Kinetics and Mechanism of Hydration of Acrylic Acid over Ion-exchanged Resin:Experimental Exploration and DFT Calculation

Liquid-phase acrylic acid hydration over solid-phase catalysts is a key reaction for the industrial productionof 3-hydroxypropionic acid. However, the relevant literature primarily focuses on the experimental aspects of catalystscreening and exploring reaction conditions, with few accurate descriptions of the reaction kinetics and determination ofthe reaction mechanism. Here, we combined kinetics experiments and theoretical calculations to elucidate the kinetics andmechanism of acrylic acid hydration on a resin catalyst. The pseudo-homogeneous model, and Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Haugen-Watson and Elie-Riedel (ER) heterogeneous models were used to explain the experimental kinetics data. TheER model can explain the experimental data very well, suggesting strong adsorption of acrylic acid on the surface of theresin catalyst. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations show that the hydration follows a stepwise, rather than aconcerted, reaction pathway. The present study provides theoretical insights into the reaction mechanism and kinetics, fillingthe gap in our understanding of the reaction on a fundamental level.

Enhance of Grafting Reaction of Acrylic Acid and Acrylamide onto Preirradiated Polypropylene Film

Grafting of acrylic acid (AAc) and acrylamide (AAm) onto preirradiated PP film was performed in aqueous solution of AAc and AAm, respectively. Electron beam accelerator was used as irradiation source. The effect of ferrous sulfate, sodium nitrate, methanol and glucose on the degree of grafting was demonstrated. The function of the different additives was compared by the grafting of different monomers (AAc and AAm). The results show that the four of these additives are elective on the grafting of AAc. Only two of these additives, ferrous sulfate and methanol were effective on the grafting of AAm.

Removal of manganese from waste water by complexation-ultrafiltration using copolymer of maleic acid and acrylic acid

Copolymer of maleic acid and acrylic acid （PMA-100）, combining with polyvinyl butyral （PVB） ultrafiltration membrane was used for the removal of Mn（II） from waste water by complexation-ultrafiltration. The carboxylic group content of PMA-100 and the rate of complexation reaction were measured. Effects of the mass ratio of PMA-100 to Mn（II） （n）, pH, background electrolyte, etc on the rejection rate （R） and permeate flux （J） were investigated. The results show that carboxylic group content of PMA-100 is 9.5 mmol/g. The complexation of Mn（II） with PMA-100 is rapid and completed within 5 min at pH 6.0. Both R and J increase with pH increasing in the range of 2.5-7.0, and R increases with the increase of n at pH 6.0 while J is little affected. The background electrolyte leads to the decrease of R, and CaCl2 has much greater effect on R than NaCl at the same ionic strength.

Efficient and selective upcycling of waste polylactic acid into acetate using nickel selenide

The conversion of waste polylactic acid(PLA)plastics into high-value-added chemicals through electrochemical methods is a promising and sustainable approach.However,developing efficient and highly selective catalysts for lactic acid oxidation reaction(LAOR)and understanding the reaction process are challenging.Here,we report the electrooxidation of waste PLA to acetate at a high current density of 100 mA cm-2 with high Faraday efficiency(~95%)and excellent stability(>100 h)over a nickel selenide nanosheet catalyst.In addition,a total Faraday efficiency of up to 190%was achieved for carboxylic acids,including acetic acid and formic acid,by coupling with the cathodic CO_(2) reduction reaction.In situ experimental results and theoretical simulations revealed that the catalytic activity center of LAOR was dynamically formed NiOOH species,and the surface-adsorbed SeO_(x) species accelerated the formation of Ni~(3+)species,thus promoting catalytic activity.The mechanism of lactic acid electrooxidation was further elucidated.Lactic acid was dehydrogenated to produce pyruvate first and then formed CH_3CO due to preferential C-C bond cleavage,resulting in the presence of acetate.This work demonstrated a sustainable method for recycling waste PLA and CO_(2) into high-value-added products.

Poly(p-coumaric acid)nanoparticles alleviate temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis by inhibiting chondrocyte ferroptosis

Oxidative stress and inflammation are key drivers of osteoarthritis(OA)pathogenesis and disease progression.Herein we report the synthesis of poly(p-coumaric)nanoparticles(PCA NPs)from p-courmaic acid(p-CA),a naturally occurring phytophenolic acid,to be a multifunctional and drug-free therapeutic for temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis(TMJOA).Compared to hyaluronic acid(HA)that is clinically given as viscosupplementation,PCA NPs exhibited long-term efficacy,superior anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in alleviating TMJOA and repairing the TMJ cartilage and subchondral bone in a rat model of TMJOA.Notably,TMJ repair mediated by PCA NPs could be attributed to their anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in enhancing cell proliferation and matrix synthesis,while reducing inflammation,oxidative stress,matrix degradation,and chondrocyte ferroptosis.Overall,our study demonstrates a multifunctional nanoparticle,synthesized from natural p-coumaric acid,that is stable and possess potent antioxidant,anti-inflammatory properties and ferroptosis inhibition,beneficial for treatment of TMJOA.

Edaravone-loaded poly(amino acid) nanogel inhibits ferroptosis for neuroprotection in cerebral ischemia injury

Neurological injury caused by ischemic stroke is a major cause of permanent disability and death. The currently available neuroprotective drugs fail to achieve desired therapeutic efficacy mainly due to short circulation half-life and poor blood−brain barrier (BBB) permeability. For that, an edaravone-loaded pH/glutathione (pH/GSH) dual-responsive poly(amino acid) nanogel (NG/EDA) was developed to improve the neuroprotection of EDA. The nanogel was triggered by acidic and EDA-induced high-level GSH microenvironments, which enabled the selective and sustained release of EDA at the site of ischemic injury. NG/EDA exhibited a uniform sub-spherical morphology with a mean hydrodynamic diameter of 112.3 ± 8.2 nm. NG/EDA efficiently accumulated at the cerebral ischemic injury site of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) mice, showing an efficient BBB crossing feature. Notably, NG/EDA with 50 µM EDA significantly increased neuron survival (29.3%) following oxygen and glucose deprivation by inhibiting ferroptosis. In addition, administering NG/EDA for 7 d significantly reduced infarct volume to 22.2% ± 7.2% and decreased neurobehavioral scores from 9.0 ± 0.6 to 2.0 ± 0.8. Such a pH/GSH dual-responsive nanoplatform might provide a unique and promising modality for neuroprotection in ischemic stroke and other central nervous system diseases.

Swelling Behaviors of Polyaniline-Poly(Acrylic Acid) Hydrogels

Using poly（acrylic acid） （PAA） aqueous solution, NaOH aqueous solution, aniline （An） and ammonium persulfate （APS）, PAn-PAA hydrogels with a semi-interpenetrating structure connected by physical interlocks, chemical ion bonds and hydrogen bonds were prepared. The swelling properties of the hydrogels in solutions of different pH values （adjusted by adding NaOH or HCI） were studied. All the hydrogels prepared have similar swelling curves （the curves of equilibrium swelling ratio vs. pH value） and reach their maximum swelling at pH of 8 - 10. The maximum swelling ratio of the hydrogels is dependent on composition, including molecular weight of PAA, polymer content of the hydrogel, and molar ratios of AA to An, APS to An, and NaOH to AA, And the compositional dependence of the swelling capacity of PAn-PAA hydrogels was also studied.

Synergism of Zinc Oxide/Organoclay-Loaded Poly(lactic acid) Hybrid Nanocomposite Plasticized by Triacetin for Sustainable Active Food Packaging

The synergistic effect of organoclay(OC)and zinc oxide(ZnO)nanoparticles on the crucial properties of poly(lactic acid)(PLA)nanocompositefilms was systematically investigated herein.After their incorporation into PLA via the solvent casting technique,the water vapor barrier property of the PLA/OC/ZnOfilm improved by a maximum of 86%compared to the neat PLAfilm without the deterioration of Young’s modulus or the tensile strength.Moreover,thefilm’s self-antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogens,including gram-negative(Escherichia coli,E.coli)and gram-positive(Staphylococcus aureus,S.aureus)bacteria,was enhanced by a max-imum of approximately 98–99%compared to the neat PLAfilm.Furthermore,SEM images revealed the homo-geneous dispersion of both nano-fillers in the PLA matrix.However,the thermal stability of thefilm decreased slightly after the addition of the OC and ZnO.Thefilm exhibited notable light barrier properties in the UV-Vis range.Moreover,the incorporation of a suitable biodegradable plasticizer significantly decreased the Tg and notably enhanced theflexibility of the nanocompositefilm by increasing the elongation at break approxi-mately 1.5-fold compared to that of the neat PLAfilm.This contributes to its feasibility as an active food packa-ging material.

Antimicrobial Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene Film Prepared by 3-ray Radiation Induced Grafting of Poly（acrylic acid）

The simultaneous γ-ray-radiation-induced grafting polymerization of acrylic acid on ex- panded polytetrafluoroethylene （ePTFE） film was investigated. It was found that the degree of grafting （DG） of poly（acrylic acid） （PAA） can be controlled by the monomer concentration, absorbed dose, and dose rate under an optimal inhibitor concentration of [Fe2＋]=18 mmol/L. SEM observation showed that the macroporous structure in ePTFE films would be covered gradually with the increase of the DG of PAA. The prepared ePTFE-g-PAA film was im- mersed in a neutral silver nitrate solution to fabricate an ePTFE-g-PAA/Ag hybrid film after the addition of NaBH4 as a reduction agent of Ag＋ to Ag atom. SEM, XRD, and XPS results proved that Ag nanoparticles with a size of several tens of nanometers to 100 nanometers were in situ immobilized on ePTFE film. The loading capacity of Ag nanoparticles could be tuned by the DG of PAA, and determined by thermal gravimetric analysis. The quart- titative antibacterial activity of the obtained ePTFE-g-PAA/Ag hybrid films was measured using counting plate method. It can kill all the Escherichia coli in the suspension in 1 h. Moreover, this excellent antibacterial activity can last at least for 4 h. This work provides a facile and practical way to make ePTFE meet the demanding antimicrobial requirement in more and more practical application areas.

Poly-Acrylic Acid Derivatives as Diesel Flow Improver for Paraffin-Based Daqing Diesel

Since the diesel products from paraffin-based Daqing crude oil showed low sensitivity to certain commercial diesel pour point depressant （PPDs） that resulted from the high content of paraffin, certain poly-acrylic acid derivatives （PADE） with-COOR, -COOH,-CONHR, and -COO-NH3^＋R groups by molecular design on the mechanics of diesel; PPDs were synthesized and evaluated as cold flow improver for Daqing 0^# diesel in this paper. The pure PADE was superior to the commercial PPDs and displayed a substantial ability of wax crystals dispersion. There was a synergistic effect among the PADE and T1804 and secondary amine. The synergism clearly improved the low temperature performance of Daqing diesel products and could reduce the cold filter plugging point of 0^# diesel by 6-7 ℃.

Poly (Acrylamide-co-Acrylic Acid) Hydrogel Induced by Glow-Discharge Electrolysis Plasma and Its Adsorption Properties for Cationic Dyes

In this paper, poly （acrylamide-co-acrylic acid） （P（AM-co-AA）） hydrogel was pre- pared in an aqueous solution by using glow-discharge electrolysis plasma （GDEP） induced copoly- merization of acrylamide （AM） and acrylic acid （AA）, in which N,N＇-methylenebisacrylamide （MBA） was used as a crosslinker. A mechanism for the synthesis of P（AM-co-AA） hydrogel was proposed. To optimize the synthesis condition, the following parameters were examined in detail： the discharge voltage, discharge time, the content of the crosslinker, and the mass ratio of AM to AA. The results showed that the optimum pH range for cationic dyes removal was found to be 5.0-10.0. The P（AM-co-AA） hydrogel exhibits a very high adsorption potential and the ex- perimental adsorption capacities for Crystal violet （CV） and Methylene blue （MB） were 2974.3 mg/g and 2303.6 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption process follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. In addition, the adsorption mechanism of P（AM-co-AA） hydrogel for cationic dyes was also discussed.

Pretreatment of poly(acrylic acid) sodium by continuous diafiltration and time revolution of filtration potential

The pretreatment for the removal of small molecules from poly(acrylic acid) sodium (PAAS) solution by continuous diafiltration was investigated using ultrafiltration membrane. The effects of PAAS concentration, pH, trans-membrane pressure and pretreatment time on the permeate concentration and permeate flux were studied. The results show that the necessary pretreatment time (NPT) increases with PAAS concentration, decreases with TMP. The change trend of permeate flux with time is affected by pH. The permeate fluxes rapidly decrease from the start, and then increase gradually to stable values at pH 5.0, pH 7.0 and pH 9.3. However, it decreases gradually with time till a state value at pH 3.0 (iso-electric point, IEP). The removal of small molecules is easy at pH greater than iso-electric point (IEP). The change of filtration potential with time indicates the similar trend to that of permeation concentration, but the former is more convenient for indication of NPT.

Redox active polymer metal chelates for use in flexible symmetrical supercapacitors:Cobalt-containing poly(acrylic acid)polymer electrolytes

The novel polymer metal chelate electrolytes(polychelates)were prepared by incorporation of cobalt sulfate(Co)into poly(acrylic acid)(PAA)host matrix.Quasi-solid state supercapacitor devices were fabricated using polychelates,PAA-Co X(X:3,5,7,and 10)where X represents the doping fraction(w/w)of Co in PAA.All polymer metal electrolytes were showed excellent bending-stretching properties,thermal stability and electrochemical durability with an optimum ionic conductivity of 3.15×10^(-4) S cm^(-1).Hierarchically porous activated carbon and nano-sized conductive carbon were used to form carbon composite symmetrical device electrodes.The electric double-layer capacitor(EDLC)and redox reactions of Co-incorporated polychelates at the interfaces of porous activated carbon provided an optimum specific capacitance of 341.33 F g^(-1) with a device of PAA-Co7,which is at least 15 times enhancement compared to the device of pristine PAA.The PAA-Co7 device also provided energy density of 21.25 Wh kg^(-1) at a power density of 117.69 W kg^(-1).A prolonged cyclic stability of the device exhibited superior capacitive performance after 10,000 charge-discharge cycles and the maintained 90%of its initial performance.In addition,the supercapacitor with a dimension of 1.5 cm×3 cm containing PAA-Co7 successfully operated the red-blue-green(RGB)LED light.

Studies on Graft Copolymerization of Acrylic Acid onto Ramie Fibers with Chromic Acid Initiation System

The graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) with unswollen and swollen ramie fibers using chromic acid (H 2CrO 4) as the initiator has been studied in the presence of air. The effects of initiator concentration, monomer concentration, perchloric acid (HClO 4) concentration, time of polymerization, reaction temperature, and amount of ramie fibers on the graft percentage have been found out. The graft copolymer was characterized by IR spectra, scanning electron microscopy(SEM), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and thermogravimertric analysis (TGA).

CONFORMATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF POLY(ACRYLIC ACID) AND POLY(METHACRYLIC ACID)

A full-relaxation optimization of molecule and the Dreiding force field are employed to obtain the geometry parameters and the conformational energy surfaces of meso or racemic dyad of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA). Three different carbonyl-bond orientations of side-groups resulted in the differences in depth of potential wells in their energetic contours for a meso or a racemic dyad. These discrepancies are interpreted as a result of various fine structures corresponding to grid search conformations as well as thereby different interactions. The analysis on the most stable conformations of PMAA confirmed that the ester groups are nearly perpendicular to the plane defined by the two adjacent skeletal bonds but may possibly change their relative orientations to meet the requirement of lower energy during the conformational state transition. For each polymer, two global energy maps of a meso and a racemic dyad were finally constructed from the superposition of energy data for the three kinds of side-group orientations by the Boltzmann factors. From an ensemble average, the proposed scheme with three rotational isomeric states (RIS) allowed us to access the experimentally unperturbed dimensions of PAA chain via the configurational statistical mechanics. Although the calculation was based on the short-range, local interactions, it was interested to note that the experimental characteristic ratios just fell within the range calculated for atactic chains.

PREPARATION OF POLY(ETHYLENEGLYCOL-co-ACRYLIC ACID) MICROSPHERES WITH DIVINYLBENZNE AS CROSSLINKER BY DISTILLATION-PRECIPITATION POLYMERIZATION

Monodisperse poly（poly（ethyleneglycol） methyl ether acrylate-co-acrylic acid） （poly（PEGMA-co-AA）） microspheres were prepared by distillation-precipitation polymerization with divinylbenzene （DVB） as crosslinker with 2,2＇- azobisisobutyronitrile （AIBN） as initiator in neat acetonitrile without stirring. Under various reaction conditions, four distinct morphologies including the sol, microemulsion, microgels and microspheres were formed during the distillation of the solvent from the reaction system. A 2D morphological map was established as a function of crosslinker concentration and the polar monomer AA concentration, in comonomer feed in the transition between the morphology domains. The effect of the covalent crosslinker DVB on the morphology of the polymer network was investigated in detail at AA fraction of 40 vol%. The ratios of acid to ethylene oxide units presenting in the comonomers dramatically affected the polymer-polymer interaction and hence the morphology of the resultant polymer network. The covalent crosslinking by DVB and the hydrogen bonding crosslinking between two acid units as well as between the acid and ethylene oxide unit played key roles in the formation of monodisperse polymer microspheres.

Molecular Imprinting Fibrous Membranes of Poly(acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid) Prepared by Electrospinning

IntroductionOver the past few decades, molecular imprinting has been described as a technology for preparing ＂molecular doors＂ which can be matched to ＂template keys＂. It has been found to be a simple and effective approach to introduce specific recognition sites into synthetic polymers, namely, to create molecular imprinting polymers Remarkable features such as stability, ease of preparation and low cost, have made molecular imprinting polymers particularly attractive in chemical sensors, catalysis, drug delivery, and dedicated separations. Practical applications of molecular imprinting polymers require accessible sites, fast mass transfer, and quick binding. However, present techniques used to prepare molecular imprinting polymers most often result in materials exhibiting a high affinity and selectivity but a low capacity and poor site accessibility for the target molecules. It is also very difficult to remove the imprinted molecules located in these molecular imprinting polymers because the highly cross-linked structures do not allow the templates to move freely. To some extent, combining molecular imprinting technology with membrane separation and surface imprinting can overcome the shortcomings, such as mass transfer limitations and non-quantitative recovery of the template molecules seen for imprinted materials fabricated by conventional bulk methods. In that ease, it appears to us that molecular imprinting polymers with high surface area to volume ratios are particularly desirable for largescale applications. Eleetrospun nano and ultrafine fibrous membranes are the most suitable materials due to advantages such as： （1） large specific surfaces, providing relatively high imprinting sites per unit mass; （2） fine porous structures, resulting in the accessibility of imprinting sites and low diffusion resistance necessary for high efficiency; and （3） easy recoverability from practical operation or applicability for continuous usages. Therefore, in this work, we prepared a unique kind of imprinted material--molecularly imprinted fibrous membranes of poly （ acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid） fabricated by means of an electrospinning process.

A MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY OF POLY(DIVINYLBENZENE-co-ACRYLIC ACID) IN CROSSLINKING PRECIPITATION POLYMERIZATION

Divinylbenzene-80 （DVB-80） and polar monomer acrylic acid （AA） having hydrogen bonding at a total monomer loading of 5 vol% were precipitated-copolymerized in a variety of organic solvents with 2,2＇-azobis（isobutyronitrile） （AIBN） as initiator. The experiments were investigated from a two-dimensional matrix, i.e., the actual crosslinking degree of DVB varying from 0 to 80% and the solvent composition varying from 0 to 100% of toluene mixture with acetonitrile, when the mixture of acetonitrile and toluene was used as the reaction solvent. Under various reaction conditions, six distinct morphologies including soluble polymers, swellable microgels, coagulum, irregular microparticles, and nano-/micrometer microspheres were formed and the structures of these polymer architectures were described. A morphological map was utilized to discuss the effects of both crosslinking degree of DVB and composition of solvent on the transitions between morphology domains. The results demonstrated that the microspheres are formed by an internal contraction due to the marginal solvency of the continuous phase and the crosslinking of the polymer network through the covalent bonding from DVB as well as the interchain hydrogen-bonding between the carboxylic acid units.

Graft Polymerization of Acrylic Acid on a Polytetrafluoroethylene Panel by an Inductively Coupled Plasma

Surface modification on a polytetrafluoroethylene （PTFE） panel was performed with sequential nitrogen plasma treatments and surface-initiated polymerization. By introducing COO- groups to the surface of the PTFE panel through grafting polymerization of acrylic acid （AA）, a transparent poly （acrylic acid） （PAA） membrane was achieved from acrylic acid solution. Grafting polymerization initiating from the active group5 was achieved on the PTFE panel surface after the nitrogen plasma treatment. Utilizing the acrylic acid as monomers, with COO- groups as cross link sites to form reticulation structure, a transparent poly （acrylic acid） membrane with arborescent macromolecular structure was formed on the PTFE panel surface. Analysis meth- ods, such as fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）, microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, were utilized to characterize the structures of the macromolecule membrane on the PTFE panel surface. A contact angle measurement was performed to characterize the modified PTFE panels. The surface hydrophilicities of modified PTFE panels were significantly enhanced after the plasma treatment. It was shown that the grafting rate is related to the treating time and the power of plasma.

The Application of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) Fiber Grafted Acrylic Acid as a Cation Exchanger for Removing Cu^(12)

The polytetrafluoroethylene fiber grafted acrylic acid was used as a cation exchanger. The exchange capacity of the cation fiber is 3.06 mmol/g. The maximum Cu2+ adsorption capacity is 107.48 mg/g. It could be desorbed completely by 1mol/L HCl.