Ionic liquids as performance additives for water‐based printing inks

For the first time, the use of ionic liquids as additives for printing inks in order to improve the wettability of the printing base by the ink is presented. The aim of this work was to study the influence of ionic liquids on the selected properties of water‐based printing ink and the prints. The contact angles of the printing inks on the printing base were measured. Modified flexographic inks were laboratory printed on polypropylene plastic film. The impact of small amounts of various ionic liquids on printing ink colour was examined in terms of the optical density of the full‐tone area, the colour parameters (L*, a*, b*, CIE), the total colour difference, and the gloss of the dried ink film. The influence of ionic liquids on the ink contact angle, the optical density, and the L*a*b* coordinates is discussed. In general, the investigated ionic liquids improve the wettability of water‐based flexographic printing ink, with an acceptable total colour difference. The optical density is increased for printing inks containing ionic liquids in comparison with the original flexographic printing ink, Process.     

European consumers’ use of and trust in information sources about fish

This paper focuses on identifying segments of consumers based on their use of and trust in information sources about fish. Cross-sectional data were collected through the SEAFOODplus pan-European consumer survey (n = 4786) with samples representative for age and region in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain and Poland. Three distinct clusters, based on use of and trust in fish information sources, were identified: Sceptic (24.0%), Enthusiast (41.4%) and Confident (34.6%). Those consumer segments differed significantly with respect to use of and interest in information cues on fish labels, knowledge and behaviour towards fish, and socio-demographic profile. Recommendations for the use of multiple sources targeted to a particular audience’s interest and behavioural profile were formulated.     

Conjoined twins--diagnostic and therapeutic strategies

The authors have analysed three cases of twin pregnancies complicated by the conjoined of the fetuses. Based on own experience and informations from the literature the general diagnostic and therapeutic strategy of dealing with this condition has been purposed.     

Erratum

Factors affecting the nucleation and propagation of dislocations, stacking faults, microtwins, and inversion domain boundaries in epitaxially grown semiconductor layers are reviewed, with examples for heteroepitaxial MBE-grown layers on substrates having varying degrees of mismatch or different crystal symmetry. Mechanisms for generation of defects at the heterointerface and in the epilayer are discussed. For epilayers with bulk mismatch from 0 to 4%, methods for reducing defect density in the epitaxial layer are considered. Examples of structural details in the epilayers and at heterointerfaces, particularly those which may be revealed by transmission electron microscopy, are given. The online version of the original article can be found at     

Study of a new resin-based composites containing hydroxyapatite filler using Raman and infrared spectroscopy

The degree of conversion of polymeric matrix in hydroxyapatite-containing dental fillings by Raman and infrared spectroscopy has been determined. Resin-based dental composites are one of the most popular filling materials used in dentistry. These light-cured materials are characterized by the value of the degree of conversion, which depends on curing time and influences the quality of obtained dental filling. Distribution of the filler into polymeric matrix, which has a significant impact on the properties of the final product, has been determined by Raman mapping. The applied procedure also has allowed to present the changes of the degree of conversion on the examined surfaces. The results of the study demonstrate the versatility of the Raman spectroscopy as the analytical spectroscopic technique for determining chemical properties of dental fillings and providing insight into their organization at the microstructural level. The obtained degree of conversion values have been compared with data for the commercially available dental fillings characterized by other authors.     

The possible use of alkali metal modified NbMCM-41 in the synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridine intermediates

In this work we have prepared the catalysts containing all alkali metals (from Li to Cs) supported on mesoporous niobosilicate molecular sieve, NbMCM-41, and for comparison also loaded on silicate MCM-41. The materials were characterised by N₂ adsorption, XRD, and test reactions (acetonylacetone cyclisation and Knoevenagel condensation). It has been found that niobium located in the mesoporous material plays a role of structural promoter which prevents the solid from the disordering caused by the treatment with alkali metal solution. Moreover, it changes the catalytic properties of basic centres generated by alkali metal loading in relation to those observed for alkali metals supported on silicate MCM-41. Rb/NbMCM-41 has been proposed as active and selective catalyst in the condensation of benzaldehyde and different substituted benzaldehydes with ethyl acetoacetate towards the synthesis of intermediates in the preparation of some dihydropyridines.     

Compositional modulation in In(x)Ga(1-x)N: TEM and X-ray studies

Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) have been used to study compositional modulation in In(x)Ga(1-x) N layers grown with compositions close to miscibility gap. The samples (0.34 < x < 0.8) were deposited by molecular beam epitaxy using either a 200 nm thick AlN or GaN buffer layer grown on a sapphire substrate. Periodic compositional modulation leads to extra electron diffraction spots and satellite reflections in XRD in the theta-2theta coupled geometry. The ordering period delta measured along c-axis was about delta = 45 A for x = 0.5 and delta = 66 A for x = 0.78 for samples grown on AlN buffer layer. TEM and XRD determinations of delta were in good agreement. Compositional modulation was not observed for the sample with x = 0.34 grown on a GaN buffer layer. Larger values of delta were observed for layers with higher In content and for those having larger mismatch with the underlying AlN buffer layer. The possibility that the roughness of the AlN growth surface promotes strong In segregation on particular crystallographic planes leading to compositional modulation is considered.     

Structural characterizations of initial nucleation of gaas on si films grown by modulated molecular beam epitaxy

Structural characterizations by plan-view and high resolution cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on 150&#x00C5; thick GaAs on Si films grown by a modulated molecular beam (MMBE) technique and conventional molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) at 300&#x00B0; C are reported. From the coverage of Moire interference fringes on plan-view electron micrographs, it is found that the nucleation of GaAs deposited by MMBE is more two-dimensional than conventional MBE. High resolution cross-sectional TEM micrographs show that the interfacial defects consist almost solely of partial dislocations for both samples. A model is constructed to explain this phenomenon by considering the magnitude of strain relieved by each type of misfit dislocation relative to its energy of formation. The effect of thermal annealing on the interfacial defect structures of these samples is also reported. On leave from Tsinghua University, Beijing, The People&#x2019;s Republic of China.     

A comparative study of the interaction between the dried ink layer and PLA film used for packaging purposes

This research aims at comparing the interactions between the water-based printing ink and polylactide (PLA) printing base. As a reference base, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film was chosen. The wettability of both films was investigated. The Owens–Wendt method was applied to calculate the surface free energy (SFE). The values of SFE and its polar and dispersive components were compared with the surface tension (ST) of the ink and the polar and dispersive components of ST. The wetting envelopes of the investigated PLA and PET films are presented. Finally, the bonding strength between the dried ink layer and the printing base was analyzed. The PET film exhibited higher values of SFE. However, the bonding strength between the dried ink layer and the printing base was higher for PLA films. Our results reveal that PLA films can be an excellent choice as packaging materials, with comparable or even better print quality than conventional fossil-based plastics.     

Improvement of light fastness of water‐based printing inks with addition of glycerol derivative containing thiol groups

The aim of this work was to study the influence of a glycerol derivative with thiol groups, 3,6‐dithia‐1,8‐octanediol (DTO), on light fastness of prints overprinted with water‐based flexographic printing inks. Laboratory printing was performed on various plastic films (BOPP and PE). The effect of a small amount of DTO on printing ink colour was examined by studying the optical density of a full tone area, relative printing contrast and the colour values (CIELAB), and the total colour difference, . Artificial ageing was applied in order to investigate DTO influence on colourfastness of CMY printing inks. Densitometry and spectrophotometric parameters were measured during artificial ageing by irradiation. Additionally, FTIR spectroscopy was used to observe the changes in ink film on printing bases before and after ageing. The print quality of investigated prints is widely discussed. In general, DTO addition influenced the printability of the plastic film and the optical density of a full tone area with an acceptable total colour difference . Furthermore, printing inks with added DTO exhibited higher optical density and smaller changes of during artificial ageing. Moreover, the FTIR spectra of printing ink films with added DTO after ageing did not exhibit any perceptible changes in contrast with the original printing ink.