Use of postconsumer polyethylene in blends with polyamide 6: Effects of the extrusion method and the compatibilizer

Blends of polyamide and high‐density polyethylene show adequate properties for a large range of applications: they are used for the production of filaments, containers, and molding resins. The effect of the addition of 2 wt % of a compatibilizer, maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene, to the blend was studied and compared to the use of postconsumer polyethylene. The samples were extruded with single‐ and twin‐screw extruders with 25, 50, or 75 wt % f polyethylene, and the test specimens, molded by injection, were characterized by stress–strain tests, thermal properties, and morphologies. Processing the blends with postconsumer polyethylene in both extruders improved the mechanical properties in comparison to the blends processed with high‐density polyethylene and the compatibilizer. The morphologies of these blends showed that there was a decrease in the domain size of the disperse phase with the use of the compatibilizer or postconsumer polyethylene. The results indicate that for this blend, postconsumer polyethylene substituted, with advantages, for the necessity of a compatibilizer and the use of the high‐density polyethylene. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008.     

The effect of ionic interaction on the miscibility and crystallization behaviors of poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(L‐lactic acid) blends

The effect of end groups (2NH₂) of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) on the miscibility and crystallization behaviors of binary crystalline blends of PEG/poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) were investigated. The results of conductivity meter and dielectric analyzer (DEA) implied the existence of ions, which could be explained by the amine groups of PEG gaining the protons from the carboxylic acid groups of PLLA. The miscibility of PEG(2NH₂)/PLLA blends was the best because of the ionic interaction as compared with PEG(2OH, 1OH‐1CH₃, and 2CH₃)/PLLA blends. Since the ionic interaction formed only at the chain ends of PEG(2NH₂) and PLLA, unlike hydrogen bonds forming at various sites along the chains in the other PEG/PLLA blend systems, the folding of PLLA blended with PEG(2NH₂) was affected in a different manner. Thus the fold surface free energy played an important role on the crystallization rate of PLLA for the PEG(2NH₂)/PLLA blend system. PLLA had the least fold surface free energy and the fast crystallization rate in the PEG(2NH₂)/PLLA blend system, among all the PEG/PLLA systems studied. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Sheet molding compound characterization using spiral flow

Sheet molding compound (SMC) is a fiber‐reinforced polymeric composite. It is often used in automotive, marine, and industrial applications over other materials because of its high strength to density ratio, resistance to corrosion, and low cost. There is a demand in the SMC industry to be able to characterize SMC processability. This is particularly true for heavy truck body panels, one of the fastest growing applications of SMC. Because of their large size and high strength requirement, the molding forces have a major influence in the molding cycle. Also because of the long flow paths involved, the ability of the paste to carry glass needs to be properly characterized when developing new SMC materials. In this article, we demonstrate the benefits of using spiral flow as a processability tester. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Polysaccharide‐based artificial extracellular matrix: Preparation and characterization of three‐dimensional,macroporous chitosan,and heparin composite scaffold

Scaffold‐guided tissue engineering based on synthetic and natural occurring polymers has gained many interests in recent year. In this study, the development of a chitosan‐heparin artificial extracellular matrix (AECM) is reported. Three‐dimensional, macroporous composite AECMs composed of heparin (Hep) and chitosan (Chito) were prepared by an interpolyelectrolyte complex/lyophilization method. The Chito‐Hep composite AECMs were, respectively, crosslinked with glutaraldehyde, as well as cocrosslinked with N,N‐(3‐dimethylaminopropyl)‐N′‐ethyl carbodiimide (EDC/NHS) and N‐hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). The crosslinking reactions were examined by FT‐IR analysis. In physiological buffer solution (PBS), the EDC/NHS‐crosslinked Chito‐Hep composite AECM showed a relative lower water retention ratio than its glutaraldehyde‐crosslinked counterparts. The EDC/NHS‐crosslinked Chito‐Hep composite AECMs showed excellent biocompatibility, according to the results of the in vitro cytotoxic test. This result suggested that the EDC/NHS‐crosslinked Chito‐Hep composite AECMs might be a potential biomaterial for scaffold‐guided tissue engineering applications. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Dynamic photorheological analysis of photopolymerizable urethane dimethacrylate resins with varying diluent content and light fluence

The in situ measurement of dynamic changes in viscosity induced by illumination has been performed on a range of photosensitive urethane dimethacrylates (UDMA) evaluating the response at three different illuminations intensities (1, 2, and 5 W cm^?2) and at three different diluent concentrations (15, 30, and 50%), using 1,6‐hexanediol dimethacrylate (HDDMA). The initial viscosity value ranged between 1 and 10 Pa s for the mixtures with final viscosities approaching 1 × 10⁷ Pa s after illumination. The initial rise in viscosity was analyzed using an exponential model with an exponent ranging from 1.0 to 2.5 with time under exposure. Higher conversion rates were observed with both higher intensity and lower HDDMA content. The analytical approach taken here could aid in developing more sophisticated models that consider simultaneous flow and cure advancement in other thermosets. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Effects and properties of poly(arylene ether benzonitrile)s of various molecular weights blended with sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)

Poly(arylene ether benzonitrile) (PAEBN) was synthesized with 2,6‐dichlorobenzonitrile and biphenol. PAEBNs with various molecular weights (MWs), 1,640,000 and 185,000 g/mol, were synthesized by control of the stoichiometry of the monomers and were blended with sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK). The effects of MW on the water uptake, swelling, methanol permeability, and proton conductivity of the SPEEK/PAEBN blend membranes were investigated. The molecular mobility of the SPEEK/PAEBN blends was also examined in this study. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

EPR kinetics in irradiated syndiotactic polystyrene at elevated temperatures

Free radicals are formed upon irradiation of polymers. The annealing of γ-ray irradiated syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) with doses 10, 23 and 36 kGy was studied with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The EPR spectra are possibly attributed to three types of radicals, (a) the benzyl radical Ra, (b) resonance structure of the phenyl radical Rb, and (c) carbon-superoxide-centered radical Rc with three-, four-, and single-line features, respectively. Radical Ra can be easily formed by the removal of the proton from the tertiary carbon; radical Rb is created from delocalization of the spin of the radical Ra onto the benzene ring; and radical Rc may be generated from the interaction of a carbon-centered radical with dioxygen from the air which forms a carbon-superoxide center. By comparing EPR spectra of the radicals with a DPPH standard, the spin numbers of the radicals can be calculated. The spin number of all radicals decreases exponentially with time in the temperature range of 60-90 °C regardless of dose of the irradiation. The annealing of Ra, Rb, and Rc follows first-order kinetics. The activation energies of the annihilation are determined to be 15.8-19.0, 16.0-19.5, and 23.2-26.6 kJ/mol for radicals Ra, Rb, and Rc, respectively. The kinetic study presented herein can serve as a criterion for γ-ray irradiation process in various applications, such as sterilization of polymer materials and devices.     

氯氧镁水泥对不饱和树脂的阻燃性能与阻燃机理研究

采用极限氧指数法、热重分析和烟密度测试法研究了氯氧镁水泥在不饱和树脂（UP）中的阻燃作用和阻燃机理。研究表明经偶联剂处理后的氯氧镁水泥对UP具有良好的阻燃抑烟效果，并通过增加UP在高温下的热稳定性和降低热失重速率等机理发挥阻燃作用：氯氧镁水泥含量在40％内对UP的力学性能影响较小，是一种新型的无机添加型阻燃剂。     

Authors' reply

Presents the authors reply to comments by Tong, Li and Wei (ibid. p.703-5). For original paper see ibid., vol. 10, p. 39-49, Feb.2002.