Unsteady axisymmetric stagnation flow on a circular cylinder

Unsteady, axisymmetric stagnation flow about a circular cylinderis examined when the far-field flow is a periodic function oftime with a fixed time average and an oscillatory part of prescribedamplitude and frequency. Solutions are computed for arbitraryvalues of the Reynolds number, quantifying the effects of surfacecurvature, and a frequency parameter based on the period ofthe far-field flow. It is found that solutions remain regularand periodic provided that the far-field amplitude lies belowa critical value. Above this value, solutions terminate in afinite-time singularity. The blow-up time is delayed by increasingthe curvature of the surface. These results are corroboratedby asymptotic predictions valid in the limits of small and largeamplitude and frequency. For large Reynolds number, the problemreduces to the two-dimensional stagnation-point flow againsta plane wall studied by previous authors.     

Kinetic parameters of unsaturated polyester resin modified with poly(ε -caprolactone)

The mineral sabugalite (HAl)_0.5[(UO₂)₂(PO₄)]₂⋅8H₂O, has been studied using a combination of energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, dynamic and controlled rate thermal analysis techniques. X-ray diffraction shows that the starting material in the thermal decomposition is sabugalite and the product of the thermal treatment is a mixture of aluminium and uranyl phosphates. Four mass loss steps are observed for the dehydration of sabugalite at 48°C (temperature range 39 to 59°C), 84°C (temperature range 59 to 109°C), 127°C (temperature range 109 to 165°C) and around 270°C (temperature range 175 to 525°C) with mass losses of 2.8, 6.5, 2.3 and 4.4%, respectively, making a total mass loss of water of 16.0%. In the CRTA experiment mass loss stages were found at 60, 97, 140 and 270°C which correspond to four dehydration steps involving the loss of 2, 6, 6 and 2 moles of water. These mass losses result in the formation of four phases namely meta(I)sabugalite, meta(II)sabugalite, meta(III)sabugalite and finally uranyl phosphate and alumina phosphates. The use of a combination of dynamic and controlled rate thermal analysis techniques enabled a definitive study of the thermal decomposition of sabugalite. While the temperature ranges and the mass losses vary due to the different experimental conditions, the results of the CRTA analysis should be considered as standard data due to the quasi-equilibrium nature of the thermal decomposition process. The online version of the original article can be found at     

Cure kinetics of epoxy resin and thermoplastic polymer

The cure kinetics and morphology of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) modified with polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) using diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) as hardener were investigated through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Isothermal curing measurements were carried out at 150, 120 and 80°C. The kinetic parameters were obtained using the general autocatalytic chemically controlled model. The comparison of the kinetic data indicates that the presence of PVAc does not change the autocatalytic nature of the cure reaction. Two T _g’s were observed in the fully cured samples of the modified systems. ESEM micrographies confirm the biphasic morphology.     

Swelling equilibrium and preferential sorption of crosslinked poly(methyl methacrylate) in the mixture acetonitrile + n-butanol

Measurements of preferential sorption,( ₃), determined by refractometry, and swelling equilibrium, ₃ ^–1, of PMMA networks have been carried out in the cosolvent mixture MeCN+BuOH at 25 and 49 C. With an intermediate mixture composition, ₃ ^–1 passes through a maximum at both temperatures. At 25 C MeCN is preferentially adsorbed by the network over most of the composition range, but a small inversion is detected. At 49 C MeCN is preferentially adsorbed over all the composition range.The behavior of the system crosslinked PMMA/MeCN + BuOH is compared with the results obtained for solutions of linear PMMA in mixtures formed by the same two solvents, MeCN and BuOH.     

Polyethylene glycol matrix reduces the rates of photochemical and thermal release of nitric oxide from S-nitroso-N-acetylcysteine

S -nitrosothiols have many biological activities and may act as nitric oxide (NO) carriers and donors, prolonging NO half-life in vivo. In spite of their great potential as therapeutic agents, most S -nitrosothiols are too unstable to isolate. We have shown that the S -nitroso adduct of N -acetylcysteine (SNAC) can be synthesized directly in aqueous and polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400 matrix by using a reactive gaseous (NO/O₂) mixture. Spectral monitoring of the S–N bond cleavage showed that SNAC, synthesized by this method, is relatively stable in nonbuf-fered aqueous solution at 25°C in the dark and that its stability is greatly increased in PEG matrix, resulting in a 28-fold decrease in its initial rate of thermal decomposition. Irradiation with UV light (λ= 333 nm) accelerated the rate of decomposition of SNAC to NO in both matrices, indicating that SNAC may find use for the photogeneration of NO. The quantum yield for SNAC decomposition decreased from 0.65 ± 0.15 in aqueous solution to 0.047 ± 0.005 in PEG 400 matrix. This increased stability in PEG matrix was assigned to a cage effect promoted by the PEG microenvironment that increases the rate of geminated radical pair recombination in the homolytic S–N bond cleavage process. This effect allowed for the storage of SNAC in PEG at −20°C in the dark for more than 10 weeks with negligible decomposition. Such stabilization may represent a viable option for the synthesis, storage and handling of S -nitrosothiol solutions for biomedical applications.     

The effect of stoichiometry on curing and properties of epoxy–clay nanocomposites

Epoxy–clay nanocomposites have been prepared with an organically modified montmorillonite. The epoxy network was based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) cured with diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM). The stoichiometry DGEBA–DDM was varied, the molar ratio of amine hydrogen/epoxy groups, r, ranged from 0.85 to 1.15. The influence of stoichiometry on curing and properties of the nanocomposites was studied using differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction. All nanocomposites had intercalated clay structures. The clays accelerated the curing reaction whose rate was also increased when increasing r. The heat of reaction, −ΔH (J/g epoxy), increased as r increased, reaching a constant value for r ≥ 1. In the presence of clays −ΔH was lower than in the neat DGEBA–DDM. The glass transition temperature (T _g) of the neat epoxy thermosets reached a maximum at r = 1; however, the nanocomposites showed the T _g maximum at 0.9 < r < 1. The presence of clay lowered the T _g for r > 0.94 and raised T _g for r ≤ 0.85. The elastic modulus of neat epoxy thermosets reached a maximum in the rubber state and a minimum in the glassy state at r = 1. The nanocomposites showed similar behavior, but the maximum and the minimum values of the elastic modulus were reached at stoichiometry r < 1. The comparison of the properties of neat epoxy with those of the nanocomposites varying the stoichiometry indicates that the clay itself induces stoichiometric changes in the system.     

Morphology and dynamic mechanical properties of epoxy/poly(styrene-co-allylalcohol) blends

Blends based on epoxy resins and a random copolymer, poly(styrene-co-allylalcohol) (PS-co-PA) were studied, analysing the effect of epoxy nature. The epoxy cross-linking reaction was carried out by homopolymerisation, using an imidazole as initiator, and by addition of several amine hardeners. The imidazole acts as initiator of anionic epoxy etherification and as catalyser of epoxy-hydroxyl reaction. Important differences were observed on the network structure and phase behaviour of blends depending on the nature of epoxy matrix. These cause that the blends present different morphologies and different dynamic mechanical properties.     

Epoxy/poly(benzyl methacrylate) blends: miscibility, phase separation on curing and morphology

Diglycidyl ether of bisfenol-A (DGEBA)/polybenzyl methacrylate (PBzMA) blends cured with 4,4’-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) were studied. Miscibility, phase separation, cure kinetics and morphology were investigated through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Non-reactive DGEBA/PBzMA blends are miscible over the whole composition range. The addition of PBzMA to the reactive (DGEBA+DDM) mixture slows down the curing rate, although the reaction mechanism remains autocatalytic. On curing, initially miscible (DGEBA+DDM)/PBzMA blends phase separate, arising two glass transition temperatures that correspond to a PBzMA-rich phase and to epoxy network. Cured epoxy/PBzMA blends present different morphologies as a function of the PBzMA content.     

Limits of the dilute regime for the solution viscosity of PMMA in good and in poor solvents

The concentration (c′) marking the first deviation from linearity in the Huggins plot of specific viscosity η_sp/c vs c) has been determined for PMMA in chloroform, benzene (good solvents), acetonitrile, chlorobutane (poor solvents) and acetonitrile/chlorobutane mixtures (cosolvent). The dependence of c′ on polymer chain length and on solvent quality is given. The results are analysed in terms of the influence on c′ of incipient coil overlap, peripheral entanglements and other interactions, such as polymer association.