Solvatochromic Determination of Second-order Polarizabilities of Chromophore-functionalized Dextran and Amylose Derivatives

Linear dextran and helix amylose were covalently bonded with nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores. The influence of the conformation of the polymer matrix on the NLO behavior of the supramolecular structure has been studied. The second order hyperpolarizability depends not only on the secondary structure of the biopolymer, but also on the position of the chromophore towards the polymeric backbone. Functionalization of NLO-phores with biopolymers led to increased thermo- and photostability.     

Ultra-small-angle scattering studies of complex fluids

Recent experimental results from ultra-small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering (USANS and USAXS) studies of complex fluids, including colloidal dispersions, colloidal glasses, polymer blends, and biopolymer gels, are reviewed. We focus on data analysis and interpretation in the low q regime. New notable results include the apparent existence of large-scale structure in attractive colloidal glasses, the discovery of new morphological transitions in polymer blends via USANS, and the detection of micron-scale water channels in biopolymer gels.     

Detection of Nitrite Using Electrodes Modified with an Electrodeposited Ruthenium-Containing Polymer

Abstract

The electrochemical detection of nitrite in flowing solutions using a polymer modified electrode with electrocatalytic properties is described. The modifier was an electrodeposited polymer film of the [Ru(bpy)₂(vpy)₂+²⁺ complex, where bpy is 2,2′ bypyridyl and vpy is 4-vinylpyridine. The modified electrodes showed the ability to enhance the nitrite response and avoid surface fouling. The electrodeposited films exhibited higher mechanical stability than similar chemisorbed coatings.     

Maleic anhydride incorporated onto cellulose and thermodynamics of cation-exchange process at the solid/liquid interface

This investigation explores the chemical modification of cellulose by using a quasi solvent-free procedure, in which the biopolymer was added to molten maleic anhydride, producing a mixture of maleated and fumarated celluloses. Using this pathway mainly surface modifications are observed and more than 2.82 ± 0.05 mmol of modifier per gram of synthesized polymer were obtained. These chemically modified materials were characterized by elemental analysis, solid-state ¹³C NMR CP/MAS, FTIR, XRD, TG and SEM. The chemically modified polysaccharides are able to adsorb cations. The data were adjusted to a modified Langmuir equation to give 1.75 ± 0.09 and 2.40 ± 0.12 mmol/g of Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺, respectively. The net thermal effects obtained from calorimetric titration measurements were also adjusted to a modified Langmuir equation and the enthalpy of the interaction was calculated to give the endothermic values of 0.29 ± 0.02 and 0.87 ± 0.02 kJ/mol for Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺, respectively. The thermodynamic data for these systems are favorable for cation adsorption from aqueous solutions at the solid/liquid interface, suggesting the use of this anchored biopolymer for cation removal from the environment.     

水溶性β-环糊精聚合物和疏水改性聚丙烯酰胺的主客体相互作用

主体环糊精聚合物(β-CDE)与客体疏水改性丙烯酰胺共聚物P(AM/POEA)构成超分子结构的高分子识别体系. 这种客体聚合物是含有少量疏水体(x_POEA＜0.01)的水溶性聚合物, NMR测定结果表明β-CDE和P(AM/POEA)的主客体相互作用是通过环糊精空腔和疏水体POEA形成包结络合物进行的. 在P(AM/POEA)聚合物水溶液中加入β-CDE, 由于主客体聚合物相互作用出现粘度的大幅上升, 增粘的幅度可通过改变聚合物浓度和疏水体含量来调节, 同时对盐浓度和温度的影响也进行了研究. 通过透射电镜直观观察的结果表明, 此类缔合聚合物体系的主客体相互作用生成实心球状多分子聚集体.     

Direct Measurement of Traces of Vitamin C in Urine Using a Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

Abstract

This report deals with the application of cyclic voltammetry for the preparation of polymer modified electrodes. The monomer used was diphenyl amine (DPA), and the electrolyte was HClO₄. Cyclic voltammetry was used because the polymer formed by this method adheres tightly to the electrode and also deposits as a very smooth layer. The polymer was then used on the glassy carbon electrode in order to make a modified electrode for detection of vitamin C in urine. Different variables were studied in order to find the most suitable conditions for this electrode. Linear response of electrode to ascorbic acid concentration was very high with limit of detection of 0.2 ppm.     

Organic Electroanalysis with Chemically Modified Electrodes

Abstract

The analytical utility of electrodes modified with functionalized polymer films for the determination of aromatic amines is demonstrated. The analysis is based on the preconcentration of the protonated amines into a functionalized polymer film that contains styrene sulfonate groups. Good sensitivity and high reproducibility were obtained for concentrations down to 10^?5 M. Aliphatic amines do not interfere in the determination.     

Nouveau Modele d'Electrode Modifiee a Base de Carbone et de Polymere

Abstract

A new type of modified electrode is proposed, based on the thermosealing of carbon and a polymer in different proportions. The mode of preparation and the performances of this new model of polymer electrode are described in details. The potential range is larger than with other electrodes, particularly in the anodic range. Some performances realized on the behaviour of pharmaceutical compounds are described.     

A review of bacterial cellulose: sustainable production from agricultural waste and applications in various fields

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a polymer with interesting conformation and properties. BC can be obtained in different shapes and is easily modified by chemical and physical means, so its applications in the production of new materials and nanocomposites for different purposes have been in the focus of many research projects. However, one of the major challenges to address in bacterium-derived polymer technology is to find suitable carbon sources as substrates that are cheap and do not compete with food production for achieving large scale industrial applications. Agricultural wastes are defined as the residues from the growing and processing of raw agricultural products such as crops, fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Their composition can vary depending on the type of agricultural activity and harvesting conditions, but these residues are suitable for the production of BC. The aim of this review is to give insight into the production of BC using agro-wastes and an overview of the most interesting and novel applications of this biopolymer in different areas i.e. environmental applications, optoelectronic and conductive devices, food ingredients and packaging, biomedicine, and 3D printing technology.

Graphic abstract

     

Simulation of Electrochemical Process for Glucose Oxidase Immobilized Conducting Polymer Electrodes

Abstract

Computer simulation of electrochemical processes that govern the operation of conducting polymer modified electrodes (CPME) have been reported in this paper. Comparison of the behaviour of a biocatalyst (GOX) in free solution and in the immobilized phase in conducting polymer modified electrodes (CPME) has been provided The output has been obtained using the Runga Kutta numerical method solved by programming in FORTRAN 77. The results point out that the catalytic current generated by an immobilized enzyme in layer is larger as compared to that for the enzyme in solution, and that it varies with the thickness of the diffusion layer.     

Long-Chain Alkylsilane-Modified Porous Silica Beads as GPC Packings

Abstract

A series of silica gels having various molecular weight exclusion limits has been modified by reaction with octadecyltrichlorosilane. Toluene being used as moving phase and hydroxyl-end blocked polydimethylsiloxane as solute, the chromatographic process on these modified silica packings is mainly controlled by size exclusion; an additional absorptive retention can still be observed with the low molecular species. Thus, calibration in this case should be performed using standard samples of the specific polymer to be determined.     

A New Sensor for Perchlorate Ion

Abstract

A potentiometric sensor for perchlorate anion was developed by mixing a silica gel, chemically modified with 1,4-diazabicyclo (2.2.2) octane, with an epoxy polymer and carbon. The electode showed Nernstian response to the perchlorate ion in the concentration range of 10^?1 and 10^?4 mol L^?1.     

Modified Polymer for Enzyme Immobilization and Characterization of Immobilized Urease

Abstract

Poly-γ-methyl-L-glutamate was modified by the introduction of -CC1₃ and /or -NH₂ groups. Two kinds of polymer were obtained, and applied to urease immobilization. The enzyme immobilized on polymer containing -CCl₃ (PCCl₃) pendant groups retained more activity than that containing -NH₂ (PNH₂). Stability of urease immobilized on PCCl₃ and PNH₂ was 17 days and 19 days respectively.     

Nano P(VDF-TrFE) doped polyimide alignment layers for twisted nematic liquid crystal devices

ABSTRACT

The rapid development of consumer electronics and portable devices imposes a great demand for energy efficient information display systems. Among the information display devices, liquid crystal display (LCD) devices stands in the front. The fabrication of energy-efficient LCD systems demands new material and techniques. In this work, the conventional polyimide alignment layer of twisted nematic liquid crystal device (TNLCD) was replaced with ferroelectric polymer nanoparticle doped alignment layer. Morphology of the alignment layer was analysed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The ferroelectric nature of the polymer alignment layer was studied using dynamic contact electrostatic force microscopy (DC-EFM). TNLCD cells are fabricated with this modified alignment layer and the switching characteristics are compared with the conventional TNLCD devices. The TNLCD with modified alignment layer has shown a reduction of 50% in threshold (V_thr) and 47% reduction in saturation voltage (V_sat).     

Cellulosic diamines as reaction-incorporated fillers in epoxy composites

Cellulosic fillers have been chemically modified by attaching pendant primary amine groups (diamino propane). The modified cellulose fillers were used for curing an epoxy resin (diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A). Gel times thus obtained are much less than systems containing unmodified cellulose. The advantages from the use of such modified organic fillers are discussed. Our investigations could encourage greater utilization of renewable lignocellulosic materials as reactionincorporated fillers for polymer composites.NCL Communication No. 4908.     

The Relationship of Reaction Temperature,Tg and Rich‐Syndiotacticity of Poly(alkyl methacrylate)s in Modified Microemulsion Polymerization

Nanoscale poly(alkyl methacrylate)s including poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(ethyl methacrylate), poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate), poly(iso‐butyl methacrylate) and poly(benzyl methacrylate) were prepared by a modified microemulsion polymerization procedure. NMR analysis suggested that these poly(methacrylate)s samples were higher in syndiotactic content, lower in isotactic content and the glass transition temperatures (T_gs) of them were also higher than those reported in the literature. The tacticities of the poly(methacrylate)s, beside the restricted volume effect of nanoparticles during the modified microemulsion polymerization, were mainly influenced by the reaction temperature, the lower the reaction temperature, the higher the syndiotacticity of the products. The syndiotacticity of the product decreased obviously when the polymerization was carried out at a temperature far above the T_g of the resulting polymer. It was also shown that the tacticity of the polymer was affected by the monomer structure, a monomer with the bulkier alkyl side group would liable to result in a polymer with richer syndiotacticity. Possible mechanism of rich‐syndiotacticity was also discussed.     

Properties of composite solid polymer electrolyte using hyperbranched polymer with ether-linkage

The cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolytes composed of poly(ethylene oxide), lithium salt (LiN(SO₂CF₃)₂), and a hyperbranched polymer whose repeating units were connected by ether-linkage (hyperbranched polymer (HBP)-2) were prepared, and their ionic conductivity, thermal properties, electrochemical stability, mechanical property, and chemical stability were investigated in comparison with the non-cross-linked or cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolytes using hyperbranched polymers whose repeating units were connected by ester-linkage (HBP-1a, 1b). The cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolyte using HBP-2 exhibited higher ionic conductivity than the non-cross-linked and cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolytes using HBP-1a and HBP-1b, respectively. The structure of the hyperbranched polymer did not have a significant effect on the thermal properties and electrochemical stability of the composite solid polymer electrolytes. The tensile strength of the cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolyte using HBP-2 was lower than that of the cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolyte using HBP-1b, but higher than that of the non-cross-linked composite solid polymer electrolyte using HBP-1a. The HBP-2 with ether-linkage showed higher chemical stability against alkaline hydrolysis compared with HBP-1a with ester-linkage.     

Chemical modification and structural analysis of protein isolates to produce hydrogel using Whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) wastes

Recovery and alteration of fish protein from wastes and its use has been regarded as a promising alternative to develop useful products once polymer gels have a high capacity of water uptake. This study aims to produce hydrogel, a super absorbent biopolymer from modified fish protein, in order to evaluate the protein structure. In the modified proteins, analyses of the extent of modification of the lysine residues, electrophoresis, and electrometric titration were performed. In the hydrogels were realized assays of swelling water. The proteins with more modifications were shown as 63.5% and 75.9% of lysine residues, from fish protein isolate obtained with alkaline and acid solubilization, respectively. The modified protein in that same rate presented 332.0 and 311.4 carboxyl groups. Accordingly, the hydrogel produced from alkaline and acid isolates reached a maximum water uptake in 24 h of 79.42 and 103.25 g_water/g_{dry gel}, respectively.     

Bent-core liquid crystal-functionalised flexible polymer substrates for liquid crystal alignment

ABSTRACT

A transparent flexible polymer film is chemically functionalised with a bent-core liquid crystal (BCLC) compound for effective alignment of the bulk BCLC sample at the substrate–LC interface. The surface attachment was achieved via a simple procedure which involved pre-treatment of the polymer film (commercial name: over head projector film) using piranha solution followed by chemically attaching the BCLC compound through silane condensation reaction. Surface characterisation of the unmodified and BC-modified flexible films was carried out through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, contact angle (CA) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The BC-modified flexible substrates are analysed for their efficiency to orient the bulk LC sample. Remarkably, the chemically modified polymer substrates are highly efficient in vertically aligning both the BC and rod-like LC samples at the substrate–LC interface, in comparison to their unmodified counterparts. The described method is simple, reproducible, surface modified substrates are highly stable and more importantly reusable. The demonstrated method for the alignment of BCLCs advances a step forward towards the realisation of applications proposed for these fascinating compounds.     

An unprecedented 3-D supramolecular framework of {CuCN} coordination polymer based on anhydride: in situ formation of ligand by intramolecular dehydration

Hydrothermal reactions of K₄[Fe(CN)₆]?3H₂O with H₂bimdc (H₂bimdc = benzimidazole-5,6-dicarboxylic acid) afforded a coordination polymer (CP), [Cu(CN)(bimdca)] (1) (bimdca = benzimidazole-5,6-dicarboxylic anhydride), as the first example of the {CuCN}-based CP modified by anhydride. The polymer is characterized by elemental analysis, IR, TG, XRD, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In 1, horizontal and vertical parallel chains based on {Cu₂(CN)₄(bimdca)₂} dimer units crisscross resulting in a 2-D network with a (4⁴6²) topology, which is further connected to adjacent 2-D layers generating a 3-D supramolecular framework through intermolecular force between oxygens of anhydride. In addition, 1 exhibits interesting fluorescence and good degradation ability for MB under UV light.