Effect of pressure on the structure and electrical conductivity of cardanol–furfural–polyaniline blends

Pressure‐sensitive polymers that simultaneously present reasonable electrical conducting properties, useful thermosetting behavior, and softness are hard to develop. To combine these properties into a single material, a cardanol‐based phenolic resin was prepared and blended in situ with polyaniline (PAni). The final polymer blend was composed of a soft solid material that could not be dissolved in ordinary solvents. Samples were characterized through X‐ray scattering, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and electrical conductivity and pressure sensitivity measurements. FTIR results indicate that the insertion of PAni into the blends did not change the chemical nature of the resin. According to wide‐angle X‐ray scattering results, PAni was dispersed homogeneously in the final polymer samples; this improved the sensitivity of the electrical conductivity to pressure variations, as confirmed through electromechanical tests. Pressure sensitivity and electromechanical analyses indicated that the produced blends could be used as pressure‐sensing materials. Among the tested materials, the blends containing 5 wt % PAni·H₂SO₄ presented the largest compression sensitivity values. Finally, it was shown for the first time through XRD analyses under pressure that PAni chains were considerably disturbed by compressive stresses. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Electrical and rheological percolation in poly(vinylidene fluoride)/multi‐walled carbon nanotube nanocomposites

Nanocomposites of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared through melt blending in a batch mixer (torque rheometer equipped with a mixing chamber). The morphology, rheological behavior and electrical conductivity were investigated through transmission electron microscopy, dynamic oscillatory rheometry and the two‐probe method. The nanocomposite with 0.5 wt% MWCNT content presented a uniform dispersion through the PVDF matrix, whereas that with 1 wt% started to present a percolated network. For the nanocomposites with 2 and 5 wt% MWCNTs the formation of this nanotube network was clearly evident. The electrical percolation threshold at room temperature found for this system was about 1.2 wt% MWCNTs. The rheological percolation threshold fitted from viscosity was about 1 wt%, while the threshold fitted from storage modulus was 0.9 wt%. Thus fewer nanotubes are needed to approach the rheological percolation threshold than the electrical percolation threshold. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Direct Coupling of Solar Cell Arrays to Electric Power Networks

Results of the investigation of the performance of solar cells when directly coupled to a conventional three-phase power network are presented. This approach dissociates the electricity production problem from the electric energy storage problem. Extensive studies of the required power inverter are performed. Preliminary simulation results indicate that ac power outputs of better than 90 percent of the optimum cell power output can be easily achieved by means of a suitably controlled inverter, thereby justify     

Kinetic modeling of pentachlorophenol adsorption from aqueous solution on activated carbon fibers

The adsorption equilibrium data of pentachlorophenol (PCP) onto activated carbon fiber (ACF) in felt form were obtained in a batch adsorber at T = 25 °C and pH 12 and the Langmuir isotherm fitted reasonably well with the experimental data. The rate of adsorption of PCP on ACF was investigated in this work and the experimental concentration decay data were obtained in a differential column batch adsorber. The overall rate of adsorption of PCP was interpreted by a diffusional model that takes into account the external mass transport and intrafiber diffusion. The experimental concentration decay can be described quite well with the diffusional model if the overall rate of adsorption is mainly controlled by intrafiber diffusion and the external mass transport is not important to the overall rate of adsorption. Moreover, intrafiber diffusion was significantly affected by restricted diffusion since the molecular diameter of the PCP was closed to 55% of the average pore diameter. The effect of restricted diffusion was estimated using correlations reported in the literature. The molecules of PCP adsorbed on the surface of the pore also hindered the diffusion of PCP molecules inside the pores.     

Imide‐containing ladder polyphenylsilsesquioxanes with high thermal stability and thermoplastic properties

This work reports for the first time the synthesis of ladder polyphenylsilsesquioxanes containing imide building blocks as parts of the main parallel chains. The ladder structure of the synthesized polymers was documented by means of small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) measurements. The obtained ladder polymers exhibit stability with respect to decomposition up to temperatures as high as 460°C; additionally, they have melting points far below their decomposition temperatures, which make them interesting candidate materials for thermoplastic processing. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40085.     

Antitumor Activity of Ionic Liquids Based on Ampicillin

Significant antiproliferative effects against various tumor cell lines were observed with novel ampicillin salts as ionic liquids. The combination of anionic ampicillin with appropriate ammonium, imidazolium, phosphonium, and pyridinium cations yielded active pharmaceutical ingredient ionic liquids (API‐ILs) that show potent antiproliferative activities against five different human cancer cell lines: T47D (breast), PC3 (prostate), HepG2 (liver), MG63 (osteosarcoma), and RKO (colon). Some API‐ILs showed IC₅₀ values between 5 and 42 nM , activities that stand in dramatic contrast to the negligible cytotoxic activity level shown by the ampicillin sodium salt. Moreover, very low cytotoxicity against two primary cell lines—skin (SF) and gingival fibroblasts (GF)—indicates that the majority of these API‐ILs are nontoxic to normal human cell lines. The most promising combination of antitumor activity and low toxicity toward healthy cells was observed for the 1‐hydroxyethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium–ampicillin pair ([C₂OHMIM][Amp]), making this the most suitable lead API‐IL for future studies.     

Ile-1781-Leu and Asp-2078-Gly Mutations in ACCase Gene,Endow Cross-resistance to APP,CHD, and PPZ in Phalaris minor from Mexico

Herbicides that inhibit acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase) are commonly used in Mexico to control weedy grasses such as little seed canarygrass (Phalaris minor). These herbicides are classified into three major families (ariloxyphenoxypropionates (APP), cyclohexanodiones (CHD), and, recently, phenylpyrazolines (PPZ)). In this work, the resistance to ACCase (APP, CHD, and PPZ) inhibiting herbicides was studied in a biotype of Phalaris minor (P. minor) from Mexico, by carrying out bioassays at the whole-plant level and investigating the mechanism behind this resistance. Dose-response and ACCase in vitro activity assays showed cross-resistance to all ACCase herbicides used. There was no difference in the absorption, translocation, and metabolism of the ¹⁴C-diclofop-methyl between the R and S biotypes. The PCR generated CT domain fragments of ACCase from the R biotype and an S reference were sequenced and compared. The Ile-1781-Leu and Asp-2078-Gly point mutations were identified. These mutations could explain the loss of affinity for ACCase by the ACCase-inhibing herbicides. This is the first report showing that this substitution confers resistance to APP, CHD, and PPZ herbicides in P. minor from Mexico. The mutations have been described previously only in a few cases; however, this is the first study reporting on a pattern of cross-resistance with these mutations in P. minor. The findings could be useful for better management of resistant biotypes carrying similar mutations.     

Sorption‐Enhanced Steam Reforming of Ethanol: Thermodynamic Comparison of CO2 Sorbents

A thermodynamic analysis is performed with a Gibbs free energy minimization method to compare the conventional steam reforming of ethanol (SRE) process and sorption‐enhanced SRE (SE‐SRE) with three different sorbents, namely, CaO, Li₂ZrO₃, and hydrotalcite‐like compounds (HTlc). As a result, the use of a CO₂ adsorbent can enhance the hydrogen yield and provide a lower CO content in the product gas at the same time. The best performance of SE‐SRE is found to be at 500 °C with an HTlc sorbent. Nearly 6 moles hydrogen per mole ethanol can be produced, when the CO content in the vent stream is less than 10 ppm, so that the hydrogen produced via SE‐SRE with HTlc sorbents can be directly used for fuel cells. Higher pressures do not favor the overall SE‐SRE process due to lower yielding of hydrogen, although CO₂ adsorption is enhanced.