Effect of solution properties on nanofibrous structure of electrospun poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid)

Electrospinning of poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) in chloroform or 1,1,1,3,3,3‐hexafluoro‐2‐propanol (HFIP) was investigated, focusing on its solution parameters, to develop nonwoven biodegradable nanofibrous structures for tissue engineering. PLGA nanofibers were obtained by electrospinning of 15 wt % PLGA solution and the resulting average fiber diameters were varied with the range of 270–760 nm, depending on solution property. When small amounts of benzyl triethylammonium chloride (BTEAC) was added to the PLGA/chloroform solution, the average diameter was decreased from 760 to 450 nm and the fibers were densely amounted in a straight shape. In addition, the average fiber diameter (270 nm) of nanofibers electrospun from polar HFIP solvent was much smaller than that (760 nm) of nanofibers electrospun from nonpolar chloroform solvent. Therefore, it could be concluded that conductivity or dielectric constant of the PLGA solution was a major parameter affecting the morphology and diameter of the electrospun PLGA fibers. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 1214–1221, 2006     

An adaptive genetic algorithm for the time dependent inventory routing problem

In this paper we propose an adaptive genetic algorithm that produces good quality solutions to the time dependent inventory routing problem (TDIRP) in which inventory control and time dependent vehicle routing decisions for a set of retailers are made simultaneously over a specific planning horizon. This work is motivated by the effect of dynamic traffic conditions in an urban context and the resulting inventory and transportation costs. We provide a mixed integer programming formulation for TDIRP. Since finding the optimal solutions for TDIRP is a NP-hard problem, an adaptive genetic algorithm is applied. We develop new genetic representation and design suitable crossover and mutation operators for the improvement phase. We use adaptive genetic operator proposed by Yun and Gen (Fuzzy Optim Decis Mak 2(2):161–175, 2003) for the automatic setting of the genetic parameter values. The comparison of results shows the significance of the designed AGA and demonstrates the capability of reaching solutions within 0.5 % of the optimum on sets of test problems.     

Thermal behavior and the determination of the polymer-polymer interaction parameter of polycarbonate and a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer blends

Summary The surface modification of low-density polyethylene(PE) by liquid phase photograft polymerization with acrylic acid(AA), acrylamide(AM) and glycidyl methacrylate(GMA) was described. The grafting of AA and AM was proved and characterized by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis(ESCA). It was found that fully hydrophilic surface can be obtained in very short irradiation time. With ESCA and attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy(ATR-IR), it can be confirmed that bifunctional monomer GMA was grafted onto the PE film surface. Through further reaction with GMA grafted film, heparin and protamine were immobilized onto the grafted film surface.     

Preparation of ketoprofen‐loaded high‐molecular‐weight poly(vinyl alcohol) gels

High‐molecular‐weight atactic poly(vinyl alcohol) (a‐PVA) gels loaded with (R,S)‐2‐(3‐benzoylphenyl)propionic acid (ketoprofen) were prepared from 5, 6, 7, and 8 g/dL solutions of a‐PVA with a number‐average degree of polymerization of 4000 in an ethylene glycol/water mixture with an aging method to identify the effect of the initial polymer concentration on the swelling behavior, morphology, and thermal properties of a‐PVA gels. Then, the release behavior of ketoprofen from a‐PVA gels was investigated. As the polymer concentration decreased, the ability for network formation decreased, and the degree of swelling of the a‐PVA gels increased. In addition, the enthalpy increased with an increase in the a‐PVA concentration, but the melting temperatures of the gels prepared at different initial polymer concentrations were the same; this indicated that tighter gel networks would be formed by a higher polymer chain density. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Preparation and properties of polyelectrolyte complex sponges composed of hyaluronic acid and chitosan and their biological behaviors

Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) composed of chitosan and hyaluronic acid (HA) were prepared in various pH regions and at different weight ratios. At low pHs, there was a strong ionic interaction between NH groups in chitosan and both COO^? and COOH groups in HA due to the deprotonation of HA, whereas weak linkages were formed at high pHs because only the carboxyl groups of HA could interact with NH groups in chitosan. The formation of PECs resulted in a decrease in the crystallinity and thermal stability caused by the interactions between polyions. With variations in the degree of ionization of polyions at various pH conditions, novel PEC sponges were prepared by the freeze drying of PEC solutions. Furthermore, for the evaluation of the wound‐healing effect of PEC sponges with or without an antimicrobial agent (silver sulfadiazine), they were applied to a full‐skin defect of a Wistar rat in vivo. The histology and computerized morphometric analysis of the epidermal healing confirmed the proliferation of fibroblasts in the wound bed and a distinct reduction in infectious agents. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 925–932, 2003     

Use of cascade reduction potential for selective precipitation of Au,Cu, and Pb in hydrochloric acid solution

Optimization of reduction potential for electroseparation was studied for the recovery of gold, copper, and lead from acidic solution. A linear sweep voltammetric method enabled us to determine characteristic reduction potentials for each metal and the kinetics of the metal deposition indicated by current-voltage curves. In order to precipitate the metal species sequentially, reduction potentials were examined for the individual and mixed solutions of Au(III), Cu(II), and Pb(II). The three metals were reasonably well isolated from the mixed solutions such as Cu(II)/ Pb(II) and Au(III)/Cu(II)/Pb(II) in the order of the corresponding reduction potentials, in particular, the mass transfer controlled reduction potentials, obtained from linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) measurement.     

Eddy characteristics on mass transfer close to free interface

The velocity fluctuations in the immediate vicinity of a free interface were measured with a hot film anemometer. And mass transfer rates and eddy exposure times were analyzed by using the method of deterministic approach. These mass transfer rates were compared with the mass transfer rates by means of concentration measurements in the air-water system. The eddy exposure time distributions obtained from velocity data were skewed toward the lower time value. The contribution of eddies wi:h small exposure time was increased as the liquid became more turbulent. The mass transfer rates were mainly contributed by the Prandtl size eddies and even larger eddies. The mass transfer predictions by the single eddy model employing a deterministic method were in good agreement with the experimental results by independent measurements of concentration.     

Performance of fluorine-added CoMoS/Al2O3 prepared by sonochemical and chemical vapor deposition methods in the hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene

The performance of a new type of CoMoS/Al₂O₃ catalyst, with added fluorine and prepared by sonochemical and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods, was investigated in the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT) and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT). The catalyst, which was designed to contain optimum amounts of fluorine and cobalt, exhibited a higher activity, ca. 4.6 times higher activity particularly in the HDS of 4,6-DMDBT, than a fluorine-free catalyst prepared by a conventional impregnation method. The enhanced activity of the new catalyst can be attributed to the cumulative effects of individual factors involved in the catalyst preparation. That is, the use of a sonochemical synthesis led to a high dispersion of small MoS₂ crystallites on the alumina, and the addition of the Co species to the catalyst by CVD caused a close interaction between the Co species and the MoS₂ crystallites to produce numerous CoMoS species, which are the catalytically active species for HDS. The addition of fluorine increased the amounts of acidic sites in the catalyst, which promoted hydrogenation (HYD) route to a greater extent than the direct desulfurization (DDS) route in DBT HDS and both HYD and DDS routes to similar extents in the case of 4,6-DMDBT HDS. Accordingly, the addition of fluorine led to a greater increase in catalytic activity for 4,6-DMDBT HDS than for DBT HDS.     

Effects of poly(acrylic acid) and poly(ethylene oxide) adsorption on the stability of alumina suspension

The effect of adsorbed polymer on the stability of alumina suspension was investigated. Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and similar kinds of polymer salts were used as a dispersant. The amount of polymer adsorbed on alumina surface and the suspension stability was measured. The pH, molecular weight, and concentration were considered as experimental parameters. PEO shows low affinity on the alumina surface while PAA has high affinity. In the case of PAA adsorption, the surface charge change by polymer adsorption influences suspension stability strongly, but not in the case of PEO adsorption. In simultaneous adsorption of PEO and PAA, the PAA concentration was fixed and PEO concentration was varied. The stability of suspension increased with increasing PEO concentration, and this is partly due to the steric stabilization by adsorption of PAA-PEO complex or adsorption of PEO through pre-adsorbed PAA and the depletion effect of non-adsorbed polymer. Suspension adsorbing sodium salts of PAA and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMA) each showed similar stability. But, when the PEO and these kinds of salts were added together to the suspension, the one with PAA sodium salt could keep a higher stability even with lower molecular weights of PEO compared with suspension with PMA sodium salt.     

Polymerization of styrene in a continuous filled tubular reactor

Free radical solution polymerization of styrene has been studied using a binary mixture of symmetrical bifunctional initiators in a filled tubular reactor packed with static mixers. Owing to intensive radial mixing induced by the static mixers, a near plug flow pattern was obtained in the reactor with some axial dispersion effect. The axial mass dispersion coefficient was determined from the residence time distribution experiment and a dynamic axial dispersion model has been developed and solved to investigate steady state and transient behavior of the filled tubular reactor. With a solvent volume fraction of 0.3, the monomer conversion up to 70% was obtained without fouling problems in the temperature range 90 to 120°C. The experimental filled tubular reactor was operated under various reaction conditions and a reasonably good agreement between the model and the experimental data was obtained without using any adjustable parameters.