Process analysis of depolymerization polybutylene terephthalate in supercritical methanol

The characteristics of depolymerization of PBT in supercritical methanol were investigated in the range of 453-533 K by using a high-pressure reactor. Based on the qualitative and quantitative analyses of the products, a depolymerization-reaction model was proposed to explain the depolymerization and reaction mechanism, i.e. ester exchange reaction occurred randomly along the chain of PBT. It was suggested that the process of depolymerization consisted of subcritical region, transitional region and supercritical region. In the first region, PBT mainly showed a swelling process in the methanol with slow decrease in molecular weight and little conversion. In the second region, PBT dissolved quickly with high depolymerization rate. While in the third region, the molecular weight of PBT decreased quickly with a thorough depolymerization in few minutes. DMT and BG obtained from the depolymerization of PBT in supercritical methanol reached 98.5% and 72.3%, respectively.     

Annealing of melt-crystallized nylon 6

Effect of annealing on thermal behaviour and crystalline structure of meltcrystallized nylon 6 has been investigated.The annealing process is found to be characterized by an incubation period followed by a more or less doubling of the SAXS long spacing and of the crystallinity.The extrapolated heat of melting of the crystalline phase of nylon 6 in the-modification is 188 Jg^–1 and its extrapolated equilibrium melting temperature is 260 °C.Presented in part at 28th IUPAC Symposium on Macromolecules, Strasbourg, July, 1981.     

Study on depolymerization of polycarbonate in supercritical ethanol

The characteristics of depolymerization of PC in supercritical ethanol were investigated in the range of 483-563 K by using a high-pressure batch autoclave reactor. Based on the qualitative and quantitative analyses of the products, a depolymerization-reaction model was proposed to explain the reaction mechanism, i.e. random scission and ester exchange reaction occurred simultaneously during the process of depolymerizaition of PC. It was suggested that the process of depolymerization consisted of subcritical region, transitional region and supercritical region. It was indicated that PC degraded with slow decrease of molecular weight determined by GPC and with the conversion of 7.5% at 513 K in subcritical region. While in the supercritical region, the molecular weight of PC decreased quickly and degraded completely in 30 min at 563 K. Continuous-distribution kinetics could be used to describe the mechanism of polymer degradation and the energy of activation for the random scission of PC in the supercritical region was 97.2 kJ/mol. Moreover, PC could be degraded completely into diethyl carbonate (DEC) and bisphenol A (BPA) with the yields of 89% and 90%, respectively, in supercritical region.     

The glass transition behaviour of salted nylon 6

Summary Glass transition measurements of nylon-6/lithium halides mixtures have been carried out in wide range of frequency with the aid of different experimental techniques.The results show an increase of the glass transition temperature when the salt is present and prove the larger effectiveness of lithium chloride with respect of lithium bromide.This effect, in line with the large reduction of the specific volume caused by the salt, is due to the formation of a pseudo-cross-linking between lithium ions and the carbonyl-oxygen groups of the polyamide.     

Transport properties of electrospun nylon 6 nonwoven mats

In this work, we evaluate the physical properties of nylon 6 nonwoven mats produced from solutions with formic acid. Nonwoven electrospun mats from various solutions with different concentration are examined regarding their morphology, pore size, surface area, and gas transport properties. Each nonwoven mat with average fiber diameters from 90 to 500 nm was prepared under controlled electrospinning process parameters. From the results, it was observed that the fiber diameter was strongly affected by the polymer concentration (polymer viscosity). In additional the results showed that the pore size, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, and gas transport property of electrospun nylon 6 nonwoven mats were affected by the fiber diameter.     

Study on solvent permeation resistance properties of nylon6/clay nanocomposite

Nylon6/clay nanocomposite is prepared by mixing organized montmorillonite with nylon6 in HAAKE mixer. Solvent permeation resistance of the nanocomposite is measured to estimate the resistance to solvent permeation. The nanocomposite shows resistance to solvent permeation superior to that of pure nylon6. In addition, the clay content was found to significantly influence the solvent permeation resistance of nylon6, and the maximum improvement in barrier properties of nylon6/clay composite was found as the clay content reached an “optimum” value. By using proper composites and processing conditions, the permeation rate of toluene and ethanol in nylon6/clay nanocomposite is about 3 and 4 times slower than that in pure nylon6 at 50 °C. Our investigation indicated that the crystalline property of nylon6 has a strong impact on the sorption and diffusion of small molecules in the polymer. The improvement in solvent barrier properties of nylon6/clay nanocomposite is attributable to incorporation of an impermeable phase such as the layered silicate, improvement in crystallinity and decrease of crystalline dimension, which are evidenced by XRD, AFM, DSC and polarized optical microscopy (POM) studies.     

Effect of water absorption on the plastic deformation behavior of nylon 6

The tensile behavior of nylon 6 films has been investigated in relation to water content. Modification of chain mobility in the amorphous phase via water plasticization appears to have a determining impact on the stress-strain response. More specifically, both yield stress value and hardening behavior over a large strain domain are strikingly equivalent for samples drawn at same ΔT between draw temperature T_d and main amorphous relaxation temperature T_α. This apparent lack of thermal activation of crystal plasticity in the fibrillar transformation suggests that crystal block fragmentation proceeds via H-bond unzipping through water penetration at defective crystal interfaces.     

Miscibility studies on blends of cellulose acetate and nylon 6

Miscibility studies on cellulose secondary acetate(CA)/Nylon 6(N6) blends have been carried out in this work. Dilute solution viscometry for the blend solutions using formic acid as the common solvent shows the existence of miscibility window.     

Novel preferred orientation in injection-molded nylon 6-clay hybrid

Nylon 6-clay hybrid (NCH) is a molecular composite of Nylon 6 and uniformly dispersed silicate monolayers of montmorillonite. In this study the preferred orientation of montmorillonite and Nylon-6 crystallites in a thick (3 mm) injection-molded bar of NCH has been investigated using x-ray diffraction and electron micrography (TEM). It is clear that this bar has a triple layer structure consisting of surface, intermediate, and middle layers which have different preferred orientation. In the surface layer both the silicate monolayers and the chain axes of Nylon-6 crystallites are parallel to the bar surface though the latter are randomly oriented within the plane. In the intermediate layer the silicate monolayers remain parallel to the bar surface but the Nylon-6 crystallites rotate by 90° so that the chain axes would be perpendicular to the bar surface or the silicate monolayers. In the middle layer the silicate monolayers are randomly oriented around the flow axis of the NCH bar while remaining parallel to it, and the Nylon crystallites are randomly oriented around the flow axis while keeping their chain axes perpendicular to the silicate monolayers. It may be concluded that such preferred orientation of Nylon 6 crystallites is induced by the clay because the crystallites in the pure Nylon 6 bar have no preferred orientation. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Influence of composition on properties of nylon 6/EVOH blends

In this work, the relationships between composition and properties of Ny6/EVOH system were examined by means of several techniques and the results were interpreted in terms of level of compatibility. Blends of different ratio of Ny6 and EVOH have been processed in a laboratory‐based film blowing extrusion apparatus. Rheological measurements, FTIR and morphological analysis, and thermal and mechanical properties were carried out. Peculiar rheological, thermal, and mechanical behaviors were observed for the blend containing 25% by weight of EVOH. At this composition, FTIR analysis has pointed out that a minimum in molecular motion is achieved as a consequence of a maximum interaction of the polar groups (amide groups of Ny6 and hydroxyl groups of EVOH) involved. Moreover, gas permeability measurements on the blown films have been performed at T = 30°C. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 2445–2455, 1999     

Dynamic mechanical analysis of RIM nylon-6

The β relaxation process was shown to occur at different temperatures and exhibit a different activation energy for dry and wet samples prepared by reaction injection molding (RIM) of Nylon-6. By employing a low operating frequency and controlled low moisture levels, it became possible to distinguish the two β relaxation processes, β₁ and β₂, in one sample by dynamic mechanical spectroscopy. It was shown that while β₁ was associated with moisture in the sample, β₂ was related to a structural mechanism independent of moisture. The effect of moisture content on the chain-chain association (α relaxation process) and chain-water association (β₁, relaxation process) in nylon-6 was assessed. The annealing mechanism of RIM Nylon-6 at 85°C was probed by both dynamic mechanical spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction.     

Naphthalimide based disperse dyes for nylon 6 and polyester (pet) fibers: Synthesis and evaluation of technical properties in the presence of urea

Technical properties of two naphthalimide based disperse dyes on nylon 6 and polyester fibers were investigated in the presence of urea.The two naphthalimide based disperse dyes were synthesized.The dyes were purified and then fully characterized using ~1H-NMR,FTIR and melting point analysis.Dispersion of the dyes was prepared in water and applied on nylon 6 and PET fibers.The dyes offered good build-up properties on the substrates.In order to increase dye adsorption of the substrates,urea was added into...     

Increase in dynamic modulus of nylon 6 fiber in repeated heating and cooling cycles under sinusoidal deformation

The repeated heating and cooling cycles under sinusoidal deformation have been investigated on nylon 6 fibers. The fibers zone-drawn twice at high temperatures were used, which have a crystallinity of 52.2% and a birefringence of 59.4×10^?3. The heating and cooling cycle was performed twice at a frequency of 110 Hz over a temperature range from 0°C to 180°C and 190°C. The crystallinity and birefringence of the treated fiber were 51.7% and 60.7×10^?3, respectively, indicating almost no changes in molecular orientation and crystallinity. However, the dynamic modulus, E′, increased steadily over whole temperature range measured. Finally, the E′ value reached 21 GPa at room temperature and 10 GPa ever at 180°C. The elongation of fiber after two cycles was only about 5%. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effects of plastic additives on depolymerization of polycarbonate in sub-critical water

The effects of plastic additives on depolymerization of polycarbonate (PC) in sub-critical water were examined. Depolymerization of PC with two additives was carried out in an autoclave at temperatures from 533 to 613 K for reaction times ranging from 15 to 60 min. The additives used were a flame retardant (decabromodiphenyl ether, DBDPO) and a plasticizer (di-n-octyl phthalate, DnOP). The main products of PC depolymerization in the presence or absence of the additives were bisphenol A (BPA) and phenol, which were identified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and quantified by gas chromatography (GC). The addition of DBDPO accelerated the hydrolysis of PC while the addition of DnOP had the opposite effect, and both additives reduced the yield of BPA. The activation energy for PC depolymerization in sub-critical water was found to be lower with DBDPO additive than with DnOP.     

Synthesis and characterization of nanostructured-segmented block copolyetheramide based on nylon6 and poly(ethylene oxide)

<正>Segmented block copolymer based on nylon6(N6) and polyethylene oxide(PEO) with stochiometric ratio was synthesized via a two-step process.The first step represents end capping of N6 in the presence of adipic acid leading to carboxy terminated N6,and the second one is polycondensation of the latter product with PEO in the presence of catalyst and thermostabilizer to form a high molecular weight multi-block copolymer.Several methods were applied to characterize the synthesized copolymer such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy,differential thermal analysis,differential scanning calorimetry,X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The obtained results confirmed the multi-block structure for copolymer with a very high degree of micro-phase separation. Atomic force microscopy micrographs indicated that the morphology was the dispersion of high stiffness nanostructured polyamide(PA) domains in the amorphous region of PEO matrix,which can be very important in their performance for membrane processes.     

The electron microscope characterization of the fine structure of nylon 6: II. On the rearrangement of the structure during cold-drawing

The transmission electron microscope (TEM) visualization of the supermolecular structure of cold-drawn, oriented nylon 6 bulk material (bristles) by stained ultra-thin sections is reported. For evaluating the electron micrographs optical diffraction (OD) has been applied in comparison with small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The deformation of the spherulites was followed by polarization microscopy. In addition, investigations were carried out on commercial nylon 6 fibres. As the main result a transverse structure was revealed within the drawn samples at draw ratios between =4 and 4.5, consisting of mosaic crystals which show some lateral alignment. The structure is described by a modified layer lattice model. While the long period may increase slightly during drawing, the crystallite thickness remains almost constant. Fibres with =3.4 show a similarly oriented structure though the lateral alignment of the crystals is not so pronounced.     

GC-MS ultra trace analysis of dioxins produced through hydrothermal gasification of biowastes

Hydrogen gas and the valuable material hydroxylapatite have successfully been produced from biomass wastes by hydrothermal gasification. However, it was expected that toxic compounds might be produced through the reaction. It was therefore important to clarify whether toxic compounds were synthesized in hydrothermal gasification of biowastes since dioxins are categorized among the most toxic compounds for humans. This is particularly true of biomass wastes containing hetero-atoms in organic matrices. In this study, formation of the dioxins polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and certain dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were examined. Chicken manure and cattle manure were tested as real biowastes for hydrothermal gasification and the produced compounds in the liquid and solid phases were analyzed for detection of dioxins by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The total toxic equivalent quantities (the total TEQ) of dioxins produced by the hydrothermal gasification were found to be much lower than regulation levels in Japan require and therefore the products require no additional post treatments.     

Effect of P(MMA-co-MAA) compatibilizer on the miscibility of nylon 6/PVDF blends

With the ultimate objective of enhancing the impact strength and weatherability of nylon 6 engineering plastic, blending with poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) was studied. In the absence of a compatibilizer the two polymers phase separate, resulting in a deterioration of the properties. Since poly(methyl methacrylate) is known to be miscible with PVDF, we evaluated poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) (P(MMA-co-MAA)) of low methacrylic acid content as the compatibilizer. The carboxylic acid groups in the MAA units were expected to react with the end amino groups of nylon 6 forming block or graft copolymers, P(MMA-co-MAA)-g-nylon 6, in situ, which will function as the actual compatibilizer. The amount of P(MMA-co-MAA) added, the MMA/MAA composition and heat treatment time were varied to study their effects on the miscibility, morphology, and mechanical properties of nylon 6/PVDF blends. The enhancement of the compatibility of nylon 6 and PVDF by addition of P(MMA-co-MAA) and the partial miscibility of nylon 6 and PVDF has been confirmed through DSC, dynamic mechanical testing, SEM of fracture surfaces, and tensile testing. The decrease in the crystallization temperatures on addition of compatibilizer in DSC experiments suggests that the compatibilizer enhances the interaction between the two components and retards the crystallization. The dynamic mechanical thermal analysis experiments suggest that the compatibility in the amorphous regions of nylon 6 and PVDF in particular has been enhanced. The increase in the heat treatment time in the molten state resulted in further enhancement of the miscibility. The enhancement of compatibility by addition of a reactive compatibilizer and heat treatment resulted in a significant increase in the energy of rupture in tensile testing.     

The electron microscope characterization of the fine structure of nylon 6: I. The supermolecular structure in melt-cast,isotropic bulk material

The application of phosphotungstic acid (PTA) as a staining agent with appropriate hardening procedures and accurate ultra-thin sectioning has enabled the direct transmission electron microscope (TEM) investigation to be carried out on the lamellar fine structure of bulk nylon 6. Details of the organization of the crystal lamellae within spherulites and other morphological structures, their shape and, especially, their dimensions were revealed and the mean structural long period was determined. Interspherulitic regions without any indication of crystalline ordering could be observed in samples which were rapidly cooled from the melt. The investigations on bulk material were completed by observations on solution-grown thin films. Optical diffraction (OD) was used for evaluating the electron micrographs; the results were compared with the data from small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS).     

Thermal properties and combustion characterization of nylon 6/MgAl-LDH nanocomposites via organic modification and melt intercalation

The nylon 6/MgAl layered double hydroxide (MgAl-LDH) nanocomposites have been prepared by melt intercalation of nylon 6 into the part organic dodecyl sulfate (DS) anion-modified MgAl(H-DS) interlayers. The structures and properties of MgAl(H-DS) and corresponding nanocomposites were characterized by ion chromotography, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), and cone calorimeter test (CCT). The nanoscale dispersion of MgAl(H-DS) layers in the nylon 6 matrix has been verified by the disappearance of d₀₀₁ XRD diffraction peak of MgAl(H-DS) and the observation of TEM image. DSC tests evince that these exfoliated MgAl(H-DS) layers play the role of nucleating agents with strong heterogeneous nucleation effect on the crystallization of nylon 6 and increase its crystallization temperature over 12 °C with only 5 wt% MgAl(H-DS). TGA tests show that the effect of alkaline catalysis degradation from LDH on nylon 6 decreases the thermal stability of nylon 6/MgAl-LDH nanocomposites. The data from the cone calorimeter tests show that the HRR and MLR values of the sample with 5 wt% MgAl(H-DS) decrease considerably to 664 kW/m² and 0.161 g/m² s from 1064 kW/m² and 0.252 g/m² s of pure nylon 6, respectively. This kind of exfoliated nanocomposite is promising for the application of flame-retardant polymeric materials.