Fast pyrolysis of cellulose with reactive methane gas in a single-pulse shock tube

A shock tube technique was employed to study the fast pyrolysis of cellulose with methane under conditions of high temperature, high heating rate, short reaction time, and rapid quenching. The effects of temperature, methane atmosphere, and reaction time are investigated. Experiments were carried out at temperatures between 700 and 2200°C in 1% methane (diluted in argon), and comparisons in the yields of major gas products are made with the results obtained in pure argon atmosphere. The total gas yield decreased about 25–30% in methane. The principal gas products—carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and acetylene, except ethylene—were significantly decreased in methane as compared to the yields in pure argon. An increase of about 25% in ethylene yield in methane over argon was observed. The onset of the decomposition of cellulose and the evolution of major pyrolysis products were changed with the reaction times, which also affected the amplitude and the distribution of the pyrolysis products. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Thermal and flammability properties of a silica–poly(methylmethacrylate) nanocomposite

PMMA, poly(metheylmethacrylate), nanocomposites were made by in situ radical polymerization of MMA, methylmethacrylate, with colloidal silica (ca. 12 nm) to study the effects of nanoscale silica particles on the physical properties and flammability properties of PMMA. Transparent samples resulted and the dispersity of the particles was examined by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The addition of nanosilica particles (13% by mass) did not significantly change the thermal stability, but it made a small improvement in modulus, and it reduced the peak heat release rate roughly 50%. Last, the flame‐retardant mechanism provided by the addition of nanosilica particles in PMMA is discussed. Published 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 2072–2078, 2003     

Grafting of methyl methacrylate to nitrocellulose by ceric ions

Studies were carried out on grafting of various vinyl monomers to nitrocellulose by ceric ions. It was observed that graft copolymerization occurred only with methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methyl acrylate monomer. The variables such as initiator concentration, monomer concentration, time of grafting, and nitrocellulose content on grafting of MMA are discussed. By hydrolyzing away the nitrocellulose backbone, the grafted poly(methyl methacrylate) branches were isolated and the >c?o peak at 1740 cm^?1 in the infrared spectra of these isolated branches gave definite evidence of grafting. The molecular weight of isolated branches has been determined by viscometry. The probable mechanism of grafting may be at the α-carbon atom of primary alcohol or at a C₂-C₃ glycol group of the anhydro glucose unit or at the hemiacetal group of the end unit of nitrocellulose, as nitrocellulose is formed by the partial nitration of cotton cellulose.     

Living carbocationic polymerization

Conventional cationic polymerization can be converted into living carbocationic polymerization (LC^⊕Pzn) by the introduction of common anion into the charge. Thus the conventional polymerization of isobutylene (IB) induced by the 2-chloro-2,4,4-trimethylpentane (TMPCl)/TiCl₄ combination yields LC^⊕Pzn of IB upon the addition of tetrabutyl ammonium chloride (n-Bu₄NCl), most likely due to then-Bu₄NCl+TiCl₄ ?n-Bu₄N^⊕+TiCl ₅ ^⊕ equilibrium. A kinetic model has been developed and tested which corroborates these propositions. By this model we have gained for the first time quantitative insight into the quasiliving equilibrium.     

Interactive sonification to assist children with autism during motor therapeutic interventions

Personal and Ubiquitous Computing - Interactive sonification is an effective tool used to guide individuals when practicing movements. Little research has shown the use of interactive sonification...     

Structural variability and its relation to edaphic attributes of mangroves in the south‐west coast of India

We estimated the tree structural variables (density, frequency and basal area) of true mangroves and soil variables like particle size distribution, carbon, available nitrogen and phosphorus, sulphur, nutrient cations (K, Na, Ca, Mg) of Cochin mangroves and examined the relationship between vegetation and environment. The study sites were classified as seaward fringe, riverine and interior. Of the thirteen true mangrove species present, Avicennia officinalis, Sonneratia caseolaris and Excoecaria agallocha showed higher Importance Value Index. The mean stem density varied from 80 to 25,000 no./ha and basal area from 0.1 to 39.68 m²/ha. Seaward mangroves showed maximum stand basal area and biomass production while riverine exhibited maximum density. Maturity Index value of Cochin mangroves revealed a very low degree of structural maturity. Interior mangroves were characterized by silty soil with higher nutrient concentrations. Principal component analysis of soil data revealed that the major factors influencing mangrove vegetation were soil texture, nutrients, salinity and oxidation–reduction potential. The stem density and basal area of different species correlated highly with soil nutrients and texture (p < .001) while salinity showed negative correlations with vegetation characteristics. The data generated in the study would be fundamental in site‐specific management and conservation efforts of these degrading mangroves.     

A computational approach to characterize formation of a passivation layer in lithium metal anodes

Li metal anode is the “Holy Grail” material of advanced Lithium-ion-batteries (LIBs). However, it is plagued by uncontrollable dendrite growth resulting in poor cycling efficiency and short-circuiting of batteries. This has spurred a plethora of research to understand the underlying mechanism of dendrite formation. While experimental studies suggest that there are complex physical and chemical interactions between heterogeneous solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) and dendrite growth, most of the studies do not reveal the mechanisms triggering these interactions. To deal with this knowledge gap, we propose a multiscale modeling framework which couples kinetic Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics simulations. Specifically, the model has been developed to account for (a) heterogeneous SEI, (b) dendrite-SEI interactions, and (c) effect of electrolyte on Li electrodeposition and potential dendrite formation. This allows the proposed computational model to be extended to various electrolytes and SEI species and generate results consistent with previous experimental studies.     

Effects of Al:Si and (Al + Na):Si ratios on the properties of the international simple glass,part II: Structure

High-alumina containing high-level waste (HLW) will be vitrified at the Waste Treatment Plant at the Hanford Site. The resulting glasses, high in alumina, will have distinct composition-structure-property (C-S-P) relationships compared to previously studied HLW glasses. These C-S-P relationships determine the processability and product durability of glasses and therefore must be understood. The main purpose of this study is to understand the detailed structural changes caused by Al:Si and (Al + Na):Si substitutions in a simplified nuclear waste model glass (ISG, international simple glass) by combining experimental structural characterizations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The structures of these two series of glasses were characterized by neutron total scattering and ²⁷Al, ²³Na, ²⁹Si, and ¹¹B solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Additionally, MD simulations were used to generate atomistic structural models of the borosilicate glasses and simulation results were validated by the experimental structural data. Short-range (eg, bond distance, coordination number, etc) and medium-range (eg, oxygen speciation, network connectivity, polyhedral linkages) structural features of the borosilicate glasses were systematically investigated as a function of the degree of substitution. The results show that bond distance and coordination number of the cation-oxygen pairs are relatively insensitive to Al:Si and (Al + Na):Si substitutions with the exception of the B-O pair. Additionally, the Al:Si substitution results in an increase in tri-bridging oxygen species, whereas (Al + Na):Si substitution creates nonbridging oxygen species. Charge compensator preferences were found for Si-[NBO] (Na⁺), ^[3]B-[NBO] (Na⁺), ^[4]B (mostly Ca²⁺), ^[4]Al (nearly equally split Na⁺ and Ca²⁺), and ^[6]Zr (mostly Ca²⁺). The network former-BO-network former linkages preferences were also tabulated; Si-O-Al and Al-O-Al were preferred at the expense of lower Si-O-^[3]B and ^[3]B-O-^[3]B linkages. These results provide insights on the structural origins of property changes such as glass-transition temperature caused by the substitutions, providing a basis for future improvements of theoretical and computer simulation models.     

Superior corrosion protection performance of polypdopamine-intercalated CeO2/polyurethane nanocomposite coatings on steel in 3.5% NaCl solution

Journal of Applied Electrochemistry - Newly synthesized polyurethane (PU)–polydopamine (Pda)/CeO2 (cerium oxide) nanocomposite-coated mild steel was investigated for its corrosion protection...     

Synthesis and characterization of photopolymerizable hydrogels based on poly (ethylene glycol) for biomedical applications

Hydrogels are polymeric materials widely used in medicine due to their similarity with the biological components of the body. Hydrogels are biocompatible materials that have the potential to promote cell proliferation and tissue support because of their hydrophilic nature, porous structure, and elastic mechanical properties. In this work, we demonstrate the microwave-assisted synthesis of three molecular weight varieties of poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) with different mechanical and thermal properties and the rapid photo of them using 1-hydroxy-cyclohexyl-phenyl-ketone (Irgacure 184) as UV photoinitiator. The effects of the poly(ethylene glycol) molecular weight and degree of acrylation on swelling, mechanical, and rheological properties of hydrogels were investigated. The biodegradability of the PEGDMA hydrogels, as well as the ability to grow and proliferate cells, was examined for its viability as a scaffold in tissue engineering. Altogether, the biomaterial hydrogel properties open the way for applications in the field of regenerative medicine for functional scaffolds and tissues.