Crystal balls: Colloidal crystal microbeads with a three‐dimensional photonic crystal structure can be fabricated with a droplet generator and their reflection spectra used as encoding elements. A multiplex bioassay demonstrates their reliability as encoded carriers (see picture: red, green, and blue beads are immobilized with human, mouse, and rabbit immunoglobulin, respectively).

Additions to the Spectra Lila, Lizb and LiZla.Six new spectral lines have been observed in the lithium spectrum between 200 nm and 600 nm. Possible classifications are given and discussed.

The development of target fabrication for the Fast Ignition Realization EXperiment (FIREX) Project is described in this paper. For the first stage of the FIREX Project (FIREX-I), the previously designed target has been modified by using a bromine-doped ablator and coating the inner gold cone with a low-density material. A high-quality bromine-doped capsule without vacuoles was fabricated from bromine-doped deuterated polystyrene. The gold surface was coated with a low-density material by electrochemical plating. For the cryogenic fuel target, a brand new type of aerogel material, phloroglucinol/formaldehyde (PF), was investigated and encapsulated to meet the specifications of 500 µm diameter and 20 µm thickness, with 30 nm nanopores. Polystyrene-based low-density materials were investigated and the relationship between the crosslinker content and the nanopore structure was observed.

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Development of foam materials for cryogenically cooled fuel targets is described in this paper. The fabrication development was initiated as a part of the fast ignition realization experiment (FIREX) project at the ILE, Osaka University under a bilateral collaboration between Osaka University and National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS). For the first stage of FIREX (FIREX-I), a foam cryogenic target was designed in which low-density foam shells with a conical light guide will be fuelled through a narrow pipe and will be cooled down to the cryogenic temperature. Acrylic polymer, resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) resin, poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) (PMP), and polystyrene-based crosslinking polymer have been investigated as supporting materials for cryogenic fuel. The properties of the material and the present status of the material development are summarized.

Summary: Highly spherical (98.5%) low‐density foam balls with 1‐mm diameters were fabricated from a density‐matched emulsion consisting of a resorcinol/formalin aqueous solution and a (mineral oil and carbon tetrachloride) mixture. Phase‐transfer catalysts of carboxylic acid were utilized to induce gelation of the emulsion. The gelation process was monitored by a mechanical test. Gelation forming ball shapes happened within 20–30 min, depending on the catalysts, at room temperature. The gelation time decreased with high‐catalyst concentration. Acids with long alkyl chains did not induce gelation and no balls were obtained. The gelated balls were dried to obtain foam via an exchange of the solvent with 2‐propanol and extraction using the supercritical fluid CO2. The density obtained from the catalyst was 0.15–0.16 g · cm−3. SEM images revealed surface membrane formation, which can be explained by local concentration at the interface of W/O. We observed different bulk foam cell sizes, which may depend on the catalysts and, therefore, on the different gelation rates.Structure of a highly spherical low‐density foam ball with 1‐mm diameter.magnified imageStructure of a highly spherical low‐density foam ball with 1‐mm diameter.

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In this paper we present Hugoniot data for plastic foams obtained with laser-driven shocks. Relative equation-of-state data for foams were obtained using Al as a reference material. The diagnostics consisted in the detection of shock breakout from double layer Al/foam targets. The foams [poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) with density 130 > rho > 60 mg/cm3] were produced at the Institute of Laser Engineering of Osaka University. The experiment was performed using the Prague PALS iodine laser working at 0.44 microm wavelength and irradiances up to a few 10(14) W/cm2. Pressures as high as 3.6 Mbar (previously unreached for such low-density materials) where generated in the foams. Samples with four different values of initial density were used, in order to explore a wider region of the phase diagram. Shock acceleration when the shock crosses the Al/foam interface was also measured.