Principle and application of ball SAW devices

A thin beam of waves usually diverges due to diffraction, which is a limitation of any device using such waves. However, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) on a sphere with an appropriate aperture does not diverge but is collimated, realizing ultra‐multiple roundtrips along an equator of the sphere. This effect is caused by the balance between diffraction and focusing on a spherical surface, and it enables realization of high‐performance ball SAW sensors. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 168(1): 41–51, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20817     

Newly-modeled graphene-based ternary nanocomposite for the magnetophotocatalytic reduction of CO2 with electrochemical performance

The development of CO₂ into hydrocarbon fuels has emerged as a green method that could help mitigate global warning. The novel structured photocatalyst is a promising material for use in a photocatalytic and magneto-electrochemical method that fosters the reduction of CO₂ by suppressing the recombination of electron−hole pairs and effectively transferring the electrons to the surface for the chemical reaction of CO₂ reduction. In our study, we have developed a novel-structured AgCuZnS₂–graphene–TiO₂ to analyze its catalytic activity toward the selective evolution of CO₂. The selectivity of each nanocomposite substantially enhanced the activity of the AgCuZnS₂–graphene–TiO₂ ternary nanocomposite due to the successful interaction, and the selectivity of the final product was improved to a value 3 times higher than that of the pure AgCuZnS₂ and 2 times higher than those of AgCuZnS₂–graphene and AgCuZnS₂–TiO₂ under ultra-violet (UV)-light (λ = 254 nm) irradiation in the photocatalytic process. The electrochemical CO₂ reduction test was also conducted to analyze the efficacy of the AgCuZnS₂–graphene–TiO₂ when used as a working electrode in laboratory electrochemical cells. The electrochemical process was conducted under different experimental conditions, such as various scan rates (mV·s^–1), under UV-light and with a 0.07 T magnetic-core. The evolution of CO₂ substantially improved under UV-light (λ = 254 nm) and with 0.07 T magnetic-core treatment; these improvements were attributed to the facts that the UV-light activated the electron-transfer pathway and the magnetic core controlled the pathway of electron-transmission/prevention to protect it from chaotic electron movement. Among all tested nanocomposites, AgCuZnS₂–graphene–TiO₂ absorbed the CO₂ most strongly and showed the best ability to transfer the electron to reduce the CO₂ to methanol. We believe that our newly-modeled ternary nanocomposite opens up new opportunities for the evolution of CO₂ to methanol through an electrochemical and photocatalytic process.     

A convenient crosslinking method for sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) membranes via friedel–crafts reaction using 1,6‐dibromohexane and aluminum trichloride

In this study, sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) was very efficiently crosslinked via a Friedel–Craft reaction using 1,6‐dibromohexane and AlCl₃. The resulting crosslinked SPEEK (c‐SPEEK) membranes exhibited improved dimensional stability, thermal and chemical stability, and mechanical strength with slight reduction in the elongation. The methanol permeability was reduced by approximately two orders of magnitude by the crosslinking reaction. The proton conductivities of c‐SPEEK membranes were greater than Nafion‐212 in the temperature range of 30–90°C. Overall, this new crosslinking method can be conveniently and efficiently applicable to most aromatic hydrocarbon polymer membranes. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40695.     

Polystyrene-poly(2-ethylhexylmethacrylate) block copolymers: Synthesis,bulk phase behavior,and thin film structure

Anionic polymerization was employed to synthesize well-defined diblock copolymers of polystyrene and poly(2-ethylhexylmethacrylate), PS-PEHMA. Diblock morphologies in bulk and in substrate-supported thin films were characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. PS-PEHMA diblocks exhibited thermotropic order-disorder transitions; one diblock showed a thermoreversible transition between lamellae and a higher-temperature morphology assigned as perforated lamellae. Unlike PS-poly(alkylmethacrylate) diblocks where the alkyl group is n-butyl or n-pentyl, PS-PEHMA diblocks showed a typical decreasing Flory interaction parameter with increasing temperature. Thin films of PS-cylinder-forming PS-PEHMA diblocks showed a strong preference for the cylinders to lie in the plane of the film; films of incommensurate thickness readily formed terraces. Films of commensurate thickness were easily aligned over macroscopic areas through the application of mechanical shear.     

Developement of neutral polymeric bonding agents for propellants with polar composites filled with organic nitramine crystals

Versatile neutral polymeric bonding agents (NBPA's) have been developed for energetic propellants in which polar HMX particles are dispersed in a polar binder matrix containing highly polar plasticizers (TMETN, NG, etc.). Using a semi-empirical approach through adjustment of solubility parameters and molecular weight, neutral acrylonitrile interpolymers were synthesized which mix uniformly with the submix and still have a high affinity for the HMX particles when they are added. Addition of about 0.2 % w/w of NPBA to HMX-filled PEG binders increases the strength by a factor of as high as five compared to samples with no NPBA, and also eliminates the sudden decrease in modulus (knee) which occurs at relatively low elongation. The degree of filler reinforcement achieved by our NPBA's in energetic propellants is far superior to that achieved by adding nitrocellulose or any other previously proposed bonding agents, and similar to the effect of precoating the HMX particles with polyurea shells.     

Friction and wear behavior of graphite fiber-reinforced composites

Friction and wear behavior of continuous graphite fiber composites was studied for different fiber orientations against the sliding direction. The effect of fiber orientation on friction and wear of the composite and on deformation of the counterface was investigated experimentally. A pin on disk type testing machine was built and employed to generate friction and wear data. A graphite fiber composite plate was produced by the bleeder ply molding in an autoclave and machined into rectangular pin specimens with specific fiber orientations, i.e., normal, transverse, and longitudinal directions. Three different wear conditions were employed for two different periods of time, 24 and 48 hours. The wear track of the worn specimens and the metal counterface was examined and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to observe the damaged fibers on the sliding surface of the specimen and wear film generation on the counterface. A wear mechanism of the continuous graphite fiber composite during sliding wear is proposed based on the experimental results.     

Brief Review of Precipitated Iron-Based Catalysts for Low-Temperature Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis

Topics in Catalysis - Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is a promising way to produce clean liquid fuels and high value-added chemicals from low-value carbon-containing resources such as coal,...     

Morphological,thermal, rheological,and mechanical properties of PP/EVOH blends compatibilized with PP‐g‐IA

We prepared some blends of polypropylene (PP) and ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) with and without a compatibilizer. As a new compatibilizer, we synthesized polypropylene grafted with itaconic acid (PP‐g‐IA) using Brabender mixing system. We investigated the morphological, thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties of a compatibilized blends (PP/EVOH/PP‐g‐IA) and not compatibilized blends (PP/EVOH). Our experiments showed that carboxylic acid groups in PP‐g‐IA and hydroxyl group in EVOH formed strong in situ hydrogen bond in the compatibilized blends, resulting in better morphological and mechanical properties of the compatibilized blends than those of not compatibilized blends. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 56:1240–1247, 2016. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers     

The mixing effect on the free radical MMA solution polymerization

Mathematical models of reactors for the polymerization of methylmethacrylate (MMA) have been developed and analyzed to elucidate reactor dynamics and to determine conditions for improved operation. The effects of mixing and heat transfer in an MMA polymerization reactor system have been explored by the development of an imperfect mixing model. To model imperfect mixing in polymerization, a reactor configuration using two tanks in parallel was used. Bifurcation diagrams developed using numerical analysis of the model have been drawn with two variable parameters, an exchange ratio, σ, and a volume ratio, κ. We use feed and coolant temperatures as bifurcation parameters. If variable parameters are small, the lower solution branch of the steady state solutions is quite different from that of a simple model that assumes perfect macro-mixing as bifurcation parameters change. If σ increases (κ=0.1, σ=1.0), the shape of a steady state solution curve differs significantly from that of a simple model as the feed temperature decreases.     

Effect of hydrophilic and hydrophobic cyclodextrins on the release of encapsulated allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and their potential application for plastic film extrusion

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a natural pungent flavor from wasabi and horseradish, is well-known antimicrobial agents against foodborne pathogens. However, its highly volatile nature and low thermal stability restrict its application in the food packaging industry. Also, its strong organoleptic characteristics hinder its application at a higher dosage. We encapsulated AITC in β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and triacetyl-β-CD (TA-β-CD) and evaluated the performance as slow releasing active compounds through low-density polyethylene (LDPE)–cyclodextrins (CDs) matrix. Also, the thermal, optical, mechanical, and barrier properties of two ternary blends, LDPE/β-CD/AITC(L-CDs) and LDPE/TA-β-CD/AITC(L-TACDs), were investigated to compare their compatibility under the plastic extrusion process. During the 15 days of the storage period, L-TACDs maintained more consistent AITC release and a higher concentration than L-CDs. Also, the blending of LDPE and TA-β-CD was more compatible with that of LDPE and β-CD. No significant optical, mechanical, and barrier property changes were observed in LDPE with less than 3% of TA-β-CD while L-CDs showed substantial agglomeration on the ternary blend films and the lower mechanical and barrier properties than pure LDPE. The results indicate that the LDPE films containing TA-β-CD/AITC can be applied as an effective antimicrobial packaging material for food and nonfood applications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48137.