Characterisation of the torrefaction of beech wood using NIRS: Combined effects of temperature and duration

A new approach is proposed to retrace the combined effects of temperature and duration within the thickness of heat-treated Fagus sylvatica wood. Torrefaction is a mild pre-treatment of biomass carried out at 200-300 °C to improve its properties for pulverized systems such as gasification. The properties of wood treated at high temperature are closely related to chemical modifications induced by temperature levels and treatment duration. This study involved the spectral analysis of solid wood in the near infrared range with the aim of developing a predictive model for process assessment. Samples of beech wood were used for calibration under high temperature conditions of 220, 250 and 280 °C for 1 and 8 h. For prediction, a 50-mm thick solid piece of wood was treated at 250 °C for 3 h. It was demonstrated that it is possible not only to distinguish between wood samples that have undergone different heat treatments, but also to retrace the thermal history of a piece of wood. Statistical processing showed the compensatory effects of temperature and duration, along with the existence of an exothermal reaction in the solid piece of wood. It should thus be possible to ensure cheaper and faster quality control in continuous torrefaction processes.     

Application of Modified Lignosulfonates in Adhesives for Insulation Board Manufacture Based on Mineral Wool

Extensive laboratory investigations and mill scale trials confirmed the applicability of ultrafiltrated high molecular weight Ca-ligno-sulfonates in adhesive composition with phenolic resin for insulation board manufacture based on mineral wool. Insulation materials produced with adhesive components with a formulation of lignosulfonate/PF resin between 10/90 and 30/70 have appropriate technical and commercial properties.     

Shear properties and load–deflection response of cross–ply glass–epoxy composite short–beams subjected to three‐point‐bending tests,and the effect of moisture absorption

The extensive use of composites in aerospace, chemical, marine, and structural applications leads to exposure to humidity and water immersion. Hence, there is a need to study the effect of moisture absorption on the mechanical properties of composite materials, especially the matrix dominated properties, such as the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS). The horizontal shear test with a short‐beam specimen in three‐point‐bending is used as a general method of evaluation for the shear properties in fiber‐reinforced composites because of its simplicity. In this work, the ILSS of cross‐ply glass‐epoxy resin composites is determined in seven different fiber directions with short‐beam three‐point‐bending tests, before and after moisture conditioning. It is found that moisture absorption reduces ILSS and stiffness of the examined composites whereas it leads to larger failure deflections. It is also found that the direction of fibers strongly affects the load–deflection response and the ILSS of the dry and conditioned specimens. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

基于红外光谱的改性沥青中SBS掺量测试分析

准确的测试改性沥青中的SBS掺量有助于加强其质量控制。本研究分析了基质沥青和SBS掺量为3．6％，4．0％，4．4％，4．8％的改性沥青红外光谱的特征，选择测量SBS掺量的特征峰值，提出了基于红外光谱的改性沥青中SBS掺量测试分析方法。结果表明：SBS中反式丁二烯可作为测定SBS掺量的指标；反式丁二烯在968cm。处吸光度和SBS掺量线性关系良好，可基于此建立SBS定量测试的标准曲线；应用傅里叶变换红外光谱技术可实现SBS改性沥青中SBS含量的准确、快速测试。     

Ferroceneboronic acid for the electrochemical probing of interactions involving sugars

Ferroceneboronic acid (FcBA) was used as a redox-active probe suitable for monitoring of diol–boronate interactions. Voltammetric and amperometric measurements allowed to detect FcBA forms – free and bound in the boronate complex. In this way, the complexation interaction was studied for a set of saccharide molecules as model diols and the corresponding affinity equilibrium constants were determined. A shift of the peak potential on voltammograms accompanying formation of the boronate complex with FcBA was proposed as a probe for electrochemical characterization of surface-confined diol-containing structures. The model experiments were carried out using sorbitol- and 1,6-hexandiol-modified polyepichlorhydrin conjugates deposited on the electrodes; the former compound was able to form the boronate complex while no change of the peak potential for the latter conjugate was observed. This approach seems promising for artificial bioelectronic affinity receptors and technology of reagentless biosensors where the binding interaction directly stimulates a measurable electrochemical event.     

13C NMR study of presence of uron structures in amino adhesives and relation with wood‐based panels performance

The chemical structure of amino adhesives produced by the strongly acid process was investigated by ¹³C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. This technique allowed the identification of functional groups and its quantitative determination. Concentration of cyclic polymeric structures (urons) was shown to be related with adhesive performance and with particleboard physico‐mechanical properties and formaldehyde content. Higher urons concentration presented lower viscosity and reactivity. Particleboards produced with resins with lower urons concentration presented lower formaldehyde content, but also lower internal bond strength. Wood‐based panels produced fulfilled E1 class requirements for formaldehyde emissions, indicating that strongly acid process is an alternative to the conventional alkaline–acid process. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 4500–4507, 2013     

Relative Adhesion Measurement for Thin Film Microelectronics Structures

There is a difference between technologically-important adhesion or practical adhesion, and fundamental or basic adhesion. What is important in the understanding of fundamental adhesion may be of insignificant interest to technology. A manufacturer is interested in how to improve the reliability of the structure being built should an interface problem exist, rather than knowing the precise value of the fundamental adhesion. It is not possible to measure fundamental adhesion for technologically-important structures due to the inability to account for all energy dissipating processes during the test. Adhesion measurements are plagued with the mode of interface loading issue: the resemblance of test interface loading to that of the actual manufactured part. What technology needs is a simple adhesion test method that is practical for product development, giving reliable information about the interface integrity. The present paper compares the value of two adhesion tests for microelectronics applications and emphasizes the importance of locus of failure analyses. A realignment of structure reliability modeling is suggested by the usage of effective fundamental adhesion instead of the standard undeterminable fundamental adhesion.     

SAR测雨反演算法MREA的研究

介绍了利用X-SAR的归一化雷达散射截面(NRCS)来反演地表降雨量的算法:改进型回归经验算法(MREA),依据测雨反演算法的基本原理,重点分析了MREA算法的理论依据,对于矩形降雨分布在地表降雨量R=50 mm/h和R=100 mm/h的条件下用MREA算法进行反演,指出了NRCS随x轴坐标不断变化这一导致MREA算...     

Evaluation of parameters affecting modified atmosphere packaging engineering design for pomegranate arils

This study evaluated the effects of passive modified atmosphere packaging design parameters as a function of the amount of product (g), temperature (°C) and time (days) on two pomegranate cultivars. Arils (75, 100 and 125 g) were packed in trays, heat sealed with polylid film and stored at 5, 10 and 15 °C for 14 days, and analysed for physicochemical parameters viz headspace gas composition, weight loss, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, anthocyanin, aerobic‐mesophilic bacterial and fungal load (log CFU g^?1). At the highest temperature and weight, O₂ concentration continuously decreased below the critical limit (2%) after 4 days, while at 5 °C, this lower limit was not reached. Shelf life of arils was limited to 10, 7 and 3 days by fungal growth ≥2 log CFU g^?1 at 5, 10 and 15 °C, respectively. Using unsteady‐state equation, a good agreement was found between simulated and experimental gas composition data.     

Phosphated crosslinked pectin as a potential excipient for specific drug delivery: preparation and physicochemical characterization

Pectin was chemically modified with different amounts of trisodium trimetaphosphate (STMP) in aqueous solution (pH = 12), thereby giving a material with reduced water solubility. The physiochemical characterization of this new material was carried out through Fourier transform infrared and thermogravimetric analyses. Phosphated pectin (Pect‐STMP) together with prebiotic (oligosaccharide) were incorporated into an aqueous dispersion of polymethacrylate (Eudragit^® RS 30 D) in order to obtain free films using a casting process (50 °C) on a Teflon plate. The free films were evaluated using water vapour transmission, average swelling index in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid, scanning electron microscopy and a diffusion study with theophylline in buffer solution with and without pectinolytic enzyme. The results suggest that the new material can be used in the coating process for oral solid‐reservoir systems, to prevent the premature release of drugs in SGF (pH = 1.2). Furthermore, the presence of both Pect‐STMP and oligosaccharide favours the specific degradation of the pellicle by the action of the enzymes produced by colonic microflora. The material obtained in this work has the potential to be applied in devices for drug delivery in the colon, making possible modified release of drugs. Nevertheless, subsequent colon‐specific experiments in vivo need to be carried out in order to confirm the possible application of this new material. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry