Carbon nanotubes（CNTs） have long been recognized as the stiffest and strongest man-made material known to date. In addition, their high electrical conductivity has roused interest in the areas of electrical applianc...Carbon nanotubes（CNTs） have long been recognized as the stiffest and strongest man-made material known to date. In addition, their high electrical conductivity has roused interest in the areas of electrical appliances and communication related applications. However, due to their miniature size, the excellent properties of these nanostructures can only be exploited if they are homogeneously embedded into light-weight matrices as those offered by a whole series of engineering polymers. In order to enhance their chemical affinity to engineering polymer matrices, chemical modification of the graphitic sidewalls and tips is necessary. The mechanical and electrical properties to date of a whole range of nanocomposites of various carbon nanotube contents are also reviewed in this attempt to facilitate progress in this emerging area. Recently, carbonaceous nano-fillers such as graphene and carbon nanotubes（CNTs） play a promising role due to their better structural and functional properties and broad range of applications in every field. Since CNTs usually form stabilized bundles due to van der Waals interactions, they are extremely difficult to disperse and align in a polymer matrix. The biggest issues in the preparation of CNTs reinforced composites reside in efficient dispersion of CNTs into a polymer matrix, the assessment of the dispersion, and the alignment and control of the CNTs in the matrix. An overview of various CNT functionalization methods is given. In particular, CNT functionalization using click chemistry and the preparation of CNT composites employing hyperbranched polymers are stressed as potential techniques to achieve good CNT dispersion. In addition, discussions on mechanical, thermal, electrical, electrochemical and applications of polymer/CNT composites are also included.展开更多
Shape memory polymer （SMP） blends based on polyurethane （PU） and polyaniline （PANI） were prepared via chemical in situ polymerization process. The thermal, mechanical, electrical and shape memory properties were...Shape memory polymer （SMP） blends based on polyurethane （PU） and polyaniline （PANI） were prepared via chemical in situ polymerization process. The thermal, mechanical, electrical and shape memory properties were investigated. The structural characterization and morphology of the polymer blends were inspected by Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, respectively. The 1 wt% of PANI loading enhanced the thermal stability of the system up to 339 ~C. According to differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, the glass transition temperature （Tg） and melting temperature （Tm） of PU/PANI blends increased with the polyaniline loading （0.1 wt%-l wt%）. Improved mechanical properties such as tensile strength and Young＇s modulus of PU matrix were also observed with PANI. Moreover, the electrical conductivity of PU/PANI blends was also found to be a function of PANI loading. Remarkable recoverability of thermally triggered shape memory （SM） behavior to the extent of 96% was achieved for 1 wt% PANI blend.展开更多
A facile, efficient and environment friendly method is established to prepare poly（vinyl alcohol）（PVA） based graphene oxide-montmorillonite（GO-MMT） nanocomposites in aqueous media. GO-MMT nanohybrid is obtained ...A facile, efficient and environment friendly method is established to prepare poly（vinyl alcohol）（PVA） based graphene oxide-montmorillonite（GO-MMT） nanocomposites in aqueous media. GO-MMT nanohybrid is obtained by the combination of GO and MMT in water without any reducing or stabilizing agents. The formation of GO-MMT nanohybrid is due to the hydrogen bonding and crosslinking effects. The sodium ions within MMT sheets act as crosslinkers between GO sheets and MMT platelets. The resultant nanocomposites are characterized by means of X-ray diffraction（XRD）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）, thermogravimetric analysis（TGA） and mechanical testing. Compared to that of pure PVA, PVA nanocomposites show enhanced thermal stabilities and mechanical properties, which results from strong interfacial adhesion of the nanoadditives in PVA matrix. The further increase in the tensile strength and modulus results from strong interaction between PVA chains and layered GO-MMT as well as good mechanical properties of GO-MMT hybrid, compared to PVA/GO and PVA/MMT nanocompsoites.展开更多
A novel trifunctional initiator with one alkyne and two trifluoromethanesulfonate moieties was synthesized from a protected alcohol 5-hydroxyl-2-phenyl-1, 3-dioxane. The alkyne func- tionalized intermediate with two p...A novel trifunctional initiator with one alkyne and two trifluoromethanesulfonate moieties was synthesized from a protected alcohol 5-hydroxyl-2-phenyl-1, 3-dioxane. The alkyne func- tionalized intermediate with two protected alcohol groups was synthesized by reacting with propargyl bromide. The alcohol groups were cleaved using a mixture of tetrahydrofuran and hydrochloric acid aqueous solution. In the last step the initiator was synthesized us- ing triflic anhydride in carbon tetrachloride. The initiator was characterized by 1H NMR and used for the polymerization of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline which gives polymers with narrow distribution. For comparison a similar initiator with two tosylates was prepared and used for the polymerization of the monomer 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline, the resulting product has a wide molecular weight distribution and most of the initiator remains unreacted after 24 h which may be due to the steric hindrance between the two tosylate groups. To further explore the steric hindrance phenomenon, a linear tosylate initiator was synthesized, but still some of the initiator remains unreacted, illustrating that both steric hindrance and electrophilic balance affect the efficiency of the cationic ring-opening polymerization. All of the polymers were characterized in detail by using IH NMR, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy, and size exclusion chromatography to confirm the purity and distribution of the polymers.展开更多
Various compositions of cobalt and sulfur co-doped titania nano-photocatalyst are synthesized via sol–gel method. A number of techniques including X-ray diffraction（XRD）, ultraviolet–visible（UV–Vis）, Rutherford...Various compositions of cobalt and sulfur co-doped titania nano-photocatalyst are synthesized via sol–gel method. A number of techniques including X-ray diffraction（XRD）, ultraviolet–visible（UV–Vis）, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry（RBS）, thermal gravimetric analysis（TGA）Raman, N2 sorption, electron microscopy are used to examine composition, crystalline phase, morphology, distribution of dopants, surface area and optical properties o synthesized materials. The synthesized materials consisted of quasispherical nanoparticles of anatase phase exhibiting a high surface area and homogeneous distribution o dopants. Cobalt and sulfur co-doped titania demonstrated remarkable structural and optical properties leading to an efficient photocatalytic activity for degradation of dyes and phenol under visible light irradiations. Moreover, the effect of dye concentration catalyst dose and p H on photodegradation behavior of environmental pollutants and recyclability of the catalyst is also examined to optimize the activity of nano-photocatalys and gain a better understanding of the process.展开更多
In this work, polysulfone/polyimide（PSf/PI） mixed matrix membranes were fabricated by reinforcement of modified zeolite（MZ） particles through solution casting method for investigation of antibacterial activity aga...In this work, polysulfone/polyimide（PSf/PI） mixed matrix membranes were fabricated by reinforcement of modified zeolite（MZ） particles through solution casting method for investigation of antibacterial activity against two gram negative bacteria（Salmonella typhi, Klebsella pneumonia） and two gram positive bacteria（Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis）. The modified zeolite particles were incorporated to PSf and PI matrix and the influence of these particles on thermal, mechanical and structural properties was evaluated. The morphological evolution was investigated through scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and transmission electron microscopy（TEM） analysis, which revealed good compatibility between organic polymer matrix and inorganic filler. Mechanical stability was investigated by tensile testing while thermal analysis was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis（TGA） and differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）. This revealed improvement in thermal properties with increasing filler concentration from 1 wt% to 10 wt%. Structural analysis was successfully done using X-ray diffraction analysis（XRD） and Fourier transform infrared（FTIR） spectroscopy. Solvent content of fabricated mixed matrix membranes was observed to decrease while moving from more hydrophilic to less hydrophilic solvent. However, addition of filler content enhanced the porosity of fabricated membranes. The synthesized mixed matrix membranes exhibited good antibacterial activity and the highest activity was shown by PSf/PI/MZ mixed matrix membrane. Therefore, the combination effect of PSf, PI and MZ sufficiently enhanced the antibacterial activity of mixed matrix membranes.展开更多
New siloxane and sulfone containing poly（benzimidazole/sulfone/siloxane/amide） （PBSSA） has been prepared for the formation of hybrid membranes （PBSSA/PS-S/SiNPs） with sulfonated polystyrene （PS-S） and 0.1 wt%-...New siloxane and sulfone containing poly（benzimidazole/sulfone/siloxane/amide） （PBSSA） has been prepared for the formation of hybrid membranes （PBSSA/PS-S/SiNPs） with sulfonated polystyrene （PS-S） and 0.1 wt%-2 wt% silica nanoparticles （SiNPs）. Field emission scanning electron micrographs showed good dispersion of filler, formation of dense nanoporous honeycomb like structure and uniform ionic pathway in these hybrids. The porous membrane structure was responsible for the fine water retention capability and higher proton conductivity of the new hybrids. Increasing the amount of nanoparticles from 0.1 wt% to 2 wt% increased the tensile stress of acid doped PBSSA/PS-S/SiNPs nanocomposites from 65.7 MPa to 68.5 MPa. A relationship between nanofiller loading and thermal stability of the membranes was also experientially studied, as the glass transition temperature of phosphoric acid doped PBSSAJPS-S/SiNPs nanocomposites increased from 207℃ to 215 ℃. The membranes also had higher ion exchange capacity （IEC） around 2.01 mmol/g to 3.01 mmol/g. The novel membranes with high IEC value achieved high proton conductivity of 1.10-2.34 S/cm in a wide range of humidity values at 80 ~C which was higher than that of perfluorinated Nafion 117 membrane （1.1 × 10^-1 S/cm） at 80 ~C （94% RH）. A H2/O2 fuel cell using the PBSSA/PS-S/SiNP 2 （IEC 3.01 retool/g） showed better performance than that of Nation 117 at 40 ℃ and 30% RH.展开更多
Quaternaryammonium compounds (QACs) are cationic surfactants with broad range applications. They enter into aquatic environment through the discharge of sewage effluents and adversely affect the ecosystem due to toxic...Quaternaryammonium compounds (QACs) are cationic surfactants with broad range applications. They enter into aquatic environment through the discharge of sewage effluents and adversely affect the ecosystem due to toxicity. Modern electrochemical methods have been used for characterization and detoxification of an extensively used QAC, didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) in a wide pH range. The diffusion coefficient of DAAB was determined by Randles-Sevcik equation. In acidic conditions the electrochemical reduction of DAAB occurred by two electrons and two protons process. However, in neutral medium the overall reduction of DAAB followed electronation-protonation mechanism involving 3e– and 3H+. Although DDAB is toxic yet it is bestowed with cancer preventing ability. Hence, for getting insights into the under-standing of DAAB anticancer effect, its DNA binding parameters has been evaluated.展开更多
文摘Carbon nanotubes（CNTs） have long been recognized as the stiffest and strongest man-made material known to date. In addition, their high electrical conductivity has roused interest in the areas of electrical appliances and communication related applications. However, due to their miniature size, the excellent properties of these nanostructures can only be exploited if they are homogeneously embedded into light-weight matrices as those offered by a whole series of engineering polymers. In order to enhance their chemical affinity to engineering polymer matrices, chemical modification of the graphitic sidewalls and tips is necessary. The mechanical and electrical properties to date of a whole range of nanocomposites of various carbon nanotube contents are also reviewed in this attempt to facilitate progress in this emerging area. Recently, carbonaceous nano-fillers such as graphene and carbon nanotubes（CNTs） play a promising role due to their better structural and functional properties and broad range of applications in every field. Since CNTs usually form stabilized bundles due to van der Waals interactions, they are extremely difficult to disperse and align in a polymer matrix. The biggest issues in the preparation of CNTs reinforced composites reside in efficient dispersion of CNTs into a polymer matrix, the assessment of the dispersion, and the alignment and control of the CNTs in the matrix. An overview of various CNT functionalization methods is given. In particular, CNT functionalization using click chemistry and the preparation of CNT composites employing hyperbranched polymers are stressed as potential techniques to achieve good CNT dispersion. In addition, discussions on mechanical, thermal, electrical, electrochemical and applications of polymer/CNT composites are also included.
基金financially supported by the Higher Education Commission(HEC),Islamabad,Pakistan under the indigenous Ph D fellowship scheme and IRSIP program
文摘Shape memory polymer （SMP） blends based on polyurethane （PU） and polyaniline （PANI） were prepared via chemical in situ polymerization process. The thermal, mechanical, electrical and shape memory properties were investigated. The structural characterization and morphology of the polymer blends were inspected by Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, respectively. The 1 wt% of PANI loading enhanced the thermal stability of the system up to 339 ~C. According to differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, the glass transition temperature （Tg） and melting temperature （Tm） of PU/PANI blends increased with the polyaniline loading （0.1 wt%-l wt%）. Improved mechanical properties such as tensile strength and Young＇s modulus of PU matrix were also observed with PANI. Moreover, the electrical conductivity of PU/PANI blends was also found to be a function of PANI loading. Remarkable recoverability of thermally triggered shape memory （SM） behavior to the extent of 96% was achieved for 1 wt% PANI blend.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51233005)CAS-TWAS 2012 Fellowship Award and Higher Education Commission(HEC)of Pakistan
文摘A facile, efficient and environment friendly method is established to prepare poly（vinyl alcohol）（PVA） based graphene oxide-montmorillonite（GO-MMT） nanocomposites in aqueous media. GO-MMT nanohybrid is obtained by the combination of GO and MMT in water without any reducing or stabilizing agents. The formation of GO-MMT nanohybrid is due to the hydrogen bonding and crosslinking effects. The sodium ions within MMT sheets act as crosslinkers between GO sheets and MMT platelets. The resultant nanocomposites are characterized by means of X-ray diffraction（XRD）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）, thermogravimetric analysis（TGA） and mechanical testing. Compared to that of pure PVA, PVA nanocomposites show enhanced thermal stabilities and mechanical properties, which results from strong interfacial adhesion of the nanoadditives in PVA matrix. The further increase in the tensile strength and modulus results from strong interaction between PVA chains and layered GO-MMT as well as good mechanical properties of GO-MMT hybrid, compared to PVA/GO and PVA/MMT nanocompsoites.
基金supported by the National Natural Scientific Foundation of China(No.21674107)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(No.WK2340000066)the financial support from CASTWAS President’s PhD Fellowship Programme 2013
文摘A novel trifunctional initiator with one alkyne and two trifluoromethanesulfonate moieties was synthesized from a protected alcohol 5-hydroxyl-2-phenyl-1, 3-dioxane. The alkyne func- tionalized intermediate with two protected alcohol groups was synthesized by reacting with propargyl bromide. The alcohol groups were cleaved using a mixture of tetrahydrofuran and hydrochloric acid aqueous solution. In the last step the initiator was synthesized us- ing triflic anhydride in carbon tetrachloride. The initiator was characterized by 1H NMR and used for the polymerization of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline which gives polymers with narrow distribution. For comparison a similar initiator with two tosylates was prepared and used for the polymerization of the monomer 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline, the resulting product has a wide molecular weight distribution and most of the initiator remains unreacted after 24 h which may be due to the steric hindrance between the two tosylate groups. To further explore the steric hindrance phenomenon, a linear tosylate initiator was synthesized, but still some of the initiator remains unreacted, illustrating that both steric hindrance and electrophilic balance affect the efficiency of the cationic ring-opening polymerization. All of the polymers were characterized in detail by using IH NMR, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy, and size exclusion chromatography to confirm the purity and distribution of the polymers.
文摘Various compositions of cobalt and sulfur co-doped titania nano-photocatalyst are synthesized via sol–gel method. A number of techniques including X-ray diffraction（XRD）, ultraviolet–visible（UV–Vis）, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry（RBS）, thermal gravimetric analysis（TGA）Raman, N2 sorption, electron microscopy are used to examine composition, crystalline phase, morphology, distribution of dopants, surface area and optical properties o synthesized materials. The synthesized materials consisted of quasispherical nanoparticles of anatase phase exhibiting a high surface area and homogeneous distribution o dopants. Cobalt and sulfur co-doped titania demonstrated remarkable structural and optical properties leading to an efficient photocatalytic activity for degradation of dyes and phenol under visible light irradiations. Moreover, the effect of dye concentration catalyst dose and p H on photodegradation behavior of environmental pollutants and recyclability of the catalyst is also examined to optimize the activity of nano-photocatalys and gain a better understanding of the process.
文摘In this work, polysulfone/polyimide（PSf/PI） mixed matrix membranes were fabricated by reinforcement of modified zeolite（MZ） particles through solution casting method for investigation of antibacterial activity against two gram negative bacteria（Salmonella typhi, Klebsella pneumonia） and two gram positive bacteria（Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis）. The modified zeolite particles were incorporated to PSf and PI matrix and the influence of these particles on thermal, mechanical and structural properties was evaluated. The morphological evolution was investigated through scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and transmission electron microscopy（TEM） analysis, which revealed good compatibility between organic polymer matrix and inorganic filler. Mechanical stability was investigated by tensile testing while thermal analysis was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis（TGA） and differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）. This revealed improvement in thermal properties with increasing filler concentration from 1 wt% to 10 wt%. Structural analysis was successfully done using X-ray diffraction analysis（XRD） and Fourier transform infrared（FTIR） spectroscopy. Solvent content of fabricated mixed matrix membranes was observed to decrease while moving from more hydrophilic to less hydrophilic solvent. However, addition of filler content enhanced the porosity of fabricated membranes. The synthesized mixed matrix membranes exhibited good antibacterial activity and the highest activity was shown by PSf/PI/MZ mixed matrix membrane. Therefore, the combination effect of PSf, PI and MZ sufficiently enhanced the antibacterial activity of mixed matrix membranes.
文摘New siloxane and sulfone containing poly（benzimidazole/sulfone/siloxane/amide） （PBSSA） has been prepared for the formation of hybrid membranes （PBSSA/PS-S/SiNPs） with sulfonated polystyrene （PS-S） and 0.1 wt%-2 wt% silica nanoparticles （SiNPs）. Field emission scanning electron micrographs showed good dispersion of filler, formation of dense nanoporous honeycomb like structure and uniform ionic pathway in these hybrids. The porous membrane structure was responsible for the fine water retention capability and higher proton conductivity of the new hybrids. Increasing the amount of nanoparticles from 0.1 wt% to 2 wt% increased the tensile stress of acid doped PBSSA/PS-S/SiNPs nanocomposites from 65.7 MPa to 68.5 MPa. A relationship between nanofiller loading and thermal stability of the membranes was also experientially studied, as the glass transition temperature of phosphoric acid doped PBSSAJPS-S/SiNPs nanocomposites increased from 207℃ to 215 ℃. The membranes also had higher ion exchange capacity （IEC） around 2.01 mmol/g to 3.01 mmol/g. The novel membranes with high IEC value achieved high proton conductivity of 1.10-2.34 S/cm in a wide range of humidity values at 80 ~C which was higher than that of perfluorinated Nafion 117 membrane （1.1 × 10^-1 S/cm） at 80 ~C （94% RH）. A H2/O2 fuel cell using the PBSSA/PS-S/SiNP 2 （IEC 3.01 retool/g） showed better performance than that of Nation 117 at 40 ℃ and 30% RH.
文摘Quaternaryammonium compounds (QACs) are cationic surfactants with broad range applications. They enter into aquatic environment through the discharge of sewage effluents and adversely affect the ecosystem due to toxicity. Modern electrochemical methods have been used for characterization and detoxification of an extensively used QAC, didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) in a wide pH range. The diffusion coefficient of DAAB was determined by Randles-Sevcik equation. In acidic conditions the electrochemical reduction of DAAB occurred by two electrons and two protons process. However, in neutral medium the overall reduction of DAAB followed electronation-protonation mechanism involving 3e– and 3H+. Although DDAB is toxic yet it is bestowed with cancer preventing ability. Hence, for getting insights into the under-standing of DAAB anticancer effect, its DNA binding parameters has been evaluated.
