Direct ion beam deposition of polymeric styrene films and in situ characterization by electron spectroscopy

Polymeric styrene films with thicknesses ranging from about one nm up to a few m have been deposited by means of a direct ion beam deposition (IBD) technique. The deposition energy, which can be chosen independently of the parameters which govern the plasma conditions, has been varied between few eV and 1000 eV. The correlation between the deposition parameters and the resulting film properties in terms of the electronic structure is discussed. The in situ characterization by electron spectroscopy has proved to be a very useful characterization method and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy in particular revealed an extremely high sensitivity to structural differences in the deposited films. The polymeric films have also been characterized by scanning electron microscopy and optical spectroscopy. These techniques have also served to compare films prepared by the direct IBD technique with films obtained by standard rf plasma polymerization (RFPP) in a tubular reactor. Significant differences have been found which are dependent on the deposition parameters; these are discussed in detail.Department of Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 327 Beijing, 100081 Beijing, P.R. China     

A modified program for computation of formation constants of synergetic extraction complexes with two-phase titrations by using the Marquardt-Fletcher algorithm

A modified computer program SCTPT for the computation of formation constants of extraction complexes with two-phase pH titration data by using the Marquardt-Fletcher algorithm is described. It can be used to deal with extraction systems which consist of a metal, an acidic extractant and a neutral synergistic reagent with no need of new subroutine. It has been applied successfully to the Pb-PMBP(1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoyl-pyrazolone-5)-TBP (tributyl phosphate) system. The results obtained are in agreement with those published in the literature.     

Polymérisation anionique amorcée par les composés lamellaires du graphite et du lithium

In the present work, we use the binary insertion compound LiC₁₂ to polymerize styrene, methyl methacrylate, butadiene, isoprene, and to copolymerize isoprene and styrene in various hydrocarbon solvents (aromatics and aliphatic) and etheral solvents. We show that the styrene polymerization in aromatic solvents gives better yields than in the etheral solvents, the polymer being atactic. Methyl methacrylate does not polymerize in toluene but does so completely in DME. More generally, the yields of polymerization are better with KC₃₇ than with LiC₁₂ because of the different capacities of the monomer to get into the carbon layers. The polymerization of dienes with LiC₁₂ shows that the microstructures of the polymer obtained in π-or n-donor solvents are similar to the ones obtained by homogenous polymerization with Li cation in such solvents. However, for isoprene in cyclohexane, the results are different. The isoprene styrene copolymers are statistical ones and the mean length of styrene blocks is less than 5. The monomer interaction with the insertion compound and the growing chain geometry between the carbon layers are the facts which control either the stereospecificity of the polymerization or the selectivity of the copolymerization.     

Recyclable,non-leaching antimicrobial magnetic nanoparticles

Recyclable antimicrobial magnetic nanoparticles, Fe₃O₄@P(St-co-AcQAC), were prepared through surfactantfree seeded emulsion polymerization involving a polymerizable, hydrophobic quaternary ammonium compound (QAC). These antimicrobial magnetic nanoparticles demonstrated excellent antimicrobial activities against both Grampositive and Gram-negative bacteria, and can be reused for multiple times.     

Development of an alcohol optode membrane based on fluorescence enhancement of fluorescein derivatives

A new type of optode membrane for the determination of alcohols, such as methanol, ethanol, propan-1-ol and propan-2-ol etc, is presented that can be exploited in optical and fibre-optic sensors. It is based on the use of a new lipophilic fluorescent reagent, namely fluorescein octadecyl ester (FODE), which is immobilized in a plasticized PVC membrane. The response mechanism relies on the fact that FODE can reversibly recognize alcohol molecules due to the hydrogen bonding formation between FODE and alcohol molecules. The analytical information in this membrane is the enhancement of the relative fluorescence intensity measured at 527 nm (463 nm, excitation). Under the optimum condition, the membrane has a wide measuring range for alcohol samples. The membrane has been applied to determine the concentration of ethanol in alcoholic drinks with satisfactory results.     

Comparison of yellow poplar pretreatment between NREL digester and sunds hydrolyzer

Single-stage cocurrent dilute acid pretreatments were carried out on yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) sawdust using an as-installed and short residence time modified pilot-scale Sunds hydrolyzer and a 4-L bench-scale NREL digester (steam explosion reactor). Pretreatment conditions for the Sunds hydrolyzer, installed in the NREL process development unit (PDU), which operates at 1 t/d (bone-dry t) feed rate, spanned the temperature range of 160 – 210°C, 0.1 – 1.0% (w/w) sulfuric acid, and 4-10-min residence times. The batch pretreatments of yellow poplar sawdust in the bench-scale digester were carried out at 210 and 230°C, 0.26% (w/w) sulfuric acid, and 1-, 3-, and 4-min residence times. The dilute acid prehydrolysis solubilized more than 90% of the hemicellulose, and increased the enzymatic digestibility of the cellulose that remained in the solids. Compositional analysis of the pretreated solids and liquors and mass balance data show that the two pretreatment devices had similar pretreatment performance.