Transparency initiatives

A transparent Universe. After 300,000 yr temperatures dropped to 4,500 K and gave rise to the formation of atomic matter, and atoms of hydrogen, helium, and deuterium were formed. Because electrons were removed from the plasma through the formation of atoms, radiation streamed out and the Universe became transparent. Initially the Universe contained abundant ultraviolet-and X-rays, now cooled down to microwave wavelengths. This is what is recorded as the Cosmic Background radiation. 

Manufacturing processes have been improved by use of on-line computer control and statistical process control leading to more uniform final products. Production methods now include inverse (water-in-oil) suspension polymerization, inverse emulsion polymerization, and continuous aqueous solution polymerization on moving belts. Conventional azo, peroxy, redox, and gamma-ray initiators are used in batch and continuous processes. Recent patents describe processes for preparing transparent and stable microlatexes by inverse microemulsion polymerization. New methods have also been described for reducing residual acrylamide monomer in finished products. 

Materials. For holographic information storage, materials are required which alter their index of refraction locally by spotwise illumination with light. Suitable are photorefractive inorganic crystals, eg, LiNbO, BaTiO, LiTaO, and Bq2 i02Q. Also suitable are photorefractive ferroelectric polymers like poly(vinyhdene fluoride-i o-trifluorethylene) (PVDF/TFE). Preferably transparent polymers are used which contain approximately 10% of monomeric material (so-called photopolymers, photothermoplasts). These polymers additionally contain different initiators, photoinitiators, and photosensitizers. 

If dye molecules are embedded into an amorphous matrix, preferably transparent polymers, greatly and inbornogenously broadened spectral lines are observed. This broadening is caused by the energetic interaction of the dye molecules with the locally different environment in the polymer matrix. The ratio of the homogenous initial line width of the dye molecule T to the inhomogenous line width of the dye in the polymer T ranges from 1 10 to 1 10 . ... 

Initially, DADC polymers were used in military aircraft for windows of fuel and deicer-fluid gauges and in glass-fiber laminates for wing reinforcements of B-17 bombers. Usage in impact-resistant, lightweight eyewear lenses has grown rapidly and is now the principal appHcation. Other uses include safety shields, filters for photographic and electronic equipment, transparent enclosures, equipment for office, laboratory, and hospital use, and for detection of nuclear radiation. 

Transparent monoliths can be prepared by drying high density gels (49,50). Control of initial conditions of sol preparation is essential to achieve success during the drying step. 

The initial use was as a blow moulded vessel for vegetable oil candles. However, because of its biodegradability it is of interest for applications where paper and plastics materials are used together and which can, after use, be sent into a standard paper recycling process. Instances include blister packaging (the compound is transparent up to 3 mm in thickness), envelopes with transparent windows and clothes point-of-sale packaging. 

Aqueous GPC can also be semiprepped in manner just like nonaqueous GPC. In this case one must consider carefully the buffers, salts, and biocides used in the eluant. If the fractions are destined for nuclear magnetic resonance experiments it will be imperative to either reduce the salt concentration in the eluant or remove salt after the initial fractionation. Likewise, if the collected samples are destined for infrared (IR) analysis, it is important to choose salts and buffers that have good IR transparency in the wavenumber ranges of interest. 

Noda and Watanabe [42] reported a simple synthetic procedure for the free radical polymerization of vinyl monomers to give conducting polymer electrolyte films. Direct polymerization in the ionic liquid gives transparent, mechanically strong and highly conductive polymer electrolyte films. This was the first time that ambient-temperature ionic liquids had been used as a medium for free radical polymerization of vinyl monomers. The ionic liquids [EMIM][BF4] and [BP][Bp4] (BP is N-butylpyridinium) were used with equimolar amounts of suitable monomers, and polymerization was initiated by prolonged heating (12 hours at 80 °C) with benzoyl... 

The best combination of properties of polyethylene-based ionomers, such as stiffness, strength, transparency, and toughness, are realized at partial degrees of conversion of about 40-50% [13]. The initial increase in properties is a result of the presence of ionic interactions, which strengthen and stiffen the polymer. There is, however, some loss of crystallinity as a result of the presence of the ionic groups. When the loss of crystallin-... 

We have found that in the system of presulfate initiator, the PVAc latexes are not dissolved transparently in the methanol-water mixture [8], and in the system of HPO initiator, the extraction of the polymer from the PVAc latex films with acetone greatly depends on the polymerization condition [9]. These results suggest that if a polymerization method can be found in which the grafting polymerization of VAc onto PVA is controlled to the minimum, a large portion of PVAc in the latex film will have a chance of extraction with solvents. In this Chapter, the preparations of the unique porous films from the PVAc latexes containing PVA as a protective colloid by an extraction of the PVAc particles with acetone and the characteristic properties of the porous films are summarized. 

The PVAc latex containing PVA as a protective colloid prepared in method [III] using the HPO (0.12%)-TA (0,10%) system as an initiator in Table 1 was cast to about 1.8 mm in thickness on a poly(ethylene) plate and dried at room temperature. The dried latex films were 0.7-0.9 mm in thickness and were semi-transparent. The porous film after acetone extraction changed to a white color without a change in the film size. 

The free radicals then initiate curing by attacking residual double bonds in acrylic oligomers and monomers, or in styrene and unsaturated polyester resins. Since most pigments absorb u.v. radiation and can prevent it reaching sufficient photoinitiator molecules, this technique is best suited to transparent coatings or thin pigmented layers (e.g. inks). 

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