Damage Development and Moduli Reductions in Nicalon—Calcium Aluminosilicate Composites under Static Fatigue and Cyclic Fatigue

Unidirectional and cross-ply Nicalon fiber-reinforced calcium aluminosilicate (CAS) glass-ceramic composite specimens were subjected to tension–tension cyclic fatigue and static fatigue loadings. Microcrack densities, longitudinal Young's modulus, and major Poisson's ratio were measured at regular intervals of load cycles and load time. The matrix crack (0° plies) density and transverse crack (90° plies) density increased gradually with fatigue cycles and load time. The crack growth is environmentally driven and depends on the maximum load and time. Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio decreased gradually with fatigue cycles and load time. The saturation crack densities under fatigue loadings were found to be comparable to those under monotonic loading. A matrix crack growth limit strain exists, below which matrix cracks do not grow significantly under fatigue loading. This limit coincides with the matrix crack initiation strain. Linear correlations between crack density and moduli reductions obtained from quasi-static data can predict the moduli reductions under cyclic loading, using experimentally measured crack densities. A logarithmic correlation can predict the Young's modulus reduction in a limited stress range. A fatigue crack growth model is proposed to explain the presence of two distinct regimes of crack growth and Young's modulus reduction.     

Paired electrooxidation IV. Decarboxylation of sodium gluconate to D-arabinose

A paired electrooxidative method has been developed to synthesize D-arabinose in a divided cell. D-arabinose is a material which has an important role in the production of vitamin B2 and DNA. Sodium gluconate was directly oxidized at the anode and indirectly oxidized in the catholyte by bubbling oxygen which was reduced to H₂O₂ and OH free radicals. In the catholyte, indirect oxidation of sodium gluconate was mediated by Fe³⁺ and OH free radicals. The optimal current efficiencies for D-arabinose production in the anolyte and catholyte were found to be 88.37% and 39.12%, respectively, and the total current efficiency of the paired electrooxidation was 127.49%. The paired electrosynthesis of D-arabinose is more economical in terms of power consumption than electrosynthesis that employ a single anode or cathode as the working electrode. The influence of cathodic/anodic CV and I/E curves, redox mediators and the amount of charge passed were also examined.     

CONVECTIVE DRYING OF BANANA,GUAVA AND POTATO PIECES : EFFECT OF CYCLICAL VARIATIONS OF AIR TEMPERATURE ON DRYING KINETICS AND COLOR CHANGE

ABSTRACT

Pieces of banana, guava and potato were dried in a two-stage heat pump dryer capable of precise control of air humidity with predetermined cyclic variations of air temperature entering the drying chamber. The air temperature variations tested were : a cosine, a reversed cosine and three different square wave profiles with peak-to-valley variations from 20^°C to 40^°C. The cycle time was about 60 minutes with drying time of approximately 300 minutes. The drying samples were placed on trays in a thin layer. With appropriate choice of temperature-time variation, it is possible to reduce the overall color change while maintaining high drying rates.     

Ordering of block copolymer/nanoparticle composite thin films

The ordering behavior of polymer nanocomposites composed of gold nanoparticles confined in the polystyrene (PS) domains of PS based block copolymers was investigated. The results reveal that the self‐assembly of nanoparticles in the PS domains improved the ordering of microdomains. This is attributed to the presence of nanoparticles that reduced the degree of segregation of the system, causing slow phase separation. This facilitates the packing of the cylindrical microdomains, leading to a well‐ordered structure of the composite. When particles were incorporated into the major domains of cylindrically ordered block copolymer, the connectivity of the domains allowed particles to move to the top of the film to gain additional entropy of the system. In contrast, when particles were organized in parallel cylinders in the block copolymer, they were confined in the cylinders which prevented them from diffusing in the depth direction. The aggregation of nanoparticles was amplified when the composite was annealed in air. We believe that the results from this study will enable more understanding of the effects of nanoparticles on the ordering of block copolymer/nanoparticle composite thin films and will provide a tool in the fabrication of composite thin films. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis of poly(lactic acid)‐based polyurethanes

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable aliphatic polyester, but its brittleness makes it unsuitable for many packaging and appliance applications. The goal of the work reported was to create novel poly(ester urethane)s that incorporate biodegradable poly(lactic acid) diols (PLA‐OHs) and good mechanical properties of increased molecular weight via crosslinked network formation for engineering plastics applications. Three kinds of polyols (PLA‐OHs, PLA‐OHs/poly(tetramethylene ether) glycol or PLA‐OHs/poly(butylene adipate) glycol (PBA)) and two kinds of diisocyanates (4,4‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) or toluene 2,4‐diisocyanate (TDI)) were chosen for the soft and hard segments to compare their mechanical properties. In addition, 1,4‐butanediol and trimethylolpropane were each used as chain extender agents. Results showed the PLA/PBA‐polyurethanes (PLA/PBA‐PUs) of the MDI series and the PLA/PBA‐PUs of the TDI series had improved thermal stability and enhanced mechanical properties. Degradation behavior showed the PLA‐based polyurethanes could be degraded in phosphate‐buffered saline solution and enzyme solution. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of CaTiO3 addition on microstructures and electrical properties of Na0.52K0.48NbO3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

In this article, various amounts of CaTiO₃ (CT) were added into (Na_0.52K_0.48)NbO₃ (NKN) ceramics using conventional oxide-mixing method for improving NKN's properties. The experimental results show that the (1?x)(Na_0.52K_0.48)NbO₃–xCaTiO₃ (x=0～0.07) solid solution system can be successfully synthesized. Addition of CaTiO₃ not only effectively prevents materials from deliquescence, but also improves the density and the electrical properties of the ceramics. The dielectric constant–temperature (ε_r?T) curves exhibit that the temperatures of the Curie point (T_c) and the phase transition from tetragonal to orthorhombic (T_O?T) are decreasing monotonously as the amount of CT addition is increased. A morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) can be found in the (1?x)NKN?xCT solid solution system as the doping amount of x=0.03, and the 0.97NKN–0.03CT ceramics, with a high bulk density, 98% theoretical density, and an appropriate grain size of about 1～2 μm, present a superior domain switching ability and the optimum properties: d₃₃=117 pC/N, k_p=0.39, P_r=21 μC/cm², and T_c=333 °C.