Synthesis and thermal,mechanical and gas permeation properties of aromatic polyimides containing different linkage groups

Two series of aromatic polyimides containing various linkage groups based on 2,7‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)naphthalene or 3,3′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane and different aromatic dianhydrides, namely 4,4′‐(4,4′‐isopropylidenediphenoxy)bis(phthalic anhydride), 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)bis(phthalic anhydride), 3,3′,4,4′ benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride, 9,9‐bis[4‐(3,4‐dicarboxyphenoxy)phenyl]fluorene dianhydride and 4,4′‐(4,4′‐hexafluoroisopropylidenediphenoxy)bis(phthalic anhydride), were synthesized and compared with regard to their thermal, mechanical and gas permeation properties. All these polymers showed high thermal stability with initial decomposition temperature in the range 475–525 °C and glass transition temperature between 208 and 286 °C. Also, the polymer films presented good mechanical characteristics with tensile strength in the range 60–91 MPa and storage modulus in the range 1700–2375 MPa. The macromolecular chain packing induced by dianhydride and diamine segments was investigated by examining gas permeation through the polymer films. The relationships between chain mobility and interchain distance and the obtained values for gas permeability are discussed. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Influence of T5 heat treatment on the microstructure and lubricated wear behavior of ternary ZnAl40Cu2 and quaternary ZnAl40Cu2Si2.5 alloys

A ternary ZnAl40Cu2 and a quaternary ZnAl40Cu2Si2.5 alloys were produced by permanent mold casting and subjected to T5 heat treatment at a temperature of 150 °C for 24 hours. The structural, mechanical and lubricated wear properties of these alloys were investigated in the as-cast and heat-treated conditions and the results were compared with those of SAE 65 (CuSn12) plain bearing bronze. Microstructure of the ternary alloy consisted of aluminum-rich α, eutectoid conversion product of α+η and ϵ phase located in the interdendritic channels. In addition to these phases, silicon particles were observed in the microstructure of the quaternary alloy. T5 heat treatment caused a considerable amount of reduction in the hardness, tensile strength and wear resistance of ZnAl40-based ternary and quaternary alloys, but improved their ductility and stability. These alloys in the as-cast and heat-treated conditions exhibited lower wear volume or higher wear resistance than SAE 65 bearing bronze. Among the experimental alloys, the optimum mechanical properties and wear performance were obtained from ZnAl40Cu2Si2.5 alloy in both as-cast and heat-treated conditions. Adhesion appeared to be the main wear mechanism for the ZnAl40-based alloys, but abrasion dominated the wear of SAE 65 bronze.     

Synthesis and characterization of a titanium phosphate-tellurite glass for Faraday rotators

This work is focused on investigation of thermal, structural, optical, magnetic, and magneto-optical properties of novel titanium phosphate-tellurite glass applied as Faraday rotators. The glass belonging to the system 35Li₂O–10Al₂O₃–5TiO₂–45P₂O₅–5TeO₂ was prepared by a nonconventional wet route of raw materials processing, followed by melting-quenching-annealing steps. Some important physical properties of the investigated glass have been measured and calculated, providing knowledge related to glass compactness, electronic structure, glass forming capability, etc. XRD analysis evidenced an amorphous network structure of the investigated glass. The optical absorption in the Vis domain is mainly due to Ti³⁺ ions and Te₂ clusters formed during the glass melting process. A relatively low optical absorption is noticed over 600 nm that activates a significant Faraday magneto-optical effect. Photoluminescence bands in the blue, red, and infrared domains are observed, caused by Te₂ clusters formed during the glass melting process. The magnetization in dependency on applied magnetic field reveals a complex behavior of the glass, depending on temperature. Thus, it is found a ferromagnetic behavior up to 2000 Oe, a paramagnetic component up to 40 000 Oe, followed by a diamagnetic one over 40 000 Oe. Faraday rotation angle and Verdet constant values in the visible domain are correlated with the reduced TeO₂ content of the glass.     

A taxonomy for classifying runtime verification tools

International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer - Over the last 20 years, runtime verification (RV) has grown into a diverse and active field, which has stimulated the development...     

Study of thermal behavior of polyimides containing pendent-substituted azobenzene units

Thermal stability and degradation kinetic of the polyimides containing pendent-substituted azobenzene units were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis in nitrogen at different heating rates. Freeman–Carroll, Coats–Redfern and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa methods were utilized to obtain the kinetic parameters (activation energy E _a, pre-exponential factor A and order of reaction n) or variation of activation energy with conversion degree from thermogravimetric and derivative thermogravimetric curves. The thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the decomposition of azopolyimides proceeds in three or four stages, regardless of heating rate.     

Propham mineralization in aqueous medium by anodic oxidation using boron-doped diamond anode: influence of experimental parameters on degradation kinetics and mineralization efficiency

This study aims the removal of a carbamate herbicide, propham, from aqueous solution by direct electrochemical advanced oxidation process using a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode. This electrode produces large quantities of hydroxyl radicals from oxidation of water, which leads to the oxidative degradation of propham up to its total mineralization. Effect of operational parameters such as current, temperature, pH and supporting electrolyte on the degradation and mineralization rate was studied. The applied current and temperature exert a prominent effect on the total organic carbon (TOC) removal rate of the solutions. The mineralization of propham can be performed at any pH value between 3 and 11 without any loss in oxidation efficiency. The propham decay and its overall mineralization reaction follows a pseudo-first-order kinetics. The apparent rate constant value of propham oxidation was determined as 4.8×10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ at 100 mA and 35 °C in the presence of 50 mM Na₂SO₄ in acidic media (pH: 3). A general mineralization sequence was proposed considering the identified oxidation intermediates.     

Effects of pretreatment and various operating parameters on permeate flux and quality during ultrafiltration of apple juice

The central composite design with a quadratic model was used to investigate the effect of temperature (20–40 °C) and transmembrane pressure (TMP) (100–300 kPa) as well as pretreatment with gelatin and bentonite (0:0–300:1500 mg L^?1) on permeate flux and fouling resistance during ultrafiltration of apple juice. The changes in some physicochemical properties were also investigated. Pretreatment of apple juice with gelatin and bentonite and an increase in the temperature and TMP significantly improved the permeate flux. In general, physicochemical properties of apple juice other than polyphenolics were not affected by the applied parameters. Using 150 mg L^?1 of gelatin and 750 mg L^?1 of bentonite for fining significantly reduced the total phenolic content and so did the fouling resistance. Fouling resistance also decreased with increasing temperature, and increasing pressure increased the fouling resistance.     

Optical and dielectric properties of double helix DNA thin films

In this work, the thin film of wheat DNA was deposited by spin-coating technique onto glass substrate, and the optical and dielectric properties of the double helix DNA thin film were investigated. The optical constants such as refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric constant, dissipation factor, relaxation time, and optical conductivity were determined from the measured transmittance spectra in the wavelength range 190–1100 nm. Meanwhile, the dispersion behavior of the refractive index was studied in terms of the single oscillator Wemple–DiDomenico (W–D) model, and the physical parameters of the average oscillator strength, average oscillator wavelength, average oscillator energy, the refractive index dispersion parameter and the dispersion energy were achieved. Furthermore, the optical band gap values were calculated by W–D model and Tauc model, respectively, and the values obtained from W–D model are in agreement with those determined from the Tauc model. The analysis of the optical absorption data indicates that the optical band gap E_g was indirect transitions. These results provide some useful references for the potential application of the DNA thin films in fiber optic, solar cell and optoelectronic devices.     

Electrical characteristics of an organic thin copolymer/p-Si Schottky barrier diode

We have fabricated a poly(aniline-3-methyl thiophene) organic thin material on p-Si substrate by placing a solution of copolymer in acetonitrile on top of a p-Si substrate and then evaporating the solvent. The electrical and interface state density properties of the poly(aniline-3-methyl thiophene) copolymer/p-Si/Al diode have been investigated through methods using current-voltage (I-V), Cheung's, and a modified Norde's function. Good agreement was observed with the values of barrier height as obtained from all of these methods. The diode shows a non-ideal I-V behavior with an ideality factor greater than unity, which could be ascribed to the interfacial layer, interface states and series resistance. The interface state density of diode was determined using the forward-bias I-V characteristic technique at room temperature, and it decreases exponentially with bias from 1.39 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻² eV⁻¹ in (0.06 − E_v) eV to 4.86 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻² eV⁻¹ in (0.51 − E_v) eV.