Comparison of thermal degradation characteristics of poly(arylene sulfone)s using thermogravimetric analysis/mass spectrometry

Thermal degradation of poly(arylene sulfone)s had been studied by the combination of thermogravimetric analysis/mass spectrometry (TG/MS) with pyrolysis/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py‐GC/MS) techniques. Through these two methods, the pyrolysates from poly(ether sulfone) (PES) and polysulfone (PSF) were identified in 11 and 21 sets of evolution curves, respectively, from room temperature to 900 °C. Among these pyrolysates, 12 products from PES and 25 products from PSF were obtained. The major mechanism for both PES and PSF was one‐stage pyrolysis involving main chain random scission and carbonization with evolution of SO₂ and phenol as major products. Although the initial thermal stability of PES was lower than that of PSF, the formation of sulfide groups in the condensed phase from PES, through reduction of sulfone group by hydrogen radicals, increased the fire retardation behavior of PES. In PES, the ether and sulfone groups showed similar thermal stability. The thermal stability of functional groups in PSF were in the order of sulfone < ether < isopropylidene group. The scission of the ether group in PSF, with evolution of phenol as the major product, reached maximum evolution amount at the temperature of the maximum thermogravimetry loss of TG (T_max). The scission of isopropylidene groups at high temperature (>580 °C) evolved higher mass derivatives that lower the fire retardancy of PSF. By using a simplified kinetic model, PES showed maximum activation energy with a conversion ratio of 0.2–0.3, which implies a high fire retardant effect of sulfide formation in PES. A comparative study with the proposed model and experimental data showed the theoretical pyrolysis curves to be in agreement with the experimental curves for PES and PSF pyrolysis, respectively. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 2387–2398, 2001     

Thermal decomposition characteristics of poly(ether imide) by TG/MS

Thermal degradation of poly(ether imide) (PEI) was studied by the combination of pyrolysis/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and thermogravimetric analysis/mass spectrometry (TG/MS) techniques. The composition of evolved gases was determined by Py-GC/MS and the real-time formation curves were obtained through TG/MS. The thermal degradation mechanisms of PEI were resolved through TG/MS methods. The major pyrolysis mechanisms with the two-stage reaction regions were main chain random scission and carbonization. In the first stage pyrolysis, the decomposition of the hydrolyzed-imide, ether and isopropylene groups caused the evolution of CO₂ and phenol as major products accompanied by a chain transfer of carbonization to form partially carbonized solid residue. In the second stage pyrolysis, the decomposition of partially carbonized solid residue and the remaining imide group produced CO₂ as a major product along with benzene and small a amount of benzonitrile. Afterward, the chain transfer of carbonization dominated the decomposition of solid residue in higher temperatures to produce a high char yield. A kinetic model was proposed from the calculation of two flat regions in the activation energy curve. The theoretical pyrolysis curve from the proposed model was calculated and compared with the experimental curve, which were quite well matched.     

Comparison of five PCR methods for detection of Helicobacter pylori DNA in gastric tissues

Five different PCR methods for the detection of Helicobacter pylori were evaluated. The results of this study indicate that of the five PCR methods examined, the ureC (glmM) gene PCR is the most sensitive and specific for the detection of H. pylori in gastric biopsy specimens.     

Camphene as a novel solvent for polypropylene: Comparison study based on viscous behavior of solutions

Polypropylene solutions were prepared using three solvents: paraffin oil, decalin, and a novel solvent—camphene. The effects of these solvents were evaluated based on the activation energy of flow and on their melting‐point depression. Experimental results indicate that the values of the viscosity of the resulting solutions were close to Newtonian behavior in the shear rates below 34 s⁻¹. The Arrhenius–Frenkel–Eyring equation was used to describe the dependence of the viscosity on the temperature. In addition, the viscosity increased with the polymer concentration, which can be described by a power‐law correlation. The activation energy of the flow of the polypropylene/camphene solution was the lowest and that of the paraffin oil solution was the highest. Correspondingly, the melting‐point depression of polypropylene solutions in camphene and decalin were substantially lower than that in paraffin oil (71, 61, and 33°C, respectively). These results indicate that lower activation energies of flow correspond to higher values of melting‐point depression. Moreover, analysis of variance indicated that the primary factor affecting the viscous behavior is the concentration, followed by the solvent and the temperature. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 2068–2074, 2000     

Presence of serum anti-p53 antibodies is associated with pleural effusion and poor prognosis in lung cancer patients

This study was designed prospectively to evaluate the development of anti-p53 antibodies (Abs) in lung cancer patients in relation to their clinical outcome. Sera, derived from 125 lung cancer patients, consisting of 14 small cell lung cancers (SCLC) and 111 non-SCLCs (NSCLC), were surveyed. The p53-null human NSCLC cell line, NCI-H1299, transfected with a human mutant p53 gene was prepared as the source of p53 antigen for immunoblotting analyses to detect the presence of serum anti-p53 Abs. The control group included sera from 10 healthy adults and 14 patients with benign pulmonary diseases. Clinical data including staging and survival were recorded for statistical analyses. The anti-p53 Abs were found in 8% (10 of 125) of the lung cancer patients studied (8.1% of NSCLC versus 7.1% of SCLC patients), whereas none of the control sera had detectable anti-p53 Abs. The presence of anti-p53 Abs was closely associated with malignant pleural effusions (P = 0.001). The p53 Ab-positive patients had a worse prognosis than the p53 Ab-negative patients (P < 0.02; median survival, 20 versus 41 weeks). In both univariate and multivariate analyses, the tumor extension and probably the presence of anti-p53 Abs were significant predictors for cancer death. The development of anti-p53 Abs (n = 9) was also a predictor for poor survival in patients with malignant effusions (n = 51). In conclusion, the presence of serum anti-p53 Abs is closely associated with malignant pleural effusions in lung cancer patients. It may serve as a negative prognostic factor for survival independent of malignant pleural effusions and tumor staging.     

HfO/sub 2/ MIS capacitor with copper gate electrode

Metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitors were fabricated using atomic vapor deposition HfO/sub 2/ dielectric with sputtered copper (Cu) and aluminum (Al) gate electrodes. The counterparts with SiO/sub 2/ dielectric were also fabricated for comparison. Bias-temperature stress and charge-to-breakdown (Q/sub BD/) test were conducted to examine the stability and reliability of these capacitors. In contrast with the high Cu drift rate in an SiO/sub 2/ dielectric, Cu in contact with HfO/sub 2/ seems to be very stable. The HfO/sub 2/ capacitors with a Cu-gate also depict higher capacitance without showing any reliability degradation, compared to the Al-gate counterparts. These results indicate that HfO/sub 2/ with its considerably high density of 9.68 g/cm/sup 3/ is acting as a good barrier to Cu diffusion, and it thus appears feasible to integrate Cu metal with the post-gate-dielectric ultralarge-scale integration manufacturing processes.     

Data mining for government construction procurement

A new data-mining model for government construction procurement was developed to consider data preparation, domain knowledge and a conceptual model to reflect the needs of the knowledge economy. Prototype experiments and analysis were performed to test the data mining using information from a typical Taiwanese local construction procurement unit. The application of the data-mining algorithm to this construction procurement management model improves government procurement effectiveness and efficiency. By complying with this governmental procurement information system and revealing the information required by the World Trade Organization and the Government Procurement Agreement, the model has the potential to improve government procurement and industry effectiveness and efficiency. It also provides a platform for government access to the international community.     

TRANSIENT LAMINAR NATURAL CONVECTION IN AN ENCLOSURE PARTITIONED BY AN ADIABATIC BAFFLE

Transient laminar natural convection in a two-dimensional enclosure partitioned by an adiabatic baffle is investigated numerically, A penalty finite-element method with a Newton-Raphson iteration algorithm and a backward difference scheme dealing with the time term are adopted to solve governing equations. The effects of the baffle and Rayleigh number on the heat transfer mechanism are found to be substantial during the transient process for Rayleigh numbers of 10⁴ and 10⁶. However, the variations of the heat transfer mechanism occur mainly in the first one-third of the time period of the transient, in spite of the presence, absence, or location of a baffle.