Morphology of polyethylene crystallized under the simultaneous influence of pressure and orientation in a capillary viscometer

The morphology of high-density polyethylene crystallized under simultaneous pressure and shear in an Instron capillary viscometer has been examined by scanning electron microscopy, electron microscopy, and selected-area electron diffraction. Two distinct fibrous morphologies were observed in these unusually transparent strands. The outer sheath was composed of fibers, 3000 Å in diameter, aligned parallel to the extrusion direction and apparently interconnected by a lamellar cross texture. A highly crystalline ribbon texture composed of fine fibers, 200–250 Å in diameter, dominated the inner core. Sharp-spot electron diffraction patterns obtained from these central ribbons indicated a high degree of c-axis orientation parallel to the fibers and an extended-chain crystal structure. The melting behavior of both irradiated and unirradiated strands examined by differential scanning calorimetry was consistent with the formation of two distinct crystalline morphological units.     

不同聚氯乙烯(PVC)树脂的流变行为及其形态变迁

研究了160—200℃之间的不同PVC树脂流变行为,并用扫描电子显微镜观察其形态变迁。不同形态PVC的η′—1/T关系表明在190℃处流动机构存在转折,电镜形态照片证明:在190℃以下,PVC的流动单元主要是～1μ的基本颗粒及其集合体;在190℃以上,PVC的流动单元为～0.05μ的次基本颗粒,而在190℃时,～0.05μ的次基本颗粒已是主要的结构形态。当PVC的流动单元为次基本颗粒时,η′随温度的增加而增加。     

Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified via Molybdenum Disulfide Decorated Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes for Sensitive Voltammetric Detection of Aristolochic Acids

In this study, a molybdenum disulfide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MoS₂@MWCNTs) nanocomposite was synthesized by employing a simple hydrothermal method. The flower‐like structure of the MoS₂@MWCNTs was characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the load of crystalline MoS₂ was verified via X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The as‐prepared MoS₂@MWCNTs nanocomposite was used to modify glassy carbon electrode (GCE) as an electrochemical sensor for detecting aristolochic acids (AAs). With the optimized parameters, the proposed electrochemical sensor exhibited good sensitivity and a broad linear concentration range for detecting AAs from 0.2 to 10 μ mol/L and 10 to 100 μ mol/L, with the sensitivity of ?3.10 μ A/(μ mol/L) and ?0.91 μ A/(μ mol/L), respectively. The detection limit was also calculated as 0.06 μ mol/L (S/N=3) based on the low background signal. Furthermore, the modified electrochemical sensor exhibited good selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility, and stability, thus showing potential application for detecting AA in chinese herbs with good mean recovery and accuracy. In other words, the MoS₂@MWCNTs/GCE can be used as an excellent platform to detect AAs.     

Morphology of gamma-irradiated,low-density,bulk polyethylene

Low-density bulk polyethylene was subjected to gamma radiation doses between 0.1 and 100 megarads. Surfaces produced by fracture at liquid nitrogen temperatures were studied using scanning electron microscopy. The unirradiated polyethylene and polymer irradiated to 0.1 megarad had spherical units with a diameter of about 0.15 micron lying on the fracture surface. The units lay along the edges of the lamellae and were formed by the fracture that was, therefore, not entirely brittle. Polyethylene irradiated between 1 megarad and 100 megarads exhibited spherical voids, with a diameter of about 0.1 micron in the fracture surface. The voids have been produced either by the evolution of gas in the polymer during irradiation, the most likely mechanism, or as a function of the fracture mechanism only.     

Facile fabrication of long alpha-Fe(2)O(3), alpha-Fe and gamma-Fe(2)O(3) hollow fibers using sol-gel combined co-electrospinning technology

Long alpha-Fe(2)O(3) hollow fibers have been prepared through a facile sol-gel combined co-electrospinning technique using ferric citrate as precursor, and alpha-Fe and gamma-Fe(2)O(3) hollow fibers have been obtained by reduction and reoxidation at different conditions. The outer diameter of the as-prepared hollow fibers is 0.5-5 microm with wall thickness of 200-800 nm. The obtained tubular fibers were characterized by thermal gravimetric (TG), FT-IR spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman techniques. In addition, magnetic properties of alpha-Fe and gamma-Fe(2)O(3) hollow fibers have also been investigated.     

Synthesis and characterization of sol–gel derived ZrV2O7 fibers with negative thermal expansion property

Novel ZrV₂O₇ fibers with negative thermal expansion were prepared via combination of sol–gel process and thermal decomposition. The as-prepared fibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that the synthetic pH value had little influence on the crystal structure of products while showed significant effect on morphology. The fibers obtained at pH = 9 exhibited cylindrical morphology and its mean diameter was about 1 μm. The thermal expansion property of the as-prepared fibers was investigated by in situ XRD and thermal mechanical analyzer. All of the as-prepared fibers showed positive thermal expansion first and then negative thermal expansion, resulting from a phase transition from 3 × 3 × 3 superstructure to 1 × 1 × 1 cubic structure. The macro thermal expansion coefficients of ZrV₂O₇ ceramic rods increased with decreasing of fiber diameter. The mechanism of the phase transition was also discussed.     

Self-supported particle-track-etched polycarbonate membranes as templates for cylindrical polypyrrole nanotubes and nanowires: an X-ray scattering and scanning force microscopy investigation

Self-supported particle-track-etched polycarbonate membranes with nearly perfect cylindrical pores are used for the preparation of similarly perfect cylindrical polypyrrole nanowires and nanotubes. A complete investigation of the structural properties that result at different stages of the preparation route of polypyrrole nanowires and nanotubes is based on a combination of real and reciprocal space techniques. Nanoporous membranes with nominal pore size ranging from 5 to 150 nm and pore density up to 10(9) pores/cm(2) made from 21-microm-thick polycarbonate films are used. Polypyrrole nanotubes or nanowires are synthesized inside the pores. A real-space picture of the nanomaterial results from scanning force microscopy (SFM) on ultrathin sections made in two directions to obtain structures in the sample surface as well as perpendicular to the surface. From a model-based fit to the small-angle and ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/USAXS) data, the geometric pore structure is obtained and compared to values determined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nanopores, nanowires, and nanotubes are described by uniform solid cylinders or hollow tubes, which are oriented highly parallel to each other and exhibit a small size distribution. Below a critical pore diameter, solid nanowires are produced whereas above this limit hollow nanotubes result.     

Co-Electrospun BaTiO3 Hollow Fibers Combined with Sol-Gel Method

BaTiO₃ xerogel hollow fibers have been prepared firstly by co-electrospinning the sol precursor, and the polycrystalline BaTiO₃ ceramic hollow fibers were obtained after calcination at 1000°C. The obtained hollow fibers made up of well-crystallized nanocrystals were about 400 nm to several micrometers in outer diameter. The hollow BaTiO₃ fibers have been detected by means of SEM, TG, DSC, FTIR, and XRD techniques.     

Influence of drug on the structure and segmental mobility of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) ultrafine fibers

Ultrafine fibers of biodegradable natural polyester such as poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) containing dipyridamole at various concentrations as a drug are prepared by the electrospinning method. It is shown by scanning electron microscopy that the absence of dipyridamole or its low concentrations (from 0 to 1%) provide the complex morphology of fibers composed of cylindrical regions 1–3 μm in diameter and thickened spindle-like ones 5–7 μm in average diameter. An increase in the concentration of dipyridamole in fibers leads to disappearance of the latter regions, with the morphology being cylindrical. The features of the crystalline and amorphous structures of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and its mixtures with dipyridamole are examined via DSC and EPR probe techniques. It is shown that the addition of dipyridamole to the poly(3- hydroxybutyrate) polymer matrix results in a sharp increase in the crystallinity and a slowdown of the molecular mobility in amorphous regions of ultrafine fibers. The heat treatment (annealing) of fibers leads to a sharp increase in the polymer crystallinity and a reduction of the segmental mobility in intercrystalline regions of the initial poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) fibers and those containing 1% of dipyridamole. All results including the influence of the drug concentration on the shape of fibers and their dynamic characteristics agree well with the thermal and physical parameters and should be used in the design of therapeutic systems for targeted and sustained delivery of bioactive compounds.     

Surface spin glass behavior in sol-gel derived La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 nanotubes

We report the fabrication of La(0.7)Ca(0.3)MnO(3) nanotubes (LCMONTs) with a diameter of about 200 nm, by a modified sol-gel method utilizing nanochannel alumina templates. High resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed that the obtained LCMONTs are made up of nanoparticles (8-12 nm), which are randomly aligned in the wall of the nanotubes. The strong irreversibility between zero field cooling (ZFC) and field cooling (FC) magnetization curves as well as a cusplike peak in the ZFC curve gives strong support for surface spin glass behavior.     

Size and morphology of assemblies formed by DNA and lysozyme in dilute aqueous mixtures

Assemblies formed by a well-defined quality of DNA (4331 bp T7 DNA) and the small net-cationic protein lysozyme in dilute aqueous solutions have been characterized using cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) as the main techniques. In a wide range of different DNA to lysozyme ratios in solutions of low ionic strength, dispersions of aggregates with the same general morphology and a practically constant hydrodynamic size are formed. The basic structure formed in the dispersions is that of rather flexible worm-like assemblies with a diameter of 10-20 nm, which are suggested to be made up by bundles of on the order of 10 DNA chains with an intervening matrix of lysozyme. With increased ionic strength, the worm-like appearance of the assemblies is lost and they adopt a less well-defined shape. The results suggest that the formation of the DNA-lysozyme aggregates is strongly influenced by cooperative assembly of the components and that, in addition to the electrostatic attraction between DNA and lysozyme, attractive interactions between the protein units are important in governing the behavior of the system.     

Electrospun Nickel Oxide Hollow Nanostructured Fibers

The citric acid/nickel acetate composite hollow fibers were prepared by using sol-gel processing and co-electrospinning technique. The polycrystalline NiO hollow nanostructured fibers were prepared after calcination. The obtained hollow nanostructured fibers made up of 17～25 nm nanocrystals were about 150 nm to several micrometers in outer diameter. The hollow NiO nanostructured fibers have been characterized by TG, DSC, SEM, FTIR, and XRD techniques. The results showed that the morphology of NiO hollow fibers was obviously influenced by the calcination temperature.     

静电纺丝法制备铁酸锌中空纤维及其磁学性能

以锌盐、铁盐和聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)为原料,通过静电纺丝法先制备PVP/硝酸盐复合纤维,这些复合纤维以5℃·min-1的升温速率加热到500℃并保温3h,最终得到铁酸锌(ZnFe2O4)中空纤维.通过X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)以及振动样品磁强计(VSM)等分析手段对中空纤维的晶体结构、形貌和磁学性能进行了研究.结果显示,ZnFe2O4中空纤维属于尖晶石结构,高温处理后仍能保持一维结构,纤维直径在200-400nm之间,纤维壁由大小为25nm的颗粒堆积而成.室温磁化结果显示制备的ZnFe2O4中空纤维具有超顺磁性,在10kOe的磁化强度为2.03emu·g-1.     

Characterization of hydroxyapatite by electron microscopy.

The obtention of hydroxyapatite (HAp) is reported using brushite (CaHPO4.2H2O) and the skeleton of a starfish (Mellita eduardobarrosoi sp. nov.), primarily composed of magnesian calcite ((Ca,Mg)CO3) as precursors. Stoichiometric amounts of both were reacted under hydrothermal conditions: a pressure of 5.8 MPa and a temperature of 200 degrees C for 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 20 h of reaction times. The samples obtained were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Two defined populations of HAp fibers were found: A bundle of fibers 75 mum in length and 1-13 mum in diameter, and a second bundle of fibers 5 mum in length and less than 0.5 mum in diameter. Furthermore, an increase in HAp formation and a Ca/P ratio as a function of reaction time were observed. The growth mechanism of HAp is also discussed.     

Observations par microscopie électronique de traces d'ions lourds dans le triacétate de cellulose

Tracks of heavy charged particles have been observed in cellulose acetate by conventional electron microscopy (100 kV) and by high voltage microscopy (1, 2 MV). The tracks are formed of successive islets following each other at distances of 70-150 Å. With the evolution of the diameter of these zones is shown the existence of a highly perturbed cylindrical volume (diameter 400 Å for the case of krypton) corresponding to regions in which free radicals have been created. The different techniques used do not allow observation of the latent track because of the complications of energetic phenomena: the electron beam current density being limited, the contrast is small and hence the resolution is restricted.     

Electrostatic Forces Induce Poly(vinyl alcohol)‐Protected Copper Nanoparticles to Form Copper/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Nanocables via Electrospinning

Summary: Copper/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocables have been successfully obtained by electrospinning a PVA‐protected copper nanoparticle solution. The molar ratio of copper ions to PVA (in terms of VA repeating units) plays an important role in the formation of copper/PVA nanocables. The average diameter of the copper cores and PVA shells is about 100 and 400 nm, respectively. The structures of the copper/PVA nanocables are characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and their formation is confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

TEM image of a copper/PVA nanocable.     

Cationic starch–polyacrylonitrile graft copolymer latexes

Acrylonitrile (AN) was graft-polymerized onto gelatinized cationic starch (CS) possessing diethylaminoethyl ether groups by cerium (IV) initiation to give stable latexlike copolymer dispersions. Dispersions of the latex copolymers, having up to 50% grafted polyacrylonitrile (PAN), air- and heat-dry on glass to clear, adhesive films. Sonification of up to 8% dispersions at 20 Khz reduced their viscosities from 1500–3000 cP to 15–40 cP. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that both nonsonified and sonified dispersions consist of ball-like particles measuring about 0.05–0.15 μ in diameter when dry. The films are formed by coalescence of these particles. The degree to which AN grafts onto CS at ambient temperature is related to the nitrogen content of CS, gelatinization time of CS at 95°C, sequence of AN and cerium(IV) addition, concentration of cerium (IV), concentration of AN, and severity of reaction agitation. Number-average molecular weight values of PAN were about 10⁶ when grafting was conducted under stirring and about 5 × 10⁵ when conducted under shaking action.     

Sub-micrometer-sized metal tubes from electrospun fiber templates

Metallic tubes have been synthesized by a polymer-based template approach using electroless deposition. Gold, copper, and nickel were deposited as thin films on sub-micrometer polymer fibers which ranged in diameter from approximately 160 to 400 nm. After thermal degradation of the template fibers at 300 and 650 degrees C, tubes between 450 and 730 nm were obtained with wall thicknesses of 50-150 nm. Characterization by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction indicate that the tubes have a face-centered cubic structure with [111] preferred orientation for all of the metals investigated and that the tube walls are polycrystalline, composed of nanoparticles, ranging in size from 5.0 to 25.0 nm.     

Sol-Gel Co-Electrospun LiNiO2 Hollow Nanofibers

Using a coaxial capillary spinneret electrospinning technique combined with the sol-gel method, the nickelic xerogel hollow nanofibers first were prepared and the polycrystalline LiNiO₂ hollow nanofibers were obtained after sintering. The obtained hollow nanofibers were about 500 nm to 4 µm in outer diameter, and were made up of 20 ～ 30 nm nanocrystals. The xerogel hollow nanofibers and those calcined at different temperatures were characterized by thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum, x-ray diffractometry (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).     

同轴静电纺丝法在纳米中空Ti02纤维中填充Ag的应用

以聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)溶胶,钛酸四正丁酯和PVP溶胶,银颗粒为前驱体,以共轴静电纺丝法制备了银填充的TiO2中空纳米纤维.将双组分纤维在200℃下热处理去除乙醇与表面吸附水后,继而在空气气氛中焙烧至600℃.可以得到在内表面上沉积银颗粒的TiO2纳米管,银颗粒的直径为5-40 nm,TiO2纳米管的外径150-300 nm.管臂厚10-20 nm.用红外吸收光谱(IR)、X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)等测试手段对超细纤维进行了表征.中空纤维的直径和管壁可以通过改变电纺参数来调节.与Ag-TiO2纳米纤维、TiO2纳米中空纤维、TiO2纳米纤维及TiO2纳米粉体相比较,Ag颗粒填充的TiO2纳米中空纤维在光分解亚甲基蓝上表现出了更好的光催化性能.