Preparation and characterization of high MFR polypropylene and polypropylene/poly(ethylene‐co‐propylene) in‐reactor alloys

In this work, high melt flow rate (MFR) polypropylene (HF‐PP) and polypropylene/poly(ethylene‐co‐propylene) in‐reactor alloys (HF‐PP/EPR) with MFR ≈ 30 g/10 min were synthesized by spherical MgCl₂‐supported Ziegler–Natta catalyst with cyclohexylmethyldimethoxysilane (CHMDMS) or dicyclopentyldimethoxysilane (DCPDMS) as external donor (De). The effects of De on polymerization activity, chain structure, mechanical properties, and phase morphology of HF‐PP and HF‐PP/EPR were studied. Adding CHMDMS caused more sensitive change of the polymers MFR with H₂ than DCPDMS, and produced PP/EPR alloys containing more random ethylene‐propylene copolymer (r‐EP) and segmented ethylene‐propylene copolymer (s‐EP). CHMDMS also caused formation of s‐EP with higher level of blockiness than DCPDMS. HF‐PP/EPR alloy prepared in the presence of DCPDMS exhibited higher flexural properties but lower impact strength than that prepared with CHMDMS. Toughening efficiency of the rubber phase was nearly the same in the alloys prepared using CHMDMS or DCPDMS as De, but stiffness of the alloy can be improved by using DCPDMS. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 42984.     

Cellulose acetate electrospun fiber mats for controlled release of silymarin

In this research, the silymarin-loaded electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) fibers were prepared which containing silymarin in various amounts (i.e., 2.5-20 wt.% based on the weight of CA powder). Incorporation of silymarin in the neat CA solution did not affect the morphology of the resulting fibers, as both the neat and the silymarin-loaded CA fibers were smooth. The average diameters of silymarin-loaded CA fiber ranged between 550-900 nm. No presence of the silymarin aggregates of any kind was observed on the surfaces of these fibers, suggesting that the silymarin was encapsulated well within the fibers. These results were confirmed by lowering the glass transition temperature and the melting temperature of the silymarin-loaded electrospun CA fibers which is determined by DSC technique. The release characteristic of silymarin from the silymarin-loaded CA fiber mats was investigated by the total immersion in the solution of 1/1 phosphate buffer/methanol medium pH 7.4 at 37 degrees C. The silymarin release from the silymarin-loaded electrospun CA fiber mat is monotonously increased to reach the maximum value at 480 min. The maximum amount of silymarin released from these materials increases with the increasing of initial silymarin loading in the spinning CA solutions. Since no aggregation of silymarin was found on the surface of the silymarin-loaded fibers, the release of the silymarin from fiber mats was mainly by the diffusion.     

Grafting and phosphonic acid functionalization of hyperbranched polyamidoamine polymer onto ultrafine silica

In this study, grafting of hyperbranched polyamidoamine (PAMAM) polymer onto ultrafine silica followed by functionalization via the introduction of phosphonic acid groups into the branch ends was performed. First, an initiating site was incorporated into the silica surface by reacting the silica silanol group with 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane, producing amino‐functionalized silica. The free amine group content was altered by varying the ratio of methanol to water in the hydrolysis step of the silanization reaction. Grafting of PAMAM was attained by three rounds of sequential Michael addition of silica amino groups to methyl acrylate and amidation of the resulting terminal methyl ester groups with ethylenediamine. Completion of the grafting reaction in each step was clearly confirmed using FTIR analysis. Excessive ethylenediamine and unattached hyperbranched PAMAM present in the reaction product were removed by dialysis with a molecular weight cutoff of 6000–7000 Daltons. However, the amino group content determined in each step was found to be significantly lower than theoretically expected, perhaps indicative of side reactions and, in later stages, steric hindrance. The resultant hyperbranched PAMAM‐grafted onto silica was functionalized by phosphorylation of the terminal amino groups by a Mannich type reaction, producing the phosphorylated hyperbranched PAMAM‐grafted silica. Then its application on cotton fabric to produce fire‐retardant cellulose was tentatively investigated. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Preparation and characterization of polybenzoxazine-clay immiscible nanocomposite

An immiscible polymer-clay nanocomposite has been synthesized consisting of dispersed layers of organically modified montmorillonite (OMOM) in a polybenzoxazine matrix as shown by thermogravimetry, wide angle x-ray diffraction (WAXD), and transmission electron microscopy. Five small protonated amines showed high ion-exchangeability. The spacing of the silicate layers is strongly dependent on the size or molecular weight of the amine derivative and the solvent type. Binary solvents (5% mehthanol in toluene) exhibited superior ability to swell OMOM. Finally, WAXD results revealed that the silicate layer expansion of all polybenzoxazine-OMOM nanocomposites prepared from either melt or solution methods were similar, about 4 Å increment. This was correlated with TEM results showing the aggregation of silicate layers indicating that all prepared OMOM are immiscible with the polymer matrix. These results suggested that the compatibility between amine modifying agents and benzoxazine played the most important role for the characteristics of the nanocomposite.