Preconcentration Systems Using Polyurethane Foam/Me-BDBD for Determination of Copper in Food Samples

A new reagent, 6-[2′-(6′-methyl-benzothiazolylazo)]-1,2-dihydroxy-3,5-benzenedisulfonic acid (Me-BDBD), was synthesised and used in on-line and off-line systems for copper preconcentration by solid-phase extraction. Spectrophotometry and Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS) were the detection techniques. Polyurethane foam loaded with Me-BDBD packed in a minicolumn was used as sorbent in both systems. The spectral characteristics of Me-BDBD were investigated. The optimum pH values for maximum sorption of the metal are between 7.0 and 8.5. Copper was desorbed with 0.05 and 0.50 mol L⁻¹ hydrochloric acid solutions, for on-line and off-line systems, respectively. The effects of several foreign substances on the adsorption of copper are reported. The enrichment factors obtained were 7 (on-line) and 26 (off-line) for the systems. The proposed procedures allowed the determination of copper with detection limits of 3.4 and 1.4 μg L⁻¹ (0.85 and 0.35 μg per gram of sample) for on-line and off-line systems, respectively. The precision of the procedures was also calculated: 3.2 (on-line) and 1.9% (off-line). The validation of the procedures was carried out by analysis of certified reference material. The copper contents in corn and rice flour and black tea samples were determined by applying the proposed procedures.     

Retention, kinetics and thermodynamics profile of cadmium adsorption from iodide medium onto polyurethane foam and its separation from zinc bulk

The sorption behaviour of 2.5 × 10⁻⁵ M solution of Cd(II) on polyurethane foam (PUF) from iodide medium have been investigated. The conditions were optimized from aqueous solutions of different pH (1-10) and of acids of varied concentration (0.01-1.0 M). The maximum concentration of KI was found to be 0.24 M and equilibration time was established to be 20 min. The data successfully followed the Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherms at low metal ion concentration while Langmuir isotherm followed at higher metal ion concentration. The Freundlich parameter 1/n = 0.66 ± 0.02 have been evaluated whereas D-R isotherm yields the sorption free energy E = 10.5 ± 0.1 kJ mol⁻¹ indicating ion exchange type chemisorption. The monolayer coverage (XL) constant of Langmuir isotherm was found to be 23.7 ± 0.4 mg g⁻¹. The numerical values of thermodynamics parameters enthalpy (ΔH), entropy (ΔS) and Gibbs free energy (ΔG) indicated the endothermic and spontaneous nature of sorption. The Scatchard plot analysis was tested to evaluate the binding sites of the PUF and stability constants of sorption were determined. On the basis of these parameters, the sorption mechanism was discussed. Among the foreign ions tested, Pb(II), Hg(II), cyanide and nitrite should be absent. The clean separation of Cd(II) from Zn(II) ions in the ratio 1:250, respectively, was achieved by column chromatography.     

PET导电纤维的制取及研究

以过氧化二苯甲酰为引发剂,使丙烯睛在涤沦(PET)纤维上接枝共聚。接枝纤维在含铜化合物,含硫还原剂溶液中反应,制备PET导电纤维。讨论了影响接枝共聚的各种因素,选择出最佳聚合条件。对该纤维的导电成份和结构以及性能进行了研究。     

Immobilization of cellulase using polyurethane foam

Cellulase was covalently immobilized using a hydrophilic polyurethane foam (Hypol®FHP 2002). Compared to the free enzyme, immobilized cellulase showed a dramatic decrease (7.5-fold) in the Michaelis constant for carboxymethylcellulose. The immobilized enzyme also had a broader and more basic pH optimum (pH 5.5–6.0), a greater stability under heat-denaturing or liquid nitrogen-freezing conditions, and was relatively more efficient in utilizing insoluble cellulose substrates. High molecular weight compounds (Blue Dextran) could move throughout the foam matrix, indicating permeability to insoluble celluloses; activity could be further improved 2.4-fold after powdering, foams under liquid nitrogen. The improved kinetic and stability features of the immobilized cellulase combined with advantageous properties of the polyurethane foam (resistance to enzymatic degradation, plasticity of shape and size) suggest that this mechanism of cellulase immobilization has high potential for application in the industrial degradation of celluloses.     

Quantitative separation of zinc traces from cadmium matrices by solid-phase extraction with polyurethane foam

A system for separation of zinc traces from large amounts of cadmium is proposed in this paper. It is based on the solid-phase extraction of the zinc in the form of thiocyanate complexes by the polyurethane foam. The following parameters were studied: effect of pH and of the thiocyanate concentration on the zinc extraction, shaking time required for quantitative extraction, amount of PU foam necessary for complete extraction, conditions for the separation of zinc from cadmium, influence of other cations and anions on the zinc sorption by PU foam, and required conditions for back extraction of zinc from the PU foam. The results show that zinc traces can be separated from large amounts of cadmium at pH 3.0±0.50, with the range of thiocyanate concentration from 0.15 to 0.20 mol l⁻¹, and the shaking time of 5 min. The back extraction of zinc can be done by shaking it with water for 10 min. Calcium, barium, strontium, magnesium, aluminum, nickel and iron(II) are efficiently separated. Iron(III), copper(II) and cobalt(II) are extracted simultaneously with zinc, but the iron reduction with ascorbic acid and the use of citrate to mask copper(II) and cobalt(II) increase the selectivity of the zinc extraction. The anions nitrate, chloride, sulfate, acetate, thiosulphate, tartarate, oxalate, fluoride, citrate, and carbonate do not affect the zinc extraction. Phosphate and EDTA must be absent. The method proposed was applied to determine zinc in cadmium salts using 4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol (PAR) as a spectrophotometric reagent. The result achieved did not show significant difference in the accuracy and precision (95% confidence level) with those obtained by ICP–AES analysis.     

On the deformation mechanisms of oriented PET and PP films under load

Uniaxially orienred semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(propylene) (PP) films were loaded parallel to draw direction at various temperatures. Changes in the submicroscopical structure of the films under load were examined by small and wide-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS; WAXS) and birefringence measurements. WAXS measurements reveal a decrease of the initial high orientation of the chains in the crystallites during deformation. Simultaneously, an increase of the birefringence was detected, indicating an orientation of chains in the amorphous regions. The alteration of the long period reflections in the SAXS patterns give strong evidence that lamellar stacks with different orientation angles according to load direction are present. Depending on the orientation of stacks, the contribution of lamellar separation to sample deformation alters, giving rise to different amounts of density changes in the stacks. Absolute intensity measurements of SAXS using a Kratky apparatus reveal that lamellar separation occurs preferentially below or in the range of the glass-transition temperature at small strain. With increasing strain and temperatures above the glass-transition slip deformation mechanisms become more important. The formation of microvoids was observed at strain near to elongation at break below or in the range of glass-transition temperature.     

一种纳米TiO2粉体防团聚的新方法

开发了一种新的低成本防团聚方法——泡沫悬浮法。对泡沫悬浮法和共沸蒸馏法的防团聚效果进行了系统比较。结果表明，泡沫悬浮法可以有效抑制煅烧过程中纳米TiO₂晶粒的粗化和一次粒径的长大。泡沫悬浮法所得纳米TiO₂的粉体还具有团聚粒径小、粒度分布窄以及比表面积大的优点。通过FTIR、TG、DTA和松装密度实验对泡沫悬浮法的防团聚机理进行了研究，提出了纳米TiO₂防团聚模型。     

Rheological behavior in blends of PET with ionomeric polyester

The rheological behavior and the morphology in blends of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with ionomeric polyester were investigated over a wide range of different blending ratios. The ionomeric polyester is derived from PET modified through copolycondensation with sulfonate moiety, sodiosulfo isophthalate (Na-SIP), iso-phthalic acid (IPA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The results showed that the apparent viscosity and non-Newtonian index of the PET/ionomeric polyester blend system had a nonlinearity change with the change of the blend ratio of PET/ionomeric polyester. The anomaly of the viscous flow activation energy change was found as the content of ionomeric polyester was about 40% (w/w) in the blend system, suggesting the presence of physical cross-linked structure formed by strong polar tangling points and the phase separation owing to poor compatibility between the PET and ionomeric polyester. The morphology and thermal behavior of the blends were observed, respectively, with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and atomic force microscopy (AMF).     

Thermal characteristics of polyurethane foams incorporated with phase change materials

Thermal energy storage plays an important role in heat management because of the demand for developed energy conservation, and has applications in diverse areas, from building heating/cooling systems which enable solar energy incorporation into the structure, to textiles and clothings providing an enhanced thermal comfort. In this study, we aimed to improve thermal characteristics of polyurethane rigid foams that have been widely used for thermal insulation as the ultimate energy savers due to their ability to form sandwich structures with various facer materials. Through a laboratory-scale work, two paraffin waxes acting as phase change materials, namely n-hexadecane and n-octadecane, each of which is capable of managing large heat storage/release, were directly incorporated into the polyurethane foams at different ratios. Polymerization modified by means of n-alkane addition could be achieved without any adverse effect. In order to determine both structural and thermal characteristics, seven types of foams produced were examined by FT-IR, SEM, DSC analyses, calorimeter bomb and mechanical tests. Results show that polyurethane foams can be designed as thermal insulators equipped with an improved buffering function against temperature changes.     

The Development of Gas-flow Modulation for High-frequency MTDSC measurements

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of modulating the temperature programme of a conventional DSC by use of an alternating gas-flow system. Modulated temperature differential scanning calorimetry (MTDSC) is an important thermal analysis technique but suffers from a limited applicable frequency range due to the mass of the sample and DSC cell leading to the impingement of thermal conductivity effects. We suggest that the frequency limit can be increased by replacing the cell as the source of temperature modulation with an external gaseous source, directed towards the sample and reference pans. In this evaluation, an alternating gas-flow was passed through a line to a forced gas-flow accessory (FGFA). The FGFA consisted of two matched cylinders containing chambers that allowed pre-temperature-equilibration of the stream of gas before it was passed over the sample and reference pans. The development of this device revealed the essential practical requirements of gas-flow modulation for high-frequency temperature modulation. These include the following: an appropriately sealed tunable gas supply to both sample and reference pans, an effective method for high-frequency cycling of the gas-flow rate, a small aperture to deliver the flowing gas directly over the pan and a temperature equilibration chamber. The results from samples of quenched PET and amorphous Saquinavir indicate that gas-flow modulation is indeed feasible, with the FGFA able to raise the attainable temperature modulation frequency by an order of magnitude compared to conventional MTDSC. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.