Thermal and mechanical properties of epoxy composites reinforced by a natural hydrophobic sand

If a low weight percentage of crude fine fillers can improve properties of polymer materials directly without complicated chemical treatment process involved, it will be significant for many industrial applications. Our previous study indicated that a kind of Cancun natural sand could be an effective filler material for polymer composites. In this current work, the epoxy composites reinforced by this kind of natural sand particles were prepared and thermal and mechanical properties of the composites containing up to 5 wt % of the sand particles were characterized. Results showed that the highest flexural strength appears in the epoxy composite containing 1 wt % sand particles. A damage model was used to interpret the flexural properties, which showed an acceptable agreement with the experimental results. The glass transition temperature, high temperature storage modulus, and dimensional stability of the sand/epoxy composites monotonically increased with the addition of the sand particles. The sand particle/epoxy composites also displayed a noticeable enhancement in thermal conductivity. Theoretical analysis showed that in addition to conduction, other heat transport mechanisms played roles in the improved heat transmission through the composites. As a natural porous micron-scale material, Cancun sand has the potential for applications in cost-effective composites with enhanced mechanical and thermal properties. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel proton‐exchange membrane for fuel cells operating at high temperatures and low humidities

The synthesis of a p‐toluidine/formaldehyde (PTF) resin was performed, and the effects of the molar ratio of the individual monomers and the polymerization conditions on the structure of the PTF resin were studied. Fourier transform infrared and ¹³C‐NMR spectra were used to characterize the PTF. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction patterns revealed the crystalline structures of various PTFs. Polarized optical microscopy revealed that the molar ratio of the monomers had a strong effect on the crystalline morphologies. A longer polymerization time turned out a polymer with a higher intrinsic viscosity and molecular weight, which led to differences in the proton conductivity. All of the PTFs showed a higher proton conductivity than a commercial Nafion membrane at 90–100°C and 0% relative humidity. The proton conductivity of the PTF series could be improved by sulfonation with sulfuric acid and could be maintained after blending with polyurethane. Pure methanol could be used as a fuel source because of the insolubility and nonwetting properties of PTF in methanol to increase the output current density for a PTF membrane electrode assembly. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

Kinetics study of Ti[O(CH2)4OCHCH2]4 initiated ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone by differential scanning calorimetry

Chemical shrinkage was used for the in situ measurement of the progressing chemical stabilization reactions and the influence of ozone during the stabilization of polyacrylonitrile. A method for evaluating the activation energy through the sensitivity temperature is presented. The calculated results show that the activation energies were 161.57 kJ/mol in air and 181.23 kJ/mol in ozone-enriched air. Therefore, the chemical reactions were postponed during stabilization in ozone-enriched air. Ozone seemed to act in three ways: first, ozone promoted the formation of the serious skin–core structure. Second, ozone accelerated the chemical reactions and shortened the stabilization time at lower heating rates. Third, ozone postponed the chemical reactions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

Effect of high temperature alkali cooking on the constituents,structure and thermal degradation of hemp fiber

Degumming of hemp fiber by high temperature alkali cooking was investigated, and the effect of temperature and dosage of alkali on the constituents, structure, and thermal degradation of hemp fiber was also discussed in this work. The morphology, structure, and thermal degradation of hemp fiber after high temperature cooking were investigated through SEM, FTIR, WAXD, and TG analysis. The results indicated that the high temperature cooking process was effective for removing hemicelluloses and lignin and could also improve the thermal stability of cellulose. Crystallinity index of the treated hemp fiber was increased, which was related to the cooking temperature and NaOH dosage. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Molecular packing and phase transitions of side-chain liquid crystalline polymethacrylates based on p-methoxyazobenzene

The phase structures and transition behaviors of a series of side-chain liquid crystalline (LC) polymethacrylates based on p-methoxyazobenzene (PMnAzs, n = 6, 8, 10, 12) were studied using differential scanning calorimetry, one- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic experiments. The LC phase transition of PMnAz follows the sequence of smectic A (SmA) ? nematic (N) ? isotropic (I). For PM10Az and PM12Az, the transition of SmA-to-N is not complete upon heating. In the low-temperature SmA phase, the polymers adopt a fully interdigitated side-chain packing with the smectic layer period almost identical to the side-chain length. For all the four samples, the first-order diffraction of the SmA structure only renders when the temperature approaches the transition of SmA ? N, with the intensity much lower than that of the second-order diffraction. The absence of the first-order diffraction at low temperatures is ascribed to the possible matching of the electron densities between the center portion of the side-chain sublayer and the main-chain sublayer of the SmA structure. Since only the mesogens from the same main-chain sublayer can stack parallel together, the distribution of the azobenzene domains may cause some sort of density undulation within the smectic layer. Among the samples, PM6Az presents the strongest undulation with some additional orders. We also examined the annealing effect on the H-aggregation of PMnAzs. It is found that isothermal annealing at a temperature slightly higher than the T_g of PM8Az and PM10Az can significantly enhance the UV absorption at 326 nm, indicating a further development of H-aggregation. However, for PM6Az and PM12Az, the UV–vis spectrum of the annealed sample is nearly identical to that without annealing.     

Synthesis,characterization, and redox and electrochromic behaviors of poly(3-n-octyloxythiophene)

Poly(3-n-octyloxythiophene), a conjugated polymer, which possessed solubility in common organic solvents, was synthesized by electrochemical polymerization in the presence of lithium perchlorate as the supporting electrolyte and sodium dodecyl sulfate as the surfactant in an aqueous medium. Characterizations of the intermediate, monomer, and polymer were performed by NMR spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. The process of electrochemical polymerization and the electrochemical redox behaviors were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and the potentiostatic method. A poly(3-n-octyloxythiophene) film that was deposited on a platinum electrode was found to exhibit electrochromic behaviors, and it switched electrochemically between blue–green oxidized and dark red reduced states. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Effects and properties of poly(arylene ether benzonitrile)s of various molecular weights blended with sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)

Poly(arylene ether benzonitrile) (PAEBN) was synthesized with 2,6‐dichlorobenzonitrile and biphenol. PAEBNs with various molecular weights (MWs), 1,640,000 and 185,000 g/mol, were synthesized by control of the stoichiometry of the monomers and were blended with sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK). The effects of MW on the water uptake, swelling, methanol permeability, and proton conductivity of the SPEEK/PAEBN blend membranes were investigated. The molecular mobility of the SPEEK/PAEBN blends was also examined in this study. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Effect of Li+ ions on structure,properties, and actuation of cellulose electro‐active paper actuator

We have reported an electro‐active paper actuator from regenerated cellulose. After dissolving cellulose fibers with a solution of lithium chloride in N,N‐dimethylacetamide, cellulose was regenerated by combining distillation of cellulose solution along with washing with the mixture of deionized water, isopropyl alcohol, and running water. However, the effect of Li⁺ ions on structure, properties, and the actuation behavior of the actuator was not studied. This article describes the changes in these parameters when the Li⁺ ions are removed by subjecting it to different running water exposure time. The structure and properties of cellulose electro‐active paper and its actuation behavior were studied. As Li⁺ ions content reduced from 4354.17 to 10.26 ppm by increasing the exposure time of running water, crystallinity, Young's modulus, and bending displacement decreased. Details about the investigation have been explained. This elimination of ions is important to increase the piezoelectric effect in EAPap by decreasing the ion migration effect. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

导向剂加入方式对Y型沸石合成的影响

以煤系高岭土为原料,采用液态补硅手段调节体系SiO2/Al2O3、导向剂两步加入法合成了Y型沸石.考察了导向剂不同加入方式对Y型沸石合成的影响.采用合理的导向剂两步加入法,特别是通过控制导向剂第二步加入的时间,可明显缩短Y型沸石的晶化时间,并有效地减少P型沸石的生成.     

全封闭Ar气保护电渣重熔GH4169合金

上海五钢采用ALD 5t全封闭Ar气保护电渣重熔炉 ESR(Ar)冶炼了GH4 16 9合金锭 ,分析结果表明 ,ESR(Ar)电渣锭氧、硫含量和锭头尾碳、铝、钛之差远低于一般ESR工艺 ;VIM(真空感应熔炼 ) +ESR(Ar)工艺冶炼合金中平均氧含量 6× 10 - 6 远低于VIM +VAR(真空电弧重熔 )工艺冶炼合金中平均氧含量 13× 10 - 6 ,所以ESR(Ar)工艺脱氧效果优于VAR工艺