Reduction of nitric oxide with activated PAN fibres

The reductive removal of nitric oxide from flue gases by reaction with polyacrylonitrile-based active carbon fibres (PAN-ACF) activated with sulphuric acid has been studied at 423–632 K, using a circulating flow reactor. Nitric oxide (0.67 mmol) was completely removed via reduction with 1 g activated carbon under optimum conditions in 210 and 60 min at 423 and 623 K, respectively. N₂ was formed as NO was removed. Some oxygen remained on the carbon surface at 423 K, but was desorbed as CO or CO₂ on subsequent heating to 623 K. The bimolecular reaction of NO reduction over PAN-ACF, and the possible active sites of oxygen surface groups are discussed in the light of a kinetic study and a comparison of the fibre activation at different temperatures.     

Interlaminar fracture toughness of woven fabric composite laminates with carbon nanotube/epoxy interleaf films

The Mode I interlaminar fracture behavior of woven carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminates incorporating partially cured carbon nanotube/epoxy composite films has been investigated. Laminates with films containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the as‐received state and functionalized with polyamidoamine were evaluated, as well as laminates with neat epoxy films. Double‐cantilever beam (DCB) specimens were used to measure G_Ic, the critical strain energy release rate (fracture toughness) versus crack length. Post‐fracture microscopic inspection of the fracture surfaces was performed. Results show that initial fracture toughness was improved with the amino‐functionalized CNT/epoxy interleaf films, but the important factor appears to be the polyamidoamine functionalization, not the CNTs. The initial fracture toughness remained relatively unaffected with the incorporation of neat epoxy and as‐received CNT/epoxy interleaf films. Plateau fracture toughness was unchanged with the use of functionalized CNT/epoxy interleaf films, and was reduced with the use of neat epoxy and as‐received CNT/epoxy interleaf films. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Gasification reactivities of metallurgical cokes with carbon dioxide,steam and their mixtures

Gasification reactivities of cokes with carbon dioxide, steam and their mixtures at 1200 °C were investigated, using seven single cokes made in a laboratory furnace from single coals of different properties, and also one commercial coke. The reactivity with steam was significantly higher than that with carbon dioxide. The reactivities of the mixture increased proportionally with increasing steam content above 10%; however, the reactivity below 10% steam content was smaller than that with pure carbon dioxide, the minimum reactivity being observed at a steam content of 2–4%. The reactivities of the compounds corresponding to optical texture were determined by analysing the coke microscopically before and after gasification. In general, except for one coke, the inert texture was the most reactive. Increasing size of the optical unit decreased the gasification reactivity, fibrous and leaflet textures were the least reactive. Gasification with steam developed pores within the inner region of the coke, whereas carbon dioxide reacted with the coke at or near the surface, producing a relatively smooth surface. Some proposals are suggested for better coke production.     

Delamination toughness of fiber-reinforced composites containing a carbon nanotube/polyamide-12 epoxy thin film interlayer

We present a simple, out-of-autoclave approach to improve the delamination toughness of fiber-reinforced composites using epoxy interlayers containing 20 wt.% polyamide-12 (PA) particles and 1 wt.% multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Composites were prepared by integrating partially cured thin films at the laminate mid-plane using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding. The introduction of epoxy/PA interlayers increased fracture toughness due to the ductile deformation and crack bridging of PA particles within an interlaminar damage zone with uniform thickness of about 20 μm. Composites interlayered with epoxy/PA/MWCNT exhibited nearly 2.5 and 1.5 times higher fracture toughness than composites containing neat epoxy and epoxy/PA interlayers, respectively, without an observable increase in interlaminar thickness. The fracture surface was analyzed to identify failure modes responsible for the fracture toughness improvement. The MWCNTs are proposed to inhibit critical loading of defects by minimizing stress concentration within the interlaminar region, thereby enabling greater deformation of the PA particles during fracture.     

Effect of high temperature annealing on scratch behavior of acrylonitrile styrene acrylate copolymers

The scratch behavior of butyl-acrylate rubber-modified styrene-acrylonitrile (ASA) upon high temperature annealing is investigated following the ASTM D7027/ISO 19252 linearly increasing normal load test methodology. The critical normal loads at the onset of the major deformation transitions along the scratch path, such as groove formation, scratch visibility, microcrack formation, and plowing, are reported and quantitatively analyzed. It is found that the scratch resistance improves with high temperature annealing, i.e., 30 °C above T_g, as compared to annealing below or around T_g. Microscopic investigation suggests that the increase in scratch resistance is related to the changes in surface morphology of the polymer. It is concluded that performing high temperature annealing enhances the scratch performance without compromising ASA bulk properties. Implication of the present study for improving scratch resistance of polymers is discussed.     

A high density of vertically-oriented graphenes for use in electric double layer capacitors

The growth, capacitance and frequency response of vertically-oriented graphenes grown by radio frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition on nickel substrates and used as electrodes in electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) are presented. The graphenes grown on the grain boundary of substrates show a faster growth rate, but less ordered structure than in the center of the nickel grain. At a few nanometers away from the grain boundaries the graphenes grow vertically at the rate of 70–80 nm per minute. The film height increased linearly with growth time from 700 nm (10 min sample) to 3.1 μm (40 min sample). Raman spectra show that the intensity ratio of the D band to G band gradually decreased with growth time to a value of 0.5, indicating that the crystalline order of the graphene increases with height. The specific capacitance of symmetric, parallel plate EDLC devices fabricated with these films was found to increase in a linear fashion with growth time up to values greater than 120 μF/cm² at 1 kHz. An impedance phase angle of ?45° was reached at 30 kHz. Specific capacitance normalized to growth height suggests that mechanisms other than double layer charge storage on planar surface area were operative.     

The influence of processing conditions on the mechanical properties of poly(aryl-ether-ketone)/polybenzimidazole blends

Interest in developing high-performance blends for niche applications has grown significantly in efforts to meet ever-increasing harsh environment demands. In this work, four model poly(aryl-ether-ketone)/polybenzimidazole (PAEK/PBI) blends were chosen to study the influence of premixing methods, processing, and matrix polymers, on their mechanical properties. Among the model poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) and PBI blends, mechanical properties are greatly enhanced by melt premixing. The molding process mainly affects the matrix crystallinity, which in turn greatly influences fracture toughness of the blend. Poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK) and PBI blend exhibits a slightly lower tensile strength and fracture toughness than PEEK/PBI due to the differences in inherent properties of PEEK and PEKK matrices and their interfacial interaction with PBI. The processing−structure–property relationship of PAEK/PBI blends is established to help guide optimal design of high-performance polymer blends for structural applications. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48966.     

Prognosis of breast cancer is associated with one-carbon metabolism related nutrients among Korean women

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The 5-year survival rate for breast cancer among Korean women has increased steadily; however, breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality among women. One-carbon metabolism, which requires an adequate supply of methyl group donors and B vitamins, may affect the prognosis of breast cancer. This aim of this study was to investigate the associations of dietary intake of vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and folate before diagnosis on the prognosis of breast cancer. METHODS: We assessed the dietary intake using a food frequency questionnaire with 980 women who were newly diagnosed and histopathologically confirmed to have primary breast cancer from hospitals in Korea, and 141 disease progression events occurred. Cox's proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) adjusting for age, education, recruitment sites, TNM stage, hormone status, nuclear grade and total calorie. RESULTS: There was no significant association between any one-carbon metabolism related nutrients (vitamin B2, B6 and folate) and the progression of breast cancer overall. However, one-carbon metabolism related nutrients were associated with disease progression in breast cancer patients stratified by subtypes. In ER + and/or PR + breast cancers, no association was observed; however, in ER--/PR-- breast cancers, a high intake of vitamin B2 and folate statistically elevated the HR of breast cancer progression (HR = 2.28; 95% CI, 1.20-4.35, HR = 1.84; 95% CI, 1.02-3.32, respectively) compared to a low intake. This positive association between the ER/PR status and progression of the disease was profound when the nutrient intakes were categorized in a combined score (Pinteraction = 0.018). In ER--/PR-- breast cancers, high combined scores were associated with a significantly poor DFS compared to those belonging to the low score group (HR = 3.84; 95% CI, 1.70-8.71). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our results suggest that one-carbon related nutrients have a role in the prognosis of breast cancer depending on the ER/PR status.     

The Yeast ATF1 Acetyltransferase Efficiently Acetylates Insect Pheromone Alcohols: Implications for the Biological Production of Moth Pheromones

Many moth pheromones are composed of mixtures of acetates of long‐chain (≥10 carbon) fatty alcohols. Moth pheromone precursors such as fatty acids and fatty alcohols can be produced in yeast by the heterologous expression of genes involved in insect pheromone production. Acetyltransferases that subsequently catalyze the formation of acetates by transfer of the acetate unit from acetyl‐CoA to a fatty alcohol have been postulated in pheromone biosynthesis. However, so far no fatty alcohol acetyltransferases responsible for the production of straight chain alkyl acetate pheromone components in insects have been identified. In search for a non‐insect acetyltransferase alternative, we expressed a plant‐derived diacylglycerol acetyltransferase (EaDAcT) (EC 2.3.1.20) cloned from the seed of the burning bush (Euonymus alatus) in a yeast system. EaDAcT transformed various fatty alcohol insect pheromone precursors into acetates but we also found high background acetylation activities. Only one enzyme in yeast was shown to be responsible for the majority of that background activity, the acetyltransferase ATF1 (EC 2.3.1.84). We further investigated the usefulness of ATF1 for the conversion of moth pheromone alcohols into acetates in comparison with EaDAcT. Overexpression of ATF1 revealed that it was capable of acetylating these fatty alcohols with chain lengths from 10 to 18 carbons with up to 27‐ and 10‐fold higher in vivo and in vitro efficiency, respectively, compared to EaDAcT. The ATF1 enzyme thus has the potential to serve as the missing enzyme in the reconstruction of the biosynthetic pathway of insect acetate pheromones from precursor fatty acids in yeast.     

Two ways of synthesis of polymer networks based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A,bisphenol A,and sulfanilamide: Kinetics study

The kinetics of reactions of ternary systems based on bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, bisphenol A, and a sulfanilamide curing agent were investigated using HPLC, during two different synthesis paths. The influence of tetrabutylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate as a catalyst for the epoxy–phenol reaction was studied. For the same initial composition, polymers differing by the crosslink point distribution and the chain length between crosslinks were synthesized. Different solid‐state behavior is expected in these two categories of networks. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 580–591, 2001