Heat Induced Structure Modifications in Polymer‐Layered Silicate Nanocomposites

Summary: The success of the use of layered silicates in polymer nanocomposites, to improve physical and chemical properties is strictly related to a deeper knowledge of the mechanistic aspects on which the final features are grounded. This work shows the temperature induced structural rearrangements of nanocomposites based on poly[ethylene‐co‐(vinyl acetate)] (EVA) intercalated‐organomodified clay (at 3–30 wt.‐% silicate addition) which occur in the range between 75 and 350 °C. In situ high temperature X‐ray diffraction (HT‐XRD) studies have been performed under both nitrogen and air to monitor the modifications of the nanocomposite structure at increasing temperatures under inert/oxidative atmosphere. Heating between 75 and 225 °C, under nitrogen or air, causes the layered silicate to migrate towards the nanocomposite surface and to increase its interlayer distance. The degradation of both the clay organomodifier and the VA units of the EVA polymer seems to play a key role in driving the evolution of the silicate phase in the low temperature range. The structural modifications of the nanocomposites in the high temperature range (250–350 °C), depended on the atmosphere, either inert or oxidizing, in which the samples were heated. Heating under nitrogen led to deintercalation and thus a decrease of the silicate interlayer space, whereas exfoliation was the main process under air leading to an increase of the silicate interlayer space.

Heat induced structural modification of EVA‐clay nanocomposite under nitrogen and air.     

Dynamics and scaling of explosion cratering in granular media

Granular cratering is a ubiquitous phenomenon occurring in various natural and industrial contexts. Although impact‐induced granular cratering has been extensively studied, fewer experiments have been conducted on granular cratering via low‐energy explosions. Here, we study the dynamics and scaling of explosion granular cratering by injecting short pulses of pressurized air in quasi‐two‐dimensional granular media. Through an analysis of the dynamics of explosion processes at different explosion pressures, explosion durations, and burial depths, we identify two regimes, the bubbling and the eruption regimes, in explosion granular cratering. Our experiments explore the distinctive dynamics and crater morphologies of these regimes and show the energy scaling of the size of explosion craters. We compare high‐energy and low‐energy explosion cratering as well as explosion and impact cratering in terms of their energy scalings. Our work illustrates complex granular flows in explosion cratering and provides new insights into the general scaling of granular cratering processes. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 2972–2981, 2018     

Aligned carbon nanotubes sandwiched in epitaxial NbC film for enhanced superconductivity

Highly aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) ribbons were sandwiched in epitaxial superconducting NbC films by a chemical solution deposition method. The incorporation of aligned long CNTs into NbC film enhances the normal-state conductivity and improves the superconducting properties of the assembly.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of CTP Synthetase Inhibitors as Potential Agents for the Treatment of African Trypanosomiasis

Acivicin analogues with an increased affinity for CTP synthetase (CTPS) were designed as potential new trypanocidal agents. The inhibitory activity against CTPS can be improved by increasing molecular complexity, by inserting groups able to establish additional interactions with the binding pocket of the enzyme. This strategy has been pursued with the synthesis of α‐amino‐substituted analogues of Acivicin and N1‐substituted pyrazoline derivatives. In general, there is direct correlation between the enzymatic activity and the in vitro anti‐trypanosomal efficacy of the derivatives studied here. However, this cannot be taken as a general rule, as other important factors may play a role, notably the ability of uptake/diffusion of the molecules into the trypanosomes.     

Application of Multivariate Analysis in Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy as a Tool for the Evaluation of Waste Frying Oil Blends

Mid-infrared spectroscopy, in association with multivariate chemometric techniques, was employed for pattern recognition and the determination of the composition of waste frying oils (WFO); data are presented in terms of the percentage of soybean oil, palm oil and hydrogenated vegetable fat in frying oil blends. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using spectral data (3,000–600 cm⁻¹) to discriminate between the samples containing 100% soybean oil, 100% palm oil, 100% hydrogenated vegetable fat groups and their blends. Additionally, the results indicated that partial least squares (PLS) models based on mid-infrared spectra were suitable as practical analytical methods for predicting the oil contents in WFO blends. PLS models were validated by a representative prediction set, and the root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) were 2.8, 4.7 and 5.5% for palm oil, soybean oil and hydrogenated vegetable fat, respectively. The proposed methodology can be very useful for the rapid and low cost determination of waste frying oil composition while also aiding in decisions regarding the management of oil pretreatment and production routes for biodiesel production.     

How much nitrogen is fixed by biological symbiosis in tropical dry forests? 1. Trees and shrubs

Despite the recognized importance of the process, estimates of the amount of nitrogen fixed by biological symbiosis in tropical dry forests are almost nonexistent. We estimated the nitrogen fixed annually by the leaves of trees and shrubs at sites regenerating for 16 and 38?years and in an old-growth dry forest using ¹⁵N abundance methodology. The total leaf biomass (1,824?C3,036?kg?ha^?1) and nitrogen contents (62?C90?kg?ha^?1) did not differ among the areas. In all of the areas, most of the leaf biomass belonged to legume plants, but the proportion of the N₂-fixing legumes decreased with increasing regeneration time. In the 16-year regenerating area, almost all of the N was in the leaves of the N-fixing Mimosa tenuiflora plants, but fixation was absent or very low as it was in the N-fixing species present in the 38-year regenerating area. In the old-growth Caatinga, all of the N-fixing species (M. tenuiflora, Piptadenia stipulacea and Anadenanthera colubrina) had large proportions (47?C62?%) of their N derived from atmospheric N₂, but the amount of fixed N (6?kg?ha^?1) was a small proportion of the total leaf N because these plant species were a small part of the vegetation. The total input of biologically fixed N to the old-growth forest was similar in magnitude to an estimate made for a humid tropical forest in Amazonia.     

The supercritical micronization of solid dispersions by Particles from Gas Saturated Solutions using experimental design

The Particle from Gas Saturated Solutions process was successfully used to micronize solid dispersions containing hydrophilic carriers and a new chemical entity, YNS3107. By means of experimental design, the effects of several experimental parameters on micronization were investigated. Within the chosen experimental conditions, the results showed that the autoclave temperature, autoclave pressure, drug loading, flow rate of carbon dioxide and air pressure were significant parameters. During the optimization step, the most relevant parameters of the screening were optimized using a central composite design meanwhile other factors were kept constant. Optimal conditions were used to produce microparticles with a volume weighted mean diameter of 30.4 μm. The closeness between the measured and predicted response, evaluated at 28.1 μm, demonstrated the validity of the statistical analyses. Finally, an enhancement of the rate of dissolution of YNS3107 in the solid dispersion microparticles was measured using USP II dissolution test apparatus.     

Thermal Decomposition of Diammonium Tetrachloroplatinate to form Platinum Nanoparticles and its Application as Electrodes

Pt nanoparticles were obtained via the thermal decomposition of (NH₄)₂[PtCl₄] (diammonium tetrachloroplatinate) by heating from room temperature to 760 °C. The thermal decomposition process was analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray thermodiffraction and infrared spectroscopy. The size and structure of the platinum particles were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical activity of Pt particles was assessed by cyclic voltammetry in 0.5 M H₂SO₄. The TGA and DTA results suggested that the thermal decomposition of the precursor proceeded in two stages: loss of NH₄Cl at ~300 °C, followed by loss of NH₄Cl and Cl₂ at ~372 °C. Metallic Pt particles were then produced at temperatures of 372 °C and above. At 760 °C, the mean ± SD size of the Pt particles was (4.1 ± 1.6) nm, as determined from TEM measurements. In cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements, an electrode comprised of glassy carbon and Pt particles in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ exhibited behavior similar to that observed using a polycrystalline Pt electrode.