The effect of drying method on the properties and nanoscale structure of cellulose whiskers

Cellulose whiskers were prepared from wood- and cotton-based microcrystalline cellulose and dried by two methods: freeze-drying or air-drying. The effect of drying method on the properties and structure of the whiskers were studied. Furthermore, the influence of the source of cellulose on the nanoscale structure was investigated. Drying method was observed to slightly influence the thermal stability of cellulose whiskers, whereas the char residue varied significantly depending on the drying process performed. Small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to examine the crystallinity and nanoscale structure of the dried whiskers. It was observed that the crystal structure and crystallinity of cellulose whiskers remained during all treatments, whereas their nanoscale structure was significantly influenced by drying method, neutralization, and source of cellulose. Relationships between thermal behavior and nanoscale structure were reported and discussed.     

Cellulosic nanoparticles from alfa fibers (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Stipa tenacissima)</Emphasis>: extraction procedures and reinforcement potential in polymer nanocomposites

The microstructure and chemical composition of alfa (Stipa tenacissima) were investigated. The polysaccharide and lignin contents were around 70 and 20 wt%, respectively. From the bleached and delignified fibers, two types of nanosized cellulosic particles were extracted, namely cellulose nanocrystals and microfibrillated cellulose (MFC). The former correspond typically to the elementary crystallite units of the cellulose fibers, with a rod-like morphology and an aspect ratio of about 20. The latter, mechanically disintegrated from oxidized bleached fibres, presents an entangled fibrillar structure with widths in the range 5-20 nm. The reinforcing potential of the ensuing nanoparticles was investigated by casting a mixture of acrylic latex and aqueous dispersion of cellulose nanoparticles. Thermo-mechanical analysis revealed a huge enhancement of the stiffness above the glass transition of the matrix. Significant differences in the mechanical reinforcing capability of the nanoparticles were reported.     

Substituted sulphoxide ligands in piperidinium based ionic liquid: novel solvent systems for the extraction of Pu<Superscript>4+</Superscript> and PuO<Subscript>2</Subscript><Superscript>2+</Superscript>

Sulphoxide ligands in piperidinium based ionic liquid were demonstrated as highly efficient, selective and environmentally benign systems for the extraction of plutonium from acidic aqueous solution. The extraction followed ‘cation-exchange mechanism’ via [Pu(NO₃)·L]³⁺ and [PuO₂(NO₃)·L]⁺ species. The extraction efficiency followed the trend: APSO > BPSO > BMSO. The phenyl substituted sulphoxides showed higher affinity for plutonium due to a combination of steric as well as electronic factors. Extraction process was thermodynamically spontaneous for all three solvent systems. Oxalic acid and sodium carbonate were suitable for quantitative stripping of Pu⁴⁺ and PuO₂ ²⁺, respectively. APSO in ionic liquid showed good radiolytic stability.     

Green synthesis of ZnCo<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanoparticles by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aloe albiflora</Emphasis> extract and its application as catalyst on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate

This work aimed the evaluation of pH influence in the obtainment of composites from palygorskite (PAL) and chitosan (CS). The materials PAL/CS-1 and PAL/CS-2 were obtained by similar methodology with modified pHs: 5.0 ± 0.5 and 11.0 ± 0.5, respectively. Both materials were evaluated for specific surface area analysis, elemental analysis, XRD, FTIR, thermal analysis, MEV and interaction drug composite, using 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) as model. The surface area analysis data showed the reduction in PAL/CS-2 related to CS presence on surface in contrast with PAL/CS-1, which corroborate with elemental analysis present nine times more of CS in PAL/CS-2 composition. Regarding to XRD data, the interaction of CS with PAL did not cause modification in clay structure in PAL/CS-2. These results were confirmed by FTIR data with the N–H deformation vibration in PAL/CS-2 while PAL/CS-1 was invariable to PAL. In thermal analysis, results were observed 60.2% residual mass to PAL/CS-2, which it was lower than PAL (87.2%) and PAL/CS-1 (86.7%), due to CS decomposition which had enthalpy energy of 62.1 J g^?1 K^?1, confirming the data previously cited. PAL/CS-2 presented 5-ASA adsorption of 7.9 mg g^?1, which was inferior to others probably caused by scarcity of active sites of PAL already occupied by CS. These results showed that pH control was fundamental to enhance efficiency of obtainment of composite in basic pH because the decrease in CS protonation degree increasing interaction between this one and PAL, although it contributed to decrease in 5-ASA adsorption due to low availability of interaction sites.     

Congestion detection technique for multipath routing and load balancing in WSN

In WSN, nodes collect the information from the surrounding environment and transferring to base station. Multiple data transmission in a WSN causes the nodes near the base station to get congested. Here we propose to develop a congestion avoidance and mitigation technique. For that, we select routes based on the distance between sender and receiver, relative success rate (RSR) value of node and buffer occupancy of a node. Based on these three parameters, we define a utility function to be applied to each neighbor of a transmitter node. Hence the transmitter node chooses the highest U-valued node as its next hop node among its neighbors in packet forwarding. Thus we avoid congestion by choosing non-congested nodes as its next hop node and then we mitigate congestion based on RSR values.     

Theoretical investigation of effects of local cooling of a nozzle divergent section for controlling condensation shock in a supersonic two-phase flow of steam

In supersonic adiabatic two-phase flows of steam, under the influence of supersonic acceleration, the fluid loses its equilibrium conditions and becomes supersaturated. Following this condition and to restore the fluid to equilibrium, micro droplets of water form in the absence of any surface or foreign particles. This phenomenon is called homogeneous nucleation and the formed minute small droplets grow along the fluid flow path. The formation of these droplets and their growth causes the release of the latent heat of evaporation to the gas phase particularly in the nucleation region, and results in an increase in the flow pressure which is called the condensation shock. In this paper, and in continuation of the series of papers by the authors, in addition to analytically solving the adiabatic gas-liquid supersonic flow of steam in a convergent-divergent channel, a novel solution to controlling the undesired effects of this pressure rise (condensation shock) is presented. In the proposed method, with the help of cooling the divergent section of the nozzle, the analytical model for the 1D non-adiabatic two-phase steam flows is further developed which shows considerable decrease in the intensity of the formed condensation shock. Also the growth rate of the formed droplets due to the cooling of the steam flow has higher importance than the nucleation itself.     

A study of the Immune Epitope Database for some fungi species using network topological indices

In the last years, the encryption of system structure information with different network topological indices has been a very active field of research. In the present study, we assembled for the first time a complex network using data obtained from the Immune Epitope Database for fungi species, and we then considered the general topology, the node degree distribution, and the local structure of this network. We also calculated eight node centrality measures for the observed network and compared it with three theoretical models. In view of the results obtained, we may expect that the present approach can become a valuable tool to explore the complexity of this database, as well as for the storage, manipulation, comparison, and retrieval of information contained therein.