Synthesis and characterisation of novel functional polyolefin containing sulfonic acid groups

The strong polar group, sulfonic acid, has successfully been introduced into ethylene/allylbenzene copolymers without degradation or crosslinking via chlorosulfonation reaction with chlorosulfonic acid as a chlorosulfonating agent in 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane followed by hydrolysis. The degree of sulfonation (DS) can be easily controlled by changing the ratio of chlorosulfonic acid to the pendant phenyls of the copolymer. The microstructure of sulfonated copolymers were unambiguously revealed by ¹H NMR and ¹H-¹H COSY spectral analyses, which indicates that all the sulfonation reactions exclusively took place at the para-position of the aromatic rings. The thermal behaviors were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). DSC data exhibit a systematic trend of melting temperature increasing with DS. TGA data of sulfonated copolymers show an increase in degradation temperature from 444 to 460 °C compared to the received copolymer. Sulfonated copolymers also show an additional minor loss of mass at approximately 261 °C, which is not observed in the received copolymer. The wetting properties of the sulfonated copolymers were also evaluated by contact angle measurement, and a notable increase in surface hydrophilicity was identified.     

具有结构诱导的亲水性和导电性的α-MnO2纳米线网络用于电催化

具有各向异性特征的低维纳米线已被应用于各类科学技术领域.纳米线也被广泛用于制备高维超级结构(纳米线阵列和纳米线网络等),以克服低维纳米线自由堆积导致化学反应过程中内部空间不足等缺点.但是,构造这些超级结构的典型策略仅限于复杂和苛刻的组装合成手段,因此,在温和条件下使用简单的方法直接合成基于纳米线的新型3D超结构仍然是重要且具有挑战性的工作.本文在没有使用任何表面活性剂的条件下通过简单水热法制备了一种独特α-MnO2纳米线网络,同时这一新颖的结构使制备的材料具有优异的结构诱导的亲水性和导电性.在此超级结构中,纳米线通过节点从各个方向互相连接形成网络,网络结构由节点之间的逐节点连接形成.与离散的α-MnO2纳米线和3Dα-MnO2微米球相比,α-MnO2网络超级结构的电催化水氧化活性显著增强.物质扩散和电荷转移能力是电催化剂性能的两大重要影响因素,因此,本文对比研究了这三种材料的亲水性和导电性对电催化水氧化的影响程度.在α-MnO2网络超级结构中,丰富开放空间有利于物质扩散.在水溶液的非均相催化中,水的扩散和与催化位点的结合很重要.水滴静态接触角测量结果表明,α-MnO2网络超级结构具有较高的亲水性.通常,长纳米线的暴露晶面较稳定,它们与溶剂分子间的相互作用较弱.然而,由于大量的空隙结构导致的虹吸效应,本文α-MnO2纳米线网络结构表现出高亲水性.同时,本文采用四点探针法测试了三种催化剂的薄层电阻,与离散的α-MnO2纳米线中线与线之间的物理接触不同,网络结构中线与线是通过化学方式连接的.因此,网络结构内的电荷转移比随机堆积的纳米线和微米球要快得多.本文还通过电化学方法进一步证明了α-MnO2网络超级结构中高效的物质扩散和电荷转移.网络结构中,基于活化电流和静态电流的Tafel值相近,该结果表明即使在没有消除传质限制情况下,这种独特纳米网络的丰富内部空间使得传质阻力几乎可以忽略,具有高传质效率.根据Laviron方程计算出的电子转移速率常数表明,网络结构的电子转移速率比其他两个对比催化剂快得多,说明α-MnO2纳米线网络超级结构同时具有高效的物质扩散和电荷转移能力.综上,本文不仅为构筑高级网络结构提供了一条新的合成途径,而且为设计具有高效物质扩散和电荷转移的电化学材料提供了新思路.     

Fabrication and characterization of a novel TiO2 nanoparticle self-assembly membrane with improved fouling resistance

A novel TiO₂ nanoparticle self-assembly membrane was prepared based on ultrahigh molecular weight poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (SMA/PVDF) blend membrane. TiO₂ nanoparticle solution was beforehand prepared via the controlled hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide. The diameter (10 nm or less) and anatase crystal structure were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The SMA/PVDF blend membranes prepared by the phase inversion method were immersed into the TiO₂ nanoparticle solution for a week to produce TiO₂ self-assembly membranes. The chemical compositions in membrane surface were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The membrane morphologies were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Finally, the membrane hydrophilicity, protein anti-fouling property and the molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) were characterized by water contact angle measurement, static protein absorption and filtration experiments, respectively. It is demonstrated that, in comparison to PVDF/SMA blend membrane, the permeability and anti-fouling ability of TiO₂ self-assembly membranes were significantly improved.     

高亲水性环氧树脂的制备及对碳纤维的表面处理

在三乙胺催化下,以己二酸和环氧树脂制备了己二酸改性环氧树脂(AAEP),通过考察反应温度等因素对己二酸转化率和AAEP环氧值的影响,得到了AAEP合成的最佳条件.用傅里叶变换红外光谱和核磁共振对AAEP进行了表征.用KOH中和AAEP得到己二酸改性环氧树脂钾盐(AAEPK),测试了AAEPK乳液的性质和AAEPK处理后碳纤维的分散性,并通过场发射扫描电子显微镜和X射线光电子能谱对碳纤维的表面形貌和基团进行了研究.结果表明,AAEPK具有高亲水性,适用于碳纤维处理剂,当AAEPK的浓度和吸附量分别为1.0%(质量分数)和3.0 mg/g时,处理剂可在纤维表面均匀分布,使得碳纤维在树脂基体中的分散性得到改善.研究了处理剂对碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料弯曲和剪切性能的影响,发现处理后碳纤维短丝/环氧树脂复合材料的弯曲强度和碳纤维布/环氧树脂复合材料的层间剪切强度较未处理的试样分别增加了168%和113%,说明AAEPK处理后碳纤维在基体中分散性和黏结性的提高是碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料力学性能提高的主要原因.     

聚丙烯微孔膜表面的空气等离子体处理

采用空气等离子体对聚丙烯微孔膜进行了处理，膜表面带有了氧元素，表面亲水性增强。微孔膜外表面改性程度较高，而孔内愈往深处改性程度愈弱。空气等离子体处理过的微孔膜力学性能下降。     

Modification of polysulfone membranes via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

Hydrophilic poly((poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (P(PEGMA)) and poly(glycidylmethacrylate) (PGMA) brushes were grafted from chloromethylated polysulfone (CMPSF) membrane surfaces via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Prior to ATRP, chloromethylation of PSF was performed beforehand and the obtained CMPSF was prepared into porous membranes by phase inversion process. It was demonstrated that the benzyl chloride groups on the CMPSF membrane surface afforded effective macroinitiators to graft the well-defined polymer brushes. ¹H NMR was employed to confirm the structure of CMPSF. The grafting yield of P(PEGMA) and PGMA was determined by weight gain measurement. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the grafting of P(PEGMA) and PGMA chains. Water contact angle measurements indicated that the introduction of P(PEGMA) and PGMA graft chains promoted remarkably the surface hydrophilicity of PSF membranes. The effects of P(PEGMA) and PGMA immobilization on membrane morphology, permeability and fouling resistance were investigated. It was found that P(PEGMA) and PGMA grafts brought higher pure water flux, improved hydrophilic surface and better anti-protein absorption ability to PSF membranes after modification. And evidently, macromonomer P(PEGMA) brought much better properties to the PSF membranes than PGMA macromonomer.     

A study on the antimicrobial efficacy of RF oxygen plasma and neem extract treated cotton fabrics

The paper deals with a thorough investigation on the antimicrobial activity of RF oxygen plasma and Azadirachtin (neem extract) treated cotton fabric. The hydrophilicity of cotton fabric was found to improve when treated with RF oxygen plasma. The process parameters such as electrode gap, time of exposure and oxygen pressure have been varied to study their effect on improving the hydrophilicity of the cotton fabric. The static immersion test has been carried out to assess the hydrophilicity of the oxygen plasma treated samples and the process parameters were optimized based on these test results. The formation of carbonyl group during surface modification in the plasma treated sample was analysed using FTIR studies. The surface morphology has been studied using SEM micrographs.The antimicrobial activity was imparted to the RF oxygen plasma treated samples using methanolic extract of neem leaves containing Azadirachtin. The antimicrobial activity of these samples has been analysed and compared with the activity of the cotton fabric treated with neem extract alone. The investigation reveals that the surface modification due to RF oxygen plasma was found to increase the hydrophilicity and hence the antimicrobial activity of the cotton fabric when treated with Azadirachtin.     

Investigation into the effects of deposition parameters on TiO2 photocatalyst thin films by rf magnetron sputtering

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) photocatalyst thin films were deposited on non-alkali glass substrates by radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering. The Taguchi method with orthogonal array, signal-to-noise ratio and analysis of variance were employed to study the performance characteristics. The experimental studies were conducted under different rf powers, sputtering pressures, O₂/(Ar+O₂) flow-rate ratios, and substrate temperatures. The deposited TiO₂ films were of the anatase phase with a (101) preferred orientation. We performed both photoinduced decomposition of methylene blue (MB) and photoinduced hydrophilicity under UV light illumination. With the optimized TiO₂ photocatalyst thin film deposition conditions, the water contact angle after 9 min UV illumination was approximately 5, the absorbance of MB was reduced to 0.2 for 240 min UV irradiation, and the deposition rate was 34.18 Å/min.     

Effect of degumming time on silkworm silk fibre for biodegradable polymer composites

Recently, many studies have been conducted on exploitation of natural materials for modern product development and bioengineering applications. Apart from plant-based materials (such as sisal, hemp, jute, bamboo and palm fibre), animal-based fibre is a kind of sustainable natural materials for making novel composites. Silkworm silk fibre extracted from cocoon has been well recognized as a promising material for bio-medical engineering applications because of its superior mechanical and bioresorbable properties. However, when producing silk fibre reinforced biodegradable/bioresorbable polymer composites, hydrophilic sericin has been found to cause poor interfacial bonding with most polymers and thus, it results in affecting the resultant properties of the composites. Besides, sericin layers on fibroin surface may also cause an adverse effect towards biocompatibility and hypersensitivity to silk for implant applications. Therefore, a proper pre-treatment should be done for sericin removal. Degumming is a surface modification process which allows a wide control of the silk fibre's properties, making the silk fibre possible to be used for the development and production of novel bio-composites with unique/specific mechanical and biodegradable properties. In this paper, a cleaner and environmentally friendly surface modification technique for tussah silk in polymer based composites is proposed. The effectiveness of different degumming parameters including degumming time and temperature on tussah silk is discussed through the analyses of their mechanical and morphological properties. Based on results obtained, it was found that the mechanical properties of tussah silk are affected by the degumming time due to the change of the fibre structure and fibroin alignment.