Degree of crosslinking and mechanical properties of crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) beads for use in solid-phase organic synthesis

The limited swellability in polar media of the commonly used polystyrene/divinylbenzene (PS-DVB) support materials for solid-phase organic synthesis has led to the development of novel, highly swellable hydrophilic gels designed for use in aqueous or polar media. Poly(vinyl alcohol) beads crosslinked with epichlorohydrin (PVA-EP) were prepared by a two-step inverse-suspension polymerization method. While it is known that the morphology of the resulting beads can be controlled by the ratio of EP versus PVA as well as by the pre-crosslinking time, the actual degree of crosslinking of the beads and their mechanical properties remain unknown. It is therefore the purpose of this study to evaluate the actual degree of crosslinking of beads prepared with different quantities of crosslinker in the feed by spectroscopic (Raman, nuclear magnetic resonance) and chemical (functional group loading) methods. The mechanical properties of these swollen PVA-EP beads will be evaluated by single-bead unconfined compression in solvents such as water, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and tetrahydrofuran (THF) and compared to model PS-DVB beads commonly used for solid phase synthesis.     

Antimicrobial protection of cotton and cotton/polyester fabrics by radiation and thermal treatments. I. Effect of ZnO formulation on the mechanical and dyeing properties

Cotton and cotton/polyester fabrics were treated against microbial attack by applying a formulation based essentially on ZnO under high‐energy radiation and thermal curing. To achieve the homogeneity and the reactivity of the treating formulation, a binder (Impron MTP) and a dispersing agent (Setamol WS) were used with ZnO. The antimicrobial property of the fabrics was evaluated, in terms of mechanical properties, by a soil burial test. Moreover, the effect of antimicrobial finishing on the dyeing properties in terms of color strength was investigated. It was found that the best composition that affords the best antimicrobial protection to cotton fabrics contains 2% ZnO, 2% binder, and 1% dispersing agents. For the cotton/polyester blend, the best results were achieved at the same conditions except the ZnO was 1%. It was found that the treatment under the effect of electron‐beam irradiation is better than that of gamma irradiation and thermal curing. The results showed that when the finishing process was carried out before dyeing with a reactive dye, it affects the color strength rather than performing the finishing after the dyeing process. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1129–1137, 2003     

PVA-based activated carbon fibers with lotus root-like axially porous structure

A novel method was developed for the fabrication of activated carbon fiber (ACF) with wet spinning polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers as the precursors. Through a combination of preoxidation, dehydration, carbonization and activation under a certain tension, PVA-based ACFs (PVA-ACFs) with high yields and good mechanical properties were obtained. The surface and cross-section morphologies, pore structures, surface geometries, surface functional groups and crystal structures of the PVA-ACFs were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy, low temperature nitrogen adsorption, Fourier transformed infrared spectrophotometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray power diffraction. All the PVA-ACF samples prepared had lotus root-like axially meso- and macroporous structures with the domination of micropores. Fractal geometries of PVA-ACFs deduced from nitrogen adsorption isotherms indicates that capillary force dominated in the interactions between nitrogen and the PVA-ACFs. The surface functional groups of the PVA-ACFs depend on the activating agents. Graphitoidal crystal structures were observed for the PVA-ACFs. The small crystal size and short range ordering between the crystallites ensured a high specific surface area of the PVA-ACFs.     

Carbonaceous adsorbents from sewage sludge and their application in a combined activated sludge-powdered activated carbon (AS-PAC) treatment

In this study, waste biological sludge is converted to an adsorbent by chemical activation with sulphuric acid. The adsorbent obtained is then applied to the aerated vessel of an activated sludge process treating glucose and phenol to improve the quality of the treated effluent. The sludge-based carbonaceous adsorbent was found to be mesoporous in nature, with a good adsorption capacity for large molecular weight compounds and limited removal efficiency for smaller molecules such as phenol. The addition of carbon, either sludge-based or commercial, enhanced phenol removal from 58% to 98.7% and from 87% to 93% the organic matter removal as measured by the chemical oxygen demand (COD) when operated with feed concentrations of 100 mg phenol/l and 2500 mg COD/l. No differences were found between the activated sludge-activated carbon bench scale continuous reactors operating with either commercial or sludge-based adsorbents in spite of the higher adsorption capacity of the former. It is suggested that powdered adsorbent bioregeneration in the combined AS-PAC system may be impaired by the obstruction of pores due to bacterial growth, the effect being more important for the commercial activated carbon with a narrower pore size distribution.     

Induction plasma synthesis of fullerenes and nanotubes using carbon black–nickel particles

The existence of fullerenes (as allotropes of carbon) was established in the mid-1980s and during the last 15–18 years, systematic efforts have been devoted to improve the methods of their synthesis, including plasma-based system methods. The work presented here is focused on the investigation of fullerenes synthesis, using a radio frequency plasma reactor. The main objectives were to explore the use of induction plasma technology for the synthesis in-continuo of carbon fullerenes and to predict their formation conditions through conduct of theoretical studies. Thus, a thermodynamic study was carried out to predict the equilibrium composition of fullerenes produced at several combinations of operating conditions. Additionally, a statistical factorial design experiment, employing four factors at two levels, was also developed, in order to study the influence of the system’s operating parameters on the eventual C₆₀ fullerene yield. The results obtained showed that the reactor pressure, the electrical power and the raw material feed rates all have an important effect on the synthesis of fullerenes. The highest C₆₀ concentration in the products was found to be about 7.7 wt.%. Various other carbon nanostructures, such as nanotubes and nano-onions, were also successfully produced.     

dc Electrical Degradation of Perovskite-Type Titanates: I, Ceramics

The rate of the resistance degradation of doped SrTiO₃ ceramics is investigated as a function of various external and material parameters. The effects of the mutually interrelated parameters dc voltage, dc electric field, and thickness of the dielectric are described by power laws. Electron microscopic potential contrast studies show a Maxwell-Wagner polarization leading to a concentration of the electric field at the grain boundaries during the degradation. Based on this finding, the voltage step per grain boundary, ΔΘ_gb, is introduced as a rate-determining parameter which allows an explanation of the influence of the grain size on the degradation rate as well as the difference in the power laws for ceramic and single-crystal samples.     

熔融石英耐火材料

阐述了熔融石英耐火材料的主要性能与应用领域。     

Modification of leather properties by grafting. I. Effect of monomer chain on the physico‐mechanical properties of grafted leather

Although leather has a number of desirable properties such as thermal stability and fire retardancey, in addition to high toughness, it has a few drawbacks such as weight, high water absorption, poor soil and rot resistance, and nonuniformity. If these defects are overcome, leather's usefulness would be further enhanced and its competitive position with respect to synthetics would increase. This study reports the physical and mechanical properties of buffalo leather after chemical graft copolymerization with ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, and 2‐ethyl hexyl acrylate using benzoyl peroxide as an initiator. The optimum conditions for grafting (e.g., monomer and initiator concentrations, temperature and time of grafting, and solvent leather ratio) were extensively investigated. The study achieved outstanding properties for buffalo leather in reduction of water uptake after grafting, especially on using 2‐ethyl hexyl acrylate and butyl acrylate monomers. FT‐IR and solid ¹³C‐NMR for leather before and after grafting confirmed the grafting process.© 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 1478–1483, 2003     

Preparations and properties of thermosensitive terpolymers of N‐isopropylacrylamide,sodium 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐propanesuphonate,and N‐tert‐butylacrylamide

Terpolymers based on N‐isopropylacrylamide, sodium 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐propanesulfonate, and N‐tert‐butylacrylamide were synthesized by free‐radical copolymerization with 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator. The lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs) of the linear polymer aqueous solutions were determined by the measurement of the transmittance on UV at different temperatures. The influence of the polymer concentration, polymer composition, and ionic strength on the LCSTs of the linear polymers was investigated. The LCST decreased with increases in the hydrophobic monomer N‐tert‐butylacrylamide, polymer concentration, and ionic strength. The phase transition became sharp when the polymer concentration and ionic strength increased. Meanwhile, the crosslinked hydrogels were prepared with the same recipe used for the linear terpolymers, but a crosslinker was added to the reaction system. The swelling ratios of the hydrogels at various temperatures and salt solutions were determined. The hydrogels possessed both high swelling ratios and thermosensitivity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

应用WCA微扰理论推算非极性液体比热容的新方法

本文首次将统计热力学的Ｗｅｅｋｓ－Ｃｈａｎｄｌｅｒ－Ａｎｄｅｒｓｏｎ（简称ＷＣＡ）微扰理论应用于非极性液体定容比热容和定压比热容的推算，用一些液体的ｐ－ｖ－Ｔ实验数据拟合了理论中所用ＬＪ势能函数的势能参数，并提出一个通用关联式。本文方法具有通用性，在编制的计算程序中只需输入物质的临界温度、临界比容、偏心因子等就能算出相应的比热容，工程应用十分方便。