Correspondingly, a necking phenomenon was clearly recognizable when samples were drawn. In contrast, drawing near the melting temperature of the polyethylene component produced less orientation of both the crystalline and amorphous phases, resulting in homogeneous deformation with lower drawing stress. These results indicated that the modification of the lower ductility of the polystyrene component was key to the effective structural arrangement of both phases by tensile drawing. Here, a solvent-swelling technique was applied to improve polystyrene deformability even below its glass-transition temperature. Tensile drawing after such a treatment successfully induced the orientation of both the crystalline and amorphous phases while retaining their initial continuities. A change in the deformation type from necking to homogeneous deformation was also confirmed for the stress-strain behavior

Seasonal bathymetric distributions of three coastal flatfishes: estimation from logbook data for trawl and gillnet fisheries

The present study aims to clarify the seasonal bathymetric distributions of three coastal flatfishes (stone flounder, marbled flounder, and Japanese flounder) that are caught mainly by bottom trawls and gillnets off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, by using logbook data. All three species were found to have specific spawning depths, i.e., depths of 40–80 m, 20–40 m, and 10–60 m for stone, marbled, and Japanese flounders, respectively, with extremely high catch-per-unit-effort during their spawning seasons, reflecting spawning ground formation. Furthermore, Japanese flounder showed a tendency to expand their distribution offshore to depths deeper than 100 m after October. These results indicate interspecific variations in migration and aggregation patterns. Using logbook data and considering the seasonal catchability of each fishing gear enabled us to understand the seasonal bathymetric distribution of each species and the depths of their spawning grounds