Effect of molecular weight distribution on polymer diffusion during film formation of two-component high-/low-molecular weight latex particles

We describe fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) studies of film formation by a new type of two-component latex particles. These particles consist of a miscible blend of two components that have a similar composition but very different molecular weights. In our approach, we used sequential seeded emulsion polymerization to generate (in situ) a fraction of oligomer in poly(butyl acrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) P(BA-MMA) seed particles that contained a relatively high molecular weight (high-M) dye-labeled polymer. In this way we could systematically change the molecular weight distribution of polymer inside the particles. We varied the amount and the molecular weight of the oligomers. For latex films cast from these two-component particles, we studied the diffusion rate of the high molecular weight polymer by FRET. These measurements revealed that oligomers promoted diffusion rate during latex film formation (oligoplasticization). We analyzed our diffusion data in terms of the Fujita–Doolittle free-volume model and showed that higher molecular weight oligomers are less efficient as plasticizers. In separate experiments, oligomers with similar molecular weights as those in the two-component particles were introduced via latex blending. We compared oligoplasticization in latex blends films with that in the two-component particles films. Finally, we investigated the rheological behavior of the two-component polymers with compositions adjusted to have a common T_g (2 °C). The higher the molecular weight of the oligomer, the more that had to be added to achieve T_g = 2 °C. All of the oligomers were much shorter than the entanglement length and act as diluents of the entanglements in the high-M polymer. We found that incorporating larger amounts of oligomers with a higher molecular weight resulted in a more pronounced drop in polymer viscosity, associated with the decrease in the entanglement density.     

Evolving an Accurate Decision Tree-Based Model for Predicting Carbon Dioxide Solubility in Polymers

Solubility is one of the most indispensable physicochemical properties determining the compatibility of components of a blending system. Research has been focused on the solubility of carbon dioxide in polymers as a significant application of green chemistry. To replace costly and time-consuming experiments, a novel solubility prediction model based on a decision tree, called the stochastic gradient boosting algorithm, was proposed to predict CO₂ solubility in 13 different polymers, based on 515 published experimental data lines. The results indicate that the proposed ensemble model is an effective method for predicting the CO₂ solubility in various polymers, with highly satisfactory performance and high efficiency. It produces more accurate outputs than other methods such as machine learning schemes and an equation of state approach.     

Reflection and transmission coefficient of yttrium iron garnet filled polyvinylidene fluoride composite using rectangular waveguide at microwave frequencies

The sol-gel method was carried out to synthesize nanosized Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG). The nanomaterials with ferrite structure were heat-treated at different temperatures from 500 to 1000 °C. The phase identification, morphology and functional groups of the prepared samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), respectively. The YIG ferrite nanopowder was composited with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) by a solution casting method. The magnitudes of reflection and transmission coefficients of PVDF/YIG containing 6, 10 and 13% YIG, respectively, were measured using rectangular waveguide in conjunction with a microwave vector network analyzer (VNA) in X-band frequencies. The results indicate that the presence of YIG in polymer composites causes an increase in reflection coefficient and decrease in transmission coefficient of the polymer.     

Innovative Diagnostic Peptide-Based Technologies for Cancer Diagnosis: Focus on EGFR-Targeting Peptides

Active targeting using biological ligands has emerged as a novel strategy for the targeted delivery of diagnostic agents to tumor cells. Conjugating functional targeting moieties with diagnostic probes can increase their accumulation in tumor cells and tissues, enhancing signal detection and, thus, the sensitivity of diagnosis. Due to their small size, ease of chemical synthesis and site-specific modification, high tissue penetration, low immunogenicity, rapid blood clearance, low cost, and biosafety, peptides offer several advantages over antibodies and proteins in diagnostic applications. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of the most promising cancer biomarkers for actively targeting diagnostic and therapeutic agents to tumor cells due to its active involvement and overexpression in various cancers. Several peptides for EGFR-targeting have been identified in the last decades, which have been obtained by multiple means including derivation from natural proteins, phage display screening, positional scanning synthetic combinatorial library, and in silico screening. Many studies have used these peptides as a targeting moiety for diagnosing different cancers in vitro, in vivo, and in clinical trials. This review summarizes the progress of EGFR-targeting peptide-based assays in the molecular diagnosis of cancer.     

Chemical Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Antibacterial Polycyclic Polymer

Polyaniline (PAn) and poly(alkyl substituted anilines) were synthesized in aqueous media by chemical polymerization of alkyl substituted aniline in presence of ammonium peroxydisulphate as an oxidant. The products were investigated in terms of morphology, chemical structure, and mechanism of polymerization with scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and UV–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), respectively. Results indicated that physicochemical properties of poly(alkyl substituted anilines) depend on substituent groups bonded to N-position. In general, alkyl-substituted PAn have similar chemical and optical properties to parent PAn and it seems that the substituted PAn follow the same polymerization mechanism as reported for PAn. The prepared polymers were then tested for the antibacterial properties against Gram-negative bacteria: Escherichia coli (E. coli). The antibacterial properties were assessed by measuring the zones of inhibition. The antimicrobial results showed clearly that PAn and poly(alkyl substituted anilines) exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against the growth of E. coli microorganism.     

Protein encapsulated in electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds for tissue engineering applications

The main purpose of tissue engineering is the preparation of fibrous scaffolds with similar structural and biochemical cues to the extracellular matrix in order to provide a substrate to support the cells. Controlled release of bioactive agents such as growth factors from the fibrous scaffolds improves cell behavior on the scaffolds and accelerates tissue regeneration. In this study, nanofibrous scaffolds were fabricated from biocompatible and biodegradable poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) through the electrospinning technique. Nanofibers with a core–sheath structure encapsulating bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein for hydrophilic bioactive agents were prepared through emulsion electrospinning. The morphology of the nanofibers was evaluated by field‐emission scanning electron microscopy and the core–sheath structure of the emulsion electrospun nanofibers was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The results of the mechanical properties and X‐ray diffraction are reported. The scaffolds demonstrated a sustained release profile of BSA. Biocompatibility of the scaffolds was evaluated using the MTT (3(4,5‐ dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay for NIH‐3T3 fibroblast cells. The results indicated desirable biocompatibility of the scaffolds with the capability of encapsulation and controlled release of the protein, which can serve as tissue engineering scaffolds. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of fiber reinforcement on deformability properties of cemented sand

In this study, a series of unconfined compression tests have been performed to determine the effect of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber inclusion on deformation characteristics of cemented sand. The cement contents were 2, 4, and 6% by weight of the dry sand and samples were cured for 7 days. PVA fibers with a length of 12 mm and a diameter of 0.1 mm were added to sand-cement mixtures at a weight ratio of 0.0%, 0.3%, 0.6% and 1% (dry wt.). The compression stress-axial strain, secant modulus of elasticity (E₅₀), tangent modulus of elasticity (E_tan), failure mode, energy absorption capacity (EA), energy base index, strain base index, deformability index and axial strain at peak strength of the samples were described. Tests results show that addition of cement to sand increased stiffness and unconfined compression strength (UCS), and leading to a brittle behavior. Moreover, addition of PVA fibers to cemented sand increased the UCS and axial strain at peak strength and increased softening stress after the maximum strength. In addition, the fiber inclusion increases the energy absorption capacity and decreases the secant modulus of elasticity.     

Investigation of the deformability properties of fiber reinforced cemented sand

In this study, 72 consolidated drained triaxial tests have been carried out to evaluate the effect of relative density, weight ratio of fibers, weight ratio of cement and confining pressure on the deformability properties of specimens made from Babolsar sand, Portland cement type II and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers. The results of this study show that the stiffness corresponding to 50% of the shear strength increases with the addition of cement. The presence of fibers within the cement specimen reduces stiffness. On the other hand, for uncemented specimen, adding fibers can reduce the stiffness of the specimens by 80% density, while adding fibers increases stiffness for specimens with 50% density. Adding cement to sand increases the secant stiffness at lower strains, but at high strains, cement content does not affect the secant stiffness. For specimens with relative density of 80%, in low strains, adding fibers reduces the secant stiffness. In high strains, the presence of fibers increases the secant stiffness. The distance between the yielding point and failure point increases with increasing confining pressure and fiber content, but adding cement reduces this distance. The yielding point of cemented sample depends on cement content and confining pressure. The inclusion of PVA fibers to the cemented soil increases the energy absorption. The addition of cement increases the energy absorption, but the amount of energy absorption increase is not significant. Moreover, the increase of confining pressure increases the difference in the absorbed energy of the specimens with different relative densities.     

A novel stimuli-responsive magnetic hydrogel based on nature-inspired tragacanth gum for chemo/hyperthermia treatment of cancerous cells

Journal of Polymer Research - Derivatives of formyl pyrazole were synthesized by the reaction of acetophenone, 4-methyl acetophenone, 3-acetyl furan, 3-acetyl thiophen and phenyl hydrazine...     

杏核的活性壳：一种用于黄金回收的有价值的吸附剂

Activated carbon has been proven to be an effective adsorbent for the recovery of a wide variety of metal ions from aqueous solutions. In this research, the activated hard shell of Iranian apricot stones was used for gold recovery from electro-plating wastewater. The effect of parameters such as dose and particle size of adsorbent,pH, agitation speed of mixing on the gold recovery was investigated. The results showed that under the optimum operating conditions more than 98% of gold ions were adsorbed onto activated carbon after just 3 h. In addition, the adsorbed gold could be eluted from this adsorbent by improved striping method. The process involves contact of gold-laden adsorbent with a strong base at ambient temperatures followed by elution with an aqueous solution containing an organic solvent. It was found that activated hard shell of apricot stones has the potential to replace im ported commercial activated carbons in gold adsorption processes.