Polyesters bearing furan moieties

Summary This paper describes a preliminary set of results concerning novel systems in which the synthesis of furanic polyesters was conducted according to a transesterification procedure. Regular linear macromolecular structures were thus obtained with molecular weights well above those previously reported for similar polyesters prepared by more conventional routes.     

Electrochemical pitting corrosion behaviour of α-brass in LiBr containing solutions

The potentiodynamic anodic polarization curve of α-brass (70% Cu-30% Zn) in 1 M LiBr solution showed an initial active region of the alloy dissolution followed by two well defined anodic current peaks then a narrow passivation region before the pitting potential (E_pit) is reached. The initial active anodic region exhibited Tafel slope with 90 mV dec⁻¹ attributed to the formation of CuBr₂⁻ complexes. The anodic current peaks were attributed to the formation of CuBr and Cu²⁺ ions, respectively. The change of pH values of LiBr solution did not affect the anodic polarization curves of α-brass. Increasing the solution temperature from 30 to 90 °C changed the corrosion type from pitting to general one. The addition of 10⁻² M benzotriazole (BTAH) to 1 M LiBr solution is completely inhibited the pitting corrosion at 30 °C while it did not inhibit the pitting at 90 °C. The inhibition effect was attributed to the adsorption of BTAH molecules on the alloy surface, which obeys Langmuir isotherm. The presence or absence of pitting corrosion was confirmed by using SEM.     

Impact of salts on polyacrylamide hydrolysis and gelation: New insights

Polyacrylamide (PAM) and its derivatives are the most commonly used polymers in the preparation of polymeric gels for water control in petroleum reservoirs. This study involved the use of polyethylenimine (PEI) as a crosslinker for PAM. In this study, we investigated PAM alkaline hydrolysis at high temperatures. The effects of salts [sodium chloride (NaCl) and ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl)] on the degree of hydrolysis (DH) of PAM were investigated. These salts were used as retarders to elongate the gelation time of the PAM/PEI system. The data obtained from ¹³C‐NMR was used to understand the retardation mechanisms by salts. We found that NH₄Cl accelerated the extent of hydrolysis more in comparison with NaCl. Moreover, the apparent viscosity of the hydrolyzed samples was measured. PAM hydrolysis in the presence of NH₄Cl resulted in a lower solution viscosity than that in the presence of NaCl. Therefore, NH₄Cl was more effective in shielding negative charges on the carboxylate groups of the partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (PHPA) chain. NaCl and NH₄Cl were compatible with the PHPA/PEI system, but sodium carbonate showed a white precipitate. In addition, high‐temperature/high‐pressure elastic modulus data were reported for the first time for this system. Differential scanning calorimetry was coupled with rheology to explain the PAM/PEI crosslinking in the presence of salts. Models were developed to assess the impact of the salts on the PAM DH and the induction period before gelation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41185.     

Extending and Enhancing the Properties of Porous Cordierite Ceramics by Mo6+ ion Incorporation via Facile Combined Synthesis Technique

Molybdenum‐doped cordierite ceramics have been fabricated through facile combined techniques, coprecipitation followed by solid state. XRD results revealed that α‐cordierite phase is predominated with increasing Mo⁶⁺ ion content. The density measurements showed that the bulk density reduced to the minimum value of 0.61 g/cm³, which corresponds to the maximum porosity of about 76.8% at 5% Mo⁶⁺ ion. The dielectric permittivity (ε) of pure cordierite is decreased with increasing Mo⁶⁺ ion content. The minimum dielectric loss of Mo‐doped cordierite at 1 MHz was equal 0.008 with 10% Mo⁶⁺, while at 1 GHz was equal 0.03 with 5% Mo⁶⁺.     

Influence of Unmodified and β-Glycerophosphate Cross-Linked Chitosan on Anti-Candida Activity of Clotrimazole in Semi-Solid Delivery Systems

The combination of an antifungal agent and drug carrier with adjunctive antimicrobial properties represents novel strategy of complex therapy in pharmaceutical technology. The goal of this study was to investigate the unmodified and ion cross-linked chitosan’s influence on anti-Candida activity of clotrimazole used as a model drug in hydrogels. It was particularly crucial to explore whether the chitosans’ structure modification by β-glycerophosphate altered its antifungal properties. Antifungal studies (performed by plate diffusion method according to CLSI reference protocol) revealed that hydrogels obtained with chitosan/β-glycerophosphate displayed lower anti-Candida effect, probably as a result of weakened polycationic properties of chitosan in the presence of ion cross-linker. Designed chitosan hydrogels with clotrimazole were found to be more efficient against tested Candida strains and showed more favorable drug release profile compared to commercially available product. These observations indicate that novel chitosan formulations may be considered as promising semi-solid delivery system of clotrimazole.     

High-resolution scanning near-field EBIC microscopy: application to the characterisation of a shallow ion implanted p+-n silicon junction

High-resolution electron beam induced current (EBIC) analyses were carried out on a shallow ion implanted p⁺–n silicon junction in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a scanning probe microscope (SPM) hybrid system. With this scanning near-field EBIC microscope, a sample can be conventionally imaged by SEM, its local topography investigated by SPM and high-resolution EBIC image simultaneously obtained. It is shown that the EBIC imaging capabilities of this combined instrument allows the study of p–n junctions with a resolution of about 20 nm.     

Zn–Ni/nano-TiO2 composite electrodeposits: surface modifications and protective properties

Zn–Ni composite coatings were obtained by electrochemical co-deposition of TiO₂ nano-particles (mean diameter 21 nm). Zn–Ni alloy coating was also produced under the same experimental conditions for comparison. The surface morphology, crystallographic structure, and the grain size of the deposits were investigated, along with the percentage of the embedded nano-particles in Zn–Ni matrix, as a function of concentration of TiO₂ nano-particles in the bath. As the titania incorporation percentage is increased, a grain refinement in the nanometer region was revealed followed enhanced microhardness values and an improvement of the content of the nickel in the alloy. Annealing of all coatings at 200 °C revealed the crystallization of the matrix accompanied by a decrease of microhardness followed by stability for 24 h. The corrosion behavior of Zn–Ni/nano-TiO₂ composite coatings with various amount of particle content was mainly studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 3 % NaCl. It was seen that Zn–Ni/nano-TiO₂ composite coatings exhibited higher corrosion resistances comparing to Zn–Ni alloy coating and corrosion protection improved with increasing nano-TiO₂ in coatings.     

Environmental factors affecting the corrosion behavior of reinforcing steel III. Measurement of pitting corrosion currents of steel in Ca(OH)2 solutions under natural corrosion conditions

Using a simple electrolytic cell, the pitting corrosion current of reinforcing steel is measured in Ca(OH)₂ solutions in presence of chloride and sulfate as aggressive ions. Pitting corrosion current starts to flow after an induction period which depends on the concentration of both the aggressive and the passivating anions. The pitting corrosion current densities reach steady-state values which depend also on the type and concentration of the corrosive and passivating anions. The corrosive action of the aggressive species decreased in the order: SO₄²⁻ > Cl⁻. Corrosion of the steel is found to be governed by a single electron transfer reaction. Raising the temperature decreases the induction period associated with pit initiation and increases the corrosion current associated with pit propagation. From Arrhenius plots, the activation energies for both pit initiation and pit propagation in presence of chloride and sulfate ions are calculated.     

Model-based diagnosis of large diesel engines based on angular speed variations of the crankshaft

This work aims at monitoring large diesel engines by analyzing the crankshaft angular speed variations. It focuses on a powerful 20-cylinder diesel engine with crankshaft natural frequencies within the operating speed range. First, the angular speed variations are modeled at the crankshaft free end. This includes modeling both the crankshaft dynamical behavior and the excitation torques. As the engine is very large, the first crankshaft torsional modes are in the low frequency range. A model with the assumption of a flexible crankshaft is required. The excitation torques depend on the in-cylinder pressure curve. The latter is modeled with a phenomenological model. Mechanical and combustion parameters of the model are optimized with the help of actual data. Then, an automated diagnosis based on an artificially intelligent system is proposed. Neural networks are used for pattern recognition of the angular speed waveforms in normal and faulty conditions. Reference patterns required in the training phase are computed with the model, calibrated using a small number of actual measurements. Promising results are obtained. An experimental fuel leakage fault is successfully diagnosed, including detection and localization of the faulty cylinder, as well as the approximation of the fault severity.     

Vibration reduction on city buses: Determination of optimal position of engine mounts

This study is composed of three essential parts. The first part describes an indirect semi-experimental method which is used to reconstruct the excitation force of an operating diesel engine from the acceleration data measured at the mounting points. These internal forces can not be directly measured with force sensors; they have to be derived from the dynamic deformation of the engine support, so a theoretical analysis is carried out to derive the equations for the force re-construction.The second part deals with prevention of low frequency vibration of the powertrain from spreading to the rest of the vehicle. Three uncoupling techniques are used to minimize these vibrations. The first technique reduces the non-diagonal elements of stiffness matrix. The second technique uses the elastic axes decoupling criterion. The third technique uncouple the torque roll axis (TRA) by using the previously determined excitation efforts.In the third part, numerical and experimental results are discussed. The solicitations deducted and the positions of mounts allowing decoupling of the powertrain are presented.