Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics and determination of surface‐folding free energy of PP/EVA/OMMT nanocomposites

Crystalline structures, nonisothermal crystallization behavior and surface folding free energy of polypropylene (PP)/poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) (EVA) blend‐based organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) nanocomposites were investigated by use of wide angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. Nonisothermal crystallization kinetic analysis was performed using Avrami equation modified by Jeziorny as well as combined Avrami‐Ozawa method. Surface folding free energy and activation energy for PP and nanocomposite samples were also determined employing Hoffman‐Lauritzen's and Vyazovkins's approaches, respectively. The results obtained from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that presence of EVA, which attracts most of the layered silicates, reduces number density of heterogeneous nuclei in the matrix and as a consequence, decreases the nucleation rate. Incorporation of EVA, PP‐g‐MA and OMMT results in a decrease of the chain surface folding free energy level. It was shown that although, OMMT acts as a barrier against the PP macromolecular motion but interestingly, it increases the overall crystallization rate. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 674–684, 2009     

Copper(I)‐N2S2‐salen type complex covalently anchored onto MCM‐41 silica: an efficient and reusable catalyst for the A3‐coupling reaction toward propargylamines

The immobilization of copper complexes by covalent anchoring of the ligand on the surface of mesoporous MCM‐41 has been described. Bis[2‐(phenylthio)benzylidene]‐1,2‐ethylenediamine as a new N₂S₂ donor salen‐type ligand was covalently anchored onto nanopores of MCM‐41 coordinated with copper (I) halide. The organic–inorganic hybrid material was achieved readily using 3‐mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane as a reactive surface modifier. 2‐Nitrobenzaldehyde was reacted smoothly with the thiol moieties in order to form functionalized nanoporous silica with carbaldehyde groups. The resulting supported organic moieties were converted to thiosalen ligand and coordinated with CuX (X = CN, Cl, Br, I). Characterization of the heterogeneous catalyst by X‐ray diffraction, N₂ sorption, FT‐IR, diffuse reflectance UV‐visible and TGA techniques indicated successful grafting of the copper complex inside the nano‐channels of MCM‐41. The heterogenized catalyst was evaluated by the Mannich condensation reaction of aldehydes, amines and alkynes. In this reaction, the corresponding propargylamines were obtained as single products in good to excellent yields. Factors such as reaction temperature, solvent, catalyst loading, leaching and reusability of the catalyst also were discussed. The use of MCM‐41 as support permits an easier separation and recycles with only a marginal decrease in reactivity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SnCl2/nano SiO2：A green and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of polyfunctionalized 4H-pyrans

A highly efficient and general method for the synthesis of polyfunctionalized 4H-pyrans is established through a one-pot multicomponent cyclocondensation of aromatic aldehydes with CH acids, malononitrile and ethyl acetoacetate using nano silica supported tin (Ⅱ) chloride as a catalyst. In this method SnCl2/nano SiO2 was used as green and reusable catalyst. Excellent yields, short reaction times, simple workup, and inexpensiveness and commercially availability of the catalyst are the advantages of this method.     

Determination of RDX and Keto-RDX in High-Explosive Mixtures by High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) has been used for separation and quantitation of components of high explosives...     

Krill herd: A new bio-inspired optimization algorithm

In this paper, a novel biologically-inspired algorithm, namely krill herd (KH) is proposed for solving optimization tasks. The KH algorithm is based on the simulation of the herding behavior of krill individuals. The minimum distances of each individual krill from food and from highest density of the herd are considered as the objective function for the krill movement. The time-dependent position of the krill individuals is formulated by three main factors: (i) movement induced by the presence of other individuals (ii) foraging activity, and (iii) random diffusion. For more precise modeling of the krill behavior, two adaptive genetic operators are added to the algorithm. The proposed method is verified using several benchmark problems commonly used in the area of optimization. Further, the KH algorithm is compared with eight well-known methods in the literature. The KH algorithm is capable of efficiently solving a wide range of benchmark optimization problems and outperforms the exciting algorithms.     

Chemical and electrochemical synthesis of homopolymer and copolymers of 3‐methoxyethoxythiophene with aniline,thiophene and pyrrole for studies of their gas and vapour sensing

Herein we report chemical and electrochemical formation of poly(3‐methoxyethoxythiophene) and its copolymers with aniline, thiophene and pyrrole which give highly conducting polymeric materials. These are soluble in common organic solvents in the conducting state. The response mechanism of these compounds, to a selection of gases and vapours, was investigated using two techniques: measurement of conductance and mass changes using a four probe method and X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) device, respectively. Prepared films were exposed to hydrogen halides, hydrogen cyanide, halogens, monochloroacetic acid (MCAA), 1‐3‐5 trichloromethylbenzene (TCMB), methylbenzyl bromide (MBB), bromoacetone (BA) and cyanogen bromide (CB). These gas sensors may have advantages compared to other sensors in their ability to operate at room temperature, low concentration, stability in air, sufficient diffusion and their selectivity. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Zirconium(IV) oxide chloride and anhydrous copper(II) sulfate mediated synthesis of 2‐substituted benzothiazoles

A simple, fast and efficient benign procedure has been developed for one‐pot synthesis of 2‐substituted benzothiazoles in the presence of zirconium(IV) oxide chloride octahydrate (ZrOCl₂·8H₂O) and anhydrous copper(II) sulfate. The reaction of 2‐aminothiophenol with aldehydes and anhydrides was carried out efficiently in solvent‐free conditions with or without microwave irradiation, and adducts were produced in good to excellent yields. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 17:136–141, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20191