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2-steps for light-altering polymers

combine microelectronics w/ optics shuttle information between computer chips much faster than electric wires! NLO materials, prospects for integrateing optics w/ electronics. Nonlinear opitcal materials, manipulate light by changing their refractive index and other properties under the influence of an applied volatage or another light beam. One of the most promising places to find these unusual properties is among the tailor-made organic materials called polymers. Graft molecular components called NLO chromophores to a backbone molecule, e.g. polyimide. Chromophoes give polymer its ability to manipulate light because their electric charges separate under influence of light or an electri field, forming an asmmetric charge distribution that affects the material's optical porperties. The backbone provides support and keeps the chromophores properly oriented. The current IBM polymer has R value 1/6 that of lithium niobate, an inorganize NLO crystal used in most curretn devices. +

Gathering Airs Schemes for Averting asteroid Doom

Tugsten projectiles embedded in a sheet smacsh a 200-meter asteroid into harmless rubble. +

Polystyrene-dendrimer amphiphilic block copolymers w/ a generation-dependent aggregation.

amphiphilic macromolecules synthesized w/ polystyrene w/ poly dendrimers. dynamic light scattering , conductivity measurements and transmission electron microspoy show aqueous phases. forms spherical micelles, the effect of amphiphile geometry on aggragation behavior is in qualitative agreement w/ theory israelachvili. Amphiphiles presented are simlar in shape but different in size vs traditional surfactants , similar in size but different in shape w/ copolymers. +

Atomic-sale desorption through electronic and vibrational excitation mechanism

The scanning tunneling microscope has been used to desorb hydrogen from hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces. As a result of control of the dose of incident electrons, a countable number of desorption sites can be created and the yield and cross section are obtained. 2 distinct desorption mechanism are observed. 1. direct electronic excitation of the Si-H bond by field -emitted electrons and 2. an atomic resolution mechanism that involves a multiple-vibrational excitation by tunneling electrons at low applied voltages. This vibrational heating effect offers significant potential for controlling surface reactions involving adsorbed individual atoms and molecules.