Effect of cloisite 30B on the thermal and tensile behavior of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/poly(vinyl chloride) nanoblends

Ternary PBAT/PVC/C30B nanoblends were successfully prepared via melt blending process at 130 °C and characterized by different techniques. The properties of the elaborated PBAT/PVC/C30B nanoblends were compared with those of the nonfilled PBAT/PVC blends to examine the C30B effects on the structure and properties of PBAT/PVC/C30B nanoblends. FTIR spectra revealed the presence of specific interactions between C=O of PBAT and acidic hydrogen of PVC, supporting the formation of miscible nanoblends. The PBAT/PVC/C30B morphology was investigated by both X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analyses. It was suggested the formation of mixed intercalated/partially exfoliated structures. Differential scanning calorimetry thermograms of PBAT/PVC/C30B nanoblends exhibited a single T _g and a full disappearance of the PBAT melting endotherm, confirming the complete compatibilization between PVC and PBAT. It was found that the T _g of the nanoblends were higher than those of the pristine blends due to their mixed intercalated/partially exfoliated structures. PBAT and PVC chains would be confined in a same C30B gallery causing a reduction of the chain mobility. Nanoblends showed a reduction of their thermal stability compared to their pristine blends, as a result of the catalytic effect of the C30B in the thermal degradation process. Tensile measurements displayed an improvement of mechanical properties for the ternary PBAT/PVC/C30B nanoblends relative to their virgin blends due to the insertion of clay particles into composite matrix.     

Using New Hybrid Integrators to Design IIR Fractional-Order Integrators via Impulse Invariance Method

This paper presents a method for designing fullband and non-fullband IIR digital integrators with linear phase that has been used to approximate fractional-order integrators with IIR filters. Several numerical integration rules have been considered in this study, namely, Euler, Simpson, Schneider, bilinear, and F₀₁₂. The main idea in our design is based on interpolating the well-known integration rules (Euler, Bilinear and Simpson) proposed by Al-Alaoui combined with deterministic signal modeling techniques. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed integrators. It was found that the Euler–Simpson integrator gives better approximation accuracy than existing integrators.     

Cationic polymerization of ethylene oxide with Maghnite‐H as a clay catalyst in the presence of ethylene glycol

The activated‐monomer cationic ring‐opening polymerization of ethylene oxide, initiated with ethylene glycol and using an acid‐exchanged montmorillonite clay called Maghnite‐H⁺ as an effective catalyst, was carried out to obtain the corresponding homopolymers with narrow polydispersity ratios. The molecular weights of the obtained polymers were controlled with the feed ratio of the monomer to the initiator. The effects of the amount of the catalyst and time on the polymerization yield and viscosity of the polymers were studied. The structure was confirmed with proton nuclear magnetic resonance and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

A Decision Support System to Manage the Groundwater of the Zeuss Koutine Aquifer Using the WEAP-MODFLOW Framework

This paper describes the development of a Decision Support System (DSS) for groundwater management of the ‘Zeuss Koutine’ aquifer in southeastern Tunisia using the WEAP-MODFLOW framework. First, a monthly MODFLOW model was developed to simulate the behaviour of the studied aquifer. A conceptual model of the study area was designed and a WEAP schematic representing the real hydraulic system was developed. In addition to the studied aquifer, other water resources available in the region, such as desalination plants and groundwater, were taken into consideration in this DSS. Inputs to the hydrogeological model include natural recharge and inflow from higher neighbouring aquifers. Outputs are mainly agricultural, touristic and urban water consumption. It was shown that the DSS developed was able to evaluate water management scenarios up to 2030, especially future water consumption, transmission link flow and active cell heads of the MODFLOW model for each time step. Results for the Zeuss Koutine aquifer demonstrated that desalination plants already built in the cities of Jerba and Zarzis have contributed to decreasing the continuous drawdown observed before 1999. The use of a sea water desalination plant to supply Jerba and Zarzis in the future is a solution for reducing the Zeuss Koutine aquifer drawdown. Defining its optimal capacity over time poses a new research question.     

Synthesis of perfluorohexyl‐terminated poly(ethylene oxide) using maghnite‐h as clay catalyst

Activated monomer cationic ring‐opening polymerization of ethylene oxide initiated with 1H,1H,2H, 2H‐perfluorooctan‐1‐ol, using acid exchanged montmorillonite clay called Maghnite‐H⁺ (Mag‐H⁺) as an effective catalyst, was carried out to obtain the corresponding homopolymers with narrow polydispersity ratios. The molecular weights of the obtained polymers could be controlled with the feed ratio of the monomer and initiator. The effect of amount of catalyst and time on the polymerization yield and viscosity of the polymers were studied. The structure was confirmed by ¹H‐NMR and MALDI‐TOF‐MS. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Synthesis and caracterization of macromonomers of poly (2-methyl-2-oxazoline)-allyl by an acid exchanged clay as eco-catalyst

The different polymer networks were constructed by two kinds of associations, one is host-guest inclusion between P(AM/A-β-CD/NaA) and P(AM/BHAM/NaA), and the other is hydrophobic association of P(AM/BHAM/NaA). Under the high-speed shearing, the viscosity survival and recovery rate of different systems were investigated. The results show the inclusion complex (CD:BHAM = 2:1) has excellent shearing resistance performance, and it was also verified by dynamic light scattering (DLS). This is mainly because the strength of inclusive association is stronger than that of hydrophobic one. The conclusion was proved by time-temperature superposition as well. It shows that the activation energy E _a of the inclusion complex (CD:BHAM = 2:1), which represents the strength of association, has a maximum value, while the activation energy E _b of P(AM/BHAM/NaA) has also a maximum one because of the multiple associative sites of hydrophobic associations. The activation energy values of the inclusion complex (CD:BHAM = 1:1) are intermediate since there are two kinds of associations in this solution. This is exactly the reason that the complex (CD:BHAM = 1:1) has the best emulsifying property. Moreover, the conclusions related to emulsifying property have been verified by using a laser particle size analyzer and Turbiscan lab stability.     

The behaviour of pressurised plain pipework subjected to simulated seismic loading

A series of simulated seismic tests have been conducted using mild steel and stainless steel plain pipe specimens. These specimens were pressurised and subjected to fully reversed cyclic bending moments at frequencies of about 5 Hz. The bending moments and surface strains on the pipe wall were monitored and are reported here. Significant ratchetting was observed which, in the case of the mild steel specimens, lead to gross swelling and eventual failure. Although ratchetting was observed in the stainless steel specimens it was not so pronounced and failure appeared to be by low cycle fatigue.     

A Practical Approach to Representation of Real-time Building Control Applications in Simulation

Machine Intelligence Research - Computer based automation and control systems are becoming increasingly important in smart sustainable buildings, of- ten referred to as automated buildings (ABs),...