Dyeable polypropylene fibers via nanotechnology

Polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites with three different clay loadings were prepared by solution mixing technique. The solution‐mixed nanocomposites were extruded to fibers using a single screw extruder. The PP nanocomposite fibers obtained were uniformly dyed with three distinct disperse dyes at different levels of shade. The enhanced dyeability of PP nanocomposite fibers was characterized by spectrophotometric measurements. Satisfactory wash, light and crock fastness results were also achieved. Mechanical properties and degree of crystallinity of nanocomposite fibers with different clay loadings were also investigated. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Application of a fibre-reactive chitosan derivative to cotton fabric as a zero-salt dyeing auxiliary

Cotton fabric has been treated with a fibre-reactive chitosan derivative containing quaternary ammonium groups, O -acrylamidomethyl- N -[(2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium)propyl]chitosan chloride (NMA-HTCC). Cotton treated with NMA-HTCC has been dyed with direct and reactive dyes without the addition of salt. The colour yield was higher than that on untreated cotton, despite the addition of a large amount salt in the latter case. After dyeing, cotton treated with NMA-HTCC gave better wash fastness than the untreated cotton. The light fastness was however inferior to that on untreated cotton. The antimicrobial activity of cotton treated with NMA-HTCC against Staphylococcus aureus was considerably lower after dyeing, probably due to the antimicrobial effect of the cationic group on NMA-HTCC being blocked by its combination with the anionic dye.     

High styrene–rubber ionomers,an alternative to thermoplastic elastomers

High styrene rubber ionomers were prepared by sulfonating styrene–butadiene rubber of high styrene content (high styrene rubber) in 1,2‐dichloroethane using acetyl sulfate reagent, followed by neutralization of the precursor acids using methanolic zinc acetate. The ionomers were characterized using X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and also by the evaluation of mechanical properties. The FTIR studies of the ionomer reveal that the sulfonate groups are attached to the benzene ring. The NMR spectra give credence to this observation. Results of DMA show an ionic transition (T_i) in addition to glass–rubber transition (T_g). Incorporation of ionic groups results in improved mechanical properties as well as retention of properties after three cycles of processing. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 2294–2300, 2002     

Zero-<Emphasis Type="Italic">trans</Emphasis> shortening using palm stearin and rice bran oil

Several pilot-scale trials reported in this paper, using palm stearin-rice bran oil (PS-RBO) blends, obviously did not contain trans FA (TFA), whereas the commercial products were found to contain 18–27% TFA. The effects of processing conditions such as rate of agitation, crystallization temperature, and composition of the blends on the crystal structure of shortenings were studied. The products were evaluated for their physicochemical characteristics using DSC, X-ray diffraction (XRD), HPLC, and FTIR techniques. The formulation containing 50% PS and 50% RBO showed melting and cooling characteristics similar to those of hydrogenated commercial “vanaspati” samples. Analysis of the FA composition revealed that the formulated shortenings contained 15–19% C_18∶2 PUFA. Tocopherol and tocotrienol contents of the experimental shortenings were in the range of 850–1000 ppm with oryzanol content up to 0.6%. XRD studies demonstrated that the crystal form in the shortenings was predominantly the most stable β′ form, and there was less of the undesirable β form.     

Aspectualization of code clones—an algorithmic approach

System Modularity has positive effects on software maintainability, reusability, and understandability. One factor that can affect system modularity is code tangling due to code clones. Code tangling can have serious cross-cutting effects on the source code and thereby affect maintainability and reusability of the code. In this research we have developed an algorithmic approach to convert code clones to aspects in order to improve modularity and aid maintainability. Firstly, we use an existing code-clone detection tool to identify code clones in a source code. Secondly, we design algorithms to convert the code clones into aspects and do aspect composition with the original source code. Thirdly, we implement a prototype based on the algorithms. Fourthly, we carry out a performance analysis on the aspects composed source code and our analysis shows that the aspect composed code performs as well as the original code and even better in terms of execution times.     

Engineering microfluidic papers: effect of fiber source and paper sheet properties on capillary-driven fluid flow

In the present study, we introduce a novel approach to control and modulate fluid transport inside microfluidic papers using lab-engineered paper sheets. Lab-sheets consisting of different fiber sources (eucalyptus sulfate and cotton linters pulp) and varying porosities were designed and further modified with small millimeter-scaled channels using hydrophobic barriers consisting of fiber-attached, hydrophobic polymers. The capillary-driven transport of an aqueous solution was monitored visually, and the influence of parameters such as fiber source, paper grammage, and channel width on the flow rates through the channel was investigated. The experimental results were compared with those obtained with commercially available filter papers. Our findings suggest that accurate control of fluid transport processes with standard filter papers is complex. Additionally, if the channel width is smaller than the mean fiber length, flow rates become dependent on the geometric parameters of the channel because of the formation of dead-end pores at the hydrophobic barriers. Finally, control of the paper sheets porosity, by varying the fiber density of the lab-made paper, affords the fabrication of chemically identical sheets whereby capillary flow is largely influenced and can be modulated accordingly by simple papermaking processes.     

Effect of time/temperature treatment parameters on depolymerization of chitosan

Depolymerization of the biopolymer chitosan by an autoclaving process at 121°C and 15 psi was investigated using various treatments. Acetic acid was found to be the most effective solvent in decreasing chitosan viscosity among the six organic acids tested. The rate of viscosity decrease increased with increasing chitosan concentration. The viscosity of 1% chitosan in 1% acetic acid decreased rapidly to 91% of the initial viscosity following the initial 15 min of autoclaving. This decreased gradually to 93% and 94% in 30 and 60 min, respectively, without being adversely affected by the chitosan solution volume. The degree of deacetylation was comparable before and after autoclaving for 60 min. Chitosan at three molecular weights (M_r = 1597, 1110, and 789 kDa) decreased in molecular weight by 46%–51% in the 15‐min treatment, 55%–60% in the 30‐min treatment, and 60%–62% in the 60‐min treatment. The addition of 0.1%–1.0% (v/v) concentrations of hydrogen peroxide to the chitosan solution autoclaved for 15 min decreased viscosity by 94%–98% and molecular weight by 69%–83%. This process is a simple, timesaving, homogeneous depolymerization procedure, and it is possible to prepare partially hydrolyzed chitosan with specified molecular weights by regulating the time of treatment. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 1890–1894, 2003     

Grafting of a liquid crystal polymer on carbon fibers

Covalent grafting of mesogenic chains on carbon fiber surfaces was attempted as part of a study on composite materials containing liquid crystal polymer matrices. Grafting in these composite systems is viewed not only as a mechanism to achieve interfacial bonding but also as an approach to modify the interphase physical structure. The synthetic approach to grafting involved the in-situ polymerization of monomers in the presence of functionalized fibers in order to grow chains covalently attached to the fibers. The chemical mechanism may be viewed as the “transesterification of car boxy lated fibers” with acetylated monomers. The monomers used were pimelic acid, p-acetoxybenzoic acid and diacetoxy hydroquinone which are known to yield upon condensation a chemically aperiodic nematic polymer. Evidence for grafting was obtained from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis on fibers retrieved from composite samples. Interestingly, SEM micrographs of fractured composite specimens containing the mesogen-grafted fibers reveal excellent wetting and interfacial bonding of a liquid crystalline matrix on the carbon surfaces. Based on theoretical considerations for end-adsorbed macromolecules and the nematogenic nature of the grafted chains we infer that dense layers of adsorbed polymer may form at the interfaces studied. From a materials point of view the in situ growth of liquid crystal polymer chains on fibers may offer mechanisms to control composite properties through both bonding and molecular orientation in interfacial regions.     

The Effect of Organic Diluent on the Extraction of Eu(III) by HEH[EHP]

ABSTRACT

Because there are fewer tools available to probe the interactions therein, the effect of the fundamental chemistry of the organic diluent on solvent extraction equilibria has been under-characterized relative to the aqueous. As a result, diluents for solvent extraction are often selected for an application not for their utility as a medium for reaction, but for other (often equally) important reasons (like low flammability). To begin to improve this imbalance in the science, twenty different diluents have been used in a study of the extraction of radiotracer ^152/154Eu³⁺ from dilute nitric acid solutions using the extractant 2-ethylhexylphosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (HEH[EHP]). To increase the utility of the study and to honor the memory of Professor Jan Rydberg, this investigation was conducted by a cadre of comparatively inexperienced separation scientists (who are as a result no longer inexperienced separation scientists) as a radioanalytical chemistry and solvent extraction educational exercise. Slope analysis was used to determine the apparent stoichiometry of the extracted metal complex. The results discussed in the following indicate that, while the pH dependence exhibits the expected three H⁺ exchanged per metal ion extracted, the extractant dependence suggests that the number of protonated extractant molecules in the extracted complex changes with the organic diluent. The experimentally observed “extractant dependency” ranges from 2.5 to 3.0 dimer equivalent molecules per extracted metal ion. Ironically, in the diluents exhibiting the highest apparent M:(HA)₃ stoichiometry, HEH[EHP] extracts Eu³⁺ less efficiently. Europium luminescence spectroscopy was used to probe for changes in the first coordination sphere of the complex in different diluents. A model and conceptual framework for understanding these observations is described.