Electromagnetic properties of ferroelectric-ferrite ceramic composites

The NiFe₂O₄ and Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ ceramic composites are prepared by conventional solid state reaction method. The microstructural and morphological properties of the composites are studied by X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy. Results indicate that the ferrite and piezoelectric phases can co-exist in the composites. The relationship between the dielectric constant and frequency (40 Hz–40 MHz) as well as temperature is also investigated. It is noted that the transition temperature of the composites is about 380 °C. A double electric hysteresis loop is observed in our composites. The magnetic properties are relatively weak according to the magnetic hysteresis loop. With increase in the content of the ferrite phase, the permeability increases. The electromagnetic properties of the as-prepared composites are tunable according to the content of the NiFe₂O₄ phase.     

One‐step production of 2,3‐butanediol from starch by secretory over‐expression of amylase in Klebsiella pneumoniae

BACKGROUND: 2,3‐Butanediol (2,3‐BD) is a valuable chemical that can be biosynthesized from many kinds of substrates. For commercial biological production of 2,3‐BD, it is desirable to use cheap substrate without pretreatment, such as starch. However, there have been few reports on the production of 2,3‐BD directly from starch. RESULTS: In this work, gene malS coding for α‐amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) precursor was inserted into plasmid pUC18K, and secretory over‐expression of α‐amylase was achieved by engineered Klebsiella pneumoniae. The extracellular recombinant amylase accelerated the hydrolyzation of starch, and one‐step production of 2,3‐BD from starch was carried out by engineered K. pneumoniae. A 2,3‐BD concentration of 3.8 g L^?1 and yield of 0.19 g 2,3‐BD g^?1 starch were obtained after 24 h fermentation. CONCLUSION: The one‐step production of 2,3‐BD from starch was achieved by secretory over‐expression of amylase in K. pneumoniae. This would simplify the process and reduce the production cost considerably by enabling use of starch with minimal pretreatment. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

绿色纤维天丝纱（Tencel）的生产实践

文章主要介绍了绿色环保纤维--天丝(Tencel)纤维特点、主要物理指标及特征,同时也详细介绍了该产品生产的工艺流程、各工序实际生产过程中的主要工艺参数、注意方面以及质量指标测试情况,以供大家参考.     

Synthesis of p‐aminophenol from the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene over metal–solid acid bifunctional catalyst

BACKGROUND: A single‐step conversion of nitrobenzene (NB) to p‐aminophenol (PAP) through catalytic hydrogenation is a widely used synthesis route for PAP. The main shortcoming of this route is the use of sulfuric acid for rearrangement of the phenylhydroxylamine (PHA) intermediate. In this paper, S₂O₈^2?/ZrO₂ (PSZ) solid acid and Pt‐S₂O₈^2?/ZrO₂ (Pt‐PSZ) bifunctional catalysts were prepared for the synthesis of PAP in non‐acid medium. RESULTS: Calcination temperature has a substantial effect on the acidity, structure and activity for PHA rearrangement of PSZ. The highest PAP yield was 33.8% over PSZ calcined at 823 K when the reaction was carried out in water at 423 K. A high PAP yield of 23.9% was achieved by a single‐step reaction of nitrobenzene over Pt‐PSZ bifunctional catalysts. CONCLUSION: PSZ solid acid exhibits high activity for PHA rearrangement. Perfect tetragonal ZrO₂ and much stronger acid sites play important roles in catalytic activity. Inhibiting the hydrogenation activity by reducing the amount of Pt loading on Pt‐PSZ can improve the competition of PHA rearrangement on acid sites with hydrogenation of PHA on metal active sites, resulting in better selectivity to PAP. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Application of artificial neural networks to the analysis of two‐dimensional fluorescence spectra in recombinant E coli fermentation processes

A two‐dimensional (2D) spectrofluorometer was used to monitor various fermentation processes with recombinant E coli for the production of 5‐aminolevulinic acid (ALA). The whole fluorescence spectral data obtained during a process were analyzed using artificial neural networks, ie self‐organizing map (SOM) and feedforward backpropagation neural network (BPNN). The SOM‐based classification of the whole spectral data has made it possible to qualitatively associate some process parameters with the normalized weights and variances, and to select some useful combinations of excitation and emission wavelengths. Based on the classified fluorescence spectra a supervised BPNN algorithm was used to predict some of the process parameters. It was also shown that the BPNN models could elucidate some sections of the process's performance, eg forecasting the process's performance. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

胃动力信息采集与分析系统设计

本文设计了一套提取胃电和胃阻抗信号的胃动力信息采集与分析系统，该系统由采集系统和分析系统两部分构成。前者以单片机（ADuC834）为核心部件，实现了胃电和生物阻抗信号的同步采集和数据传输。后者对提取的阻抗信号和胃电信号运用小波多分辨分析处理，利用小波变换将胃阻抗信号从呼吸和血流信号中分离。系统可以应用于分析功能性消化不良患者胃动力的电过程和机械过程。     

Lactic acid production from dining‐hall food waste by Lactobacillus plantarum using response surface methodology

BACKGROUND: Food waste generally has a high starch content and is rich in nutritional compounds, including lipids and proteins. It therefore represents a potential renewable resource. In this study, dining‐hall food waste was used as a substrate for lactic acid production, and response surface methodology was employed to optimise the fermentation conditions. RESULTS: Lactic acid biosynthesis was significantly affected by the interaction of protease and temperature. Protease, temperature and CaCO₃ had significant linear effects on lactic acid production, while α‐amylase and yeast extract had insignificant effects. The optimal conditions were found to be an α‐amylase activity of 13.86 U g^?1 dried food waste, a protease activity of 2.12 U g^?1 dried food waste, a temperature of 29.31 °C and a CaCO₃ concentration of 62.67 g L^?1, which resulted in a maximum lactic acid concentration of 98.51 g L^?1 (88.75% yield). An increase in inoculum size would be appropriate for accelerating the depletion of initial soluble carbohydrate to enhance the efficiency of α‐amylase in dining‐hall food waste fermentation. CONCLUSION: A suitable regression model for lactic acid production was developed based on the experimental results. Dining‐hall food waste was found to be a good substrate for lactic acid fermentation with high product yield and without nutrient supplementation. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and properties of novel amphiphilic sulfated ionomers by the ring‐opening reaction of an epoxidized styrene–butadiene–styrene triblock copolymer

A method for the synthesis of novel sulfated ionomer of styrene–butadiene–styrene triblock copolymer (SBS) was developed. SBS was first epoxidized by performic acid in the presence of a phase‐transfer catalyst; this was followed by a ring‐opening reaction with an aqueous solution of alkali salt of bisulfate. The optimum conditions for the ring‐opening reaction of the epoxidized SBS with an aqueous solution of KHSO₄ were studied. During the ring‐opening reaction, both phase‐transfer catalyst and ring‐opening catalyst were necessary to enhance the conversion of epoxy groups to ionic groups. The products were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). After the potassium ions of the ionomer were substituted with lead ions, the lead sulfated ionomer exhibited dark spots under TEM. Some properties of the sulfated ionomer were studied. With increasing ionic groups or ionic potential of the cations, the water absorbency and emulsifying volume of the ionomer and the intrinsic viscosity of the ionomer solution increased, whereas the oil absorbency decreased. The sulfated ionomer possessed excellent emulsifying properties compared with the sulfonated SBS ionomer. The sodium sulfated ionomers in the presence of 10% zinc stearate showed better mechanical properties than the original SBS. When the ionomer was blended with crystalline polypropylene, a synergistic effect occurred with respect to the tensile strength. The ionomer behaved as a compatibilizer for blending equal amounts of SBS and oil‐resistant chlorohydrin rubber. In the presence of 3% ionomer, the blend exhibited much better mechanical properties and solvent resistance than the blend without the ionomer. SEM photographs indicated improved compatibility between the two components of the blend in the presence of the ionomer. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Epoxidation of high trans‐1,4‐polyisoprene and its properties

A new organic‐solvent‐free water‐phase suspension method was used to synthesize partially epoxidized high trans‐1,4‐polyisoprene (TPI) to improve its properties, including oil resistance and wet‐skid resistance. The epoxidation was conducted in an aqueous peracetic acid solution and on the TPI granules prepared by a bulk precipitation method with supported titanium catalyst. The effects of the synthesis conditions, including reaction temperature, reaction time, and pH value, on the epoxy content were investigated. Epoxidized trans‐1,4‐polyisoprene (ETPI) with epoxy contents between 10 and 80% were obtained within 4 h. Both the amorphous and crystalline regions of TPI were epoxidized. The crystallization properties decreased with increasing epoxy content. ETPIs possessed lower mechanical properties than TPI but could be enhanced by vulcanization. The oil resistance and wet‐skid resistance were significantly improved after epoxidation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Accelerated wear testing with a microfabricated surface to evaluate the lubrication ability of biomolecules on polyethylene

Wear of ultrahigh‐molecular‐weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and wear‐particle‐induced osteolysis and bone resorption are the major factors causing the failure of total joint replacements. It is feasible to improve the lubrication and reduce the wear of artificial joints. We need further understanding of the lubrication mechanism of the synovial fluid. The objective of this study is to evaluate the lubricating ability of three major components in the synovial fluid: albumin, globulin, and phospholipids. An accelerated wear testing procedure in which UHMWPE is rubbed against a microfabricated surface with controlled asperities has been developed to evaluate the lubrication behavior. An analysis of the wear particle dimensions and wear amount of the tests has provided insights for comparing their lubrication performance. It is concluded that the presence of biomolecules at the articulating interface may reduce friction. A higher concentration of a biological lubricant leads to a decrease in the wear particle width. In addition, in combination with the wear results and mechanical analysis, the roles of individual biomolecules contributing to friction and wear at the articulating interface are discussed. These results can help us to identify the role of the biomolecules in the boundary lubrication of artificial joints, and further development of lubricating additives for artificial joints may be feasible. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008