A new electroless Ni plating procedure of iodine-treated aramid fiber

A new, durable, etchant- and tin-free catalyzation process was studied for electroless nickel metallization of aramid fiber via iodine pretreatment. Firstly, iodine components were selectively doped onto the inner part of the fiber using vapor iodine exposure followed by treatment with a tin-free acidic palladium chloride solution to form palladium iodide (PdI₂) on the fiber surface. After subsequent reduction of PdI₂ into metal palladium (Pd), electroless plating was carried out. A uniform Ni plating layer was formed on the fiber surface, which exhibited high durability against resistance tests of ultrasonic exposure, tape peel-off, and corrosion in NaCl solution. Here, Pd particles that formed at the inner part near the fiber surface functioned as an anchor of the plated layer as well as a catalyst of electroless plating. Investigation of the plate bath composition shows that the use of anionic surfactant enhances the adhesion of the plated layer with fiber matrix, while a reducing agent in the plate bath reduces the smoothness of the plated surface. Also, the plate bath pH and the temperature of the plating solution control the layer deposition rate noticeably more than does the plating time. The proposed method retained good tensile strength in the plated fiber. Ni-plated aramid fiber exhibited durable electrical conductivity and magnetic properties.     

Diffusion process of amino acids in polymer supports for solid‐phase peptide synthesis as studied by pulsed‐field‐gradient spin‐echo proton nuclear magnetic resonance

The diffusion coefficient (D) values of tert‐butyloxycarbonyl‐glycine, tert‐butyloxycarbonyl‐L ‐tryptophan, tert‐butyloxycarbonyl‐L ‐phenylalanine (Boc‐Phe), and 9‐fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl‐L ‐phenylalanine in Merrifield polystyrene (MPS) gels, poly(ethylene glycol)‐grafted polystyrene (PEG–PS) gels, and crosslinked ethoxylate acrylate (CLEAR) gels, as used in solid‐phase peptide synthesis, were determined by the pulsed‐field‐gradient spin‐echo ¹H‐NMR method. From these experimental results, it was found that the amino acids in MPS gels, PEG–PS gels, and CLEAR gels with N,N‐dimethylformamide‐d₇ (DMF‐d₇) as a solvent had multidiffusion components within a measurement timescale of 10 ms. The D value of Boc‐Phe in polystyrene gels (1% divinylbenzene crosslinked) with tetrahydrofuran‐d₈ was much larger than that in the same gels with DMF‐d₇. Furthermore, the required time in which an amino acid transferred from a reactive site to a reactive site was estimated, within which the solvents and amino acids in the polymer supports diffused in the swollen beads.© 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 413–421, 2003     

Processing and characterization of epoxy nanocomposites reinforced by cup-stacked carbon nanotubes

The effect of the dispersion, ozone treatment and concentration of cup-stacked carbon nanotubes on mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of the epoxy/CSCNT nanocomposites were investigated. Ozone treatment of carbon fibers was found to increase the surface oxygen concentration, thereby causing the contact angle between water, epoxy resin and carbon fiber to be decreased. Thus, the tensile strength, modulus and the coefficient friction of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin were improved. Moreover, the dispersion of fibers in polymer was increased and the electrical resistivity was decreased with the addition of filler content. The dynamic mechanical behavior of the nanocomposite sheets was studied. The storage modulus of the polymer was increased by the incorporation of CSCNTs. But the glass transition temperature decreased with increasing fiber loading for the ozone treated fiber composites. The ozone treatment did affect the morphology, mechanical and physical properties of the CSCNT.     

The influence of humidity on dry separation of granular particles based on geometrical characteristics

The influence of atmospheric humidity on dry separation of particles was experimentally investigated, making use of the difference in particle motion on an inclined wall, due to different geometrical characteristics. Using a tilted rotating cylinder with blades, glass beads with size and shape distributions were separated according to their geometrical characteristics under various levels of humidity. Fractional recovery of particles is discussed in relation to shape and size of particle and humidity. An angle of repose of the particles was also measured in order to determine the influence of adhesion force, which is closely related to humidity.Glass beads were separated predominantly based on their shape characteristics. Fractional recovery of particles changes strongly around a relative humidity of 60-70%, at which point the angle of repose also changes markedly. The influence of interaction between particles, which becomes significant for smaller particles, was found to reduce the fractional recovery and diminish the influence of humidity.     

Production of FAME from acid oil model using immobilized <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida antarctica</Emphasis> lipase

Acid oil is a by-product in the neutralization step of vegetable oil refining and is an alternative source of biodiesel fuel. A model substrate of acid oil, which is composed of TAG and FFA, was used in experiments on the conversion to FAME by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase. FFA in the mixture of TAG/FFA were efficiently esterified with methanol (MeOH), but the water generated by the esterification significantly inhibited methanolysis of TAG. We thus attempted to convert a mixture of TAG/FFA to FAME by a two-step process comprising methyl esterification of FFA and methanolysis of TAG by immobilized C. antarctica lipase. The first reaction was conducted at 30°C in a mixture of TAG/FFA (1∶1, wt/wt) and 10 wt% MeOH using 0.5 wt% immobilized lipase, resulting in efficient esterification of FFA. The reaction mixture after 24 h was composed of 49.1 wt% TAG, 1.3 wt% FFA, 49.1 wt% FAME, and negligible amounts of DAG and MAG (<0.5 wt%). The reaction mixture was then dehydrated and used as a substrate for the second reaction, which was conducted at 30°C in a solution of the dehydrated mixture and 5.5 wt% MeOH using 6 wt% immobilized lipase. The activity of the lipase increased gradually when the reaction was repeated by transferring the enzyme to a fresh substrate mixture. The activity reached a maximum after 6 cycles, and the content of FAME achieved was >98.5 wt% after a 24-h reaction. The immobilized lipase was very stable in the first-and second-step reactions and could be used for >100 d without significant loss of activity.     

Mechanical and physical properties of epoxy composites reinforced by vapor grown carbon nanofibers

Epoxy/vapor grown carbon nanofiber composites (VGCF) with different proportions of VGCF were fabricated by the in situ process.The VGCFs were well dispersed in both of the low and high viscosity epoxy matrices, although occasional small aggregates were observed in a high viscosity epoxy of 20 wt.%. The dynamic mechanical behavior of the nanocomposite sheets was studied. The storage modulus and the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the polymer were increased by the incorporation of VGCFs.The electrical and mechanical properties of the epoxy-VGCFs nanocomposite sheets with different weight percentages of VGCFs were discussed. The results were that both had maximum tensile strength and Young’s modulus at 5 wt.% for both materials and reduced the fracture strain with increasing filler content. The electrical resistivity was decreased with the addition of filler content. Mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of low viscosity epoxy composites were resulted better than that of the high viscosity composites.     

Characterization of anisotropic gas permeability and thermomechanical properties of highly textured porous alumina

Porous alumina with a highly textured microstructure was fabricated by pulse electric current sintering (PECS) using alumina platelets. Highly oriented porous alumina with a porosity of 3%–50% was obtained by a pressure-controlled method of PECS. The properties of the highly textured porous alumina were measured in two directions. The nitrogen gas permeance and thermal conductivity at room temperature were higher in the direction along the platelet length due to the higher continuity of pores and the connectivity of alumina platelets, respectively. The anisotropy of the thermal conductivity at room temperature was investigated and explained by the effect of grain size of platelets as well as morphology and orientation of pores. The bending strength was higher with the loading direction along the platelet thickness. The thermal shock strength was clearly different in the two directions. The difference in the thermal shock strength was investigated by the measurement of properties and thermal stress analysis.     

Characterization of alternative plasticizers in poly(vinyl chloride) sheets for blood containers

This study aimed to optimize the ratio of dioctyl 4‐cyclohexene‐1,2‐dicarboxylate (DOTH) and di‐isononyl‐cyclohexane‐1,2‐dicarboxylate (DINCH^®) for use as plasticizers in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) sheets. We also evaluated the biological safety of DOTH for its potential to be part of a safe PVC‐based blood container. The suppression of hemolysis in mannitol‐adenine‐phosphate / red cell concentrates (MAP/RCC) with DOTH/(DINCH^®‐PVC) sheets and the elution of plasticizers from the sheets increased with higher DOTH compositions. The properties of the PVC sheet containing DOTH and DINCH^® in the ratio of 25:33 parts against PVC 100 parts as a weight were almost identical to the PVC sheet made of di(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate. From a subchronic toxicity test, DOTH did not show any adverse effects on all organs, including the testes, epididymis, liver, and kidneys. The no‐observed‐adverse‐effect level was 300 mg/kg body weight/day in a rat. These results suggest that DOTH/DINCH^® (25:33) is a promising candidate for the replacement of di(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate in blood containers. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 22:520–528, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Separation of Ru(III), Rh(III) and Pd(II) from nitric acid solutions using ion-exchange resins bearing carboxylic betaine

To understand the adsorption properties of a styrene–divinylbenzene copolymer functionalized with N,N,N-trimethylglycine, AMP03, the adsorption behaviours for platinoid ions (Ru(III), Rh(III) and Pd(II)) were examined. Furthermore, we performed adsorption experiments using sample solutions by adding triethylamine, thiourea and N,N,N-trimethylglycine. Based on the adsorption data obtained in this study, we performed chromatographic experiments. The results indicated that all platinoid ions in the feed solution completely adsorbed on AMP03, and almost 80% of the adsorbed platinoid ions were recovered. These results show that AMP03 has the potential to recover Ru(III), Rh(III) and Pd(II) from high-level liquid waste.     

Facile purification of tocopherols from soybean oil deodorizer distillate in high yield using lipase

Tocopherols have been purified from deodorizer distillate produced in the final deodorization step of vegetable oil refining by a process including molecular distillation. Deodorizer distillate contains mainly tocopherols, sterols, and free fatty acids (FFA); the presence of sterols hinders tocopherol purification in good yield. We found that Candida rugosa lipase recognized sterols as substrates but not tocopherols, and that esterification of sterols with FFA could be effected with negligible influence of water content. Enzymatic esterification of sterols with FFA was thus used as a step in tocopherol purification. High boiling point substances including steryl esters were removed from soybean oil deodorizer distillate by distillation, and the resulting distillate (soybean oil deodorizer distillate tocopherol concentrate; SODDTC) was used as a starting material for tocopherol purification. Several factors affecting esterification of sterols were investigated, and the reaction conditions were determined as follows: A mixture of SODDTC and water (4∶1, w/w) was stirred at 35°C for 24 h with 200 U of Candida lipase per 1 g of the reaction mixture. Under these conditions, approximately 80% of sterols was esterified, but tocopherols were not esterified. After the reaction, tocopherols and FFA were recovered as a distillate by molecular distillation of the oil layer. To enhance further removal of the remaining sterols, the lipase-catalyzed reaction was repeated on the distillate under the same reaction conditions. As a result, more than 95% of the sterols was esterified in total. The resulting reaction mixture was fractionated to four distillates and one residue. The main distillate fraction contained 65 wt% tocopherols with low contents of FFA and sterols. In addition, the residue fraction contained high-purity steryl esters. Because the process presented in this study includes only organic solvent-free enzymatic reaction and molecular distillation, it is feasible as a new industrial purification method of tocopherols. This work was presented at the Biocatalysis symposium in April 2000, held at the 91st Annual Meeting and Expo of the American Oil Chemists Society, San Diego, CA.