Preparation of amidoximated poly(glycidyl methacrylate) microbeads

Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) microbeads were synthesized by a simple suspension polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. The epoxy groups of the microbeads were firstly modified with 3,3′‐iminodipropionitrile (IDPN) and the resulting nitrile groups were then converted to amidoxime. From scanning electron microscopy studies, the average size of the PGMA microbeads was determined as 170 µm, which was not changed by the modification processes. For the modification of epoxy groups with IDPN, the intensity of the C≡N absorption band at 2249 cm^?1 increased proportionally with reaction time; for the conversion of nitrile groups to amidoxime, it decreased. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements clearly showed the disappearance of the original nitrile groups and the formation of amidoxime groups through treatment with hydroxylamine under the reaction conditions specified. The microbeads possessed good thermal and morphological properties and chemical stability suitable for practical use. Therefore, the amidoximated PGMA microbeads could be used in batch and continuous processes for the adsorption of uranyl ions from seawater or aqueous media. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Hydroxyethyl cellulose-based indicator labels to track freshness of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus)

In this study, it was aimed to develop a freshness indicator label that changes color with spoilage of fish. Hydroxyethyl cellulose-based indicator labels were prepared using two different mixed indicator (bromothymol blue/phenol red, cresol red/thymol blue) formulations. The functionality of prepared indicator labels was tested on anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) stored at 2°C and 10°C. Changes in total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, Pseudomonas spp., total yeast and mold counts, and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) contents of anchovy during storage were examined. Color changes of prepared indicator films were measured by a colorimeter. Correlation between color changes of indicator labels with microorganism growth and content of TVB-N was investigated. It is concluded that developed indicator labels change color with spoilage of anchovy and can be used as freshness indicator in fish industry.     

Failure behaviour of the single lap joints of angle-plied composites under three point bending tests

Abstract

In this paper, the response of adhesively-bonded single lap joints (SLJs) with angle-plied composite adherends subjected to flexural loading was investigated. The experiments were carried out for the adherends, glass reinforced polymer matrix, with three kinds of stacking sequence. A three-dimensional finite element (FE) model was developed using ABAQUS/Explicit. The three dimensional Hashin failure criterion with an appropriate damage evolution law was used to characterize the damage inside a ply. Cohesive zone elements were used to model the damage in the adhesive layer (AF163-2K) and the interply failure, that is, the delamination. The developed numerical model was verified with the performed experiments. The SLJs of [±20]_5s and [±45]_5s failed due to failure in the adhesive layer and the delamination between the plies, whereas that of [±10]_5s failed mainly due to the former failure. The intralaminar damage was not noticed for any case. The influence of the fiber angle of plies in the adherends, adherend thickness, overlap length, and the thickness of adhesive layer on the damage in the adhesive layer and the delamination were investigated in terms of the competition between these two failures and activation of different failure modes in each thoroughly.     

Designing environment-friendly chromium-free Spinel-Periclase-Zirconia refractories for Ruhrstahl Heraeus degasser

Ruhrstahl Heraeus (RH) degassers are globally used to manufacture vacuum-treated steel for automotive and railroad applications. The state-of-the-art environment-friendly chromium-free alternatives for direct-bonded magnesia-chrome refractories used in RH degassers are expensive, and the scientific literature lacks direct correlation between materials chemistry, processing, and functional properties. We have designed a novel spinel-periclase-15 wt% ZrO₂ composition containing 14 wt% in situ spinel which exhibited 7.2 MPa hot modulus of rupture (1500℃), exceeding all reported Cr-free refractories for RH degasser applications. Investigation with scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) attributed this improvement to a reduction in interparticle Ca and Si content which forms low-melting phases, as supported by FactSage thermodynamic simulations. The spinel-periclase composition SP exhibited superior thermal shock resistance because thermal shock-induced cracks were stopped by fracture porosity around MgO particles, formed due to thermal expansion mismatch. SEM-EDS analysis of the SP composition corroded by RH slag at 1650°C revealed that Fe is the most corrosive element followed by Ca and Si. Contradicting the consensus, it was observed that corrosion resistance of fused MgO was better than that of ZrO₂. The cubic ZrO₂ phase reduced FeO_x penetration locally by incorporating CaO from the RH slag into a solid solution and forming a CaZrO₃ phase creating a “slag barrier”. Lastly, pore size was found to greatly exacerbate slag penetration following the Washburn percolation model.     

Synthesis and characterization of a rigid poly(amide hydrazide): effect of some reaction parameters on the viscosity of the polymer formed

A wholly aromatic all-para oriented poly(amide hydrazide) has been synthesized from N,N′-bis(4-aminobenzoyl) hydrazine (BABH) and terephthaloyl chloride (TC) by low temperature solution polycondensation. The polymer was characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectroscopy, solubility, viscosity and density measurements. The effect of various factors controlling the polymerization reaction (concentration of monomer and electrolyte (LiCl) in the reaction medium, nature of the medium and temperature at the initial stage of polymerization) on polymer viscosity was studied. To prepare a polymer of high viscosity, the optimum conditions were found to be, monomer concentration 0·25moll^-1, LiCl concentration (in DMAc) 1% (w/v), with use of N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) as polymerization medium. The thermal behaviour of the polymer was studied in air and nitrogen by TGA and DSC. ©1997 SCI     

Synthesis of full and semi Interpenetrating hydrogel from polyvinyl alcohol and poly (acrylic acid‐co‐hydroxyethylmethacrylate) copolymer: Study of swelling behavior,network parameters,and dye uptake properties

Semi and full interpenetrating network (IPN) hydrogels were synthesized by allowing free radical copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) and hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) in the matrix of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). Accordingly, four different semi IPN hydrogels were prepared with PVOH: copolymer mass ratio of 1 : 1, 1 : 0.75, 1 : 0.5, and 1 : 0.25. These hydrogels were designated as SEMIIPN1, SEMIIPN2, SEMIIPN3, and SEMIIPN4, respectively. In all of these SEMIIPN, after polymerization PVOH was crosslinked with 2 mass % glutaraldehyde to form the semi IPN structure. In a similar way, sequential full IPN were prepared from PVOH and copolymer of AA and HEMA (designated as PAAHEMA) with same composition except in this case apart from crosslinking of PVOH by 2 mass % glutaraldehyde the PAAHEMA copolymer was further crosslinked with N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide (NMBA) to produce four full IPN hydrogels designated as FULLIPN1, FULLIPN2, FULLIPN3, and FULLIPN4. All of these semi and full IPN type hydrogels were characterized by carboxylic %, FTIR, UV, DTA‐TGA, XRD, SEM, and mechanical properties. The network parameters, swelling and diffusion characteristics of these hydrogels were also studied. The performance of these semi and full IPNs were compared in terms of their relative abilities for removing varied concentration of rhodamine B (RB) and methyl Violet (MV) dyes from water. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Development of Ce‐PSZ‐/Y‐PSZ‐Toughened Alumina Inserts for High‐Speed Machining Steel

The nanocomposite CeO₂/Y₂O₃ partially stabilized zirconia (Ce‐PSZ/Y‐PSZ)‐toughened alumina was prepared by wet chemical simultaneous coprecipitation process. The thermal stability of phases and morphology of powders were characterized by TG‐DTA, FTIR, and FESEM. The microstructure, stabilization of phases and compositional analysis with different mol% CeO₂/Y₂O₃‐doped zirconia in alumina are characterized by FESEM, XRD, and EDAX spectra. Significant improvement in fracture toughness and flexural strength has been observed in 10 vol% of partially stabilized zirconia (2.5 mol% Y₂O₃ in ZrO₂/9 mol% CeO₂ in ZrO₂)‐toughened alumina, which is suitable for high‐speed machining applications.     

Ni/graphene/Ni nanostructures for spintronic applications

Here, we demonstrate chemical synthesis of graphene based nano-spin valve like structures using nickel layers as ferromagnetic contacts grown on both sides of graphene sheets. Magnetic measurements indicate that the spins on two opposite nickel layers are coupled through antiferromagnetic interaction up to room temperature. However, they switch into parallel configuration when a magnetic field of about 2000 Oe is applied resulting in a change in magnetoresistance of ~19%.     

Metal Complexes for Cancer Sonodynamic Therapy

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) for cancer treatment is gaining attention owing to its non-invasive property and ultrasound‘s (US) deep tissue penetration ability. In SDT, US activates the sonosensitizer at the target deep-seated tumors to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), which ultimately damage tumors. However, drawbacks such as insufficient ROS production, aggregation of sonosensitizer, off-target side effects, etc., of the current organic/nanomaterial-based sonosensitizers limit the effectiveness of cancer SDT. Very recently, metal complexes with tunable physiochemical properties (such as sonostability, HOMO to LUMO energy gap, ROS generation ability, aqueous solubility, emission, etc.) have been devised as effective sonosensitizers, which could overcome the limitations of organic/nanomaterial-based sonosensitizers. This concept introduces all the reported metal-based sonosensitizers and delineates the prospects of metal complexes in cancer sonodynamic therapy. This new concept of metal-based sonosensitizer can deliver next-generation cancer drugs.     

Gas—Liquid Flow Through Helical Coils in Horizontal Orientation

Experimental investigations have been carried out to evaluate the two‐phase pressure drop and the holdup for gas‐Newtonian liquid flow through helical coils. 24 helical coils and three different liquids were used for the experiments. Empirical correlations have been developed to predict the two‐phase friction factor and the liquid holdup as functions of various physical and dynamic variables of the system. Statistical analysis of the correlations suggests that they are of acceptable accuracy.