Kinetics of two-step anionic polymerization

This article deals with the kinetics of two-step anionic polymerization by way of a non-steady state method. Several molecular parameters can be evaluated using the formulae developed. A bimodal molecular weight distribution function for the resulting polymer is derived from the set of kinetic differential equations, which is in agreement with the experimental data reported.     

Control of free-radical emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate by oxygen injection. II. Experimental study

Oxygen injection has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated as an effective control measure for limiting the rate of heat release and altering the rate of polymerization in emulsion processes. A detailed mathematical model has been previously developed to describe the system behavior with and without oxygen injection. A simple lab scale apparatus was constructed and run extensively. Only trace quantities of oxygen are needed to inhibit the reaction completely. The facile response makes this method attractive for fast temperature control. However, because of the rapid penetration of dissolved oxygen into the polymer particles, growing radical chains are terminated prematurely, lowering product molecular weights. To minimize this detrimental effect, pulsed oxygen control is used and extensive experimental work was performed to determine the effects of controller set points on molecular weight. Moderate oxygen flows and moderate set point temperatures are found to give the optimal response without significant lowering of the final molecular weight. Injected quantities agree well with the order-of-magnitude sparging calculations needed to completely stop initiation. However, complete agreement between model simulations and experimental results was not reached due to an unmeasured loss of monomer from the reactor. Chain transfer to monomer is found to be important in modeling the polymer molecular weight. It has, however, a negligible effect on the reaction rate.     

Morphology and properties of poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(2′‐ethyl‐hexyloxy)‐para‐phenylene vinylene]/silica nanoparticle hybrid films

Poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(2′‐ethyl‐hexyloxy)‐para‐phenylene vinylene] (MEH‐PPV)/silica nanoparticle hybrid films were prepared and characterised. Three kinds of materials were compared: parent MEH‐PPV, MEH‐PPV/silica (hybrid A films), and MEH‐PPV/coupling agent MSMA/silica (hybrid B films), in which MSMA is 3‐(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate. It was found that the hybrid B films could significantly prevent macrophase separation, as evidenced by scanning electron and fluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, the thermal characteristics of the hybrid films were largely improved in comparison with the parent MEH‐PPV. The UV‐visible absorption spectra suggested that the incorporation of MSMA‐modified silica into MEH‐PPV could confine the polymer chain between nanoparticles and thus increase the conjugation length. The photoluminescence (PL) studies also indicated enhancement of the PL intensity and quantum efficiency by incorporating just 2 wt% of MSMA‐modified silica into MEH‐PPV. However, hybrid A films did not show such enhancement of optoelectronic properties as the hybrid B films. The present study suggests the importance of the interface between the luminescent organic polymers and the inorganic silica on morphology and optoelectronic properties. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Dye adsorption characteristics of alginate/polyaspartate hydrogels

This study examined the removal of some basic dyes, such as Methylene Blue, Malachite Green and Methyl Orange, using alginate or alginate/polyaspartate composite gel beads. The adsorption of dyes from aqueous solutions at 25 °C was examined using a batch sorption technique. The effects of CaCl₂ and the dye concentration on the adsorption were examined. Type-S adsorption isotherms were obtained, which is characteristic of a weak solute–solid interaction. The ionic interaction between the dye molecule and gel matrix appears to be responsible for the efficient adsorption of cationic dyes in this system. These results suggest that an alginate/polyaspartate gel can be used as an effective sorbent for water pollutants such as dyes, and the immobilization of these organic contaminants in the hydrogels from wastewater can solve one of the most important environmental problems in the related industry.     

生态平衡的伦理学意蕴解读

20世纪以来，人类采用技术工程治理、法律制裁和经济惩罚等措施，一定意义上改善了局部的生态环境，但是未能遏制住全球环境问题的恶化态势。生态危机的根本解决，关键在于人类自身必须进行深刻的利益观念和价值观念的变革。重新审视人与自然界的关系，对自然进行伦理关怀，寻求和建立以保护地球环境和人类生存与可持续发展的生态平衡理念。     

Optimal and self‐tuning fusion Kalman filters for discrete‐time stochastic singular systems

Based on the optimal fusion estimation algorithm weighted by scalars in the linear minimum variance sense, a distributed optimal fusion Kalman filter weighted by scalars is presented for discrete‐time stochastic singular systems with multiple sensors and correlated noises. A cross‐covariance matrix of filtering errors between any two sensors is derived. When the noise statistical information is unknown, a distributed identification approach is presented based on correlation functions and the weighted average method. Further, a distributed self‐tuning fusion filter is given, which includes two stage fusions where the first‐stage fusion is used to identify the noise covariance and the second‐stage fusion is used to obtain the fusion state filter. A simulation verifies the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.