Synthesis and Characterization of Ag2S Nanocrystals in Hyperbranched Polyurethane at Room Temperature

Ag₂S nanoparticles in hyperbranched polyurethane matrix were prepared through the in situ reaction with thioacetamide as the sulfur source at room temperature. Transmission electron microscopic analysis revealed a uniform spherical shape for Ag₂S nanoparticles, with an average size of about 4-10 nm and a narrow size distribution. X-ray powder diffraction and UV-vis spectroscopy were also used to characterize the obtained nanoparticles     

溶剂在丁腈基聚氨酯中的溶解和扩散

用石英弹簧法和示差扫描量热法 (DSC)、红外分光光度计 (FTIR)研究了苯、乙醇、丙酮、醋酸乙酯和1,2 二氯乙烷五种溶剂在端羟基聚丁二烯 丙烯腈共聚物为软段的聚氨酯中的溶解和扩散行为 .结果表明所有溶剂在丁腈聚氨酯中的扩散均为非费克扩散 ,且随着溶剂蒸汽压增大偏离费克扩散的程度增大 .相同相对蒸汽压下 1,2 二氯乙烷和醋酸乙酯偏离费克 (Fickian)扩散的程度较大 ,而乙醇、丙酮和苯则较小 ,这主要与它们和丁腈软段溶解度参数的极性分量和氢键分量有关 .1,2 二氯乙烷和苯在HTBN PU中的溶解度较高 ,而乙醇 ,醋酸乙酯和丙酮较低 ,主要与它们和丁腈软段溶解度参数的色散分量有关 .所有溶剂均表现出近似Flory Huggins型等温吸收曲线 .红外表明吸收溶剂后 ,氨基甲酸酯基团的氢键化程度有不同程度的下降 ,和溶剂与之形成氢键的能力大小有关 .力学性能表明非极性溶剂苯对材料的力学性能影响较小 ,而乙醇 ,醋酸乙酯和丙酮由于可与氨酯基团形成氢键 ,对原HTBN PU中氨酯键氢键的破坏大 ,力学性能下降大     

一种纳米TiO2粉体防团聚的新方法

开发了一种新的低成本防团聚方法——泡沫悬浮法。对泡沫悬浮法和共沸蒸馏法的防团聚效果进行了系统比较。结果表明，泡沫悬浮法可以有效抑制煅烧过程中纳米TiO₂晶粒的粗化和一次粒径的长大。泡沫悬浮法所得纳米TiO₂的粉体还具有团聚粒径小、粒度分布窄以及比表面积大的优点。通过FTIR、TG、DTA和松装密度实验对泡沫悬浮法的防团聚机理进行了研究，提出了纳米TiO₂防团聚模型。     

Thermal characteristics of polyurethane foams incorporated with phase change materials

Thermal energy storage plays an important role in heat management because of the demand for developed energy conservation, and has applications in diverse areas, from building heating/cooling systems which enable solar energy incorporation into the structure, to textiles and clothings providing an enhanced thermal comfort. In this study, we aimed to improve thermal characteristics of polyurethane rigid foams that have been widely used for thermal insulation as the ultimate energy savers due to their ability to form sandwich structures with various facer materials. Through a laboratory-scale work, two paraffin waxes acting as phase change materials, namely n-hexadecane and n-octadecane, each of which is capable of managing large heat storage/release, were directly incorporated into the polyurethane foams at different ratios. Polymerization modified by means of n-alkane addition could be achieved without any adverse effect. In order to determine both structural and thermal characteristics, seven types of foams produced were examined by FT-IR, SEM, DSC analyses, calorimeter bomb and mechanical tests. Results show that polyurethane foams can be designed as thermal insulators equipped with an improved buffering function against temperature changes.     

SYNTHETIC STUDIES ON BLOOD COMPATIBLE BIOMATERIALS 13:A NOVEL SEGMENTED POLYURETHANE CONTAINING PHOSPHORYLCHOLINE STRUCTURE:SYNTHESIS,CHARACTERIZATION AND BLOOD COMPATIBILITY EVALUATION

A new phosphorylcholine, (6-hydroxy) hexyl-2-(trimethylammonio) ethyl phosphate (HTEP), was synthesized andcharasterized. Segmented polyurethane (SPU) containing phosphorylcholine structure was synthesized based ondiphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), soft segment polytetramethylene glycol (PTMG) and HTEP, with 1,4-butanediol (BD)as a chain extender. The existence of phosphorylcholine structure on the surface of SPU was revealed by attenuated totalreflectance Fourier transform infrard spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water contactangle measurements. The blood compatibilities of the polymers were evaluated by hemolytic testing and a platelet-richplasma (PRP) adhesion experiment, which was viewed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with polyurethane as areference. The novel segmented polyurethane containing phosphorylcholine structure showed improved blood compatibility.     

Investigation of the rigid amorphous fraction in Nylon-6

A three-phase model, comprising crystalline, mobile amorphous, and rigid amorphous fractions (χ _c, χ _MA, χ _RA, respectively) has been applied in the study of semicrystalline Nylon-6. The samples studied were Nylon-6 alpha phase prepared by subsequent annealing of a parent sample slowly cooled from the melt. The treated samples were annealed at 110°C, then briefly heated to 136°C, then re-annealed at 110°C. Temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) measurements allow the devitrification of the rigid amorphous fraction to be examined. We observe a lower endotherm, termed the ‘annealing’ peak in the non-reversing heat flow after annealing at 110°C. By brief heating above this lower endotherm and immediately quenching in LN₂-cooled glass beads, the glass transition temperature and χ _RA decrease substantially, χ _MA increases, and the annealing peak disappears. The annealing peak corresponds to the point at which partial de-vitrification of the rigid amorphous fraction (RAF) occurs. Re-annealing at 110°C causes the glass transition and χ _RA to increase, and χ _MA to decrease. None of these treatments affected the measured degree of crystallinity, but it cannot be excluded that crystal reorganization or recrystallization may also occur at the annealing peak, contributing to the de-vitrification of the rigid amorphous fraction. Using a combined approach of thermal analysis with wide and small angle X-ray scattering, we analyze the location of the rigid amorphous and mobile amorphous fractions within the context of the Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Stack Models. Results show the homogeneous stack model is the correct one for Nylon-6. The cooperativity length (ξ_A) increases with a decrease of rigid amorphous fraction, or, increase of the mobile amorphous fraction. Devitrification of some of the RAF leads to the broadening of the glass transition region and shift of T _g.     

有机硅改性聚氨酯的合成与性能

在无溶剂条件下利用二步法合成了一系列氨基硅油改性聚氨酯,采用红外光谱对预聚体进行了表征,同时测试了材料的力学性能、耐热性、表面水接触角及微观形态,结果表明,改性后的聚氨酯具有优良的力学性能、耐热性及表面疏水性,且材料呈微观相分离形态。     

Broad spectrum and mode of action of an antibiotic produced byScytonema sp. TISTR 8208 in a seaweed-type bioreactor

A photobioreactor was constructed using anchored polyurethane foam strips (1 x 1 x 40 cm) fixed onto a stainless-steel ring to prevent flotation, as a biomass support material (BSM). This type of reactor was named a seaweed-type bioreactor. A filamentous cyanobacterium, Scytonema sp. TISTR 8208, which produces a novel cyclic dodecapeptide antibiotic, was immobilized in seaweed-type photobioreactor and cultivated with air containing 5% CO₂ sparged at a gas flow rate of 250 mL/min under illumination at a light intensity of 200 μmol photon m^-2s^-1. The antibiotic produced in the seaweed-type photobioreactor was purified by HPLC and examined regarding its spectrum and mode of action. The antibiotic effectively inhibited the growth of Gram-positive bacteria, pathogenic yeasts, and filamentous fungi, but it had only a weak effect on Gram-negative bacteria. Scanning electron micrograph analysis showed that the most characteristic change was swelling of the cells after exposure to the antibiotic. The antibiotic seems to alter the conformation of the microbial cell membrane, thereby changing its permeability, leading to osmotic shock.     

Use of blowing catalysts for integral skin polyurethane applications in a controlled molecular architectural environment: Synthesis and impact on ultimate physical properties

Polyurethane elastomers of a controlled molecular architecture were synthesized using a two‐step polymerization technique. The building blocks of the elastomeric materials included urea–urethane prepolymers end‐capped with diisocyanate groups and had an exact number of urea groups at both ends. Two‐dimensional bifurcated hydrogen‐bonding networks incorporating the urea groups were, with differential scanning calorimetric and dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer techniques, responsible for the increase in the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of the hard block and sharp interface morphology between the pure “hard” domains and pure “soft” domains. The higher extent of the phase separation between the two phases contributed to higher elastic moduli for the hard blocks and higher tensile strength for the elastomeric samples. Higher elongation values were attributed to the liberation of the elastomeric chain ends that otherwise would have been constrained in the interface region. The higher T_g values of the hard blocks corresponded to an increase in the hardness values and a decrease in the tear‐strength values. The increase in the amount of urea groups within the hard segments, as a result of the increased amount of water and blowing catalyst, resulted in elastomeric foams with higher open‐cell content. This resulted in lower resilience values as measured using the pendulum rebound test and was attributed to the ability of the open cells to absorb and dissipate energy. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2526–2536, 2002     

Nickel foam-based composite electrodes for electrooxidation of methanol

Nickel foam and five nickel foam-based composite electrodes were prepared for being used as anode materials for the electrooxidation of methanol in KOH solution containing 0.1 and 1.0 M of methanol. The layered electrodes composed of nickel foam, platinum nanoparticles, polyaniline (PANI) and/or porous carbon (C) prepared in various assemblies. As shown by SEM analysis, depending on the preparation conditions, the electrodes of different morphologies were obtained. Using the cyclic voltammetry method, the oxidation of methanol on nickel foam electrode was observed in the potential range 0.4 V ↔ 0.7 V, where the Ni(OH)₂/NiOOH transformation occurred. The presence of Pt particles in electrode gave rise to the increase in electrocatalytic activity in this potential range. For electrodes containing dispersed platinum catalyst (Ni/Pt, Ni/PANI/Pt and Ni/C/Pt), the oxidation of methanol was noted also in the potential range −0.5 V ↔ 0.1 V. The electrocatalytic activities of the examined electrodes toward methanol oxidation at low potentials were in order Ni/Pt > Ni/C/Pt > Ni/PANI/Pt, whereas at high potentials in order Ni/PANI/Pt > Ni/Pt> Ni/C/Pt > Ni. Among the examined electrodes, the most resistant to cyclic poisoning appeared to be the Ni/C/Pt electrode. Presented at the 4Th Baltic Conference on Electrochemistry, Greifswald, March 13–16, 2005