Synthesis and biological activity of phthalimide‐based polymers containing 5‐fluorouracil

The attachment of anticancer agents to polymers is a promising approach towards reducing the toxic side‐effects and retaining the potent antitumour activity of these agents. A new tetrahydrophthalimido monomer containing 5‐fluorouracil (ETPFU) and its homopolymer and copolymers with acrylic acid (AA) and with vinyl acetate (VAc) have been synthesized and spectroscopically characterized. The ETPFU contents in poly(ETPFU‐co‐AA) and poly(ETPFU‐co‐VAc) obtained by elemental analysis were 21 mol% and 20 mol%, respectively. The average molecular weights of the polymers determined by gel permeation chromatography were as follows: M_n = 8900 g mol^?1, M_w = 13 300 g mol^?1, M_w/M_n = 1.5 for poly(ETPFU); M_n = 13 500 g mol^?1, M_w = 16 600 g mol^?1, M_w/M_n = 1.2 for poly(ETPFU‐co‐AA); M_n = 8300 g mol^?1, M_w = 11 600 g mol^?1, M_w/M_n = 1.4 poly(ETPFU‐co‐VAc). The in vitro cytotoxicity of the compounds against FM3A and U937 cancer cell lines increased in the following order: ETPFU > 5‐FU > poly(ETPFU) > poly(ETPFU‐co‐AA) > poly(ETPFU‐co‐VAc). The in vivo antitumour activities of all the polymers in Balb/C mice bearing the sarcoma 180 tumour cell line were greater than those of 5‐FU and monomer at the highest dose (800 mg kg^?1). © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Modeling of the drying process in paper plants

In this study a model for the drying process in paper production plants was developed based on the mass and heat balances around drying cycles. Relationships for the heat transfer coefficients between the web and the air as well as between the drying cylinder and the web were extracted from the closed-loop plant operation data. It was found that the heat transfer coefficients could be represented effectively in terms of moisture content, basis weight and reel velocity. The effectiveness of the proposed model was illustrated through numerical simulations. From the comparison with the operation data, the proposed model represents the paper plant being considered with sufficient accuracy.     

Selective O-Alkylation Reaction of Hydroquinone with Methanol over Cs Ion-Exchanged Zeolites

O-alkylation reaction of hydroquinone with excess methanol was performed by using alkali metal ion-exchanged zeolite catalysts in a slurry type reactor to substitute the solid zeolite catalysts for the homogeneous liquid phase catalysts. This was also done to produce selectively mono-alkylated 4-methoxyphenol, a valuable intermediate for the perfume, flavor, food and photo industries. The effects of the basicity of various zeolites and reaction conditions such as temperature, reaction time and the amount of catalyst on the catalytic activity and selectivity were tested to maximize the yield of 4-methoxyphenol. Thus far, 84% selectivity at 95% conversion of hydroquinone was obtained at the optimum reaction conditions (240 ‡C, reaction with 0.6 g catalyst for 16 h), which was thought to result from the strong basic property and shape selectivity of the Cs ion-exchanged NaX zeolite.     

Hydrodynamic characteristics of a FCC regenerator

The hydrodynamic and gas mixing characteristics have been determined in a FCC regenerator (0.48 m I.D.x3.4 m high) with FCC particles. Solids holdup in the dense bed decreases with increasing gas velocity, but it increases in the freeboard region. The bubble/void fraction increases with an increase along the bed height at a given gas velocity and increases with increasing gas velocity at a constant bed height. Backmixed tracer gas at the wall region is higher than that at the center region of the bed. The gas backmixing coefficient decreases with increasing gas velocity.     

Universal yield stress function for biocompatible chitosan based-electrorheological fluid: Effect of particle concentration

Electrorheological (ER) response of biocompatible particles suspended in an insulating silicone oil, was investigated under several different applied external electric field strengths. Chitosan, a biodegradable polysaccharide, was used as anhydrous ER materials. The effect of particle volume concentration on their ER response was examined by focusing on the measurement for rheological and electrical properties. The yield stress of chitosan suspended in silicone oil system as a function of applied electric field strength showed different value of slopes for different particle concentrations, however, all data points collapse onto a universal scaling function.     

Sulfonated poly(ether ketone ketone) ionomers as proton exchange membranes

Sulfonated poly(ether ketone ketone) ionomers (SPEKK) with ion‐exchange capacities (IEC) between 0.2 and 3.4 meq/g were prepared by sulfonating PEKK with a mixture of concentrated and fuming sulfuric acids. Sulfonation occurs only on the phenyl rings attached to ether and ketone groups. The glass transition temperature of the dry SPEKK ionomers increased linearly with increasing IEC, and the ionomers were thermally stable to ～250°C, above which desulfonation occurred. Water‐swollen ionomers exhibited microphase separated morphologies, and the average correlation length determined by small angle X‐ray scattering increased with increasing IEC. The proton conductivity of hydrated SPEKK membranes measured by impedance spectroscopy ranged from ～10^–3 to 10^–1 S/cm as the IEC increased from ～1.0 to 2.4 meq/g. Single cell performance curves on membrane‐electrode assemblies (MEA) indicated that the SPEKK membranes approached the performance of Nafion? for an IEC of 2 meq/g. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 45:1081–1091, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Enhanced surface morphologies of screen-printed carbon nanotube films by heat treatment and their field-emission properties

A heating process for obtaining free-standing carbon nanotube emitters is presented with the aim of improving field-emission properties from the screen-printed multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) films. Using an atmosphere with an optimum combination of nitrogen and air for heat treatment of CNT films, the CNT emitters can be made to protrude from the surface. This allows for a high emission current and the formation of very uniform emission sites without special surface treatment. The morphological change of the CNT film by this technique has eliminated additional processing steps, such as surface treatment which may result in secondary contamination and damage to the film. Despite its simplicity the process provides a high reproducibility in emission current density which makes the films suitable for practical applications.     

A kinetic model for polystyrene (PS) pyrolysis reaction

A mathematical model for the pyrolysis reaction of polystyrene (PS) in a semi-batch reactor has been presented. The thermal degradation of PS was flexibly modeled by a combination of random and specific chain-end scissions. Numerical simulation was used to investigate the effect of operating conditions on the PS products spectrum, the results of which were validated by the experimental data. It was found that as the reaction temperature increased (decreased), the monomer fraction in the products became lower (higher) while the trimer higher (lower). No significant variation in the product composition was, however, observed while constant temperature was maintained. These results indicate the reaction temperature is an effective manipulated variable for the control of products composition of PS pyrolysis. The calculation of the optimum temperature trajectories through the optimization study can thus be of interest for achieving productivity enhancement in plastics pyrolysis processes. This paper is dedicated to Professor Dong Sup Doh on the occasion of his retirement from Korea University.     

Relationship between chemical degradation and thickness loss of an amine-cured epoxy coating exposed to different UV environments

The relationship between chemical degradation and thickness loss of an unpigmented, non UV-stabilized, crosslinked amine-cured epoxy coating exposed to three UV conditions was investigated. Spin-coated samples having a thickness of approximately 7 μm on an Si substrate were prepared from a stochiometric mixture of a bisphenol A epoxy resin and a tetra-functional amine curing agent. Samples were exposed outdoors and to two accelerated laboratory UV environments. Chemical degradation and thickness loss were measured by transmission Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS) and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), respectively. In addition, surface roughness and morphological changes were measured by atomic forcemicrosocopy (AFM) and LSCM. Substantial chemical degradation, thickness loss, and morpholocal changes occurred in the exposed films, and the rate of chemical degradation was greater than that due to the thickness loss. This additional chemical loss was attributed to an inhomogeneous degradation process in which nanoscale localized depressions initiate at certain sites on the surface, which then enlarge and deepen with exposure time. The results of this study provide a better understanding of the degradation mechanism and should lead to the development of scientific-based models for predicting the service life of crosslinked amine-cured epoxy coatings. Presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology, October 27–29, 2004, in Chicago, IL     

Preparation and electrical properties of metal sulfides–amidoximated PAN composite film

To improve the electrical conductivity of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) film, metallic sulfides and PAN composite film were prepared by the chelating method. Dense PAN film and porous PAN film were prepared by dry process and wet process, respectively. These PAN films were treated to NH₂OH solution to introduce the amidoxime group coordinated with metallic ion. Cu⁺² and Cd⁺² ions were adsorbed to amidoximated PAN films, the sulfur ion was treated with metal-adsorbed PAN films, and thus CuS—and CdS–PAN composite films were prepared. The adsorptive capacity of amidoximated PAN film for the Cu⁺² ion was independent of the morphology of the PAN film, but the adsorptive capacity of the Cd⁺² ion on amidoximated PAN film was dependent on porosity of the polymer. Adsorptive capacity of amidoximated porous PAN film for Cd⁺² was improved about four times than that of amidoximated dense PAN film. The electrical conductivities of CuS–dense and porous PAN composite film were both 10^?1 S/cm in optimum condition, but because of the difference in adsorptive capacity, the electrical conductivities of CdS–dense and CdS–porous PAN composite films were 10^?9 S/cm and 10^?4 S/cm, respectively. Additionally, because CdS was known as a photoconductive material, the photoconductive properties of CdS–porous PAN composite film were investigated.