Investigation of Wear and Corrosion Behaviour of AISI 316 L Stainless Steel Coated By ESD Surface Modification

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - AISI 316 L austenitic stainless steel is widely used in various sectors of the industry (chemical, petro-chemical industry, paper industry,...     

Immobilization Horseradish Peroxidase onto UiO-66-NH2 for Biodegradation of Organic Dyes

Enzymes are extensively used as catalyst in several fields of production such as chemistry, and pharmaceuticals owing to their selectivity, efficiency and environmentally friendliness. However, their applications are often hindered due to their insufficient stability and difficulties in re-use. As a member of porous crystalline materials, metal organic frameworks are a promising enzyme carrier due to their multi-functional pore surfaces and robustness in variety of harsh conditions. In this study, the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzyme was immobilized onto UiO-66-NH₂ (Universitetet i Oslo) by a facile incubation method at the room temperature to improve the stability and reusability of enzyme. The prepared HRP@UiO-66-NH₂ bio-composite was characterized by using FT-IR, XRD and SEM. The crystal structure of MOF was well-preserved after enzyme immobilization. A colorimetric assay for enzyme activity after released from UiO-66-NH₂ has been employed based on the catalytic oxidation of phenol coupled with 4-aminoantipyrine. The robustness and activity of immobilized enzyme after released from UiO-66-NH₂ were investigated by biodegradation of methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) with several parameters such as pH, temperature, the dosage of H₂O₂ and the dye concentration with comparison to its free form. The optimum condition for dye degradation was obtained at basic conditions. The immobilized enzyme maintained its activity at elevated temperature while free enzyme lost its activity at the same conditions, attributed to the armoring effect of UiO-66-NH₂. According to the results of studied various parameters, MO and MB were biodegraded to 60% and 45%, respectively, within 60 min with the optimum conditions at pH 9 and 50 °C at a H₂O₂ dosage of 3%. The superior pH tolerance and stability suggest potential of UiO-66-NH₂ immobilized peroxidase enzyme in industrial applications.

     

Design and implementation of an ultrasonic sensor for rapid monitoring of industrial malolactic fermentation of wines

Ultrasound is an emerging technology that can be applied to monitor food processes. However, ultrasonic techniques are usually limited to research activities within a laboratory environment and they are not extensively used in industrial processes. The aim of this paper is to describe a novel ultrasonic sensor designed to monitor physical–chemical changes that occur in wines stored in industrial tanks. Essentially, the sensor consists of an ultrasonic transducer in contact with a buffer rod, mounted inside a stainless steel tube section. This structure allows the ultrasonic sensor to be directly installed in stainless steel tanks of an industrial plant. The operating principle of this design is based on the measurement of ultrasonic velocity of propagation. To test its proper operation, the sensor has been used to measure changes of concentration in aqueous samples and to monitor the progress of a malolactic fermentation of red wines in various commercial wineries. Results show the feasibility of using this sensor for monitoring malolactic fermentations in red wines placed in industrial tanks.     

Processing and Properties of Textured Potassium Sodium Niobate [K,Na]NbO3 Ceramic Ribbons by Alginate Gelation Method

Random and <001> textured potassium sodium niobate – [K,Na]NbO₃ (KNN) ceramics with 1 mole% CuO sintering aid were fabricated in ribbon form through a combination of novel alginate gelation process and templated grain growth methods using platelike sodium niobate ‐ NaNbO₃ (NN) template particles. The platelike NN template particles were prepared by a two‐step molten salt synthesis method. Ribbons were drawn from alginate‐based slurries without or with 10 wt% NN template particles using 50 mm long slit nozzle with a rectangular orifice of 10 mm × 1 mm. Development of crystallographic texture as a result of varying sintering time and temperature was evaluated through the calculation of the degree of orientation as measured by the Lotgering factor (?₍₀₀₁₎) and an ?₍₀₀₁₎ of 0.81 was achieved. The electrical properties of textured ribbons were evaluated with polarization and strain versus electric field measurements.     

Molecular weight control of poly(ethylene terephthalate) in extrusion process

A control strategy is developed to control molecular weight of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, to overcome its degradation through an extrusion process. To obtain dynamic model of a twin screw extruder, steady‐state, and unsteady‐state experiments were performed. Discrete convolution models between inputs and outputs were obtained. Process inputs were considered as screw speed (SS), feed rate, and barrel temperatures and the output was viscosity average molecular weight (M_v) of the extrudate. SS and molecular weight of the product were chosen as the manipulated, controlled variable pair by considering singular value decomposition (SVD) technique. Model based PID controller and model predictive controller were used in the designed control scheme. By the simulation studies, both controllers were found to be successful for set‐point tracking, disturbance rejection cases; and were proven to be robust under modeling errors. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:459–465, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Preparation and evaluation of linseed oil based alkyd paints

Alkyd resins are produced with reaction of oil or fatty oil, polyol and polyacid. Alkyd resins are commonly used in coating and paint industry due to ease of application in changing environmental conditions. Linseed oil based paints executed all requirements of technical properties, drying time, storage properties, simplicity in maintenance, appearance, economy, etc. In this study, linseed oil based alkyd resins having different oil contents were synthesized     

Preparation of hybrid PU/PCL fibers from steviol glycosides via electrospinning as a potential wound dressing materials

In this study, the synthesis and application of biocompatible steviol glycosides based polyurethane/poly (ε-caprolactone) (PU/PCL) fibers was performed by electrospinning as a potential wound dressing materials that can be used for the closure of nonhealing wounds. During electrospinning, steviol glycoside-based polyurethane structures were used in blend formation with poly (ε-caprolactone) for easy producibility. Steviol glycosides are a natural abundant and easily accessible source as the main component of the wound dressing material due to their free hydroxyl groups, high biocompatibility, and hydrophilicity. The structure of steviol glycosides is composed of saccharide units and the free OH groups. Thus, steviol glycosides act as a crosslinker within the polyurethane structure and provides mechanical strength. For the production of steviol glycosides based PU/PCL fibers first, the steviol glycosides as a monomer were isolated from the stevia rebudiana. Then, polyurethane structures containing stevia glycoside were synthesized with hexamethylene diisocyanate, lactose and PEG-200 by solution polymerization technique. PCL was added to the prepared polyurethanes in a ratio of 1:2 and formation of nanofiber structure. The prepared wound dressing material was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscope techniques. Swelling degree, water content and oxygen permeability assay of the steviol glycosides based PU/PCL wound dressing material was determined. In biocompatibility test, cell viability value of PU/PCL fibrous materials in indirect cytotoxicity test was determined as 86.9% and cell adhesion on hybrid PU/PCL fibers was showed as morphological. In accordance with this target, the steviol glycosides based PU/PCL wound dressing material can be produced easily and low cost. As a result, the wound dressing materials obtained with their high biocompatibility and low costs will be an effective and fast method for the healing of open wounds of diabetics.     

The Effects of Heat Treatment on Some Mechanical Properties of Juvenile Wood and Mature Wood of Eucalyptus grandis

Heat treatment is a well-known method for modifying wood that is applied in different ways, and treatment schedules change from tree to tree. This treatment improves the physical properties of wood but, in general, it reduces the mechanical properties of wood. The effects of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of juvenile and mature wood of the same tree species have not been well-defined. Therefore, we focused our study on the differences in the mechanical properties of juvenile wood and mature wood of Eucalyptus grandis after both were subjected to heat treatment. Wood samples were treated at temperatures of 120, 150, and 180°C for 4, 6, and 8 h. The test results showed that decreases in the mechanical properties of juvenile wood (e.g., modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), compression strength (CS), and impact bending (IB)) were greater than the decreases that occurred in mature wood that was heat treated at the same conditions.     

Preparation of comb‐type grafted hydrogels composed of polyacrylamide and chitosan and their use for DNA adsorption

Comb‐type grafted hydrogels composed of polyacrylamide (PAAm) and chitosan (CT) were prepared and used for DNA adsorption. Instead of direct grafting of the acrylamide monomer onto the CT chain, semitelechelic PAAm with carboxylic acid end groups (PAAm–COOH) was synthesized by free‐radical polymerization with mercaptoacetic acid as the chain‐transfer agent, and it was grafted onto CT with amino groups. The synthesis of telechelic PAAm–COOH and the formation of comb‐type grafted hydrogels were confirmed by attenuated total reflectance/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy measurements. The prepared comb‐type grafted hydrogels were used as sorbents in DNA adsorption experiments conducted at +4°C in a tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane/ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid solution of pH 7.4. DNA adsorption capacities as high as 2.0 × 10³ μg of DNA/g of dry gel could be achieved by the comb‐type hydrogels with higher PAAm contents. This value was approximately 6 times higher than that of CT alone. In addition, the comb‐type hydrogels showed a high adsorption/desorption rate depending on the PAAm content in the hydrogel. As a result, these comb‐type hydrogels carrying higher amounts of DNA may be considered good candidates for achieving higher removal rates for anti‐DNA antibodies and for effective gene therapy systems. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009