Thermogravimetric analysis of methyl methacrylate‐graft‐natural rubber

The thermal degradations of methyl methacrylate‐graft‐natural rubber (MG) at different heating rates (B) in nitrogen were studied by thermogravimetric analysis. The results indicate that the thermal degradation of MG in nitrogen is a one‐step reaction. The degradation temperatures increase along with the increment of heating rates. The temperature of initial degradation (T₀) is 0.448B + 362.4°C, the temperature at maximum degradation rate, that is, the peak temperature on a differential thermogravimetric curve (T_p) is 0.545B + 380.7°C, and the temperature of final degradation (T_f) is 0.476B + 409.4°C. The degradation rate at T_p is not affected by B, and its average value is 48.9%; the degradation rate at T_f is not affected by B either, and its average value is 99.3%. The reaction order (n) is 2.1 and is not affected by B. The reaction activation energy (E) and the frequency factor (A) increase along with B, and the apparent reaction activation energy (E₀) is 254.6 kJ/mol. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 2952–2955, 2002     

Foams based on low density polyethylene/hectorite nanocomposites: Thermal stability and thermo‐mechanical properties

Novel polymer nanocomposite foams made by a two step compression molding method are analyzed in this article. Nanocomposites of low density polyethylene and an organo‐modified hectorite were first melt compounded and then foamed using a compression molding method. To study the influence of the presence and the amount of hectorite in both mechanical and thermal properties, samples with 3% and 7% content of hectorite were prepared. Polyethylene crystalline characteristics and thermal stability of the samples were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. Mechanical properties of foams and solid nanocomposites were analyzed by using dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA). Thermal expansion of the samples was analyzed by thermomechanical analysis. The results indicate that the exfoliation of hectorite platelets was achieved after the foaming process, but not during the melt mixing step. Foams with hectorite nanoparticles exhibit improved thermal stability and mechanical properties when compared with neat polymeric foams. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Preparation of porous thin films of a partially aliphatic polyimide

A thermally labile polymer, poly(propylene glycol), was modified to obtain PPG having an amino end group. PPG was incorporated into a partially aliphatic polyimide based on an alicyclic dianhydride, and this afforded triblock copolymers containing various amounts of PPG blocks. The thermal properties of the copolymers were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The thermal decomposition of the PPG block in the copolymers was carried out at 240°C under various pressures to obtain porous polyimide films. The pores remained during the thermolysis under a reduced pressure of 710 mmHg, whereas they collapsed under (near) atmospheric pressure. The pore size increased as the amount of the PPG block in the copolymers increased. The dielectric constants of the porous polyimides varied from 2.60 to 2.42 with the original copolymer composition. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 532–538, 2006     

Adsorption properties of a chelating resin containing hydroxy group and iminodiacetic acid for copper ions

A chelating resin, PSGI, was synthesized by the radical polymerization of GMA‐IDA, DVB, and styrene for the removal of Cu(II), Co(II), and Cd(II) from an aqueous solution. The characteristic functional groups and chemical composition of PSGI were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis of C, H, and N. The equilibrium adsorption capacities of PSGI from their single‐metal ion solutions were 1.46 mmol/g for Cu(II), 1.02 mmol/g for Co(II), and 1.10 mmol/g for Cd(II). The adsorption isothermal of Cu(II) by PSGI followed the Langmuir isotherm. Increasing the concentration (0–0.1 M) of KCl in Cu(II) solution affected the adsorption behavior slightly. Within the pH range of 2–5.5, decreasing the pH of the Cu(II) solution did not produce remarkable changes in the equilibrium adsorption capacities. The adsorption capacities of PSGI for Cu(II) did not cause significant change during the repeated adsorption–desorption operations. The competitive adsorption tests verified that this resin had good adsorption selectivity for Cu(II) with the coexistence of Co(II) and Cd(II). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 2123–2130, 2004     

In vitro hydrolysis of natural and synthetic γ-linolenic acid-containing triacylglycerols by pancreatic lipase

The present study compared thein vitro hydrolysis of two 18:3n-6-rich oils—evening primrose oil (EPO) and borage oil (BO)—and different synthetic 18:3n-6-containing triacylglycerols (TG). Incubation of EPO and BO with pancreatic lipase lipolyzed 18:3n-6 from the TG species. The rate of lipolysis of TG species containing two or three molecules of 18:3n-6, which comprised 36% of total 18:3n-6 in BO and only 7% in EPO, was significantly slower than those containing only one molecule of 18:3n-6. This was found especially in those with two molecules of linoleic acid, which constituted 20% of total 18:3n-6 in BO, whereas over 80% were present in EPO. In a separate study, various synthetic 18:3n-6-containing TG were also subjected toin vitro hydrolysis by pancreatic lipase. Results showed that release of 18:3n-6 from thesn-1/sn-3 positions was significantly slower when two other stereospecific positions in the same TG molecule were occupied by either palmitic acid (16:0) or monounsaturated (18:1 and 20:1) fatty acids than when occupied by 18:2n-6. The rate of hydrolysis ofsn-2-γ-linolenyl-sn-1(3)-diacylglycerol to formsn-2-mono-γ-linolenyl glycerol was also significantly slower when both thesn-1 andsn-3 positions in TG molecules were occupied by either saturated fatty acids (16:0 and 18:0) or long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids than when occupied by 18:2n-6. These findings suggest that the stereospecific position of 18:3n-6 in TG molecules and the constituent of its neighboring fatty acids modulated availability of 18:3n-6 from 18:3n-6-containing TG or 18:3n-6-rich oils.     

Solid polymer electrolytes. XI. Preparation,characterization and ionic conductivity of new plasticized polymer electrolytes based on chemical‐covalent polyether–siloxane hybrids

A new hybrid polymer electrolyte system based on chemical‐covalent polyether and siloxane phases is designed and prepared via the sol–gel approach and epoxide crosslinking. FT‐IR, ¹³C solid‐state NMR, and thermal analysis (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and TGA) are used to characterize the structure of these hybrids. These hybrid films are immersed into the liquid electrolyte (1M LiClO₄/propylene carbonate) to form plasticized polymer electrolytes. The effects of hybrid composition, liquid electrolyte content, and temperature on the ionic conductivity of hybrid electrolytes are investigated and discussed. DSC traces demonstrate the presence of two second‐order transitions for all the samples and show a significant change in the thermal events with the amount of absorbed LiClO₄/PC content. TGA results indicate these hybrid networks with excellent thermal stability. The EDS‐0.5 sample with a 75 wt % liquid electrolyte exhibits the ionic conductivity of 5.3 × 10^?3 S cm^?1 at 95°C and 1.4 × 10^?3 S cm^?1 at 15°C, in which the film shows homogenous and good mechanical strength as well as good chemical stability. In the plot of ionic conductivity and composition for these hybrids containing 45 wt % liquid electrolyte, the conductivity shows a maximum value corresponding to the sample with the weight ratio of GPTMS/PEGDE of 0.1. These obtained results are correlated and used to interpret the ion conduction behavior within the hybrid networks. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 1000–1007, 2006     

Preparation of micron‐size monodispersed PS/P(St/MAA) microspheres by seeded dispersion polymerization

Uniform polystyrene (PSt) particles with the size of 1.9 μm were first prepared via dispersion polymerization, and then used as the seeds in a second‐stage dispersion copolymerization of styrene (St) and methacrylic acid (MAA) to produce carboxyl‐carrying microspheres. The PSt seed particles were swollen by monomer mixture of St and MAA, including an oil‐soluble initiator 2,2′‐azobisiso‐butyronitrile (AIBN), before polymerization. Finally, uniform PS/P(St/MAA) (polydispersity index, PDI = 1.02) microspheres with the size of 2.2 μm were obtained. The average particle size and size distribution of the final microspheres were investigated. MAA contents between 54 and 97 mg/g were detected from the PS/P(St/MAA) particles produced under different conditions. Dispersion medium has great influence on the kinetics of polymerization, due to its effect on the partitioning of monomers, solvents, and initiator in the particle phase, probably as well as on the conformation of the dispersion agent on the surface of the particles. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 3586–3591, 2006     

On the in‐situ polymerization of cyclic butylene terephthalate oligomers: DSC and rheological studies

The thermal and rheological behaviors of cyclic butylene terephthalate (CBT) were studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and plate–plate rheometry, respectively. DSC scans were taken at different heating rates. The related first‐heat thermograms indicated crystallization and melting of the resulting poly (butylene terephthalate) (PBT) only at very low heating rate (0.5°C/min). As the crystallization and melting enthalpies were closely matched, one could conclude that the polymerization is essentially athermic. The polymerization was accompanied by a steep increase of the melt viscosity in isothermal rheological tests performed in the temperature range T = 145–210°C. Changes in the viscoelasticity of the polymerizing CBT and crystallizing PBT could be best followed by considering the changes in the phase angle. Viscosity increased with the conversion exponentially in the first approximation. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 46:743–750, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Dietary linoleic, α-linolenic and oleic acids are oxidized at similar rates in rats fed a diet containing these acids in equal proportions

The objective of this study was to examine whether whole body oxidation rates of dietary linoleic, α-linolenic and oleic acids differ when the acids are provided in identical quantities. Male rats were fed for 10 wk a 15% fat (w/w) diet containing equal amounts of linoleic, α-linolenic and oleic acids (22.7, 23.0 and 23.2% of total fatty acids, respectively). At week 10, after overnight fasting, rats were intragastrically administered 20 μCi of either [1-¹⁴C]-labelled linoleic, α-linolenic or oleic acid in a 200-μL bolus of oil containing equal quantities of each fatty acid. The appearance of¹⁴CO₂ in expired air was then monitored hourly for 12h for each animal. A preliminary study had shown that growth and food consumption patterns in animals consuming the oil containing equal quantities of each of the fatty acids paralleled the patterns of animals that were self-selecting among separate diets, each of which contained one of the component oils. The appearance of¹⁴C, expressed as percent dose administered, peaked at 2–3 h post-dose for¹⁴C-labelled linoleic (5.28±0.37%/h), α-linolenic (6.92±0.51%/h) and oleic (5.98±0.44%/h) acids. Statistically these values were not significantly different. Cumulative¹⁴CO₂ excretion rates over 12 h were also similar for linoleic (27.2±0.9%), α-linolenic (26.8±1.2%) and oleic (25.9±1.2%) acids. The results suggest that the rat's capacity to oxidize 18-carbon unsaturated fatty acids is not affected by fatty acid unsaturation when these fatty acids are provided at equal dietary levels.     

Integration Concepts for the Fabrication of LTCC Structures

At the Keck Smart Materials Integration Laboratory at Penn State University, low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) material systems have been used to fabricate a number of devices for a variety of applications. This article presents an overview of the integration of the concepts and materials that we have used to achieve miniaturization and unique device function. Examples of microwave filters, metamaterial antennas, and a dielectrophoretic cell sorter will be presented, with emphasis on device modeling and design, prototype construction methods, and test results.