Displacement washing of soda rapeseed pulp

The paper deals with the displacement washing of unbleached pulp cooked from rapeseed straw by soda pulping under laboratory conditions. Pulp fibres were characterised by their average length, as well as by effective specific volume and surface. Using the step function input change method, the washing breakthrough curves measured for alkali lignin as a tracer were described by the dispersed plug flow model containing a dimensionless criterion, the Péclet number. Besides the wash yield, the dispersion coefficient as well as the mean residence time and space time were evaluated. Preliminary results obtained for soda rapeseed pulp were compared with those for kraft hardwood (beech) and softwood (spruce, pine) pulps published earlier. The wash yield measured for soda pulp was found to be lower than that for hardwood and softwood pulps which manifested lower hydraulic resistance. The presence of silique valves in rapeseed straw resulted in lower mean residence time of lignin removed from the pulp bed in comparison with pulp manufactured from stalks only.     

Effect of ethyl acetate on carbohydrate components and crystalline structure of pulp produced in aqueous acetic acid pulping

The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in carbohydrate components and the crystalline structure in hemp bast fibers by adding ethyl acetate to acetic acid/water pulping processes. It was found that ethyl acetate added to acetic acid/water process had a positive effect on yield, viscosity and carbohydrate components in pulp. It was assumed that the delignification ratio increased by adding ethyl acetate to aqueous acetic acid pulping. Xylose content in hemp bast fibers was affected more negatively in the ethyl acetate/acetic acid/water process than in the acetic acid/water one. Crystallinity and crystallite size were higher in pulp sample obtained by the acetic acid/water process without ethyl acetate.     

Effect of copolymerization on the crystalline structure of polyacrylonitrile

X-ray diffraction of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (poly-HEMA) and their random copolymers containing low proportions of HEMA has been carried out in order to investigate the changes in the PAN structure produced by introducing some HEMA units into the chain. Both crystalline and amorphous phases were distinguishable in PAN and the copolymers. Considerable decrease in crystallinity on copolymerization was found, but not showing any quantitative relationship with the HEMA content. The crystalline lattice in the copolymers remained similar to that of PAN. A two-phase (crystalline and amorphous) structure of PAN was found more suitable to explain the results.     

调控制备pH值对铁钼催化剂结构及性能的影响

通过调控共沉淀中钼酸铵溶液的酸度制备了系列铁钼催化剂,采用N_2吸附-脱附、Raman、XRD、SEM、H2-TPR等方法对催化剂的结构进行了表征,并考察了不同酸度条件下制备的铁钼催化剂的甲醇氧化制甲醛催化活性。结果表明,钼酸铵溶液酸度影响催化剂的粒径、形貌及表层铁、钼物种的分布与富集。恰当的钼酸铵溶液酸度范围,优化了催化剂表层MoO_3和Fe_2(MoO_4)_3物种的比例,改善了催化剂的催化氧化性能,有利于甲醇氧化制甲醛收率和选择性的提高。     

Ceriporiopsis subvermispora used in delignification of sugarcane bagasse prior to soda/anthraquinone pulping

Sugarcane bagasse was pretreated with the white-rot fungus Ceriporiopsis subvermispora for 30 d of incubation. The solid-state fermentation of 800 g of bagasse was carried out in 20-L bioreactors with an inoculum charge of 250 mg of fungal mycelium/kg of bagasse. The oxidative enzymes manganese peroxidase (MnP), lignin peroxidase (LiP), and lac-case (Lac) and the hydrolytic enzyme xylanase (Xyl) were measured by standard methods and related to the fungus’s potential for delignification. Among the lignocellulolytic assayed enzymes, Xyl was detected in larger quantity (4478 IU/kg), followed by MnP (236 IU/kg). LiP and Lac were not detected. The results of chemical analysis and mass component loss showed that C. subvermispora was selective to lignin degradation. Pretreated sugarcane bagasse and control pulps were obtained by soda/anthraquinone (AQ) pulping. Pulp yields, kappa number, and viscosity of all pulps were determined by chemical analysis of the samples. Yields of soda/AQ ranged from 46 to 54%, kappa numbers were 15–25, and the viscosity ranged from 3.6 to 7 cP for pulps obtained from pretreated sugarcane bagasse.     

Synthesis and characterisation of liquid crystalline anthraquinone dyes with excellent dichroism and solubility

A novel series of dichroic anthraquinone dyes have been successfully synthesised with conventional Sonogashira reaction. These synthesised anthraquinone dyes were found to have high dichroic ratios, good solubilities, excellent hues and to be potential candidates for guest–host liquid crystal displays. The dichroic ratio is as high as 13.26, which is in the top level of the anthraquinone dyes reported so far. In addition, this paper provides an effective method to modulate the optic properties of anthraquinone dyes from the molecular level via the introduction of different radicals on the anthraquinone cores.     

Effect of molecular weight on the crystalline structure of polytetrafluoroethylene as-polymerized

Melting and crystallization behavior of polytetrafluoroethylene as polymerized in emulsion and suspension is shown to depend on molecular weight. DSC heating curves for virgin PTFE with low molecular weight below 3 × 10⁵ have a single peak, whereas curves for higher molecular weight samples have double peaks. With increasing heating rate the areas of higher melting peaks become larger than the lower melting peaks. The morphology of polymer exhibiting double melting peaks is mainly folded ribbons or granular particles. The phenomenon of double melting is explained on the basis of two different crystalline states which correspond to the “fold regions” and the “linear segments” in a folded ribbon. The melting temperature of virgin PTFE is almost constant at ca. 330°C for molecular weights below 1 × 10⁶, and rises as the molecular weight increases above 1 × 10⁶. The heat of melting of virgin PTFE is nearly independent of molecular weight. On the basis of these results, we propose a model for melting and crystallization of low and high molecular weight PTFE and for the crystal structure.     

Effect of electron-irradiation on cross-link density and crystalline structure of low- and high-density polyethylene

Low- and high-density polyethylenes (LDPE and HDPE) were cross-linked in solid state by electron beam irradiation. Molar mass between cross-link joints, M_c, and cross-link density,ν, were calculated using rubber elasticity theory and hot set data. The results showed that the ν and creep modulus increased and creep strain and M_c decreased with increasing irradiation dose. As compared to HDPE, the LDPE had higher ν and lower M_c values at a similar irradiation dose. X-ray analysis and differential scanning calorimetry investigation of first heating cycle revealed no changes in crystalline structure of the irradiated samples. This was attributed to immobilization of radicals frozen in the crystalline phase. As a result of hindered mobility of the polymeric chains, these radicals were not able to cross-link the chains in the crystalline region. However, after melting of the crystals and during subsequent re-solidification process, different levels of crystallinity were developed depending on the applied irradiation dose. The irradiated samples with higher dose had lower crystallization and melting temperatures with reduced crystallinities. These confined crystallization behaviors, observed after a series of cooling and heating cycles, could be attributed to the decrease in the M_c values. The length of chain segment needed for usual crystallization by chain folding is decreased due to formation of cross-link joints and hence the crystallization process was hindered.     

Effect of oxygen on the electronic structure of highly crystalline picene films

The electronic structure of highly crystalline picene films with a standing-up orientation grown epitaxially on the Ag(110) surface was investigated. Upon exposure to oxgen gas, O(2) molecules incorporate at the interstitial sites within the a-b plane of the film. Features related to the highest three occupied molecular orbitals shift toward a lower binding energy which results in the inactivation of traps and the reduction of the charge injection barrier by about 1 eV. It is suggested that the highest two picene orbitals are inverted due to the strong interactions between the singly occupied oxygen π orbital and the highest occupied orbital of picene.     

Evolution of structure and properties of a liquid crystalline epoxy during curing

The evolution of structure, and thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of a liquid crystalline epoxy during curing has been studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy, x-ray scattering, and dynamic mechanical analysis. The liquid crystalline epoxy was the diglycidyl ether of 4,4′-dihydroxy-α-methylstilbene (DGEDHMS). Two curing agents were used in this study: a di-functional amine, the aniline adduct of DGEDHMS, and a tetra-functional sulfonamido amine, sulfanilamide. The effects of curing agent, cure time, and cure temperature have been investigated. Isothermal curing of the liquid crystalline epoxy with the di-functional amine and the tetra-functional sulfonamido amine causes an increase in the mesophase stability of the liquid crystalline epoxy resin. The curing also leads to various liquid crystalline textures, depending on the curing agent and cure temperature. These textures coarsen during the isothermal curing. Moreover, curing with both curing agents results in a layered structure with mesogenic units aligned perpendicular to the layer surfaces. The layer thickness decreases with cure temperature for the systems cured with the tetra-functional curing agent. The glass transition temperature of the cured networks rises with increasing cure temperature due to the increased crosslink density. The shear modulus of the cured networks shows a strong temperature dependence. However, it does not change appreciably with cure temperature. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35 : 2363–2378, 1997     

热解过程中煤焦微晶结构变化及其对煤焦气化反应活性的影响

利用XRD技术考察了热解温度及升温速率对煤焦微晶结构的影响;使用Shi等的方法计算了煤焦微晶结构参数,获取了950℃～1400℃气化炉下煤焦微晶结构的特征及变化规律;结合热重分析得到了热解温度相关参数影响煤焦气化活性的机理。研究表明,热解温度升高,堆垛高度（Lc）明显增大而微晶尺寸（La）变化不大,说明煤焦基本晶格单元主要是进行纵向的接合缩聚,而晶格并没进行明显的内部生长,煤焦的微晶结构随热解温度的提高向有序化发展,但没达到石墨化的程度;慢速热解煤焦的气化反应活性明显低于相同温度下快速热解煤焦,慢速热解中,由于煤焦在高温下停留时间较长,而使煤焦微晶进行结构重整而变得更加有序,芳香单元失去边缘活性位,煤焦气化活性降低。     

Effect of thermal annealing on the crystalline structure of PVDF/PMMA-modified graphene nanocomposites

Abstract

Poly(vinylidene fluoride)-based nanocomposite films with different loadings of PMMA-modified graphene sheets were prepared by a solution-mixing and solvent casting method. The prepared films were annealed at three different temperatures and the crystalline structures of the samples were investigated. X-ray diffraction data confirmed the PMMA-modified graphene nanosheets enhanced the preferential β-crystalline structure when increasing the annealing temperature to 90?°C, while increasing the annealing temperature to 120?°C led to a β → γ phase conversion. The tendency of the graphene sheets to restack by increasing the annealing temperature was confirmed by XRD. The PMMA-modified graphene sheets, however, didn’t showa nucleating effect on the PVDF crystallizationduring DSC cooling scans.     

Conformational transitions in macromolecules of complex chemical structure during liquid crystalline ordering

Conformational transitions in thermotropic main-chain polymers of complex chemical structure including homopolymers with possibility of conformational transformations in mesogens and random copolymers (CPLs) containing mesogens of the same type and spacers of different lengths were investigated. It was demonstrated that liquid crystalline (LC) state influences conformational transformations in fragments of chain restraining them in comparison with an isotropic melt. It was found that CPLs studied form LC order of smectic type. Peculiarities in spacers behaviour during transition to LC state ensure formation of such type of LC order. Conclusion about dependence of mechanism of smectic LC order formation on chemical structure of rigid components of CPLs is made.     

Effect of chemical reagents on the fine structure of cellulose. Part IV. Action of caustic soda on the fine structure of cotton and ramie

An x-ray study has been made of the changes in lateral order that take place on the treatment of cotton and ramie with different concentrations of caustic soda at 0 and 20°C. When mercerization conditions are reached it is found that there is an increase in lateral disorder in the fibrils. The x-ray diagrams from samples treated in the higher concentrations of caustic soda reveal a residual diffraction effect that can be interpreted in terms of a special type of cellulose sheet. This result implies one extreme of lateral disorder that is present in the fine structure of these materials. Indication is given how these lateral disorder phenomena can affect reactivity.     

Effect of ferroelectric liquid crystalline quaterphenyl structure and handedness on helical pitch length in bicomponent mixtures

The aim of this paper is characterisation of mesomorphic properties and helical structure parameters: handedness and helical pitch, of two laterally substituted ferroelectric compounds and mixtures based on them. These compounds have the same quaterphenyl rigid core and the same length of non-chiral chain – eight carbon atoms, as well as the absolute configuration of chiral centre (‘R’). Base compounds differ in the kind of a substituent in a rigid core (–Cl, –CH₃). Both of them have rather low melting temperature in comparison to most of quaterphenyls, and it affects the lowering of this temperature in binary mixtures. Thus they can be used for preparation of multicomponent ferroelectric mixtures useful for application.     

Effect of ultrasound treatment of C60 solutions on the crystalline structure of precipitated fullerite

The structure of fullerite precipitated from solutions of C₆₀ in toluene, chlorobenzene, and 1,2-dichlorobenzene by adding isopropanol was studied. It was demonstrated that, irrespective of the nature of the solvent, the parameter of the fcc lattice of precipitated fullerite decreases markedly when the process occurs in the presence of a ultrasound field. No effect of ultrasound sonication on the size of the precipitated crystallites was observed.