Preparation and characterization of poly(vinyl butyral)-polyaniline-montmorillonite nanocomposites

Poly(vinyl butyral)-polyaniline-sodium montmorillonite nanocomposites were prepared via polymerization of aniline between clay mineral platelets at two different pH levels (2.0 and 5.0), followed by dispersion of the polyaniline-sodium montmorillonite nanocomposite in a poly(vinyl butyral) solution. A comparison was made of the effect of the pH levels and the polyaniline-sodium montmorillonite nanocomposite precursor on the final structures of the poly(vinyl butyral) nanocomposites and their electrical conductivities. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the formation of nanocomposites at both pH levels. UV-Vis spectra indicated that the polyaniline formed at both pH levels was conductive, with the UV-Vis spectra presenting a band at 420 nm corresponding to the polaronic form and the beginning of a new band at 600 nm indicating the presence of polaronic segments. FTIR spectra revealed the peaks of the groups present in polyaniline and poly(vinyl butyral) nanocomposites. The electrical conductivities of the polyaniline and poly(vinyl butyral) nanocomposites prepared at pH 2.0 were lower than those of the same nanocomposites prepared at pH 5.0, probably due to the lower formation of polyaniline chains in a more acidic dispersion and to the final configuration of polyaniline in the nanocomposites.

Credneramides A and B: Neuromodulatory Phenethylamine and Isopentylamine Derivatives of a Vinyl Chloride-Containing Fatty Acid from cf. Trichodesmium sp nov.

Credneramides A (1) and B (2), two vinyl chloride-containing metabolites, were isolated from a Papua New Guinea collection of cf. Trichodesmium sp. nov. and expand a recently described class of vinyl chloride-containing natural products. The precursor fatty acid, credneric acid (3), was isolated from both the aqueous and organic fractions of the parent fraction as well as from another geographically and phylogenetically distinct cyanobacterial collection (Panama). Credneramides A and B inhibited spontaneous calcium oscillations in murine cerebrocortical neurons at low micro-molar concentrations (1, IC50 4.0 mu M; 2, IC50 3.8 mu M).

Within-plant isoprene oxidation confirmed by direct emissions of oxidation products methyl vinyl ketone and methacrolein

Isoprene is emitted from many terrestrial plants at high rates, accounting for an estimated 1/3 of annual global volatile organic compound emissions from all anthropogenic and biogenic sources combined. Through rapid photooxidation reactions in the atmosphere, isoprene is converted to a variety of oxidized hydrocarbons, providing higher order reactants for the production of organic nitrates and tropospheric ozone, reducing the availability of oxidants for the breakdown of radiatively active trace gases such as methane, and potentially producing hygroscopic particles that act as effective cloud condensation nuclei. However, the functional basis for plant production of isoprene remains elusive. It has been hypothesized that in the cell isoprene mitigates oxidative damage during the stress-induced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but the products of isoprene-ROS reactions in plants have not been detected. Using pyruvate-2-13C leaf and branch feeding and individual branch and whole mesocosm flux studies, we present evidence that isoprene (i) is oxidized to methyl vinyl ketone and methacrolein (iox) in leaves and that iox/i emission ratios increase with temperature, possibly due to an increase in ROS production under high temperature and light stress. In a primary rainforest in Amazonia, we inferred significant in plant isoprene oxidation (despite the strong masking effect of simultaneous atmospheric oxidation), from its influence on the vertical distribution of iox uptake fluxes, which were shifted to low isoprene emitting regions of the canopy. These observations suggest that carbon investment in isoprene production is larger than that inferred from emissions alone and that models of tropospheric chemistry and biotachemistryclimate interactions should incorporate isoprene oxidation within both the biosphere and the atmosphere with potential implications for better understanding both the oxidizing power of the troposphere and forest response to climate change.

Experimental analyses of the poly(vinyl chloride) foams' mechanical anisotropic behavior

Assessing a full set of mechanical properties is a rather complicate task in the case of foams, especially if material models must be calibrated with these results. Many issues, for example anisotropy and heterogeneity, influence the mechanical behavior. This article shows through experimental analyses how the microstructure affects different experimental setups and it also quantifies the degree of anisotropy of a poly(vinyl chloride) foam. Monotonic and cyclic experimental tests were carried out using standard compression specimens and non-standard tensile specimens. Results are complemented and compared with the aid of a digital image correlation technique and scanning electron microscopy analyses. Mechanical properties (e.g., elastic and plastic Poisson's ratios) are evaluated for compression and tensile tests, for two different material directions (normal and in-plane). The material is found to be transversely isotropic. Differences in the results of the mechanical properties can be as high as 100%, or even more depending on the technique used and the loading direction. Also, the experimental analyses show how the material's microstructure behavior, like the evolution of the herein identified yield fronts and a spring back phenomenon, can influence the phenomenological response and the failure mechanisms as well as the hardening curves. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 52:2654-2663, 2012. (C) 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers

Compatible blends of thermoplastic starch and hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers

Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) with 19% of vinyl acetate and its derivatives modified by hydrolysis of 50 and 100% of the initial vinyl acetate groups were used to produce blends with thermoplastic starch (TPS) plasticized with 30 wt% glycerol. The blends were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction, water absorption, stress-strain mechanical tests, dynamic mechanical analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. In contrast to the blends with unmodified EVA. those made with hydrolyzed EVA were compatible, as demonstrated by the brittle fracture surface analysis and the results of thermal and mechanical tests. The mechanical characteristics and water absorption of the TPS were improved even with a small addition (2.5 wt%) of hydrolyzed EVA. The glass transition temperature rose with the degree of hydrolysis of EVA by 40 and 50 degrees, for the EVA with 50 and 100% hydrolysis, respectively. The addition of hydrolyzed EVA proved to be an interesting approach to improving TPS properties, even when very small quantities were used, such as 2.5 wt%. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-assembled films from chitosan and poly(vinyl sulfonic acid) on Nafion® for direct methanol fuel cell

Chitosan/poly(vinyl sulfonic acid) (PVS) films have been prepared on Nafion® membranes by the layer-by-layer (LbL) method for use in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). Computational methods and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra suggest that an ionic pair is formed between the sulfonic group of PVS and the protonated amine group of chitosan, thereby promoting the growth of LbL films on the Nafion® membrane as well as partial blocking of methanol. Chronopotentiometry and potential linear scanning experiments have been carried out for investigation of methanol crossover through the Nafion® and chitosan/PVS/Nafion® membranes in a diaphragm diffusion cell. On the basis of electrical impedance measurements, the values of proton resistance of the Nafion® and chitosan/PVS/Nafion® membranes are close due to the small thickness of the LbL film. Thus, it is expected an improved DMFC performance once the additional resistance of the self-assembled film is negligible compared to the result associated with the decrease in the crossover effect.