Poly(L‐lactide)/polypropylene blends: Evaluation of mechanical,thermal, and morphological characteristics

Poly(L lactide) (PLA) was blended with polypropylene (PP) at various ratios (PLA:PP = 90 : 10, 80 : 20, 70 : 30, and 50 : 50) with a melt‐blending technique in an attempt to improve the melt processability of PLA. Maleic anhydride (MAH)‐grafted PP and glycidyl methacrylate were used as the reactive compatibilizers to induce miscibility in the blend. The PLA/PP blend at a blend ratio of 90 : 10, exhibited optimum mechanical performance. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis studies showed that the PLA/PP/MAH‐g‐PP blend had the maximum thermal stability with the support of the heat deflection temperature values. Furthermore, dynamic mechanical analysis findings revealed an increase in the glass‐transition temperature and storage modulus with the addition of MAH‐g‐PP compatibilizer. The interaction between the compatibilizers and constituent polymers was confirmed from Fourier transform infrared spectra, and scanning electron microscopy of impact‐fractured samples showed that the soft PP phase was dispersed within the PLA matrix, and a decrease in the domain size of the dispersed phase was observed with the incorporation of MAH‐g‐PP, which acted as a compatibilizer to improve the compatibility between PLA and PP. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Sol–gel mediated surface modification of nanocrystalline NiFe2O4 spinel powders with amorphous SiO2

Surface modification of nanocrystalline NiFe₂O₄ spinel particles with amorphous SiO₂ by the sol–gel process at 350 °C was demonstrated. Amorphous phase of the SiO₂ layer was evaluated by X-ray diffraction technique. Structural coordination of the pristine and SiO₂ coated NiFe₂O₄ particles as investigated by employing FTIR analysis. Thickness of the SiO₂ layer was investigated through transmission electron microscopy and it was identified to be ～10–23 nm over nanocrystalline NiFe₂O₄ particles. The magnetic behavior of pristine and surface modified NiFe₂O₄ particles were investigated using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Magnetic studies showed the retention of magnetic property of surface modified NiFe₂O₄ particles with the reduced saturation magnetization and coercivity compared to the pristine NiFe₂O₄ particles, which is respectively due to the lower fraction of the magnetic component and the formation of interfacial structure.     

Heat Pump Drying of Green Sweet Pepper

Thin-layer drying experiments under controlled conditions were conducted for green sweet pepper in heat pump dryer at 30, 35, and 40°C and hot air dryer at 45°C with relative humidities ranging from 19 to 55%. The moisture content of sweet pepper slices reduced exponentially with drying time. As the temperature increased, the drying curve exhibited a steeper slope, thus exhibiting an increase in drying rate. Drying of green sweet pepper took place mainly under the falling-rate period. The Page equation was found to be better than the Lewis equation to describe the thin-layer drying of green sweet pepper with higher coefficient of determination and lower root mean square error. Drying in heat pump dryer at 40°C took less time with higher drying rate and specific moisture extraction rate as compared to hot air drying at 45°C due to lower relative humidity of the drying air in a heat pump dryer though the drying air temperature was less. The retention of total chlorophyll content and ascorbic acid content was observed to be more in heat pump–dried samples with higher rehydration ratios and sensory scores. The quality parameters showed a declining trend with increase in drying air temperature from 30 to 45°C. Keeping in view the energy consumption and quality attributes of dehydrated products, it is proposed to dry green sweet pepper at 35°C in heat pump dryer.     

Performance Evaluation of Biofibers and Their Hybrids as Reinforcements in Bioplastic Composites

Biofibers such as soy hull, switchgrass, miscanthus, and their hybrids are used as reinforcements to engineer green composites in poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐valerate) and polylactide blends through melt mixing. The physico‐mechanical performance of the composites is evaluated by means of mechanical testing, DSC and SEM. The combination of agricultural residues as hybrids is shown to reduce supply chain concerns for injection‐molded green composites. The use of inexpensive biofibers and their hybrids proves an alternate way of getting cheap sustainable materials with better performance.

     

Effect of Clay Types on the Mechanical,Dynamic Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Polypropylene Nanocomposites

In the present investigation Polypropylene–Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene–organically modified MMT (PP-MAPP-OMMT) nanocomposites were prepared by melt mixing in a twin screw extruder followed by injection molding. The effect of clay chemistry and compatibilizer on the properties of the nanocomposites has been studied. Sodium montmorillonite has been organically modified using quaternary and alkyl amine intercalants. A comparative account with commercial quaternary ammonium modified clays i.e Cloisite 20A, Cloisite 15A and Cloisite 30B has been presented. Storage modulus of PP matrix also increased in the nanocomposites, indicating an increase in the stiffness of the matrix polymer with the addition of organically modified nanoclays. The morphology of the nanocomposites has been examined using wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Morphological findings revealed efficient dispersion of organically modified nanoclays within the PP matrix. MAPP compatibilized PP/Cloisite 15A nanocomposites displayed finely dispersed exfoliated nanomorphology as compared with other systems.     

Studies on Effective Bond Strength of Kendu Fruit Adhesive

Certain investigations on the effective bond strength of gum adhesive extracted from kendu (Diospyros cordifolia Roxb) fruit have been studied with respect to different interfaces such as general-purpose wood-wood, teakwood-teakwood, plywood-plywood, glass-glass, PMMA-wood, PVC-PVC. LDPE-LDPE, HDPE-HDPE, and PMMA-PMMA. The effects of different parameters such as curing temperature, curing time, thickness of specimens, and presolvent treatments on the bond strength of kendu fruit adhesive (KFA) are investigated. The bond strengths of KFA under different hazardous environments such as boiling water, saline water, and kerosene oil, acidic as well as alkaline solutions for the teakwood-teakwood interface have also been examined. A comparative account of studies of the effective bond strength of KFA with three different commercial synthetic adhesives such as Varnicol, Quickfx, and Araldite is reported. The KFA shows a superior bond strength for general-purpose wood-wood adhesion. Its bond strength is also comparable with synthetic adhesives for certain plastic-plastic as well as teakwood-teakwood adhesions. The retention of effective bond strength of KFA in various hazardous atmosphere remarkably encourages an industrial-grade adhesive formulation through proper R&D investigations. Adequate modifications and informations are required for an improved adhesive formulation from this natural adhesive to meet the industrial standard.     

Removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution by adsorption using bael leaves (Aegle marmelos)

Biosorption of Pb(II) on bael leaves (Aegle marmelos) was investigated for the removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution using different doses of adsorbent, initial pH, and contact time. The maximum Pb loading capacity of the bael leaves was 104 mg g^?1 at 50 mg L^?1 initial Pb(II) concentration at pH 5.1. SEM and FT-IR studies indicated that the adsorption of Pb(II) occurs inside the wall of the hollow tubes present in the bael leaves and carboxylic acid, thioester and sulphonamide groups are involved in the process. The sorption process was best described by pseudo second order kinetics. Among Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms, the latter had a better fit with the experimental data. The activation energy E_a confirmed that the nature of adsorption was physisorption. Bael leaves can selectively remove Pb(II) in the presence of other metal ions. This was demonstrated by removing Pb from the effluent of exhausted batteries.     

CDF sensitivity analysis technique for ranking influential parameters in the performance assessment of the proposed high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA

A cumulative distribution function (CDF)-based method has been used to perform sensitivity analysis on a computer model that conducts total system performance assessment of the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, and to identify the most influential input parameters affecting the output of the model. The performance assessment computer model referred to as the TPA code, was recently developed by the US nuclear regulatory commission (NRC) and the center for nuclear waste regulatory analyses (CNWRA), to evaluate the performance assessments conducted by the US department of energy (DOE) in support of their license application. The model uses a probabilistic framework implemented through Monte Carlo or Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) to permit the propagation of uncertainties associated with model parameters, conceptual models, and future system states. The problem involves more than 246 uncertain parameters (also referred to as random variables) of which the ones that have significant influence on the response or the uncertainty of the response must be identified and ranked. The CDF-based approach identifies and ranks important parameters based on the sensitivity of the response CDF to the input parameter distributions. Based on a reliability sensitivity concept [AIAA Journal 32 (1994) 1717], the response CDF is defined as the integral of the joint probability-density-function of the input parameters, with a domain of integration that is defined by a subset of the samples. The sensitivity analysis does not require explicit knowledge of any specific relationship between the response and the input parameters, and the sensitivity is dependent upon the magnitude of the response. The method allows for calculating sensitivity over a wide range of the response and is not limited to the mean value.     

Prediction of fatigue life with interspersed mode-I and mixed-mode (I and II) overloads by an exponential model: Extensions and improvements

The current work is an extension of the authors’ earlier work and presents a life prediction methodology under interspersed mode-I and mixed-mode (I and II) overloads. The important controlling parameter in the model is ‘specific growth rate’ (m). It depends on two crack driving forces i.e. stress intensity factor range and maximum stress intensity factor as well as material parameters i.e. fracture toughness, Young’s modulus, and yield stress. The dependence of ‘m’ on these parameters is correlated through a dimensionless parameter ‘l’. It is observed that the present model predicts the end life of post-overload period well in case of 7020 T7 and 2024 T3 Al-alloys.     

Electrochemical corrosion behaviour of Pb-free Sn-8.5Zn-0.05Al-XGa and Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu alloys in chloride containing aqueous solution

The electrochemical corrosion behaviour of Pb-free Sn-8.5Zn-0.05Al-XGa and Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu alloys was investigated in 3.5% NaCl solution by using potentiodynamic polarization techniques. The results obtained from polarization studies revealed that there was a negative shift in the corrosion potential with increase in Ga content from 0.02 to 0.2 wt% in the Sn-8.5Zn-0.05Al-XGa alloy. These changes were also reflected in the corrosion current density (I_corr) value, corrosion rate and linear polarization resistance (LPR) of the four element alloy. However, for Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu alloy a significant increase in the corrosion rate and corrosion current density was observed as compared to the four element alloys. SIMS depth profile results established that ZnO present on the outer surface of Sn-8.5Zn-0.05Al-0.05Ga alloy played a major role in the formation of the oxide film. Oxides of Sn, Al and Ga contributed a little towards the formation of film on the outer surface of the alloy. On the other hand, Ag₂O was primarily responsible for the formation of the oxide film on the outer surface of Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu alloy.