Chemical characterization and phase behaviour of grape seed oil in compressed carbon dioxide and ethanol as co-solvent

The aim of this work is to report phase equilibrium experimental results for the systems grape oil/carbon dioxide and (grape oil/carbon dioxide + ethanol). The oil was obtained by supercritical extraction from the grape seed residue from wine production. The static synthetic method using a variable-volume view cell was employed for obtaining the experimental bubble and dew (cloud) points transition data over the temperature range of (313.15 to 343.15) K and pressures up to 20.6 MPa. The experiments were carried out using (ethanol + CO₂) overall mass fractions ranging from 0.50 to 0.99, keeping a fixed ethanol to carbon dioxide molar ratio at 1:3. Results indicate the existence of complex phase behaviour for all temperatures investigated with the occurrence of vapour–liquid, liquid–liquid and vapour–liquid–liquid phase transitions observed.     

Abiotic and biotic degradation of oxo-biodegradable foamed polystyrene

An alternative for improving the degradability of polyolefins and polystyrene is the addition of pro-oxidant substances to their formulations. The materials obtained are then called oxo-biodegradable. This work aimed to assess the biotic and abiotic degradation of atactic polystyrene (PS), utilising as test material foamed PS plates used in the manufacture of trays, formulated with Co- and Mn-based pro-oxidant additives. The plates were exposed to artificial weathering (ultraviolet radiation and heat) and were periodically analysed for changes in structural properties. The oxidised surface residues detached from the samples were incubated in a stabilised compost of urban waste (58 °C) or in an aqueous mineral medium (25 °C), the latter being inoculated with urban waste compost and also with a microbial consortium. It was found that the molar masses of the eroded materials from the pro-oxidant activated samples were significantly lower than the initial sample molar masses, with simultaneous incorporation of oxygen into the chains during the accelerated weathering. These samples underwent biodegradation and gave mineralisation values of 2-5% over 2-3 months of incubation in compost and perlite or in mineral aqueous medium. Biodegradation of the residues from the samples not containing pro-oxidant additives was also observed, but at levels which were lower than those obtained for oxo-biodegradable samples.     

Influence of heat treatment temperature on the morphological and structural aspects of reticulated vitreous carbon used in polyaniline electrosynthesis

Reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) was obtained from different heat treatment temperature (HTT), in the range from 700 up to 2000 °C, and used as a substrate for polyaniline growth from electrosynthesis. The influence of HTT on RVC chemical surface was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and correlated to electrochemical parameters used in the electrosynthesis. XPS analyses have shown that RVC heteroatoms decrease as HTT increases. The results reveal the migration of chemical bonds from oxidized carbon forms towards carbon atoms as the unique final product. Cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and stability test of polyaniline films were performed from oxidized and non-oxidized RVC substrates. Cyclic voltammetry in 0.5 mol L⁻¹ H₂SO₄ revealed higher capacitance for the RVC treated at 1000 °C and oxidized in a hot H₂SO₄ solution. The charge accumulation after RVC chemical treatment has increased around ten times. The lowest electric resistivities and impedances were obtained for the RVC treated at 2000 °C, which also showed the highest polyaniline stability.     

Physicochemical interactions between polyaniline and graphene oxide: the reasons for the stability of their chemical structure and thermal properties

Several works are reported in the literature on the use of a conducting polymer such as polyaniline (PANI) and its combination with graphene oxide (GO). Graphene derivatives have an important contribution to improve the electrochemical performance of charge transfer and polarization of the polymer in energy storage cells. To understand the chemical phenomena in PANI–GO interaction, this article presents the relationships of the thermal, chemical, and morphostructural properties of this composite material. This synergistic effect between the materials is responsible for performance enhancing. Therefore, in this work, after PANI electrosynthesis on carbon fiber and further dipping of GO, Field Emission Gun, Raman spectroscopy, X-Ray Excited Electron Photon Spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, and thermogravimetric techniques were used to characterize these materials. GO tends to stabilize the molecular structure of PANI in its protonation/deprotonation and redox processes. Through thermal analysis, it was possible to observe that GO increases the stability of PANI at higher temperatures, minimizing mass loss rates and changing the polymer's glass transition temperature. And when observing the structure of the material under the influence of temperature, the GO kept the structures practically unaltered (PANI crystallographic orientation) up to 150 °C. These facts highlight important material stability data to be considered in energy storage system applications.     

Deposition of polyaniline on RVC electrodes: effect of substrate thickness

Polyaniline films, obtained by either chemical or electrochemical deposition on reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC), were investigated as a function of the substrate thickness. The electrochemical properties of these RVC/Pani electrodes were assessed by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), whereas the morphology of the Pani films on RVC was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The cyclic voltammetric results revealed that the oxidation/reduction charges for electrodeposited polyaniline decrease as the RVC thickness is increased. Conversely, the charge densities for the chemically deposited films do not present a significant dependence on the substrate thickness. Two time constants, appearing in all the EIS spectra, indicate that an ohmic drop effect within the RVC substrate affects the polymer electrodeposition and the electrochemical behavior of the obtained electrodes. Therefore, an electric equivalent circuit considering the different electrochemical environments at the outer and inner RVC surfaces was proposed to analyze the EIS data.     

Synthesis and thermal behavior of new N-heterotolan liquid crystals

[reaction: see text] The synthesis of liquid crystal series 9a-d was achieved using the Buchwald protocol and Sonogashira reaction.