Introduction of amino groups into the interlayer space of graphite oxide using 3-aminopropylethoxysilanes

Graphite oxide was silylated by 3-aminopropylethoxysilanes under various reaction conditions. Two types of layered materials were obtained when 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane was reacted with graphite oxide. One obtained at lower temperatures was 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane-intercalated graphite oxide with an interlayer spacing of 1.27 nm, in which amino groups of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane were bonded to hydroxyl groups of graphite oxide. At higher temperatures, silylation of graphite oxide occurred, giving a phase with larger interlayer spacing of 1.37 nm. Chemical reduction of graphite oxide to disordered carbon by amino groups occurred at the same time. Similar reactions occurred when 3-aminopropyldiethoxymethylsilane and 3-aminopropylethoxydimethylsilane were reacted and they were introduced into the interlayer space of graphite oxide. Large amounts of silicon, and accordingly amino groups, were introduced in graphite oxide when it was silylated by 3-aminopropyldiethoxymethylsilane because its reactivity for chemical reduction of graphite oxide was relatively lower than that of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and additional silylation was possible. The amount of amino groups available for chemical adsorption of formaldehyde reached a very high value of 3.8 mmol/g for graphite oxide silylated by 3-aminopropyldiethoxymethylsilane.     

Growth of amorphous carbon nanotube from poly(tetrafluoroethylene) and ferrous chloride

The formation process of an amorphous carbon nanotube (α-CNT) from poly-(tetrafluoroethylene) using ferrous chloride was investigated by observing the TEM images of the isolated intermediates and conducting in situ TEM observation of its formation. These observations revealed unique features of the nanotube growth process through a series of steps; the growth of the core whisker, the deposition of amorphous carbon fragments onto the core whisker, and the disappearance of the core whisker, leaving the α-CNT. Such a unique process suggests a new method of controlling the carbon nano structure through the deposition of carbon over the core whisker template. The stable fluoride form of the core whisker is a key to preparing the amorphous carbon wall on its surface.     

Structural significance of the geminal-dimethyl group of (+)-trans-verbenyl acetate,sex pheromone mimic of the American cockroach

The significance of the geminal dimethyl group at C-6 of (+)-trans-veibenyl acetate (Ib), a sex pheromone mimic of the American cockroach, was investigated. Our interest was first directed to eliminating either methyl group of the geminal dimethyl group. Consequently, alcohols (IIIa and IVa) possessing a monomethyl group at C-6 were successfully obtained. Acetate (IVb) and propionate (IVc) of alcohol (IVa) possessing only a C-9 methyl group induced sex pheromonal activity at the 0.5 (IVb) and 0.02 mg (IVc) dose levels, respectively, while acetate (IIIb) of a alcohol (IIIa) with only C-8 methyl group was inactive. Alcohol (Va), which has an ethyl group at the C-6 instead of C-9 methyl, was also synthesized and converted into its acetate (Vb), which showed no activity. From these results, the significance of the dimethyl group is discussed relative to spatial requirements of the molecule for the receptor space. The M/F ratio in EAG was also evaluated for the synthesized esters. The M/F ratio index represented well the potency of pheromonal activity.     

Residual stress in particulate epoxy resin by X-ray diffraction

Residual stress in particulate epoxy resin was investigated by X-ray diffraction. Microdeformation of incorporated Al and α-SiO₂ crystal, which was induced by the residual stress, could be detected as a shift of X-ray diffraction peak. The residual stress at the interface between the adherend and the particulate epoxy resin was found to decrease with the increase of volume fraction of filler. It was shown that the difference in the thermal expansion coefficients between the adherend and the particulate epoxy resin is much more effective on residual stress than the increment of Young's modulus owing to the incorporation of filler. When epoxy resin was cured on the Al plate, incorporated particles were subjected to a tensile stress; while cured on polytetrafluoroethylene sheet, particles were subjected to a compressive stress. The incorporation of some inorganic particles is considered effective to reduce the residual stress.     

Mechanical clinching of ultra-high strength steel sheets and strength of joints

Ultra-high strength steel sheets having low ductility were joined by mechanical clinching with dies for control of metal flow. The diameter and depth of the die were modified to relieve concentration of deformation of the sheets for avoidance of the occurrence of sheet fracture. As the tensile strength of the steel sheets increased, the interlock decreased due to small metal flow. Two kinds of the ultra-high strength steel sheets having different ductility were used. The ultra-high strength steel sheets having large ductility were successfully joined using die having modified shape, whereas the sheets having small ductility were not joined. The static and fatigue strengths of the mechanically clinched joint were compared with those of the resistance spot welded joint. Although the static load of the mechanically clinched joint was smaller than that of the resistance spot welded joint in both tension-shearing and cross-tension tests, the fatigue load of the clinched joint was larger in the large number of cycles. It was found that mechanical clinching has superior fatigue strength due to the large yield stress of the sheets and relaxation of the stress concentration.     

Effects of urea–formaldehyde resin mole ratio on the properties of particleboard

The use of urea–formaldehyde (UF) resins with lower contents of free formaldehyde in the board industry has led to products with very low emissions of formaldehyde. This study gives a detailed account of the influence on the mechanical and physical properties of the particleboard using UF resins with different mole ratios of formaldehyde:urea within the range 0.97–1.27. The mole ratio influenced not only the thickness swelling (TS) and water absorption (WA) but also the internal bond strength (IB) and the modulus of rupture (MOR) if the manufacturing process was optimized. The investigation revealed clearly that at mole ratios of formaldehyde giving the emission class El the MOR, IB, TS, and WA of particleboard deteriorated. Compensation for the deterioration could be provided through a higher dosage of resin or through the modification of UF resin. However, both alternatives meant that the product would be more expensive.     

Phenolic rigid organic filler/isotactic polypropylene composites. II. Tensile properties

A novel phenolic rigid organic filler (KT) was used to modify isotactic polypropylene (iPP). The influence of KT particles on the tensile properties of PP/KT microcomposites was studied by uniaxial tensile test and the morphological structures of the stretched specimens were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). We found that the Young’s modulus of PP/KT specimens increased with filler content, while the yield and break of the specimens are related to the filler particles size. The yield stress, the breaking stress and the ultimate elongation of PP/KT specimens were close to those of unfilled iPP specimens when the maximal filler particles size is less than a critical value, which is 7 μm at a crosshead speed of 10 mm/min and 3 μm at 200 mm/min, close to that of glass bead but far more than those of other rigid inorganic filler particles. The interfacial interaction was further estimated from yield stress, indicating that KT particles have a moderate interfacial interaction with iPP matrix. Thus, the incorporation of small KT particles can reinforce iPP matrix and simultaneously cause few detrimental effects on the other excellent tensile properties of iPP matrix, due to their organic nature, higher specific area, solid true-spherical shape and the homogenous dispersion of the ROF particles in microcomposites.     

Michromatic scope for enhancement of color difference

A michromatic (microscope plus chromatic) scope is a device that enhances the color discrimination between two spectral color datasets. Three spectral filters are required, instead of the conventional red, green, and blue filters, for the implementation of a michromatic camera. In this study, we describe two approaches to the design of these filters: in the first case, the design is based on the direct optimization of the filter characteristics (transmittance), whereas in the second case, the design is based on the nonnegative tensor factorization (NTF) of the spectral datasets. A michromatic camera can be implemented using these filters along with compatible postprocessing in‐camera firmware. Here, we performed experiments with two color datasets: one comprising skin and vein colors, and one comprising skin and cosmetics colors. These were further divided into a training set and a test set. The filters were defined using the training set, and the operation of the filters was tested and magnified using the test set. Our experiments demonstrated that the proposed approaches are suitable for color discrimination. For the first color dataset, the enhancement produced using the optimized filters was up to 252% of the original value, and the average color difference ΔE was increased from 2.82 to 9.93. NTF and preprocessing further enhanced the ΔE up to 21.84. For the second color dataset, NTF and postprocessing enhanced the ΔE from 4.33 to 29.19. The proposed discrimination enhancement could be physically implemented in a designated digital charge‐coupled device camera with proper filter installation and compatible postprocessing. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 2010     

Usability of AMeDAS Sunshine Duration Data for Statistical Evaluation of Spatial Average Irradiance Fluctuation Characteristics

In order to mitigate the impacts of high‐penetration photovoltaic power generation systems (HP‐PVS) on the electric power system operation, the statistical evaluation of the aggregated power output fluctuation characteristics of HP‐PVS is important. By using the multipoint irradiance data observed for a year in the Chubu region of Japan, we have evaluated the fluctuation characteristics of spatial average irradiance. However, the study period is not enough for a statistical evaluation. Therefore, this study assessed the usability of the sunlight duration data of AMeDAS (Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System) for the statistical evaluation of fluctuation characteristics in terms of the daily maximum fluctuation width in 120 min. The method of irradiance estimation from the sunlight duration data at single point proposed in the preceding study was modified to be suitable for the spatial average irradiance estimation by taking into account the smoothing effect of irradiance fluctuation among several points. The results suggest that the AMeDAS sunlight duration data would be useful for statistical evaluation of the fluctuation characteristics of the spatial average irradiance of an electric power system service area.     

X-ray diffraction studies on stress transfer of kenaf reinforced poly(l-lactic acid) composite

Mechanical reinforcement of environmentally friendly composite, composed of kenaf fibers as reinforcement and poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) resin as matrix, was investigated. The stress on the incorporated fibers in the composite under transverse load was monitored in situ and non-destructively using X-ray diffraction. The outer applied stress was found to be well transferred to the incorporated kenaf fibers through the PLLA matrix, which suggests a strong interaction between the fiber and the matrix. In addition, it was also revealed that a silane-coupling treatment to the kenaf fiber was effective for the improvement of interfacial adhesion.