Hot-melt adhesive for shrinkable polyethylene collars

A hot-melt adhesive based on poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) is proposed to for use in the anticorrosion insulation of the butt joints of pipelines with shrinkable polyethylene collars.     

Evidence for CH Hydrogen Bonding in Salts of tert-Butyl Cation

Environmentally sensitive: A combination of C?H????anion hydrogen bonding and hyperconjugative charge delocalization explains the sensitivity of the IR spectrum of the tert-butyl cation to its anion (see high-resolution X-ray structure with a CHB(11) Cl(11) (-) counterion). The νCH vibration of the cation scales linearly with the basicity of carborane anions on the νNH scale. The same also holds for the C(6) H(7) (+) benzenium ion.     

Fabrication of Environmentally Biodegradable Lignin Nanoparticles

We developed a method for the fabrication of novel biodegradable nanoparticles (NPs) from lignin which are apparently non‐toxic for microalgae and yeast. We compare two alternative methods for the synthesis of lignin NPs which result in particles of very different stability upon change of pH. The first method is based on precipitation of low‐sulfonated lignin from an ethylene glycol solution by using diluted acidic aqueous solutions, which yields lignin NPs that are stable over a wide range of pH. The second approach is based on the acidic precipitation of lignin from a high‐pH aqueous solution which produces NPs stable only at low pH. Our study reveals that lignin NPs from the ethylene glycol‐based precipitation contain densely packed lignin domains which explain the stability of the NPs even at high pH. We characterised the properties of the produced lignin NPs and determined their loading capacities with hydrophilic actives. The results suggest that these NPs are highly porous and consist of smaller lignin domains. Tests with microalgae like Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and yeast incubated in lignin NP dispersions indicated that these NPs lack measurable effect on the viability of these microorganisms. Such biodegradable and environmentally compatible NPs can find applications as drug delivery vehicles, stabilisers of cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations, or in other areas where they may replace more expensive and potentially toxic nanomaterials.     

Surface shear rheology of adsorption layers from the protein HFBII hydrophobin: effect of added β-casein

The surface shear rheology of hydrophobin HFBII adsorption layers is studied in angle-ramp/relaxation regime by means of a rotational rheometer. The behavior of the system is investigated at different shear rates and concentrations of added β-casein. In angle-ramp regime, the experimental data comply with the Maxwell model of viscoelastic behavior. From the fits of the rheological curves with this model, the surface shear elasticity and viscosity, E(sh) and η(sh), are determined at various fixed shear rates. The dependence of η(sh) on the rate of strain obeys the Herschel-Bulkley law. The data indicate an increasing fluidization (softening) of the layers with the rise of the shear rate. The addition of β-casein leads to more rigid adsorption layers, which exhibit a tendency of faster fluidization at increasing shear rates. In relaxation regime, the system obeys a modified Andrade's (cubic root) law, with two characteristic relaxation times. The fact that the data comply with the Maxwell model in angle-ramp regime, but follow the modified Andrade's low in relaxation regime, can be explained by the different processes occurring in the viscoelastic protein adsorption layer in these two regimes: breakage and restoration of intermolecular bonds at angle-ramp vs solidification of the layer at relaxation.     

Complexes of the proton and its hydrates with carbamoylphosphine oxide in wet dichloroethane solutions

To better understand the complex equilibria involved in the UNEX process for acidic solvent extraction of radionuclides, the interaction of a carbamoylphosphine oxide ligand (L) with the proton of hydrated chlorinated cobalt(III)dicarbollide acid, H[Co(C2B9H8Cl3)2], has been studied in wet 1,2-dichlorethane (DCE) solution using IR and NMR (13C and 31P) spectroscopy. The formation of two groups of complexes has been determined. The first group contains three complexes with 1:1 composition of acid to ligand (Scheme 1). The second group of complexes has 1:2 composition in the equilibrium, shown in Scheme 2. Within each group, the complexes differ in composition only by the number of incorporated water molecules. The equilibria (Schemes 1 and 2) are both very sensitive to the content of self-associated water in solution and are driven by its concentration, which is unsteady and depends on the solution preparation history. The simultaneous presence of both anhydrous (I, II) and hydrated (III, IIIa, IV) proton solvates indicates that the enthalpies of carbamoylphosphine oxide complex formation with H+, H3O+, and H5O2(+) are very close to each other.