Hepatic Δ9 and Δ6 desaturase activities during the recovery period following carbon tetrachloride poisoningdesaturase activities during the recovery period following carbon tetrachloride poisoning

The liver microsomal Δ⁹ and Δ⁶ desaturase activities have been studied in rats with carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatitis. Immediately after poisoning, significant decreases were observed for both types of desaturase activity. However, recovery kinetics were slower for the Δ⁶ desaturase than for the Δ⁹ desaturase. The activities of NADH-ferricyanide and NADH-cytochrome C reductases, proteins involved in the electron transfers associated with microsomal desaturation, were also measured. There was a fall in both activities after poisoning, but this decrease was less than that of the desaturase activities.     

Three-dimensional modelling of Non-Newtonian fluid flow in a coat-hanger die

The three-dimensional model of isothermal flow of power-law fluid in a coat-hanger die has been developed using finite element method. The shape of coat-hanger die used in the present model was determined according to the previous analytical design equation which is based on one-dimensional flow model in the manifold and the slot. Because uniform flow rate across the die outlet is most important to achieve uniform thickness of extruded polymer sheet or film, flow rate distribution is mainly examined to determine the valid process condition for the design equation as the design parameters are changed. The effects of fluid property in terms of power-law index and process parameters not considered in one-dimensional design equation such as die inlet size and the presence of land were analyzed. Results show that the manifold angle is the most influencing design parameter on flow rate distribution. When the material of different power-law index from design value is processed, the change of power-law index affects the uniformity of flow rate appreciably.     

Preparation of Monodisperse ZrO2 by the Microwave Heating of Zirconyl Chloride Solutions

Based on the principle that the solubility of a salt decreases as the dielectric constant of the solvent decreases, zirconia powders were prepared by heating a zirconyl chloride solution with a 2-PrOH-water mixture as the solvent. The morphology, size, and size distribution of the resulting particles were highly sensitive to the heating method used on the starting solution. Particles formed under conventional heating methods were polydisperse, agglomerated spherical, or irregularly shaped because of inhomogeneous precipitation through the temperature gradient, the shear force induced by stirring, compositional nonuniformity, and the low heating rate. The present study demonstrated that microwaves provide an excellent means of heating uniformly and rapidly without stirring. The particles resulting from microwave treatment were monodisperse and spherical, with a mean diameter of 0.28 μm.     

Kinetics of cellobiose decomposition under subcritical and supercritical water in continuous flow system

The effects of reaction temperature, pressure and residence time were investigated with a flow apparatus. Cellobiose decomposition kinetics and products in suband supercritical water were examined at temperatures from 320 to 420 °C at pressures from 25 to 40 MPa, and at residence times within 3 sec. Cellobiose was found to decompose via hydrolysis and pyrolysis. The yield of desired hydrolysis product, glucose, was the maximum value of 36.8% at 320 °C, 35 MPa, but the amount of 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), fermentation inhibitor increased too because residence time increased in the subcritical region owing to decrease of reaction rate. Meanwhile, though the yield of glucose is low in the supercritical region, the yield of HMF decreased compared with the subcritical region; and at the minimum yield of HMF (380 °C, 25 MPa), the yield of glucose was 21.4%. The decomposition of cellobiose followed first-order kinetics and the activation energy for the decomposition of cellobiose was 51.05 kJ/mol at 40MPa.     

Monodisperse polymer/metal composite particles by electroless chemical deposition: Effect of surface functionality of polymer particles

Micron‐sized polymer particles were coated with layers of nickel compounds by plating electrolessly in the presence of aqueous solutions of nickel chloride, sodium hypophosphite, sodium citrate, and ammonium chloride at elevated temperature. The uniform functional polymer particle could be obtained by seeded polymerization. To investigate the effect of surface functionality on the conditions for nickel deposition, the polymer particle was functionalized with the thiol group. From morphological observation, it was found that the mode of nickel deposition was greatly dependent on the surface functionality of the polymer particle. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 420–424, 2003     

Thermooxidative degradation of natural rubber/clay composite

The clay is treated with a reducing agent and an acid so as to obtain a clay containing various metal components with a variable‐valence state. Then, the clay is coprecipitated with natural rubber (NR) latex to prepare a vulcanized NR/clay composite. The degradation process of the NR/clay composite under hot air condition was studied dynamically by using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer attaching an in situ sample cell and was also investigated using the TGA method. The test result obtained from the infrared spectrometry indicated that under low decomposition temperature, the decomposition products of the test samples mainly are ethylene, low molecular olefinic hydrocarbon, and carbonyl compounds. As the decomposition temperature rises, the low molecular olefinic hydrocarbon content decreases, the olefine with longer chain is formed, and a lot of alkane decomposition products are formed at the same time. When the content of the metal components with a variable‐valence state in clay such as Cu, Mn, Co, and Fe increases, the oxidation products containing the carbonyl group, the olefinic hydrocarbon, and CO₂ in the decomposition product of the test sample also increase. The TGA result clearly shows a shoulder peak that appears by the side of the main peak on the DTG curve of NR/clay composite. With the increase in the content of metal components with variable‐valence state in clay, the initial degradation temperature of the test sample (T₀), the degradation peak temperature (T_p1), and the final degradation temperature (T_f1) in first‐stage reaction, as well as the degradation peak temperature (T_p2) and the last final degradation temperature (T_f) in second‐stage reaction of all the test samples more or less shift to the direction of low temperature; besides, the activation energy (E) of the reaction of the test samples more or less decreases. This means that the metal components with variable‐valence state promote the oxidative degradation of the clay–rubber masterbatch. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 3809–3815, 2006     

Binary blends of nylons with ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymers: Morphological,thermal, rheological,and mechanical behavior

Binary blends of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymers, containing 62 (EVOH-62) and 71 (EVOH-71) mole percent vinyl alcohols, with nylons (nylon-6, nylon-6/12, and nylon-12) have been prepared from melt mixing in a twin screw compounding machine. Morphological, thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties were determined. EVOH-62/nylon-6 and EVOH-71/nylon-6 blends showed homogeneous phase morphologies in the nylon-6-rich region, and fine phase separations (c.a. 2 × 10^?7 m) in the EVOH-rich region. Melting point depression, positive deviations in viscosity and flexural modulus, and negative deviation in impact strength from the simple additive rule were generally observed. And the results were possibly interpreted in terms of compatibility and increased nylon/EVOH interactions over the nylon/nylon interactions. On the contrary, clean phase separations in large domains were observed from EVOH-71/nylon-6/12 and EVOH-71 /nylon-12 blends. Fibrillation was also obtained from EVOH rich blends. Probably due to the incompatible nature of these blends, yield at low rate of shear and a mechanical property drop were also observed.     

Electrochemical behavior of Sn8Hg (gamma-2) and dental amalgam in a phosphate buffer solution

The gamma-2 phase (Sn₈Hg) and a dental amalgam in phosphate buffer have been studied by means of potentiostatic and galvanostatic techniques, along with a rotating ring-disc electrode (RRDE). The analysis of results has shown that phosphate ions play an important role in the corrosion of amalgam. The anodic reaction leads to the formation of soluble species and a passivating film, which is probably composed of tin hydroxide and tin phosphate.     

Enhanced corrosion prevention effect of polysulfone–clay nanocomposite materials prepared by solution dispersion

A series of polymer–clay nanocomposite (PCN) materials containing polysulfone (PSF) and layered MMT clay were successfully prepared by effectively dispersing inorganic nanolayers of MMT clay in an organic PSF matrix via a solution dispersion technique. The synthesized PCN materials were subsequently investigated with a series of characterization techniques, including Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, wide‐angle powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The prepared PCN coatings with low clay loading (1 wt %) on cold‐rolled steel (CRS) were found to be superior in corrosion prevention to those of bulk PSF, based on a series of electrochemical measurements of corrosion potential, polarization resistance, corrosion current and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in a 5 wt % aqueous NaCl electrolyte. The effects of material composition on the molecular barrier, mechanical strength and optical clarity of PSF and PCN materials, in the form of membranes, was also studied by molecular permeability analysis (GPA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and UV‐Visible transmission spectra, respectively. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 631–637, 2004     

Mathematical model for the pultrusion of blocked PU–UP matrix composites

The thermokinetic behavior of blocked polyurethane (PU)–unsaturated polyester (UP)–based composites during the pultrusion of glass‐fiber‐reinforced composites was investigated utilizing a mathematical model that accounted for the heat transfer and heat generation during curing. The equations of continuity and energy balance, coupled with a kinetic expression for the curing system, were solved using a finite difference method to calculate the temperature profiles and conversion profiles in the thickness direction in a rectangular pultrusion die. A kinetic model, dP/dt = A exp(?E/RT)P^m(1 ? P)ⁿ, was proposed to describe the curing behavior of a blocked PU–UP resin. Kinetic parameters for the model were obtained from dynamic differential scanning calorimetry scans using a multiple regression technique, which was able to predict the effects of processing parameters on the pultrusion. The effects of processing parameters including pulling speed, die wall temperature, and die thickness on the performance of the pultrusion also were evaluated. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 1996–2002, 2003