In situ polymerization and nano‐templating phenomenon in nylon fiber/PMMA composite laminates

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (SC CO₂) is used as a reaction/processing medium in the fabrication of fiber‐reinforced composite materials. SC CO₂ allows resin (reactive monomer), to penetrate inside the fibers themselves, partitioning into the amorphous regions of the fiber. The crystal structure then templates polymerization of matrix within the fiber. This process produces a composite that exhibits ultralong‐range order from the nanoscale reinforcement of crystals to the macroscale fiber reinforcement of matrix. In addition, SC CO₂ lowers resin viscosity and aids in wetting out Nylon 6,6 fiber reinforcement in a process similar to reaction injection molding (RIM) or resin transfer molding (RTM). This article will discuss the fabrication technique in detail, including process parameters and the structure of resulting composites and morphology of modified fibers. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1600–1607, 2003     

Microstructure and ultimate properties of injection molded amorphous engineering plastics: Poly(ether imide) and poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether)

Specimens of two engineerig plastics i.e., poly(ether imide), PEI, and poly(2,6-dimethyl- 1,4-phenylene ether), PPE, were injection molded employing a 40t Van Dorn injection molding machine and industrial practices. The mold and melt temperatures and the injection speed were varied in a limited range which furnished acceptable samples. The density, birefringence, residual stress distributions, flexure and tensile properties, and crack development of the injection molded specimens were studied. Vacuum compression molded samples were also prepared to investigate the role played by the cooling rate in shaping microstructural distributions. The results revealed significant differences in the development of microstructure of the molded specimens of the two resins, which was related to rheology and molding conditions on one hand and to development of cracks and ultimate properties on the other hand.     

Designing for reportability: sustainable gamification,public engagement,and promoting environmental debate

There is a growing emphasis in many countries on matters such as participation in e-government, e-democracy, the provision of forums for online debate, and so on. A critical issue in all of these cases is one of encouraging engagement across a broad spectrum of potentially interested parties and stakeholders. In this paper, we use an ethnographic study of an online event, designed to encourage debate, to explore some critical issues in how the mechanisms productive of debate have shifted in company with the Web 2.0 phenomenon. By contrasting this with a prior study of how players managed their gameplay in a multiplayer pervasive game, we focus upon how different ways of constructing games and events can have serious implications for their ordinary everyday reportability in routine face-to-face interactions. We conclude that designing for reportability should be an active consideration when designing the resources for online debate and consider some ways in which that might be accomplished.     

Kinetic Study of the Steam Reforming of Isobutane Using a Pt–CeO2–Gd2O3 Catalyst

Steam reforming of isobutane on a 0.5% Pt–Ce_0.8Gd_0.2O_1.9 catalyst was carried out from 300 to 700 °C under integral conditions with a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 12,000 h⁻¹. The major products were H₂, CO₂, CO and CH₄. The other products produced were ethane, ethylene, propane and propylene with a total molar composition of less than 1.5%. A complete conversion of isobutane was achieved at 700 °C, Kinetic data was obtained by changing the partial pressure of the reactants and the temperature under differential conditions with a GHSV of 55,400 h⁻¹. This was done after observing stable isobutane steam reforming for 160 h and under conditions where the mass transfer limitations were insignificant. An empirical Langmuir–Hinshelwood type model that best fit the kinetic data available was developed.     

Analysis of wide-angle X-ray diffraction patterns of aligned glassy polymers with particular references to polystyrene

Improvement of WAXD patterns from aligned glassy polymers by a numerical desmearing technique is reported. This gives a fibre type diffraction pattern that can be more easily interpreted than radial or cylindrical distribution functions. Application to atactic and quenched isotactic polystyrene shows that the molecular conformations that are found are in agreement with those deduced from i.r. and n.m.r. spectroscopy. For isotactic polystyrene there is significant agreement between the fibre pattern of the aligned glassy polymer and that of the drawn crystalline polymer.     

Reduction of NO by H2 on PdO-MoO3/γ-Al2O3 of low molybdena loading

The catalytic activity and selectivity of three PdO-MoO₃/-Al₂O₃ catalysts containing about 2% Pd and 2% Mo were studied for the reduction of NO by h₂ in the presence of varying amounts of oxygen at temperatures from 50 to 550 °C. The results are compared with those for PdO/-Al₂O₃, PdO-MoO₃/-Al₂O₃ containing 2% Pd and 20% Mo, and a commercial Pt-Rh catalyst. In the absence of oxygen, the conversion of NO to N₂ and N₂O is higher on the three catalysts than it is on PdO/-Al₂O₃ at 500 and 550 °C. In the presence of oxygen, the yields of N₂ and N₂O are generally lower on two of the PdO-MoO₃/-Al₂O₃ catalysts than on PdO/-Al₂O₃.     

The solubility of CO2 in triethylene glycol monomethyl ether

The solubility of CO₂ in triethylene glycol monomethyl ether (TEGMME) has been measured at 40, 70 and 100°C at pressures up to 8.8 MPa. The results were correlated with the Peng-Robinson (1976) equation of state. The interaction parameters and Henry's constants were derived.     

A correlation for the estimation of critical micellization concentrations and temperatures of polyols in aqueous solutions

An empirical correlation is presented for the estimation of critical micellization concentrations (CMC) and critical micellization temperatures (CMT) for poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymers in aqueous solutions. The CMC and CMT are expressed as a function of the polyol molecular weight, composition, and temperature (for CMC determination) or concentration (in the case of CMT). The correlation was developed from experimental CMT data for a set of 12 polyols that covered a wide range of molecular weights (2900–14600) and poly(ethylene oxide) contents (30–80 wt%) and is based on a simple expression for the standard free energy of micellization. Such a correlation should be useful to practitioners of the field as it allows easy prediction of CMC and CMT for a wide range of polyols with a minimal number of input parameters.     

Surface Modification of Titania Nanoparticles Using Ultrathin Ceramic Films

Surface modification of titania nanoparticles was achieved by coating them with ultrathin alumina films using atomic layer deposition. The coating process was performed in a fluidized bed reactor at low pressure and under mechanical vibration. Films were deposited using self-limiting, sequential surface reactions of trimethylaluminum and water. The composition of alumina-coated particles was verified using infrared spectroscopy. The deposited films had an average growth rate of 0.2 nm/coating cycle and were highly uniform and conformal as demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray spectroscopy. Deposited alumina films were amorphous as verified through X-ray diffraction and high-resolution electron microscopy. The coating process did not promote particle sintering as validated via particle size and surface area analysis.     

Electrically conductive adhesives: Effect of particle composition and size distribution

The effects of particle composition and size distribution on the electrical properties of conductive adhesives were studied. Silver-plated glass and silver-plated nickel particles with both narrow (37-44 μm) and broad (< 44 μm) size distributions were dispersed in an epoxy matrix. In all cases, formulations incorporating narrow particle size distributions required greater concentrations of particles to exceed the percolation threshold for electrical conduction than when broad particle distributions were used. Differences between glass and nickel particles were observed and attributed to the higher density of nickel particles, as well as subtle variations in particle size distributions.