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In shape-memory polymers, changes in shape are mostly induced by heating, and exceeding a specific switching temperature, T switch. If polymers cannot be warmed up by heat transfer using a hot liquid or gaseous medium, noncontact triggering will be required. In this article, the magnetically induced shape-memory effect of composites from magnetic nanoparticles and thermoplastic shapememory polymers is introduced. A polyetherurethane (TFX) and a biodegradable multiblock copolymer (PDC) with poly(p-dioxanone) as hard segment and poly( -caprolactone) as soft segment were investigated as matrix component. Nanoparticles consisting of an iron(III)oxide core in a silica matrix could be processed into both polymers. A homogeneous particle distribution in TFX could be shown. Compounds have suitable elastic and thermal properties for the shape-memory functionalization. Temporary shapes of TFX compounds were obtained by elongating at increased temperature and subsequent cooling under constant stress. Cold-drawing of PDC compounds at 25°C resulted in temporary fixation of the mechanical deformation by 50 -60%. The shape-memory effect of both composite systems could be induced by inductive heating in an alternating magnetic field (f ‫؍‬ 258 kHz; H ‫؍‬ 30 kA⅐m ؊1 ). The maximum temperatures achievable by inductive heating in a specific magnetic field depend on sample geometry and nanoparticle content. Shape recovery rates of composites resulting from magnetic triggering are comparable to those obtained by increasing the environmental temperature.nanocomposite ͉ shape-memory polymer ͉ stimuli-sensitive polymer S hape-memory polymers are able to recover their predefined original shape when exposed to an external stimulus. A prerequisite for the shape-memory effect is a preceding functionalization of the material to temporarily fix a mechanical deformation. Most shape-memory polymers are thermosensitive materials. The shape is actuated by exceeding a specific switching temperature, T switch (1). Thermoplastic shape-memory polymers have at least two separated phases, where the domains with the highest thermal transition (T perm ) stabilize the permanent shape by acting as physical netpoints. A second phase having another thermal transition T trans serves as switch. At temperatures above T trans the chain segments forming this phase are flexible and the material is highly elastic, whereas the flexibility of the chains below T trans is limited and enables the fixation of the temporary shape. T trans can either be a glass transition (T g ) or a melting temperature (T m ). Whereas T trans is the thermal transition of the switching segment phase, typically determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), T switch is result of a thermomechanical test used to quantify the shape-memory effect.An important class of thermoplastic shape-memory polymers are polyurethanes. They often contain a hard segment from methylene bis(4-phenylisocyanate) (MDI) and 1,4-butanediol. Depending on the switching segment, T trans can be either a melting...

Free-standing copolymer network samples with two types of crystallizable domains are capable of a fully reversible bidirectional shape-memory effect. One set of crystallizable domains determines the shape-shifting geometry while the other provides the thermally controlled actuation capability.

We have combined new high-resolution spectra obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and ground-based facilities to make a comprehensive new abundance analysis of the metal-poor, halo star BD +17 • 3248. We have detected the 3 rd r-process peak elements osmium, platinum, and (for the first time in a metal-poor star) gold, elements whose abundances can only be reliably determined using HST. Our observations illustrate a pattern seen in other similar halo stars with the abundances of the heavier neutron-capture elements, including the 3 rd r-process peak elements, consistent with a scaled solar system r-process distribution. The abundances of the lighter neutron-capture elements, including germanium and silver, fall below that same scaled solar r-process curve, a result -2similar to that seen in the ultra-metal-poor star CS 22892-052. A single site with two regimes or sets of conditions, or perhaps two different sites for the lighter and heavier neutron-capture elements, might explain the abundance pattern seen in this star. In addition we have derived a reliable abundance for the radioactive element thorium. We tentatively identify U II at 3859Å in the spectrum of BD +17 • 3248 which makes this the second detection of uranium in a very metalpoor halo star. Our combined observations cover the widest range in proton number (from germanium to uranium) thus far of neutron-capture elements in metal-poor Galactic halo stars. Employing the thorium and uranium abundances in comparison with each other and with several stable elements, we determine an average cosmochronological age for BD +17 • 3248 of 13.8 ± 4 Gyr, consistent with that found for other similar metal-poor halo stars.

We perform a self-consistent calculation of the thermal structure in the crust of a superbursting neutron star. In particular, we follow the nucleosynthetic evolution of an accreted fluid element from its deposition into the atmosphere down to a depth where the electron Fermi energy is 20 MeV. We include temperature-dependent continuum electron capture rates and realistic sources of heat loss by thermal neutrino emission from the crust and core. We show that, in contrast to previous calculations, electron captures to excited states and subsequent γ-emission significantly reduce the local heat loss due to weak-interaction neutrinos. Depending on the initial composition these reactions release up to a factor of 10 times more heat at densities < 10 11 g cm −3 than obtained previously. This heating reduces the ignition depth of superbursts. In particular, it reduces the discrepancy noted by Cumming et al. between the temperatures needed for unstable 12 C ignition on timescales consistent with observations and the reduction in crust temperature from Cooper pair neutrino emission. Subject headings: dense matter -nuclear reactions, nucleosynthesis, abundances -stars: neutron-X-rays:binaries -X-rays: burststhr,gs-gs for capture onto an even-even nucleus: (Z, A) + e − → (Z − 1, A) +ν e , where Z and A are even. Here the threshold is E thr = E thr,gs-gs + E exc , where the threshold for the ground-state-to-ground-state transition E thr,gs-gs is computed from atomic mass differences and therefore includes the