Liquid phase oxidation of p-chlorotoluene to p-chlorobenzaldehyde over cobalt-doped mesoporous titania with a crystalline framework

Cobalt-doped mesoporous titania with a crystalline framework synthesized by surfactant templating method presented highly selective (99%) and reasonable conversion rate (49%) of catalytic oxidation of para-chlorotoluene to para-chlorobenzaldehyde in acetic acid using aqueous hydrogen peroxide as oxidant for the first time. Recycling of the catalyst indicates that the catalyst can be used a number of times without losing its activity to a greater extent. By contrast, cobalt-doped mesoporous titania without a crystalline structure and cobalt doped the commercial titania, Degussa P25 prepared by impregnation method with the similar concentration of cobalt were found inactive. The effects of catalyst concentration, reaction time, reaction temperature, and solvents on the performance of the catalyst were also investigated.     

A study of the effect of ZrO2 on the magnetic properties of FePt/ZrO2 multilayer

Fe_xPt_100−x(30 nm) and [Fe_xPt_100−x(3 nm)/ZrO₂]₁₀ (x = 37, 48, 57, 63, 69) films with different ZrO₂ content were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering technique, then were annealed at 550 °C for 30 min. This work investigates the effect of ZrO₂ doping on the microstructural evolution, magnetic properties, grain size, as well as the ordering kinetics of FePt alloy films. The as-deposited films behaved a disordered state, and the ordered L1₀ structure was obtained by post-annealing. The magnetic properties of the films are changed from soft magnetism to hard magnetism after annealing. The variation of the largest coercivities of [Fe_xPt_100−x/ZrO₂]₁₀ films with the Fe atomic percentage, x and differing amounts of ZrO₂ content reveals that as we increase the ZrO₂ content we must correspondingly increase the amount of Fe. This phenomenon suggests that the Zr or O atoms of ZrO₂ preferentially react with the Fe atoms of FePt alloy to form compounds. In addition, introducing the nonmagnetic ZrO₂ can reduce the intergrain exchange interactions of the FePt/ZrO₂ films, and the interactions are decreased as the ZrO₂ content increases, the dipole interactions are observed in FePt/ZrO₂ films as the ZrO₂ content is more than 15%.     

Studies on calcium‐containing poly(urethane ether)s

The calcium salt of mono(hydroxyethoxyethyl)phthalate [Ca(HEEP)₂] was synthesized by the reaction of diethylene glycol, phthalic anhydride, and calcium acetate. Calcium‐containing poly(urethane ether)s (PUEs) were synthesized by the reaction of hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) or tolylene 2,4‐diisocyanate (TDI) with a mixture of Ca(HEEP)₂ and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG₃₀₀ or PEG₄₀₀) with di‐n‐butyltin dilaurate as a catalyst. A series of calcium‐containing PUEs of different compositions were synthesized with Ca(HEEP)₂/PEG₃₀₀ (or PEG₄₀₀)/diisocyanate (HMDI or TDI) molar ratios of 2:2:4, 3:1:4, and 1:3:4 so that the coating properties of the PUEs could be studied. Blank PUEs without calcium‐containing ionic diols were also prepared by the reaction of PEG₃₀₀ or PEG₄₀₀ with HMDI or TDI. The PUEs were well characterized by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, solid‐state cross‐polarity/magic‐angle‐spinning ¹³C NMR, viscosity, solubility, and X‐ray diffraction studies. The thermal properties of the polymers were also studied with thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The PUEs were applied as top coats on acrylic‐coated leather, and their physicomechanical properties were also studied. The coating properties of PUEs, such as the tensile strength, elongation at break, tear strength, water vapor permeability, flexing endurance, cold crack resistance, abrasion resistance, color fastness, and adhesive strength, were better than the standard values. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2865–2878, 2003     

Large deviations for random walks in a mixing random environment and other (non‐Markov) random walks

We extend a recent work by S. R. S. Varadhan [8] on large deviations for random walks in a product random environment to include more general random walks on the lattice. In particular, some reinforced random walks and several classes of random walks in Gibbs fields are included. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Latex particles bearing hydrophilic grafted hairs with controlled chain length and functionality synthesized by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer

A method is described for synthesizing latex particles with anchored hairs by the grafting of hydrophilic chains, synthesized by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer, onto functionalized latex particles. These have the potential to bind biologically active species. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1188–1195, 2003     

Dispersion and distribution of organically modified montmorillonite in nylon‐66 matrix

Nylon‐66 nanocomposites were prepared by melt‐compounding nylon‐66 with an alkyl ammonium surfactant pretreated montmorillonite (MMT). The thermal stability of the organic MMT powders was measured by thermogravimetric analysis. The decomposition of the surfactant on the MMT occurred from 200 to 500 °C. The low onset decomposition temperature of the organic MMT is one shortcoming when it is used to prepare polymer nanocomposites at high melt‐compounding temperatures. To provide greater property enhancement and better thermal stability of the polymer/MMT nanocomposites, it is necessary to develop MMT modified with more thermally stable surfactants. The dispersion and spatial distribution of the organic MMT layers in the nylon‐66 matrix were characterized by X‐ray diffraction. The organic MMT layers were exfoliated but not randomly dispersed in the nylon‐66 matrix. A model was proposed to describe the spatial distribution of the organic MMT layers in an injection‐molded rectangular bar of nylon‐66/organic MMT nanocomposites. Most organic MMT layers were oriented in the injection‐molding direction. Layers near the four surfaces of the bar were parallel to their corresponding surfaces; whereas those in the bulk differed from the near‐surface layers and rotated themselves about the injection‐molding direction. The influence of the spatial distribution of the organic MMT on crystallization of nylon‐66 was also investigated. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1234–1243, 2003