Reduction of surface friction of natural rubber film coated with PMMA particle: Effect of particle size

The friction coefficient of the sulphur‐prevulcanized natural rubber (SPNR) film could be effectively reduced by deposition of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) particles. The nanoscale surface roughness of rubber, determined by atomic force microscope, was directly proportional to the particle size of PMMA particle at 12% surface coverage (Cs). The %Cs and surface roughness of the modified SPNR increased, while the friction coefficient decreased, with increasing PMMA latex concentration and immersion time. By using a mixture of latexes having both large and small sizes, the increase in the amount of small particles resulted in the better distribution of large particles deposited on the rubber surface. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Thai propolis extracted using ethanol aqueous solution

The potential of using propolis collected from Thailand as a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agent for food applications was investigated. The propolis extract was prepared by using different ethanol aqueous solutions, including 30%, 40%, 50% and 70%. Total phenolic content (TPC), phenolic compound and antioxidant activity of the propolis were determined using Folin–Ciocalteau method, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, respectively. The antimicrobial ability was tested against Staphylococcus aureus (TISTR 118), Salmonella enteritidis (DMST 17368), Escherichia coli (TISTR 780) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) using disc diffusion technique. The major phenolic compounds found in Thai propolis were rutin, quercetin and naringin. The TPC and DPPH radical scavenging activity increased with increasing ethanol concentration in the solvent. Propolis extract showed antimicrobial activity, in terms of inhibitory zone for S. aureus and limited growth underneath paper discs, against all tested bacteria.     

Data privacy preservation algorithm with k-anonymity

World Wide Web - With growing concern of data privacy violations, privacy preservation processes become more intense. The k-anonymity method, a widely applied technique, transforms the data such...     

Simulation of mass exchange networks using modified genetic algorithms

The optimum water usage network leads to both a minimum of freshwater consumption and a minimum of generated wastewater. This work is to develop a mass-exchange networks (MENs) module for a minimum freshwater usage target. This module works as an interface to retrieve supplemental data of chemical processes from a process simulator and to communicate this to the genetic algorithm optimizer. A reuse system and a regeneration/recyclingsystem with a single contaminant are considered as approaches for freshwater minimization. In the formulated model, as mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP), all of the variables are divided into independent and dependent variables. The values of independent variables come from randomization, whereas the values of dependent variables come from simultaneous solutions of a set of equality constraints after assigning the values of independent variables. This method is applied to the steps of initialization, crossover and mutation. The MENs module is validated with a tricresylphosphate process consisting of five unit operations. Water is used to remove a fixed content of cresol. From the result, the module gives a reliable solution for freshwater minimization, which can satisfy mass balance and constraints. The results show that reuse and regeneration/recycling strategies can reduce freshwater consumption, including wastewater generated. Reuse cannot decrease the mass load of the contaminant, while regeneration/recycling can. In addition, regeneration requires less freshwater than the reuse process.     

Improvement of proton-exchange membrane fuel cell performance using platinum-loaded carbon black entrapped in crosslinked chitosan

To improve the performance of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells which use hydrogen and oxygen as fuels, the application of small proton-conducting polymer to extend the three-phase boundary into the primary pores of catalyst-loaded carbon black agglomerates is of interest. An alternative and simple crosslinking method is proposed in place of the complicated polymer-grafting methods. Platinum-loaded carbon black is entrapped in epichlorohydrin-crosslinked chitosan of low molecular weight. Morphology and pore analyses of carbon black prior and post treatment are assessed, as well as performances of fuel cells fabricated with the treated and the untreated carbon black at 40 °C and 100% humidity. Results indicate the existence of chitosan chains in the primary pores of the carbon black agglomerates, corresponding to a decline in the activation overvoltage and resulting in significantly better cell performance. An increase in chitosan amount, however, does not necessarily enhance the cell performance because effects of ohmic and concentration losses may become more dominant than that of the raised exchange current density of the cell.     

Surface modification of natural rubber film by UV‐induced graft copolymerization with methyl methacrylate

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was directly grafted on natural rubber (NR) or sulfur prevulcanized (SP) NR surface. The rubber sheet was primarily treated with argon plasma, followed by exposure to air for generating active functional groups. After immersing in a mixture of 30% hydrogen peroxide and MMA in ethanol and water (1 : 1), the MMA grafting took place after UV‐irradiation for 30–120 min. Results from the contact angle measurement and attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared (ATR‐FTIR) spectroscopy showed that the highest amount of MMA grafting was achieved when using 13 wt % of MMA and UV irradiation time of 60 min. The tensile strength and percentage elongation at break of the modified SPNR sheet, having similar MMA grafting to that of NR, were in acceptable range as indicated in the standard glove's test (ASTM D3577). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 2270–2276, 2007