PEG-supported dipyridyl ligand for palladium-catalyzed Suzuki and Suzuki-type reactions in PEG and aqueous media

An air- and water-stable PEG-supported bidentate nitrogen ligand is prepared and its applications in the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki reaction of aryl halides with arylboronic acids in PEG and Suzuki-type reaction of aryl halides with sodium tetraphenylborate in aqueous media are reported. The homogeneous catalyst system is environmentally friendly and offers the advantages of high activity, reusability and easy separation.

Factors affecting pore structure and performance of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoro propylene) asymmetric porous membrane

Preparation of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoro propylene) (F2.6) flat-sheet asymmetric porous membrane has been studied for the first time. Factors affecting F2.6 membrane pore structure and permeate performance, such as macromolecule pore formers (polyethylene glycol-400, 1000, 1540, 2000 and 6000), the small molecule former (glycerol), swelling agent (trimethyl phosphate) in casting solution, precipitating bath component and temperature, exposure time and ambient humidity, were investigated in detail. Average pore radius and porosity were used to characterize F2.6 membrane structure, and respectively, determined by ultrafiltration and gravimetric method for the wet membrane. Morphology of the resultant membranes was observed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). Final test on permeate performance of F2.6 porous membrane was carried out by a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) setup. The experimental F2.6 membrane exhibits a higher distilled flux than PVDF membrane under the same operational situations. The determination of contact angle to distilled water also reveals higher hydrophobic nature than that of PVDF membrane.

Preparation of TiO2 nanocrystallites by hydrolyzing with gaseous water and their photocatalytic activity

TiO2 nanocrystallites were prepared front precursors tetra-n-butyl titanate (Ti(OC4H9)(4)) and titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4). The precursors were hydrolyzed by gaseous water in autoclave, and then calcined at predetermined testing temperatures. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The photocatalytic activities of the samples were evaluated by the photobleaching of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution and the photocatalytic oxidation of propylene in gas phase at ambient temperature. The results showed that the anatase phase nanocrystalline TiO2 could be obtained at relatively low temperatures (for precursor Ti(OC4H9)4 at I I VC and for TiCl4 at 140 degrees C, respectively), and that the as prepared samples exhibited high photocatalytic activities to photobleach MB in aqueous solution. As the calcination temperatures increasing. the decolor ratio of MB increased and reached the maximum value of nearly 100% at 600 degrees C, and then decreased. The photobleaching of MB by all samples followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics with respect to MB concentration.

Physical and electrochemical characterizations of PtRu/C catalysts by spray pyrolysis for electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol

In this paper, it was reported that the carbon-supported Pt-Ru(Pt-Ru/C) catalyst used as the anodic catalyst in the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) was synthesized with a two-step spray pyrolysis (SP) method using the Pt and Ru metal salt as the precursors and polyethylene glycol (PEG) with the different molecular weights (Mw= 200,600,and 1000 analytical reagent) as cosolvent. PEG as a cosolvent plays a crucial role in producing PtRu/C catalysts. It was found that the Mw of PEG could affect the electrocatalytic activity of Pt-Ru and the morphology of the Pt-Ru particles in the Pt-Ru/C catalysts prepared with this method. When the Mw of PEG is 600, the Pt-Ru particles in the Pt-Ru/C catalyst prepared with this method possess the small average size, narrow size distribution, uniform dispersion, and high electrochemically active specific surface area. The electrocatalytic activity of the Pt-Ru/C catalyst prepared with this method using the cosolvent PEG with Mw = 600 for the methanol oxidation is much higher than that of the commercial E-TEK Pt-Ru/C catalyst. Therefore, the two-step SP method is an excellent method for the preparation of the Pt-Ru/C catalyst used in DMFCs.

Miscibility and crystallization behavior of PBT/epoxy blends

The miscibility and the isothermal crystallization kinetics for PBT/Epoxy blends have been studied by using differential scanning calorimetry, and several kinetic analyses have been used to describe the crystallization process. The Avrami exponents n were obtained for PBT/Epoxy blends. An addition of small amount of epoxy resin (3%) leads to an increase in the number of effective nuclei, thus resulting in an increase in crystallization rate and a stronger trend of instantaneous three-dimensional growth. For isothermal crystallization, crystallization parameter analysis showed that epoxy particles could act as effective nucleating agents, accelerating the crystallization of PBT component in the PBT/Epoxy blends. The Lauritzen-Hoffman equation for DSC isothermal crystallization data revealed that PBT/Epoxy 97/3 had lower nucleation constant K, than 100/0, 93/7, and 90/10 PBT/Epoxy blends. Analysis of the crystallization data of PBT/Epoxy blends showed that crystallization occurs in regime II. The fold surface free energy, sigma(e) = 101.7-58.0 x 10(-3) J/m(2), and work of chain folding, q = 5.79-3.30 kcal/mol, were determined. The equilibrium melting point depressions of PBT/Epoxy blends were observed and the Flory-Huggins interaction parameters were obtained.

Synthesis and characterization of spherical Sr2CeO4 phosphors by spray pyrolysis for field emission displays

A blue emitting Sr2CeO4 phosphor with a one-dimensional structure has been prepared by a two-step spray pyrolysis (SP) method, starting from the aqueous solutions of metal nitrates with citric acid and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as additives. The material is ultimately designed for field emission displays (FEDs). X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), field emission scanning electron microscope pictures (FE-SEM) as well as photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy and lifetime measurements have been employed to characterize the samples. The morphology, PL and low voltage CL properties of Sr2CeO4 phosphors as-prepared using the SP method have been investigated by changing the concentration of the precursor solution, concentration of PEG, annealing temperature, acceleration voltage and filament current. The obtained Sr2CeO4 phosphor particles are spherical and of submicron size, 0.5-2 mu m. The emission spectrum of the phosphors shows a broad band with maximum at 467 nm (lifetime = 37.4 mu s; CIE chromaticity coordinates: x = 0.15 and y = 0.21), presumably due to a ligand-to-metal charge-transfer transition.

Luminescent propertiesOf YVO4 : Dy3+ phosphors prepared by spray pyrolysis

Starting from nitrate aqueous solutions with citrate acid and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as additives, YVO4:Dy3+ phosphors were prepared by a two-step spray pyrolysis (SP). The obtained phosphors had spherical morphology. The luminescence properties of YVO4:Dy3+ phosphors were investigated by changing the concentration of Dy3+ and the annealing temperatures, respectively. The emission intensity of the phosphors increased with increasing the annealing temperature due to the increase of the crystallinity and particles size. The optimum concentration for the luminescence of Dy3+ was determined to be 2 mol% of Y3+ in YVO4 host.

Stress transfer and damage evolution simulations of fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix composites

The stress transfer from broken fibers to unbroken fibers in fiber-reinforced thermosetting polymer-matrix composites and thermoplastic polymer-matrix composites was studied using a detailed finite element model. In order to check the validity of this approach, an epoxy-matrix monolayer composite was used as thermosetting polymer-matrix composite and a polypropylene (PP)-matrix monolayer composite was used as thermoplastic polymer-matrix composite, respectively. It is found that the stress concentrations near the broken fiber element cause damage to the neighboring epoxy matrix prior to the breakage of other fibers, whereas in the case of PP-matrix composites the fibers nearest to the broken fiber break prior to the PP matrix damage, because the PP matrix around the broken fiber element yields. In order to simulate composite damage evolution, a Monte Carlo technique based on a finite element method has been developed in the paper. The finite element code coupled with statistical model of fiber strength specifically written for this problem was used to determine the stress redistribution. Five hundred samples of numerical simulation were carried out to obtain statistical deformation and failure process of composites with fixed fiber volume fraction.

Influence of the degree of grafting on the morphology and mechanical properties of blends of poly(butylene terephthalate) and glycidyl methacrylate grafted poly(ethylene-co-propylene) (EPR)

Poly(ethylene-co-propylene) (EPR) was functionalized to varying degrees with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) by melt grafting processes. The EPR-graft-GMA elastomers were used to toughen poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT). Results showed that the grafting degree strongly influenced the morphology and mechanical properties of PBT/EPR-graft-GMA blends. Compatibilization reactions between the carboxyl and/or hydroxyl of PBT and epoxy groups of EPR-graft-GMA induced smaller dispersed phase sizes and uniform dispersed phase distributions. However, higher degrees of grafting (>1.3) and dispersed phase contents (>10 wt%) led to higher viscosities and severe crosslinking reactions in PBT/EPR-graft-GMA blends, resulting in larger dispersed domains of PBT blends. Consistent with the change in morphology, the impact strength of the PBT blends increased with the increase in EPR-graft-GMA degrees of grafting for the same dispersion phase content when the degree of grafting was below 1.8. However, PBT/EPR-graft-GMA1.8 displayed much lower impact strength in the ductile region than a comparable PBT/EPR-graft-GMA1.3 blend (1.3 indicates degree of grafting).

Compositional differences of propylene-ethylene block copolymers manufactured by degradation and hydrogenation techniques

The purpose of the present work is to investigate the compositional difference of polypropylene-polyethylene block copolymers (PP-b-PE) manufactured industrially by the process of degradation and hydrogenation, respectively. Each of the PP-b-PE copolymers was fractionated into three fractions with heptane and chloroform. The compositions of the three fractions were characterized by C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, as well as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal fractionation. The results showed that the Chloroform-soluble fraction was amorphous ethylene-propylene rubber, and the content of the rubber in PP-b-PE manufactured by hydrogenation was less than that by degradation. The degree of crystallinity of the chloroform-insoluble fraction of the PP-b-PE manufactured by hydrogenation is higher than that of by degradation.

Crystallization behavior of carbon nanotubes-filled polyamide 1010

The nanocomposites of polyamide1010 (PA1010) filled with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared by melt mixing techniques. The isothermal melt-crystallization kinetics and nonisothermal crystallization behavior of CNTs/PA1010 nanocomposites were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. The peak temperature, melting point, half-time of crystallization, enthalpy of crystallization, etc. were measured. Two stages of crystallization are observed, including primary crystallization and secondary crystallization. The isothermal crystallization was also described according to Avrami's approach. It has been shown that the addition of CNTs causes a remarkable increase in the overall crystallization rate of PA1010 and affects the mechanism of nucleation and growth of PA1010 crystals. The analysis of kinetic data according to nucleation theories shows that the increment in crystallization rate of CNTs/PA1010 composites results from the decrease in lateral surface free energy.

Dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of plasticized poly(lactic acid)

The blends of low molecular weight triacetin (TAC) and oligomeric poly(1,3-butylene glycol adipate) (PBGA) were used as multiple plasticizers to lubricate poly(lactic acid) (PLA) in this study. The thermal and mechanical properties of plasticized polymers were investigated by means of dynamic mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to analyze the morphologies of the blends. Multiple plasticizers were effective in lowering the glass transition temperature (T-g) and the melting temperature (T-m) of PLA. Moreover, crystallinity of PLA increased with increasing the con-tent of multiple plasticizers. Tensile strength of the blends decreased following the increasing of the plasticizers, but increased in elongation at break. AFM topographic images showed that the multiple plasticizers dispersed between interfibrillar regions. Moreover, the fibrillar crystallite formed the quasicrosslinkings, which is another cause for the increase in elongation at break.

Preparation and characterization of post-derivatives from functional polystyrene (ATRP) with p-nitroaniline-azomethine phenol and their thermal and optical study

The functional polystyrene, (Cl-PS)(2)-CHCOOCH2CH2OH ( designated as XPSt and coded P2) was prepared by ATRP at 130(0)C using CuCl and bipyridine as catalysts, 2,2-dichloro acetate-ethylene glycol (DCAG) as multifunctional initiator and THF as solvent. 4-Nitoroaniline azomethine-4' phenol (P1) as chromophores were covalently linked to the functional end groups of the polymer by using simple displacement reaction. The functional polystyrenes, namely XPSt (P2) and (PS)(2)-CHCOOCH2CH2OH, designated as X-PSt and coded P3 and their post-derivatives, namely, DXPSt (P4) and DX-PSt (P5) respectively were characterized by IR, NMR and UV spectroscopies, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarising optical microscopy (POM) and XRD studies. DSC showed that incorporation of chromophores in the side chains of polymers towards the polystyrene moiety increases the rigidity of the polymer and subsequently, its glass transition temperature; however the incorporation of side chain towards the alcoholic functional group decreases the glass transition temperature. The post derivatives do not play any significant role to increase the thermal stability ( TGA).

Properties of compatibilized nylon 6/ABS polymer blends

Nylon 6/poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene)(ABS) blends were prepared in the molten state by a twin-screw extruder. Maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAP) and solid epoxy resin (bisphenol type-A) were used as compatibilizers for these blends. The effects of compatibilizer addition to the blends were studied via tensile, torque, impact properties and morphology tests. The results showed that the additions of epoxy and MA copolymer to nylon 6/ABS blends enhanced the compatibility between nylon 6 and ABS, and this lead to improvement of mechanical properties of their blends and in a size decrease of the ABS domains.

Controlling dispersed state and exfoliation process of clay in polymer matrix

In the present review, the authors do not try to provide a comprehensive review of researches on polymer/clay nanocomposites (PCNs), but some examples to demonstrate different exfoliation processes of the clay in various polymer matrixes and the dispersed state of clay. Interaction between polymers and layered silicates plays an important role in adjusting the exfoliation process of layered silicates and the microstructure of polymer nanocomposites. Properties of polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites mainly depend on the dispersed state of layered silicates. The authors will also address the outline of the present research in the direction of PCNs including the discussion of technical problems and their possible solutions.