Novel biobased photo‐crosslinked polymer networks prepared from vegetable oil and 2,5‐furan diacrylate

Novel biobased crosslinked polymer networks were prepared from vegetable oil with 2,5‐furan diacrylate as a difunctional stiffener through UV photopolymerization, and the mechanical properties of the resulting films were evaluated. The vegetable oil raw materials used were acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO), acrylated castor oil (ACO), and acrylated 7,10‐dihydroxy‐8(E)‐octadecenoic acid (ADOD). 2,5‐Furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA), which can be synthesized through the oxidative dehydration of C6 sugars, was identified by the US Department of Energy as one of 12 priority chemicals for establishing the green chemistry industry of the future. 2,5‐Furan dimethanol (bis‐hydroxymethylfuran), which can be derived from FDCA, was used as a starting material to synthesize 2,5‐furan diacrylate, which was used as a biobased comonomer along with AESO, ACO, or ADOD to form photo‐crosslinked polymer networks. The synthesis of acrylate derivatives was confirmed using FT‐IR and ¹H‐NMR spectroscopic techniques. The composition of the reaction mixture was changed to obtain crosslinked polymer networks with various mechanical properties. The addition of 2,5‐furan diacrylate increased the tensile strengths of the polymer films by up to 1.4–4.2 times relative to those obtained without the addition. These fully biobased polymers derived from vegetable oil and sugar can be used as environmentally friendly renewable materials for various applications to replace the existing petroleum‐based polymers currently used. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bio‐based nanocomposites from functionalized plant oils and layered silicate

Some discovery work was done on the synthesis of clay nanocomposites based on renewable plant oils. Functionalized triglycerides, such as acrylated epoxidized soybean oil, maleinized acrylated epoxidized soybean oil, and soybean oil pentaerythritol maleates, combined with styrene were used as the polymer matrix. The miscibility of these monomers and clay organomodifier was assessed by solubility parameters. The formation of nanocomposites was confirmed by both X‐ray data and transmission electron microscopy. The morphology showed a mix of intercalated and partially exfoliated sheets. The flexural modulus increased 30% at only 4 vol % clay content, but there was no significant effect on flexural strength, glass‐transition temperature, and thermal stability. Property enhancement was related to the degree of exfoliation that depends on both the polarity and flexibility of the monomers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1441–1450, 2004     

Preparation of TiO2 nanocrystalline films controlled by acetylacetone/polyethylene glycol and their photoelectric properties

TiO₂ nanocrystalline films were prepared from titanium tetra-n-butoxide modified with double hydrolysis inhibitors, acetylacetone and polyethylene glycol (PEG), in mixture of methanol and ethanol. The correlation among surface structure of the TiO₂ films, preparation conditions, and photovoltaic properties of the solar cells using the TiO₂ films was investigated. The particle size of the obtained TiO₂ films was decreased as the PEG content increased. The nanostructured films with the narrow distribution of particle size could be prepared. The amounts of adsorbed dyes for these TiO₂ films were larger than that without PEG. The performance of the solar cell fabricated using the TiO₂ film improved as the amount of the PEG increased, and the solar cell using the TiO₂ film prepared from the solution with 30 wt% PEG exhibited the highest performance.     

表面修饰的TiO_2太阳能电池界面特性研究

用水热法制备了具有典型锐钛矿晶型的TiO2纳米材料,采用Cr(NO3)3对TiO2薄膜电极进行修饰改性。用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和光电子能谱(XPS)测试电极的物相及表面结构,结果显示TiO2薄膜表面包覆一层粒径较大的氧化铬颗粒,整个电极仍保持均匀的多孔结构。电流-电压(I-V)曲线测试结果显示,改性后最佳电极的短路电流和光电转换效率分别比改性前提高了31.1%和40.4%。用电化学阻抗谱(EIS)测试电池的界面特性,从测试结果可以看出,相同偏压下,改性后电池的TiO2/染料/电解质界面电阻更大,说明氧化铬包覆层在一定程度上抑制了界面的电子复合,改善了电池的光电输出特性。     

Autooxidized Polyunsaturated Oils/Oily Acids: Post-it Applications and Reactions with Fe(III) and Adhesion Properties

Soybean oil, sesame oil, linoleic acid and linolenic acid were epoxidized, peroxidized and hydroperoxidized via autooxidation under air oxygen and sunlight at room temperature to obtain novel post-it materials. Polymeric soybean oil peroxide and sesame oil peroxide were containing soluble part of 60%(w/w) together with crosslinked part of 40%(w/w) while polymeric linoleic and polymeric linolenic acids were completely soluble. The autooxidized soluble products with Mn varying between 800 and 3100 Daltons were used as post-it adhesive. The highest adhesion was observed in the case of polymeric soybean oil (3.0 Newton), while adhesion of commercial epoxidized soybean oil, polymeric linoleic and polymeric linolenic acid were 0.8, 0.5 and 0.5 Newton, respectively. Reactions of the autooxidized soluble products with Fe(NO₃)₃. 4H₂O in the presence of ethanol, glycerol and diethyleneglycol gave the hydroxy functionalized products with the same M_n values and indicating no adhesive properties. When the commercial epoxidized soybean oil was reacted with Fe(NO₃)₃. 4H₂O in the presence of the alcohols, Mn of the hydroxy functionalized polymeric oil was found to be unchanged. ¹H NMR, FT-IR, SEM and GPC techniques were used in the characterization of the products obtained.     

Synthesis and Thermal Properties of Epoxidized Vegetable Oil

Summary: The novel potential epoxy resins, epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) and epoxidized castor oil (ECO), were synthesized and characterized. The cationic polymerization of ESO and ECO with a latent thermal catalyst, N‐benzylpyrazinium hexafluoroantimonate (BPH), was initiated at 80 and 50 °C, respectively. The cured ECO samples showed a higher T_g and lower coefficient of thermal expansion than those of ESO, due to the higher intermolecular interaction in the ECO/BPH system.

Relationships between ESO or ECO conversion and temperature in the polymerization with 1 wt.‐% BPH for 2 h.     

Synthesis and characterization of azidated Adenopus breviflorus benth seed oil

ABSTRACT

Azidation of plant seed oils was re-investigated using methods reported in the literature, to re-examine if triacylglycerol backbone, important for maintaining biodegradability in plant oil products is retained in the final azidated oil. Reaction of NaN₃ with epoxidized Adenopus breviflorus oil (EADBO) using NH₄Cl as catalyst (Method A), gave acidolysis products and mixture of products containing triacylglycerol backbone. Reaction of EADBO with NaN₃ in water using an ionic liquid, 1-methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([Hmim]BF₄ ^?), as catalyst (Method B), generated a product containing only triacylglycerol backbone while product of reaction of EADBO with NaN₃ in DMF, using [Hmim]BF₄ ^? catalyst (Method C) gave highest yield but did not contain any triacylglycerol backbone. Thus, Method B was best for environmentally friendliness of its azidated product. Azido compounds generally prepared from petrochemicals may now be prepared from plant oil source using method B for preparation of biodegradable vicinal hydroxyl triglyceride which is very versatile in surfactant industries.     

Castor oil modified by epoxidation,transesterification, and acrylation processes: Spectroscopic characteristics

In the present study, castor oil (CO) was modified by epoxidation, transesterification, and acrylation processes. In situ epoxidation method was used to prepare epoxidized castor oil (ECO) in acetic acid with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of Seralite SRC-120 catalyst. Transesterified epoxidized castor oil was synthesized from the reaction of methanol in the presence of sodium methoxide catalyst. The acrylated epoxidized castor oil was synthesized from the reaction of ECO with acrylic acid containing hydroquinone. Chemical structures of modified CO were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra analysis.     

Photocatalytic Oxidation of Aniline in the Gas Phase Using Porous TiO2 Thin Films

The gas-phase photocatalytic oxidation of aniline on a new kind of porous nano-TiO₂ composite films is investigated. The composite film was prepared on glass fiber with the water glass as binders and dilute H₂SO₄ solution as solidifying reagent. The surface characters were observed by scanning electron microscope. The photocatalytic degradation of aniline on the composite films was carried out in a TiO₂/UV system. Some important factors affecting the photodegradation, such as the concentration of TiO₂, the initial concentration of aniline, and the existing water vapor, are also studied. The product of photocatalytic oxidation was detected by Fourier transform-Infrared. The partial intermediate products were absorbed on TiO₂ surface, which resulted in catalyst deactivation. But when it was irradiated under UV illumination or solar irradiation for some time, the catalyst could be reused without loss of catalytic activity. Translated from the Journal of Wuhan University (Natural Science Edition), 2005, 51(2) (in Chinese)     

Impact of TiO2 nanoparticles on morphology and performance of crosslinked polyimide organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) membranes

Chemically crosslinked polyimide organic–inorganic composite nanofiltration membranes suitable for application in harsh organic solvents were successfully prepared by phase inversion of dope solutions. TiO₂ nanoparticles were dispersed in these dope solutions, comprising polyimide (PI) in N,N-dimethylformamide/1,4-dioxane. The impact of TiO₂ on the resulting PI membranes was investigated using SEM, TGA, water contact angle, dope viscosity measurements and mechanical strength. The presence of TiO₂ nanoparticles within the membrane matrix was proved by the detection of a peak characteristic of TiO₂ in the WAXS pattern. SEM pictures of the cross-section of the PI/TiO₂ membranes showed dramatically changed morphology compared to reference membranes with no TiO₂ addition. Macrovoids present in reference membranes were suppressed by increasing loading of TiO₂ nanoparticles, and eventually disappeared completely at a TiO₂ loading above 3 wt.%. Decreasing water contact angle and an increase in ethanol flux indicated that hydrophilicity increased as nanoparticle loading increased. The effect of TiO₂ on the functional performance of the membranes was evaluated by measuring flux and rejection using cross-flow filtration. Perhaps surprisingly, the presence of TiO₂ improved the compaction resistance of the membranes, whereas rejection and steady flux were almost unaltered.     

Photocatalytic Activity and Characterization of the Sol-Gel Derived Pb-Doped TiO2 Thin Films

Photocatalytically active Pb-doped TiO₂ thin films were prepared on a soda-lime glass substrate by sol-gel dip-coating technique using TiO₂ sols containing lead(II) nitrate. The thin films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-VIS spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). A shift of the UV-VIS absorption towards longer wavelengths was observed, which indicated a decrease in the band-gap of TiO₂ upon Pb doping. XRD results showed both pure and Pb-doped TiO₂ thin films were polycrystalline, anatase type, and oriented predominantly to the (101) plane. A slight shift in the d-spacing for the Pb-doped film indicated the incorporation of Pb into the TiO₂ lattice to form Pb _x Ti_1–x O₂ solid solution. AFM results showed Pb-doped TiO₂ thin films were composed of larger TiO₂ particles and had rougher surface, compared with un-doped TiO₂ thin films. XPS results showed that except for the enrichment of Pb near the surface, Pb exists in the forms of Pb _x Ti_1–x O₂ and PbO. Dimethyl-2,2-dichlorovinyl phosphate (DDVP) was efficiently degraded in the presence of the Pb-doped TiO₂ thin films by exposing the insecticide solution to sunlight. The mechanism of photocatalytic activity enhancement of the Pb-doped TiO₂ thin films was discussed.     

Patterning Effect of a Sol-Gel TiO2 Overlayer on the Photocatalytic Activity of a TiO2/SnO2 Bilayer-Type Photocatalyst

TiO₂ films with a thickness of 75 ± 5 nm (anatase) were formed on SnO₂-film (580 ± 80 nm) coated soda-lime glass substrates (SnO₂/SL-glass) by a sol-gel method. Although the photocatalytic activity for CH₃CHO oxidation (_ex > 300 nm) significantly exceeded that of a standard TiO₂/quartz sample, it decayed with illumination time (t) at t > 0.75 h. Stripes of anatase TiO₂ films of 40 nm in thickness and 1 mm in width were prepared on the SnO₂/SL-glass substrate in a 1-mm pitch by photolysis of an organically modified sol-gel film. The TiO₂ patterning further increased the photocatalytic activity by a factor of 4.1 as compared to the non-patterned sample, and it was also maintained at 0 < t < 2 h. The flat band potentials of the TiO₂ and SnO₂ films are determined to be –0.34 and +0.07 V (vs. SHE), respectively, at pH = 7 by the Mott-Schottky plots. On the basis of the results, the outstanding patterning effects could be rationalized in terms of the vectorial charge separation at the interface between TiO₂ and SnO₂.     

Partially nanowire-structured TiO2 electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

Partially nanowire-structured TiO₂ was prepared by a hydrothermal processing followed by calcination in air. The hydrogen titanate powder as-synthesized was calcined at 300 °C for 4 h to obtain the partially nanowire-structured TiO₂. A dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) with a film thickness of 5.6 μm, fabricated using the partially nanowire-structured TiO₂ showed better performance than using a fully nanowire-structured TiO₂ or a conventional equi-axed TiO₂ nanopowder. The short-circuit current density (J_SC), the open-circuit voltage (V_OC), the fill factor (FF) and the overall efficiency (η) are 11.9 mA/cm², 0.754 V, 0.673 and 6.01 %, respectively. The effects of one-dimensional nanostructure and electron expressway concept are discussed.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Acrylated Epoxidized Castor Oil Nanocomposites

Renewable resource-based epoxidized castor oil (ECO) was synthesized and used as a prime material to develop acrylated epoxidized castor oil (AECO) networks. AECO nanocomposites were prepared by the sol-gel method from organo-modified montmorillonite (OMMT) clay and silane. It was found that the AECO/1 wt.% OMMT system increased in tensile strength from 28 to 37 MPa and flexural strength from 54 to 63 MPa as compared with the AECO system. The non-isothermal cure kinetics of the bio-based systems was studied using differential scanning calorimetry. The activation energy of the AECO/OMMT system obtained from Kissinger and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa models is lower than that of AECO system.     

Influence of isocyanate type of acrylated urethane oligomer and of additives on weathering of UV-cured films

The weathering of UV-cured films containing the isocyanate type of acrylated urethane oligomer, and the influence of different additives (HALS, UVA and TiO₂), was investigated by various methods. The UV-cured film containing the acrylated aromatic urethane oligomer showed worse photodegradation than that containing the acrylated aliphatic urethane oligomer. In the case of the UV-cured films containing the acrylated aromatic urethane oligomer, those stabilized using both HALS and UVA showed the highest photostability.     

载有C60的TiO2纳米粒子光催化活性

以水溶性C₆₀和TiO₂粒子为前驱体,采用水热法制备了载有C₆₀的锐钛矿型TiO₂纳米粒子。应用X射线衍射、透射电子显微镜、红外光谱、紫外-可见漫反射光谱、荧光光谱对产物进行了表征。以对-硝基苯酚为模型污染物研究了产物的光催化活性,结果表明适量负载C₆₀可以提高TiO₂纳米粒子的光催化活性,C₆₀起着传输电子、促进TiO₂光生载流子分离的作用,且经7次循环使用后对-硝基苯酚的降解效率仍能达到74%。讨论了载有C₆₀的TiO₂纳米粒子光催化降解对-硝基苯酚的机理。     

Effect of PEG with different <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>W</Subscript> as template direction reagent on preparation of porous TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> with assistance of supercritical CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Titania–silica composite have been prepared using polyethylene glycol (PEG) with different molecular weights (M _w), PEG20000, PEG10000, and PEG2000, as template in supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO₂). The composite precursors were dissolved in SC CO₂ and impregnated into PEG templates using SC CO₂ as swelling agent and carrier. After removing the template by calcination at suitable temperature, the titania–silica composite were obtained. The composite were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and nitrogen sorption–desorption experiment. Photocatalytic activity of the samples has been investigated by photodegradation of methyl orange. Results indicate that there are many Si–O–Ti linkages in the TiO₂/SiO₂ composite; the PEG template has a significant influence on the structure of TiO₂/SiO₂. In addition, the TiO₂/SiO₂ prepared with PEG10000 exhibited high photocatalytic efficiency. So this work supplies a clue to control and obtain the TiO₂/SiO₂ composite with different photocatalytic reactivity with the aid of suitable PEG template in supercritical CO₂.     

Interaction of colloidal TiO2 with bovine serum albumin: A fluorescence quenching study

The interaction between colloidal TiO₂ and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied by using absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic methods. The quenching of the intrinsic protein fluorescence in the presence of different concentrations of colloidal TiO₂ was analyzed and number of binding sites (n) and apparent binding constant (K) were measured. The quenching mechanism of albumin by colloidal TiO₂ is discussed. The energy transfer efficiency (E) and critical transfer distance (R₀) were determined.     

Synthesis of high surface area nanocrystalline anatase-TiO2 powders derived from particulate sol-gel route by tailoring processing parameters

Stabilised titania sols were prepared using an additive free particulate sol-gel route, via electrostatic stabilisation mechanism, with various processing parameters. Peptisation temperature, 50°C and 70°C, and TiO₂ concentration, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 molar, were chosen as processing parameters during sol preparation. Results from TiO₂ particle size and zeta potential of sols revealed that the smallest titania hydrodynamic diameter (13 nm) and the highest zeta potential (47.7 mV) were obtained for the sol produced at the lower peptisation temperature of 50°C and lower TiO₂ concentration of 0.1 M. On the other hand, between the sols prepared at 70°C, smaller titania particles (20 nm) and higher zeta potential (46.3 mV) were achieved with increasing TiO₂ concentration up to 0.4 M. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) results of produced powders annealed at different temperatures showed that the 300°C annealed powder made from 0.1 M sol prepared at 50°C was a mixture of anatase and brookite, corresponding to a major phase of anatase (∼95% estimated), with the smallest average crystallite size of 1.3 nm and the highest specific surface area (SSA) of 193 m²/g. Furthermore, increasing TiO₂ concentration up to 0.4 molar for the sols prepared at 70°C resulted in decreasing the average crystallite size (1.9 nm at 300°C) and increasing SSA (116 m²/g at 300°C) of the powders annealed at different temperatures. Anatase-to-rutile phase transformation temperature was increased with decreasing peptisation temperature down to 50°C, whereas TiO₂ concentration had no effect on this transition. Anatase percentage increased with decreasing both peptisation temperature and TiO₂ concentration. Such prepared powders can be used in many applications in areas from photo catalysts to gas sensors.     

Preparation and Characterization of Room-temperature Ferromagnetic Ni-doped TiO2 Nanobelts

Ni-doped anatase TiO₂ nanobelts (NBs) with different Ni²⁺ contents were simply prepared by combining ion-exchange with hydrothermal treatment. They were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and magnetic measurement techniques. The results showed that Ni²⁺ cations doped into the TiO₂ lattice and no metallic nickel clusters or nanoparticles could be found. The magnetic results demonstrated that the prepared Ni-doped TiO₂ samples had complex magnetic mechanism including room-temperature ferromagnetic and paramagnetic behaviors, and with the increase of Ni²⁺ content, the magnetization also increased under the same applied field owing to uniform distribution of Ni²⁺ ions in TiO₂ nanobelts.