Thermosensitivity control of polyethlyenimine by simple acylation

Branched polyethylenimine (b-PEI), an amine-rich polymer, can obtain thermosensitivity by a simple acylation reaction. The resulting N-acylated b-PEI derivatives showed a similar lower critical solution temperature (LCST) transition as their linear correspondent, poly(N-alkyloxazoline). Three acyl groups (propionyl, and isobutyryl, and n-butyryl) were introduced and resulted in LCSTs ranging from 10 °C to 90 °C depending on the structure and environment. The hydrophobicity of N-acylated b-PEI can be controlled by varying the acyl group and degree of acylation. Because the LCST transition is determined by the delicate balance between the hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of the polymers, an increase of the hydrophobicity in N-acylated b-PEI lowers the transition temperature. Also, N-acylated b-PEI contains tertiary amines as well as unacylated primary or secondary amines which can be protonated during acidification from a pH of 7.4 to a pH of 5.5. The LCST transition was observed at elevated temperatures due to the increase of hydrophilicity by the protonation in the acidic environment. The LCST was also influenced by the salt concentration. A decrease of the LCST was observed as the NaCl concentration increased, probably due to the dominance of the salting-out effect. The very simple introduction of thermosensitivity into pre-existing polymers can be easily applied for the development of various dual or multiple signal-sensitive polymer systems.     

Deterioration behavior analysis of dysprosium and thulium co-doped barium titanate ceramics for multilayer ceramic capacitors

An accelerated testing method for barium titanate (BaTiO₃) dielectrics was proposed to elucidate deterioration behavior of dielectric constant based on the life-temperature relation. The accelerated degradation test (ADT) which was designed using various temperature ranges below and above Curie temperature (T_c) was focused on the optimized composition of dysprosium (Dy) and thulium (Tm) co-doped BaTiO₃. The statistical analysis of the failure time data was performed to determine the optimum distribution as a goodness-of-fitness test. A scale parameter (η) and activation energy (E_α) were calculated in order to predict the life time of the co-doped BaTiO₃, and there was difference between the expected life times according to the acceleration temperature rating of the ADT. The difference of deterioration mechanism around T_c could be deduced from the change of lattice parameter and polarization behavior. The drastic decrease of tetragonality and ferroelectric property caused by the phase transition of the co-doped BaTiO₃ was verified in the temperature above T_c. Accordingly, the acceleration factor over T_c should be considered as reliability study of the BaTiO₃ dielectrics for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs).     

Relaxational dielectric anomaly in the ferroelectric phase of K2ZnCl4

The temperature dependence of dielectric constant of K₂ZnCl₄ was measured at 10, 20, 40 and 100 kHz in the temperature range between 120 and 250 K. A relaxational dielectric anomaly was observed near 210 K for the first time. It is ascribed to domain wall pinning induced by ferroelastic micro-domains which begin to form around 200 K and behave as defects. The dielectric anomaly disappeared after several thermal cycles of heating and cooling. This may be due to the remnant ferroelastic matrix in the ferroelectric phase.     

Gelation and crosslinking characteristics of photopolymerized poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels

The gelation and crosslinking features of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels were scrutinized through the UV polymerization processes of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) mixtures. The real‐time evolutions of the elastic moduli of the prepolymerized mixtures with different crosslinking ratios of PEGMA and PEGDMA and the photoinitiator concentrations were measured during photopolymerization. The rheological properties were compared with other properties of the PEG hydrogels, including the relative changes in the C?C amounts in the mixtures before and after UV irradiation, water swelling ratio, gel fraction, mesh size, and mechanical hardness. As the portion of PEGDMA as a crosslinker increased, the final elastic modulus and gel fraction increased, whereas the swelling ratio and scratch penetration depth at the hydrogel film surface decreased because of the formation of compact networks inside the hydrogels. These results indicate that there was a good correlation between the rheological analysis for predicting the crosslinking transition during photopolymerization and the macroscopic properties of the crosslinked hydrogels. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41939.     

Counterion-Induced Cationic Flexible Nanoparticle Catalytic of Piperidinolysis of Phenyl Salicylate

The removal of PSa^? from bulk aqueous phase to the pseudo‐micellar phase by halobenzoate counterion X is responsible for the monotonic increase in k_obs (pseudo first‐order rate constants) with the increase in the values of [MX] where MX = sodium salts of 2‐, and 4‐halobenzoic acids. The values of ion exchange constants, or for X = 2‐ and 4‐halobenzoate ions in the presence of tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTABr) were calculated from the apparent catalytic rate constants, ^Xk_cat which represent the catalytic effect of CFN. Larger values of or were observed for X = 4‐halobenzoate ions than that for X = 2‐halobenzoate ions due to isomeric factors. The values of or determined in the presence of TTABr were compared with previously determined or values in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr). The values of or are nearly 8 ~ 9‐fold larger for 4‐IBz^?, 4‐BrBz^? and 4‐ClBz^? compared to the respective values of X = 2‐IBz^?, 2‐BrBz^? and 2‐ClBz^?. The values of or for X = 4‐FBz^? is nearly 3‐fold larger than that for X = 2‐FBz^?. The values of or for X = 2‐ and 4‐halobenzoates are significantly smaller in the presence of TTABr than these in the presence of CTABr nanoparticles.     

Prognosis of breast cancer is associated with one-carbon metabolism related nutrients among Korean women

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The 5-year survival rate for breast cancer among Korean women has increased steadily; however, breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality among women. One-carbon metabolism, which requires an adequate supply of methyl group donors and B vitamins, may affect the prognosis of breast cancer. This aim of this study was to investigate the associations of dietary intake of vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and folate before diagnosis on the prognosis of breast cancer. METHODS: We assessed the dietary intake using a food frequency questionnaire with 980 women who were newly diagnosed and histopathologically confirmed to have primary breast cancer from hospitals in Korea, and 141 disease progression events occurred. Cox's proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) adjusting for age, education, recruitment sites, TNM stage, hormone status, nuclear grade and total calorie. RESULTS: There was no significant association between any one-carbon metabolism related nutrients (vitamin B2, B6 and folate) and the progression of breast cancer overall. However, one-carbon metabolism related nutrients were associated with disease progression in breast cancer patients stratified by subtypes. In ER + and/or PR + breast cancers, no association was observed; however, in ER--/PR-- breast cancers, a high intake of vitamin B2 and folate statistically elevated the HR of breast cancer progression (HR = 2.28; 95% CI, 1.20-4.35, HR = 1.84; 95% CI, 1.02-3.32, respectively) compared to a low intake. This positive association between the ER/PR status and progression of the disease was profound when the nutrient intakes were categorized in a combined score (Pinteraction = 0.018). In ER--/PR-- breast cancers, high combined scores were associated with a significantly poor DFS compared to those belonging to the low score group (HR = 3.84; 95% CI, 1.70-8.71). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our results suggest that one-carbon related nutrients have a role in the prognosis of breast cancer depending on the ER/PR status.     

Facile growth of novel morphology correlated Ag/Co-doped ZnO nanowire/flake-like composites for superior photoelectrochemical water splitting activity

In this paper, novel morphology correlation between silver nanowires (AgNWs) and cobalt (Co)-doped ZnO (Co-ZnO) flake-like thin films (nanowire/flake-like) has been proposed for enhanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting activity. Here in, high-quality AgNWs/Co-ZnO heterostructures enabled superior visible light water splitting activity compared to the pure ZnO and AgNWs/ZnO. To address the strategic effect of AgNWs coupling and transition metal (Co-2?at%) doping into the ZnO host lattice, we have carried out the X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–Vis transmittance, water contact angle and PEC analyses. In this way, PEC water splitting activity was mainly examined by linear sweep voltammetry (I-V), amperometric I-t and photoconversion efficiency (η) studies. The experimental results provide clear evidence of morphology correlation between AgNWs and Co-ZnO flake-like structures for strong visible light absorption. Specifically, AgNWs/Co-ZnO composites exhibited significant enhancement in the photocurrent density (7.0?×?10^?4 A/cm²) than AgNWs/ZnO (3.2?×?10^?4 A/cm²) and pure ZnO (1.5?×?10^?6 A/cm²). As a result, detailed AgNWs/Co-ZnO geometry has great potential for photoconversion efficiency (0.73%). In a word, the merits of controllable AgNWs/Co-ZnO heterostructure are proposed to improve the visible light harvesting and charge carrier generation for energy conversion devices.     

Effect of Ag addition on the corrosion properties of Sn‐based solder alloys

Corrosion properties of three different Sn‐Ag lead free solder alloys have been investigated in 0.3 wt% Na₂SO₄ solution as corrosive environment. As cast solder alloy was analyzed by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Volume fractions of the Ag₃Sn in the solders were determined by image analysis technique. Pitting potential and corrosion potential for the alloys were determined by potentiodynamic tests. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was carried out to measure the film and charge transfer resistance. Alloys with lower Ag content have been found as better corrosion resistance material.     

Effects of temperature and catalysts on the synthesis of carbon nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition

Carbon nanotubes were produced on a quartz plate and a silicon wafer by chemical vapor deposition using xylene as a carbon resource, iron and cobalt as catalysts, and ammonia as a reactive gas. A series of experiments was carried out to investigate the effects of reaction temperature, substrates, and catalysts on the synthesis of the nanotubes. The TEM analyses revealed that the nanotubes had a typical bamboo-shaped inner layer structure. Ammonia gas was found to have played a very important role in producing such bamboo-shaped CNTs by easing the formation of the graphite layers due to the catalyst activator and amorphous carbon reducer. The growth of CNTs was affected by the thickness of the silicon oxide layer. With iron catalysts, the growth of CNTs increased with an increase in the thickness of the silicon oxide layer. However, an opposite phenomenon occurred with the use of cobalt catalysts.     

Removal of PM2.5 entering through the ventilation duct in an automobile using a carbon fiber ionizer-assisted cabin air filter

This study evaluated the charging characteristics of a carbon fiber ionizer for PM2.5 and carried out particle capture laboratory tests after an ionizer was installed upstream of the media of an electret cabin air filter. When the ion concentration per particle (N_i) of the carbon fiber charger was 10⁶ ions/cm³, the average charge numbers for each particle were 1.54, 0.88, and 0.49 at 0.6, 1.2, and 1.8 m/s of face velocity, respectively (the particle charging times, τ, were 167, 83, and 56 ms, respectively). For these face velocities, the PM2.5 removal efficiencies of the filter media were 69.3%, 65.2% and 62.2%, respectively, but increased to 80.4%, 71.2% and 65.5%, respectively, when the ionizer was turned on. The carbon fiber ionizer was then installed in front of an electret cabin filter in the air conditioning system of an automobile, after which field tests were performed at a roadside area. For the same N_iτ used in the lab-scale tests, the effects of the carbon fiber ionizer on increasing PM2.5 %Reduction were mild as 9.4%, 4.0%, and 2.8% when the flow rates were at the second, fourth, and sixth levels, respectively (the face velocities were 0.6, 1.2, and 1.8 m/s, respectively). The PM2.5 %Reduction can be substantially increased by 20–21%, for a higher value of N_iτ (=1.0×10⁸ ions s/cm³), which is realized by increasing the power consumption of the carbon fiber ionizer.