Blends of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and poly(p-dioxanone): miscibility, thermal stability and biocompatibility

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Molecular Identification and Characterization of Ileal and Cecal Fungus Communities in Broilers Given Probiotics, Specific Essential Oil Blends, and Under Mixed Eimeria Infection

Broiler digestive tract fungal communities have gained far less scrutiny than that given corresponding bacterial communities. Attention given poultry-associated fungi have focused primarily on feed-associated toxin-producers, yeast, and yeast products. The current project focused on the use of pyrosequencing and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to identify and monitor broiler digestive fungal communities. Eight different treatments were included. Four controls were an Uninfected-Unmedicated Control, an Unmedicated-Infected Control, the antibiotic bacitracin methylene disalicylate plus the ionophore monensin as Positive Control, and the ionophore monensin alone as a Negative Control. Four treatments were two probiotics (BC-30 and Calsporin) and two specific essential oil blends (Crina Poultry Plus and Crina Poultry AF). All chickens except the Unmedicated-Uninfected Control were given, at 15 days of age, a standard oral Eimeria inoculum of sporulated oocysts. Ileal and cecal digesta were collected at pre-Eimeria infection at 14 days of age and at 7 days post-Eimeria infection at 22 days of age. Extracted cecal DNA was analyzed by pyrosequencing to examine the impact of diet supplements and Eimeria infection on individual constituents in the fungal community, while DGGE was used to compare more qualitative changes in ileal and cecal communities. Pyrosequencing identified three phyla, seven classes, eight orders, 13 families, 17 genera, and 23 fungal species. Ileal and cecal DGGE patterns showed fungal communities were clustered mainly into pre- and post-infection patterns. Post-infection Unmedicated-Uninfected patterns were clustered with pre-infection groups demonstrating a strong effect of Eimeria infection on digestive fungal populations. These combined techniques offered added versatility towards unraveling the effects of enteropathogen infection and performance enhancing feed additives on broiler digestive microflora.

Dependence of the electrical conductivity and elastomeric properties on sample preparation of blends of polyaniline and natural rubber

Blend films (free-standing) containing 20% in volume of polyaniline (PANI) in 80% of natural rubber (NR) were fabricated by casting in three different ways: (1) adding PANI-EB (emeraldine base) dissolved in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) to the latex (NRL), (2) adding PANI-EB dissolved in in-cresol to NR dissolved in xylol (NRD), (3) overlaying the surface of a pure NR cast film with a PANI layer grown by in situ polymerization (NRO). All the films were immersed into HCl solution to achieve the primary doping (protonation) of PANI before the characterization. The main goal here was to investigate the elastomeric and electrical conductivity properties for each blend, which may be applied as pressure and deformation sensors in the future. The characterization was carried out by optical microscopy, dc conductivity, vibrational spectroscopy (infrared absorption and Raman scattering), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), and tensile stress-strain curves. The results suggest that the NRL blend is the most suitable in terms of mechanical and electrical properties required for applications in pressure and deformation sensors: a gain of conductivity without losing the elastomeric property of the rubber. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Interaction mechanism of poly (o-ethoxyaniline) and collagen blends

Blend films of poly (o-ethoxyaniline) (POEA) and collagen were fabricated by casting under optimized conditions and characterized by Raman scattering and UV-vis absorption spectroscopies. The UV-vis spectra showed that the addition of collagen in the aqueous solution of POEA promotes a dedoping of the POEA. This effect was also observed for the blend films as supported by Raman scattering and a mechanism for the chemical interaction between POEA-collagen is proposed. The influences of different percentage of collagen as well as the pH of stock solutions during the fabrication process of the blend films were also investigated. It was found that the preparation method plays an important role in the flexibility and freestanding properties of the films. Complementary, the surface morphology was studied by atomic force microscopy and the conductivity by dc measurements. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermoplastic starch/natural rubber blends

Thermoplastic starch/natural rubber polymer blends were prepared using directly natural latex and cornstarch. The blends were prepared in an intensive batch mixer at 150 degreesC, with natural rubber content varying from 2.5 to 20%. The blends were characterised by mechanical analysis (stress-strain) and by scanning electron microscopy. The results revealed a reduction in the modulus and in tensile strength, becoming the blends less brittle than thermoplastic starch alone. Phase separation was observed in some compositions and was dependent on rubber and on plasticiser content (glycerol). Increasing plasticiser content made possible the addition of higher amounts of rubber. The addition of rubber was, however, limited by phase separation the appearance of which depended on the glycerol content. Scanning electron microscopy showed a good dispersion of the natural rubber in the continuos phase of thermoplastic starch matrix. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermomechanical characterization of PVDF and P(VDF-TrFE) blends containing corn starch and natural rubber

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Photoinduced hole-transfer in semiconducting polymer/low-bandgap cyanine dye blends: evidence for unit charge separation quantum yield

Power-conversion efficiencies of organic heterojunction solar cells can be increased by using semiconducting donor-acceptor materials with complementary absorption spectra extending to the near-infrared region. Here, we used continuous wave fluorescence and absorption, as well as nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy to study the initial charge transfer step for blends of a donor poly(p-phenylenevinylene) derivative and low-band gap cyanine dyes serving as electron acceptors. Electron transfer is the dominant relaxation process after photoexcitation of the donor. Hole transfer after cyanine photoexcitation occurs with an efficiency close to unity up to dye concentrations of similar to 30 wt%. Cyanines present an efficient self-quenching mechanism of their fluorescence, and for higher dye loadings in the blend, or pure cyanine films, this process effectively reduces the hole transfer. Comparison between dye emission in an inert polystyrene matrix and the donor matrix allowed us to separate the influence of self-quenching and charge transfer mechanisms. Favorable photovoltaic bilayer performance, including high open-circuit voltages of similar to 1 V confirmed the results from optical experiments. The characteristics of solar cells using different dyes also highlighted the need for balanced adjustment of the energy levels and their offsets at the heterojunction when using low-bandgap materials, and accentuated important effects of interface interactions and solid-state packing on charge generation and transport.

Dielectric behavior of PVDF/POMA blends that have a low doped POMA content

The real (epsilon') and imaginary (epsilon) components of the complex permittivity of blends of PVDF [poly(vinylidene fluoride)] with POMA [poly(o-methoxyaniline)] doped with toluenosulfonic acid (TSA) containing 1, 2.5, and 5 wt % POMA-TSA were determined in the frequency interval between 10(2) and 3 X 10(6) Hz and in the temperature range from -120 up to 120degreesC. It was observed that the values of epsilon' and epsilon had a greater increase with the POMA-TSA content and with a temperature in the region of frequencies below 10 kHz. This effect decreased with frequency and it was attributed to interfacial polarization. This polarization was caused by the blend heterogeneity, formed by conductive POMA-TSA agglomerates dispersed in an insulating matrix of PVDF. The equation of Maxwell-Garnett, modified by Cohen, was used to evaluate the permittivity and conductivity behavior of POMA-TSA in the blends. A strong decrease was observed in POMA-TSA conductivity in the blend, which was bigger the lower the POMA-TSA content in the blend. This decrease could have been caused either by the POMA dedoping during the blend preparation process or by its dispersion into the insulating matrix. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Morphology variation as a function of composition for blends of PVDF and a polyaniline derivative

Blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride), PVDF, and poly(o-methoxyaniline), POMA doped with toluene sulfonic acid, TSA, were prepared by casting at various compositions and studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The blend composition has a great influence on the morphology obtained. As the concentration of POMA-TSA is increased in the blend an interconnecting fibrillar-like morphology is formed and the spherulites characteristic of pure PVDF are destroyed. The variation of blend morphology is further discussed based on X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry analysis. (C) 1998 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of the doping medium on blends of polyurethane and polyaniline

Flexible and free-standing films from blends of polyurethane, based on castor oil, and polyaniline were obtained with various compositions by casting. Significant increase on conductivity followed by a considerable decrease on doping time was obtained by doping the films in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution with p-toluene sulphonic acid (TSA) or HCl instead of the conventional doping in aqueous solution. This doping efficiency is proposed to be due to an improved swelling of the blend structure caused by the solvent. The electrical conductivity increases significantly upon polyaniline content increase reaching 10(-2) S/cm for a polyaniline content of about 10% (w/w).

A new route to obtain PVDF/PANI conducting blends

Electrically conductive poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF) - polyaniline blends of different composition were synthesized by chemical polymerization of aniline in a mixture of PVDF and dimethylformamide (DMF) and studied by electrical conductivity measurement, UV-Vis-NIR and FTIR spectroscopy. The samples were obtained as flexible films by pressing the powder at 180 degrees C for 5 min. The electrical conductivity showed a great dependence on the syntheses parameters. The higher value of the electrical conductivity was obtained for the oxidant/aniline molar ratio equal to 1 and p-toluenesulfonic acid-TSA/aniline ratio between 3 and 6. UV-Vis-NIR and FTIR spectra of the blend are similar to the doped PANI, indicating that the PANI is responsible for the high electrical conductivity of the blend. The electrical conductivity of blend proved to be stable as a function of temperature decreasing about one order at temperature of 100 degrees C. The route used to obtain the polymer blend showed to be a suitable alternative in order to obtain PVDF/PANI-TSA blends with high electrical conductivity. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of charge transport in blends of natural rubber and poly(o-methoxyaniline) based on a resistor network statistical model

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Thermal and pasting properties of cassava starch-dehydrated orange pulp blends

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effects of pigment, disinfection, and accelerated aging on the hardness and deterioration of a facial silicone elastomer

The failure of facial prostheses is caused by limitations in their flexibility and durability. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of disinfection and aging on Shore A hardness and deterioration of a facial silicone with different pigmentations. Twenty samples with addition of each pigment (ceramic (C), make-up (M)) and without pigment (L) were made. For each pigment type and no pigment, 10 samples were subjected to two types of disinfectant solution (soap (S) and Efferdent (E)), totaling sixty samples. The specimens were disinfected three times per week for 60 days, and subjected to accelerated aging for 1008 h. The hardness of the facial silicone was measured with a durometer, and its deterioration was evaluated by obtaining the weight difference over time. Both the hardness and weight of the samples were measured at baseline, after chemical disinfection, and periodically during accelerated aging (252, 504, and 1008 h). Deterioration was calculated during the periods between baseline and chemical disinfection, and between baseline and each aging period. The results were analyzed using three-way repeated measures ANOVA and the Tukey's HSD Post-hoc test (alpha = 0.05). Specifically, samples containing pigment exhibited significantly higher hardness and deterioration values than those lacking pigment (P < 0.05). In addition, period of time (disinfection and accelerated aging) statistically increased the hardness and deterioration values of the silicone (P < 0.05). It can be concluded that both pigment and time statistically affected the hardness and deterioration of the silicone elastomer. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of Pigment and Opacifier on Dimensional Stability and Detail Reproduction of Maxillofacial Silicone Elastomer

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)