Structural material from waste plastic

In efforts to contribute to community development, particularly in the context of Egyptian communities, waste plastics materials were successfully recycled without the difficult task of separation and reused to economically produce new structural material. Recycling was performed by mixing molten waste plastics with sand to produce these new materials. Samples with different percentages of plastics and different particle sizes of sand were used in the process. Materials showed acceptable density and high compressive strength, which was shown to be at a maximum with contents of about 30–40% waste plastic. Furthermore, certain types of sand having different colors were used to produce attractive materials, suitable for decorative uses. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 2543–2547, 2004     

Effects of cobalt and potassium doping on thermal stability and electrical properties of radiation grafted acrylic acid onto poly(tetrafluoroethylene ethylene) copolymer films

Grafted copolymer of poly(tetrafluoroethylene ethylene) (ET) with acrylic acid (AAc) was prepared by direct radiation method. The obtained films were modified by treating with small amounts of Co²⁺ and K⁺ ions (1.0 wt %). The effects of such treatment on the thermal stability and electrical conductivity of these films were studied. Cobalt treatment did not much affect the thermal degradation of the films. The results obtained revealed that k⁺ treatment enhanced the thermal degradation of ET‐g‐PAAc, which started 273 K lower than that observed in the case of the untreated and Co²⁺‐treated films. Potassium and cobalt treatment of the investigated films increased their electrical conductivity (σ) and decreased the activation energy ΔE_σ. The increase in σ values was, however, more pronounced in the case of K⁺‐treated film. These results were discussed in terms of the effective increase in the hydrophilicity of the films, especially those treated with potassium. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 867–871, 2005     

Oil thermal annealed nano‐structured indium tin oxide thin films for display applications

Indium tin oxide‐coated thin films (200 nm) are deposited on glass substrates by using R.f. sputtering technique. Here, we investigate the influence of new technique of treatment, which is called as “oil thermal annealing” on the nano‐structured indium tin oxide thin films at fixed temperature (150 °C) which improves adhesion strength, electrical conductivity and optical properties (transmittance) of the films. Oil thermal annealing is used to reduce inherent defects that may be introduced during the prepared thin film and cooling processes. Proposed technique is highly suitable for liquid crystal displays, solar cells and organic light emitting diodes, and many other display‐related applications.     

Dynamic mechanical properties of agricultural residues‐filled polystyrene

Agricultural residues (cotton straw) were added as very small particles to polystyrene (PS) at different weight ratios by using a melt‐mixing technique. The dynamic mechanical tests were performed over a wide range of temperatures and frequencies by using an ARES rheometer (Rheometrics Scientific) operated in the dynamic mode. The dynamic mechanical properties in terms of the storage modulus (G′), loss modulus (G″), compliance moduli, loss tangent, and dynamic viscosity were studied and compared for PS and PS composite. The results showed that the dynamic mechanical moduli and viscosity were found to increase with the addition of cotton straw and rise further with its loading increasing. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 37–40, 2004     

Yield response of lentil to directly applied and residual phosphorus in a Mediterranean environment

The response of lentil grown under rainfed conditions to directly applied and residual phosphorus (P) was described by a modified Mitscherlich equation, accounting for the effects of rainfall on (1) potential yield, and (2) the availability of soil-P to the crop. The response of lentil yield to directly applied and residual P was studied in two-course cereal–lentil rotational trials under rainfed conditions in a Mediterranean-type environment. Cereal crops were grown at different P application rates during 4 growing seasons at 3 sites, representing different rainfall zones in northwest Syria. Lentil (Lens culinaris Med.) was grown during 4 seasons at the same sites, each lentil crop following a cereal crop. In 3 out of 4 lentil-growing seasons, additional P was applied to lentil in subplots to compare the residual and direct effects of P application. The initial contents of extractable soil-P (P-Olsen) were low at all sites, in the range of 2–5 ppm P. Under the conditions of the experiments, lentil appeared to benefit slightly more from P applied to the preceding wheat crop (residual P) than from directly applied P. It is shown that the modified Mitscherlich equation could be used as a basis for P fertilizer recommendations for rainfed farming. As for lentil, it was concluded that a single application of P to the wheat crop in a wheat/lentil rotation could reduce the cost of lentil production, without reducing lentil yield.     

Sintering-driven effects on the band gap of (Pb,La)(Ti,Ni)O3 photovoltaic ceramics

In this work, the influence of the sintering temperature on the physical properties of (Pb_0.8La_0.2)(Ti_0.9Ni_0.1)O₃ (PLT-Ni) ceramics is reported. The experimental data revealed that the energy band gap of PLT-Ni ceramics could be tailored from approximately 2.7 to 2.0 eV by changing the sintering temperature from 1100°C to 1250°C. It is demonstrated that the simple substitution of Ti⁴⁺ by Ni²⁺ cations is effective to decrease the intrinsic band gap while increasing the tetragonality factor and the spontaneous polarization. However, the additional red-shift observed in the absorption edge of the PLT-Ni with increasing the sintering temperature was associated with a continuous increase in the oxygen vacancies () amount. It is believed that the impact of the creation of these thermally induced is manifold. The presence of and Ni²⁺ ions generate the Ni²⁺- defect-pairs that promoted both a decrease in the intrinsic band gap and an additional increase of the tetragonality factor, consequently, increasing the spontaneous polarization. The creation of Ni²⁺- defects also changed the local symmetry of Ni²⁺ ions from octahedral to a square pyramid, thus lifting the degeneracy of the Ni²⁺ 3d orbitals. With the increase in the sintering temperature, lower-energy absorbing intraband states were also formed due to an excess of , being responsible for an add-on shoulder in the absorption edge, extending the light absorption curve to longer wavelengths and leading to an additional absorption in “all investigated” spectrum as well.     

Synthesis and characterization of saturated and unsaturated copolyesters based on bis-1,4-(dicarboxymethoxy) benzene

Saturated copolyester were prepared by copolyesterification of bis-1,4-(dicarboxymethoxy) benzene and phthalic anhydride with diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,4-butane diol, 1,2-propane diol, and 1,6-hexamethylene glycol. Also, unsaturated copolyesters were prepared by copolyesterification of bis-1,4-(dicarboxymethoxy) benzene and maleic anhydride with the same glycols. All the copolyester resins obtained have been characterized and unsaturated copolyesters in the form of films were determined. IR and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy were used for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the copolyesters resins and their hydrolyzate products, after curing with styrene. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Augmented grasshopper optimization algorithm by differential evolution: a power scheduling application in smart homes

With the increasing number of electricity consumers, production, distribution, and consumption problems of produced energy have appeared. This paper proposed an optimization method to reduce the peak demand using smart grid capabilities. In the proposed method, a hybrid Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm (GOA) with the self-adaptive Differential Evolution (DE) is used, called HGOA. The proposed method takes advantage of the global and local search strategies from Differential Evolution and Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm. Experimental results are applied in two scenarios; the first scenario has universal inputs and several appliances. The second scenario has an expanded number of appliances. The results showed that the proposed method (HGOA) got better power scheduling arrangements and better performance than other comparative algorithms using the classical benchmark functions. Moreover, according to the computational time, it runs in constant execution time as the population is increased. The proposed method got 0.26?% enhancement compared to the other methods. Finally, we found that the proposed HGOA always got better results than the original method in the worst cases and the best cases.

     

Progress and challenges in sustainability,compatibility, and production of eco-composites: A state-of-art review

Owing to economic and environmental benefits, new generations of materials/commodities follow “from waste to wealth” strategy. Recently, there has been a huge upsurge in research on the development of eco-composites using recycled plastic polymers and agro-residues because the eco-composites satisfy the stringent environment regulations and are cost-effective. Herein, we present a detailed review on the potential use of several types of natural fillers as an efficient reinforcement for recycled plastic polymers. In particular, the characterization of different categories of eco-composites according to their morphological, physical, thermal, and mechanical properties is extensively reviewed and their results are analyzed, compared, and highlighted. Furthermore, a framework to produce functional eco-composites, which includes functionalization of ingredients, critical issues on microstructural parameters, processing, and fabrication methods, is outlined and supported with sufficient data from the literature. Finally, the review outlines the emerging challenges and future prospects of eco-composites to be addressed by interested researchers to bridge the gap between research and commercialization of such a class of material. Overall, the acquired knowledge will guide researchers, scientists, and manufacturers to plan, select, and develop various forms of eco-composites with enhanced properties and optimized production processes.