Polyaniline / carbon nanotube composites: starting with phenylamino functionalized carbon nanotubes

Summary Composites of carbon a nanotube with polymers are a developing and interesting area of research. The dispersion of the nanotube in polymer matrices is an important factor while making its nanocomposites. Even though in-situ polymerization approach offers a better approach for synthesizing homogeneous polymer nanotube composites, the dispersion of the nanotubes in the monomer solution is a problem. In this article we report a new chemical method for dispersing nanotubes in monomer and the preparation of uniform tubular composite of polyaniline (PANI) and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT). For this the oxidized multiwalled nanotube (o-MWNT) was functionalized with p-phenylenediamine, which gave phenylamine functional groups on the surface. This functionalization helped to disperse the nanotubes in acidic solution. The in-situ polymerization of aniline in the presence of these well dispersed nanotubes gave a new tubular composite of carbon nanotube having an ordered uniform encapsulation of doped polyaniline. The phenylamine functional groups on the surface were grown into polyaniline chain so that the composite contains polyaniline functionalized CNT and they were no more an impurity in the final nanocomposite. The microscopic and structural properties of this composite were compared with that of a composite prepared under identical condition using o-MWNT.     

A Review on Wear and Friction Performance of Carbon–Carbon Composites at High Temperature

Carbon–carbon (C/C) composite is one of the best ceramic matrix composite due to its high mechanical properties and applications at control environments in various sectors. Carbon–carbon composite is made of woven carbon fibers; carbonaceous polymers and hydrocarbons are used as matrix precursors. These composites generally have densities <2.0 g/cm³ even after densification. C/C composites have good frictional properties and thermal conductivity at high temperature. Also C/C composite can be used as brake pads in high‐speed vehicles. In spite of various applications, C/C composites are very much prone to oxidation at high temperature. Therefore, C/C composites must be protected from oxidation for the use at high temperature.     

Dry Sliding Tribological Behavior of Brake Oil Conditioned Ceramic Matrix Composites Reinforced With Carbon Fabric

Silicon - Ceramic composites are extremely sensitive to the surrounding environment. Their tribological performance may degrade drastically if they are polluted by some external agent. The present...     

1-[2-(1-Cyclobutylpiperidin-4-yloxy)-6,7-dihydro-4H-thiazolo[5,4-c]pyridin-5-yl]propan-1-one: a Histamine H3 Receptor Inverse Agonist with Efficacy in Animal Models of Cognition

A series of chemical optimizations, which was guided by in vitro affinity at histamine H₃ receptor (H₃R), modulation of lipophilicity, ADME properties and preclinical efficacy resulted in the identification of 1-[2-(1-cyclobutylpiperidin-4-yloxy)-6,7-dihydro-4H-thiazolo[5,4-c]pyridin-5-yl]propan-1-one ( 45 e ) as a potent and selective (K_i=4.0 nM) H₃R inverse agonist. Dipsogenia induced by (R)-α-methylhistamine was dose dependently antagonized by 45 e , confirming its functional antagonism at H₃R. It is devoid of hERG and phospholipidosis issues. Compound 45 e has adequate oral exposures and favorable half-life in both rats and dogs. It has demonstrated high receptor occupancy (ED₈₀=0.22 mg/kg) and robust efficacy in object recognition task and, dose dependently increased acetylcholine levels in brain. The sub-therapeutic doses of 45 e in combination with donepezil significantly increased acetylcholine levels. The potent affinity, selectivity, in vivo efficacy and drug like properties together with safety, warrant for further development of this molecule for potential treatment of cognitive disorders associated with Alzheimer's disease.     

Graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto cellulosic biofibers

In this article, we have used the potassium persulfate to initiate the graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto cellulosic biofibers in aqueous medium. Different reaction parameters, such as reaction time, initiator molar ratio, monomer concentration, amount of solvent, and reaction temperature, were optimized to get the maximum percentage of grafting (50.93%). The graft copolymers thus formed were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric, differential thermal analysis, and derivative thermogravimetric techniques. A mechanism is proposed to explain the generation of radicals and the initiation of graft copolymerization reactions. On grafting, percentage crystallinity decreases with reduction in its stiffness and hardness. The effect of grafting percentage on the physicochemical properties of raw as well as grafted fibers has also been investigated. The graft copolymers have been found to be more moisture resistant and also showed better chemical and thermal resistance. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011.     

Effect of Tween-80 on the Control of Particle Size and Shrinkage Properties of Nanoscale α-Alumina Synthesized by Sol–Gel Processing

The concept of tailored interfaces has been applied to the synthesis of nanoscale α-Al₂O₃. Tween-80 (poly-oxyethylene(20) sorbitan monooleate, T-80) was used as a surface modifier in the sol–gel process for this purpose. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy study of the powder obtained with T-80 confirmed the particle size of α-Al₂O₃ (∼55 nm) and morphology (spherical). The exothermic peak temperature in the differential thermal analysis was shifted to a lower temperature (∼917°C) when the powder was derived from a T-80 modifier content of 10 wt%. X-ray diffraction showed that the α-Al₂O₃ phase was the major phase that existed in modifier-derived powder that was sintered at 1000°C. The experiments, based on linear shrinkage, indicated that the powder with T-80 (10 wt%) could be densified at a low temperature.     

Carbon Doping in Boron Suboxide: Structure,Energetics, and Elastic Properties

The structural, electronic, and elastic properties of pristine and carbon‐doped boron suboxide (B₆O) are calculated using density functional theory. The results indicate that it is energetically preferable for a single carbon atom to substitute into an oxygen site rather than a boron site. The lattice parameters and cell volume increase to relieve the residual stress created by the carbon substitution. The interstitial position is not favorable for a single atom substitution. However, if two carbon atoms substitute for two neighboring oxygen atoms, then it becomes energetically favorable to dope an interstitial oxygen, boron, or carbon atom along the C–C chain. If the interstitial dopant is either boron or carbon, a local B₄C‐like structure with either a C–B–C or C–C–C chain is created within the boron suboxide unit cell. The resulting structure shows improvements in the bulk modulus at the expense of the shear and Young's moduli. The moduli further improve if an additional carbon is substituted within a polar or equatorial site of the neighboring B₁₂ icosahedron. Based on these calculations, we conclude that carbon doping can either harden or soften B₆O depending on the manner in which the substitutions are populated. Furthermore, as B₆O samples are often oxygen deficient, C doping can occupy such sites and improve the elastic properties.     

A Novel Highly Sensitive Humidity Sensor Based on ZnO/SBA‐15 Hybrid Nanocomposite

This work deals with the study of hydrothermally synthesized zinc oxide (ZnO) loaded mesoporous SBA‐15 hybrid nanocomposite for relative humidity sensing (RH) at room temperature. The sensor exhibits an excellent ~5 orders impedance change along with excellent linearity, quick response time (17 s), rapid recovery time (18 s), negligible hysteresis (1.2%), good repeatability, and stability (1.8%) in 11%–98% RH range. In addition, complex impedance spectra of the sensor at different RHs were analyzed to understand the humidity sensing mechanism. Our study can open a new way for realizing ZnO/SBA‐15 hybrid nanocomposite for fabrication of high‐performance RH sensors.     

The interaction between molten gallium and the hydrocarbon medium induced by ultrasonic energy—can gallium carbide be formed?

Ultrasonic irradiation of molten gallium in organic liquids (decane, dodecane, etc.) results in dispersion of the gallium into nanometric spheres. These were examined by several analytical methods XRD, DSC, Raman and IR spectroscopy) as well as electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) and found to be composed of Ga and C. The DSC analysis indicates that the Ga has possibly reacted with carbon, while the Raman spectrum of the product demonstrates a strong additional peak that could not be identified. This work explores the possibility that the product is gallium carbide or another gallium‐carbon complex. To investigate the nature of the product, we performed detailed extended X‐ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure (XANES) analyses. On the basis of DSC, IR, and Raman it appear to be formation of GaC, whereas the analysis by EXAFS and XANES demonstrated that the gallium is found to be in a higher reduced state (almost metallic), supported by carbon. The question that remains open in addition to the one related to the formation of galium carbide is whether a complex structure, including oxygen contamination is involved in the layers surrounding the Ga as indicated by the EXAFS results.