Poly(lactic acid) composites with poly(lactic acid)‐modified carbon nanotubes

This work reports the study of the effect of chemical functionalization of carbon nanotubes on their dispersion in poly(lactic acid). The nanotubes were functionalized by the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction, generating pyrrolidine groups at the nanotube surface. Further reaction of the pyrrolidine groups with poly(lactic acid) was studied in solution and in the polymer melt. The former involved refluxing the nanotubes in a dimethylformamide/polymer solution; the latter was carried out by direct melt mixing in a microcompounder. The carbon nanotubes collected after each process were characterized by thermogravimetry and by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, showing evidence of polymer bonded to the nanotube surface only when the reaction was carried out in the polymer melt. The composites with polymer modified nanotubes present smaller average agglomerate area and a narrower agglomerate area distribution. In addition, they show improved tensile properties at low CNT concentration and present lower electrical resistivity. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3740–3750     

Determination of slug permeability factor for pressure drop prediction of slug flow pneumatic conveying

Current models for pressure drop prediction of slug flow pneumatic conveying in a horizontal pipeline system assume some type of steady state conditions for prediction,which limits their capability for increased predictive accuracy relative to experimental data.This is partly because of the nature of slug flow pneumatic conveying system,which,as a dynamic system,never becomes stable.By utilising conservation of mass (airflow),a dynamic pressure analysis model is proposed on the basis of the derivative of the upstream pressure behaviour.The rate of air permeation through slug,one of the important factors in the conservation model,is expressed as a function of a slug permeability factor.Other factors such as slug velocity,slug length and the fraction of stationary layer were also considered.Several test materials were conveyed in single-slug tests to verify the proposed pressure drop model,showing good agreement between the model and experimental results.     

A numerical study of the phase structure of the q-state generalization of the hard-square model

An investigation is made of how a recently foundq-state generalization of the hard-square model fits into a more general phase diagram. The investigation is done by Monte Carlo and series expansion methods. Evidence is presented that the one-dimensional manifold of parameters along which the model is exactly solvable represents a line of first-order phase transitions.