Radiation preparation and swelling behavior of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogels

Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is a kind of degraded polymer under γ-irradiation. However, in this work, it has been found that CMC crosslinks partially to form hydrogel by radiation technique at more than 20% CMC aqueous solution. The gel fraction increases with the dose. The crosslinking reaction of CMC is promoted in the presence of N₂ or N₂O due to the increase of free radicals on CMC backbone, but gel fraction of CMC hydrogel is not high (<40%). Some important values related to this kind of new CMC hydrogel synthesized under different conditions, such as radiation yield of crosslinking G(x), gelation dose R_g, number average molecular weight of network M_c were calculated according to the Charlesby–Pinner equation. The results indicated that although crosslinked CMC hydrogel could be prepared by radiation method, the rate of radiation degradation of CMC was faster than that of radiation crosslinking due to the character of CMC itself. Swelling dynamics of CMC hydrogel and its swelling behavior at different conditions, such as acidic, basic, inorganic salt as well as temperature were also investigated. Strong acidity, strong basicity, small amount of inorganic salts and lower temperature can reduce swelling ratio.     

On the kinetics of polymer degradation in solution—XII. Radiolysis of poly(2,2,2-trichloroethyl methacrylate)

The title compound (PTCMA) was irradiated in O₂-free dioxane solution by ⁶⁰Co-γ-rays or by 100 nsec-pulses of 16 MeV electrons. At concentrations below ca 0.04 base mol/l, main-chain scission occurred as was concluded from the decrease of the light scattering intensity (LSI). G(S) = 3.7 ± 0.4 was independent of the polymer concentration and equal to G(S) observed with solid PTCMA. This result indicates that in dilute solution main-chain scission is induced by the direct action of radiation on the polymer. The free radical [presumably ---C(CH₃)---(CH₂)---] giving rise to main-chain scission has a lifetime of 2.6 msec. It reacts with ethane thiol (k = 6.6 × 10⁴M⁻¹sec⁻¹). At concentrations above 0.04 base mol/l, the polymer crosslinked (gel formation, increase of the LSI according to 2nd order kinetics). It is assumed that crosslinking is due to the combination of radicals of the type ---CH₂---C(CH₃)(COOCH₂CCl₂)--- formed via dissociative electron capture processes involving mainly electrons in spurs that otherwise recombine with parent ions. This conclusion was inferred from the finding that [(τ_1/2)₁]⁻¹ ∞ (c_polymer)²[(τ_1/2)₁): 1st half-life of LSI increase after the pulse, c_polymer: polymer concentration].     

FT-RAMAN SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY OF THE FORMATION OF POLYENES DURING THERMAL DEGRADATION OF POLY(VINYL CHLORIDE) AND POLY (N-VINYL-2-PYRROLIDONE) BLENDS

In situ degradation of poly(vinyl chloride)/poly (N-vinyl-2- pyrrolidone) (PVC/PVP) blends has been studied by Fourier-transform Raman spectroscopy. PVP acts as a destabilizer in the thermal degradation of PVC as manifested by the reduction of temperature for the onset of degradation and the time the polymer is held at a particular temperature for this onset. Increasing the amount of PVP in the blends decreases the dehydrochlorination temperature and time. In blends containing high PVP concentrations, polyene bands dominate over nondegraded PVC bands. Maximum polyene lengths of around 35 were achieved. High PVP ratios and prolonged degradation at higher temperatures resulted in a decrease in mean polyene length due to crosslinking and oxidative scission.     

New Structure Formation on γ-irradiation of Poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene)

The radiation chemistry of PCTFE at different temperatures has been studied. The polymer was irradiated under vacuum to absorbed doses of up to 1500 kGy. Three irradiation temperatures were chosen. These included ambient temperature, a temperature well above the T_g and a temperature above the crystalline melting temperature. These were 298, 423 and 493 K, respectively. The formation of new structures was identified by solid-state FTIR and ¹⁹F NMR. No branching was observed below the melting temperature, but branches were observed above the melting temperature. G-values for chain-end formation were 1.5 and 2.4 at room temperature and 423 K, respectively and the G-value for the formation of double bonds was found to be <0.1. For the irradiations at 493 K, the G-values for the formation of chain ends, double bonds and branching points were 3.6, 0.2 and 0.5, respectively. The presence of long-chain branches within the polymer structure could not be proven for radiolysis at 493 K, but scission predominates and network formation does not occur upon irradiation. DSC studies of the polymers irradiated at ambient temperature were consistent with chain scission leading to an increase in the percentage crystallinity, as observed for other fluoropolymers.     

Rheological behaviour of irradiated wound dressing poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) hydrogels

The use of hydrogels as biomaterials has increased lately. Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) is an example of polymer hydrogels applied for the synthesis of hydrogel to be used in different biomedical applications. This paper describes a study on rheological properties of PVP hydrogels obtained by gamma radiation techniques. PVP hydrogels were obtained by gamma radiation of PVP water solutions with different radiation doses. It was studied the influence of additives such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and glycerol on the rheological behaviour of the gel. The rheological behaviour of hydrogel samples was characterized by measuring the shear storage modulus (G′) under dynamic shear loading. Besides this, sterility and cytotoxicity tests were performed. The study on rheological behaviour of hydrogels showed that G′ of PVP gels change according to the additive used. Glycerol increases the fluidity of the gel. The influence of PEG depends on the amount and on its molecular mass. The increase on PEG amount and molecular mass cause a decrease of G′ and an increase in the crosslinking density of PVP hydrogel network. The use of high molecular weight PEO allows the increase of the elasticity of the PVP gels.     

Correct calculation of ΔH°, ΔC°P, and ΔV° from temperature and pressure dependences of equilibrium constants: The importance of thermal expansion and compressibility of the solvent

Activities of solutes and compositions of solutions may be expressed corretly in terms of molarity (c), molality (m) or mole fraction (x), leading to corresponding equilibrium constants K_c, K_m, or K_x. Equations for differences between ΔG°_c, ΔG°_m, and ΔG°_x values are derived. Common errors in calculations involving (dlnK_c/dT) and (dlnK_c/dP) are identified and remedies for these errors are presented.     

Upper and lower critical solution temperatures in polybutadiene-alkane systems : Effect of the surface-to-volume ratio of the polymer

Cloud point curves (CPC) have been measured for 1–4 cis polybutadiene (M_r = 40,000–830,000) in n-hexane, 2-methyl-hexane, 2,2,3 trimethylbutane and 2,2,4 trimethylpentane. These four systems show upper and lower critical solubility temperatures which approach one another as the molecular weight increases. An hourglass-shaped CPC is found for two systems. The CPC are found to be much more dependent on polymer concentration than is usual. Calculated (Prigogine, Patterson, Flory theories) and experimental critical temperatures, critical volumes and shapes of the CPC are in much better agreement for these systems than for other systems involving polystyrene, polyisobutylene or polybutene-1. Analysis of these results with those for other systems in the literature indicates the importance of the surface-to-volume ratio s of the polymers. A small value of s = s₂/s₁ (0·5–0·8) for thick polymer chains improves the calculated value of the critical temperature while s = 1 is quite good for thin polymer chains such as polybutadiene and polyethylene.     

Temperature effects on radiation induced phenomena in polytetrafluoroetylene (PTFE)-Change of G-value

Temperature dependencies on the radiation induced phenomena and G-value of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) have been studied in a temperature range 77–653 K. It is well known that main chain scission occurs very effectively below the melting temperature of PTFE (600 K). We have found in our experiments that G-value of chain scission increases significantly with increasing irradiation temperature, until 600 K. In addition to that, we have realized that crosslinking occurs by irradiation in the molten state at 613 K (Tabata, 1992; Oshima et al., 1995; Tabata et al., 1996). In the molten state, G-value of crosslinking was found to be 0.35 (number of crosslinking/100 eV absorption), as a lower limit, and the apparent G-value of chain scission is drastically reduced. Above 633 K, radiation induced crosslinking mainly occurs, however parallel thermal depolymerization or decomposition takes place to some extent.     

Electrospinning of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)-iodine complex and poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)-iodine complex - a prospective route to antimicrobial wound dressing materials

New nanofibers containing poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)-iodine complex (PVP-iodine) were obtained by electrospinning in order to prepare materials suitable for wound dressings. Different approaches were used: a one-step method based on electrospinning of PVP-iodine or poly(ethylene oxide)/PVP-iodine solutions and a three-step method based on electrospinning of PVP or poly(ethylene oxide)/PVP mixed solutions followed by photo-mediated crosslinking of the obtained nanofibers and subsequent complexation with iodine. The average diameters of the fibers were in the range 150-470 nm depending on the composition and on the applied field strength (AFS) and increased with increasing the amount of PEO in the spinning solutions. Higher AFS resulted in greater fiber diameter and in size distribution broadening. Photo-mediated crosslinking in the presence of 4,4′-diazidostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid disodium salt successfully stabilized the electrospun PVP and PEO/PVP nanofibers against water and water vapor.     

Microporous poly(vinyl methyl ether) hydrogels prepared by γ-ray irradiation at different heating rates

We prepared thermoresponsive and microporous polymer hydrogels by γ-ray irradiation of aqueous solutions poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) at different heating rates. Under all temperature programs, opaque and heterogeneous PVME gels formed, which swelled at temperatures below the lower critical solution temperature and shrank at temperatures above it. All of the samples contained porous and phase-separated structures. The shape and size of the gel pores varied depending on the temperature programs. Gels having a sponge-like continuous porous structure formed only when the radiation-induced crosslinking was carried out at an optimum heating rate, which we found to be 0.11–0.13°C min⁻¹. For temperature changes between 10°C and 40°C, gels with this structure showed rapid volume transitions on a time scale of about a minute.     

Modified cyclodextrin polymers as selective ion carriers for Pb(II) separation across plasticized membranes

In the present work the hydrophobic β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) polymers have been used as macrocyclic ion carriers for separation of Pb(II), Zn(II), and Cu(II) ions from dilute aqueous solutions by transport across polymer inclusion membranes. The β-CD polymers were prepared by cross-linking of β-CD with 2-(1-docosenyl)-succinic anhydride derivatives in anhydrous N,N-dimethylformamide in the presence of NaH. The metal ions were transported from aqueous solutions containing heavy metal ions through plasticizer triacetate membranes with dimer and polymer β-CD derivatives into distilled water. The selectivity of lead(II) over other metal ions in the transport through polymer inclusion membrane was very high, especially for dimer cyclodextrin carrier. In the case of competitive transport of Pb(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) ions through plasticized immobilized membranes the selectivity of process is controlled via formation of ion pairs of β-CD hydroxyl groups with metal cations. The polymer and dimer of β-CD linked by 2-(1-docosenyl)-derivative used as ionic carriers for competitive transport of metal ions show preferential selectivity order: Pb(II)  Cu(II) > Zn(II). Application of ion carriers mixtures (β-CD polymers and palmitic acid) causes the increase of Pb(II) maximal removal from dilute aqueous solution. The weight-average molecular weight (M_W) and the chemical structure of the β-CD polymers were determined using high-performance size exclusion chromatography with refractive index detector, and ¹H NMR spectroscopy.     

Vapor-liquid equilibria for the system water + tert.-pentanol at 4 temperatures

Precise isothermal vapor-liquid equilibrium data at 10, 30, 55 and 70°C for the system water + tert.-pentanol were measured using a computer-operated differential static apparatus. Activity coefficients at infinite dilution were derived from the experimental P − x data in the dilute region using a flexible Legendre polynomial, and the vapor-liquid-liquid locus was derived directly from the P − x data near the liquid-liquid phase boundary. Heteroazeotropic points were measured directly by distillation using a rotating band column. Furthermore the UNIQUAC and the NRTL models were used to correlate the experimental P − x data and to derive the azeotropic data.

Experimental H^E data were taken from literature and used together with the experimental P − x data to simultaneously fit temperature dependent interaction parameters for UNIQUAC and NRTL. The parameters were used to predict the azeotropic composition over a large temperature range. The results were compared with those of a simple analytical thermodynamic equation using only the pure component vapor pressure data, heats of mixing in the heterogeneous region and the azeotropic composition at one temperature.

Heats of mixing were measured at 140°C with the help of a flow calorimeter in order to determine the slope of H^E vs. x₁ in the heterogeneous region. The H^E data were used to check the reliability of the G^E model parameters and the equation to calculate the temperature dependence of the heteroazeotropic composition.     

Rotational isomerism about acyl–oxygen bond in two envelope conformations and vibrational spectral analysis of cyclopentyl acetate—a combined theoretical and experimental study

The s-cis and s-trans isomers resulting from the rotation about the acyl–oxygen bond of two envelope conformations with C5 (neighbour to substituted carbon C4) and C4 as apical atoms in the five-membered ring and vibrational spectra of cyclopentyl acetate are studied with density functional molecular orbital theory at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level. In the case of C5 at the flap and –OAc group in the axial position, it is found that the s-cis isomer (1:s-cis) is more stable than the s-trans isomer (1:s-trans) by 7.46 kcal/mol. The s-cis–s-trans rotational barrier is 15 kcal/mol. The other two conformers with C4 at the flap and –OAc group in the equatorial position, the relative energies of the s-cis and s-trans isomers (2:s-cis and 2:s-trans) with respect to 1:s-cis are found to be 0.45 and 8.21 kcal/mol, respectively. The infrared spectra (200–3200 cm⁻¹) in gas and liquid phase and Raman spectra (3200–150 cm⁻¹) in liquid phase for cyclopentyl acetate and 10 of its isotopomers are recorded. The calculated spectra of all conformers along with the observed spectra has helped study the effect of rotational isomerism on the vibrational spectra. The normal coordinate analysis in terms of non-redundant local coordinates is done for vibrational assignments of the 57 normal modes. The experimental and theoretical results are compared to the corresponding quantities of some similar molecules.     

Studies of sorption-desorption processes in the CexLa1−xNi5H2 system by DSC

The dependence of the integral enthalpy of hydrogenation (or dehydrogenation) of the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) Ce_xLa_1−xNi₅ (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1 or 0.3) on pressure in the range 0.5–6 MPa was studied by the method of differential scanning calorimetry. It has been shown that at x = 0 and x = 0.05 the absorption (or desorption) proceeds via the formation of a stable intermediate hydride phase.     

Effect of γ irradiation on the surface properties of wet polysulfone films containing poly(vinylpyrrolidone)

In Japan, hemodialyzers are usually sterilized by γ irradiation. However, the polymer materials used in the dialysis membrane, such as polysulfone (PSf) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), undergo crosslinking or degradation on exposure to γ radiation. In the present study, we prepared PSf/PVP films (PVP content, 0–50 wt%) and used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to perform nanoscale evaluations of the effect of γ irradiation (25 and 50 kGy) on the surface properties of wet PSf/PVP surfaces. Force‐curve measurements were used to evaluate the hardness of and fibrinogen adsorbability on the wet PSf/PVP surface; fibrinogen adsorbability on the wet PSf/PVP surface was evaluated using AFM probes with fibrinogen immobilized on the tips of the probes. At PVP levels greater than 5 wt%, the wet PSf/PVP film surface was completely covered with hydrated and swollen PVP particles. The surface hardness of the wet PSf/PVP films exposed to 25‐kGy γ irradiation greatly decreased with increasing PVP content, whereas the surface hardness of the wet PSf/PVP films exposed to 50‐kGy γ irradiation did not decrease significantly. At higher PVP levels, the reduction in the fibrinogen adsorbability on a wet PSf/PVP film exposed to 25‐kGy γ irradiation was more significant than that on a wet PSf/PVP film exposed to 50‐kGy γ irradiation. PVP particles on the wet PSf/PVP film surface exposed to 50‐kGy γ irradiation did not show significant hydration and swelling because the polymer materials PVP–PSf and PVP‐PVP in these membranes has undergone excessive crosslinking due to γ irradiation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mixed-metal cluster chemistry VI: Phosphine substitution at CpMoIr3(μ-CO)3(CO)8; X-ray crystal structure of CpMoIr3(μ-CO)3(CO)7(PPh3)

Reactions of CpMoIr₃(μ-CO)₃(CO)₈ (1) with stoichiometric amounts of phosphines afford the substitution products CpMoIr₃(μ-CO)₃(CO)_8−x (L)_x (L = PPh₃, x = 1 (2), 2 (3); L = PMe₃, x = 1 (4), 2 (5), 3 (6)) in fair to good yields (23–54%); the yields of both 3 and 6 are increased on reacting 1 with excess phosphine. Products 2–5 are fluxional in solution, with the interconverting isomers resolvable at low temperatures. A structural study of one isomer of 2 reveals that the three edges of an MoIr₂ face of the tetrahedral core are spanned by bridging carbonyls, and that the iridium-bound triphenyiphosphine ligates radially and the molybdenum-bound cyclopentadienyl coordinates axially with respect to this Molr₂ face. Information from this crystal structure, ³¹P NMR data (both solution and solid-state), and results with analogous tungsten—triiridium and tetrairidium clusters have been employed to suggest coordination geometries for the isomeric derivatives.     

Surface charge and surface chemical characteristics of magnetites substituted with nickel, cobalt and chromium

Magnetite (MAG) and magnetites substituted with nickel, cobalt and chromium (NF, COF and CRF, respectively) have been prepared over the whole range of composition, Me_xFe_3−xO₄ (x=0–3, Me=Ni, Co or Cr) using the coprecipitation technique and have been characterized for their chemical composition, crystallinity and surface area. The types of sorption sites present in them were characterized by analysing the water sorption isotherms ultilizing the D'Arcy and Watt equation. Intrinsic dissociation constants, and point of zero charge, PZC, were evaluated by analysing the pH-titration curves in acid and alkaline media. A similarity in the trend was observed for the crystallinity, surface area, sorption sites and surface charge characteristics as a function of the composition of the substituted MAGs (i.e. x). The overall behaviour of the substituted MAGs could be grouped into two: mixed oxides having composition with x=0–1 and those in the composition region x=1–3. Those in the composition region x=0–1 were crystalline with a lower surface area, less hydrophilic in nature and have surface charge characteristics lower than that of MAG. Those mixed oxides in the composition region x=1–3 nearly had the opposite characteristics, with increasing value of x. The hydrophilicity of the substituted MAGs decreased in the sequence CRF>NFCOF, and the acidic nature decreased in the sequence NF>CRF>COF.     

Preparation of Polymer Nanofibers Containing Silver Nanoparticles by Using Poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone)

Summary: Poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) was used in two methods to prepare polymer nanofibers containing Ag nanoparticles. The first method involved electrospinning the PVP nanofibers containing Ag nanoparticles directly from the PVP solutions containing the Ag nanoparticles. N,N‐Dimethylformamide was used as a solvent for the PVP as well as a reducing agent for the Ag⁺ ions in the PVP solutions. In the second method, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) aqueous solutions were electrospun with 5 wt.‐% of the PVP containing Ag nanoparticles. The Ag nanoparticles were evenly distributed in the PVA nanofibers. PVP containing Ag nanoparticles could be used to introduce Ag nanoparticles to other polymer nanofibers that are miscible with PVP.

TEM image of a PVA nanofiber electrospun with 5 wt.‐% of the PVP containing Ag nanoparticles.     

Effect of kappa-carrageenan on the properties of poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone)/kappa-carrageenan blend hydrogel synthesized by γ-radiation technology

A series of hydrogels in the form of rods were prepared from kappa-carrageenan (KC) and poly (N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) by gamma radiation with ⁶⁰Co γ source at room temperature. The properties of the prepared hydrogels, such as the gel strength, gel fraction and swelling behavior were investigated. Incorporation of KC into the PVP/water system increased obviously the gel strength and equilibrium degree of swelling (EDS) of PVP hydrogel. The experimental analyses showed that the crosslinking reaction of PVP was quicker than the degradation of KC at a low dose (less than 30 kGy), and the degradation of KC was inhibited in the PVP/KC mixture system. So an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogel composed of PVP (a chemical crosslinking network) and KC (a physical crosslinking network) was proposed here. The existence of different classes of water in this IPN system was shown by water melting curves using DCS.     

Radiation crosslinking and scission of poly(vinyl methyl ether) in aqueous solution

For a wide range of poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PMVE) concentrations (1–16 g dm⁻³), in anoxic conditions, polymer-derived radicals recombine in two major pathways: (i) crosslinking and (ii) disproportionation. Both these processes proceed inter- and intramolecularly. The radiation-chemical yields and kinetics of crosslinking have been studied by pulse radiolysis with light scattering intensity detection (LSI). In the absence of oxygen, G-values of intermolecular crosslinking were determined on the basis of LSI changes versus applied dose and compared with the results obtained previously for γ-irradiated samples. It has been found that the first half-life time of intermolecular crosslinking decreases with increasing dose per pulse. Addition of small amounts of macroradical scavenger (cysteamine hydrochloride) decreases, drastically, the increase of LSI signal. On increasing the PVME concentration, intermolecular crosslinking becomes more efficient.

In the presence of oxygen, for diluted PVME solution (0.1 g dm⁻³), decrease of LSI signal consisting of the kinetic of a first-order reaction was observed. The rate constant of LSI decrease was found to be 1.1×10³ s⁻¹ and it was attributed to the main-chain scission.