Nanocomposite materials from latex and cellulose whiskers

Composite materials were processed by casting a mixture of aqueous suspensions of latex and microfibrils. These microfibrils, or whiskers, are extracted from a sea animal and are monocrystals of cellulose, with an aspect ratio around 100 and an average diameter of 20 nm. It has been found that the mechanical properties (shear modulus) are increased by more than two orders of magnitude in the rubbery state of the polymeric matrix, when the whisker content was 6% (w/w). This very large effect is discussed on the basis of different types of mechanical models and it is concluded that these whiskers form a rigid network, probably linked by hydrogen bonds. The formation of this network is assumed to be governed by a percolation mechanism.     

Effects of type and number of impellers and liquid viscosity on the power characteristics of mechanically agitated gas—liquid systems

Effect of the type and number of high-speed impellers installed on a common shaft on the power characteristics was investigated in water and glucose solutions of different concentration. Different configurations of the Rushton or Smith turbines, pitched blade turbines, propeller, and A 315 impeller were tested. Measurements of power consumption were carried out within the transitional and turbulent regime of the fluid flow using the strain gauge method. Baffled agitated vessels with inner diameter of 0.288 m and 0.634 m were used for the experiments. Liquid height in the vessels was equal to the vessel diameter or it was twice higher. The relative power consumption was compared for different configurations of the impellers. Presented at the 33rd International Conference of the Slovak Society of Chemical Engineering, Tatranské Matliare, 22–26 May 2006.     

Preparation and properties of polyurethane networks based on α,ω-difunctional poly(hexafluoropropylene oxide)

Poly(hexafluoropropylene oxide), poly(HFPO), networks were prepared from functional polymers by end linking via urethane groups. The prepolymers were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and GPC. The networks were characterized by determination of the number of network chains from the shear modulus, and were snown to contain both trifunctional crosslinks and difunctional links. The properties of the networks were investigated by a range of techniques. Compared with fully-fluorinated networks formed via triazine cross-links, investigated previously, the urethane-linked networks were more readily prepared but were poorer elastomers, were less thermally stable, and were less resistant to swelling by common polar solvents. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Fully quantum mechanical energy optimization for protein-ligand structure

We present a quantum mechanical approach to study protein-ligand binding structure with application to a Adipocyte lipid-binding protein complexed with Propanoic Acid. The present approach employs a recently develop molecular fractionation with a conjugate caps (MFCC) method to compute protein-ligand interaction energy and performs energy optimization using the quasi-Newton method. The MFCC method enables us to compute fully quantum mechanical ab initio protein-ligand interaction energy and its gradients that are used in energy minimization. This quantum optimization approach is applied to study the Adipocyte lipid-binding protein complexed with Propanoic Acid system, a complex system consisting of a 2057-atom protein and a 10-atom ligand. The MFCC calculation is carried out at the Hartree-Fock level with a 3-21G basis set. The quantum optimized structure of this complex is in good agreement with the experimental crystal structure. The quantum energy calculation is implemented in a parallel program that dramatically speeds up the MFCC calculation for the protein-ligand system. Similarly good agreement between MFCC optimized structure and the experimental structure is also obtained for the streptavidin-biotin complex. Due to heavy computational cost, the quantum energy minimization is carried out in a six-dimensional space that corresponds to the rigid-body protein-ligand interaction.     

An attempt on the VOC oxidation using mechanically activated catalyst

A catalytic action of the mechanochemical products of copper hydroxocarbonate with calcium carbonate was investigated in n-butyl alcohol oxidation tests. The solid products of high-energy milling were identified using thermogravimetry supplemented by X-ray diffraction method. It was shown that the mechanical activation induces more effective tested catalyst because it promotes the alcohol conversion at lower temperatures than that unmilled one. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Vibrational analysis of 3-trifluoromethylphenol

The molecular geometry and molecular vibrations of 3-trifluoromethylphenol have been investigated by means of quantum chemical calculations and vibrational spectroscopy. The computations indicated the preference of the conformer with the OH hydrogen pointing in the direction of the trifluoromethyl group by 0.9 kJ/mol with respect to the anti conformer. FT-IR spectra of the vapour and CCl₄ solution as well as FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra of the pure liquid have been recorded in the range of 4000–150 cm⁻¹. The interpretation of the spectra was based on a scaled quantum mechanical (SQM) analysis for which the initial force field was calculated at the Becke3-Lee-Yang-Parr (B3LYP) DFT level supplemented with a 6-311++G** basis set. Using 11 scale factors refined in the present study an rms deviation of 7.6 cm⁻¹ between the experimental and SQM frequencies has been achieved. On the basis of the computations 40 of the total of 42 fundamentals of the title compound have been assigned.     

Solid state extrusion of thermoplastic elastomers 4

A solid state extrusion technique is applied as to produce oriented block copoly(ether ester) under various physical conditions. The morphology of the extruded samples is characterized in relation to the extrusion parameters and hard segment compositions of the polymer, using thermal analysis and X-ray methods. The lateral dimensions of the crystalline domains are found to be approximately 150 Å depending on the extrusion conditions. The statistics of the long range periodicity of the structure along the extrusion direction is in agreement with a one-dimensional two phase model, the crystalline portion of which does not vary much in thickness (35 – 45 Å). The unexpected increase in the long period and the thermal shrinkage suggest the existence of strained interlamellar amorphous chains (tie molecules). The observed variations in tensile properties are interpreted under the assumption that both the number of such tie molecules and their fully extended lengths are determined by the hard segment composition and the extrusion conditions. It is also argued that the increase in the glass transition temperature is not only a function of the composition of hard segments in the amorphous phase but also of the number of strained tie molecules.Herrn Dr. Dr. h. c. H. Hellmann zum 70. Geburtstag gewidmet.Part 3 cf. lit [11]     

聚酯-聚酯多嵌段共聚物的合成及其动态力学性能

聚酯-聚醚多嵌段共聚物的动态力学性能谱上有两个T_8,不宜做阻尼材料。本文报道聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯(PET)-端羟基聚己二酸乙二醇酯(PEA)共聚物(简称嵌段共聚酯),比聚醚-聚酯多嵌段共聚物有更好的相容性。我们研究了PEA的分子量,间苯二甲酸的用量对嵌段共聚酯的结晶度,以及结晶度对嵌段共聚酯的动态力学性能的影响。     

POPOP诱导环糊精形成纳米管的研究

用紫外吸收光谱、稳态荧光、荧光各向异性和动态光散射等方法研究了2,2′-p-亚苯基-双(5-苯基噁唑) (POPOP)分子与环糊精(CD)的相互作用. 结果表明, POPOP分子在浓度较低时与β-CD形成1:2的包合物, 在浓度较高时可以进一步诱导β-CD形成纳米管结构. 同时发现, POPOP分子也可以诱导γ-CD形成纳米管结构. 对比于β-CD, POPOP分子在γ-CD水溶液中的荧光发射峰, 不仅有明显的红移而且也缺失了精细结构, 呈现较宽的大包峰. 这是由于POPOP分子成对进入γ-CD空腔形成了激基缔合物的缘故. pH和温度效应实验进一步表明, POPOP诱导β-CD形成的纳米管在pH大于12和温度高于331 K的环境下不能稳定存在.     

Thermal techniques to study complex elastomer/filler systems

The transfer of heat through an elastomeric matrix is important for both the processing of the material and its subsequent lifetime. Thermal conductivity can be used to evaluate the influence of different polymers and fillers on heat transfer. Additionally, the dispersion of the filler has an effect on heat transfer and thermal conductivity measurements can be used to provide semi-quantitative estimations of filler dispersion. The degradation of sulfur-crosslinked elastomer systems has been studied for many years. The degradation of the crosslinks (changes in sulfur rank) and degradation of the polymer backbone by thermal and/or oxidative processes have been studied extensively using many techniques including thermal analysis (references). However, the degradation of the crosslinked-polymer 'network' is less well understood. The relationship of the crosslink network to this degradation process is a key to both the long term and higher temperature performance of the sulfur-crosslinked elastomer. The changes in physical properties observed upon exposure of sulfur-crosslinked elastomers can be monitored using dynamic mechanical analysis. Subsequently, other thermal techniques can be used to monitor the chemistry that is occurring during these degradations. Thermal desorption/mass spectroscopy and dynamic scanning calorimetry are used to complete the picture of the degradation processes taking place. Examples of these techniques will be provided to illustrate the utility of the analytical approach, the chemistry involved in these degradation processes and the effect of changes in the polymer, cure package and other ingredients. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.