Solvent Influence on Cellulose 1,4‐β‐Glycosidic Bond Cleavage: A Molecular Dynamics and Metadynamics Study

We explore the influence of two solvents, namely water and the ionic liquid 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium acetate (EmimAc), on the conformations of two cellulose models (cellobiose and a chain of 40 glucose units) and the solvent impact on glycosidic bond cleavage by acid hydrolysis by using molecular dynamics and metadynamics simulations. We investigate the rotation around the glycosidic bond and ring puckering, as well as the anomeric effect and hydrogen bonds, in order to gauge the effect on the hydrolysis mechanism. We find that EmimAc eases hydrolysis through stronger solvent–cellulose interactions, which break structural and electronic barriers to hydrolysis. Our results indicate that hydrolysis in cellulose chains should start from the ends and not in the centre of the chain, which is less accessible to solvent.     

Computation of limit periodic continued fractions. A survey

Over the last 20 years a large number of algorithms has been published to improve the speed and domain of convergence of continued fractions. In this survey we show that these algorithms are strongly related. Actually, they essentially boil down to two main principles.We also prove some results on asymptotic expansions of tail values of limit periodic continued fractions.Dedicated to Luigi Gatteschi on his seventieth birthdayThis research was partially supported by The Norwegian Research Council and by the HMC project ROLLS, under contract CHRX-CT93-0416.     

Simple, expedient methods for the determination of water and electrolyte contents of cellulose solvent systems

The concentrations of water, W, and electrolytes present in solutions of LiCl in N,N-dimethylacetamide, LiCl/DMAc, and of tetrabutylammonium fluoride. x-hydrate in DMSO, TBAF.xW/DMSO can be accurately and expediently determined by three independent methods, UV–vis, FTIR and EMF measurement. The first relies on the use of solvatochromic probes whose spectra are sensitive to solution composition. It is applicable to W/LiCl/DMAc solutions but not to TBAF.xW/DMSO, because the charge-transfer complex bands of the probes are suppressed by strong interactions with the latter electrolyte. Integration of ν_OH band of water may be employed in order to determine [W], hence [electrolyte] by weight difference. EMF measurement uses ion-selective electrodes in order to determine [electrolyte], hence [W] by weight difference. Results of the latter method were in excellent agreement with those of FTIR. The reason for the failure of Karl Fischer titration is addressed, and the relevance of the results obtained to functionalization of cellulose under homogenous solution conditions is briefly commented on.     

Modified Three-Dimensional Formulations of Bending Problems of Homogeneous Plates and Beams under Complex Fixing Conditions

Modified three-dimensional formulations of bending problems of homogeneous elastic plates and beams are considered. Modification of the known three-dimensional formulations reduces to using additional constraints imposed on displacement functions. An advantage of the formulations proposed is that complex fixing conditions of plates and beams can be taken into account.     

Solid-state Electrochemistry of Gadolinium Hexacyanoferrate Modified Electrode and Electrocatalytic Properties of Gadolinium Hexacyanoferrate

A new electroactive polynuclear inorganic compound of rare earth metal, gadolinium hexacyanoferrate (GdHCF), was prepared and characterized using the techniques of FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TG), UV-Vis spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ICP atomic emission spectroscopy, and EDX. The results of ICP atomic emission spectroscopy, EDX, and TGA indicated that the prepared GdHCF sample had a stoichiometry of NaGdFe(CN)₆·12H₂O (when GdHCF was prepared in NaCl solution). The FTIR spectrum of GdHCF showed that there were two types of water molecules in the structure of GdHCF: one was the interstitial water (5 H₂O), which resulted from the association of water due to H-bonding, and the other was water coordinated with Gd (7 H₂O). The results obtained using XPS showed that the oxidation state of Fe and Gd in the GdHCF sample was +2 and +3, respectively. GdHCF was immobilized on the surface of spectroscopically pure graphite (SG) electrode forming the GdHCF/SG electrode, and the solid-state electrochemistry of the resultant electrode was studied using cyclic voltammetry. The cyclic voltammetric results indicated that the GdHCF/SG electrode exhibited a pair of well-defined and stable redox peaks with the formal potential of E^0′=(197±3) mV. The effects of the concentration of the supporting electrolyte on the electrochemical characteristics of GdHCF were studied, and the results showed that the value of E^0′ increased linearly with the activity of the cationic ion of the supporting electrolyte (lga_Na⁺), with a slope of 54.1 mV, which may become a novel method for determining the activity of Na⁺ in solution. Further experimental results indicated that GdHCF had electrocatalytic activities toward the oxidation of dopamine (DA) and ascorbic acid (AA), and the electrocatalytic current increased linearly with the concentration of DA (or AA) in the range of 1.0–10.0 mmol·L^?1 (for DA) or 0.5–20.0 mmol·L^?1 (for AA).     

ITERATIVE APPROXIMATION OF FIXED POINTS OF NON-LIPSCHITZIAN ASYMPTOTICALLY PSEUDOCONTRACTIVE MAPPINGS

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the problem of approximating fixed points of non-Lipschitizian asymptotically pseudocontractive mappings in an arbitrary real Banach space by the modified Ishikawa iterative sequences with errors.     

New poly(butylene succinate)/layered silicate nanocomposites. II. Effect of organically modified layered silicates on structure,properties, melt rheology,and biodegradability

A series of new poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/layered silicate nanocomposites were prepared successfully by simple melt extrusion of PBS and organically modified layered silicates (OMLS). Three different types of OMLS were used for the preparation of nanocomposites: two functionalized ammonium salts modified montmorillonite and a phosphonium salt modified saponite. The structure of the nanocomposites in the nanometer scale was characterized with wide-angle X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopic observations. With three different types of layered silicates modified with three different types of surfactants, the effect of OMLS in nanocomposites was investigated by focusing on four major aspects: structural analysis, materials properties, melt rheological behavior, and biodegradability. Interestingly, all these nanocomposites exhibited concurrent improvements of material properties when compared with pure PBS. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 3160–3172, 2003     

Controlling the water content of never dried and reswollen bacterial cellulose by the addition of water-soluble polymers to the culture medium

For the modification of medically useful biomaterials from bacterially synthesized cellulose, fleeces of Acetobacter xylinum have been produced in the presence of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% (m/v) carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), methylcellulose (MC), and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), respectively, in the Hestrin-Schramm culture medium. The incorporation of the water-soluble polymers into cellulose and their influence on the structure, crystal modifications, and material properties are described. With IR and solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy of the fleeces, the presence of the cellulose ethers and an increase in the amorphous parts of the cellulose modifications (NMR results) have been detected. The incorporation is represented by a higher product yield, too. As demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy, a porelike cellulose network structure forms in the presence of CMC and MC. This modified structure increases the water retention ability (expressed as the water content), the ion absorption capacity, and the remaining nitrogen-containing residues from the culture medium or bacteria cells. The water content of bacterial cellulose (BC) in the never dried state and the freeze-dried, reswollen state can be controlled by the CMC concentration in the culture solution. The freeze-dried, reswollen BC-CMC (2.0%) contains 96% water after centrifugation, whereas standard BC has only 73%. About 98% water is included in a BC-MC composite in the wet state, and about 93% is included in the reswollen state synthesized in the presence of 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0% MC. These biomaterial composites can be stored in the dried state and reswollen before use, reaching a higher water absorption than pure, never dried BC. The copper ion capacity of BC-CMC composites increases proportionally with the added amount of CMC. BC-CMC (0.5%) can absorb 3 times more copper ions than original BC. In the case of 0.5 and 1.0% PVA additions to the culture solution, this polymer cannot be detected in the cellulose fleeces after they are washed. Nevertheless the presence of PVA in the culture medium effects a decreased product yield, a retention of nitrogen-containing residues in the material during purification, a reduced water absorption ability, and a slightly higher copper ion capacity in comparison with original BC. The water content of freeze-dried, reswollen BC-PVA (0.5%) is only 62%. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 463–470, 2004     

Electrospinning of ultrafine cellulose acetate fibers: Studies of a new solvent system and deacetylation of ultrafine cellulose acetate fibers

Electrospinning of cellulose acetate (CA) in a new solvent system and the deacetylation of the resulting ultrafine CA fibers were investigated. Ultrafine CA fibers (∼2.3 μm) were successfully prepared via electrospinning of CA in a mixed solvent of acetone/water at water contents of 10–15 wt %, and more ultrafine CA fibers (0.46 μm) were produced under basic pH conditions. Ultrafine cellulose fibers were regenerated from the homogeneous deacetylation of ultrafine CA fibers in KOH/ethanol. It was very rapid and completed within 20 min. The crystal structure, thermal properties, and morphology of ultrafine CA fibers were changed according to the degree of deacetylation, finally to those of pure cellulose, but the nonwoven fibrous mat structure was maintained. The activation energy for the deacetylation of ultrafine CA fibers was 10.3 kcal/mol. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 5–11, 2004     

Behavior of cellulose in NaOH/Urea aqueous solution characterized by light scattering and viscometry

Cellulose was dissolved in 6 wt % NaOH/4 wt % urea aqueous solution, which was proven by a ¹³C NMR spectrum to be a direct solvent of cellulose rather than a derivative aqueous solution system. Dilute solution behavior of cellulose in a NaOH/urea aqueous solution system was examined by laser light scattering and viscometry. The Mark–Houwink equation for cellulose in 6 wt % NaOH/4 wt % urea aqueous solution at 25 °C was [η] = 2.45 × 10^?2 weight‐average molecular weight (M_w)^0.815 (mL g^?1) in the M_w region from 3.2 × 10⁴ to 12.9 × 10⁴. The persistence length (q), molar mass per unit contour length (M_L), and characteristic ratio (C_∞) of cellulose in the dilute solution were 6.0 nm, 350 nm^?1, and 20.9, respectively, which agreed with the Yamakawa–Fujii theory of the wormlike chain. The results indicated that the cellulose molecules exist as semiflexible chains in the aqueous solution and were more extended than in cadoxen. This work provided a novel, simple, and nonpollution solvent system that can be used to investigate the dilute solution properties and molecular weight of cellulose. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 347–353, 2004