Image analysis in the electron microscopy of cellulose protofibrils II. Digital correlation methods

Electron micrographs of parallel arrays of negatively stained ramie cellulose protofibrils were analyzed using the two-dimensional digital autocorrelation function (ACF). The method is based upon the statistical analysis of images in real space. The ACF shows strong parallel streaks of high correlation, and the lateral distance between adjacent streaks allows the mean interfibrillar distance to be estimated as 3.7 nm. The intensity profile along the streaks shows a weak modulation with peaks occurring at integral multiples of 3 or 6 nm. These results provide direct evidence that there is a regular axial texture in the protofibrils, and corroborate the conclusions previously drawn from optical diffraction analysis. Using the difference vectors found in the ACF it has been possible to reduce the picture noise level by linear integration, thereby obtaining an enhanced image. A preliminary result obtained in this way suggests that the projected protofibril morphology associated with the observed axial periodicity is a ribbon-like zigzag structure. Possible applications of the method for future work are discussed.     

无机添加剂对硝酸铵拒爆性的影响研究

考察了无机添加剂对农用硝酸铵拒爆性的影响。结果表明，当硝酸铵中添加3%的无机改性剂GXJ 1和10%的无机改性剂GXJ 2后，其拒爆性能明显增强；改性后的硝酸铵按照工业炸药配方配制成铵油炸药，不能被8号雷管起爆。而且改性后的硝酸铵颗粒强度高，不易粉化、结块和吸潮，具有优良的肥料品质。经济效益分析也表明，改性硝酸铵具有广阔的市场应用前景。通过X射线衍射分析、扫描电子显微镜分析等对改性硝酸铵进行了表征，并对拒爆机理进行了初步探讨。     

硝酸钐水合物热分解过程的研究

Sm(NO_3)_3·6H_2O热分解过程的研究工作虽有文献报道,但结果不尽相同。文献[2]不同于文献[1,3],认为分解过程中存在无水盐阶段;文献[3]不同于文献[1,2],认为分解过程中存在低水合物。而且文献尚缺低水合物热分解机理的报道。我们也曾做过一些工作,但脱水阶段也不详尽。为此,我们详细地研究了Sm(NO_3)_3·nH_2O(n=     

氰乙基纤维素溶致性液晶的研究

氰乙基纤维素在二甲基甲酰胺、二甲基乙酰胺、二甲基亚砜、乙腈以及丙酮等溶剂中可以形成溶致性液晶。随浓度增加,溶液从各向同性状态经两相共存态转变成为完全的液晶态。升高温度到T_c,液晶相消失;降低温度到T′_c,液晶相再生成。T_c总大于T′_c。而且,浓度越高,过冷温度△T=T_c—T′_c越小。在各向同性,两相共存或完全的液晶状态,溶液平均折射率和消光度均与浓度呈线性关系。但在两相间相互转变时,即在C_1~*和C_2~*处,n-C和 A-C 曲线上出现转折点。高聚物与溶剂的相互作用参数X_(12)愈小,临界浓度C_1~*愈小。把描述大分子链柔顺性的参数f与X_(12)联系起来,可用 1956年 Flory的理论定性地解释溶剂对高聚物溶致性液晶形成的影响。     

The effect of UV-irradiation on composting of polyethylene modified by cellulose

LDPE and its blend with cellulose, obtained by extrusion, were UV-irradiated with different doses or biodegraded in soil up to 1 year. Simultaneously, the same samples were 1 year biodegraded after 20 h UV pre-irradiation in the same conditions. The course of photo- and biodegradation was monitored by estimation of average molecular weights and polydispersity, gel amount, changes of PE crystallinity and mechanical properties. Moreover, the biodegradation degree was calculated on the basis of carbon dioxide evolved and surface morphological changes were observed by SEM. It was found that biodegradation of PE + cellulose is hampered by intermolecular crosslinking of both components. Although, the rate of decomposition of PE + cellulose blends is low it is enough for disintegration of such materials in the natural environment.     

Continuous pH monitoring during pretreatment of yellow poplar wood sawdust by pressure cooking in water

Yellow poplar wood sawdust consists of 41% cellulose and 19% hemicellulose. The goal of pressure cooking this material in water is to hydrate the more chemically resistive regions of cellulose in order to enhance enzymatic conversion to glucose. Pretreatment can generate organic acids through acid-catalyzed degradation of monosaccharides formed because of acids released from the biomass material or the inherent acidity of the water at temperatures above 160°C. The resulting acids will further promote the acid-catalyzed degradation of monomers that cause both a reduction in the yield and the formation of fermentation inhibitors such as hydroxymethyl furfural and furfural. A continuous pH-monitoring system was developed to help characterize the trends in pH during pretreatment and to assist in the development of a base (2.0 M KOH) addition profile to help keep the pH within a specified range in order to reduce any catalytic degradation and the formation of any monosac-charide degradation products during pretreatment. The results of this work are discussed.     

Chemical conversion of various celluloses to glucose and its derivatives in supercritical water

The supercritical water biomass conversion system was designed and developed in our laboratory. The reaction vessel with cellulose sample was treated with this system at supercritical state of water for a designated period (3–105s) under the conditions of a tin bath temperature of 500°C and pressure of 35MPa. The recovered products of hydrolysates were then analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. The obtained results indicated that a high amount of glucose and levoglucosan can be achieved from both celluloses I and II for 5–10s supercritical treatment, while that from starch for 3–5s treatment. Although this difference could be due to a difference in the molecular structure between cellulose and starch, a difference between celluloses I and II was not significant. Instead, an accessibility of the water towards cellulose molecules seemed to be significant for their chemical conversion. With the longer treatment, amounts of these compounds observed were decreased due to decomposition. Therefore, it may be concluded that, compared with acid hydrolysis or enzymatic saccharification, cellulose may be hydrolyzed to glucose and its derivatives more or less to the same degree as in corn starch under supercritical state. This finding suggests that the supercritical treatment can overcome the difficulties in hydrolyzing cellulose to glucose, found in the acid hydrolysis or enzymatic saccharification techniques.     

Kinetics and mechanism of thermal decomposition of hydroxylammonium nitrate

The kinetics of thermal decomposition of melted hydroxylammonium nitrate have been investigated by the rate of heat production in the temperature range 84.8–120.9°C. The decomposition proceeds with autocatalysis and up to 60 % of conversion the rate of the process increases proportionally to the square of the degree of decomposition. The initial rate is proportional to the square of the concentration of HNO₃ formed due to dissociation of the salt. The activation energy of this process is 15.3±1.8 kcal/mol. It is suggested that the initial stage the process proceeds via interaction between N₂O₃ and NH₃OH⁺, whereas the subsequent acceleration is due to oxidation of NH₃OH⁺ by nitrogen oxides formed as well as by nitrous acid.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 1897–1901, November, 1993.     

Thermal transformations in systems based on zeolites Y,X, and A containing zinc and sodium nitrates

Thermal transformations in systems formed by interaction of Zn and Na nitrates with Y, X, and A zeolites were studied by TG—DTA technique. Temperature regions of existence of adsorbed water, water of crystallization, and decomposition of NO₃ ^– anion were determined. These intervals depend on the composition, structure, method of preparation, and pre-treatment conditions of zeolite systems. The extent of NO₃ ^– decomposition depends not only on the zinc and sodium content but also on the presence of ammonia involved in NO₃ ^– reduction. The zeolite matrix strongly stabilizes the occluded NO₃ ^– anions. A portion of zinc oxide formed by zinc nitrate decomposition is probably localized inside the zeolite cavities as the [Zn—O—(ZnO) _n —Zn]²⁺ particles. The latter compensate charges of the isolated [AlO₄]^– tetrahedra.     

Localization of Iα and Iβ phases in algal cellulose revealed by acid treatments

Highly crystalline I-rich type Cladophora cellulose, which had been kept in never-dried condition, was treated in 60wt% sulfuric acid at 100°C, for 1–48h. The cellulose microcrystals thus obtained were analysed by X-ray diffractometry, FT-IR, and transmission electron microscopy. The I component was found to be more degraded than the I component. The cellulose I/I ratios of the samples acid-treated for 0, 24, and 48 h were about 8:2, 6:4, and 4:6, respectively. After the acid treatment, the microcrystals became narrower in width, and very sharp at their ends. These results indicate that the I phase is mostly located at the surface of the microcrystals, which is morphologically more susceptible to the acid treatment.