Deformation of Alumina/Titanium Carbide Composite at Elevated Temperatures

The deformation behavior of an Al₂O₃/30 wt% TIC composite in uniaxial tension was evaluated under vacuum over the temperature range of 1300° to 1550°C. The Al₂0₃/TiC composite exhibited the maximum elongation of 66% at an initial strain rate of 1.19 X l0^-4 s^-1 at 1550°C. The stress exponent calculated from peak stresses of true stress-true strain curves at 1500^OC was 3.8, which was in good agreement with that obtained by changing the crosshead speed during the tension test. The apparent activation energy at 20 MPa was 853 kJ/mol. In addition the deformation of the Al₂O³/TiC composite in uniaxial tension at elevated temperature was accompanied by cavitation.     

High-strength–high-modulus polyimide fibers II. Spinning and properties of fibers

The polyimides based on 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) described in Part I of this series were dissolved in p-chlorophenol and spun into fibers using a coagulating bath of ethanol. The fibers as spun had in general low tenacities and low moduli, but a heat treatment at 300–500°C under tension produced a remarkable increase in strength and modulus, and fibers with a tensile strength of 26 g/den (3.1 GPa) and an initial modulus higher than 1,000 g/den (120 GPa) could be obtained. Thus, the annealed fibers of polyimides are comparable to aramid fibers in mechanical properties. To heating in air and in the saturated steam, the polyimide fibers showed higher resistance than the aramid fibers. The polyimide fibers surpassed the aramid fibers in resistance to acid treatment and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, but were inferior in resistance to alkali treatment. The annealed fibers of polyimides displayed distinct X-ray diffraction patterns. The chain repeat distance of 20.5 Å determined on the fibers of polyimide prepared from BPDA and o-tolidine, and 20.6 Å determined on the fibers of polyimide derived from BPDA and 3,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether are reasonable when the dimensions of monomeric units and the shapes of the molecular chains are considered. The X-ray reflections of both polyimide fibers were indexed satisfactorily on the basis of postulated unit cells.     

Docosahexaenoic Acid Esters of Hydroxy Fatty Acid Is a Novel Activator of NRF2

Fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFAs) are a new class of endogenous lipids with interesting physiological functions in mammals. Despite their structural diversity and links with nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) biosynthesis, FAHFAs are less explored as NRF2 activators. Herein, we examined for the first time the synthetic docosahexaenoic acid esters of 12-hydroxy stearic acid (12-DHAHSA) or oleic acid (12-DHAHOA) against NRF2 activation in cultured human hepatoma-derived cells (C3A). The effect of DHA-derived FAHFAs on lipid metabolism was explored by the nontargeted lipidomic analysis using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Furthermore, their action on lipid droplet (LD) oxidation was investigated by the fluorescence imaging technique. The DHA-derived FAHFAs showed less cytotoxicity compared to their native fatty acids and activated the NRF2 in a dose-dependent pattern. Treatment of 12-DHAHOA with C3A cells upregulated the cellular triacylglycerol levels by 17-fold compared to the untreated group. Fluorescence imaging analysis also revealed the suppression of the degree of LDs oxidation upon treatment with 12-DHAHSA. Overall, these results suggest that DHA-derived FAHFAs as novel and potent activators of NRF2 with plausible antioxidant function.     

Reaction and diffusion of reactive disperse dye in nylon 6

The diffusion of a reactive disperse dye with a vinylsulfonyl group accompanied by simultaneous reaction with the amino end groups in nylon 6 was examined by the method of cylindrical film roll at 70°C and pH 2.2–8.0. The experimental diffusion profiles of the active and fixed species of the dye in nylon 6 were confirmed to be described by the diffusion equation accompanied by the chemical reaction with substrate taking the limited amount of the end groups into account, where the active species of dye were assumed to react only with the free base of amino end groups. The completion of the reaction with the amino end groups was observed in the first layer from the surface at pH 6.0–8.0. The value of diffusion coefficient was constant (8.0 × 10^?10 cm²/s) at all the pH's. The product of the second-order rate constant, k₂, of reaction of the dye and the dissociation constant, K_a, of the amino end groups was constant (k₂K_a = 4.0 × 10^?9 s^?1) at pH 2.2–8.0. The k₂ values of the reaction with various substrates for vinylsulfonyl and monochlorotriazinyl-reactive dyes were compared and the practical dyeing conditions were discussed.     

Formation of toxic aldehydes in cod liver oil after ultraviolet irradiation

Formaldehyde, acrolein, malonaldehyde (MA), acetaldehyde and propanal produced from cod liver oil upon ultraviolet irradiation (λ_max=300 nm) were derivatized into nitrogenor sulfur-containing compounds and then analyzed by capillary gas chromatography with a nitrogen-phosphorus detector or a flame photometric detector. Acrolein and MA were formed at levels of 10.9±3.06 and 190.2±38.4 nmol/mg of fish oil, respectively. Maximum levels of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and propanal formed were 7.0±0.90, 49.1±4.5 and 35.8±4.0 nmol/mg of oil, respectively. Formation of propanal in large quantities corresponded to the high content of ɛ-3 fatty acids in cod liver oil.     

Improvement of Selectivity for Partial Hydrogenation of Benzene by Rare Earth Nitride Upon NH3 Treatment

For the liquid-phase partial hydrogenation of benzene at 483 K, the selectivity toward cyclohexene was greatly improved upon treating rare earth nitride with ammonia. For YbN obtained by thermal decomposition of Yb(NH₂)₂ at 1173 K, the selectivity of the NH₃-treated YbN was 75%, in contrast to nil for the untreated YbN.     

Poly(butylene succinate)/poly(vinyl phenol) blends. Part 1. Miscibility and crystallization

Miscibility has been investigated in blends of poly(butylene succinate) (PBSU) and poly(vinyl phenol) (PVPh) by differential scanning calorimetry in this work. PBSU is miscible with PVPh as shown by the existence of single composition dependent glass transition temperature over the entire composition range. In addition, the polymer–polymer interaction parameter, obtained from the melting depression of PBSU using the Nishi–Wang equation, is composition dependent, and its value is always negative. This indicates that PBSU/PVPh blends are thermodynamically miscible in the melt. Preliminary morphology study of PBSU/PVPh blends was also studied by optical microscopy (OM). OM experiments show the spherulites of PBSU become larger with the PVPh content, indicative of a decrease in the nucleation density, and the coarseness of PBSU spherulites increases too with increasing the PVPh content in the blends.     

Evidence for the formation of interpenetrated spherulites in poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene carbonate)/poly(l-lactic acid) blends investigated by atomic force microscopy

The spherulitic morphology in poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene carbonate)/poly(l-lactic acid) (PEC/PLLA) blends was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to obtain direct evidence for the formation of interpenetrated spherulites (IPS), where the spherulites of PEC penetrate into PLLA spherulites. The observation actually revealed that PEC crystals penetrated into interfibrillar regions of edge-on lamellae in a PLLA spherulite. The penetration process was also investigated by AFM with a temperature controller. An edge-on PLLA lamella or a fibril that ran nearly perpendicular to the growth direction of a PEC spherulite obstructed the growth of PEC spherulite. The PEC crystals filled the blocked space after growing around the PLLA lamella. These results showed that the spherulites of PEC and PLLA grow on the same layer instead of forming a layered structure of two spherulites. All the results supported the formation of IPS.     

Preparation of water‐repellent silks by a reaction with octadecenylsuccinic anhydride

Silk fibers and membranes were acylated with octadecenylsuccinic anhydride (ODSA) at 75°C for different times. Swelling [N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)] and nonswelling (xylene) solvent media were used for the reaction. Silk membranes that reacted in DMF or DMSO displayed faster reaction kinetics and attained higher weight‐gain values than fibers. The effect of the solvent on the reaction yield was in the following order: DMSO > DMF ? xylene. The Fourier transform infrared spectra of acylated silk samples showed the characteristic absorption bands of the anhydride at 2990, 2852, 1780–1700, and 1170 cm^?1. The intensity of the latter band, which increased linearly with the weight gain, was used as a marker for evaluating the reaction kinetics of the samples acylated in the nonswelling medium. The moisture regain and water retention of silk fibers acylated with ODSA decreased significantly, regardless of the solvent system used. Accordingly, the water repellency increased. Acylation induced an increase in the thermal stability of the silk fibers and membranes. Fine particles adhering to the surfaces of the silk fibers acylated in xylene were detected by scanning electron microscopy. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 324–332, 2003     

Color control of Japanese soy sauce (shoyu) using membrane technology

The present study systemically decolorized soy sauce using a membrane process to analyze the separation mechanism. An ultrafiltration (UF) membrane (NTU-2120) exhibited only slight decolorization ability. A nanofiltration (NF) membrane with a lower molecular weight cut-off and produced by sulfonated polysulfone (NTR-7400 series) rather than polyvinyl alcohol/polyamide (NTR-7250) had higher decolorization ability. The NF membranes rejected total nitrogen by 17–24%, unsalted soluble solid content by 24–32%, reducing sugar by 25–43%, and amino acids by 10–25%. The NTR-7400 series membrane rejected lactic acid by 6–9%, and pyroglutamic acid by 11–21%; other quality indexes were maintained. In the NF membrane processes, higher rejection of acidic amino acids than neutral and base amino acids was observed. The separation performance was governed by the electrical effect as well as the sieve effect. Soy sauce color could be controlled by blending NF membrane-processed soy sauce with feed soy sauce. Color can be matched to preference in accordance with dishes by suitably blending NF membrane-processed soy sauce with feed soy sauce.