Diterpene resin acids: Major active principles in tall oil against Variegated cutworm,Peridroma saucia (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Tall oil, a by-product of the kraft process for pulping softwood, has been shown to have insecticidal properties. In the present study, the active principles in tall oil against the variegated cutworm,Peridroma saucia Hübner, were investigated. GC-MS analysis showed that abietic, dehydroabietic, and isopimaric acids were major resin acid components of crude tall oil and depitched tall oil. When crude tall oil samples of differing resin acid composition were incorporated into artificial diet at a concentration of 2.0% fresh weight, they suppressed larval growth by 45–60% compared to controls. This suppression was significantly (P0.05) correlated with the equivalent contents of abietic, dehydroabietic, isopimaric, and total resin acids. These results were also evident from a diet choice test, showing that the second-instar larvae obviously selected diets with low levels of resin acids when different diets were randomly arranged in a Petri dish. Bioassays with pure resin acids (abietic, dehydroabietic, and isopimaric acids) demonstrated that all individual chemicals have similar bioactivity against this insect. Comparison of the bioactivities of depitched tall oil and an equivalent mixture of pure resin acids in thePeridroma chronic growth bioassay indicated that pure resin acids and depitched tall oil share a common mode of action to this insect. This study confirms that resin acids are major active principles in tall oil against the variegated cutworm, but other chemicals likely also contribute to the bioactivity of tall oil.     

Use of a sex attractant and an inhibitor for monitoring winter moth and bruce spanworm populations

A single sex pherormone component was isolated from abdominal tip extracts of female Bruce spanworm.Operophtera bruceata (Hulst). This was identified as (Z,Z,Z)-1,3,6,9-nonadecatetraene by capillary gas chromatography (GC), electroantennography, and mass spectrometry. In addition, hexane extracts of female abdominal tips from Bruce spanworm and the winter moth.O. brumata L., were analyzed by GC coupled to an electroantennographic detector (GC-EAD). The extracts ofO. bruceata andO. brumata females elicited only a single response, at the same retention time, from antennae of their conspecific and reciprocal males. In field tests conducted in Saskatchewan, traps baited with the synthetic tetraene captured Bruce spanworm males. In tests carried out on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, where the two species coexist, both Bruce spanworm and winter moth males were captured. The attractancy of lures containing the synthetic pheromone alone and in combination with several structurally related analogs was field tested at both locations. One of these, an isomer of the natural pheromone, (E,Z,Z)-1,3,6,9-nonadecatetraene, inhibited the capture of Bruce spanworm males but had no effect upon the number of winter moth males which were taken. Thus, populations of these two very similar species can be distinguished by employing traps baited with pheromone ± the inhibitor. Coneorifice Hara traps were found useful for field trapping males of both species.Issued as NRCC No. 26107     

直接金属氧化法制备SiCp/Al2O3-Al复合材料的显微结构及工艺因素的研究

在低成本的前提下 ,利用直接金属氧化法 (DIMOX)制备了SiC颗粒增强Al2 O3-Al基复合材料 ,并详细叙述了此种方法的工艺过程。借助于X—射线衍射 (XRD)和扫描电镜 (SEM)对该种复合材料的微观结构进行了观察 ,分析了SiO2 层、合金成分和温度制度对复合材料性能的影响。结果表明 ,此种复合材料结构致密且渗透完全 ,微观结构由三种相互穿插相组成 :SiC预制体、连续的Al2 O3基体 ,呈网状结构分布的未被氧化的残余Al。合金成分及烧成制度是此工艺过程中的最重要的工艺参数。     

Synthesis and characterization of in situ polymerized segmented thermoplastic elastomeric polyurethane/layered silicate clay nanocomposites

Nanocomposites based on thermoplastic elastomeric polyurethane (TPU) and layered silicate clay were prepared by in situ synthesis. The properties of nanocomposites of TPU with unmodified clay were compared with that of organically modified clay. The nanocomposites of the TPU and organomodified clay showed better dispersion and exhibited superior properties. Exfoliation of the clay layers was observed at low organoclay contents, whereas an intercalated morphology was observed at higher clay contents. As one of major purposes of this study, the effect of the silicate layers in the nanocomposites on the order–disorder transition temperature (T_ODT) of the TPU was evaluated from the intensity change of the hydrogen‐bonded and free carbonyl stretching peaks and from the peak position change of the N? H bending peak. The presence of the organoclay increased T_ODT by approximately 10°C, which indicated improved stability in the phase‐separated domain structure. The layered silicate clay caused a tremendous improvement in the stiffness of the TPU; meanwhile, a reduction in the ultimate elongation was observed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 3048–3055, 2006     

Synthesis and properties of poly(aryl ether sulfone ether ketone ketone) (PESEKK)

4,4′‐bis(Phenoxy)diphenyl sulfone (DPODPS) was synthesized by reaction of phenol with bis(4‐chlorophenyl) sulfone in tetramethylene sulfone in the presence of NaOH. Two poly(aryl ether sulfone ether ketone ketone)s (PESKKs) with high molecular weight were prepared by low temperature solution polycondensation of DPODPS and terephthaloyl chloride (TPC) or isophthaloyl chloride (IPC), respectively, in 1,2‐dichloroethane and in the presence of aluminum chloride (AlCl₃) and N‐methylpyrrolidone (NMP). The resulting polymers were characterized by various analytical techniques, such as FT‐IR, ¹H‐NMR, DSC, TG, and WAXD. The results show that the T_g and T_d of PESEKKs are much higher, but its T_m is lower than those of PEKK. The other results indicate that PESEKKs exhibit excellent thermostabilities at 300 ± 10°C. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 489–493, 2005     

Synthesis and non‐isothermal crystallization behavior of poly(ethylene phthalate‐co‐terephthalate)s

A series of poly(ethylene phthalate‐co‐terephthalate)s were synthesized by melt polycondensation of ethylene glycol (EG) with dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) in various proportions. The DMT‐rich polymers were obtained with reasonably high molecular weights, whereas the DMP‐rich polymers were synthesized with relatively low molecular weights due to steric effects associated with the highly kinked DMP monomer. The compositions and thermal properties of the polymers were determined. The copolymers containing DMP in amounts of ≤ 21 mol% were crystallizable, whereas the other polymers were not. All the polymers exhibited a single glass transition temperature. Analysis of the measured glass transition temperatures and crystal melting temperatures confirmed that the DMT‐rich copolymers are random copolymers. The non‐isothermal crystallization behaviors of the DMT‐rich copolymers were investigated by calorimetry and modified Avrami analysis. The Avrami exponents n were found to range from 2.7 to 3.8, suggesting that the copolymers crystallize via a heterogeneous nucleation and spherulitic growth mechanism; that is, the incorporation of DMP units as the minor component does not change the growth mechanism of the copolymers. In addition, the activation energies of the crystallizations of the copolymers were determined; the copolymers were found to have higher activation energies than the PET homopolymer. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:1682–1691, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Adhesion-Delamination Mechanics of a Prestressed Circular Film Adhered onto a Rigid Substrate

A thin circular film clamped at the periphery is adhered to the planar surface of a rigid cylindrical punch. An external tensile load is applied to the punch, causing the film to delaminate from the substrate and the circular contact edge to contract. The film spontaneously separates from the punch, or pulls off, when the contact radius reduces to a range between 0.1758 and 0.3651 of the film radius, depending on the magnitude of the residual membrane stress. The mechanical delamination process is derived by a thermodynamic energy balance based on a coupled interfacial adhesion and residual membrane stress. The theoretical model has significant implications in nanoforce measurement, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) comprising active moveable films, and biological cell adhesion.     

Heat capacity of copolymers of chlorotrifluoroethylene and vinylidene fluoride

The heat capacities of two copolymers of chlorotrifluorethylene and vinylidene fluoride, one 30:70 mol % and the other 44:56 mol % in composition, were measured in an adiabatic calorimeter from 80 to 340 K. The glass-transition points T_g observed at 256 and 269 K for the 30:70 and 44:56 samples, respectively, closely agree with the prediction of the theory of Flory and Fox; the accompanying jump of heat capacities at these points was found to be 2.2 cal/K ‘per bead’ for both samples, in fair agreement with the ‘constant ΔC_p rule’. A small peak was observed immediately above T_g, and interpreted as a time-dependent effect arising from the lack of equilibrium in the region. The data of the heat capacities were analysed in detail in the framework of the Tarasov model and the principle of additivity, and were found to agree well ( 1–3%) with theory up to the respective glass-transition points in all cases, thus giving support to the validity of the previously published segmental values of heat capacity and of characteristic temperature θ₁.     

Durable antimicrobial treatment of cotton fabrics using N‐(2‐hydroxy)propyl‐3‐trimethylammonium chitosan chloride and polycarboxylic acids

N‐(2‐hydroxy)propyl‐3‐trimethylammonium chitosan chloride (HTCC), a water‐soluble chitosan quaternary ammonium derivative, was used as an antimicrobial agent for cotton fabrics. HTCC has a lower minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) against Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli compared to that of chitosan; however, the imparted antimicrobial activity is lost on laundering. Thus crosslinking agents were utilized to obtain a durable antimicrobial treatment by immobilizing HTCC. Several crosslinkers such as dimethyloldihydroxyethylene urea (DMDHEU), butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA), and citric acid (CA) were used with HTCC to improve the laundering durability of HTCC treatment by covalent bond formation between the crosslinker, HTCC and cellulose. The polycarboxylic acid treatment was superior to the DMDHEU treatment in terms of prolonged antimicrobial activity of the treated cotton after successive laundering. Also, the cotton treated with HTCC and BTCA showed improved durable press properties without excessive deterioration in mechanical strength or whiteness when compared to the citric acid treatment. With the addition of only 0.1% HTCC to BTCA solutions, the treated fabrics showed durable antimicrobial activity up to 20 laundering cycles. The wrinkle recovery angle and strength retention of the treated fabrics were not adversely affected with the addition of HTCC. Therefore, BTCA can be used with HTCC in one bath to impart durability of antimicrobial activity along with durable press properties to cotton fabric. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1567–1572, 2003     

Oil absorbents based on styrene–butadiene rubber

Four oil absorbents based on styrene–butadiene (SBR)—pure SBR (PS), 4‐tert‐butylstyrene–SBR (PBS), EPDM–SBR network (PES), and 4‐tert‐butylstyrene‐EPDM‐SBR (PBES)—were produced from crosslinking polymerization of uncured styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR), 4‐tert‐butylstyrene (tBS), and ethylene–propylene–diene terpolymer (EPDM). The reaction took place in toluene using benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as an initiator. Uncured SBR was used as both a prepolymer and a crosslink agent in this work, and the crosslinked polymer was identified by IR spectroscopy. The oil absorbency of the crosslinked polymer was evaluated with ASTM method F726‐81. The order of maximum oil absorbency was PBES > PBS > PES > PS. The maximum values of oil absorbency of PBES and PBS were 74.0 and 69.5 g/g, respectively. Gel fractions and swelling kinetic constants, however, had opposite sequences. The swelling kinetic constant of PS evaluated by an experimental equation was 49.97 × 10^?2 h^?1. The gel strength parameter, S, the relaxation exponent, n, and the fractal dimension, d_f, of the crosslinked polymer at the pseudo‐critical gel state were determined from oscillatory shear measurements by a dynamic rheometer. The morphologies and light resistance properties of the crosslinked polymers were observed, respectively, with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a color difference meter.