Morphology development of EPDM/PP uncross‐linked/dynamically cross‐linked blends

Ethylene‐propylene‐diene‐terpolymer (EPDM) and polypropylene (PP)‐based uncross‐linked and dynamically cross‐linked blends were prepared both in an internal mixer and in a corotating twin‐screw extruder. The effects of composition, plasticization and mixing equipment on the morphology development and the final viscoelastic properties were studied. In the uncross‐linked blends, the plasticization resulted in a coarser morphology. Furthermore, it was shown that the majority of the plasticizer resided in the EPDM phase, enabling its deformation in the flow direction. In addition, the intensive mixing conditions inside the twin‐screw extruder resulted in a finer morphology. In the dynamically cross‐linked blends, the twin‐screw extrusion process resulted in a higher level of gel content with larger EPDM domains. The plasticization showed again a coarsening effect, resulting in interconnected cross‐linked EPDM domains. An interesting interfacial phenomenon was observed especially in the plasticized vulcanized blends where nanometer size occluded PP domains were stripped off and eroded into the EPDM phase. With the exception of the nonplasticized uncross‐linked blends, the viscoelastic properties of all other blending systems were found to be directly affected by the morphology, gel content (in the case of cross‐linked blends), and the presence of the plasticizer. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Impact of pH and Total Soluble Solids on Enzyme Inactivation Kinetics during High Pressure Processing of Mango (Mangifera indica) Pulp

This study was undertaken with an aim to enhance the enzyme inactivation during high pressure processing (HPP) with pH and total soluble solids (TSS) as additional hurdles. Impact of mango pulp pH (3.5, 4.0, 4.5) and TSS (15, 20, 25 °Brix) variations on the inactivation of pectin methylesterase (PME), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and peroxidase (POD) enzymes were studied during HPP at 400 to 600 MPa pressure (P), 40 to 70 °C temperature (T), and 6‐ to 20‐min pressure‐hold time (t). The enzyme inactivation (%) was modeled using second order polynomial equations with a good fit that revealed that all the enzymes were significantly affected by HPP. Response surface and contour models predicted the kinetic behavior of mango pulp enzymes adequately as indicated by the small error between predicted and experimental data. The predicted kinetics indicated that for a fixed P and T, higher pulse pressure effect and increased isobaric inactivation rates were possible at lower levels of pH and TSS. In contrast, at a fixed pH or TSS level, an increase in P or T led to enhanced inactivation rates, irrespective of the type of enzyme. PPO and POD were found to have similar barosensitivity, whereas PME was found to be most resistant to HPP. Furthermore, simultaneous variation in pH and TSS levels of mango pulp resulted in higher enzyme inactivation at lower pH and TSS during HPP, where the effect of pH was found to be predominant than TSS within the experimental domain.     

Studies on black electroless nickel coatings on titanium alloys for spacecraft thermal control applications

A process of blackening of electroless nickel coating is investigated to produce ultra black coating on titanium alloys with higher optical properties. Process optimization was carried out by investigating the influence of various operating conditions, namely, processing time of etching solutions, thickness of electroless nickel deposit, temperature of blackening solutions, and pH of electroless nickel solution on the physico-optical properties of the black coating. It was observed that an optimum thickness of 35 + 5 μm of electroless nickel is required to achieve the ultra high optical properties after blackening. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy studies suggested that films containing ~7% phosphorous are good for further blackening. Scanning electron and optical microscopic studies confirmed that the surface morphology played the major role to get the ultra high optical properties. The environmental tests, namely, humidity, corrosion resistance, thermal cycling, thermo vacuum performance, and thermal stability tests were used to evaluate the space worthiness of the coating. Optical properties of the coating were measured before and after each environmental test to ascertain its stability. The blackened electroless nickel provides higher optical properties in the order of ~0.85; this coating has good adhesion, uniformity, and stability in adverse space conditions. Hence, these coatings were extremely suitable for spacecraft thermal control applications.     

DC characteristics of high-breakdown-voltage p-i-n diodes made by20-MeV Si implantation in InP:Fe

A vertical p-i-n diode is made for the first time in InP:Fe using megaelectronvolt energy ion implantation, A 20-MeV Si implantation and kiloelectronvolt energy Be/P coimplantation are used to obtain a buried n⁺ layer and a shallow p⁺ layer, respectively. The junction area of the device is 2.3×10^-5 cm² and the intrinsic region thickness is ≈3 μm. The device has a high breakdown voltage of 110 V, reverse leakage current of 0.1 mA/cm² at -80 V, off-state capacitance of 2.2 nF/cm² at -20 V, and a DC incremental forward resistance of 4 Ω at 40 mA     

Melt spinning of isotactic polypropylene: Structure development and relationship to mechanical properties

An extensive experimental study of structure development during the melt spinning of polypropylene and is as-spun polypropylene filaments is reported. Five polymers representing different molecular weights and polymerization methods were studied. WAXS, SAXS, and birefringence measurements were used to characterize the structure of the filaments. Spinning through air gives rise to monoclinic crystalline structures and spinning into cold water, the paracrystalline smectic form. Both crystalline and amorphous orientation factors were found to correlate with spinline stress for the different polymers studied. Mechanical properties of as-spun fibers such as modulus, yield strength, tensile strength, and elongation to break also correlate with spinline stress.     

P-LME polymer nanocapsules stimulate naïve macrophages and protect them from oxidative damage during controlled drug release

Using polymer-based nanocapsules as novel drug delivery systems have gained significant importance. In this work, we present poly-(N-Acryloyl L-Leucine methyl ester [pLME]) nanocapsules with hollow core (pLME) of size approximately ~160 nm (dia.) synthesized for the first time through the miniemulsion approach. Our study reveals that pLME are biocompatible and immune stimulatory in nature on macrophages, which are decisive for host immunity. These nanocapsules are effective for encapsulating and sustainable release of drug (SNP; nitric oxide donor) at a high extent ~1.04 μM mg-. pLME also demonstrated their potential of stimulating naïve macrophages toward the M1 phenotype for extended period of time indicating their adjuvant activity on immune system. Our data also demonstrated their antioxidant potential toward H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress in macrophages. These results suggest pLME as an effective drug/vaccine delivery material with immune adjuvant and cytoprotective efficacy warranting its pharmacological application. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48363.     

Enzymeimmunoassay of oestradiol,testosterone and progesterone in urine samples from female mice before and after insemination

ELISA measurements of 17beta-oestradiol, testosterone and progesterone were determined for urine samples collected non-invasively from female mice. Initial samples were collected during 5 successive days while mature female mice were isolated and cyclic. Subsequently, female mice were inseminated and additional urine samples were collected during days 2-6 after observation of copulatory plugs. Measurements of oestradiol and testosterone showed variance over days within individuals and did not significantly differ in measurements taken before or after insemination. Progesterone concentrations were significantly higher after insemination compared with before mating. In a second sample of inseminated females, urinary progesterone was measured during days 2-18 of pregnancy. Most females showed high urinary progesterone up to day 10 of pregnancy and lower concentrations during the remainder of gestation. These results indicate that urinary progesterone reflects established systemic increases of this hormone during pregnancy.     

MeV energy sulfur implantation in GaAs and InP

Room temperature and elevated temperature sulfur implants were performed into semi-insulating GaAs and InP at variable energies and fluences. The implantations were performed in the energy range 1–16 MeV. Range statistics of sulfur in InP and GaAs were calculated from the secondary ion mass spectrometry atomic concentration depth profiles and were compared with TRIM92 values. Slight in-diffusion of sulfur was observed in both InP and GaAs at higher annealing temperatures for room temperature implants. Little or no redistribution of sulfur was observed for elevated temperature implants. Elevated temperature implants showed higher activations and higher mobilities compared to room temperature implants in both GaAs and InP after annealing. Higher peak electron concentrations were observed in sulfur-implanted InP (n ≈ 1 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³) compared to GaAs (n ≈ 2 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³). The doping profile for a buried n⁺ layer (n ≈ 3.5 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³) of a positive-intrinsic-negative diode in GaAs was produced by using Si/S coimplantation.