Surface characterization and barrier properties of plasma‐modified polyethersulfone/layered silicate nanocomposites

This study describes the preparation of polyethersulfone (PES)/layered silicate nanocomposites (PLSNs) by mixing PES polymer chain into organically‐modified layered silicate in 1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP) solution. Both X‐ray diffraction data and transmission electron microscopy images of PLSNs indicate that the silicate layers were almost exfoliated and randomly distributed into the PES matrix. The mechanical and barrier properties of PLSNs show remarkable enhancement in the storage modulus and water/oxygen permeability when compared with that of neat PES matrix. Surfaces modification of PES and PLSN films with various treated times, system pressures, and radio frequency (RF) powers were performed using a mixture of oxygen (O₂) and nitrogen (N₂) plasmas. The topographical and physical properties of plasma‐modified PES and PLSN surfaces were investigated using scanning probe microscopy (SPM), contact‐angle measurements, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These results indicate that the surface roughness of PLSNs with the same condition of plasma modification is lower than that of neat PES matrix and is probably due to the increase of stiffness with the presence of inorganic layered silicates in PES matrix. The surface properties of the PES and PLSNs are also changed from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. The XPS spectra suggest that the exposure of the PES and PLSNs to the plasmas led to the combination of etching reactions of polymer surface initiated by plasma and the following addition reactions of new oxygen‐ and nitrogen‐containing functional groups onto polymer surfaces to change their surface properties. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3185–3194, 2006     

Independence of the brittle–ductile transition from the rubber particle size for impact‐modified poly(vinyl chloride)

A series of acrylic impact modifiers (AIMs) with different particle sizes ranging from 55.2 to 927.0 nm were synthesized by seeded emulsion polymerization, and the effect of the particle size on the brittle–ductile transition of impact‐modified poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was investigated. For each AIM, a series of PVC/AIM blends with compositions of 6, 8, 10, 12, and 15 phr AIM in 100 phr PVC were prepared, and the Izod impact strengths of these blends were tested at 23 °C. For AIMs with particle sizes of 55.2, 59.8, 125.2, 243.2, and 341.1 nm, the blends fractured in the brittle mode when the concentration of AIM was lower than 10 phr, whereas the blends showed ductile fracture when the AIM concentration reached 10 phr. It was concluded that the brittle–ductile transition of the PVC/AIM blends was independent of the particle size in the range of 55.2–341.1 nm. When the particle size was greater than 341.1 nm, however, the brittle–ductile transition shifted to a higher AIM concentration with an increase in the particle size. Furthermore, the critical interparticle distance was found not to be the criterion of the brittle–ductile transition for the PVC/AIM blends. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 696–702, 2006     

Characterization and electrical properties of polypyrrole/multiwalled carbon nanotube composites synthesized by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization

This study describes the preparation of polypyrrole (PPy)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) composites by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization. Various ratios of MWNTs, which served as hard templates, were first dispersed in aqueous solutions with the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide to form micelle/MWNT templates and overcome the difficulty of MWNTs dispersing into insoluble solutions of pyrrole monomer, and PPy was then synthesized via in situ chemical oxidative polymerization on the surface of the templates. Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the fabricated composites. Structural analysis using FESEM and HRTEM showed that the PPy/MWNT composites were core (MWNT)–shell (PPy) tubular structures. Raman and FTIR spectra of the composites were almost identical to those of PPy, supporting the idea that MWNTs served as the core in the formation of a coaxial nanostructure for the composites. The conductivities of these PPy/MWNT composites were about 150% higher than those of PPy without MWNTs. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 1413–1418, 2006     

Rapid determination of vitellogenin in fish plasma by anion exchange high performance liquid chromatography using postcolumn fluorescence derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde.

An analytical method involving anion exchange high performance liquid chromatographic determination of vitellogenin (Vtg) in fish plasma after postcolumn fluorescence derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) was developed. The retention time of Vtg was about 11 min. The reagent variables for derivatization were optimized. The fluorophore was excited at 335 nm and detected at 435 nm. A calibration curve was established ranging from 0.13 to 11.28 microg. The determination limit of Vtg was found to be as low as 0.13 microg. The spiked recovery was 93.6% and interassay variability was less than 4%. The method developed was used to determine Vtg in fish plasma obtained from red sea bream (Pagrosomus major), black porgy (Sparus macrocephalus) and skew band grunt (Hapalogenys nitens), without complicated sample pretreatment. The results confirmed that the method showed advantages of being simple, rapid, reproducible and sensitive.     

A highly sensitive and rapid assay for protein determination in human urine and penicillin using a Rayleigh light-scattering technique with benzeneazo-8-acetylamino-1-naphthol-3,6-disulfonic acid sodium salt.

A simple and sensitive method was conducted for the determination of trace amounts of proteins with benzeneazo-8-acetylamino-1-naphthol-3,6-disulfonic acid sodium salt (azophloxine, AP) using a Rayleigh light-scattering (RLS) technique. At pH 2.60 and in the presence of an emulsifier OP microemulsion, the RLS of AP can be greatly enhanced by proteins, owing to the interaction between AP and protein. The enhanced intensity is proportional to the concentration of proteins. Four proteins, including bovine serum albumin (BSA), human serum albumin (HSA), lysozyme (Lys) and gamma globulin (gamma-G) have been tested. For example, the linear range of BSA was 0 - 0.06 microg mL(-1) with detection limits of 2.38 ng mL(-1). The method was applied to the analysis of protein in human urine and penicillin samples with satisfactory results. The relative standard deviation was in all instances less than 4.0%, and the recovery was in the range of 97.5 - 104%.     

Positive Steady States of a Prey-predator Model with Diffusion and Non-monotone Conversion Rate

In this paper, we study the positive steady states of a prey-predator model with diffusion throughout and a non-monotone conversion rate under the homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition. We obtain some results of the existence and non-existence of positive steady states. The stability and uniqueness of positive steady states are also discussed.     

Effects of microstructure on the temperature dependence of relative initial permeability of NiCuZn ferrites

In the present work, ferrites with compositions of (Ni_0.27Zn_0.64Cu_x)Fe_1.98O₄ (x=0.1, 0.2) were prepared by conventional ceramic methods. The relationship between the microstructure and the temperature dependence of relative initial permeability was investigated. It was found that intergranular pores in the ferrites generate large demagnetizing fields, reducing the temperature dependence of the effective anisotropy field H_eff, and decreasing the temperature dependence of the relative initial permeability accordingly. However, intragranular pores pin the movement of domain walls. Compared with the permeability induced by domain wall motion, the permeability that resulted from the spin rotation is more sensitive to temperature. As a result, the relative initial permeability of ferrites becomes more sensitive to temperature with increasing micropores within grains.     

Locally symmetric positively curved Finsler spaces

We showed that any compact locally symmetric Finsler metric with positive flag curvature must be Riemannian. Dedicated to Professor Karsten Grove on the occassion of his sixtieth birthday Received: 8 May 2006     

On the sheaf of extendible ideals of topological algebras

In this paper a new sheaf for topological algebras, called the sheaf of extendible ideals, is introduced. It is shown that the sheaf space of this sheaf is uniformizable but not complete in general. The research of both of the authors was supported by Estonian Science Foundation grant 6205.     

Theory and Application of Characteristic Finite Element Domain Decomposition Procedures for Coupled System of Dynamics of Fluids in Porous Media

For a coupled system of multiplayer dynamics of fluids in porous media,the characteristic finiteelement domain decomposition procedures applicable to parallel arithmetic are put forward.Techniques suchas calculus of variations,domain decomposition,characteristic method,negative norm estimate,energy methodand the theory of prior estimates are adopted.Optimal order estimates in L~2 norm are derived for the error inthe approximate solution.