Preventing Blow up by Convective Terms in Dissipative PDE’s

We study the impact of the convective terms on the global solvability or finite time blow up of solutions of dissipative PDEs. We consider the model examples of 1D Burger’s type equations, convective Cahn–Hilliard equation, generalized Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation and KdV type equations. The following common scenario is established: adding sufficiently strong (in comparison with the destabilizing nonlinearity) convective terms to equation prevents the solutions from blowing up in a finite time and makes the considered system globally well-posed and dissipative and for weak enough convective terms the finite time blow up may occur similar to the case, when the equation does not involve convective term. This kind of result has been previously known for the case of Burger’s type equations and has been strongly based on maximum principle. In contrast to this, our results are based on the weighted energy estimates which do not require the maximum principle for the considered problem.     

Microporous carbon fibers prepared from cellulose as efficient sorbents for removal of chlorinated phenols

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Cellulose-based microporous carbon fibers (CFs) were evaluated for the adsorption of 2-Chlorophenol (CP), 2,4-Dichlorophenol (DCP), and 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol...     

3D-TEM characterization of nanometric objects

The increasing level of research that is nowadays performed on the nanoscale requires specific powerful tools to characterize objects on that scale. We demonstrate in this work the usefulness of three-dimensional transmission electron microscopy (3D-TEM) used in a quantitative way to image and characterize nanomaterials with complex structures and morphologies. The tomographic recording process is a powerful tool to improve the signal-to-noise ratio when imaging nano-objects that cannot strongly extinguish electrons and to clear up the ambiguity of image interpretation due to superposition effects. The resulting ability to distinguish between the “inner” and the “outer” parts of an object as well as to determine its 3D characteristics can in turn yield quantitative information and constitutes the main focus of this paper. Complex morphologies and internal structures on the nanometer scale can thus be resolved in all spatial dimensions, and numerical densities of particles or porosities can be quantified. For porous materials, it is also possible to get the connectivity of the pores, their shapes and distribution. The 3D-TEM technique associates tomographic recording to a careful repositioning of the recorded 2D images, followed by a 3D reconstruction. It allows the recovery of a spatial resolution close to (1.5 nm)³ that can be used to perform quantitative analysis relevant to almost all types of nanometric samples encountered when 3D information down to a few nanometers is required.     

Hollow zeolite microspheres as a nest for enzymes: a new route to hybrid heterogeneous catalysts

In the field of heterogeneous catalysis, the successful integration of enzymes and inorganic catalysts could pave the way to multifunctional materials which are able to perform advanced cascade reactions. However, such combination is not straightforward, for example in the case of zeolite catalysts for which enzyme immobilization is restricted to the external surface. Herein, this challenge is overcome by developing a new kind of hybrid catalyst based on hollow zeolite microspheres obtained by the aerosol-assisted assembly of zeolite nanocrystals. The latter spheres possess open entry-ways for enzymes, which are then loaded and cross-linked to form cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs), securing their entrapment. This controlled design allows the combination of all the decisive features of the zeolite with a high enzyme loading. A chemo-enzymatic reaction is demonstrated, where the structured zeolite material is used both as a nest for the enzyme and as an efficient inorganic catalyst. Glucose oxidase (GOx) ensures the in situ production of H₂O₂ subsequently utilized by the TS-1 zeolite to catalyze the epoxidation of allylic alcohol toward glycidol. The strategy can also be used to entrap other enzymes or combination of enzymes, as demonstrated here with combi-CLEAs of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and glucose oxidase. We anticipate that this strategy will open up new perspectives, leveraging on the spray-drying (aerosol) technique to shape microparticles from various nano-building blocks and on the entrapment of biological macromolecules to obtain new multifunctional hybrid microstructures.

A spray drying technique is used to prepare hollow zeolite microparticles into which an enzyme can be entrapped. Via this “Lego-like” strategy, we create hybrid heterogeneous catalysts that can run multistep chemo-enzymatic cascade reactions.     

Synthesis of Smart Food Packaging from Poly (Gelatin-co-Dimethyl Acrylamide) / Citric Acid-Red Apple peel Extract

ABSTRACT

A novel and smart hydrogel was synthesized from N, N dimethyl acrylamide (DMAAm), gelatin, and citric acid (CA) red apple peel extract (RApE) to be utilized as a multi-functional food packaging material. The p(Gelatin-co-DMAAm)/CA-RApE was prepared through a redox polymerization technique in film form in petri dishes. Mechanical and water resistance of the p(Gelatin-co-DMAAm)/CA-RApE was improved by the addition of citric acid and N, N, methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as cross linker. The characterization of p(Gelatin-co-DMAAm)/CA-RApE was carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and dynamic and mechanical analyzer (DMA). FT-IR revealed the existence of bonding interactions between the functional group of RApE and gelatin, carbonyl groups of DMAAm, and carboxylic acid groups of CA. TGA results found that p(Gelatin-co-DMAAm)/CA-RApE was stable up to 565°C. It was observed that RApE improved thermal stability and decreased the elasticity of the p(Gelatin-co-DMAAm)/CA-RApE. When tested against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, p(Gelatin-co-DMAAm)/CA-RApE was observed to have antimicrobial activity. Total antioxidant and anthocyanin effect of p(Gelatin-co-DMAAm)/CA-RApE was analyzed. Additionally, to monitor the color changes of p(Gelatin-co-DMAAm)/CA-RApE, it was studied at different pH values. Furthermore, p(Gelatin-co-DMAAm)/CA-RApE was applied to real samples such as whole pasteurized milk and cheese. It was found to have a good color indicator and antimicrobial activity for pasteurized whole milk and cheese. It was concluded that p(Gelatin-co-DMAAm)/CA-RApE is a very good candidate to be used in food packaging and biomedical materials, along with other potential applications.     

A new vicinal-dioxime and its mono and trinuclear complexes containing the monoazatetraoxa macrocyclic moiety

Mononuclear [Co(HL)2LCl)], [Co(LBF2)2LCl] or [Cu-(HL)2] H2L = {N,N-bis (4-N-phenylaza [15]crown-5)diaminoglyoxime} and a trinuclear, [Cu(L)2(CuL)2](NO3)2, complex of the ligand were synthesized and characterized. The mononuclear copper(II) species coordinates to two copper(II) ions through the deprotonated oximate oxygens to yield a trinuclear structure cis-bridged by the oximate groups, with 1,10-phenanthroline as an end-cap ligand. The terminal copper adopts an essentially planar configuration with the nitrogen atoms of H2L. The structure of the ligand and its complexes is proposed and formulated according to the elemental analyses, 1H- and 13C-n.m.r, i.r. and m.s. spectral data.     

Sorption of cesium on montmorillonite and effects of salt concentration

The sorption behavior of cesium on montmorillonite type clay was studied by using radioactivity measurements. Concentrations of Cs⁺ ions ranged from 10^–6 to 10^–2M. Cesium retention reduced with increasing salt concentration which was varied between 10^–4 and 10^–1M. Selectivity coefficients K_Cs–Na for the exchange between Cs and Na were calculated for different equivalent fractions of Cs on the solid phase. Using theK _Cs–Na values, free energy change was found to be 7.8 kJ/mol. The data could be fitted to a Freundlich isotherm, and empirical Freundlich parameters enabled the generation of a site distribution function. By fitting the data to the Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm, a mean energy of sorption of 8.6 kJ/mole was calculated which corresponds to the energy of ion exchange reactions. The values of energy changes calculated by using two different methods were in good agreement.     

One-step conjugation of glycylglycine with [<Superscript>18</Superscript>F]FDG and a pilot PET imaging study

This study describes a single step conjugation of Glycylglycine (GlyGly) which is a small peptide, with [¹⁸F]FDG via oxime formation. Amiooxy-functionalization of GlyGly (AO-GlyGly) was accomplished through the reaction of Boc-aminooxy succinimide ester. Conjugation reaction was performed at 100 °C for 30 min in a vial containing AO-GlyGly and [¹⁸F]FDG solution. The radiolabeled product ([¹⁸F]FDG-GlyGly) was obtained with 98.65?±?0.35% yield without any purification step which makes this method more attractive for ¹⁸F radiolabeling. The present study is concluded with an in vivo pilot animal PET study to assess biodistribution and kinetics of chemoselectively [¹⁸F]FDG tagged GlyGly in vivo.     

Polyglycolic acid copolymers from one‐step cationic polymerization of formaldehyde,carbon monoxide,and epoxides derived from PEG

Biodegradable polyglycolic acid (PGA) is conventionally produced via the ring‐opening polymerization of glycolide, the cyclic dimer form of glycolic acid, in the presence of mostly tin‐based catalyst initiators which are rather known to be cytotoxic materials. Our previous studies revealed an alternative method for the synthesis of PGA from the perfectly alternating copolymerization of formaldehyde (from trioxane) and carbon monoxide (CO) under BrØnsted acidic conditions. The poor physical properties of PGA (insolubility in many organic solvents, brown color, etc.) limit its use in other marketing applications in the industry. To improve on the physical properties of PGA, such as solubility and appearance, copolymerization of trioxane, CO, and a minor amount of epoxides derived from polyethylene glycol (PEG) were performed under the same reaction conditions for PGA synthesis (in DCM, at 800 psi CO pressure, with triflic acid catalyst, reaction duration of 72 hours). The results have shown that the addition of minor quantities of epoxide comonomers vastly improves the appearance of the obtained PGA copolymers and allows for the control of the polymeric properties, such as solubility and melting temperature.     

Systematic investigation of global phase behavior of polymer mixtures in the pressure-temperature plane

We investigate the critical lines of polymer mixtures in the presence of their vapor phase at the mathematical double point, where two critical lines meet and exchange branches, and its environment. The model used combines the lattice gas model of Schouten, ten Seldam and Trappeniers with the Flory-Huggins theory. The critical line structure is displayed for various combinations of the chain length and system parameters in the pressure (P)-temperature (T) plane, as is usually done with experimental results. This type of work sheds light on the essential transition mechanism involved in the phase diagram's change of character, such as multi-critical points and mathematical double points, which are of great practical importance in supercritical fluid extraction processes. The P, T diagrams are discussed in accordance with the Scott and van Konynenburg binary phase diagram classification. We found that our P, T plots were in agreement with type II, type III, or type IV phase diagram behaviors. We also found that some of our phase diagrams represent the liquid-liquid equilibria in polymer solutions and mixtures.