Precipitates of a series of alkaline earth metal (barium and strontium) carbonates, chromates, phosphates, and sulfates were formed at high supersaturation by diffusion through silica hydrogel, agarose hydrogel, and the freshly developed agarosesilica mixed gels. The reaction vessels could be a small test tube, a recently designed standard micro slide cassette and a enlarged supercassette. Homogeneous nucleation is thought to have taken place, and particle development led to the formation of an unusual category of materials, known as Induced Morphology Crystal Aggregates [IMCA], at high pH under far-from-equilibrium conditions. Standard procedures were developed in order to produce homogeneous gels. Particle development led to characteristic style of pattern formation, which I have called monster, spiral, and flake. Among these IMCA, barium carbonate, chromate, and sulfate were moderately easy to grow. Barium phosphate was very difficult to grow as IMCA due to formation of poorly crystalline spherulites. IMCA of strontium carbonate, chromate and sulfate could be developed at high basic pH in the presence of silicate. Strontium carbonate sheet morphology displays a unique property, double internal layer structure, which was identified by backscattering electron imaging (BEI). Selected electron diffraction (SAD) revealed a new crystal phase which was called "Dentonite". Precipitate particles were isolated using a non-destructive isolation technique. Optical microscopy was widely used to examine particles in situ and scanning electron microscopy and X-ray dispersive energy (EDX) spectroscopy were applied to particles ex situ, together with ESCA for surface analysis. Growth patterns were found to be strongly dependent on pH. Other related pattern formation processes were also investigated including normal and dendritic structures, spherulitic structures and periodic pattern formation. Some interpretations were proposed in terms of mechanism. Chemical additive effects were examined experimentally in the calcium phosphate system. The effect of external ionic strength was investigated, and it was found that a certain concentration of sodium chloride (0.2 M) approximately equals a fraction of pH unit (-0.2).

In this thesis we study the physics of colloidal dispersions in active and passive liquid crystals by computer simulations. Liquid crystals are materials that exhibit long-range orientational order, with characteristics intermediate between the ones of simple, isotropic fluids and the ones of crystalline solids. Active fluids are suspensions of particles that continuously stir their ambient fluid. Like liquid crystals, active fluids undergo phase transitions to orientationally ordered phases. The framework that we apply here to describe them extends hydrodynamic equations for liquid crystals to the active case, in which their constituent particles exert local stresses on the simple fluid in which they are embedded. Studying systems of colloids embedded in these materials can be done with multiple aims. Here we use colloids as probe particles to investigate the rheological properties of active nematics. To do so we apply a constant force to a spherical particle embedded therein and define an effective viscosity, which we determine by measuring the velocity in steady state. We find an important dependence of the effective viscosity on the size of the particle, and a regime characterised by a steady state of negative drag. We also consider collective properties for systems of many colloids and analyse how they are affected by activity. We find that spontaneous flow can either hinder or favour colloidal aggregation, depending mainly on whether a fixed orientation of the liquid crystal is imposed close to the colloidal surface. This remains true independently of the initial condition chosen for the liquid crystal, which only affects the transition to spontaneous flow.

No description available.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, 2016. / In this PhD thesis, the synthesis, crystal chemistry and thermoresponsive behaviour of non-porous borophosphates [ABPO5 (A= Ca, Sr, Ba) and BPO4] and porous borophosphates [NH4Fe(III)[BP2O8(OH)] and MIxMIIz(H2O)2[BP2O8].zH2O (MI = Na, NH4 and MII = Mn, Co)] phases were investigated. Understanding the crystal structure dynamics as a function of temperature of the selected porous and non-porous borophosphates revealed the thermal stability of the studied compounds, while serving as a predictive measure of the effects of temperature on other materials properties and subsequent applications. The non-porous borophosphates were synthesized using the solid state method, whereas the porous borophosphates were synthesized using the hydrothermal method. The powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) technique, along with the application of the Rietveld refinement method, was the principle characterisation technique employed for the non-destructive and non-invasive thermoresponsive characterisation of the studied borophosphate phases. This thesis consists of seven chapters, four of which are independent papers corresponding to four chapters. Chapter 1 reviews the relevant scientific literature, while chapter 2 describes the methods of characterisation used in this thesis. Concerning the highly thermally stable non-porous borophosphates, chapter 3 presents the thermal expansion behaviour of ABPO5 compounds, which have been determined from the sequential application of the Rietveld refinement method of variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction (VT-PXRD) data. For trigonal ABPO5 compounds, a near linear expansion of the unit cell axes was found for all structures as a function of temperature. The variation of the crystal structure with temperature of ABPO5 compounds was also established. With the general understanding that borophosphates display intriguing crystal structure architectures, chapter 4 describes the synthesis and characterisation of four metal borophosphate hydrates: NaMII(H2O)2[BP2O8](H2O); MII = Co (I), Mn (II) and (NH4)0.5MII1.25(H2O)2[BP2O8](H2O)0.5; MII = Co (III), Mn (IV). The structures refined at room temperature from PXRD data revealed that isostructural phases I and II have an ordered arrangement of water molecules in the voids, whereas isostructural phases III and IV have fractional and disordered distribution of water molecules in the voids. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction (VT-PXRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for all compounds are also presented. Chapter 5 was an investigation into the synthesis, crystal structure and thermal properties of the porous iron borophosphate NH4Fe(III)[BP2O8(OH)]. Variable temperature PXRD and thermogravimetric analysis were used to investigate the compounds thermal stability and expansion behaviour. Thermal investigations indicated that the compound is stable up to 470 °C. Of great importance to the accurate and/or precise measurement of the crystal structures and lattice parameters of the phases investigated using powder diffraction was the correct application of the Rietveld refinement method to the measured diffraction data. Therefore, chapter 6 is an investigation into a number of different Rietveld refinement approaches, which were aimed at modelling the changes in the atomic coordinates of BPO4 as a function of temperature. Parametric Rietveld refinements and rigid body Rietveld refinements were among the refinement strategies employed. / LG2017

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science at the CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY 2014 / Crystal engineering based upon acid: base compounds have been studied in this thesis. Selected phenolic acids such as: vanillic acid (VA), phenylacetic acid (PAA), 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (HPAA), 3-chloro-4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (CHPAA), caffeic acid (CFA), p-coumaric acid (pCA), trans-ferulic acid (tFER), 2-phenylpropionic acid (PPA) and 2-phenylbutyric acid (PBA) were the main compounds investigated. These phenolic acids have formed co-crystals/co-crystal hydrates, salts/salt hydrates and hybrid salt-co-crystals with acridine (ACRI), caffeine (CAF), cinchonidine (CIND), isonicotinamide (INM), isonicotinic acid (INA), nicotinamide (NAM), quinidine (QUID), quinine (QUIN), theobromine (THBR), theophylline (THPH) and urea (U). The two racemic compounds 2-phenylpropionic acid (PPA) and 2-phenylbutyric acid (PBA) were used to study chiral discrimination leading to the understanding of separation enantiomers. Compounds were prepared in different solvents (alcohols, ketone and distilled water) to investigate the relationship between solvents used and the crystalline product obtained. (If there is any effect on the crystalline compound obtained by changing the solvent). The structures were elucidated using single crystal X-ray diffraction. Ground products of obtained compounds were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Thermal analyses like thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and hot stage microscopy (HSM) were used for the determination of thermal character of the new compounds. IR was also performed to characterize the new compounds. Non-isothermal TG was utilised to obtain kinetic parameters for the water and the methanol release in (pCA−)(QUIN+)•pCA•MeOH•H2O. A selective experiment was done in which quinidine and quinine were used to compete between selected phenolic acids (PAA and HPAA). viii The comparison of the crystal structures determined showed that, changing the phenolic acid while using the same co-crystal former has a significant effect on the type of compounds obtained. The obtained crystal structures were either co-crystal/co-crystal hydrates, salts/salt hydrates or hybrid salt-co-crystals which formed network via means of supramolecular interactions.

The growth of bacterial colonies is a very ubiquitous phenomenon occurring in nature and observed in the laboratories. However, there is a limited knowledge on how at the microscopic level these colonies develop and the individual cells spatially organize. In this thesis, we experimentally investigate the physics of growing microcolonies at the level of the individual Escherichia coli (E. coli ) cells, focussing on the order-disorder evolution and the understanding of it in the context of active matter. Bacterial cells are indeed constantly transducing energy from the environment to move and grow, therefore they behave as active microscopic units, defining an inherently far from equilibrium system. In Part I, we present a brief summary of passive liquid crystals that provide us with some basic concepts and tools for investigating the bacterial microcolony evolution. Then an overview of the biology of E. coli cell is given, both as part of multicellular structures (biofilm) and as individuals. Active matter is then discussed along with some examples of active nematics. This first part ends with the materials and methods used in the experiments and analysis. In Part II, we provide our experimental results on the study of growing bacterial microcolonies as active nematics. We describe the way a bacterial microcolony evolves from the first mother cell into a layer of hundreds of cells, and we study the global and local orientational order. We find that a transition from an anisotropic to an isotropic phase occurs as the colony increases and that instabilities and topological defects develop, in analogy to the case of an active nematic. We also compare the real system with simulated ones by investigating (i ) the case of equilibrated configurations with respect to experimental nonequilibrium ones, and (ii ) long-time behaviour of nonequilibrium analogues. In Part III, we discuss the buckling of bacterial microcolonies, that is, the transition from a 2D layer of cells to a 3D structure. We investigate the link between the buckling event and the presence of topological defects in the nematic map of the bacterial microcolony, finding that the buckling sites tend to be closer to topological defects with a negative charge. Later, we present some results of buckling in microcolonies composed of mutants lacking some appendages that play a role in the motion in and attachment to the surrounding environment, finding that buckling occurs at earlier times in the case of these mutants than the wild type. The aim of this work is to show that a growing bacterial microcolony is an interesting model of active matter to experiment on, and that the investigation tools developed for the study of liquid crystals can be useful for describing the evolution of these living systems in mechanistic terms, and for improving the current understanding of nonequilibrium phenomena.

Um novo método de medida (SAM -Spectral Analysis Method) mostra que, devído a um erro sistemático tradicionalmente desprezado, os valores medidos de polarização espontânea do cristal líquido ZLI-3654 (Merck) não seguem o que é previsto pela teoria de Landau das transições contínuas. Porém, a variação da susceptibilidade elétrica relativa com a temperatura proporcional à (T Tc) IND.-1, onde Te é a temperatura onde ocorre o máximo da susceptibilidade ...... está de acordo com o modelo de Landau. A resposta em freqüência da constante dielétrica mostra que, a fim de minimizar a corrente iônica, as medidas de polarização elétrica devem ser realizadas em frequências acima de 20 Hz. Por sua vez, os valores dos ângulos de fase dos harmônicos da polarização, obtidos pelo novo método, indicam que a intensidade do campo elétrico aplicado deve ser inferior a 1, 1 x 10 IND.6 Vrms/m (em 23Hz) para que não ocorram instabilidades elctrohidrodinâmicas, Finalmente, o ajuste das amplitudes dos harmônicos da polarização elétrica obtidos pelo SAM aos parâmetros da equação de Landau-Kalatnikov mostra um bom acordo dos valores medidos com o modelo, em contraste com os valores de polarização espontânea, A solução da equação de equilíbrio, levando em consideração os parâmetros ajustados, mostra como seriam os valores da polarização espontânea sem os erros sistemáticos. / A new proposed measurement method (SAM - Spectral Analysis Method) shows that, due a traditionally neglected systematic error, the values of the measured spontaneous polarization cf the ferroeleotric liquid crystal ZLI-3654 (Merck) doesn\'t follow what is predicted by the Landau theory of continuous transition. In contrast, the decay of the relative electric susceptibility with the temperature (T) - proportional to (T Tc)-l, where Tc is at the maximum of the susceptibility - is in good agreement with the Landau model. The frequency response of the dielectric constant shows that the measurements of the electric polarization of the sample must be done at frequencies hígher than 20Hz to avoid the actíons of the ionic currents. The phase values of the electric polarization harmonics obtained by the SAM indicates that the electric field must be lower thau 1,1 x l06Vrms/m (at 23Hz) to avoid electrohydrodynamic instabilities, Finally, the fitting of the amplitudes of the electric polarization harmonics obtained by the SAM to the parameters of the Landau-Kalatnikov equation shows a good agreement with the model, in contrast with the spontaneous polarization measurements. The solution of the Landau model, considering the fitted parameters, predicts how should be the spontaneous polarization values without the systematic errors.

by Ma Tak-lun. / Bibliography: leaves 68-69 / Thesis (M.Phil.) -- Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1983

by Wah-chung Wong. / Thesis (M.Ph.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Bibliography: leaves 155-162.

by Lee, Kai Kwong Dennis = 一激光束對在光折變晶體中之另一激光束的影響 / 李啓光. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-109). / Text in English; abstracts in English and Chinese. / by Lee, Kai Kwong Dennis = Yi ji guang shu dui zai guang zhe bian jing ti zhong zhi ling yi ji guang shu de ying xiang / Li Qiguang. / Acknowledgments --- p.i / Abstract --- p.ii / Table of Content --- p.iv / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Theory --- p.4 / Chapter 2.1 --- Two-wave Coupling --- p.4 / Chapter 2.2 --- Four-wave Mixing --- p.10 / Chapter 2.3 --- Fanning --- p.13 / Chapter 2.4 --- Phase-conjugation --- p.16 / Chapter 2.5 --- Spatial Solitons --- p.19 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- "Experiments,Results and Discussion" --- p.26 / Chapter 3.1 --- Measurements of Optically Induced Refractive Index Change --- p.26 / Chapter 3.2 --- Optical Control Experiments --- p.65 / Chapter 3.3 --- Soliton Experiments --- p.80 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Concluding Remarks and Suggested Further Studies --- p.99 / References --- p.105