Anisotropic studies of multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-filled natural rubber (NR) and nitrile rubber (NBR) blends

50/50 NR/NBR blends with various MWCNT loadings were prepared by mixing with MWCNT/NR masterbatches on a two-roll mill and sheeted off at the smallest nip gap. Then, the effect of milling direction, machine direction (MD) and transverse direction (TD), on the mechanical and electrical properties of the blends was elucidated. Dichroic ratio and SEM results confirmed that most of the MWCNTs were aligned along MD when MWCNT was less than 4 phr, and the number of agglomerates increased when MWCNT was more than 4 phr. Additionally, anisotropic properties were clearly observed when 4 phr MWCNT was loaded. At 4 phr MWCNT, 100% modulus and tensile strength in the MD were about 1.5 and 1.3 times higher than those in the TD, respectively. Moreover, electrical conductivity in the MD was superior to that in the TD by about 3 orders of magnitude. Results from dynamic mechanical tests also showed that the maximum tan δ in the MD sample was lower than that in the corresponding TD sample. In addition, the storage modulus at 30 °C for the MD sample containing 4 phr MWCNT was 1.15 higher than that of the corresponding TD sample. This stronger reinforcement efficiency resulted from the combination of the greater alignment and dispersion of most MWCNTs in the MD sample.     

High sensitivity measurements of thermal properties of textile fabrics

A new testing apparatus is proposed to measure the thermal properties of fabrics made from polymeric materials. The calibration of the apparatus and the data acquisition procedure are considered in detail in order to measure thermal conductivity, resistance, absorption and diffusivity constants of the tested fabric samples. Differences between dry and wet fabrics have been carefully detected and analyzed. We have developed a new measurement protocol, the ThermoTex protocol, which agrees with the UNI EN 31092 standard and entails accurate quantification of the experimental errors according to a standard statistical analysis, thus allowing a rigorous investigation of the physical behavior of the phenomena involved. As a consequence, our equipment exhibits great potential for optimizing the thermal comfort of fabrics, according to the market demand, thanks to the possible development of a predictive phenomenological theory of the effects involved.     

Ternary blends based on poly (ethylene-naphthalate)/glass fibers/nitrile rubber: Preparation,properties and effect of dynamic vulcanization

This work studied the possibility of utilizing nitrile rubber (NBR) to modify the impact properties of poly (ethylene-naphthalate) (PEN). The PEN/NBR ratio used changed from 100/0 to 60/40. At the same time, glass fibers (GF), 40% weight of the PEN component, were used to reinforce the blends to compensate for the loss of mechanical properties of PEN by incorporation of NBR. The results showed that the impact strength of the PEN/GF/NBR blend (PEN/NBR = 60/40) was increased up to 27.6J/m, nearly 5 times higher than that of the neat PEN. Meanwhile, the tensile strength and flexural strength were still maintained at as high as 66.1 MPa and 98.2 MPa, respectively. Dynamic vulcanization further improved the mechanical properties of the PEN/GF/NBR blends, which provided routes to the design of new PEN/elastomer blends. Other properties of the PEN/GF/NBR blends were also investigated in terms of morphology of fractured surface, dynamic mechanical behavior, thermal stability and crystallization, by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively.     

Properties of Aqueous Polyurethane Dispersion Modified by Epoxide Resin and Their Use as Adhesive

The aqueous polyurethane hybrid dispersion modified by the epoxy resin were synthesized using 1,4-butanediol ( BDO ) and dimethylolpropionic(DMPA) as chain extenders. A kind of automobile interior decoration adhesive was made by the modified hybrid dispersions. Effects of the content and the kinds of epoxide resin on the properties of dispersions and dispersion-cast films such as appearance, pot life, viscosity, particle size, molecular mass, hardness, swelling in water, contact angle, strength of stress, elongation at break, and other mechanical properties were studied. At the same time the effect of the E20 content on the peel strength of the adhesive for several automobile interior decoration substrates such as rubber/wood, poly(vinyl chloride)/wood; leather/wood, sponge/wood was investigated. The experimental results show that when the epoxy resin E20 content was 8%, the modified polyurethane hybrid dispersions possess better properties and the adhesive made by the modified dispersions posses better adhesion for automobile interior decoration substrates. The stress-strain curve of the modified aqueous polyurethane hybrid dispersions films shows the modified aqueous cast films possess better rigidity and toughness.     

Oil Base Mud. Part I: Synthesis of Some Local Surfactants Used as Primary Emulsifiers for Oil Base Mud and Evaluation of Their Rheology Properties

Six oil soluble nonionic surfactants with different HLBs have been prepared. Their HLBs situate between 3.9 and 6.7. Transesterification was carried out for glycerol and triethanol amine with oleic acid at different moles to obtain six emusilifiers. They named glycerol momooleate (I), glycerol diooleate (II), glycerol trioleate (III), triethanol amine mono-, di- and tri-oleate (IV), (V,) and (VI). The chemical structure was confirmed using; the elemental analysis, FTIR and ¹HNMR. They were evaluated as a primary emulsifiers (PE) for thdrilling fluids (oil base mud) comparing with a currently used primary emulsifier (Fc). The water in oil base mud (w/o emulsions) was prepared. The concentration of emulsifiers and their HLB exhibited interesting rheology properties including shear-thinning behavior, yield value, viscoelastic effects, thixtropy, gel strength, and filtration loss. The rheology properties of such emulsions strongly depended on the average size distribution of the dispersed droplets that could be varied both with the bulk concentration and HLB value of the emulsifiers. The interfacial and surface properties of these emulsifiers suggest that the droplet size of the dispersed phase and bulk concentration are strongly related to the HLB value of emulsifiers. The w/o emulsion (mud formulation) stability is sensitive to the droplet size of the dispersed phase and HLB value of the used emulsifier. The results were discussed on the light the chemical structure of the primary emulsifiers and the emulsion ingredients.     

New basis sets for the evaluation of interaction‐induced electric properties in hydrogen‐bonded complexes

Interaction‐induced static electric properties, that is, dipole moment, polarizability, and first hyperpolarizability, of the CO? (HF)_n and N₂? (HF)_n, n = 1–9 hydrogen‐bonded complexes are evaluated within the finite field approach using the Hartree–Fock, density functional theory, Møller–Plesset second‐order perturbation theory, and coupled cluster methods, and the LPol‐n (n = ds, dl, fs, fl) basis sets. To compare the performance of the different methods with respect to the increase of the complex size, we consider as model systems linear chains of the complexes. We analyze the results in terms of the many‐body and cooperative effects. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Improvement in Uranium Adsorption Properties of Amidoxime-Based Adsorbent Through Cografting of Amine Group

Amidoxime (AO)/amine co-functionalized polypropylene fiber adsorbents were prepared. The all-polymeric structures were characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), optical microscope, contact angle meter and electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis methods, confirming the grafting, modification, and amidoximation stages gravimetrically, spectroscopically, and visually. The properties for the removal of uranyl(VI) from aqueous solutions were investigated. For amidoxime (AO) fiber, high adsorption rate was observed within the first 30 minutes and the plateau value of 40.6% uranium loading (0.0812 mg/g) was reached at around 30 minutes. The adsorption equilibrium for AO/amine fiber was attained within 20 minutes, resulting in the adsorption of 92.6% uranium loading (0.185 mg/g). The percentage of adsorption increases with increasing pH value (2–6), reaches a maximum at pH 6.0 and then remains almost constant for AO/amine fiber, whereas reduces slightly for AO fiber.     

Electrical Properties of a Highly Charged Cylindrical Particle in a Symmetric Electrolyte Solution

Based on the extended Langmuir's method, accurate analytic expressions for the electrical properties of cylindrical colloidal particle in a solution of symmetric electrolyte are derived from the nonlinear cylindrical Poisson-Boltzmann equation. Comparison is made with previous literature results. The present formulae have good agreement with literature values and are quite simple for practical use.     

Physical and Rheological Characteristics of Emulsion Model Structures Containing Iranian Tragacanth Gum and Oleic Acid

The physical and rheological properties of oil in water model emulsion systems containing Iranian tragacanth gum (TG) (0.5, 1 g/100 ml emulsions), whey protein isolate (WPI) (2, 4 g/100 ml emulsions), and oleic acid (5, 10 ml/100 ml emulsions) were investigated for droplet-size distribution, creaming index, and rheological properties of emulsions. The shear-thinning behavior of all dispersions was modeled using power law, Cross, and Ellis models. The power law model described the flow behavior of dispersions for its lowest standard error (0.29) and highest determination coefficient (R²) (0.99). Rheological investigation showed that both loss (G″) and storage (G′) modules increased as gum and oil content increased. Delta degree was 0.1 and increased as frequency increased, indicating that liquid-like viscose behavior dominated solid-like elastic behavior. Droplet-size distribution was measured by light scattering and microscopic observations revealed a flocculated system. Gum, WPI, and oil contents decreased the emulsion creaming index with gum concentration having the greatest effect.     

Investigation of Combined Effects of Xanthan Gum,Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate,and Salt on Some Physicochemical Properties of Their Mixtures Using a Response Surface Method

Aqueous solutions containing sodium dodecyl sulphate, xanthan gum, and salt were characterized by ionic conductivity, viscosity, and surface tension methods. A preliminary experimental study was performed to evaluate the effect of the mixture compositions on the surface behavior of the mixed polymer/surfactant systems under different solution conditions. An experimental design using response surface method (RSM) was then applied to assess factors interactions and empirical models regarding the physicochemical responses variables (i.e., conductivity, surface tension and viscosity). The main effects of the three independent factors: SDS concentration (x₁), NaCl concentration (x₂) and xanthan concentration (x₃) were determined using in particular a D-optimal design. The results show an important effect of the factors on responses; they also indicate that the synergetic action of surfactant, electrolyte and biopolymer greatly influences these properties. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed high variance coefficient (R ² Avarnas , A. and Panagiotis , I. ( 2003 ) J. Colloid Int. Sci. , 258 : 102 – 109 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) values, thus, ensuring a satisfactory adjustment of the second-order regression model with the experimental data.