Polarizing optics

The concentration of a pure sugar solution is determined by measurements of polarization (optical rotation), refractive index, and density. 

In general, X-ray data are used in conjunction with other techniques to obtain as full a picture as possible. For liquid-crystalline materials, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarizing optical microscopy (POM) are conventionally used. 

As indicated above in chiral mesophases, the introduction of a functional group in mesogenic stmctures offers the opportunity to achieve functional LCs. With this aim, mesomorphic crown-ether-isocyanide-gold(I) complexes (26) have been prepared recently [38]. The derivatives with one alkoxy chain show monotropic SmC mesophases at or close to room temperature. In contrast, the complexes with three alkoxy chains behave as monotropic (n = 4) or enantiotropic (n > 4) LCs. The structure of the mesophases could not be fully eluddated because X-ray diffraction studies in the mesophase were unsuccessful and mesophase characterization was made only on the basis of polarized optical microscopy. These complexes are luminescent not only in the solid state and in solution, but also in the mesophase and in the isotropic liquid state at moderate temperatures. The emission spectra of 26a with n=12 were... 

Preliminary room temperature x-ray data of 0.65 Me4C00-PECH indicates that the sample presents a highly ordered smectic mesophase which was not yet completely assigned. The textures seen by polarized optical microscopy are also typical of smectic phases. Due to the very high molecular weights involved, textures specific to mesophase in thermodynamic equilibrium could not be developed within a reasonable amount of time by annealing. 

Mesomorphic dendrimers containing electroactive units have potential for construction of dendrimer based molecular switches. Deschenaux et al. reported [154] the synthesis and liquid-crystalline properties of a novel dendrimer containing six mesomorphic ferrocene units. Apart from exhibiting a broad enantiotropic smectic A phase as determined by polarized optical microscopy, DSC, and XRD studies, thermogravimetry revealed the excellent thermal stability of the macromolecule. 

Isothermal crystallization was carried out at some range of degree of supercooling (AT = 3.3-14 K). AT was defined by AT = T - Tc, where Tj is the equilibrium melting temperature and Tc is the crystallization temperature. T s was estimated by applying the Gibbs-Thomson equation. It was confirmed that the crystals were isolated from each other by means of a polarizing optical microscope (POM). 

Isothermal crystallization was observed by means of SAXS and a polarizing optical microscope (POM, OLYMPUS, BX or BHS-751-P). The SAXS experiment was carried out using synchrotron radiation on the beam line BL40B2 of SPringS (SP8) at JASRI in Harima and at the BL-10C small angle installation of the Photon Factory (PF) at KEK in Tsukuba. 

In the case of extended chain crystals, we showed that a single crystal is easily formed even for Mn higher than 105. An ECSC shows a cigar-like and tapered shape morphology, observed by polarizing optical microscopy [22] and by transmission electron microscopy [48]. 

For crystalline solids, comparative quantities for second harmonic generation and the linear electrooptic coefficient are given by Miller s delta and the polarization optic coefficient f. The quantity 6 is defined by the relation... 

Fig. 19 Polarized optical micrographs of several polymers. From top left to lower right, a random ethylene-octene copolymer high density polyethylene samples 3-6...

The optical transition moments for vibrational or electronic transitions between defect states have specific orientations with respect to the defect coordinates. The absorption strength of polarized light for each of the differently oriented centers is proportional to the square of the component of the transition moment that is along the polarization direction. Hence, a stress-induced redistribution of the defects among their different orientations will be detected as an anisotropy in the polarized optical absorption. A convenient measure of the anisotropy is the dichroic ratio, defined as... 

Measurements of binding curves without influencing the equilibria can be performed if the readout for complex formation is correlated with a change in a macroscopic signal. This can be either a change in fluorescence intensity, fluorescence polarization, optical absorption, or heat of association (see next chapter). Assume an equilibrium... 

POM Polarized optical microscopy PPDX Poly(p-dioxanone)... 

The melt mixed 80/20 PS/iPP blend displays a set of exotherms, where the amount of the iPP component that was heterogeneously nucleated is substantially reduced as indicated by the decrease of the crystallization enthalpy in the temperature region where the iPP crystallizes in bulk, i.e., at 109-111 °C (exotherm labeled A). This effect is due to the confinement of iPP into a large number of droplets. If the number of droplets of iPP as a dispersed phase is greater than the number of heterogeneities present in the system, fractionated crystallization occurs. The number of droplets for this composition is known (by scanning electron microscopy observations) to be of the order of 1011 particles cm-3 and polarized optical microscopy (POM) experiments have shown that this iPP contains approximately 9 x 106 heterogeneities cm-3. In fact, it can be seen in Fig. 1 that the fractionated crystallization of the iPP compon-... 

Polarized optical photographs of the blends are shown in Figure 20.3. The spherical LCP domains are irregularly dispersed in the PEN and PET phases below 20 mol % PHB content (Figure 20.3(a)). The results observed from 30 mol % PHB reveal a continuous co-existence of the PHB phase and the PEN/PET matrix in the blended polymers (Figure 20.3(b)). However, the blend with 40 mol % PHB shows a nematic LC phase. This result is similar to that found for the copolyesters synthesized by Chen and Zachmann [26], who found... 

To confirm the shape of the spherulites described by the Avrami exponent, polarized optical micrographs of the isothermal crystallized melt blends were taken, and are shown in Figure 20.26 [44],... 

Figure 20.26 Polarized optical micrographs of isothermal crystallized (4h) melt blends (x400) (a) 210°C (b) 230°C (c) 210°C (d) 230°C [44], From Park, J. K Park, Y. H., Kim, D. J. and Kim, S. H., Crystallization kinetics of TLCP with polyester blends, J. Korean Fiber Soc., 37, 69-76 (2000). Reproduced with permission of The Korean Fiber Society...

At the present time, two methods are in common use for the determination of time-resolved anisotropy parameters—the single-photon counting or pulse method 55-56 and the frequency-domain or phase fluorometric methods. 57 59) These are described elsewhere in this series. Recently, both of these techniques have undergone considerable development, and there are a number of commercially available instruments which include analysis software. The question of which technique would be better for the study of membranes is therefore difficult to answer. Certainly, however, the multifrequency phase instruments are now fully comparable with the time-domain instruments, a situation which was not the case only a few years ago. Time-resolved measurements are generally rather more difficult to perform and may take considerably longer than the steady-state anisotropy measurements, and this should be borne in mind when samples are unstable or if information of kinetics is required. It is therefore important to evaluate the need to take such measurements in studies of membranes. Steady-state instruments are of course much less expensive, and considerable information can be extracted, although polarization optics are not usually supplied as standard. 

The fiber fragment length can be measured using a conventional optical microscope for transparent matrix composites, notably those containing thermoset polymer matrices. The photoelastic technique along with polarized optical microscopy allows the spatial distribution of stresses to be evaluated in the matrix around the fiber and near its broken ends. 

Oligoester Diols. The physical properties of LC oligoester diols la-lg measured by GPC, VPO, DSC, and polarizing optical microscopy are summarized in Table I. 

The mesophases of LC diols la-lg were also observed directly in polarized optical micrographs taken immediately after melting the sample. Textures were identified only by comparison with published micrographs (2 ), and are therefore tentative. A nematic texture is observed for If (Fig. 2), while more highly ordered smectic textures are observed for Ib-le and Ig (Fig. 3). 

Polarized optical micrographs revealed birefringent heterogeneous regions in the crosslinked enamels of Ib-lg (Fig. 4). 

Figure 4. Polarizing optical micrograph of enamel made from Ic, 400 X magnification.

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