Enzymatic surface modification of Kevlar fibers

Horseradish peroxidase catalyzed grafting of acrylamide (AM) onto Kevlar fibers has been studied. The modified fiber has been characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental analysis and the grafting yield. From the SEM micrographs, the surface of the grafted Kevlar fiber is rougher than that of the untreated fiber, and the elemental analysis indicated that the nitrogen content of the treated fibers is higher than that of the untreated fiber. All the results suggested that AM must have been grafted onto the Kevlar surface through HRP-mediated radical initiated grafting reaction. The probably mechanism of HRP catalyzed grafting of AM onto Kevlar surface is proposed.     

Crystalline Morphology and Polymorphic Phase Transitions in Electrospun Nylon 6 Nanofibers

Uniform nylon 6 nanofibers with diameters around 200 nm were prepared by electrospinning. Polymorphic phase transitions and crystal orientation of nylon 6 in unconfined (i.e., as-electrospun) and a high T(g) (340 degrees C) polyimide confined nanofibers were studied. Similar to melt-spun nylon 6 fibers, electrospun nylon 6 nanofibers also exhibited predominant, meta-stable gamma crystalline form, and the gamma-crystal (chain) axes preferentially oriented parallel to the fiber axis. Upon annealing above 150 degrees C, gamma-form crystals gradually melted and recrystallized into the thermodynamically stable alpha-form crystals, which ultimately melted at 220 degrees C. Release of surface tension accompanied this melt-recrystallization process, as revealed by differential scanning calorimetry. For confined nanofibers, both the melt-recrystallization and surface tension release processes were substantially depressed; gamma-form crystals did not melt and recrystallize into alpha-form crystals until 210 degrees C, only 10 degrees C below the T(m) at 220 degrees C. After complete melting of nano-confined crystals at 240 degrees C and recrystallization at 100 degrees C, only alpha-form crystals oriented perpendicular to the nanofiber axis were obtained. In the polyimide-confined nanofibers, the Brill transition (from the monoclinic alpha-form to a high temperature monoclinic form) was observed at 180-190 degrees C, which was at least 20 degrees C higher than that in unconfined nylon 6 at approximately 160 degrees C. This, again, was attributed to the confinement effect.     

聚碳酸酯改性聚酯型热塑性聚氨酯弹性体的合成与性能

以聚碳酸１，６－已二醇酯（ＰＣ）、聚己二酸－１，４－丁二醇酯（ＰＢＡＧ）、４，４－二苯基甲烷二异氰酸酯（ＭＤＩ）和１，４－丁二醇（ＢＤＯ）为原料，合成线型聚碳酸酯改性聚酯型热塑性聚氨酯弹性体（ＴＰＣＺＥ）．对其玻璃化转变温度Ｔｇ、力学性能、耐水解性能和流变特性进行了研究。实验结果表明：随ＰＣ二醇含量的增加，弹性体的贮能模量下降，Ｔｇ则向高温方向（从－７．８℃到＋２．６℃）移动。水解后的强度保持率从８５．４％提高到９９，７％和１１７％，熔体的表现粘度降低，加工性能得到改善。     

Electrospun cellulose acetate fibers: effect of solvent system on morphology and fiber diameter

This paper reports an investigation of the effects of solvent system, solution concentration, and applied electrostatic field strength (EFS) on the morphological appearance and/or size of as-spun cellulose acetate (CA) products. The single-solvent systems were acetone, chloroform, N,N -dimethylformamide (DMF), dichloromethane (DCM), methanol (MeOH), formic acid, and pyridine. The mixed-solvent systems were acetone–DMAc, chloroform–MeOH, and DCM–MeOH. Chloroform, DMF, DCM, MeOH, formic acid, and pyridine were able to dissolve CA, forming clear solutions (at 5% w/v), but electrospinning of these solutions produced mainly discrete beads. In contrast, electrospinning of the solution of CA in acetone produced short and beaded fibers. At the same solution concentration of 5% (w/v) electrospinning of the CA solutions was improved by addition of MeOH to either chloroform or DCM. For all the solvent systems investigated smooth fibers were obtained from 16% (w/v) CA solutions in 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 (v/v) acetone–DMAc, 14–20% (w/v) CA solutions in 2:1 (v/v) acetone–DMAc, and 8–12% (w/v) CA solutions in 4:1 (v/v) DCM–MeOH. For the as-spun fibers from CA solutions in acetone–DMAc the average diameter ranged between 0.14 and 0.37 μm whereas for the fibers from solutions in DCM–MeOH it ranged between 0.48 and 1.58 μm. After submersion in distilled water for 24 h the as-spun CA fibers swelled appreciably (i.e. from 620 to 1110%) but the physical integrity of the fibrous structure remained intact.     

Studies on metal — protein interactions: Inter-comparison among various approaches

Binding ability of mercury, thallium, lead and bismuth with Erythrina variegata seed protein have been investigated using tracer packet technique. Due to the lack of standard methods, inter-comparisons have been made among three different approaches, like trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitation, isoelectric precipitation and dialysis of protein after incubation with the metals. Good agreement was observed for all the cases except that of lead.     

High-resolution electron microscopy of montmorillonite and montmorillonite/epoxy nanocomposites

With the use of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy the structure and morphology of montmorillonite (MMT), a material of current interest for use in polymer nanocomposites, was characterized. Using both imaging theory and experiment, the procedures needed to generate lattice images from MMT were established. These procedures involve careful control of the microscope's objective lens defocus to maximize contrast from features of a certain size, as well as limiting the total dose of electrons received by the sample. Direct images of the MMT lattice were obtained from neat Na+ MMT, organically modified MMT, and organically modified MMT/epoxy nanocomposites. The degree of crystallinity and turbostratic disorder were characterized using electron diffraction and high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). Also, the extent of the MMT sheets to bend when processed into an epoxy matrix was directly visualized. A minimum radius of curvature tolerable for a single MMT sheet during bending deformation was estimated to be 15 nm, and from this value a critical failure strain of 0.033 was calculated. HREM can be used to improve the understanding of the structure of polymer nanocomposites at the nanometer-length scale.     

Syntheses and configurations of some heterocyclic amidoximes. X-Ray crystal structure of 3-phenyl-5,6-dihydro-2(1H)-pyrazinone-O-methyloxime

O-Methyl-α-ketophenylacetohydroximoyl chloride ( 1 ) was prepared by the reaction of O-methyl-α-methoxyphenylacetohydroximoyl chloride ( 5 ) with N-bromosuccinimide and concentrated hydrobromic acid. Reaction of 1 with ethylenediamine gave 3-phenyl-5,6-dihydro-2(1H)-pyrazinone-O-methyloxime ( 6 ). 3-Phenyl-5,6-cyclohexano-5,6-dihydro-2(1H)-pyrazininone-O-methyloxime ( 7 ) was prepared by reaction of 1 with trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane. The X-ray structure of 6 has been determined. The crystals are orthorhombic, space group Pbca with a = 10.264(3), b = 18.262(4), c = 23.530(4)Å, V = 4411(2)ų, and Z = 16. The structure, which was refined to R = 0.038 using 1652 observed reflections, shows the amidoxime moiety to be the Z configuration. Reaction of benzohydroximoyl chloride with aziridine gave (Z)-aziridinylbenzaldoxime ( 16a ). Ultraviolet irradiation of a benzene solution of 16a gave a mixture of the Z and E isomers 16a and 16b . The E isomer 16b underwent thermal isomerization to 16a at 100°. Reaction of 16a with dimethyl sulfate in sodium hydroxide solution gave (Z)-O-methylaziridinylbenzaldoxime ( 17a ). Photoisomerization of a hexane solution of 17a gave a mixture of the Z and E isomers 17a and 17b which were separated by preparative glc. The isomers 17a and 17b are resistant to thermal Z = E isomerization. The mechanisms of thermal isomerization of benzamidoximes are discussed.     

紫荆花红色素开发利用的研究

首次报道紫荆花红色素的提取纯化方法及红色素的理化性质，并与玫瑰茄红色素作对比研究，证实同属于花青甙类化合物，又经急性毒性试验证明其毒性极低，故紫荆花天然红色素具有开发利用的价值。     

Shear and NMR experiments of materials with flow behaviour depending on the deformation history

Oxide ceramic masses react to simple shearing with hardening (peptisation: increase in the shear stress with the shear deformation). In the present study the correlation between the increase in the shear stress and the porosity, agglomeration processes and the type of flow are analysed. For this purpose oxide ceramic masses are tested in a shear device especially developed for pastes and analysed by rheometric experiments, NMR methods and particle size analysis. The results support the hypothesis that structural changes (hardening, increase in the mean porosity) of the material during the peptisation mainly depend on the magnitude and not on the kind of the energy input and thus of the type of flow. The fraction of bound (more generally, the immobilised) water increases with the shear displacement. Also crushing of primary particles could be observed. Both the crushing of solid particles causing an increased solid surface and the formation of a three-dimensional gel structure are microscopic effects capable of resulting in the binding or retaining water. On a macroscopic scale these phenomena cause hardening. Magnetic resonance imaging visualises flow-induced agglomerates, which form owing to the shear flow and increase the porosity averaged over the whole sample. After the shear experiment rolls of paste can be seen which indicate that the general assumption of a plane shear flow in the shear device is not warrantable. Received: 19 July 2001 Accepted: 25 October 2001     

Resolution method for overlapping peaks based on the fractional-order differential

Equations between the differential order and the maximum of the fractional-order differential for the specified peak signals are developed based on the variation of the maximum of the specified peak signals at different orders. Also, equations between the differential order and the zero-crossing of the fractional-order differential of the specified peak signals are proposed according to the variation of the zero-crossing of the specified peak signals at different orders. Characteristic paramters of the Gaus- sian peak, Lorentzian peak, and Tsallis peak can be estimated using estimator I and estimator II which are obtained by the equations above. As a result, a new method is presented to resolve the overlapped peaks signal. Firstly, a fractional-order differential of the specified peak signals is obtained with the fractional-order differentiation filter. Then, characteristic paramters of the specified peak signals can be extracted using estimator I and estimator II. Finally, the Tsallis peak is used as a model to assign the overlapping peak signals correctly. Experimental results show that the proposed method is efficient and effective for the simulated overlapping peaks and detected overlapping voltammetric peak signals.