Properties of poly(vinyl chloride)/wood flour/montmorillonite composites: Effects of coupling agents and layered silicate

Organomodified montmorillonite (OMMT) was prepared using cetylalkyl trimethyl amine bromide. OMMT and wood flour (WF) were surface-modified by silane coupling agent. They were melt-blended with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and extruded into wood-plastic composite samples using one conical twin screw extruder. The effects of their contents on the composite mechanical properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy observed intercalation and dispersion of the OMMT. FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to analyze the silane-modification effects. The possible reaction mechanisms were proposed. After wood flour was modified by 1.5 phr silane, the impact strength and the tensile strength of wood flour-PVC composite were increased by 14.8% and 18.5%, respectively. Mechanical tests showed that the addition of OMMT did not enhance the untreated wood flour-PVC composites. However, adding 0.5% OMMT did improve the mechanical properties of the treated ones. The grafting improved the interfacial compatibility between components producing higher properties of the composites. Further addition of OMMT reinforced the composites. Too higher contents of silane and OMMT impaired some properties because of weak interfacial layer and higher concentrated stress. Cone calorimetry showed that the fire flame retardancy and smoke suppression of composites were strongly improved with the addition of OMMT.     

The Synthesis of Some New N‐[1‐(2,5‐Dichlorophenyl)‐5‐Methyl‐1,2,3‐Triazol‐4‐yl]‐Carbamic Acid Ester Derivatives

The synthesis of some new N‐[1‐(2,5‐dichlorophenyl)‐5‐methyl‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl]‐carbamic acid ester derivatives are reported in this paper. The yielded products 6a‐l were confirmed by Elemental analyses, NMR, MS, and IR spectra.     

Evaluation of polymeric flocculants for oily water systems using a photometric dispersion analyzer

During oil production and treatment, oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions are formed. These dispersions require treatment prior to disposal. In order to improve oil/water separation processes through any physical process (decanting, flotation, centrifuging etc), the particle size of the dispersed phase should be increased. This may be obtained by a flocculation process, which consists in the agglomeration of several particles or drops using as flocculating agent hydrophilic high molecular weight macromolecules. Poly (ethylene-b-propylene oxide) and poly (vinyl alcohol) polymers have been evaluated as flocculating agents for oily water systems. Their performance is related to the particle size increase of the dispersed phase. In this work, a photometric dispersion analyzer (PDA) has been used to accomplish the oil drop agglomeration. Synthetic as well as produced water was used. Data are in good agreement with previous tests. Qualitative information related to aggregates or particle size distribution of the oily water systems can be obtained using PDA.     

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Biological Activities of O, O-Dialkyl α-[1-（2-Chlorothiazol-5-ylmethyl）-5-methyl- 1 H-1,2,3-triazol-4-ylcarbonyloxy]alkylphosphonates

In order to search for novel agrochemicals with high activity and low toxicity, a series of phosphonate derivatives containing 1,2,3-triazole and thiazole rings were designed and synthesized using 2-chloro-5-（chloromethyl）- thiazole as the starting material. Their structures were confirmed by IR, ^1H NMR, ^31p NMR, EI-MS or ESI-MS and elemental analyses. The crystal structure of 7a was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Preliminary bioassays indicated that most of the target compounds did not display insecticidal activities, but a fraction of them possessed herbicidal and fungicidal activities to some extent.     

Vinyl polymerization of acrylonitrile by the Ce(IV)-glucose redox system

Aqueous polymerization of acrylonitrile (M) initiated by the Ce(IV)-glucose (R) redox system has been studied under nitrogen in the temperature range of 30–40 °C. The rate of polymerization (Rp) is proportional to [M]², [R] and inversely proportional to [Ce(IV)]. The rate of ceric ion disappearance is proportional to [R] and [Ce(IV)]. The end group in the polymer is characterised by IR spectra. A suitable kinetic scheme has been proposed and explained in the light of these experimental findings.     

Synthesis of thermally-induced phase separating polymer with well-defined polymer structure by living cationic polymerization. I. Synthesis of poly(vinyl ether)s with oxyethylene units in the pendant and its phase separation behavior in aqueous solution

Living cationic polymerization of alkoxyethyl vinyl ether [CH₂?CHOCH₂CH₂OR; R: CH₃ (MOVE), C₂H₅ (EOVE)] and related vinyl ethers with oxyethylene units in the pendant was achieved by 1-(isobutoxy)ethyl acetate ( 1 )/Et_1.5AlCl_1.5 initiating system in the presence of an added base (ethyl acetate or THF) in toluene at 0°C. The polymers had a very narrow molecular weight distribution (M?_w/M?_n = 1.1–1.2) and the M?_n proportionally increased with the progress of the polymerization reaction. On the other hand, the polymerization by 1 /EtAlCl₂ initiating system in the presence of ethyl acetate, which produces living polymer of isobutyl vinyl ether, yielded the nonliving polymer. When an aqueous solution of the polymers thus obtained was heated, the phase separation phenomenon was clearly observed in each polymer at a definite critical temperature (T_ps). For example, T_ps was 70°C for poly(MOVE), and 20°C for poly(EOVE) (1 wt % aqueous solution, M?_n ～ 2 × 10⁴). The phase separation for each case was quite sensitive (ΔT_ps = 0.3–0.5°C) and reversible on heating and cooling. The T_ps or ΔT_ps was clearly dependent not only on the structure of polymer side chains (oxyethylene chain length and ω-alkyl group), but also on the molecular weight (M?_n = 5 × 10³-7 × 10⁴) and its distribution. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and in vitro degradation of poly(N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone)‐based graft copolymers for biomedical applications

This work is devoted to the design of a novel family of hydrosoluble biomaterials: poly(N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone) (PVP)‐based graft copolymers. A synthesis route has been elaborated in which ω‐functionalized PVP is prepared via chain‐transfer radical polymerization, end‐group modified, and subsequently grafted onto a polyhydroxylated backbone, typically dextran or poly(vinyl alcohol). The resulting graft copolymer biomaterials are designed for use in various biomedical applications, particularly as materials with a stronger potential for plasma expansion than already existing products have. The graft copolymers are potentially degradable because the PVP grafts are connected to the polyol backbone via a hydrolytically labile carbonate or ester linkage. The degradation of the graft copolymers was performed in vitro over a period of 6 weeks. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3652–3661, 2002     

Radical alternating copolymerization of vinyl ethers

New alternating equimolar copolymers of electrophilic trisubstituted ethylenes, methyl 3-phenyl-2-cyanopropenoate and 2-phenyl-1,1-dicyanoethene, with ethyl, n-butyl, i-butyl, t-butyl, 2-chloroethyl, and phenyl vinyl ethers were prepared by free radical initiation. Chemical compositions of the copolymers are 1 : 1 in broad ranges of monomer ratios. The copolymerization rate of both electrophilic monomers with the vinyl ethers increase in the series 2-chloroethyl > ethyl > phenyl > n-butyl > i-butyl > t-butyl. These variations in the reactivity of the vinyl ethers are discussed in terms of their preferred conformations in donor-acceptor complexes with electrophilic trisubstituted ethylenes. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

PREPARATION OF PERFLUOROOCTANOYL-MODIFIED POLY(VINYL-ALCOHOL)S AND THEIR ADSORPTION AT AN AIR-WATER INTERFACE

Perfluorooctanoyl modified poly(vinyl alcohol)s (FPVA) were prepared by means of substituting a small amountof hydroxyl groups on the backbone of poly(vinyl alcohol), for which the initial degree of polymerization is equal to 1750.The substitution extent, defined by the number of substituting units in a chain, for the four FPVA samples was in the range of0.5-5 perfluorooctanoyl groups per chain. The FPVA samples with the highest substitution extent still had good solubility inwater. It was shown by experimental measurement at 30.0±0.1℃ that the surface tension of the aqueous solution of thehighest substituted FPVA decreased to 16.6 mN/In at a higher concentration, e.g about 0.1 g/mL. Obviously,macromolecules of FPVA exhibit a very strong tendency to adsorb at the air-water interface, because the hydrophobicperfluorooctanoyl groups in FPVA have a very high surface activity as they are in small molecular fluorinated surfactants.The chain conformation of such a model polymer adsorbed on the air-water interface was also discussed.     

Preparation of water‐soluble,syndiotacticity‐rich,low molecular weight poly(vinyl alcohol) microfibrils in high yields with the low‐temperature polymerization of vinyl pivalate in tetrahydrofuran and saponification

To prepare water‐soluble, syndiotacticity‐rich poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) microfibrils for various industrial applications, we synthesized syndiotacticity‐rich, low molecular weight PVA by the solution polymerization of vinyl pivalate (VPi) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at low temperatures with 2,2′‐azobis(2,4‐dimethylvaleronitrile) (ADMVN) as an initiator and successive saponification of poly(vinyl pivalate) (PVPi). Effects of the initiator and monomer concentrations and the polymerization temperature were investigated in terms of the polymerization behaviors and molecular structures of PVPi and the corresponding syndiotacticity‐rich PVA. The polymerization rate of VPi in THF was proportional to the 0.91 power of the ADMVN concentration, indicating the heterogeneous nature of THF polymerization. The low‐temperature solution polymerization of VPi in THF with ADMVN proved to be successful in obtaining water‐soluble PVA with a number‐average degree of polymerization (P_n) of 300–900, a syndiotactic dyad content of 60–63%, and an ultimate conversion of VPi into PVPi of over 75%. Despite the low molecular weight of PVA with P_n = 800, water‐soluble PVA microfibrillar fibers were prepared because of the high level of syndiotacticity. In contrast, for PVA with P_n = 330, shapeless and globular morphologies were observed, indicating that molecular weight has an important role in the in situ fibrillation of syndiotacticity‐rich PVA. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1103–1111, 2002