Polyethism in Termites

Polyethism or division of works among workers of social insects is always a hot issue among entomologists. Honey bees, ants, and wasps are the main target for scientists to study the division of works. Studying polyethism in termites has been increased recently due to the damages to the forests, buildings, boats and even water preserving monuments. Every year a huge amount of money is spent to control these isopteran social insects in the south east of Asia, the US, Australia and other tropical and subtropical regions. As understanding the polyethism in these social insects can be a hand in controlling them, in this review we have tried to explain different kinds of polyethism and their importance in these social insects.

Effects of Soft Monomers on the Water Resistance and Moisture Permeability of Hydrophilic Polyurethane

Six groups of segmented polyurethanes with amorphous soft segment domains based on mixed hydrophobic polyester and hydrophilic polyether soft monomers were prepared from 4, 4′ diphenylmethane diisocyanate （MDI）, polybutylene adipate glycol 2000 （PBA2000）, polytetramethylene glycol 1000 （PTMG1000） and polyethylene glycol 1000 （PEG1000） with 1,4-butanediol （BDO） as the chain extender. Furthermore, the representative properties of the hydrophilic polyurethanes, moisture permeability and water resistance, were investigated. The results show that the chemical structure, molecular weight and concentration of soft monomers have remarkable effects on the main application properties of hydrophilic polyurethane. The important factors in diffusion are the content of hydrophilic ether bond and the mobility of hydrophilic chain in the soft phase, which is represented with a good approximation by the average mean molecular weight of soft segment. On the contrary, the functional properties of the hydrophilic polyurethane are almost not affected by its hard segment.

Determination of Three Kinds of Polyether Drug Residues in Eggs by QuEChERS dSPE EMR-Lipid-LC/MS/MS

[Objectives] This study was conducted to establish an LC-MS/MS method for the determination of three kinds of polyether residues in eggs with QuEChERS dSPE EMR-Lipid as a pretreatment method, which was established according to Agilent Bond Elut enhanced lipid removal EMR-Lipid technology. [ Methods] Egg was extracted by acidified acetonitrile, purified by Bond Elut EMR-Lipid QuEChERS, and detected by HPLC-MS/MS. [ Results] The three kinds of polyether residues had good linear relationships in the range of 2.0 - 100 μg/L with peak areas, r 〉 0. 999. The recoveries ranged from 84.6% to 107.0%. [ Conclusions ] The method is convenient and accurate, and the quantitative results are accurate and reproducible. It is suitable for the determination of the three kinds of polyether residues in eggs.

Damping Properties of Flexible Epoxy Resin

Amino-terminated polyethers and amino-terminated polyurethane were used as curing agent to cure the epoxy resin together and get a series of cured products. The damping properties of the composites were studied by DMA test at different measurement frequencies. Damping mechanical tests show that the flexible epoxy resin has higher loss factor than common epoxy. The highest loss factor reaches 1.57. Also the height and position of loss factor peak of the flexible epoxy resin varies by changing the content of amino-terminated polyethers. Results shows that the flexible epoxy resin can be used as damping polymer materials at room temperature or in common frequency range.

Synthesis and characterization of fluorinated polyurethane with fluorine-containing pendent groups

A novel fluorinated polyurethane （FPU） with fluorine-containing pendent groups was prepared by using fluorinated polyether glycol （PTMG-g-HFP） as a soft segment, 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate （HDI） or toluene diisocyanate （TD1） as a hard segment and 1,4-butanodiol （BDO） as a chain extender. FTIR, ^1H NMR, ^13C NMR and GPC were used to characterize the structure of the fluorinated polyurethane. Thermal stabilities of the fluorinated polyurethane and the corresponding hydrogenated polyurethane were studied by TGA. XPS analysis at two different sampling depths for the fluorinated polyurethane was used to investigate the surface compositions of FPU. The results showed the fluorine enrichment on the surface of FPU.

Properties of Water Blown Rigid Polyurethane Foams with Different Funetionality

Water blown rigid polyurethane foams with different functionality were prepared. The physical properties of rigid foams were measured with rotational viscometer （NDJ-1 ）, universal testing machine （Instron3365）, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and differential scanning calorimeter （DSC）. The results show that the viscosity of polyether polyol increases exponentially from 62 mPa s to 6 000 mPa s with the increase of functionality from 2 to 5.6, respectively. The overall density of foam increases slightly from 31.7 kg/m^3 to 37.4 kg/m^3 with increasing functionality while core density exhibited little difference. Compressive strength of foam shows the similar behavior with density except for 2-functional sample. At the same time, dimensional stability becomes better with increasing functionality except for 5.6-functional foam that has worse stability than 4.8-functional foam. From the SEM results, the functionality is not an important factor in determining distribution of cell size of foam. According to the results of thermal analysis, the glass transition temperature （T） shifts to a higher temperature from 128.9 ℃ to 166.3 ℃ for the 2 to 5.6 functional foam, respectively.

Cyclic Oligomers of Phenolphthalein Polyarylene Ether Sulfone (Ketone): Preparation Through Cyclo-depolymerisation of Corresponding Polymers

Cyclic oligomers of phenolphthalein polyarylene ether sulfone(ketone) were prepared through cyclo-depolymerisation of corresponding polymers using CsF as the catalyst in dipolar aprotic solvent DMAc and DMF, and a family of macrocycles containing from dimer up to at least heptamer were confirmed by GPC, HPLC and MALDI-TOF-MS. The yields of cyclics get as high as 86.3% and 87.9% respectively.

Proton Conducting Composite Membranes from Sulfonated Polyether Ether Ketone and SiO_2

Proton conducting composite membranes from sulfonated polyether ether ketone and SiO2 for direct methanol fuel cell （DMFC） application were prepared with sulfonated polyether ether ketone（SPEEK） and tetracethoxy silane（TEOS） by sol-gel method. The covalent crosslinking structure was formed between —SO3H of SPEEK via SiO2. The SEM images show that the interfacial compatibility of SPEEK and SiO2 is improved obviously and SiO2 disperses uniformly in the polymer matrix and the particle diameter of SiO2 does not exceed 40 nm. The proton conductivity of composite membranes decreases slightly compared with the SPEEK membrane while the methanol permeability and swelling of composite membrane are improved remarkablely owing to covalent cross-linking between —SO3H and SiO2 .

Preparation and Application of the Hydrophilic Amino-Silicone Softener by Emulsion Polymerization

The amino poly-siloxane was modified with self-made polyether silicones by the crafts of emulsion polymerization. We studied the emulsifier, the dosage of emulsifier initiator, polyether/silane coupling agent, pH value. There are some results of the research indicated in the following. First, there are many factors for the hydrophilic amino-silicone softener both on the polymerization process and the performance, such as the proportion and amount of emulsifier, initiator dosage, the mass ratio of the polyether and hydrogen silicone oil, the choice of silicone coupling agent, and the ratio and dosage of polyether silicones silane coupling agent. Second, the amount of hydrogen of the hydrogen silicones and the choice of catalyst are the key points on the synthesis of polyether silicones. The amount of hydrogen should be low and the catalyst must be economical and efficient and its introduction should be small and times, other more the holding time is not too long. The next one is that, in the process of hydrolysis of silane coupling agent, we need some acid to adjust pH value, or they will be broken down. The most important one but not the last is that the epoxy group can improve the products low-temperature supple and the persistence of the finishing fabric, furthermore it can reduce yellowing and has a good stability of the inorganic salt, however, it will be destroyed if the reaction temperature for epoxy is too high. What’s more, it is very economical and environmental that the process of emulsion is simple and with less emulsifier.

Research and Application of Anti-Collapse Lubricant Compound Polyalcohol for Water-Based Drilling Fluid

Polyalcohol is an environmentally friendly anti-collapse lubricant commonly used in water-based drilling fluids. It is generally composed of the single polyether or polyol, but its lubricity and anti-collapse inhibition can’t satisfy the application of current water-based drilling fluid systems well. Consequently, the laboratory has carried out research on the anti-collapse lubricant compound polyalcohol. The anti-collapse lubricant samples are mixed with lauryl polyether, nonylphenol polyether and Tween 80 according to different proportions. The cloud point, the reduction rate of lubrication coefficient and linear expansion are measured, and the change they caused should be observed. Then, the optimal ratio is optimized through orthogonal experiments. The results show that the increase in the content of the three kinds of polyethers respectively enhances the inhibition. When the content of lauryl polyether increases, the cloud point of the anti-collapse lubricant declines and the reduction rate of lubrication coefficient rises;when the content of nonylphenol polyether increases, the cloud point declines, but it has little effect on the reduction rate of the lubrication coefficient;when the content of Tween 80 increases, the cloud point rises, and the reduction rate of the lubrication coefficient first augments and then basically remains unchanged. The best mass ratio of lauryl polyether:TW-80:nonylphenol polyether is 6:3:4.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A FLAME RETARDANT HYPERBRANCHED POLYETHER

A brominated hyperbranched polyether has been synthesized from cyanuric chloride and sodium salt of tetrabromobisphenol-A by an A2 ＋ B3 approach. The synthesized polyether was characterized by ^1H-NMR, ^13C-NMR, UV, FTIR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction studies, measurements of solution viscosity, molecular weight and solubility and elemental and thermogravimetric analyses. The flame retardancy of the synthesized polyether and its blends with commercially available plasticized poly（vinyl chloride） （PVC） and low density polyethylene （LDPE） was investigated by measurements of limiting oxygen index （LOI） value and thermogravimetric analysis. The properties are compared with a non-halogenated similar type of bisphenol-A based aromatic polyether after blending at different dose levels with the same base polymers. The LOI values of these blends indicated that these hyperbranched polyethers acted as flame retardant additives, and antimony trioxide had prominent synergistic effect with the bromo hyperbranched polyether for the above base polymers, and an increment of 4 to 6 units in LOI values was observed.

Isocyanate-terminated Polyethers Toughened Epoxy Resin:Chemical Modification,Thermal Properties,and Mechanical Strength

The toughening of the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A epoxy resin with isocyanateterminated polyethers （ITPE） was investigated. The progress of the reaction and the structural changes during modification process were studied using FTIR spectroscopy. The studies support the proposition that TDI （tolylene diisocyanate） acts as a coupling agent between the epoxy and polyethers, forming a urethane linkage with the former and the latter, respectively. Me THPA-cured ER/ITPs blends were characterized using dynamic mechanical analysis （DMA） and thermogravimetric analysis （TGA）. It is indicated the glass transition temperature （T） of systems was lower than the T of pure epoxy resin and overfull ITPE separated from the modified epoxy resin and formed another phase at an ITPE-content of more than 10wt%. The thermal stability was decreased by the introduction of ITPE. The impact strength and the flexural strength of the cured modifiedepoxy increased with increasing the ITPE content and a maximum plateau value of about 24.03 kJ/m^2 and 130.56 MPa was measured in 10wt% ITPE. From scanning electron microscopy （SEM） studies of the fractrue surfaces of ER/ITPE systems, the nature of the micromechanisms responsible for the increases in toughness of the systems was identified.

Calcium chloride doped zinc-cobalt metal-cyanide complex:Unexpected highly activity towards ring-opening polymerization of propylene oxide

Highly active calcium chloride（CaCl2） doped Zn-Co^Ⅲdouble metal-cyanide（Ca-DMC） catalysts were firstly reported.Ca-DMCs presented a very higher polymer yield（54 kg polymer/g catalyst） at relative low temperature（80-115℃） toward ringopening polymerization（ROP） of propylene oxide（PO） than did DMC catalysts without modification.

SOLID-STATE VARIABLE-TEMPERATURE NMR STUDY ON THE PHASE SEPARATION OF POLYETHER POLYURETHANE ZWITTERIONOMERS

Polyether-polyurethane zwitterionomers based on 4, 4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate(MDI), methyl diethanolamine (MDEA), and polytetramethylene oxide glycol (PTMO) werestudied with variable-temperature wide-line ~1H NMR. It is found that upon ionization, degree ofphase separation in the polymer system decreased at first due to the loss of hard segmentregularity, while further ionization increased the degree of phase separation through increasinghard phase cohesion and difference of polarity between hard and soft segments.

SURFACE MODIFICATION OF CaCO_3 WITH DENDRITIC CARBOXYLIC ACIDS

Nanometer calcium carbonate was modified with Frechet type polyether dendrons bearing a COOH group at thefocal point by a wet-coating technique in dichloromethane at room temperature. The interaction between CaCO;and thedendritic modifier was proven by IR and mass spectroscopy of the modified CaCO;after thorough extraction withdichloromethane. The amount of tightly bonded organic modifier was estimated by TGA. It was shown that the amount ofbonded molecules decreased with increasing generation number due to the larger number of branches. Compared tounmodified CaCO;, the modified CaCO;possess different dispersibility in water and in organic solvents.

IONIC CONDUCTIVITY IN THE COMPLEXES OF COMB-SHAPED POLYETHER WITH LITHIUM AROMATIC SULFONATE

Complexes of comb-shaped polyether and lithium aromatic sulfonates bearing different negative charge number were prepared by in situ thermal polymerization. Their conductivity depends deeply on salt content, ambient temperature and negative charge number of the added salts. Results show that anions can be partly immobilized by increasing their negative charges at lower temperature. Against discharge time the short circuit current of the battery (Li/complex film/Li_x V_3O_8) is stabilized by increasing the anionic charge number of the complex.

Novel Silica Gel Supported Polyether Ionic Liquids: Efficient Catalysts Applied in Transformation of Carbon Dioxide

Three new catalysts based on the silica gel supported polyether ionic liquids(ILs), i.e., [HO-PECH-MIM]ClSi, [H2N-PECH-MIM]Cl-Si, and [HOOC-PECH-MIM]Cl-Si, were prepared, and their chemical structures were characterized by infrared(IR) spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric analyzer(TG), X-ray diffractometer(XRD) and scanning electron microscope(SEM) were used to evaluate their thermal stability,crystalline structure and apparent morphology, respectively. Surface areas of the prepared catalysts were calculated by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) method. The catalytic reaction for the synthesis of propylene carbonate(PC) using CO_2 and propylene oxide(PO) in the presence of the prepared catalysts was studied. The influences of times of recycling and catalyst structure on catalytic performance were also investigated. The experimental results showed that the silica gel supported polyether ILs catalysts successfully prepared under mild condition could possess the advantages of high activity, excellent thermal stability, good selectivity and easy recycling, while the phase transition of the liquid polyether ILs catalysts was also achieved. When the reaction temperature was 90 °C, the CO_2 pressure was 2.0 MPa and the dosage of the catalyst was 2.5%, [HOOC-PECH-MIM]Cl-Si was found to have the best catalytic performance in the catalytic process, with the conversion rate reaching 100% and the selectivity equating to 98.2%. The conversion rate and selectivity still could reach more than 90% even after the catalyst was reused for 15 times.

Synthesis of Arsamacrocyclic Polyethers

The synthesis of eight new arsamacrocyclic Polyethers was described. The structures of these compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, H-1-NMR and MS.

THE COORDINATION BETWEEN SILVER NITRATE AND OPEN CHAIN POLYETHER

A complex of silver nitrate with 1.8-bis（8’-quinolyloxy）-3.6-dioxaoctane （noted as ligand L） was synthesized. The results of element analysis show that it consists of the calculated values of [Ag4L3]（NO3）4. It is clear from the IR, UV and ’HNMR spectra that the ligand L coordinated to Ag+ ion with its N and 0 atoms which connected with the terminal quinolyloxy group.