Douglas H. McQueen

The interface zone of inorganic implantsIn vivo: Titanium implants in bone

The interface zone between titanium implants and bone is considered at the macroscopic, microscopic, and molecular levels. A high rate of successful dental implants of pure titanium is associated with a very close apposition of the bone to the titanium surface, called osseointegration. At the macroscopic level, osseointegration allows efficient stress transfer from the implant to the bone without abrasion or progressive movement that can take place if a fibrous layer intervenes. At the microscopic level, surface roughness and porosity provide interlocking of the implant and bone tissue which grows into direct contact with titanium. Sections studied in the electron microscope show that calcified tissue can be identified within 50 Å of the implant surface. The interface zone includes a tightly adherent titanium oxide layer on the surface of the implant which may be similar to a ceramic material in relation to tissue response. The five year success rate of 90% in 2895 implants in clinical trials since 1965 is associated with the favorable behavior of bone tissue at the interface zone with pure titanium.

Comparison of two infrared spectroscopic methods for cheese analysis.

Two infrared spectroscopic methods, optothermal near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and Fourier transform mid-infrared-attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy, were applied to 24 cheese samples in order to obtain protein, fat and moisture contents. Reference values of the protein, fat and moisture contents in weight percent were obtained using standard wet chemistry analysis. Prediction correlation coefficients between 0.93 and 0.96 and standard errors of prediction between 2% and 5% were obtained using optothermal spectroscopy while the corresponding values for FTIR-ATR were 0.81-0.92 and 4-9%. Inhomogeneities in the cheeses, primarily due to the fat droplets, are probably the main reason for the differences in the error sizes. The superior results for optothermal spectroscopy are the more attractive because the instrument is easier to use than the FTIR-ATR instrument, it provides results more quickly with simpler statistical analysis and it is more compact and robust.

Electron transport and ac electrical properties of carbon black polymer composites

The dielectric behaviour of various carbon black polymer composites has been characterized by the critical frequency ωc denoting the crossover from the dc plateau of the conductivity to its frequency dependent ac behaviour. The critical frequency can be related to the dc conductivity using a power law, ωc∝σdcz, with the exponent z. Presently accepted models predict z to be greater than one when varying the filler content. However, in accordance with published experimental results this work shows that z is rather close to one indicating a nearly constant static permittivity. Furthermore, the above power law makes it possible to describe all investigated compounds using a single master curve ranging over ten decades of dc conductivity. These findings are explained by a qualitative percolation model based on electron tunnelling. Increasing the dc conductivity along the percolation curve does not require the establishment of more physical links between carbon black aggregates. Rather, new conduction paths of nearly the same lengths but with higher tunnelling probability due to smaller gaps satisfy the percolation theory. This scenario allows the number of capacitive gaps to be nearly constant making z near one.

Light scattering effects in photoacoustic spectroscopy

The influence of light scattering on photoacoustic signals is treated. Theoretical and experimental results are compared. The theoretical results are based on a model in which the photons diffuse through the sample. An equation governing the diffusion process is solved with appropriate boundary conditions. This gives the distribution of photons in the sample. The photoacoustic signal is then calculated and the result is compared with the result for nonscattering samples, giving the influence of the light scattering. The experimental results are obtained by measuring the photoacoustic signal for both scattering and nonscattering samples. The experimental and theoretical results are in good agreement. The differences are mainly due to the incompleteness of the original diffusion theory. An improved theory incorporating internal reflection at the sample surface is also analyzed. The paper illustrates the effects of light scattering on photoacoustic signals. It also shows how to estimate theoretically the photoacoustic signal from a light‐scattering sample.

Spin-off companies from Chalmers University of Technology

Abstract A survey of companies which have been spun-off from Chalmers University of Technology, Goteborg, Sweden, has been made and compared to an inventory of patent activity at Chalmers. The results are compared to similar studies of spin-off companies in Boston and California. We find spin-off rates between those reported for California and those which can be calculated for MIT. The situation with regard to spin-off founders offers many similarities to the situation at MIT and Stanford. However, on the average the companies from Chalmers are smaller and newer.

Fractal agglomerates and electrical conductivity in carbon black polymer composites

SEM micrographs of carbon black polymer composites have been analysed in terms of their fractal geometry. Acetylene black/ethylene butylacrylate copolymer samples have a fractal dimension of about 1.8 at low filler concentrations that increases to 2.1 at high concentrations. The numerical values indicate a cross-over from diffusion limited cluster aggregation (DLCA) to reaction limited cluster aggregation (RLCA). Furnace black/EPDM composites have a fractal dimension of 1.9 at low concentrations and of 2.4 at higher filler fraction. We believe that in this case the increase in fractal dimension is only apparent and due to interpenetration. Possible connections between fractal geometry (fractal dimension and correlation length) and electrical conductivity are discussed. No clear connection could be determined.

Photoacoustic study of layered samples

The application of photoacoustic spectroscopy to the spectroscopy of layered samples with thicknesses of tens of microns is demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally. Theoretical expressions for the signal damping and phase delay are developed in terms of the thermal diffusion length, which is determined by the chopper frequency and the thermal properties of the sample. The theory is supported by measurements of both amplitude and phase on a color photographic film containing three light absorbing layers. The application of the method is further illustrated by a simple study of fading leaves.

Electrical properties of polyaniline suspensions

Abstract The ordering of electrically conducting polyaniline particles dispersed in a non-conducting liquid, 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, in a weak electric field (of the order V mm −1 ) has been studied. The time needed for the formation of conducting chains, depending on the applied voltage, the polyaniline concentration and the viscosity of the suspension medium, was used to calculate the effective relative electric permittivity for polyaniline, ɛ p = 4.8, responsible for the dipole-dipole interaction leading to the structure formation. Nonlinear limit current-voltage characteristics typical of electrorheological suspensions were observed. The formation of the conducting chains could be followed in an optical microscope.

Ac conductance and capacitance of carbon black polymer composites during thermal cycling and isothermal annealing

The ac electrical properties of acetylene black composites mixed into ethylene butylacrylate copolymer (EBA) and into poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) have been measured in thermal cycling and isothermal annealing experiments. The results show that changes in electrical properties are due to rearrangement of gaps between the carbon black aggregates. This has been concluded using an exponent z that relates the critical frequency ωc denoting the crossover of the conductivity from the dc-plateau to its frequency-dependent part to the dc conductivity, σdc, according to ωc ∝σdcz. Below the melting range of EBA and the glass transition of PMMA z is about one corresponding to strong variation of the conductivity and weak dependence of the permittivity on the gaps. Above the melting range of EBA z is about 1.5, indicating strong dependence of both the conductivity and the permittivity on the gaps, as predicted by percolation theory. This was not found in the PMMA composites above the glass transition. We conclude that the polymer matrix affects the nature of the gaps between carbon black aggregates, either allowing their size to vary continuously (z about 1) or letting them open and close (z about 1.5).

One hundred major Swedish technical innovations, from 1945 to 1980☆

Abstract An inventory of the most successful technical innovations in Sweden during the period 1945–1980 has been made. A hundred of them have been selected. Each of them has reached an economic turnover in excess of 20 million Swedish crowns per year (