Large‐scale extrusion processing and characterization of hybrid nylon‐6/SiO2 nanocomposites

Solution impregnations, pulltrusion and film stacking are widely used methods to prepare thermoplastic composite materials. Extruders are used to melt the polymer and to incorporate fibers into the polymer in order to modify physical properties. In this article, the compounding of colloidal silica nanoparticles filled polyamide‐6 (PA‐6) is achieved using a twin‐screw extruder, which has a significant market share due to its low cost and easy maintenance. The experiments were performed at 250 rpm and the bulk throughput was 6 kg h^?1 with a pump pressure of 30 bars. The composites were characterized with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). As determined by WAXD, the PA‐6 showed higher amounts of γ‐phase when compared to other synthesis methods such as in situ polymerization. TEM pictures showed that the silica particles aggregated nevertheless, upon addition of 14% (w/w) silica the E‐modulus increased from 2.7 to 3.9 GPa indicating that an effective mechanical coupling with the polymer was achieved. The behavior, illustrated with dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) curves, indicated that in general when a filled system is compared to unfilled material, the values of the moduli (E′ and E″) increased and tan δ decreased. Determination of molecular mass distribution of the samples by means of size exclusion chromatography (SEC) coupled to a refractive index (RI), viscosity (DV) and light scattering (LS) detector revealed that the addition of silica did not decrease the average molecular weight of the polymer matrix, which is of importance for composite applications. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Filler effects on the thermomechanical response of stretched rubbers

This paper deals with the calorimetric analysis of deformation processes in filled styrene-butadiene rubbers. More especially, the study focuses on the effects of the addition of carbon black fillers on the calorimetric response of “demullinized” SBR. Temperature variations are measured by infrared thermography during cyclic uniaxial tensile tests at ambient temperature. Heat sources¹ produced or absorbed by the material due to deformation processes are deduced from temperature fields by using the heat diffusion equation. First, the results show that no mechanical (intrinsic) dissipation is detected for weakly filled SBR, meaning that the heat produced and absorbed over one mechanical cycle is the same whatever the stretch ratio reached. Second, the mechanical dissipation in highly filled SBR is significant. The quantitative analysis carried out highlights the fact that it increases quasi-linearly with the stretch ratio. Finally, a simplified framework is proposed to discuss the identification of the heat sources, in particular the mechanical dissipation.     

Sodium Alginate and Poly(ethylene glycol) Blends: Thermal and Morphological Behaviors

Sodium alginate (SA) was blended with varying amounts of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) viz., 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 wt % by using water as a solvent. The obtained SA/PEG blends have been characterized for thermal behavior by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and surface morphology by scanning electron microscopic (SEM) methods. DSC analysis indicates the increase in glass transition temperature (T_g) of the blends with an increase in PEG content in the blend, which is due to chain entanglement. TGA results reveal the enhancement of thermal stability of SA/PEG blends in terms of the onset of degradation and percentage of weight loss. SEM photomicrographs shows the two phase morphology. This result indicates the immiscible nature of the SA/PEG blends.     

New Methacrylate Copolymers Based on the Benzofurane Ring: Synthesis,Characterization, Monomer Reactivity Ratios and Biological Activity

The free radical copolymerization of (5-bromo-1-Benzofuran-2-yl)(phenyl)-O-methacrylketoxime (BPMKO) with 2-(4-acetylphenoxy)-2-oxoethyl-2-methylacrylate(AOEMA) has been carried out in 1, 4-dioxane at 65°C ± 1 and was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR and gel permeation chromatography. Elemental analysis was used to determine the molar fractions of BPMKO and AOEMA in the copolymers. The monomer–reactivity ratios were calculated according to the general copolymerization equation using Kelen-Tüdõs and Finemann-Ross linearization methods. The reactivity ratios indicated a tendency toward random copolymerization. The polydispersity indices of the polymers were determined by gel permeation chromatography and suggested a strong tendency for chain termination by disproportionation. The thermal behaviors of copolymers with various compositions were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The glass-transition temperature of the copolymers increased with increasing BPMKO content in the copolymers. All the products showed moderate activity against different strains of bacteria and fungi.     

Interaction of Naproxen with Crystalline and Amorphous Methylated β-Cyclodextrin in the Liquid and Solid State

Abstract

Interactions of naproxen (NAP) with amorphous, randomly methylated β-cyclodextrin at a degree of substitution per anhydroglucose unit of 1.8 (RAMEB) and with crystalline heptakis-(2,6-di-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin (DIMEB) were studied in aqueous solution and in the solid state using, respectively, phase-solubility analysis (at 25 °C, 37 °C and 47 °C) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) supported by X-ray powder diffractometry. RAMEB and DIMEB displayed similar solubilizing and complexing abilities towards NAP, suggesting analogous inclusion modes of the drug in the host cavity in aqueous solution. Differences were instead observed in interactions in the solid state, where the amorphizing capacity of RAMEB toward NAP (evaluated by DSC) was about twice that of DIMEB at each drug-to-carrier ratio. Assuming that inclusion complexation is also involved in solid-state interactions, molecular modelling accounted for the experimental results in terms of structural features of DIMEB, i.e. the particular inwards orientation of O-6-C-8 groups of three alternate glucoses on the primary hydroxyl side which hampers a deep penetration of NAP in the DIMEB cavity in the solid state. On the contrary, no obstruction of the cavity apparently occurs with RAMEB due its noncrystalline state. The aqueous dissolution rate of NAP from NAP-RAMEB and NAP-DIMEB blends containing 0.59, 0.73, 0.85, and 0.92 mass fraction of carrier linearly increased at decreasing drug-to-carrier ratios. The improvement was 5 to 20 times (from powders) and 50 to 200 times (from discs) the dissolution rate of NAP alone for both carrier. Therefore the choice of the amorphous RAMEB in pharmaceutical formulations can be recommended mainly for economic reasons, though the anhydrous and non-hygroscopic nature of crystalline DIMEB might be of particular advantage in case of moisture sensitive formulations.     

Plastic deformation and performance of engineering polymer materials

The plastic deformation mechanism operating in polymer glasses is analyzed. The whole process consists of two main stages: nucleation of special shear defects, called PSTs (plastic shear transformations), and their disappearance. The important feature of plastic deformation of glasses is the storage of a large amount of internal energy ΔU_def upon straining. Such energy storage is the critical issue for mechanical performance of polymeric material: if the amount of stored energy is high, the appearance of macroscopic failure is very probable while glassy materials collecting a small amount of stored deformation energy are quite ductile. It is proposed that the rate of disappearance of PSTs is a key factor in dissipation of stored deformation energy. A parameter describing the dissipation ability of material upon deformation is introduced.     

Thermodynamics of translesion synthesis across a major DNA adduct of antitumor oxaliplatin: differential scanning calorimetric study

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to measure the thermodynamic changes associated with translesion synthesis across major lesion induced in DNA by antitumor oxaliplatin [1,2-d(GG) intrastrand cross-link]. Insertion of matched nucleotides dC at the primer terminus (across unique 3'- or 5'-dG in the unplatinated template) and subsequent extensions resulted in an incremental increase in thermodynamic parameters. In contrast, incorporation of dC opposite either platinated dG in the intrastrand cross-link formed in the template strand and subsequent extensions by one nucleotide resulted only in little changes in thermodynamics. A similar thermodynamic delay was observed for a control template primer containing a dG:dT mismatch across 3'- or 5'-dG in the template and subsequent Watson-Crick primer extensions. The thermodynamic scarcity generated by either the lesion or mismatches was not localized but extended to the 5'-downstream sites, which may be connected with the phenomenon termed "short-term memory" of replication errors retained by some DNA polymerases responding to DNA damages or mismatches. Interestingly, formation of the 1,2-d(GG) intrastrand cross-link of oxaliplatin altered the overall DSC profiles of the dG:dT mismatch template/primers only in a very small extent. While addition of matched nucleotide dC across either dG in the template strand was thermodynamically favored over the presence of a mismatched dT (ΔΔG(0)(310) was 7.6 or 6.8 kJ mol(-1), ΔΔH was 14 or 49 kJ mol(-1)), no such thermodynamic advantage was observed with the 1,2-d(GG) intrastrand cross-link of oxaliplatin at these positions (ΔΔG(0)(310) was 2.8 or -0.3 kJ mol(-1), ΔΔH was 4 or 9 kJ mol(-1)). The equilibrium thermodynamic data also provide insight into the processes associated with misincorporation of incorrect nucleotides during replication bypass across major cross-links of antitumor oxaliplatin. On the other hand, besides thermodynamic effects also kinetic factors play an important role in the processing of the cross-links of antitumor platinum drugs. The impact of the two effects in overall processing DNA adducts by a particular DNA polymerase will depend on its nature.     

步进扫描差示扫描量热法研究不同链结构的聚乙烯类聚烯烃热力学特性

采用步进扫描差示扫描量热法研究了几种具有不同链结构的聚乙烯类聚烯烃的热力学性质.结果表明,不同链结构的聚烯烃在热力学平衡熔融态下,其绝对比热容的温度依赖性在实验误差范围内几乎相同;而无论链结构的变化如何,在极低温度下稳定结晶态的热容也非常接近.但在熔融温度范围内,比热容对不同聚烯烃的链结构非常敏感,这是由于在远低于聚烯烃主熔化峰温度范围内,聚乙烯晶体结构中的不同支链的影响.在时间-热流的步进扫描曲线中,具有长支链结构的聚烯烃表现出独特的熔融-再结晶行为,这可能是由于交联点之间较长的受约束链段的运动在熔融过程中得到释放并重排所致.     

Thermal polymerization of acrylamide during the formation of the structures of acrylamide complexes with metal nitrates

The effects of the composition of Mn^II, Co^II or Ni^II nitrate hydrate — acrylamide (AAM) mixtures and of the duration of their aging at ambient temperature on the structurization of acrylamide complexes and on the character of their thermal polymerization have been studied by scanning and isothermic differential calorimetry. Structurization is a rather prolonged step in the synthesis of acrylamide complexes. The peculiarities and rate of this step are determined by the composition of the mixture and by the nature of the complexforming compound; it yields several structural modifications of the AAM complexes. The thermal polymerization of those structural forms of acrylamide complexes that polymerize at low temperatures may be formally described as polymerization in an acrylamide-nitrate-water mixture. The effective activation energy of the polymerization of acrylamide mixed with Mn^II nitrate hydrate is 45 kJ mol^–1.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 679–683, April, 1995.This work was carried out with financial support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Project No. 93-03-4162.