A high resolution XPS study of sidewall functionalized MWCNTs by fluorination

Carbon nanotubes must be modified to magnify their application. Understanding the chemistry of carbon nanotubes is a crucial step towards their ultimate practical use. In this study, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were fluorinated at several different conditions. The change in the atomic structures of fluorinated MWCNTs was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). All core level spectra of MWCNTs were deconvoluted to several Pseudo-Voigt functions (sum of Gaussian–Lorentzian functions). The amount of doped fluorine increased with increasing doping fluorine partial pressure, and the fluorine atoms were covalently attached to the side-wall of the MWCNTs. However, the increasing rate of F1s component ratio became dull at 70%, as compared with ratios below 70%. This suggests that fluorine contents during the fluorination of carbon materials can be managed by controlling the fluorine mixing ratio.     

Activation of ultra‐thin activated carbon fibers as electrodes for high performance electrochemical double layer capacitors

Activated carbon fibers (ACFs) contain pores with a weak resistance to electrolyte migration but with high electrical resistance between the fibers. The ACFs used herein were prepared from ultra‐thin polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers, to be used as electrodes in electrochemical double layer capacitors (EDLCs), by varying the activation temperatures and the holding times during steam activation. As the activation temperature and holding time were increased, the specific surface area increased along with the specific capacitance (F g^?1). A maximum specific capacitance as high as 283 F g^?1 can be obtained using the ultra‐thin ACFs fabricated at 1000°C for 10 min with a specific surface area of 1408 m² g^?1. This investigation demonstrates that the surface area, pore structure, and surface functional groups of ACFs were all significant factors in determining the capacitive characteristics of ACFs. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Investigation on the multiwalled carbon nanotubes reinforced polyamide 6/polypropylene composites

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) reinforced polyamide 6/polypropylene (PA6/PP = 70/30) composites were prepared by melt compounding. Maleated polypropylene (MPP) was used as a compatibilizer for the composites. The morphology, mechanical properties, thermal stability, rheological properties and crystallization behavior of the composites were investigated. It was found that the addition of MWNTs to PA6/PP blend resulted in decrease in the size of the dispersed particles. Most of MWNTs were selectively dispersed in the PA6 phase and a small amount of MWNTs were located in the interphase between PA6 matrix and PP phase as characterized by scanning electric microscopy. The strength and stiffness of the PA6/PP blend were greatly improved by the addition of MWNTs. The MPP and MWNTs had a synergistic effect on the improvement ofthe thermal stability. In addition, the complex viscosity, storage modulus and loss modulus of the composites increased with the addition of MWNTs or MPP. MWNTs could induce the formation of α crystalline form of PA6. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Toughening modification of PLLA/PBS blends via in situ compatibilization

Biodegradable polymer blends consisting of poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) were prepared in the presence of dicumyl peroxide (DCP). The effects of DCP content on the mechanical properties, thermal and rheological behavior, phase morphology as well as the toughening mechanism of the blends were investigated. The notched Izod impact strength of PLLA/PBS (80/20) blend significantly increased after the addition of 0.05–0.2 phr DCP, but the strength and modulus monotonically decreased with increasing DCP content. PBS acted as a nucleating agent at the environmental temperature below its melting temperature and accelerated the crystallization rate of PLLA but had little effect on its final degree of crystallinity. The degree of crystallinity of PBS and the cold crystallization ability of PLLA gradually reduced with increasing DCP content. The addition of DCP induced an increase in viscosity of the blends at low frequencies as well as finer dispersion of PBS particles and better interfacial adhesion between PLLA and PBS, indicating the in situ compatibilization occurred between the two components. The optical clarity of PLLA/PBS blends was significantly improved after the addition of DCP, which was in accordance with the crystallization behavior and phase structure of the blends. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Study on the creep behavior of polypropylene

The creep behavior and creep failure law of polypropylene (PP) were investigated by using a multifunctional stress‐aging testing machine under different aging environmental conditions (temperature, UV, and stress). Photoinduced changes in samples were studied using gel permeation chromatography and X‐ray photoelectron spectrometer. Surface morphologies were also observed by scanning electron microscopy. It was found that there is a critical failure strain (ε_crit) for PP during the creep course. Once the creep deformation exceeds the ε_crit, creep failure of PP takes place very rapidly. The value of ε_crit is independent of the tensile stress and UV irradiation, whereas it is only affected by the temperature and the nature of the PP, such as molecular weight and molecular structure. With increasing temperature, the value of ε_crit increases gradually. In addition, the creep rate of PP increases rapidly with increasing tensile stress and temperature as well as under irradiation with UV light. This study may provide a new way to predict the service lifetime of PP. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Synthesis and characterization of adamantane-containing poly(enaminonitriles)

The first aliphatic bis(chlorovinylidene cyanide) monomer, 1,3-bis(1-chloro-2,2-dicyanovinyl)adamantane, has been synthesized and polymerized with appropriate diamines to give adamantane-containing aromatic-aliphatic and all aliphatic poly(enaminonitriles) (PEANs) via vinylic nucleophilic substitution polymerization. The PEANs showed excellent solubility in polar aprotic solvents and good thermal stability (10% weight loss in air > 320 °C), despite the aliphatic contents of the polymers. Solution inherent viscosities of 0.23-0.90 dL/g were obtained.Three other new PEANs containing the adamantane-based cardo group were also synthesized via vinylic nucleophilic substitution polymerization from the adamanaine-containing cardo diamine 2,2-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]adamantane. The cardo PEANs showed better solubility in common organic solvents than the corresponding cardo polyamides. They also showed good thermal stabilities (10% weight loss in air > 339 °C) comparable to those of the corresponding cardo polyamides.     

Analysis of Intestinal Injuries Induced by Ricin in Vitro Using SPR Technology and MS Identification

The present study found that ricin toxicity did not only manifest itself as inhibition of protein synthesis, but also induced apoptosis of immune cells and played an extremely significant role in intestinal injury. In this report, we describe a novel method to estimate binding events occurring on intestinal brush border membranes (BBM) based on SPR technology in an attempt to mimic the real intestinal surface capable of interacting physically and/or actively with certain biological molecules. Combined with HPCE-ESI-MS indentification, we obtained 28 kinds of proteins in BBM that interacted with ricin.     

Mechanistic Studies on the Coupled Reaction of n-Hexane and Ethanol Over HZSM-5 Zeolite Catalyst

The coupled reaction of n-hexane and ethanol over HZSM-5 zeolite has been, for the first time, investigated with a pulse-reaction system. The catalytic reaction results showed an improvement of the initial conversion activity of n-hexane when ethanol was introduced as co-reactant. The FT-IR analysis revealed that the ethanol molecules adsorbed on Brønsted acidic sites were immediately transformed into surface ethoxy groups, which were active species for converting n-hexane and improving the initial conversion activity of n-hexane by a bimolecular hydride transfer mode. Also, the catalytic tests suggested that alkenes resulting from the transformation of ethanol could not enhance the initial conversion of n-hexane compared to active ethoxy groups at the shortest contact time. A mechanism involving the ethoxy groups was proposed to understand the coupled reaction of ethanol and n-hexane.     

Synthesis, characterization and optical limiting property of covalently oligothiophene-functionalized graphene material

An organic solution-processable functionalized graphene hybrid material with oligothiophene (6THIOP-NH-SPFGraphene) has been synthesized. The thermogravimetry analysis data shows that the hybrid is more stable than its parent graphene oxide as observed with an increased onset temperature. Ultraviolet-visible absorption and fluorescence emission data show that the attachment of the electron-acceptor group (graphene oxide sheet) onto the oligothiophene molecules results in an improved absorption than its parent compound in the whole spectral region and an efficient quenching of photoluminescence. The optical limiting properties were studied by using the open-aperture Z-scan measures at 532 nm, and the results show that 6THIOP-NH-SPFGraphene demonstrated a superior optical limiting effect, better than that of the benchmark optical limiting material C₆₀.     

The states of vanadium species in V-SBA-15 synthesized under different pH values

V-SBA-15 (n_Si/V ≈ 10) mesoporous molecular sieves have been synthesized in different pH-value medias and characterized by XRD, N₂ adsorption, TEM, UV–vis, Raman, FT-IR, ESR, and NH₃-absorbed in situ FT-IR techniques. Results indicated that the pH value played an important role on the states of vanadium species in the prepared materials. As the pH value increased, the amount of the crystalline vanadium oxides decreased, the incorporated vanadium species with isolated tetrahedral (V⁵⁺) and square pyramidal coordination (VO²⁺) increased accordingly. At pH = 3.0, vanadium species were mainly in the silica framework and formed stronger acid sites, it seems to suggest that the linear configuration V⁵⁺–ONH₃H⁺–O–V⁴⁺ groups have been formed after ammonia was adsorbed. However, for the samples synthesized at the low pH values, the crystalline vanadium oxides existed and the amount of the dispersed tetrahedral vanadium species decreased, which caused the weaker acid sites.