Biosorption of heavy metals from aqueous solution using modified activated carbon: comparison of linear and nonlinear methods

BACKGROUND: Biosorption of heavy metals from aqueous solution by modified activated carbon with Phanerochaete chrysosporium immobilised in Ca‐alginate beads was investigated using a batch system and comparison of linear and nonlinear methods. RESULTS: The amount of Cu(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) ion sorption by the beads was as follows: activated carbon with P. chrysosporium immobilised in Ca‐alginate beads (ACFCA) (193.4, 181.8, 136.6 mg g^?1) > activated carbon immobilised in Ca‐alginate beads (ACCA) (174.8, 162.0, 130.7 mg g^?1) > P. chrysosporium (F) (148.8, 125.6, 120.4 mg g^?1) > activated carbon (AC) (138.8, 112.3, 109.3 mg g^?1) > plain Ca‐alginate beads (PCA) (125.4, 105.2, 98.2 mg g^?1). The widely used Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were utilised to describe the biosorption equilibrium process. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the immobilisation of modified activated carbon with P. chrysosporium in Ca‐alginate beads is suitable for a batch system. The isotherm parameters were estimated using linear and nonlinear regression analyses. The surface charge density of the biosorbents varied with the pH of the medium; the maximum biosorption of heavy metal ions on the biosorbents was obtained when the pH was between 5.6 and 7.4. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Biosorption of Direct Red-31 and Direct Orange-26 dyes by rice husk: Application of factorial design analysis

The present work describes the biosorption potential of low cost and easily available rice husk for the adsorptive removal of Direct Red-31 and Direct Orange-26 textile dyes. In the present investigation a 5³ full factorial design analysis experiment was employed to optimize the process parameters for enhanced adsorptive removal of Direct Red-31 and Direct Orange-26 textile dyes from aqueous solution. Factorial experiments with three factors initial dye concentration, biosorbent dose and pH at five levels were conducted in duplicate. The biosorbent efficiency for the dyes was determined after 3 h of treatment at 30 °C using suitable size of biosorbent (0.255 mm). Analysis of variance (ANOVA), F-test and p-values were used to study the main, two ways and three ways interaction effects. The values of regression coefficients (R² = 0.999) for both dyes confirmed the good fitness of model. A maximum biosorption capacity of 57.88 and 36.14 mg/g was observed at pH 2 and 3 for Direct Red-31 and Direct Orange-26, respectively, with 125 mg/L dyes concentration. The most significant variable was found to be dyes initial concentration. Moreover, the decolorization of both direct dyes was also affected by salts, heavy metal ions and surfactants.     

Optimization and analysis of nickel adsorption on microwave irradiated rice husk using response surface methodology (RSM)

BACKGROUND: The removal of heavy metals using adsorption techniques with low cost biosorbents is being extensively investigated. The improved adsorption is essentially due to the pores present in the adsorbent. One way of improving the porosity of the material is by irradiation of the precursor using microwaves. In the present study, the adsorption characteristics of nickel onto microwave‐irradiated rice husks were studied and the process variables were optimized through response surface methodology (RSM). RESULT: The adsorption of nickel onto microwave‐irradiated rice husk (MIRH) was found to be better than that of the raw rice husk (RRH). The kinetics of the adsorption of Ni(II) from aqueous solution onto MIRH was found to follow a pseudo‐second‐order model. Thermodynamic parameters such as standard Gibbs free energy (ΔG°), standard enthalpy (ΔH°), and standard entropy (ΔS°) were also evaluated. The thermodynamics of Ni(II) adsorption onto MIRH indicates that it is spontaneous and endothermic in nature. The response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the design parameters for the present process. CONCLUSION: Microwave‐irradiated rice husk was found to be a suitable adsorbent for the removal of nickel(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The adsorption capacity of the rice husk was found to be 1.17 mg g^?1. The optimized parameters for the current process were found as follows: adsorbent loading 2.8 g (100 mL)^?1; Initial adsorbate concentration 6 mg L^?1; adsorption time 210 min.; and adsorption temperature 35 °C. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and physicochemical study of bisphenol‐C‐formaldehyde‐toluene diisocyanate polyurethane–jute and jute–rice husk/wheat husk composites

Bisphenol‐C‐formaldehyde‐toluene‐2,4‐di isocyanate polyurethane (PU) has been synthesized at room temperature and used for the fabrication of jute and jute–rice husk/wheat husk hybrid composites. PU–jute and PU–jute–RH/WH composites were prepared under pressure of 30.4 MPa at room temperature for 8 h, while PU–jute–RH/WH composites were prepared under same pressure at 110°C for 5 h. PU–jute composite has good tensile strength and flexural strength (50–53 MPa), while PU–jute–RH/WH hybrid composites have moderate tensile strength (9–11 MPa) and a fairly good flexural strength (15–31 MPa). Composites possess 1.1–2.2 kV electric strength and 0.94–1.26 × 10¹² ohm cm volume resistivity. Water absorption in PU–jute composite is different in water (9.75%), 10% HCl (12.14%), and 10% NaCl (6.05%). Equilibrium water uptake time in salt environment is observed 96 h, while in pure water and acidic environments it is 192 h. In boiling water equilibrium water content and equilibrium time are found to be 21.7% and 3 h, respectively. Water absorption increased 2.2 times in boiling water, whereas equilibrium time reduced 64 times. Thus, PU–jute composite has excellent hydrolytic stability against boiling water, 10% HCl, and 10% NaCl solutions. Fairly good mechanical and electrical properties and excellent hydrolytic stability of composites signify their usefulness for low cost housing units and in electrical and marine industries. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2363–2370, 2006     

Preparation and hemocompatibility of electrospun O‐carboxymethyl chitosan/PVA nanofibers

Chitosan was deacetylated and carboxymethylated to prepare O‐carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) for further electrospinning. CMC was characterized using FTIR, NMR, and chemical titration, indicating a degree of carboxymethylation of 51.4%. CMC was electrospun together with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to prepare membranes composed of nanofibers. The electrospinning conditions were optimized. The CMC/PVA membrane obtained at the conditions of 15.2 g/mL CMC 50 mL, 8 g/mL PVA 5 mL, 25 kV, and a distance of 23 cm, had nanofibers without beads, with diameters of 70–200 nm. The mats were crosslinked by glutaraldehyde before platelet adhesion measurement. The nanofibrous structure remained after crosslinking while the wettability decreased. CMC/PVA mats with higher CMC amount and fewer beads, had fewer adherent platelets and less platelets aggregation showing better hemocompatibility. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43565.     

Preparation of fast pH‐responsive ferric carboxymethylcellulose/poly(vinyl alcohol) double‐network microparticles

BACKGROUND: Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) are biocompatible, and their complex hydrogel shows pH responsiveness. Thus, they are chosen as starting materials to prepare physically dual‐crosslinked Fe‐CMC/PVA microparticles with improved properties. RESULTS: Fe‐CMC/PVA double‐network microparticles were obtained via a facile process under mild conditions. Sodium carboxymethylcellulose was crosslinked with ferric ions to form particles that contained aqueous PVA solution in an emulsion system. The hydrogel particles were then subjected to a freezing–thawing cycle to achieve further crosslinking; the size of the particles formed was in the range 0.2–1.2 µm. The microparticles were capable of maintaining the stability of proteins such as hemoglobin in an acidic environment and exhibited pH‐responsive release behavior. CONCLUSION: The pH responsivity of the Fe‐CMC/PVA physical double‐network microparticles is fast, which is helpful for effectively protecting a loaded bioactive substance. Thus, they may be potential candidates for pH‐sensitive applications. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Application of genetic algorithm to color recipe formulation using reactive and direct dyestuffs mixtures

Color reproduction is a science in constant development. In this article, a new model to solve the color recipe prediction problem using a genetic algorithm is proposed. The objective is to optimize the color recipe prediction stage by determining the dyes to use in a mixture and their respective proportions to reproduce the target color. Two ranges of dyes were used for dyeing 100% cotton woven fabrics: three reactive dyes (CI Reactive Red 238, CI Reactive Yellow 145, and CI Reactive Blue 235) and four direct dyes (CI Direct Orange 34, CI Direct Red 227, CI Direct Blue 85, and CI Direct Black 22). The criterion of optimization, in reproducing the desired shades, is to minimize the CMC color difference between the desired reference color and the color resulting of the predicted recipe. The proposed algorithm revealed good results with small CMC color differences between target and reproduced colors. The effectiveness of the algorithm was also evaluated and proven by calculating errors between the predicted concentrations in the proposed recipes and the actual concentrations.     

Removal efficiency of heavy oil by free and immobilised microorganisms on laboratory‐scale

This study explored free and immobilised microorganisms to degrade heavy oil. Two oil‐degrading bacterial strains (W‐1 and W‐2) were isolated from heavy oil wastewater samples collected from Shengli Oil Field in China. W‐1 and W‐2, identified as Rhosococcus sp. and Bacillus cereus sp., respectively, were tested for their growth behaviour and optimal growth conditions in the laboratory. The obtained results showed that the optimal growth conditions for W‐1 and W‐2 were identified as pH of 8, temperature of 40°C, and salinity of 2% and 4%, respectively. The environmental conditions affecting oil‐degrading efficiency by W‐1 and W‐2 were optimised in the media containing 0.3% heavy oil. The results showed that the optimal degradation and optimal growth conditions were similar, and the oil degradation rates of W‐1 and W‐2 were about 34.6% and 45.3%, respectively after 5 days. W‐1 and W‐2 capable of degrading oil was immobilised in calcium alginate gel beads containing active carbon and used for degradation of heavy oil. The heavy oil biodegradability of immobilised bacteria improved dramatically, compared with that of the free ones. The heavy oil biodegradation rates of immobilised W‐2 were found to be maximal at the same optimal growth conditions of pH, temperature, and salinity as the free ones. The best biodegradation rate of immobilised W‐2 reached above 78%, which is 33% than that of the free W‐2. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Recycling of reactive dye using semi‐interpenetrating polymer network from sodium alginate and isopropyl acrylamide

A sequence of semi‐interpenetrating polymer network (semi‐IPN) were synthesized by free radical photo copolymerizing acrylic acid and isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAAm) in aqueous sodium alginate (NaAlg). Their structures (FT‐IR), thermal stability (TG/DTG), morphology (SEM), mechanical properties, reactive blue 4 (RB 4) dye adsorption (624 mg/g) and its dying characteristics, reusability of dye and adsorbent were evaluated. TG thermograms of semi‐IPN in air revealed zero order kinetics for initial step thermal degradation with an activation energy of 68.68 kJ/mol. Dye adsorption showed best fit for Langmuir adsorption isotherm and the kinetics followed pseudo‐second‐order model. The water and dye diffusion kinetics followed non‐Fickian mechanism. The changes in thermodynamic parameters namely Gibbs free energy (ΔG°), entropy (ΔS°) and enthalpy (ΔH°) indicated that the adsorption was spontaneous and exothermic process for RB 4/semi‐IPN system. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40968.     

Utilisation of immobilised activated sludge for the biosorption of chromium (VI)

The objective of this investigation was to study the biosorption of Cr (VI) on immobilised activated sludge (IAS) and calcium alginate (CA) using batch system. The optimal pH for Cr (VI) biosorption by IAS and CA was 2.0 and 4.0, respectively. Equilibrium was attained at approximately 120 min for both biosorbents. For both biosorbents, the equilibrium biosorption capacity (mg/g) increased as the initial metal ion concentration increased and the concentration of biosorbent decreased. The rate of biosorption onto IAS and pure CA (as mg/g) increased from 5.02 to 87.66 and 4.97 to 79.09 as the concentration of Cr (VI) ions increased from 10 to 1000 mg/L, respectively. In the case of biosorbent concentration, as the concentration of IAS and pure CA increased from 1 to 20 g/L, the equilibrium uptake (q_e) decreased from 21.33 to 1.57 and 19.41 to 1.38 mg/g, respectively. The biosorption data showed that the Langmuir model was more suitable than the Freundlich model. Also, the results indicated that the pseudo‐second order model was the most suitable for Cr (VI) biosorption onto IAS and CA. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Study on preparation and properties of PVA‐SA‐PHB‐AC composite carrier for microorganism immobilization

Polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) bead crosslinked with boric acid has been widely utilized as a microorganism immobilization carrier. However, it has some disadvantages such as drastic cell viability loss, small adsorption capacity and mass transfer limitation. To improve upon these drawbacks, a new method to prepare PVA composite pieces with the addition of activated carbon (AC) and poly‐3‐hydroxybutyrate(PHB) was explored through a combination of freezing/thawing and the boric acid method and by using Tween‐80 to improve the mass transfer performance of hydrophobic organics. m‐Cresol and pyrene were used as representative compounds with benzene ring structures to model hydrophilic and hydrophobic organics in order to test the performance of PVA pieces. The results showed that, compared with the boric acid method alone, a combination of freezing/thawing and the boric acid method led to a decrease in total organic carbon(TOC) loss from 0.315 g g^?1 to 0.033 g g^?1 and increased the oxygen uptake rate(OUR) of microorganisms from 0.03 mg L^?1·min^?1 to 0.22 mg L^?1 min^?1. The m‐cresol equilibrium adsorption amount of the PVA‐SA(sodium alginate)‐PHB‐AC piece was 2.80 times that of the PVA‐SA piece. The diffusion coefficient of pyrene in the PVA‐SA‐PHB‐AC piece increased from 0.53×10^?9 m² min^?1 to 2.30×10^?9 m² min^?1 with increasing concentrations of Tween‐80 from 1000 mg L^?1 to 5000 mg L^?1. The PVA‐SA‐PHB‐AC composite carrier demonstrated great scope for immobilizing microorganisms for practical wastewater bio‐treatment. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 39837.     

Use of polyvinyl alcohol as a cell immobilization matrix for copper biosorption by yeast cells

Although polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel has been used as a carrier for immobilized cells and enzymes, its use as an immobilization matrix for inactivated cells for biosorption studies has not been reported. In this study, we have demonstrated that the PVA matrix showed very favourable performance, vis‐à‐vis good physical and chemical properties, and a low mass transfer resistance. The PVA matrix showed negligible effect on the uptake capacity of the inactivated yeast used as the biosorbent. Biosorption equilibrium showed that the specific copper uptake of the biomass increased with an increase in the initial copper concentration, and decreased with an increase in biomass loading. The equilibrium was well described by Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. Temperature over the range of 10–50 °C had little effect on the biomass biosorption capacity, while pH showed significant effect. The PVA–yeast beads could be regenerated using 10 mmol dm⁻³ HCl, with up to 100% recovery, and the beads reused in five biosorption–desorption cycles with negligible decrease in the biosorption capacity. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Carboxymethyl cellulose reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) with trimethylol melamine as a chemical crosslinker

In this investigation, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)‐reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were prepared with trimethylol melamine as a chemical crosslinker. The structure and property of hydrogels were measured by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), texture analysis, and rheometry. The FTIR spectra demonstrated that the etherification reaction successfully occurred in the PVA–CMC hydrogels, and the SEM figures exhibited the homogeneous porous structure of the CMC–PVA hydrogels. The compression strength of the PVA–CMC hydrogels was 15 times higher than that of the PVA hydrogels. Moreover, the PVA–CMC hydrogels exhibited a higher storage modulus than that of the PVA hydrogels; this illustrated better elasticity for the PVA–CMC hydrogels. As a result, CMC‐modified PVA hydrogels with high mechanical behavior will broaden the potential applications of hydrogels, such as in wound dressings, facial masks, and skin‐protection layers. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44590.     

Gas permeation through water‐swollen polysaccharide/poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes

The effect of Na‐alginate content on the gas permeation properties of water‐swollen membranes prepared by varying Na‐alginate and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) content in membranes was investigated. The influences of water content and crystallinity of the membranes on the gas permeation performance of the water‐swollen membranes were studied. The gas permeation rate and selectivity of Na‐alginate/PVA water‐swollen membranes were compared with those of the dry membranes. The permeation rates of nitrogen and carbon dioxide through water‐swollen membranes were in the range of 0.4–7.6 × 10^?7 to 3.7–8.5 × 10^?6 cm³ (STP)/cm² s^?1 cmHg^?1, which were 10,000 times higher than those of dry‐state membranes. The permeation rates of mixture gases through water‐swollen Na‐alginate/PVA membranes were found to increase exponentially with the increase of Na‐alginate content, whereas carbon dioxide concentration in permeates was decreased linearly. It was found that the gas permeance of the water‐swollen membranes increased with increasing the Na‐alginate content in the membrane. Gas permeation rates of the water‐swollen Na‐alginate/PVA membranes increased with increasing the water content in the membrane and decreasing the crystallinity of the membrane. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 3225–3232, 2004     

Self‐curable aqueous polymeric dyes for printing and dyeing applications

An epoxy resin (NPES‐904, epoxy equivalent weight is 815) with a repeating unit, n > 4 was selected as a polymer backbone of polymeric dye. Water‐reducible epoxy resin was prepared by a semiesterification of its secondary hydroxy group with succinic anhydride and then dispersed to aqueous phase after it was neutralized with triethylamine. An aqueous polymeric dye was obtained from a ring opening reaction of that epoxy resin with amino group of a direct dye (soluble dye such as C. I. Acid Blue 62, C. I. Direct Orange 39 or C. I. Direct Red 2). These aqueous polymeric dye dispersions carried the average particle sizes between 50 and 90 nm. A polyaziridine was added as a latent curing agent and forming a self‐curable system of aqueous polymeric dye solution, which was stable in aqueous phase when its pH remained above 8.0. This aqueous polymeric dye was self‐cured on drying at ambient temperature and results in the formation of waterproof and solvent‐resistant polymeric dye. These self‐curable polymeric dyes had potential for jet ink printing and dyeing applications. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 1919–1931, 2006     

Removal of Brill Red 5B from an aqueous solution using Cicca acida biomass

The biosorption of Brill Red 5B from an aqueous solution, using Cicca acida plant's leaves was investigated in a batch system with the influence of pH (1–6), temperature (25–35°C) and initial dye concentration (10–100 mg/L). Maximum biosorption was observed at initial pH of 2.0, temperature of 30°C and at the initial dye concentration of 100 mg/L. Batch biosorption kinetic was studied using the pseudo first and pseudo‐second‐order rate equations. From the result, it was observed that pseudo‐second‐order rate expression fitted the experimental data well when compared to pseudo first order kinetic model. The intra‐particle diffusion coefficient (K_i) and effective diffusion coefficient (D_i) values obtained for the sorption of Brill Red 5B using C. acida plant's leaves were found to be increased with increase in initial dye concentration.     

Study of the morphology and mechanical properties of polypropylene composites with silica or rice‐husk

The mechanical, morphological behavior and water absorption characteristics of polypropylene (PP) and silica, or PP and rice‐husk, composites have been studied. The silica used in this study as filler was a commercial type produced from soluble glass or rice husks. The compatibilizing effect of PP grafted with monomethyl itaconate (PP‐g‐MMI) and/or with vinyltriethoxysilane (PP‐g‐VTES) as polar monomers on the mechanical properties and water absorption was also investigated. In general, a high loading of the studied fillers in the polymer matrix increases the stiffness and the water absorption capacity. This effect is more noticeable in the tensile modulus of the PP/silica composite with PP‐g‐VTES as compatibilizer. However, the increase of the rice‐husk charge as a natural filler in the PP matrix decreases the stiffness, and in the presence of PP‐g‐MMI as compatibilizer in PP/rice‐husk, the tensile modulus and water absorption of the composite were improved. The better adhesion and phase continuity in the PP/silica and PP/rice‐husk composites with different compatibilizers was confirmed by the morphological study. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Fabrication and evaluation of some mechanical and electrical properties of jute‐biomass based hybrid composites

Hybrid composites based on bisphenol‐C‐formaldehyde resin and jute mat with rice, wheat, sugar cane, and jamun husks have been fabricated at 150°C under 30.4 MPa pressure for 2 h. The resin content in composites was 50% of fibers. Tensile strength, flexural strength, electric strength, and volume resistivity of hybrid composites have been evaluated and compared with those of jute‐bisphenol‐C‐formaldehyde composites. It is observed that the tensile strength of composites is found to decrease by 53–72%, which is mainly due to random orientation of sandwiched fibers. Flexural strength has increased by 53–153% except jute–rice husk composite for which it is decreased by 26%. A little change in dielectric breakdown strength (1.89–2.11 kV/mm) is found but volume resistivity of Jute–wheat husk and Jute–jamun husk composites has improved by 437–197% and it is slightly decreased(2.3–25.2%) for the remaining two composites. Thus, hybrid composites possess good mechanical and electrical properties signifying their importance in low strength and light weight engineering applications as well as low cost housing units such as partition and hard boards. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 1754–1758, 2006     

Chitosan‐coated alginate–polyvinyl alcohol beads for encapsulation of silicone oil containing pyrene: a novel method for biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

BACKGROUND: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are potential hazards in the environment owing to their toxic, carcinogenic and recalcitrant nature. Biodegradation of these compounds, although effective compared with other treatment techniques, is problematic owing to its low aqueous solubility and negligible bioavailability. The present study reports a novel method for biodegradation of PAHs using an encapsulated form of the pollutant in chitosan‐coated alginate–polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) beads. RESULTS: A suitable combination of 3% (w/v) PVA, 100 g L^?1 non‐ionic surfactant Brij 30 and 0.3 silicone oil fraction in the formulation was found to be optimal in the preparation of stable emulsion. The emulsion obtained was admixed with alginate (3% w/v) to prepare suitably sized microspheres by an emulsion gelation technique, which were later coated with chitosan to yield a maximum pyrene encapsulation efficiency of 90.7%. Pyrene in silicone oil at concentration as high as 2 g L^?1, when delivered through the chitosan coated alginate–PVA beads, was completely degraded by Mycobacterium frederiksbergense within 10 days without any significant lag phase. CONCLUSION: Using chitosan‐coated alginate–PVA beads sustained release of pyrene and subsequent biodegradation by M. frederiksbergense were achieved. Using the present system, complete degradation of pyrene was attained even at its very high initial concentration and within a short time period. Further advantage offered by this system seems to be negligible toxic effect of pyrene and solvents on the degrading microorganisms since these were in an encapsulated form and were not in direct contact with the organism. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Rice‐husk‐ash‐filled natural rubber. II. Partial replacement of commercial fillers and the effect on the vulcanization process

In a previous investigation, we observed that in the presence of a conventional vulcanization system, the addition of white rice husk ash (WRHA) to natural rubber (NR) compounds increased the rate of crosslinking and lowered the apparent activation energy (E_a) of the vulcanization reaction more strongly than the other fillers used. In this work, commercial fillers, such as precipitated silica (Zeosil‐175) and carbon black (N762), were partially replaced by black rice husk ash and WRHA. Cure studies were carried out on a TI‐100 curometer at 150, 160, 170, and 180°C, and the overall rates and the E_a's for the vulcanization process were calculated for each compound, with the assumption that vulcanization followed first‐order kinetics. Again, WRHA showed some catalytic effect on the NR vulcanization. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 1405–1413, 2003