Increasing recyclability of PC,ABS and PMMA: Morphology and fracture behavior of binary and ternary blends

Binary and ternary blends of PC, ABS, and PMMA were studied. The blends were produced from original and recycled materials by melt mixing in a wide range of compositions. Instrumented Charpy impact testing, tensile testing, rheology investigations, and electron microscopy were carried out to determine the relationship between the deformation and fracture behavior, blend composition, morphology, and processing parameters. Resistance against unstable crack propagation was evaluated using the concepts of J‐integral and crack‐tip‐opening displacement (CTOD). The transition from ductile elastic‐plastic to brittle‐linear elastic fracture behavior was observed in the case of PC/ABS/PMMA blend at 10% of PMMA. Reprocessing had only a slight influence on the deformation and fracture behavior of the recycled blends. The blends produced from recycled materials proved to be competitive with the original pure materials. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

Melectin: a novel antimicrobial peptide from the venom of the cleptoparasitic bee Melecta albifrons

A novel antimicrobial peptide designated melectin was isolated from the venom of the cleptoparasitic bee Melecta albifrons. Its primary sequence was established as H-Gly-Phe-Leu-Ser-Ile-Leu-Lys-Lys-Val-Leu-Pro-Lys-Val-Met-Ala-His-Met-Lys-NH(2) by Edman degradation and ESI-QTOF mass spectrometry. Synthetic melectin exhibited antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive and -negative bacteria and it degranulated rat peritoneal mast cells, but its hemolytic activity was low. The CD spectra of melectin measured in the presence of trifluoroethanol and sodium dodecyl sulfate showed a high content alpha-helices, which indicates that melectin can adopt an amphipathic alpha-helical secondary structure in an anisotropic environment such as the bacterial cell membrane. To envisage the role of the proline residue located in the middle of the peptide chain on biological activity and secondary structure, we prepared several melectin analogues in which the Pro11 residue was either replaced by other amino acid residues or was omitted. The results of biological testing suggest that a Pro kink in the alpha-helical structure of melectin plays an important role in selectivity for bacterial cells. In addition, a series of N- and C-terminal-shortened analogues was synthesized to examine which region of the peptide is related to antimicrobial activity.     

SYNERGISTIC EXTRACTION OF LANTHANIDES(III) BY TRIOCTYLMETHYLAMMONIUM NITRATE AND TRIBUTYL PHOSPHATE

ABSTRACT

The synergistic action of tributyl phosphate in the extraction of La(III), Pr(III)Nd(III), Sm(III), Eu(III), Gd(III), Dy(III), Ho(III), Er(III)and Y(III) with trioc-tylmethylammonium nitrate was studied. The synergistic effect is diluent dependent. It is pronounced with a mixed dodecane/xylene diluent, and is weak with mixed heptane/xylene and hexane/xylene diluents as well as with pure xylene diluent. Two or three synergistic complexes are formed simultaneously in the organic phase. Their composition is (A₊)(Ln(N0₃)) ₄),.2B~), (A₊))(Ln(N0₃))J.3B"), and (A₊)) ₂) (Ln(N0₃)) ₅).BJ-) (Ln is a lanthanide(IM), A+ is a trioc-tylmethylammonium cation and B is a tributyl phosphate molecule). The stability of the synergistic complexes generally decreases with increasing atomic number of the lanthanides(III). The synergism enhaces the efficiency of the lanthanide(III) extraction with trioctylmethylammonium nitrate, but deteriorates its selectivity. The separation factors for the Pr(III)-Nd(III) and Eu(III)-Gd(III) pairs are gradually suppressed at increasing concentration of tributyl phosphate.     

1,3,3-trinitroazetidine (TNAZ). Study of thermal behaviour. Part II

Abstract

Thermal behavior of TNAZ (1,3,3 - trinitroazetidine) was studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and thermogravimetryc analysis (TGA).

It was found out that TNAZ is thermally more stable than RDX, but less stable than HMX and TNT. The reaction of intensive thermal decomposition starts at 183–230 °C, depending on heating rate, while the first exothermic reaction was observed at 178 °C at the heating rate of 1 °C/min.

By applying multiple heating rate DSC measurements and Ozawa's method the activation energy of 161.3 kJ/mol and pre-exponential factor of 8.27·10¹³ 1/s were calculated from DSC peak maximum temperature-heating rate relationship. By the same method the activation energy of 157.5 kJ/mol and pre-exponential factor of 4.55·10¹³ 1/s were calculated from DTA peak maximum temperature.

By applying Flynn-Wall isoconversional method it was calculated from DSC measurements that the activation energy equals between 140 and 155.6 kJ/mol at degrees of conversion ranging between 0.3 and 0.7, while pre-exponential factor ranges between 7.8·10¹² and 1.92·10¹³ 1/s.     

APPLICATION OF CHROMATIC MONITORING AS A PLASMA DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUE

This paper describes the application of chromatic monitoring of both laboratory and industrial plasmas. The light emitted from the nitrogen plasma generated in the different plasma sources was measured with an imaging spectrograph. The emission spectra were reduced to data points representing the chromatic coordinates of these spectra. The data compression makes this method attractive for monitoring plasma parameter changes. The aim of this work was to test the possibility of application of chromatic monitoring for plasma processing.     

Technologische Eigenschaften von Stählen im europäischen Vergleich

The object of this contribution is the comparison of the statistical characteristics of yield strength, ultimate strength and ductility of Austrian and Czech steels. In an independent manner, basic material characteristics of steel products of both Austrian and Czech producers were statistically evaluated at the Vienna and the Brno Universities to guarantee the maximum objectivity of the results obtained and of the conclusions drawn from them. The influence of material characteristics on the reliability of a steel structure designed according to the design standards is reasoned.     

Z50LS 特技飞行机

正捷克斯洛伐克的ZLIN Z-50是世界上第一架投入量产的特技飞行机第一架原型机于1975年完成其首次飞行。在接下来的19年里,该系列机型在Moravan Otrokovice厂生产出了80架各种改型。该机型的优异质量从飞行员多年来获得的诸多国际奖项便可见一斑,其中两位还是享誉国际的捷克斯洛伐克特技飞行锦标赛世界冠     

Spectroscopic Analysis of a Corona Space Charge in a Cylindrical System with Air-Carbon Dioxide Medium

Positive corona glow discharge was studied in a system with cylindrical geometry in air and air-carbon dioxide mixtures at normal temperature and pressure (NTP). A spatially resolved spectroscopy technique was used in an attempt to explain the previously observed anomalous charging of particles traveling through the glow region. The results corroborate the existence of the previously reported anomaly. The apparatus developed for taking the spatially resolved spectra and the methods employed may be of interest in fundamental studies of corona discharge behavior in a practical electrostatic precipitator system.     

Stone-Wales Rearrangement as the Double Olefin-Carbene 1,2-CC Bond Shift. Denied Role of Triplet Biradicals

Stone-Wales rearrangement may be considered to consist of two contiguous steps of olefin-carbene 1,2-C-C bond shift. Computational study on this mechanism led to high activation energies comparable to the bond dissociation energies of C-C bonds in fullerenes and their precursors. the possibility of passing through triplet transition state is denied on computational grounds.