Thermal Aging of Heterophasic Propylene−Ethylene Copolymers: Spatial and Temporal Aspects of Degradation Based on ESR, ESR Imaging, and FTIR

Characterization Techniques of Polymer Aging: From Beginning to End

Polymers have been widely applied in various fields in the daily routines and the manufacturing. Despite the awareness of the aggressive and inevitable aging for the polymers, it still remains a challenge to choose an appropriate characterization strategy for evaluating the aging behaviors. The difficulties lie in the fact that the polymer features from the different aging stages require different characterization methods. In this review, we present an overview of the characterization strategies preferable for the initial, accelerated, and late stages during polymer aging. The optimum strategies have been discussed to characterize the generation of radicals, variation of functional groups, substantial chain scission, formation of low-molecular products, and deterioration in the polymers' macro-performances. In view of the advantages and the limitations of these characterization techniques, their utilization in a strategic approach is considered. In addition, we highlight the structure-property relationship for the aged polymers and provide available guidance for lifetime prediction. This review could allow the readers to be knowledgeable of the features for the polymers in the different aging stages and provide access to choose the optimum characterization techniques. We believe that this review will attract the communities dedicated to materials science and chemistry.

Photoactivated In Situ Generation of Near Infrared Cyanines for Spatiotemporally Controlled Fluorescence Imaging in Living Cells

Photoactivated trimerization of 2,3,3-trimethyl-3H-indole derivatives created near infrared fluorophore Cy5. The synthetic method is air-tolerant, photosensitizer free, metal free, and condensation agent free. Living cells make Cy5 on a time scale of minutes under white light irradiation at a low power intensity, with the monomer as the only exogenous agent. The new method is promising to find applications in cell studies for in situ spatiotemporally controlled fluorescence imaging in living cells.

Deducing 1D concentration profiles from EPR imaging: a new approach based on the concept of virtual components and optimization with the genetic algorithm

Application of the genetic algorithm (GA) in conjunction with the concept of virtual components (VC) to determine 1D concentration profiles from EPRI spectra (images) is described. In this approach the concentration profile is expressed as the superposition of virtual components described by analytical functions of the Gaussian and Boltzmann type. The method was implemented in the computer program ACon, which allows for fully automated profile extraction via the nonlinear least-squares fitting of experimental images. The parametric sensitivity of the GA internal parameters such as population size, probabilities of the crossover, mutation and elitist retention to the search space was investigated in detail in order to find their optimal settings. The customized genetic algorithm was evaluated using simulated and experimental test data sets and its performance was compared with the Monte Carlo approach.