Treatment of gases and dust using “droplet columns”

The properties of the air-water state diagram, representing the liquid holdups according to gas velocities, in a 0.075 m diameter column are restated. After measurement of the interfacial areas and mass-transfer coefficients, the part of the diagram corresponding to high gas velocities and low liquid contents (10 < U_G < 14 m/s and 0.005 < U_L < 0.04 m/s) was chosen for the treatment of polluted gas streams. Under these conditions, it was shown that a “droplet column” is very efficient for the treatment of gases polluted by acid vapors (SO₂, HCl) and dust (iron oxide, talc, etc.). The cost of energy appeared more favorable than for classical bubble columns.     

“Pore/bead” membrane for rechargeable lithium ion batteries

A special “pore/bead” membrane was prepared with a mesoporous inorganic filler (MCM‐41) and a P(VDF‐HFP) binder. The special “pore/bead” structure of the MCM‐41 filler not only enhanced the puncture strength of the membrane but also improved its ionic conductivity. The puncture strength of the dried “pore/bead” membrane (MCM‐41 : P(VDF‐HFP) = 1 : 1.5) was 18 N, and showed a slight decrease (16 N) after the membrane was wetted by liquid electrolyte. Additionally, the composite membrane showed excellent thermal dimensional stability. The composite membrane could be activated by adding 1M LiClO₄‐EC/DMC (1 : 1 by volume). The activated membrane displayed a high ionic conductivity about 3.4 × 10^?3 S cm^?1 at room temperature. Its electrochemical stability window was up to 5.3 V vs. Li/Li⁺, indicating that it was very suitable for lithium‐ion battery application. The battery assembled using the composite electrolyte also showed reasonably good high‐rate performance. The approach of preparing a “pore/bead” membrane provides a new avenue for improving both the conductivity and the mechanical strength of polymer electrolytes for lithium batteries. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Simple “On‐Demand” Production of Bioactive Natural Products

Exchange of the native promoter to the arabinose‐inducible promoter P_BAD was established in entomopathogenic bacteria to silence and/or activate gene clusters involved in natural product biosynthesis. This allowed the “on‐demand” production of GameXPeptides, xenoamicins, and the blue pigment indigoidine. The gene clusters for the novel “mevalagmapeptides” and the highly toxic xenorhabdins were identified by this approach.     

Efficient synthesis of zwitterionic sulfobetaine group functional polyurethanes via “click” reaction

A novel polyurethane material containing zwitterionic sulfobetaine groups has been synthesized using the copper‐catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition (azide‐alkyne click chemistry). A standard two‐step polyaddition method was used to produce the well‐defined polyurethane based on polycarbonatediol (PCDL) with alkyne groups. These polyurethanes containing alkyne units were then efficiently clicked using 3‐((2‐azidoethyl)dimethylammonio)propane‐1‐sulfonate (DMPS‐N₃). The novel PU material was characterized by ¹H NMR, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). This facile “click” reaction provides a useful tool for the development of novel functional polyurethanes for biomedical applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

A similarity‐based cross‐language comparison of basicness and demarcation of “blue” terms

To investigate linguistic and perceptual boundaries within the “blue” region of the color gamut, we analyzed sorting data from speakers of six languages who sorted color stimuli by similarity. Two of these languages, Russian and Italian, are thought to have a separate basic color term and category for “light blue,” distinguishing it from “blue,” and the third was English, which lacks this distinction. There has been less study of the possible basicness of “light blue” terms in the other three languages: Lithuanian and Estonian (both spoken in Baltic states) and Udmurt (a linguistic enclave in North Russia). Sorting data from each sample of speakers were analyzed with principal component analysis and multidimensional scaling, reducing them to a pattern of interstimulus similarities. In addition, color‐naming data were collected for five of the languages and confirmed that sorting responses were not simply a reflection of the words used by subjects to label the stimuli. A “clustering index” was created, quantifying the extent of light/dark blue separation and the strength of any category boundary between them; this was low for English‐language participants but high for Russian and Italian. Udmurt and Lithuanian values were also high, whereas Estonian responses were closer to English. Thus, when clustering of blue stimuli is used as an additional indicator of basicness, the results are compatible with earlier evidence that “light blue” is a separate basic color category in Russian and Italian, and further indicate that light blue terms are basic in Udmurt and Lithuanian, but not Estonian. It may be that “blue” categories are especially susceptible to splitting into two under the influence of linguistic contact. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 42, 362–377, 2017     

Construction of waste-collagen modified superfine fiber substrates based on “click” chemistry: Moisture absorption and permeability

Superfine fiber synthetic leather is a high-grade artificial leather product with numerous characteristics and advantages. However, compared with natural leather, it shows poor moisture absorption and moisture permeability, and it gives people a hot and tacky feeling; thus, the improvement of these properties has become a popular topic in the industry. In this paper, the “click” chemistry method was employed to modify the nylon fiber of the superfine fiber synthetic leather base with waste collagen to improve the moisture absorption and permeability of the superfine fiber synthetic leather base, thus enhancing the hygienic performance and wearing comfort of the end products, realizing waste recycling. This study obtained the optimal reaction conditions for the “click” modification of unfigured sea-island superfine fiber synthetic leather base with collagen methacrylamide. The characterizations by static contact angle measurements, attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed that collagen was successfully grafted onto the surface of the nylon fiber. Compared with the original base, the moisture absorption, and permeability of the base were improved by 602.4% and 43%, respectively. This study shows the theoretical research significance and excellent practical value for the resource utilization of skin collagen waste.     

Modeling of “living” free‐radical polymerization processes. I. Batch,semibatch, and continuous tank reactors

A comprehensive mathematical model is developed for “living” free‐radical polymerization carried out in tank reactors and provides a tool for the study of process development and design issues. The model is validated using experimental data for nitroxide‐mediated styrene polymerization and atom transfer radical copolymerization of styrene and n‐butyl acrylate. Simulations show that the presence of reversible capping reactions between growing and dormant polymer chains should boost initiation efficiency when using free nitroxide in conjunction with conventional initiator and also increase the effectiveness of thermal initiation. A study shows the effects of the value of the capping equilibrium constant and capping reaction rate constants for both nitroxide‐mediated styrene polymerization (using alkoxyamine as polymer chain seeds) and atom transfer radical polymerization of n‐butyl acrylate (using methyl 2‐bromopropionate as chain extension seeds). Also the effect of introducing additional conventional initiator into atom transfer radical polymerization of n‐butyl acrylate is studied. It is found that the characteristics of long chain growth are determined by the fast exchange of radicals between growing and dormant polymer chains. Polymerization results in batch, semibatch, and a series of continuous tank reactors are analyzed. The simulations also show that a semibatch reactor is most flexible for the preparation of polymers with controlled architecture. For continuous tank reactors, the residence time distribution has a significant effect on the development of chain architecture. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 1630–1662, 2002     

“Click” Polymer‐Supported Palladium Nanoparticles as Highly Efficient Catalysts for Olefin Hydrogenation and Suzuki Coupling Reactions under Ambient Conditions

Complexation of palladium(II) acetate [Pd(OAc)₂] or dipotassium tetrachloropalladate [K₂PdCl₄] to “click” polymers functionalized with phenyl, ferrocenyl and sodium sulfonate groups gave polymeric palladium(II)‐triazolyl complexes that were reduced to “click” polymer‐stabilized palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that reduction using sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) produced PdNPs in the 1–3 nm range of diameters depending on the nature of the functional group, whereas slow reduction using methanol yielded PdNPs in the 22–25 nm range. The most active of these PdNPs (0.01% mol Pd), stabilized by poly(ferrocenyltriazolylmethyl)styrene, catalyzed the hydrogenation of styrene at 25 °C and 1 atm hydrogen, with turnover numbers (TONs) of 200,000. When stabilized by the water‐soluble poly(sodium sulfonate‐triazolylmethyl)styrene, the PdNPs (0.01% mol Pd) catalyze the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling between iodobenzene (PhI) and phenylboronic acid [PhB(OH)₂] in water/ethanol (H₂O/EtOH) at 25 °C with TONs of 8,200. This high catalytic activity is comparable to that obtained with “click” dendrimer‐stabilized PdNPs under ambient conditions.     

Synthesis and characterization of the new cellulose derivative films based on the hydroxyethyl cellulose prepared from esparto “stipa tenacissima” cellulose of Eastern Morocco. II. Esterification with acyl chlorides in a homogeneous medium

Esparto “Stipa tenacissima” cellulose esters derivatives: HECA‐COO? C₄H₈? COOC₂H₅, HECA‐COO? C₈H₁₆? COOC₂H₅, and HECA‐COO? C₆H₄? COOC₂H₅ were successfully prepared in Tetrahydrofuran (THF)/triethylamine system with a degree of substitution (DS), respectively, DS_AD‐Et=0.32, DS_SB‐Et=0.22, and DS_TRP‐Et=0.50 using hydroxyethyl cellulose acetate (HECA; DS_AC=0.50) as intermediate product, and we avoided the drawbacks of cellulose solubility. The structural modifications were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR), Carbon‐13 nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C‐NMR), and Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer 135° (DEPT‐135). The results from these analyses revealed the presence of the characteristic groups indicating that the grafting reaction was successful. The crystallinity and the structure order changes during the esterification reactions were recorded by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), it is found that the crystallinity degree decrease from 63.1% for Esparto “Stipa tenacissima” cellulose to 27.74% for HECA. The thermal stability of the esterified and unmodified cellulose samples was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)‐differential thermal analysis (DTA); the modified HECA exhibits a decrease in thermal stability relatively to the unmodified HECA, and this may be related to the groups grafted. The resulted cellulose esters HECA‐P_x (x = 1, 2, or 3) were soluble in THF and present an amorphous structure justified by XRD spectra. It was noted by TGA‐DTA analysis that the cellulose esters with low melting range were proved as thermoplastic polymers. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

REMARKS ON THERMODYNAMIC DIAGRAMS WITH SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS FOR “ INVARIANT” PROPERTIES

When the aim is a qualitative examination of thermodynamic phenomena and processes of two independent variable systems, the various state diagrams ( p vs. v; T vs. s; i vs. s; p vs. i, etc.) are very useful. Every one of these diagrams is suitable to put in evidence some topics, whereas other ones cannot be displayed. That is unavoidable since all topics can be displayed only by means of a three-dimension representation

The several diagrams, even if very different among them, have some common properties. The main aim of this paper is that of examining one property which seems interesting for the analysis of such diagrams: the order, according to which the different processes ( isobaric, isothermal, isentropic, isenthalpic, isochoric) depart from a given point, is invariable, even if this order is different in the various zones of the diagrams. In addition, other properties of some diagrams are considered     

Hg(II) removal with polyacrylamide grafted crosslinked poly(vinyl chloride) beads via surface‐initiated controlled/“living” radical polymerization

Polyacrylamide grafted crosslinked poly (vinyl chloride) beads (PAM‐PVC) were prepared by the surface‐initiated controlled/“living” radical polymerization (SI‐CLRP) methodology from the crosslinked poly(vinyl chloride) beads with surface modification with diethyldithiocarbamyl groups under UV irradiation. The macroiniferter, diethyldithiocarbamyl crosslinked poly(vinyl chloride) beads (DEDTC‐PVC) were prepared by the reaction of the surface C? Cl groups with sodium N,N‐diethyl dithiocarbamate. The “grafting from” polymerization exhibited some “living” polymerization characteristics and the percentage of grafting (PG%) increased linearly with polymerizing time and achieved 47.6% after 6 h UV irradiation. The beaded polymer with polyacrylamide surface was also characterized with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Its adsorption property for Hg(II) ion was also investigated preliminarily. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102:3385–3390, 2006     

Electrospinning of Poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) nanofibers with feature surface microstructure

The development of surface microstructure with specific features in electrospun nanofibers has attracted more and more attention in recent years. In this article, a common biological polyester, poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) was electrospinning into nanofibers with “coral‐like” surface microstructure by a conventional‐electrospinning setup. The effect of the process parameters on the microstructure in electrospun nanofibers were investigated via a series of experiments. The formation mechanism of this feature structure and cytotoxicity assays of PHBV membrane were also discussed. The water contact angle of the electrospun PHBV membrane was higher than that of the PHBV cast film due to a very‐rough fiber surface including porous beads when PHBV was electrospun from the concentration of 4 wt %. Because of special hole shape and size distribution, the physical structure of surface of PHBV electrospun fibers offered it special properties, such as specific‐surface area, hydrophilic–hydrophobic properties, adhesion properties of cells and biological substances, etc. The demonstrated method of form coral structure would contribute to the areas such as filtration, sensor, tissue engineering scaffolds, and carriers of drugs or catalysis. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Enrichment of pomace olive oil in triterpenic acids during storage of “Alpeorujo” olive paste

Triterpenic acids are natural compounds present in plants and foods with beneficial properties for human health and thus they are desirable in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. Pomace olive is considered a good source of these substances. In this study, oleanolic and maslinic acids were found to be the main triterpenic acids identified in pomace olive oil obtained from stored “Alpeorujo”. Determination of the two acids was achieved by a new procedure that consists of extracting the acids from the oil with a mixture of methanol/ethanol, and then separating and quantifying them by HPLC. Results showed that their concentration increased up to 16 g/kg of oil during storage of the pomace in large ponds for 7 months. The concentration of both triterpenic acids was similar in the pomace olive oil obtained by using the centrifugation system. By contrast, a much lower concentration of maslinic than oleanolic acid was detected in pomace olive oils obtained by solvent extraction from the previously centrifugated “Alpeorujo” paste. These triterpenic acids also contributed to the acidity of the crude oil. Likewise, the oil of the pomace paste was enriched in other substances such as 4‐ethylphenol and aliphatic alcohols during the storage of the paste in large ponds. Consequently, crude pomace olive oil can be considered a good source of triterpenic acids when obtained from a stored olive paste.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Segmented Block Copolymers Based on Hydroxyl‐Terminated Liquid Natural Rubber and α,ω‐Diisocyanato Telechelics

Summary: Segmented block copolymers, consisting of non‐polar soft segments from hydroxyl‐terminated liquid natural rubber (HTNR) and polar hard segments from α,ω‐diisocyanato telechelics obtained by “criss‐cross”‐cycloaddition, have been synthesized. The block copolymer formation took place under relatively mild reaction conditions at 80 °C in dichloroethane in the presence of dibutyltin dilaurate as a catalyst. The resulting block copolymers were characterized by spectroscopic techniques (¹H NMR, FTIR, UV‐vis spectroscopy) as well as GPC for molar mass determination. The block copolymers were compression molded in a hot stage press, and the resulting samples were characterized by DSC and stress‐strain measurement. The solubility and phase morphology of the materials have also been studied.

Segmented block copolymer from HTNR and α,ω‐diisocyanato telechelics     

Fabrication of pH‐ or temperature‐responsive single wall carbon nanotubes via a graft from photopolymerization

An ultraviolet light initiated “graft from” polymerization method to fabricate polymer‐functionalized single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with pendant pH‐ and temperature‐responsive polymer chains is utilized. The attached polymer chains, formed from methacrylic acid and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate monomers, are well established for its pH‐responsive swelling/deswelling behavior. This special property was utilized here to control the aqueous dispersibility of the carbon nanotubes. Furthermore, poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide), a temperature‐responsive polymer, was utilized in the fabrication of SWNTs whose dispersibility was dependent on solution temperature. The morphology of the polymer‐functionalized carbon nanotubes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) before and after functionalization. Environmental SEM was used to further characterize the morphology of the functionalized SWNTs. In addition, covalent bonding of the polymer to the carbon nanotube surface was established using Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic techniques. The physical and chemical properties of the functionalized nanotubes were further characterized by energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 2980–2986, 2012