Polymérisation cationique du chloro-1 butadiène et copolymérisation avec l'isobutène

The cationic homopolymerization of 1-chlorobutadiene and its copolymerization with isobutene have been carried out in dichloromethane solution. The catalyst-cocatalyst pairs used were AlEt₂Cl-(CH₃)₃CCl and AlEtCl₂-(CH₃)₃CCl. In the latter case, the use of (CH₃)₃CCl was not necessary. According to experimental conditions, high molecular weight copolymers ($\text{M}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{= 200,000}$) insoluble in CH₂Cl₂, or soluble low polymers ($\text{M}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{= 20,000}$) were obtained. Homopoly-1-chlorobutadienes were soluble low molecular weight polymers ($\text{M}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{= 10,000}$). The 1-chlorobutadiene units in the polymers are nearly exclusively 3,4 (mainly trans). Consequently, this method is not convenient to prepare elastomers with a 1,4 structure similar to that of chlorinated butyl rubber.     

Assigning routes and wavelengths for collaboration over optical networks

The Routing and Wavelength Assignment problem is investigated in the context of collaboration where tools are shared and used simultaneously over a fiber optic network. Both online and offline versions are discussed, with and without using time as a parameter for scheduling purposes, and including the case where the network is used to carry time-multiplexed traffic. Also, the problem of rescheduling a blocked demand is studied. Several solutions based on Integer Linear Programs (ILP) and heuristics are proposed, implemented and their performance compared. The offline case is solved using two types of ILPs: link and path formulations. ILPs are also proposed for the online problem in addition to heuristic algorithms. While the link formulations give optimal solutions, they take a long time to solve and thus they can only be used for small problems. Path formulations and heuristics scale better but at the expense of optimality. The online approach is recommended when the resort to an offline approach is forbidden by the size of the problem.     

Rheological properties of suspensions of TiO2 particles in polymer solutions. 1. Shear viscosity

This paper presents results on the rheological behaviour of suspensions of two kinds of TiO₂ particles in two different polymer solutions. The particles differ in their hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties. The dispersing media are a solution of high molecular weight polyisobutylene in decalin and a solution of a low molecular weight polybutene in decalin. The concentrations of polymer are adjusted in order to get the same zero shear viscosity. The shear viscosity measurements display an apparent yield stress in some cases. The existence and the values of the yield stress depend on the volume fraction of solid particles and on the type of particles. The evolution of the intrinsic viscosity and of the maximum packing fraction vs the shear rate is interpreted in terms of evolution of the size and of the shape of aggregates of particles under shear. The effect of temperature on the development of the yield stress is also discussed. The results are completed by microscopic observations.     

New Bacteriocin from Bacillus clausii StrainGM17: Purification, Characterization, and Biological Activity

A bacteriocin-producing strain (9,000 AU/ml) was isolated from the rhizosphere of Algerian healthy plants Ononis angustissima Lam. and identified as Bacillus clausii strain GM17. The bacteriocin, called Bac-GM17, was purified from the culture supernatant after heat treatment, ammonium sulfate precipitation, Sephadex G-50 chromatography and Mono Q fast-performance liquid chromatography (FPLC). Based on matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry analysis, the purified Bac-GM17 is a monomer protein with a molecular mass of 5,158.11 Da. The N-terminal sequencing allowed for the straightforward identification of its first 20 residues, which were of pure bacteriocin. It also revealed that this bacteriocin contained a unique sequence, namely DWTCSKWSCLVCDDCSVELT, which suggests the identification of a novel compound. Bac-GM17 was extremely heat stable (20 min at 120 °C) and was stable within the pH range (3–9). It was found to be resistant to the proteolytic action of trypsin, pepsin, papain, pronase E, and proteinase K. It was also noted to display a bactericidal mode of action against Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 and a fungistatic mode of action against Candida tropicalis R2 CIP203.     

Double-Diffusive Natural Convection in Anisotropic Porous Medium Bounded by Finite Thickness Walls: Validity of Local Thermal Equilibrium Assumption

Double-diffusive natural convection in fluid-saturated porous medium inside a vertical enclosure bounded by finite thickness walls with opposing temperature, concentration gradients on vertical walls as well as adiabatic and impermeable horizontal ones has been performed numerically. The Darcy model was used to predict fluid flow inside the porous material, while thermal fields are simulated based on two-energy equations for fluid and solid phases on the basis of a local thermal non-equilibrium model. Computations have been performed for different controlling parameters such as the buoyancy ratio $N$ , the Lewis number Le, the anisotropic permeability ratio $R_\mathrm{p}$ , the fluid-to-solid thermal conductivity ratio $R_\mathrm{c}$ , the interphase heat transfer coefficient $\mathcal{H}$ , the ratio of the wall thickness to its height $D$ , the wall-to-porous medium thermal diffusivity ratio $R_\mathrm{w}$ , and the solid-to-fluid heat capacity ratio $\gamma $ . Thus, the effects of the controlling parameters on heat and mass transfer characteristics are discussed in detail. Moreover, the validity domain of the local thermal equilibrium (LTE) assumption has been delimited for different set of the governing parameters. It has been shown that Le has a noticeable significant effect on fluid temperature profiles and that higher $N$ values lead to a significant enhancement in heat and mass transfer rates. Moreover, for higher $\mathcal{H}, R_\mathrm{c}$ , $R_\mathrm{p}, R_\mathrm{w}$ , or $D$ values and/or lower $\gamma $ values, the solid and fluid phases tend toward LTE.     

Reinforcement of recycled PP polymers by nanoparticles incorporation

Recycling process seems to be the most efficient way to reduce ecological impacts of used polymers. Nevertheless, the properties of the recycled PP polymer are proved to be insufficient during its reuse, particularly with regard to its thermo-mechanical and rheological behaviors. The incorporation of nanoparticles as fillers into polymer matrix seems to be one of the most successful solutions to upgrade recycled PP polymer. This paper presents an overview on the application of different nanofillers such as clay, calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), Silica (SiO₂), Zinc Oxide (ZnO), carbon black (CB), carbon nanotubes (CNT), antioxidizers and others into recycled PP matrix. Literature works on the effects of nanofillers on obtained nanocomposites are extensively studied. The first section deals with PP recycling and its impact on thermal, mechanical and rheological properties of the polymer. Then, the second part summarizes recent studies on the effects of nanoparticles incorporation on thermo-mechanical and rheological properties of recycled PP. Finally, recyclability of PP-based nanocomposites is discussed.     

Theoretical optimization of the characteristics of ZnO metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors

A two-dimensional model of a metal-semiconductor-metal(MSM) ZnO-based photodetector(PD) is developed.The PD is based on a drift diffusion model of a semiconductor that allows the calculation of potential distribution inside the structure,the transversal and longitudinal distributions of the electric field,and the distribution of carrier concentration.The ohmicity of the contact has been confirmed.The dark current of MSM PD based ZnO for different structural dimensions are likewise calculated.The calculations are comparable with the experimental results.Therefore,the influence with respect to parameters s(finger spacing) and w(finger width) is studied,which results in the optimization of these parameters.The best optimization found to concur with the experimental results is s = 16 μm,w = 16 μm,l = 250 μm,L = 350 μm,where l is the finger length and L is the length of the structure.This optimization provides a simulated dark current equal to 24.5 nA at the polarization of 3 V.