Thermal degradation and combustion of a polypropylene nanocomposite based on organically modified layered aluminosilicate

The specific features of thermal degradation and combustion of polypropylene nanocomposites based on organically modified layered aluminosilicate were studied. On the basis of thermogravimetric analysis data, a kinetic model that takes into account the diffusive character of the thermal degradation process for the PP nanocomposite was proposed. The basic flammability parameters of the nanocomposite were determined with the use of a cone calorimeter. The influence of diffusion constraints in the charred nanocomposite layer on the maximum heat release rate as a principal parameter of flammability was considered.     

The exchange reaction H2 (ν = 1) + H = H + H2

The classical trajectory method is applied to calculate the total cross section for the exchange reaction H₂(ν = 1) + H = H + H₂. The vibrational excitation is shown to influence efficiently the threshold value. Partial reaction rate-constants calculated on the basis of the cross sections obtained are in good agreement with those measured in H-maser experiments.     

Thermal Degradation of Polystyrene-Polydimethylsiloxane Blends

Specific features of thermal degradation of polystyrene-polydimethylsiloxane blends were studied, and the effect of the organosilicon polymeric additive, polydimethylsiloxane, on the heat resistance of polystyrene was examined. The thermal degradation products were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A mechanism of the joint pyrolysis was suggested.     

Overall Kinetics of Heat Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste

A mathematical model of the overall kinetics of heat treatment of municipal solid waste was developed. The model considers the main initial substances and products of the reaction of municipal solid waste treatment at high temperatures (1300–1500°C) in a tubular flow reactor.     

Alkaline hydrolysis of diethyl <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-acetylamino(3,5-di-<Emphasis Type="Italic">tert</Emphasis>-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl)malonate

Alkaline hydrolysis of diethyl N-acetylamino(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl)malonate is accompanied by decarboxylation. The efficiency of this process depends on the temperature and ratio of the reactants. A possibility of tautomerism with migration of the proton of phenolic hydroxyl and the influence of the structure on the antioxidation properties were considered on the basis of analysis of the IR spectral data and quantum chemical (PM6) calculation of the structures. The energies of homolysis of the O-H bond of phenolic hydroxyl were calculated for a series of the synthesized compounds. It is proposed to predict the antioxidation activity on the basis of these values.     

Shape resonances in slow electron scattering by aromatic molecules. I. Anthraquinone derivatives

A series of anthraquinone (C(14)O(2)H(8)) derivatives has been studied by means of electron capture negative ion mass spectrometry (ECNI-MS), photoelectron spectroscopy (PES), and AM1 quantum chemical calculations. Mean lifetimes of molecular negative ions M(-.) (MNI) have been measured. The mechanism of long-lived MNI formation in the epithermal energy region of incident electrons has been investigated. A simple model of a molecule (a spherical potential well with the repulsive centrifugal term) has been applied for the analysis of the energy dependence of cross sections at the first stage of the electron capture process. It has been shown that a temporary resonance of MNI at the energy approximately 0.5 eV corresponds to a shape resonance with lifetime 1-2.10(-13) s in the f-partial wave (l = 3) of the incident electron. The next resonant state of MNI at the energy approximately 1.7 eV has been associated with the electron excited Feshbach resonance (whose parent state is a triplet npi* transition). In all cases the initial electron state of the MNI relaxes into the ground state by means of a radiationless transition, and the final state of the MNI is a nuclear excited resonance with a lifetime measurable on the mass spectrometry timescale. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polarization switching in heterophase nanostructures: PLZT relaxor ceramics

The polarization switching is experimentally investigated in hot-pressed PLZT-x/65/35 ceramics with a lanthanum content from 5 to 12 at. %. The specific features in the temperature dependence of the polarization switching in a heterophase state are interpreted by analyzing the change in the switched charge measured over wide ranges of fields and temperatures. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of depolarization fields induced by interphase boundaries. A model of the evolution of polydomain nanostructures with a change in the temperature and in the response to an external field is considered. It is assumed that the low-temperature dielectric anomaly and the temperature hysteresis are associated with the loss of stability of a large-scale domain structure and its transformation into a nanodomain state.     

Frozen shell approximation violation in negative ion formation from halogenated benzenes via dissociative attachment

A series of benzene derivatives (R(1)C(6)H(4)R(2)) has been studied by means of electron capture negative ion mass spectrometry (ECNI-MS), and PM3 quantum chemical calculations. The dissociation channel M(-.) --> Hal(-) + (M - Hal). is analysed from the point of view of symmetry conservation. Generally, a symmetry ban on dissociation may be avoided in at least two ways: (i) out-of-plane vibrations of the halogen atom in the molecular negative ion (MNI), mixing pi- and sigma-states of the anion; (ii) symmetrical in-plane vibration of the C-Hal bond, changing the order of the empty levels in the MNI with subsequent radiationless conversion into a sigma-state. Our analysis shows that neither of them provides a satisfactory explanation of the ECNI mass spectra for chlorobenzene, if one retains the usual assumption that an additional electron goes into the LUMO of the neutral molecule. Thus, it may be concluded that in this case electron capture causes a significant perturbation of the energy ordering of vacant orbitals, thus making the frozen shell approximation inapplicable. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Review of recent scientific publications in the field of polymer mechanics

The results of research in polymer mechanics carried out by the authors or with their direct participation during the last 5 years are briefly reviewed. The following questions are covered: theory and methods of solution of problems of polymer mechanics, statistical methods in polymer mechanics, the experimental investigation of the properties of polymeric materials, and the reflection of the theory and methods of polymer mechanics in the textbooks.