Acid-induced gelation behavior of sonicated casein solutions

Casein gels were made from solutions sonicated by 24 and 130 kHz ultrasounds for 0, 60 and 120 min, followed by acidification with glucono-δ-lactone at 30 °C. The dynamics of gel formation were studied using rheological methods and microstructure of gels was monitored using scanning electron microscopy. Sonication postponed the gelation point to a lower pH value and increased the elasticity of freshly formed gels. It also resulted in gels with a more interconnected structure and smaller non-distinguishable particulates. This structure was especially dominant for the gel made from the solution already sonicated for 120 min.     

Effect of ethylene-co-vinyl acetate-glycidylmethacrylate and cellulose microfibers on the thermal,rheological and biodegradation properties of poly(lactic acid) based systems

The properties and biodegradation behavior of blends of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and ethylene-vinyl acetate-glycidylmethacrylate copolymer (EVA-GMA), and their composites with cellulose microfibers (CF) were investigated. The blends and composites were obtained by melt mixing and the morphology, phase behavior, thermal and rheological properties of PLA/EVA-GMA blends and PLA/EVA-GMA/CF composite films were investigated as a function of the composition. The disintegrability in composting conditions was examined by means of morphological, thermal and chemical analyses to gain insights into the post-use degradation processes. The results indicated a good compatibility of the two polymers in the blends with copolymer content up to 30 wt.%, while at higher EVA-GMA content a phase separation was observed. In the composites, the presence of EVA-GMA contributes to improve the interfacial adhesion between cellulose fibers and PLA, due to interactions of the epoxy groups of GMA with hydroxyls of CF. The addition of cellulose microfibers in PLA/EVA-GMA system modifies the rheological behavior, since complex viscosity increased in presence of fibers and decreased with an increase in frequency. Disintegration tests showed that the addition of EVA-GMA influence the PLA disintegration process, and after 21 days in composting conditions, blends and composites showed faster degradation rate in comparison with neat PLA due to the different morphologies induced by the presence of EVA-GMA and CF phases able to allow a faster water diffusion and an efficient PLA degradation process.     

Rheological Properties of Anionic Surfactant Solutions in the Presence of Al3+ Counterion

Aqueous solutions of ionic surfactants with strongly binding counterions exhibit wormlike or network properties. The properties of anionic micelles of sodium dodecyltrioxyethylene sulfate (AES) in the presence of multivalent counterion Al³⁺ were investigated by dynamic rheological methods. The steady-shear viscosity and stress, the zero-shear viscosity, the complex viscosity, and the dynamic shear modulus have been determined as a function of the surfactant and salt concentrations. Some interesting and noticeable results have been obtained, which can express the micellar growth and structure. The formation of wormlike micelles or network structure in surfactant solutions becomes much easier with increasing surfactant and salt concentrations. The Cox-Merz rule and the Cole-Cole plot are not applicable perfectly to the systems studied. The nonlinear viscoelasticity and non-Newtonian behavior can be found in all solutions according to the comparison with the simple Maxwell model. The technique of freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy (FF-TEM) was also applied to confirm the formation of these interesting structures.     

Rheological Properties of Model and Crude Oil Systems when Wax Precipitate under Quiescent and Flowing Conditions

Wax precipitation and deposition is a recurring challenge in transportation of crude oil, and increased knowledge about the behavior of such systems is necessary. Microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry were used to follow the crystallisation of wax for two model systems. The amount of solid was also determined by the latter method as well. The flow and viscoelastic behavior were investigated around the wax precipitation temperature, and the yield stress was determined both after dynamic and static cooling. Interpretation of the results was carried out in view of crystal growth and microstructure of the wax crystals. The variables that were studied were wax composition, amount of wax and thermal and shear history.     

聚合物熔体界面扩散理论与研究方法

本文结合与聚合物加工过程密切相关的界面扩散问题,从动力学和热力学两方面综述了与聚合物界面互扩散相关的基础理论.结合在聚合物界面扩散方面的研究进展,系统介绍了聚合物熔体界面扩散的常用研究方法.对其中的流变学方法的原理及进展作了重点论述,该方法不仅可以有效表征聚合物熔体界面扩散的动力学过程,进一步从分子动力学角度发展并完善聚合物扩散理论,而且对于聚合物加工成型过程的界面结构设计和性能优化起到关键的指导作用.本文最后提出了聚合物熔体界面扩散研究中存在的问题并对其前景进行了展望.     

影响高浓度氧化石墨烯分散液流变行为的重要因素及群体平衡动力学分析

氧化石墨烯(GO)片的基面和边缘上存在大量的含氧官能团,能很好地分散在水中,因而具有很好的加工性和广阔的应用前景。在较高浓度范围下,GO水分散液中存在着强烈的竞争性相互作用,从而对流变行为产生较大影响。在本文中,通过稳态、动态等流变实验以及理论分析,研究了pH值、温度和不同的有机溶剂对GO分散液流变行为的影响。结果表明,降低pH值、适当增加温度以及加入吡啶均可促进GO水分散液从粘弹性液体到凝胶态的转变。利用DLVO (Deryagin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek)理论,探讨了GO片之间的范德华作用力以及双电层排斥作用的相互关系,及其对流变性能的影响。通过群体平衡模型(PBE)分析了GO分散液的屈服应力与体积分数的正相关关系。同时,通过蠕变和松弛实验发现,高浓度的GO分散液中结构变化及流变行为在很多方面与高聚物相似,利用Poyting-Thomson模型能较好地拟合其粘弹性行为。上述研究结果为深入研究复杂的GO分散体系提供理论支撑和实验依据。     

Synthesis and Rheological Investigation ofModel Symmetric 3-Arm Star Polyethylene简

A variety of linear and 3-arm star polyethylene （PE） model polymers covering a wide range of molecular weight are synthesized by the living polymerization of butadiene and the subsequent hydrogenation. Several rheological parameters of these model linear and 3-arm star PE samples are analyzed for detecting the long chain branching （LCB） structure. It is found that the analyses based on zero shear viscosity, vGP plot and flow activation energy are very sensitive to the 3-arm star PEs. The information on the presence of LCB can be obtained with these methods even for low molecular weight samples, which can not be determined by GPC-MALLS. However the information about the LCB structure can not be obtained by the rheological methods alone.     

A facile rheological approach for the evaluation of “super toughness point” of compatibilized HDPE / MWCNT nanocomposites

Fast and efficient determination of the optimal mechanical property of a polymer/CNT nanocomposite is crucial to develop polymer conductive nanocomposites. This work establishes a rheological approach to evaluate the super-toughness point of compatibilized high density polyethylene (HDPE)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites. Results illustrate that three types of HDPE/MWCNT nanocomposites exhibit obvious gel plateaus in the dynamic rheological curves and the gel points of nanocomposites with compatibilizer shift to the low MWCNTs loading. The super-toughness points of HDPE/MWCNT nanocomposites with compatibilizers show the correspondence with the gel points acquired from the rheological data, indicating that dynamic rheology is an effective way to determine the super-toughness points of HDPE/MWCNT nanocomposites with compatibilizers. Furthermore, unique network structure at the gel points is directly observed and the new mechanism of toughness is proposed. This study provides new insights for effective control of the structures and properties of polymer/CNT nanocomposites.     

Effect of nanoparticle network formation on electromagnetic properties and cell morphology of microcellular polymer nanocomposite foams

Adding high loadings of nanoparticles can remarkably alter the functionality of polymer nanocomposite foams. Therefore, this dramatic change was studied at the percolation threshold as a point to predict the properties of foamed nanocomposites using the viscoelastic characteristics of un-foamed ones. In this research, the effect of incorporating 10–40 wt% of ZnO nanoparticles on rheological properties of PS/ZnO samples was investigated. Then, these samples were foamed at processing temperatures of 80 and 120 °C to study morphology and electromagnetic properties. First, the rheological study showed that the storage modulus of nanocomposites increased significantly above 20 wt% of nanoparticles. A connected network of nanoparticles altered the microstructure of nanocomposite at this rheological percolation. The morphological results show a higher cell density for foamed samples above the rheological percolation. From electromagnetic properties, the effect of ZnO connected network is obvious on the absorption enhancement for 30 and 40 wt% and only for 40 wt% of ZnO at 80 and 120 °C, respectively. Therefore, the viscoelastic properties of samples are still dominant at the lower temperature, but the foam structure became more important at the higher temperatures. This shows that the role of the filler network faded at the higher temperature and electromagnetic properties were changed with the foam structure. The microstructure expansion results in the decrease of filler amount at a fixed volume of foams, so more filler fraction is required to form a connected network of nanoparticles.     

Fabrication of ionic liquid-cellulose-silica hydrogels with appropriate thermal stability and good salt tolerance as potential drilling fluid

This paper investigates the rheological properties of methylcellulose-silica-ionic liquid nanocomposite (2-MCPS-MC) on the rheological properties (apparent viscosity (AV), plastic viscosity (PV), yield point (YP), 10-s gel strength, 10-min gel strength, and thixotropy according to API requirements) of water-based mud, and comparing these properties with the properties of the silica-free methylcellulose (MC) as drilling fluid additive. The physicochemical properties of the MC and 2-MCPS-MC compounds were studied using ¹H NMR, FTIR, Raman-spectroscopy, XRD, FE-SEM, AFM, and TGA. By FE-SEM and AFM, it is proven that the silica had an excellent dispersion in a spherical shape on the MC polymer. Three samples were prepared: the first is the commercial water-based mud, while the second and the third samples are MC and 2-MCPS-MC, respectively. The samples of MC were prepared in four concentrations (2%, 1.5%, 1.0% and 0.5% by weight). Throughout the test, density remained at 7.6 (lbs/gal) for mud fluid and 8.5 (lbs/gal) for MC and 2-MCPS-MC at pH 9.0. The results confirmed that the optimum concentration of MC and 2-MCPS-MC, which meet the required API code, was between 1 and 1.5%. The addition of 2-MCPS-MC to water-based mud enhances filtration properties. Response surface technique (RSM) with central composite design (CCD) was also used to optimize the drilling fluid properties to achieve the optimal response to AV, PV, YP, Gl, and Thixotropic using a Design expert software. The results obtained by RSM showed consistency between the experimental and theoretical data.