Compatibilization of PP/PBT and PP/PA6 blends with a new oxazoline-functionalized polypropylene

Summary Aim of this work was to study the effectiveness of a novel oxazoline-functionalized polypropylene as a compatibilizer for PP/PBT and PP/PA6 blends. This polypropylene-based compatibilizer mixes well with the polypropylene and is capable of reacting with the carboxylic and amine end groups of PBT and PA6. Significant improvements in blend toughness were achieved without reduction in strength and stiffness. These effects were related to stabilized morphology of finely dispersed minor phase well attached to the matrix. The enhanced interfacial interactions between the two phases, in particular at high PBT content were evidenced by increased melt viscosity.     

Soxhlet extraction of mucic acid from fungal biomass

Biologically produced mucic acid may form crystals before being separated from the biomass. Here we use Soxhlet extraction of fungal biomass to obtain mucic acid that was otherwise lost when separating biomass from the supernatant. Culture supernatant was used to extract the biomass, avoiding dilution of the mucic acid while retaining a cell-free suspension. Soxhlet extraction of biomass recovered 7% of total mucic acid produced at pH 4 and 24% at pH 6. The potential for mucic acid to cyclize to the 1,4-lactone was investigated by solid state NMR, confirming that very little lactone was present after the crystallization step.     

超音速火焰喷涂碳化物粒径不同的WC-10Co4Cr涂层在粗细磨粒下的磨损性能

改进的ASTM G65橡胶轮测试方法可采用220nm二氧化钛颗粒和368μm的砂粒分别在潮湿和干燥条件下使用。在由碳化物粒径不同(传统和亚微米)的两种粉末所制备的WC-CoCr涂层上开展试验,研究碳化物大小和磨损介质特性对涂层磨损性能的影响。采用扫描电镜对同一位置磨损前后的低倍和高倍形貌进行观察,并分析了涂层的磨损机理。结果表明:磨损机理取决于碳化物和磨粒的相对大小。在样品上进行磨损定量分析,通过调整碳化物尺寸可改善磨损性能,测试涂层的一些力学性能用于对比。     

Adhesion of extrusion‐coated polymer sealing layers to a fiber‐based packaging material with an atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide surface coating

Adhesion of extrusion‐coated polymer sealing layers on an atomic layer deposited (ALD) aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) surface coating was investigated with a view to gain information on the applicability of ALD deposited barrier layers in fiber‐based packaging materials. The polymers used for the sealing layer were low density polyethylene (LDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polylactide (PLA). They were extrusion‐coated onto the ceramic side of paper/PET/Al₂O₃ substrates, where the Al₂O₃ layer was a few tens of nanometers thick. According to the results, good adhesion was obtained for LDPE coating, whereas the other coatings showed a considerable lack of adhesion. Presumably, the oxidation faced by LDPE in the air gap of the extrusion‐coating process was able to create an extensive number of reactive sites that strongly bonded with the hydroxyl groups on the oxide surface of the substrate. With the PET and PLA coatings, such oxidation did not occur and the adhesion obtained remained at a relatively poor level. With all of the coatings, the adhesion levels were improved using corona discharge equipment as a pretreatment prior to the extrusion‐coating process. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 52:1985–1990, 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Utilisation of continuous atomic layer deposition process for barrier enhancement of extrusion-coated paper

The feasibility of a novel continuous atomic layer deposition process in improving the barrier properties of extrusion-coated papers was investigated. The polymer coatings on paper were low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephtalate and polylactide. The new method was tested by depositing 100 nm aluminium oxide layers on the polymer side of the structures. According to test results, the aluminium oxide layer produced significant barrier improvements. The water vapour and oxygen transmission rates measured were approximately 3-5 times lower than those of the untreated samples. Even better improvements were found for the water vapour transmission rates of polyethylene terephtalate and polylactide coated papers being over 10 times lower than for the untreated structures. It is proposed that the better water vapour barrier improvements were found because of these polymers' disposition to water sorption in the non-processed samples. The continuous atomic layer deposition process caused also considerable changes in the topography and morphology of some polymers, which reduced the barrier properties and applicability of the structures. Further research is needed to enable the use of lower process temperatures in the continuous atomic layer deposition process, which would improve the feasibility of the new method.     

A Novel Porous Tube Reactor for Nanoparticle Synthesis with Simultaneous Gas-Phase Reaction and Dilution

A novel porous tube reactor that combines simultaneous reactions and continuous dilution in a single-stage gas-phase process was designed for nanoparticle synthesis. The design is based on the atmospheric pressure chemical vapor synthesis (APCVS) method. In comparison to the conventional hot wall chemical vapor synthesis reactor, the APCVS method offers an effective process for the synthesis of ultrafine metal particles with controlled oxidation. In this study, magnetic iron and maghemite were synthesized using iron pentacarbonyl as a precursor. Morphology, size, and magnetic properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were determined. The X-ray diffraction results show that the porous tube reactor produced nearly pure iron or maghemite nanoparticles with crystallite sizes of 24 and 29 nm, respectively. According to the scanning mobility particle sizer data, the geometric number mean diameter was 110 nm for iron and 150 nm for the maghemite agglomerates. The saturation magnetization value of iron was 150 emu/g and that of maghemite was 12 emu/g, measured with superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was used to model the temperature and flow fields and the decomposition of the precursor as well as the mixing of the precursor vapor and the reaction gas in the reactor. An in-house CFD model was used to predict the extent of nucleation, coagulation, sintering, and agglomeration of the iron nanoparticles. CFD simulations predicted a primary particle size of 36 nm and an agglomerate size of 134 nm for the iron nanoparticles, which agreed well with the experimental data.

Copyright 2015 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Preparation of Mono‐, Di‐ and Hemicalcium Ferrite Phases via Melt for Reduction Kinetics Investigations

Iron ore concentrates that are used in the iron production are usually agglomerated into sinter or pellets in order to improve their properties in the blast furnace. The main minerals in the magnetite base sinters are hematite, magnetite and Si and Al containing calcium ferrites of which the latter can exist as either monocalcium ferrite, dicalcium ferrite or hemicalcium ferrite depending on the conditions and on the material's iron/calcium‐ratio. In order to study the reduction behaviour of the sinter in the iron production, samples of monocalcium ferrite, dicalcium ferrite and hemicalcium ferrite were prepared by melting different proportions of pure calcium and iron oxides. After melting the samples were cast and cooled. Samples of hemicalcium ferrite were also heated at a certain temperature before the actual reduction experiments in order to ensure the wanted phase composition of the samples. The mineral compositions of the samples were verified using scanning electron microscopy (SEM‐EDS) as well as X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The verification showed that it was possible to produce the samples of calcium ferrites via melting. The conditions needed to reduce the calcium ferrites were estimated with thermodynamic calculations.     

Screw optimization of a co-rotating twin-screw extruder for a binary immiscible blend

The effect of the screw configuration of a closely intermeshing co-rotating twin-screw extruder on residence time and mixing efficiency was studied for an uncompatibilized immiscible PA6/PP (80:20) bend. Alternative screw configurations were investigated systematically. The residence time distribution (RTD) was found to be a poor indicator of the total mixing efficiency, whereas the mixing intensity function yielded considerably better information. High shear stress, sufficient residence time, and high fill ratio in the melting section of the screw were the most important factors in achieving good dispersion of the minor phase. The evolution of morphology along the screw axis depended strongly on the screw configuration. The downstream flow characteristics after the screw end determined the final morphology of the blend.     

Textural changes in metallurgical coke prepared with polyethylene

The effect of high-density polyethylene （HDPE） on the textural features of experimental coke was investigated using polar- ized-light optical microscopy and wavelet-based image analysis. Metallurgical coke samples were prepared in a laboratory-scale furnace with 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, 10.0%, and 12.5% HDPE by mass, and one sample was prepared by 100% coal. The amounts and distribution of textures （isotropic, mosaic and banded） and por~s were obtained. The calculations reveal that the addition of HDPE results in a decrease of mosaic texture and an increase of isotropic texture. Ethylene formed from the decomposition of HDPE is considered as a probable reason for the texture modifications. The approach used in this study can be applied to indirect evaluation for the reactivity and strength of coke.     

Comparative experimental study of sand and binder for flowability and casting mold quality

A good sand mold is an indispensable prerequisite to obtaining a good metal casting. Although sand casting is one of the oldest metal forming technique known to humans, it still has a lot to discover. In a bid to meet the ever-growing demand for quality, economics and increasing environmental restrictions, research is still ongoing to optimize for example the process of making the sand mold. This paper presents a comparative study of six different foundry sands for flowability using simple inexpensive apparatus and some quality parameters achieved by these sands when used with three different types of binder, two organic and one inorganic. The study aims to facilitate the choice of mold materials with a more extensive outlook into their characteristics through a serious of sand and mold tests. A good comparison of already existing materials provides a good reference point when novel materials are investigated. All the sands exhibited ‘good’ flow property according to the simple flowability tests done. However, not the same consensus for flowability rank is reached by all the flow tests. The mold quality tests reveal the strength, loss on ignition and permeability values achieved with each of the binder and sand combination which can also be used in mold material selection.