Does nanoclay addition always lead to amelioration? Dual effects of the nanoclay on the PA‐6/EVOH/SEBS ternary blends

This work presents the investigation of properties of polyamide‐6 (PA‐6)/ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH)/styrene‐ethylene‐butylene‐styrene (SEBS) ternary blends and related nanocomposites with nanoclays. In this way, the effect of the mixing protocol and nanoclay type on the morphology, mechanical, and rheological properties of the blends was comprehensively studied. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation revealed that, for the neat ternary blends, core‐shell droplets were formed in which SEBS droplets were encapsulated by EVOH phase in the PA‐6 matrix. In this regard, experimental observations were compared and discussed with the predictions of phenomenological models. According to the X‐ray diffraction analysis, the distribution and degree of dispersion of the nanoclays were significantly influenced by mixing protocol. It was demonstrated that competition between the intrinsic effect of the nanoclay on the physical properties and its inhibiting effect on the interactions between PA‐6 and EVOH phases led to some interesting observations for the rheological and mechanical properties of the ternary blends. The results revealed that optimum properties could be obtained by selecting appropriate nanoclay and mixing protocol.     

Fluorene‐based Lanthanide Coordination Polymer: Structure,Luminescence and Sensing of Picric Acid

Luminescent coordination polymers can be potential chemosensors and extensive efforts are being devoted to improve their selectivity and sensitivity. In this work, we report a new kind of fluorene‐based Tb‐CP, Tb₄L₆·7DMF·5H₂O ( Tb ₄ L ₆ , H₂L = 4,4′‐(9,9‐dimethyl‐9H‐fluorene‐2,7‐diyl)dibenzoic acid), showing 2D network and strong blue emission. Meanwhile, Tb ₄ L ₆ exhibits excellent selectivity and sensitivity for picric acid (PA). The quenching constant (K_sv) of Tb ₄ L ₆ is equal to 4.5 × 10⁴ L/mol during the concentration range of 0–30 μmol/L, which approaches the best reported CPs‐based on PA sensor up to now. Moreover, we went into depth on the possible mechanisms of luminescence quenching.     

Synthesis of intrinsically flame‐retardant copolyamides and their employment in PA6‐fibers

Flame‐retarded polyamide 6.6 (FR‐PA6.6) was prepared by the cocondensation of hexamethylene diammonium adipate (AH‐salt) with the corresponding salts of hexamethylene diamine and two different organophosphorus compounds, namely, 3‐hydroxyphenylphosphinylpropanoic acid (3‐HPP, 1) and 9,10‐dihydro‐10‐[2,3‐di (hydroxycarbonylpropyl]‐10‐phosphaphenanthrene‐10‐oxide (DDP, 2). The incorporation of the phosphorus comonomers and the thermal and physical properties of the resulting copolyamides have been studied. The phosphorus‐modified FR‐PA6.6 possesses high relative viscosities of 2.0 to 2.4, good thermal stability, and was used for the production of polyamide blends by merging FR‐PA6.6 with commercial PA6. This offered access to flame‐retarded PA6 multifilaments, which possess tensile strengths up to 0.7 GPa and elastic moduli up to 6.2 GPa. Knitted fabrics of FR‐PA6 exhibit high limiting oxygen index (LOI) values between 36 and 38 and executed burning tests demonstrate that the incorporation of phosphorus‐based comonomers improve flame retardancy significantly. The approach presented here offers a straightforward access to effective flame retardancy in nylon 6.     

Interactions of DNA with graphene and sensing applications of graphene field-effect transistor devices: A review

Graphene field-effect transistors (GFET) have emerged as powerful detection platforms enabled by the advent of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) production of the unique atomically thin 2D material on a large scale. DNA aptamers, short target-specific oligonucleotides, are excellent sensor moieties for GFETs due to their strong affinity to graphene, relatively short chain-length, selectivity, and a high degree of analyte variability. However, the interaction between DNA and graphene is not fully understood, leading to questions about the structure of surface-bound DNA, including the morphology of DNA nanostructures and the nature of the electronic response seen from analyte binding. This review critically evaluates recent insights into the nature of the DNA graphene interaction and its affect on sensor viability for DNA, small molecules, and proteins with respect to previously established sensing methods. We first discuss the sorption of DNA to graphene to introduce the interactions and forces acting in DNA based GFET devices and how these forces can potentially affect the performance of increasingly popular DNA aptamers and even future DNA nanostructures as sensor substrates. Next, we discuss the novel use of GFETs to detect DNA and the underlying electronic phenomena that are typically used as benchmarks for characterizing the analyte response of these devices. Finally, we address the use of DNA aptamers to increase the selectivity of GFET sensors for small molecules and proteins and compare them with other, state of the art, detection methods.     

Influence of relative humidity and loading frequency on the PA6.6 thermomechanical cyclic behavior: Part II. Energy aspects

In this study, we investigated the influence of relative humidity (RH) and loading rate on the energy response of PA6.6 matrix specimens. The latter were subjected to oligocyclic tensile-tensile tests at 3 different RH and 2 loading rates. Infrared thermography was used to obtain a direct estimate of heat sources using the heat diffusion equation. Using the mechanical and thermal responses discussed in the first part of this work, complete energy rate balances were drawn up. In particular, the time courses of deformation, and dissipated and stored energy rates are discussed. The strong influence of the loading frequency and RH on the energy storage mechanisms is also highlighted.     

纳米Al2O3增强PA6复合材料的摩擦磨损性能研究

利用MMW-1型摩擦磨损试验机考察了纳米Al2O3增强PA6复合材料同45#钢对摩时的摩擦磨损性能,采用扫描电子显微镜观察分析了试样磨损表面形貌.结果表明:纳米Al2O3可以提高PA6的耐磨性能;在小于100 N低载荷下纳米Al2O3填充PA6复合材料的滑动摩擦系数符合粘弹性材料的变化规律;只有当填充量适当时,纳米Al2O3微粒才能有效地增强聚合物基体的抗磨粒磨损性能,并阻碍聚合物基体向偶件磨损表面的粘着转移;纳米Al2O3质量分数为10%的PA6复合材料的抗磨性能最佳.     

Surface antimicrobial modification of polyamide by poly(hexamethylene guanidine) hydrochloride

Antimicrobial polyamide (PA) received much attention for the demand of packaging and biomedical fields. In this paper, an antimicrobial PA6 membrane was prepared via a surface chemical reaction. A highly effective antibacterial component (PHMG‐E) with terminal epoxy group was firstly synthesized via a reaction between polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHMG) and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE). Then, PHMG‐E was bonded on the surface of PA6 membrane with secondary amine reduced by borane‐tetrahydrofuran (BH₃‐THF). The antimicrobial rates of surface‐modified PA6 membrane (PA6‐PHMG) against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were both higher than 99.99%, and the PHMG was non‐leaching due to the chemical bonding. The hydrophilicity of antibacterial PA6 membrane was also significantly improved and the mechanical performance became better.     

Spectra Studies of Complexes Between Palladium (II), Nickel (II) and Amino Acids

The complexes of Ni (His) 2·H2O, Ni (Gly) 2·2H2O, Pd (His)Cl2·H2O and Pd(Gly) 2·2H2O were synthesized. And the IR, electronic absorption and photoacoustic spectra of these complexes were measured in solid state. The nature of the metal-carboxylate coordinate bond were deduced from the variation in the carboxyl stretching frequencies. And the d-d transition absorptions of these complexes were interpreted quantitatively with the 3d scaling radial theory. Therefore, the structural characterizations were also discussed with their spectral behaviors.     

THERMAL BEHAVIOR OF PP/PA6 BLENDS UNDER DYNAMIC CONDITIONS. THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT INTERFACIAL AGENTS BASED ON CHEMICALLY MODIFIED ATACTIC POLYPROPYLENE

The thermal behavior in dynamic conditions of polypropylene/polyamide 6 (PP/PA6) blends with a modified interphase is discussed in terms of the crystallinities of the polypropylene and polyamide components imposed by the processing step conditions and after removal of those constraints by holding the blends 5 min in the molten state in the calorimeter. As interfacial agents, two based on succinic anhydride or succinil-fluoresceine grafted atactic polypropylenes were used. The experimental program was run following the Box-Wilson experimental design methodology. Thermal scans were made using round samples (5 mm diameter and 100 μm thick) cut from compression-molded sheets with morphologies and macroscopic behavior studied previously. Changes of the amount of crystallinity of each polymer in the modified blends are contrasted with the tensile strength values of the heterogeneous materials as a whole; evidence of the different roles played by each interfacial agent acting at the interface among blend components is shown.     

In situ fibrillation of polyamide 6 in isotactic polypropylene occurring in the laminating‐multiplying die

The polyamide 6 (PA6)/isotactic polypropylene (iPP) in situ fibrillation composites are prepared by a novel extrusion die with an assembly of laminating‐multiplying elements (LMEs). The scanning electron micrographs illustrate that the dividing‐multiplying processes in LMEs elongate, break, and stabilize the dispersed PA6 phase in the iPP matrix along the flowing direction (FD). The morphology development of PA6 with different LME numbers greatly affects the rheological properties, crystalline behaviors, and mechanical properties. The dynamic rheological test performed at 195°C shows that the increased spatial restriction of the high‐aspect‐ratio PA6 particles increases the viscoelastic moduli, complex viscosity, and relaxation time. The crystalline analysis reveals that the heterogeneous nucleation becomes predominant and the transcrystalline morphology is observed in those samples produced by more LMEs. The tensile tests indicate that both, breaking strength and elongation, enhanced simultaneously because of the fibrillation of dispersed phase and the improvement in interfacial adhesion between the fibers and the matrix. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.