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The cloud points of the aqueous solutions of poly(N-vinylisobutyramide) (PNVIBA) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) were measured down to a subzero temperature under elevated pressures, and the effects of ionic additives and the ionic comonomer were studied. The polymers with higher molecular weight showed lower transition pressure (P t) and smaller ellipsoids, due to larger absolute values of ΔC p and Δβ. Addition of 0.02% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) into aqueous solutions of these polymers apparently extinguished the clouding phenomenon, but even under these conditions the dynamic light scattering measurement showed the chain collapse of the random coil preceding the interchain aggregations. P t and transition temperature (T t) were highly dependent on the addition of inert anions. Less lyotropic ions showed lower P t and T t, producing smaller ellipses as a result, while additions of SCN- and I- caused a slight increase in both P t and T t and therefore larger ellipses. Introduction of ionic comonomer (4-pentenoic acid) into PNIPAM (less than 20%) made the transition P−T curves pH dependent and P t was much more influenced by the charged comonomer than T t. Anionic residues less than 5% were sufficient to screen the cloud point (20 °C and <400 MPa).

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Glass-ceramics grown from a glass of the composition Sr2TiSi2.45O8.9 (STS 45) are analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Oriented nucleation with the c-axes preferably perpendicular to the surface is detected. A very strong 001-texture is observed after only 10 μm of growth into the bulk, making this the first system in which an orientation preferred during nucleation prevails during growth into the bulk in glass-ceramics. Piezoelectric measurements are performed and d33-values presented and discussed. The obtained results are critically viewed with respect to the two growth models describing Sr2TiSi2O8 growth in glasses.