Lateral earth pressure of granular backfills on retaining walls with expanded polystyrene geofoam inclusions under limited surcharge loading

Existing studies have focused on the behavior of the retaining wall equipped with expanded polystyrene(EPS)geofoam inclusions under semi-infinite surcharge loading rather than limited surcharge loading.In this paper,the failure mode and the earth pressure acting on the rigid retaining wall with EPS geofoam inclusions and granular backfills(henceforth referred to as EPS-wall),under limited surcharge loading are investigated through two-and three-dimensional model tests.The testing results show that different from the sliding of almost all the backfill in the EPS-wall under semi-infinite surcharge loading,only an approximately triangular backfill slides in the wall under limited surcharge loading.The distribution of the lateral earth pressure on the EPS-wall under limited surcharge loading is non-linear,and the distribution changes from the increase of the wall depth to the decrease with the increase of the limited surcharge loading.An approach based on the force equilibrium of a differential element is developed to predict the lateral earth pressure behind the EPS-wall subjected to limited surcharge loading,and its performance was fully validated by the three-dimensional model tests.

Performance Evaluation of Novel Eco-Materials Composed of Millet Husks, Rice Husks, and Polystyrene

Managing agricultural waste and expanded polystyrene (EPS) poses significant environmental and economic challenges. This study aims to create composites from millet husks, rice husks, and recycled EPS, using a manufacturing method that involves dissolving the polystyrene in a solvent followed by cold pressing. Various particle sizes and two binder dosages were investigated to assess their influence on the physico-mechanical properties of the composites. The mechanical properties obtained range from 2.54 to 4.47 MPa for the Modulus of Rupture (MOR) and from 686 to 1400 MPa for the Modulus of Elasticity in Bending (MOE). The results indicate that these composites have potential for applications in the construction sector, particularly for wood structures and interior decoration. Moreover, surface treatments could enhance their durability and mechanical properties. This research contributes to the valorization of agricultural and plastic waste as eco-friendly and economical construction materials.

Study of the Conversion of Postconsumer Polystyrene on CeO2/HZSM-5 Type Materials

The catalytic conversion of polystyrene (PS) was studied in the presence of the materials type HZSM-5, CeO2, 10% CeO2/HZSM-5 and 20% CeO2/HZSM-5, which were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nitrogen adsorption at 77K. The catalytic tests were performed via thermogravimetric analysis (TG) at heating rates of 5, 10 and 20˚C min−1 in a temperature range from 30˚C to 900˚C. For the tests, a ratio of 30% by mass of each catalytic material mixed with PS was used and the activation energy of the degradation process was determined by the Vyazovkin method. The obtained results showed that the addition of the catalyst to the PS in general reduced its degradation temperature. The 10% CeO2/HZSM-5 catalyst showed greater efficiency, as it resulted in lower activation energy for PS degradation. Thus, the combination of CeO2 with HZSM-5 resulted in materials with potential for application in the catalytic degradation of polystyrene and the results indicate that the production of a composite material can be a good strategy to generate an increase in catalytic activity and a decrease in energy process activation.

An energetic nano-fiber composite based on polystyrene and 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane fabricated via electrospinning technique

Electrospinning is a simple technique used to fabricate polymeric nano-fibrous membranes.These nano-fibers have found a wide range of valuable applications in the biomedical field.However,it has not been utilized with solid high explosives yet.Herein,the electrospinning technique has been used to fabricate polystyrene(PS)/1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane(RDX)composite nanofibers.The governed electrospinning parameters,voltage,distance from the collector,flow rate,mandrel rotating speed,time,and solution concentration,that greatly affect the morphology of the obtained nanofibers were optimized.The fabricated PS/RDX nano-fibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffractometer(XRD),and Fourier Transform Infrared(FTIR)spectroscopy.The impact and friction sensitivities of PS/RDX were also measured.The thermal behavior of the prepared composite and the pure materials were studied by the thermal gravimetric analysis technique(TGA).SEM results proved the fabrication of PS/RDX fibers in the nano-size via electrospinning.FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the existence of the characteristic functional groups of both PS and RDX in the composite nano-fibers.XRD sharp peaks showed the conversion of amorphous PS into crystalline shape via electrospinning and also confirmed the formation of PS/RDX composite.The PS fibers absorbed the heat and increased the onset decomposition of the pure RDX from 181.5 to 200.7℃in the case of PS/RDX fibers.Interestingly,PS/RDX nano-fibers showed the relatively low impact and friction sensitivities of 100 J and 360 N respectively.These results could introduce PS/RDX nanofibrous composite in the field of explosives detection with high levels of safety.

Comprehensive analysis of sodium polystyrene sulfonate-induced colitis:A systematic review

BACKGROUND Sodium polystyrene sulfonate(SPS)is commonly prescribed for the management of hyperkalemia,a critical electrolyte imbalance contributing to over 800000 annual visits to emergency departments.AIM To conduct a systematic review of documented cases of SPS-induced colitis and assess its associated prognosis.METHODS Following the PRISMA-P guidelines,our study employed Medical Subject Headings and Health Sciences Descriptors,skillfully combined using Boolean operators,to conduct comprehensive searches across various electronic databases,including Scopus,Web of Science,MEDLINE(PubMed),BIREME(Biblioteca Regional de Medicina),LILACS(Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature),SciELO(Scientific Electronic Library Online),Embase,and Opengray.eu.Language criteria were confined to English,Spanish,and Portuguese,with no limitations on the publication date.Additionally,we manually scrutinized the reference lists of retrieved studies.To present our findings,we utilized simple descriptive analysis.RESULTS Our search strategy yielded a total of 442 references.After rigorous evaluation,we included 51 references,encompassing 59 documented cases of colitis.Predominant clinical presentations included abdominal pain,observed in 35(60.3%)cases,and bloating,reported in 18(31%)cases.The most frequently affected sites of inflammation were the cecum,rectum,and small intestine,accounting for 31%,25.8%,and 22.4%of cases,respectively.Colonoscopy findings were described in 28(48.2%)cases,and 29(50%)of patients required surgical intervention.Among the subset of patients for whom outcome data was available,39(67.2%)experienced favorable outcomes,while 12(20.6%)unfortunately succumbed to the condition.The mean time required for resolution was 36.7 d,with a range spanning from 1 to 120 d.CONCLUSION SPS demonstrates the capacity to effectively lower serum potassium levels within 24 h.However,this benefit is not without the risk of bowel injury.Our study highlights the absence of high-quality data pertaining to the incidence of adverse events associated with SPS usage,making it challenging to determine whether the potential risks outweigh the benefits.However,a significant mortality rate related to SPS-induced colitis was noted.Future investigations should prioritize randomized controlled trials with a sufficiently large patient cohort to ascertain the true utility and safety profile of this medication.

HALOMETHYLATION OF POLYSTYRENE AND SUBSEQUENT PYRIDINATION VIA A HOMOLYTIC PATHWAY

Chloromethylation of polystyrene （PS） with two different chloromethylating systems methylal/thionyl chloride and paraformaldehyde/trimethylchlorosilane was studied. Soluble chloromethylated polystyrene with a degree of substitution of 89% was obtained. The Conant-Finkelstein reaction on the chloromethylated PS afforded soluble iodomethylated polystyrene with a degree of substitution as high as 96%. The reaction conditions of Minisci were employed to radically pyridinate PS via its iodomethylated derivative. Polyelectrolytes were formed which could be converted to normal polymers by treatment with a 20% aqueous solution of NaOH.

Weatherability Studies on External Insulation Thermal System of Expanded Polystyrene Board,Polystyrene Granule and Polyurethane Foam

Atmospheric exposure tests including two experimental stages of high temperature-spraying water cycle and heating-refrigeration cycle were carried out on three currently used ETIS of expanded polystyrene（EPS） board,polystyrene granule mortar and polyurethane foam in order to study the weatherablility of external thermal insulation system（ETIS）.The change rules of adhesive strength were hereby studied at different time period of atmospheric exposure tests.The experimental results show that the adhesive strength of three kinds of ETIS changes a little during high temperature-spraying water cycle,but the adhesive strength of ETIS with EPS board decreases significantly after heating-refrigeration cycle.The lowering rate of adhesive strength with painting finishes is obviously faster than that of tile finishes for ETIS of EPS board during heating-refrigeration cycle.The weatherability of ETIS with EPS board is worse than the other two,and ETIS of polystyrene granule mortar and polyurethane foam are more suitable than ETIS of EPS board in cold area.

Fabrication of Large-area 3-D Ordered Silvercoated Colloidal Crystals and Macroporous Silver Films Using Polystyrene Templates

The highly ordered silver-coated colloidal crystals arrays and macroporous silver films were derived through an electrostatics-induced adsorption effect using polystyrene(PS) as templates. Carboxyl-modified PS microspheres were prepared by emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization using methacrylic acid(MAA) as the functional monomer. PS microspheres were self-assembled into close packing colloidal crystals of facecentered cubic arrays to the substrate with vertical deposition method. These colloidal crystals were modified using dopamine(DA) to form poly-dopamine(PDA) during its oxidative polymerization. Through electrostatic interaction, the silver nanoparticles were deposited and adsorbed onto the surfaces of colloidal crystals templates by exposing [Ag(NH_3)_2]^+solution to infrared irradiation. Removal of the polymeric template by etching with methylbenzene solvent resulted in 3D ordered macroporous silver films. The structural and properties of the ordered silver-coated arrays and macroporous silver films were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), UV-vis spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS). The results indicate that the prepared silver-coated arrays and macroporous silver films possess the features of ordered multilayer arrangement, uniformity and repeatability as well as an ideal SERS effect.

VAPOR-LIQUID EQUILIBRIA FOR MIXTURES OF TOLUENE AND POLYSTYRENE WITH DIFFERENT MOLECULAR WEIGHTS

An experimental system for measuring the VLE of polymer solutions based on the staticvapor-pressure method has been established,VLE data for mixtures of toluene and polystyrene withdifferent molecular weight covering a wide range from 2.98×10~3 to 3.84×10~6 were obtained at 35℃.The reduced pressure p/p°versus weight fraction W plot is found to be independent on the molecularweight of the polymer within the experimental error.Calculated activity coefficients are also independenton the molecular weight.However,for the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter x,not only a strongconcentration dependence is observed,but also the molecular weight of the polymer exerts definiteinfluence.Generally,the parameter x slightly increases as the molecular weight of the polymer decreasesespecially when the molecular weight is low.The dependence of the parameter x on the molecularweight can be neglected when the molecular weight of polymer is greater than 1.00×10~4.

Prediction of Sintering Strength for Selective Laser Sintering of Polystyrene Using Artificial Neural Network

In the present work,a study is made to investigate the effects of process parameters,namely,laser power,scanning speed,hatch spacing, layer thickness and powder temperature, on the tensile strength for selective laser sintering( SLS) of polystyrene( PS). Artificial neural network( ANN) methodology is employed to develop mathematical relationships between the process parameters and the output variable of the sintering strength. Experimental data are used to train and test the network. The present neural network model is applied to predicting the experimental outcome as a function of input parameters within a specified range. Predicted sintering strength using the trained back propagation( BP) network model showed quite a good agreement with measured ones. The results showed that the networks had high processing speed,the abilities of error-correcting and self-organizing. ANN models had favorable performance and proved to be an applicable tool for predicting sintering strength SLS of PS.

Fabrication of Fluorescent Porphyrin/Polystyrene Composite Nanospheres by Electrospinning

Fluorescent polystyrene（PS）/porphyrin（TPPA） composite nanospheres were successfully fabricated by electrospinning. The SEM images clearly show that owing to adding TPPA in PS, the averaged diameter of the composite nanospheres became smaller, from 1500 to 580 nm. Fourier-transform infrared（FTIR） spectra determined the chemical composition of the resulting PS/TPPA composite nanospheres. The photoluminescent（PL） spectral analysis indicates that the peak position of the composite nanospheres in either solid state or water is identical to that of pure TPPA, at about 652 nm, and is still unchangeable when they are left for at least 20 d, indicating the stable photoluminescent property of the fluorescent composite nanospheres.

Effective Organochlorine Pesticides Removal from Aqueous Systems by Magnetic Nanospheres Coated with Polystyrene

In this paper, magnetic nanospheres coated with polystyrene （Fe3O4@PS） were prepared for the removal of organochlorine pesticides from aqueous solutions. The obtained Fe3O4@PS was round shape with diameter of 55±11 nm. The VSM results illustrated that its higher saturated magnetization was 36.76 emu g^-1 and it could be easily separated from aqueous solutions with a permanent magnet. The adsorption results showed that pesticides could be effectively adsorbed and the adsorption equilibrium time was less than 20 mins. The pseudo-second-order model was suitable to describe the adsorption kinetics. Compared with the Freundlich adsorption model, the adsorption data fitted well with Langmuir model. The effect of salinity and humic acid was also studied and the results illustrated that they could be neglected under optimized conditions. The asobtained sorbent showed a good performance with more than 93.3% pesticides removal in treating actual water samples.

Facile Fabrication of Large Area Polystyrene Colloidal Crystal Monolayer via Surfactant-free Langmuir-Blodgett Technique

A facile and novel method for the production of a large area of well-ordered polystyrene （PS） colloidal crystal monolayer was established using the surfactant-free Langmuir-Blodgett （LB） technique. The hydrophobic property （film-forming ability） of PS spheres was improved by a thermo-rheology treatment before LB assembly, and a large film was obtained. In contrast to the traditional LB technique, no surfactant was needed in this method, which could eliminate the additional contamination of surfactants in the preparation process and provided the products with versa- tile applications in nanosphere lithography （NSL） for biosensor, surface plasmon resonance, and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy .

Ambiguity of Polystyrene Aerosol Beads Properties Found with Mie Spectra Analysis

Broadband Mie scattering is used to determine the parameters of polystyrene aerosol beads in air,such as size and wavelength dependence of refractive index.This method consists in the selection of such parameters of the scattering object,which reproduce observed spectrum properties.That is why it is very sensitive and hence very precise.We found that there is an ambiguity of polystyrene aerosol beads properties,determined with this method.Different combinations of polystyrene particle size and its refractive index can give the same position of Mie resonances.This ambiguity leads to an increase in the error in determining the size and refractive index of the particle.The refined errors are calculated and the way of their reduction is indicated.

Seed-mediated growth of gold nanoparticles using self-assembled monolayer of polystyrene microspheres as nanotemplate arrays

Arrays of noble metal nanoparticles show potential applications in （bio-）sensing, optical storage, surface-enhanced spectroscopy, and waveguides. For all such potential devices, controlling the size, morphology, and interparticle spacing of the nanoparticles is very important. Here, we combine seed-mediated growth with nanosphere lithography to study the controllable growth of gold nanoparticles （Au NPs）, in which the self-assembly monolayer of polystyrene （PS） on a silicon surface is used to guide the modification of allaunesilanes and the subsequent adsorption of gold seeds; seed-mediated growth is applied to controlling the morphology and size of Au NPs. The size of adsorption region （determining the number of adsorbed gold seeds） is controlled by etching PS microspheres with oxygen plasma or annealing PS microspheres at the glass transition temperature. The size and morphology of the Au NPs are controlled by changing growth conditions. In such a way, we have achieved the dual control of the obtained Au NPs. Preliminary results show that this strategy holds a great promise. This approach can also be extended to a wide range of materials and substrates.

STUDY ON LIGHTLY SULFONATED SYNDIOTACTIC POLYSTYRENE IONOMERS

Sulfonated syndiotactic polystyrene ionomers (SsPS) with 1.8 mol% degree of sulfonation have been studied. WAXD shows that the crystallinity of SsPS ionomers was decreased with increasing diameter size of the counter ions and sPS > SsPS-H > SsPS-K > SsPS-Zn. Moreover, SsPS ionomers only have alpha crystal form, while original sPS has two crystal forms: alpha and beta crystal form. TGA shows that the thermal stability of SsPS ionomers is higher than that of the original sPS and SsPS-Zn > SsPS-K > SsPS-H. DSC shows that all the glass transition temperatures (T-g) of SsPS ionomers are higher than that of the neat sPS and SsPS-Zn > SsPS-Na > SsPS-K > SsPS-H. However, the melting temperature (T-m) and crystallization peak temperature (T-p) of SsPS ionomers are lower and SsPS-H > SsPS-Zn > SsPS-K > SsPS-Na, while the crystallinity (X-c) of SsPS-Zn is the lowest. Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics shows that the Avrami index of sPS and SsPS-H are both about 4, suggesting the nucleation growth of SsPS-H with lower degree of sulfonation still keeps its three-dimension form. FTIR spectra of SsPS ionomers show a splitting absorption band for asymmetric stretching vibration of sulfonation group. The CH in-plane bending vibration of benzene ring shifted to higher wavenumber and the symmetric stretching vibration of sulfonation group changed slightly with different counter ion neutralized SsPS ionomers.

Thiolsulfonate functionalized polystyrene resin:Preparation and application in the isolation and identification of electrophilic mutagens

A new approach for isolation and identification of elecrtophilic mutagens from complex matrix was developed. Thiosulforfic anion was immobilized onto polystyrene beads and used as separation media. Potassium polystyryl-thiosulfonate, prepared from polystyryl- sulfonyl chloride and KHS, was observed to selectively react with model electrophilic mutagens such as alkyl halides, ct-chloroketones and α-chloroesters to produce polystyryl-thiosulfonlc esters. After separation from other nonreactive organic compounds, the beads then reacted with ethanethiol to produce unsymmetrical ethyl disulfides which are easily detected by GC/MS. For one mutagenic compound, only one unsymmetrical disulfide was found to contain its structure part. Thus, the structure of the parent mutagens could be deduced from that of the unsymmetrical disulfides. The degree of functionalization of the potassium polystyryl-thiosulfonate resin was 1.11 mmol/g. Its reactivity was discussed and its recycling method was reported here.

Thermal and Thermo-oxidative Degradation of Flame Retardant High Impact Polystyrene with Triphenyl Phosphate and Novolac Epoxy Resin

Thermal and thermo-oxidative decomposition and decomposition kinetics of flame retardant high impact polystyrene （HIPS） with triphenyl phosphate （TPP） and novolac type epoxy resin （NE） were characterized using thermo-gravimetric experiment. And the flammability was determined by limited oxygen indices （LOI）. The LOI results show that TPP and NE had a good synthetic effect on the flame retardancy of HIPS. Compared with pure HIPS, the LOI values of HIPS/NE and HIPS/TPP only increased by about 5%, and the LOI value of HIPS/TPP/NE reached 42.3%, nearly 23% above that of HIPS. All materials showed one main decomposition step, as radical HIPS scission predominated during anaerobic decomposition. TPP increased the activity energy effectively while NE affected the thermal-oxidative degradation more with the help of the char formation. With both TPP and NE, the materials could have a comparable good result of both thermal and thermal-oxidative degradation, which could contribute to their effect on the flame retardancy.

FRACTAL CHARACTER OF PHASE MORPHOLOGY OF HIGH IMPACT POLYSTYRENE/POLY(cis-BUTADIENE) RUBBER BLENDS

Evolution and fractal character of the phase morphology of high impact polystyrene/poly（cis-butadiene） rubber （HIPS/PcBR） blends during melting and mixing were investigated using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The characteristic length L was defined as the size of particles of the dispersed phase in blends. Different fractal dimensions, Df and Din, were introduced to study the distribution width of phase dimensions in the dimensionless region and the uniformity of the spatial distribution of particles, respectively. The results showed that the average characteristic length Lm and Df increase as the volume fraction of the dispersed phase increases, when the volume fraction of the dispersed phase is lower than 50%. In other words, the size of particles increases and their distribution in the dimensionless region becomes more uniform. Meanwhile, the uniformity of the spatial distribution becomes more perfect as the volume fraction increases. At a certain composition, Lm decreases in the initial stage of the mixing and levels off in the late stage. In the initial stage, Df becomes large rapidly with the process of blending, which means that the distribution of L in the dimensionless region becomes more uniform. Meanwhile, the spatial distribution tends to be ideal rapidly in the early stage and fluctuates in a definite range in the late stage of the mixing.

Application of Polymerizable Surfactant in the Preparation of Polystyrene/Nano-Fe_3O_4 Composite

Monooctadecyl maleate, as a polymerizable surfactant, was synthesized by the mono-esterification of maleic anhydride and octadecanol, and was utilized to surface-modify nano-Fe3O4 particles. A polymerizable magnetic fluid was obtained by directly dispersing modified nano-Fe3O4 particles into styrene monomer, and the polystyrene/nano-Fe3O4 composite was prepared through free radical polymerization of polymerizable magnetic fluid. The structure and dispersion status in different dispersion phases of modified nano-Fe3O4 particles were studied by Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectrometry, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, respectively. The experimental results show that the nano-Fe3O4 particles modified by monooctadecyl maleate with the size of about 7-10 nm can be uniformly dispersed into styrene and fixed in the composite during the procedure of polymerization. Thermogravimetric analysis （TGA） and vibrating sample magnetometry （VSM） indicate that the thermal stability of polystyrene/nano-Fe3O4 composite is improved compared to that of pure polystyrene, and the composite is a sort of superparamagnetic materials.