Structural evolution of liquid-crystalline solutions of hydroxypropyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl cellulose-based nanocomposites during flow

The phase state and orientation and dissipative characteristics of biphasic LC HPC-water solutions and filled systems formed on their basis during shear flow are studied by various methods. The concentration of solutions is selected on the basis of the corrected phase diagram constructed with the use of optical interferometry. Flow curves and concentration dependences of viscosity provide additional information about the phase state and structure of the samples and the role of fillers in the rheological properties of solutions. X-ray diffraction data are obtained with the use of a Couette cell consisting of two coaxial capillaries. In the case of a clay suspension in water, practically no orientation is attained. However, in the isotropic 30% solution, clay particles easily orient, a result that indicates an important role of the viscoelasticity of a medium in the orientation process. The development of orientation of HPC macromolecules and clay particles in relation to the shear rate is analyzed separately for systems with the biphasic matrix (LC + isotropic phase). In addition, the time decay of the orientation parameter during relaxation is investigated. It is shown that higher shear rates cause a more rapid relaxation of orientation, for which recovery of the cholesteric helix typical for LC solutions of cellulose derivatives in the equilibrium state plays an important role. Order parameters (separately for the two components) are calculated, and their evolution with the shear rate and total deformation is investigated for systems containing clay nanoparticles (also the structure-active component) in LC solutions. On the basis of these data, it is hypothesized that clay particles form the columnar mesophase, which, under certain conditions, may transform into the discotic mesophase. This transition is responsible for a certain decrease in the order parameter of HPC apparently due to the instability effect of the director. It is found that shearing substantially affects the structure of the system composed of two mesophase species; specifically, it either facilitates the reinforcement of one of them or provokes structural transitions.     

羟丙基瓜尔胶的制备及表征

瓜尔胶(guar gum)是一种天然半乳甘露聚糖,其水溶性和增稠性很好,广泛用做增稠剂、破乳剂等。原粉胶溶解较慢、水不溶物含量高、粘度不易控制,人们常利用化学手段改变其理化特性以满足实际工业生产需要,羟丙基化是有效的手段之一,但对羟丙基化的表征较为困难。S．     

Electrospinning of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose trimellitate solutions

Nonwoven fiber mats of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose trimellitate(HPMCT) with potential applications in controlled delivery of drugs and scaffolds for tissue cultures have been successfully fabricated by electrospinning of HPMCT solutions.The formation and diameters of HPMCT fibers fabricated by electrospinning were strongly influenced by the solvents employed,electrostatic field strength,and solution concentrations.The electrospun products generated from all HPMCT solutions with various weight-average mole...     

Synthesis and characterization of hydroxypropyl cellulose from bacterial cellulose

Bacterial cellulose produced by Acetobacter xylinum has been reacted with propyleneoxide to synthesize hydroxypropyl cellulose(HPC) under different reaction conditions while diluted by toluene. The effects of mass ratio of bacterial cellulose to propyleneoxide, dilutability of toluene, reaction temperature(T) and time(t) were investigated by series of experiments. The degree of substitution(DS), hydroxypropyl content(A) and yield(η) were compared. The optimized product exhibited cold-water solubility and hot-water gelatinization in aqueous medium. Further study was carried out with FTIR, TGA, XRD, SEM and 13C-NMR for characterization. The water/air contact angle measurement reveals that it is a good hydrophobic material with good mechanical properties.     

Transport properties of water in hydroxypropyl methylcellulose

The relation between the self-diffusion coefficient, D_self, of water and the free volume hole size, V_h, has been investigated in a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)-water system in the water content range 0.08-0.36 w/w, at room temperature. Furthermore, the thermal properties of the water in the HPMC-water system, as measured with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the tensile storage, E′, and tensile loss, E″, moduli, of the HPMC-water systems, as determined with dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), have been probed. Pulsed-field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG NMR) was used to measure the D_self of water and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) was used to measure the ortho-Positronium (o-Ps) lifetime in the HPMC-water system. The glass transition temperature of the HPMC was found to be reduced by the water to room temperature in the water content range 0.10-0.15 w/w. The relation between ln D_self of water and the inverse free volume hole size of the HPMC-water system was non-linear. Furthermore, the PALS measurements showed that molecular water co-existed with water clusters in the HPMC-water system.     

Preparation of hydroxypropyl cellulose microfibers by high-speed rotary spinning and prediction of the fiber-forming properties of hydroxypropyl cellulose gels by texture analysis

Water-soluble, nonionic cellulose-based fibers were prepared from aqueous hydroxypropyl cellulose gels of 5–13-μm diameter by using a high-speed rotary spinning technique. A combination of texture analysis and viscosity measurement was applied to determine the optimum concentration of hydroxypropyl cellulose gels for fiber formation. The examined concentration range of hydroxypropyl cellulose gels was 38–52 % w/w. The textural properties including the adhesiveness of gels of different concentrations were determined based on the load-distance and load-time curves, while the obtained fiber formation was visually observed with an optical microscope. The texture analysis method enabled the determination of the optimum gel concentration from the point of fiber formation. An unequivocal correlation was determined between the adhesiveness of gels and their fiber-forming ability. The adhesiveness has a local minimum where the productivity of the fiber formation process and the micromorphology of the emitted fibers are optimal. Statistical analysis of the distribution of fiber diameters confirmed that in case of the optimum concentration, the distribution approaches normality. Mechanical properties of the prepared fibers were also evaluated using texture analysis, which indicated that the fibers made of gels of the suggested optimum concentration had the most desirable elastic behavior. An optimum concentration range of hydroxypropyl cellulose exists that enables fiber formation with the required characteristics from the point of further pharmaceutical formulation processing.     

Thermal extrusion of cellulose using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose

Cellulose - Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), a cellulose derivative, is highly water soluble, viscoelastic, and thermoplastic. However, the thermoplasticity of HPMC has not yet been studied in...     

Ionic conductivity and tensile properties of hydroxyethyl and hydroxypropyl chitosan membranes

Hydroxyethyl chitosan and hydroxypropyl chitosan were prepared through the reaction of alkali‐chitosan with 2‐chloroethanol and propylene epoxide, respectively. Fourier transform infrared and ¹³C NMR measurements were made to examine the substitution on the chitosan unit. According to a comparison of the peak areas between the modified chitosan and unmodified chitosan and the integration of peak areas of ¹H NMR spectra, for both modified chitosans, the maximum degree of substitution was less than 25%. The ionic conductivity and mechanical properties of modified chitosan membranes were investigated. In comparison with the unmodified chitosan membrane, hydrated hydroxyethyl and hydroxypropyl chitosan membranes with a higher degree of substitution showed an increase in ionic conductivity of about one order of magnitude; moreover, the crystallinity of hydroxyethyl and hydroxypropyl chitosan membranes was remarkably reduced, and their swelling indices increased significantly. However, these modified membranes did not exhibit significant changes in their tensile strength and breaking elongation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1379–1397, 2004     

Synthesis and properties of amino acid esters of hydroxypropyl cellulose

The amino acid esters of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) [R′ = H ( 2a ), CH₃ ( 2b ), CH₂CH(CH₃)₂ ( 2c ), CH₂CONH₂ ( 2d ), CH₂CH₂CONH₂ ( 2e ), CH₂CH₂CH₂CH₂ NHOCOC(CH₃)₃ ( 2f )] were synthesized in good yield by the reaction of t‐butoxycarbonyl (t‐Boc)‐protected amino acids with hydroxy groups of HPC ( 1 ; molar substitution (MS), 4.61). The amino acid functionalities displaying varied chemical nature, shape, and bulk were utilized and the bulk of the substituent on the α‐carbon of amino acids was elucidated to be of vital significance for the observed degree of incorporation (DS_Est). The ¹H NMR spectra and elemental analysis were employed to determine the degree of incorporation of amino acid moiety (DS_Est) and almost complete substitution of the hydroxy protons was revealed for 2a , 2b , and 2f . The presence of the peaks characteristic of the carbonyl group in the FTIR spectra furnished further evidence for the successful esterification of HPC. The starting as well as the resulting polymers ( 1 and 2a – f ) were soluble in polar organic solvents; however, the esterification of 1 with bulky organic moieties resulted in an increased hydrophobicity as all of the amino acid‐functionalized polymers ( 2a – f ) were insoluble in water. The onset temperatures of weight loss of 2a – f were 175–230 °C, indicating fair thermal stability. The amino acid functionalization led to the enhanced polymer chain stiffness, and the glass transition temperatures of the derivatized polymers were 30–40 °C higher than that of 1 (T_g 3.9 °C; cf. T_g of 2a – f , 35.1–43.3 °C). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 2326–2334, 2008     

羟丙基瓜尔胶在离子液体中的制备

本文以离子液体1-烯丙基-3-甲基咪唑氯盐(AmimCl)为反应介质,以氢氧化钠为催化剂合成了羟丙基瓜尔胶(HPG),并通过1H NMR确定了产品的摩尔取代度。探讨了水的用量、环氧丙烷的用量、反应温度和反应时间对摩尔取代度的影响。在水与瓜尔胶的质量比为1.7、氢氧化钠与瓜尔胶的质量比为5%、环氧丙烷与瓜尔胶的质量比为3.5、反应温度为60℃和反应时间为12h的条件下,摩尔取代度(MS)可以达到0.76。同时发现在不加催化剂NaOH的情况下,瓜尔胶在AmimCl中的羟丙基化反应同样可以发生,只是得到的HPG的MS相对较小。     

Processing window for extrusion foaming of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose

Foamed materials are gaining an increased interest due to their good mechanical properties in relation to their low densities and an increased industrial demand can be expected. A few less attractive issues can however be associated with commodity foamed products. For instance the raw-material often originates from non-renewable, fossil-based, sources. Furthermore, degradation in nature is slow, therefor the disposed product is burned or end up in landfills. One possibility to reduce the impact on nature could be to produce foams from natural polymers such as starch or cellulose. In this study the possibility to produce foams from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) with water as blowing agent, by continuous extrusion, was investigated. A pre-study using a capillary viscometer, batch-extruder, was conducted to evaluate the foamability of HPMC. Due to promising results further experiments were conducted with a single-screw extruder. The goal was to find an adequate processing window for foaming. It was concluded that HPMC could successfully be foamed by continuous extrusion, although a careful tailoring of the processing parameters was required. Crucial parameters were here the temperature, pressure and residence time distribution in the extruder. Regions of the extruded foams were examined using optical and scanning electron microscopy and HPMC foams with a density in the range of that of fossil-based polymeric foams could be produced.     

羟丙基甲基纤维素作为水泥添加剂的研究(二)

以萘磺酸甲醛缩合物为分散剂，水溶性羟丙基甲基纤维素衍生物为粘稠剂，研究了它们的复合物以对混凝土材料的分散性与粘稠性及其它性能的影响，并探索了其作用机理。     

Dissipative crystallization of aqueous solutions of hydroxypropyl cellulose

Drying dissipative structures of aqueous solutions of hydroxypropyl cellulose, their viscosities of 2 wt.% solutions ranging from 2 to 2,000 mPa.s were studied on a cover glass, a watch glass, and a Petri glass dish. The thickness profile of the dried film shows the coexistence of a low round hill and a high broad ring on a cover glass. The broad ring size increased as molecular weight and/or concentration of the polymers increased on a cover glass and a watch glass. Microscopic drying crystal patterns of HPC changed as a function of the distance from the film center, which is one of the typical results of the dissipative crystallization. Rod-like microscopic drying patterns originated in the cholesteric liquid crystalline structures were observed. The rods oriented mainly parallel and in some case perpendicularly to the radial direction of the dried film except the central area, where the rods distributed at random. These orientation effects were significant for low molecular weight samples and in a watch glass.     

Click synthesis by Diels-Alder reaction and characterisation of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-based hydrogels

The Diels-Alder reaction was used to fabricate hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-based hydrogels. First, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) was modified by a carboxyl-containing diene molecule (SFA) which was synthesised from furfurylamine and succinic anhydride. Second, dienophile groups were introduced into HPMC by the coupling reaction with N-maleoyl alanine (AMI) using N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP). Subsequently, the asprepared furan- and maleimide-modified HPMC were dissolved in water and gelation was observed at a pre-determined temperature after a period of time. The samples thus obtained were characterised by FTIR, NMR, SEM, etc. The gelation time changing with temperature, concentration of the solution, and solvent was measured. It was found that gelation time decreased with increasing temperature and concentration of the solution, and that water had a rate-accelerating effect on Diels-Alder reaction. The swelling behaviour indicates that the hydrogels have a high swelling ratio in water and the swelling ratio increases with the increasing temperature. Taking into consideration that the HPMC-based hydrogels are prepared under mild reaction conditions with an adjustable gelation time and thermal stability, the method described here has a potential application in biomaterials, especially in the areas of tissue-engineering and drug-controlled release carriers.     

Thermodynamics of liquid-crystalline solutions of hydroxypropyl cellulose in water and ethanol

Phase diagrams were constructed and comprehensive thermodynamic analysis was performed for hydroxypropyl cellulose-water and hydroxypropyl cellulose-ethanol systems with the use of the static sorption, calorimetry, cloud-point, polarization microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis techniques and the measurement of transmitted polarized light intensity. The concentration dependences of the enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs energy of the formation of liquid-crystalline phases in the systems were determined. It was found that the formation of liquid-crystalline solutions of hydroxypropyl cellulose in water is associated with the energy term of interaction between the components and that in ethanol solutions is due to changes in combinatorial entropy.     

Surface characterizations of spin-coated films of ethylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose blends

Films of pure ethylcellulose (EC) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) polymers and EC/HPMC blends were prepared from solutions by spin coating where isopropyl alcohol (IPA), water, and IPA/water cosolvent were used as solvents. Surface structures of the films were investigated using optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Raman mapping and spectroscopy. For the films prepared from EC/HPMC blend solutions using the IPA/water cosolvent, different domain structures such as islands or pits and phase separation between EC and HPMC were observed by optical microscopy and AFM. The nature of the polymer components on the surface of the films was identified by Raman mapping and spectroscopy. Experimental results also indicated that polymer composition, solvent, and temperature during spin coating had significant impacts on surface structures of the films.     

Functionalization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes by pyrene-labeled hydroxypropyl cellulose

Pyrene-labeled hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC-Py) was synthesized through a condensation reaction between hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and 1-pyrenebutyric acid (Py). A hybrid (HPC/MWNTs) of the HPC-Py and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) was prepared through a noncovalent method. Temperature-variable UV-vis spectra indicated that the HPC-Py had a lower critical solution temperature of about 44 degrees C in water. (1)H NMR, UV-vis, Raman, and fluorescence spectra were used to systematically investigate the pi-pi stacking interaction between the HPC-Py and MWNTs. Dispersion experiments showed the HPC/MWNTs hybrids could be well dispersed in water and many organic solvents.     

Investigation of water mobility and diffusivity in hydrating micronized low-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose,hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose,and hydroxypropyl cellulose matrix tablets by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

The water mobility and diffusivity in the gel-layer of hydrating low-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose (LH41) tablets with or without a drug were investigated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and compared with those properties in the gel-layer of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) and hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) tablets. For this purpose, a localized image-analysis method was newly developed, and the spin-spin relaxation time (T(2)) and apparent self-diffusion coefficient (ADC) of water in the gel-layer were visualized in one-dimensional maps. Those maps showed that the extent of gel-layer growth in the tablets was in the order of HPC>HPMC>LH41, and there was a water mobility gradient across the gel-layers of all three tablet formulations. The T(2) and ADC in the outer parts of the gel-layers were close to those of free water. In contrast, these values in the inner parts of the gel-layer decreased progressively; suggesting that the water mobility and diffusivity around the core interface were highly restricted. Furthermore, the correlation between the T(2) of (1)H proton in the gel-layer of the tablets and the drug release rate from the tablets was observed.