Progression from Graphene and Graphene Oxide to High Performance Polymer-Based Nanocomposite: A Review

In this article, various types of carbon nanofiller and modification of graphene oxide and graphene for the preparation of polymer-based nanocomposites are reviewed. Recently, polymer/graphene and graphene oxide-based materials have attracted tremendous interest due to high performance even at low filler content. The property enhancement is due to the high aspect ratio, high surface area and excellent electrical, thermal and mechanical properties of nanofiller. Different techniques have been employed to fabricate polymer/graphene and graphene oxide nanocomposite with uniform dispersion due to fine matrix/nanofiller interaction. Here we discuss the structure, properties and preparation of these nanocomposites.     

Morphology,Ionic Conductivity,and Impedance Spectroscopy Studies of Graphene Oxide-Filled Polyvinylchloride Nanocomposites

Graphene oxide was synthesized using modified Hummers method. The preparation of polyvinylchloride/graphene oxide nanocomposites was carried out using colloidal processing. The morphology of polyvinylchloride/graphene oxide nanocomposite confirms that graphene oxide was uniformly distributed within the polyvinylchloride matrix indicating complete exfoliation of graphene oxide. Significant improvement in the microhardness of the nanocomposite was observed as compared to neat polyvinylchloride. The impedance spectroscopy of nanocomposites was carried out in the frequency range (50 Hz to 35 MHz) and temperature range (80–150°C). Thus, based on the results obtained, we found that polyvinylchloride/graphene oxide nanocomposites hold great promise in many potential applications such as an electrode material for supercapacitors.     

Water‐Resistant Poly(vinyl alcohol)‐Silica Hybrids through Sol‐Gel Processing

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)‐silica hybrids with exceptionally reduced solubility in water were synthesized. The hybrid xerogels were fabricated through sol‐gel processing of a mixture of PVA and the acid‐catalyzed silica precursor tetraethoxysilane. The effects of varying ratios of PVA and silica precursor on the surface structure, thermal properties, crystallinity, and solubility of the hybrids were investigated. Unlike the highly water‐soluble nature of PVA, all the hybrids displayed considerably reduced solubility in water. This anomalous behavior of PVA in the hybrids can be attributed to the unavailability of its pendant –OH groups. Water‐resistant PVA‐silica hybrids can find applications in various technologies requiring biocompatible systems that are stable in aqueous environments.     

Effects of Photodegradable o‐Nitrobenzyl Nanogels on the Photopolymerization Process

A series of partially photodegradable o‐nitrobenzyl nanogels (NBNG) with different caged functional groups (COOH, OH, SH) are prepared and compared with a nondegradable nanogel as additives in photocurable materials. Photoinduced nanogel network disruption and photoinitiated polymerization of infiltrating and dispersing monomer could be controlled independently. In triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), o‐NBNGs that release a COOH or OH functional group upon photodegradation of the o‐nitrobenzyl crosslinker, the reduced chemical crosslinking density of the nanogel network allows greater penetration of monomer into the partially degraded nanogel network, which results in an increase in volumetric shrinkage and polymerization stress. In contrast, the formulation of o‐NBNGs with caged SH groups also can be photodegraded but is able to rebuild the chemical crosslinking through thiol‐based chain transfer reactions when photocured as a dispersion in TEGDMA. As such, it behaves like a photo‐inert nanogel. Dynamic thermomechanical analysis and testing by three‐point bending further confirms the photoinduced crosslink density variation influences mechanical properties of the final polymer networks. This work demonstrates the inherent properties of the nanogel network and the type of crosslinking can alter the performance of the photocured resin while a separate photochemical process can be used to regulate photoinduced polymerization.     

Highly luminescent film functionalized with CdTe quantum dots by layer‐by‐layer assembly

Robust and facile strategies are required to fabricate film with high luminescence for application in the fields of biomaterials. In this study, the luminescent electrospinning cellulose fibrous mats were decorated with CdTe quantum dots (QDs) and poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA) using layer by layer (LBL). The characterizations of the LBL films coated mats were executed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, fluorescent spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. The luminescent intensities were linearly increased with adding the amount of deposited bilayers. The green fabricated (QDs/PDDA)_n coated mat through physical interactions is a promising luminescent material. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41893.     

Covered storage reduces losses and improves crop utilisation of nitrogen from solid cattle manure

A 2-year study was carried out to examine the effects of solid cattle manure storage method on (1) total carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) losses, (2) first-year and residual manure dry matter (DM) and N disappearance after litterbag placement on grassland, and (3) apparent herbage N recovery (ANR) after a single surface application to a sandy grassland field. About twelve tonnes of fresh (FRE) manure taken from a litter barn were stored per treatment as stockpiled (STO), composted (COM) and covered (COV) heaps for 130?days, and total C and N losses were estimated. Thereafter, patterns of DM and N disappearance from FRE, COM and COV manures were monitored using litterbags with three mesh sizes (45???m, 1?mm and 4?mm). Herbage ANR from these manures was measured at application rates of 200, 400 and 600?kg?N?ha^?1. During the storage period, only about 10?% of the initial N_total was lost from the COV heap, whereas these losses were 31?% from the STO heap and 46?% from the COM heap. The respective C_total losses were 17, 59 and 67?%. After field placement, overall manure DM and N disappearance rates from all mesh sizes of the litterbags were in the order: COV?>?FRE?>?COM (P?<?0.05). Independent of N application rate, total herbage ANR was the highest from COV and the lowest from COM manure over two growing seasons (23 vs. 14?%; P?<?0.05). Including the N losses during storage, an almost three times higher herbage ANR (20 vs. 7?%) of the manure N taken from the barn was observed by using COV versus COM manure. In case of FRE manure this ANR fraction was 17?%. It is concluded that COV storage reduced storage C and N losses to a minimum. After field application, manure stored under this method decomposed faster and more N was available for plant uptake, especially when compared to COM manure.     

Determining the state of a process control system: Current trends and future challenges

In many industrial plants, multiple, interconnected control loops are common. Their maintenance and improvement requires detailed controller performance assessment to determine not only whether they are behaving well, but also to determine the potential cause of any observed problems. Techniques for performance assessment can be divided into two broad categories (1) performance assessment of regulatory control loops; and (2) performance assessment of supervisory control loops that evaluate the economic performance of advanced control strategies, such as model predictive control (MPC). A comprehensive review of the literature on the industrial applications of performance assessment, as well as some of the currently available software, is also presented. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Synthesis of amino-cosubstituted polyorganophosphazenes and fabrication of their nanoparticles for anticancer drug delivery

The development of safe drug carriers is cardinal in cancer therapy, which can target the cancer cells and release the loaded drug on-demand without damaging the healthy cells of the body. In our work, we synthesized three different biodegradable polymers, poly[(ethyl aminobezoate) (ethyl glycinato) phosphazenes] (PABGPs), in different mole ratio of side groups. The successful synthesis of these PABGPs was confirmed by ¹H NMR, ³¹P NMR, FT-IR, and gel permeation chromatography. These PABGPs were fabricated into drug (camptothecin, CPT, a hydrophobic anticancer drug) loaded nanoparticles. These drug-loaded nanoparticles showed good drug release behaviors under normal physiological conditions (pH 7.4 and temperature 37°C). These PABGPs-based nanoparticles may find their application as effective drug carriers for cancer therapy.     

Significantly high electromagnetic shielding effectiveness in polypyrrole synthesized by eco-friendly and cost-effective technique

A facile and eco-friendly synthesis of polypyrrole from monomer pyrrole using nominal amount of ferric chloride hexahydrate (FeCl₃.6H₂O) oxidant in aqueous solution by chemically oxidative polymerization method has been reported. The use of aqueous solvent and ferric chloride hexahydrate salt in polypyrrole synthesis have an eco-friendly route favorable for the production of polypyrrole in large quantities. The synthesized polypyrrole samples exhibit good electrical conductivity (2 S/cm) and yield of 80% for reaction time of 8 hr at 5°C. Quality and properties of polypyrrole samples have been thoroughly investigated with varying reaction time and temperature while other synthesis parameters like molar ratio of oxidant to monomer, oxidant concentration, and solvent were kept constant. X-ray diffraction analysis of polypyrrole with a shorter reaction time shows the presence of iron oxide (Fe₂O₃) peaks. The complete reaction may not occur at shorter reaction times due to which residual ferric ions converted into Fe₂O₃. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement of polypyrrole also confirms the formation of Fe₂O₃. Appropriate selection of reaction time and temperature produced pure phase polypyrrole with high yield and good conductivity. Synthesized polypyrrole by our eco-friendly and cost-effective technique exhibits prominent electromagnetic shielding effectiveness value of 30 dB in the X-band (8–12 GHz).     

A new composite of crystalline silicotitanate for sequestration of 137Cs and 90Sr from low-level aqueous waste solution

ABSTRACT

A new composite of crystalline silicotitanate (CST) has been synthesized for the sequestration of Cs and Sr from low-level liquid waste generated in the nuclear industry. The product characterization using X-RAY DEFRACTION (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the presence of CST crystals in the composite. Sorption studies carried out under various test conditions showed that the composite has high affinity for both Cs and Sr. Results of structural characterization of Cs and Sr-loaded CST indicated that the overall structural integrity remained intact after substitution of Na⁺ by Cs⁺ or Sr²⁺. The exceedingly good Cs and Sr sorption performance displayed by the CST composite will find applications in the treatment of nuclear waste.