Diels-Alder Macromolecular Networks in Recyclable,Repairable and Reprocessable Polymer Composites for the Circular Economy – A Review

In the expanding field of high-performance materials, polymer-based thermoset composites play an important role due to their favorably-high strength/weight ratio and their mechanical performance, thermal stability, and chemical resistance. However, their chemically-crosslinked nature hampers their re-processability and efficient recyclability, thus making them not compliant with the principles of the circular economy and of end-of-life valorization. Dynamic covalent polymers able to modify their network topology upon thermal stimulus can be considered valid alternatives to commonly used thermosets as they offer advantages in terms of recyclability and reusability, normally not achievable with conventional cross-linked systems. Within the broad field of dynamic polymers, thermally-triggered Diels-Alder based materials represent reliable platforms with enormous technological and industrial potential as repairable, reusable and recyclable matrices in composites given their chemical versatility, suitable mechanical performance and ease of production and processing. In this review, a comprehensive discussion of the most recent demonstrations of the reversibility, reprocessability and recyclablability of such systems is provided, in the context of their use as polymer matrices in composites. It is hoped that this work will stimulate further discussion and research in the area of reversible polymer composites with increased functionality and extended lifetime, in view of their application in future circular economy scenarios.     

Design,Synthesis, and Evaluation of WC5 Analogues as Inhibitors of Human Cytomegalovirus Immediate‐Early 2 Protein,a Promising Target for Anti‐HCMV Treatment

Although human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is mostly asymptomatic for immunocompetent individuals, it remains a serious threat for those who are immunocompromised, in whom it is associated with various clinical manifestations. The therapeutic utility of the few available anti‐HCMV drugs is limited by several drawbacks, including cross‐resistance due to their common mechanism of action, i.e., inhibition of viral DNA polymerase. Therefore, compounds that target other essential viral events could overcome this problem. One example of this is the 6‐aminoquinolone WC5 , which acts by directly blocking the transactivation of essential viral Early genes by the Immediate‐Early 2 (IE2) protein. In this study, the quinolone scaffold of the lead compound WC5 was investigated in depth, defining more suitable substituents for each of the scaffold positions explored and identifying novel, potent and nontoxic compounds. Some compounds showed potent anti‐HCMV activity by interfering with IE2‐dependent viral E gene expression. Among them, naphthyridone 1 was also endowed with potent anti‐HIV activity in latently infected cells. Their antiviral profile along with their innovative mechanism of action make these anti‐HCMV quinolones a very promising class of compounds to be exploited for more effective antiviral therapeutic treatment.     

Effect of hydrolysis and denaturation of wheat gluten on adhesive bond strength of wood joints

In this study the adhesive bond strength of different wheat gluten modifications and the relationship between molecular weight and adhesive strength was examined. Guanidine hydrochloride and sodium hydroxide were used as denaturation and dispersing agent. Additionally wheat proteins were hydrolyzed by alkaline conditions and enzymes. Effects of different treatments were observed by viscosity measurements and gel electrophoresis. Wood lap joints were prepared with modified proteins and tensile shear strength was tested under dry and wet conditions. In situ hardening of different formulations was analyzed by means of DMA with two‐layered specimens in a three‐point bending test set‐up. Higher solubility had no positive effect on dry bonding strength and wet bonding strength was even reduced. Depending on the degree of hydrolysis, significant improvement of adhesive bond strength was observed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

In-service performance assessment of electrostatic precipitators serving a rubber vulcanization process

We examined two emission abatement systems of some vulcanization ovens, serving a unit producing small rubber-based parts for automotive application. Each emission control unit treats the gases exhausted by three to five ovens. A heat exchanger cools down the fumes to a temperature suitable for the correct operation of a couple of two-stage electrostatic precipitators in series. We performed quantitative analysis of concentrations and size distributions in these rubber fumes using aerosol technology instrumentation, namely optical particle spectrometers and electrical mobility particle sizers. The size of sampled particles was mainly between 100?nm and 1000?nm. We evaluated the performance of the exhaust fume abatement units, with focus on the electrostatic precipitator. Concerning batch ovens, the quantitative trend of the emissions follows the thermal cycle of the post-curing process. Time interval since the last maintenance operation causes a gradual reduction in the removal efficiency. The measured data demonstrate the reliability and the adequacy of aerosol instrumentation for the characterization of the emissions from rubber vulcanization ovens. The pair of electrostatic precipitators was shown to be effective in removing most of the particles detected in the fumes stream. The measurement protocol developed in this study allows assessing the influence of the maintenance schedule on the performance of the emission control units. New technologies for treating organic vapors can be evaluated in a reliable and effective way.

Copyright © 2019 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Laser irradiation of ZnO:Al/Ag/ZnO:Al multilayers for electrical isolation in thin film photovoltaics

Laser irradiation of ZnO:Al/Ag/ZnO:Al transparent contacts is investigated for segmentation purposes. The quality of the irradiated areas has been experimentally evaluated by separation resistance measurements, and the results are complemented with a thermal model used for numerical simulations of the laser process. The presence of the Ag interlayer plays two key effects on the laser scribing process by increasing the maximum temperature reached in the structure and accelerating the cool down process. These evidences can promote the use of ultra-thin ZnO:Al/Ag/ZnO:Al electrode in large-area products, such as for solar modules.     

Photoactive sol–gel hybrid coatings from modified fluorocarbon polymers and amorphous titania

A series of organic–inorganic hybrid coatings was prepared through sol–gel chemistry by combining silanized chlorotrifluoroethylene-vinylether (FEVE) binders with tetraalkoxy silicon and titania sols under acidic conditions. The best compositions to obtain highly transparent and homogeneous coatings after thermal curing were determined. All the hybrid coatings easily pass the MEK test and show high scratch hardness. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows the formation of very smooth surfaces (R_rms routinely <1 nm) without clear phase separation phenomena. The typical size of the “objects” which may be individuated is in the range of 40–80 nm. Wettability through contact angle measurements shows the formation of moderately hydrophobic surfaces with a low contact angle hysteresis (~20°) which is a further indication of very smooth, homogeneous and chemically stable surfaces. After irradiation with UV-B light only hybrid coatings containing titania phases show a significant switch to a superhydrophilic behavior with a contact angle against H₂O down to 6°, which is only partially recovered after storage of the material in the dark. Titania based hybrid coatings also showed a fast and efficient UV-induced discoloration of the resazurin ink. The formulation of the coatings with photostabilizers belonging to the class of radical scavengers and UV absorbers does not change the photoinduced surface properties while eliminating the yellowing of the coating after UV exposure. It is concluded that titania-fluoropolymer hybrid coating show photoactivity and UV-induced superhydrophylicity mostly through ionic mechanisms, which could be beneficial to develop high durability and self-cleaning protective coatings.     

Kinetic folding mechanism of PDZ2 from PTP-BL

PDZ domains represent a large family of protein-interaction modules associated with a variety of unrelated proteins with different functions. We report a complete characterization of the kinetic folding mechanism of a fluorescent variant of PDZ2 from PTP-BL, investigated under a variety of different experimental conditions. For this purpose, we engineered a fluorescent variant of this protein Y43W (called pseudo-wild-type, pWT43). The results suggest the presence of a high-energy intermediate in the folding of PDZ2, as revealed by a pronounced non-linear dependence of the unfolding rate constant on denaturant concentration. Such an intermediate may or may not be detectable depending on the experimental conditions, giving rise to apparent two-state folding under stabilizing conditions (e.g. in the presence of sodium sulfate). Interestingly, even under these conditions, three-state folding can be restored by selectively destabilizing the native-like rate-limiting barrier by one specific mutation (V44A). Finally, we show that data taken on pWT43 under different experimental conditions (e.g. different pH values from 2.1 to 8.0 or in the presence of a stabilizing salt) and also data on a site-directed conservative mutant can be rationalized in terms of a simple reaction scheme involving a single set of intermediates and transition states.     

Cycling stability of a hybrid activated carbon//poly(3-methylthiophene) supercapacitor with N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ionic liquid as electrolyte

A long cycle-life, high-voltage supercapacitor featuring an activated carbon//poly(3-methylthiophene) hybrid configuration with N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ionic liquid, a solvent-free green electrolyte, was developed. The cyclability of a laboratory scale cell with electrode mass loading sized for practical uses was tested at 60 °C over 16,000 galvanostatic charge-discharge cycles at 10 mA cm⁻² in the 1.5 and 3.6 V voltage range. The reported average and maximum specific energy and power, specific capacitance and capacity, equivalent series resistance and coulombic efficiency over cycling demonstrate the long-term viability of this ionic liquid as green electrolyte for high-voltage hybrid supercapacitors.