Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Selective Extraction of Crystal Violet from Natural Seawater coupled with HighPerformance Liquid Chromatographic Determination

Molecularly imprinted polymers(MIPs) were prepared by the bulk polymerization using crystal violet as the template molecule, and the methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimetheacrylate as functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively. Systematic investigations of synthetic conditions were conducted. The surface morphology and recognition mechanism of the obtained polymers were studied using scanning electron microscope and spectrophotometric analysis. MIPs showed high affinity to template molecule and were successfully applied as special solid-phase extraction sorbent for selective extraction of crystal violet from natural seawater. An off-line molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction(MISPE) method followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diodearray detection for the analysis of crystal violet was also established. MISPE columns have good recoveries for crystal violet standard solutions and good linearity was obtained over the concentration range of 0-200 μg L-1(R2 > 0.99). Finally, two natural seawater samples were investigated. The recoveries of spiked seawater on the MISPE columns were from 44.47% to 62.34%, the relative standard deviation(n=3) being in the range of 2.89%-5.96%.

Non-isothermal Crystallization Kinetics of Modified Poly(ethylene terephthalate) with Ultraviolet Protection

The non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with the function of ultraviolet (UV) protection was studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry. The kinetics of the modified polymer under non-isothermal crystallization was analyzed by Ozawa equation. The crystallization behavior of the modified polymer obeyed Ozawa theory. The additives in the polymer whose function was UV-resistant acted as crystal nucleus in the processing of crystallization, which resulted in the increase of Avrami index and the crystallization rate of the cooling system.

The ultratrace detection of crystal violet using surface enhanced Raman scattering on colloidal Ag nanoparticles prepared by electrolysis

Highly active, stable and affordable surface enhanced Raman scattering （SERS） substrates were obtained by electrolyzing a mixture of AgNO3 （4 × 10^-4 mol/L） and Na3C6H5OTH2O （6 × 10^-5 mol/L） for 1, 2, 3 and 4 h at 7 V. With crystal violet （CV） as a test molecule, a portable Raman spectrometer with 785 nm laser excitation was employed to carry out the SERS detection. Colloidal Ag nanoparticles prepared by electrolyzing for 3 h with the particle size of （65 ±17） nm is a perfect SERS substrate for the ultratrace detection of CV, which displayed an enhancement factor of ca. 1.3 × 10^8 and the detection limit of CV is down to ca. 10-15 mol/L （ca. 10^-4 ppb） with 10^-1 mol/L KBr as aggregating agent. Thus, this SERS substrate will provide a hopeful foreground in ultratrace detection. Meanwhile, it will provide a possibility to bring Raman analysis out of the laboratory to process in situ, real-time detection and identification.

THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF KINETICS OF NONISOTHERMAL CRYSTALLIZATION OF POLYMERS

The classical crystallization theories proposed by Avrami, Evans, and Mandelkern wereextended to the nonisothermal situation. The expressions derived from the classical equations canbe expressed in either the differential form or the integral form. A method was provided so as toobtain the parameters characterizing the crystallization rate and mechanism from DSC curves withseveral constant heating or cooling rates. The rate constants of crystallization obtained from bothisothermal and nonisothermal curves of poly(ethylene terephthalate)were compared.

NON-ISOTHERMAL CRYSTALLIZATION OF POLY(L-LACTIDE)(PLLA) UNDER QUIESCENT AND STEADY SHEAR CONDITIONS

The non-isothermal crystallization of poly（L-lactide） （PLLA） under quiescent and steady shear flow conditions was in situ investigated by using polarizing optical microscopy （POM） with a hot shear stage and wide-angle X-ray diffraction （WAXD）. The shear rate and the cooling rate both play a significant role in the final crystalline morphology and crystallinity. Under quiescent conditions, the morphology assumes different sized spherulites, and its crystallinity dramatically reduces with increasing the cooling rate. On the other hand, the shear flow increases the onset crystallization temperature, and enhances the final crystallinity. When the shear rate is above 5 s^-1, cylindrite-like crystals are observed, furthermore, their content depends on the cooling rate.

Degradation of crystal violet using nanometer TiO_2 under the synergistic action of H_2O_2 and ultrasonic wave

TiO_2 nanoparticles with different phases are prepared by hydrolysis oftitanium tetrabutoxide in the presence of HC1. The composition and microstructure of the resultingsamples are studied by XRD and TEM. These results show that the range of particle size of TiO_2 isfrom 20 to 30 nm. The mechanism of TiO_2 photocatalysis reaction has been discussed extensively.Photocatalytic activities of nanometer TiO_2 are also evaluated by degradation of the crystal violetsolution. Experimental results indicate that the synergistic action of H_2O_2 and ultrasonic wavegreatly enhances photo-catalytic reaction of TiO_2.

THERMAL DEGRADATION OF POLY(ARYLENE SULFIDE SULFONE)/NMETHYLPYRROLIDONE CRYSTAL SOLVATE

The thermal degradation of poly（arylene sulfide sulfone）/N-methylpyrrolidone （PASS/NMP） crystal solvate was studied by thermogravimetric analysis （TGA） and was compared with pure PASS in order to determine the way in which the formation of the crystal solvate affected the thermal properties of the polymer. The activation energy of the solid state process was determined using Kissinger＇s method, which does not require knowledge of the reaction mechanism （RM）, to be 174.18 kJ/mol which was lower than that for pure PASS （E = 214 kJ/mol）. The study of master curves together with interpretation of integral methods, allows confirmation that the thermal degradation mechanism for PASS in the crystal solvate system is a decelerated Rn type, which is a solid-state process based on a phase boundary controlled reaction, in the conversion range considered. Whereas, the pure PASS follows a decelerated Dn thermodegradation mechanism in the same conversion range.

Influence of Annealing and Additives on the Crystallization Behavior and Properties of Poly(vinyl chloride)

Acetanilide （AC）, adipic acid （AA） and potassium hydrogen phthalate （PHP） were chosen as additives to accelerate PVC crystallization and improve its mechanical properties. The influences of the additives and annealing on the crystallization behavior, micromorphology and the tensile properties were investigated by the thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and the tensile test. Based on the analysis results, it was concluded that the melting peaks ranging from 110 to 200 ℃ and 200 to 240 ℃ were caused by the fusion of the fringed micelle crystals and chain-folded crystals respectively. AC advanced the fringed micelle crystal to develop, while AA and PHP promoted obviously the chain-folded crystal to grow. The addition of the foreign additives did not change the growth pattern ofPVC crystallites, the growth of the micelle crystal was favorable at 110 ℃, and the chain-folded crystal was developed at higher temperature. For PVC/ AA and PVC/PHP, when annealed at 110 ℃, a regular nest like network was formed, the crystallinity and the crystallite size were increased as well, and as a result, the tensile strength, Young＇s modulus and the elongation at break point were improved simultaneously and greatly.

Thermal degradation and isothermal crystalline behavior of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)

Poly（trimethylene terephthalate） （PTT） is an excellent fiber material. Its thermal degradation and isothermal crystalline behaviors were in this study investigated using thermogravimetric analysis （TGA）, thermogravimetric analysis-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （TGA-FTIR） analysis, differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The thermal degradation mechanism of PTT follows Mclafferty rearrangement principle. The PTTwithintrinsicviscosity（IV） of 0.74 dL/g has a maximum crystallinity of about 55% at 190 ℃, as demonstrated by DSC and XRD measurements consistently.

CRYSTAL STRUCTURE AND MORPHOLOGY OF NASCENT SAMPLES OF SYMMETRIC AROMATIC POLYESTERS——Ⅰ.POLY(P-PHENYLENE TEREPHTHALATE)

The morphology and crytal structure of poly(p-phenylene terephthalate) (PPT), prepared by confined thin filmmelt (CTFMP) and solution (CTFSP) and bulk solution polymerization, were characterized by transmission electronmicroscopy, electron dimaction and molecular modeling. The unit cell is monoclinic (P2_1/a space group) with parameters a =7.89, b = 5.49, c = 12.65 A, α=γ= 90°, β=100.33°, density = 1.48 g/cm^3, the a, b and β values differing slightly from thosereported previously in the literature. A degree of variation in relative intensities of hk0 reflections in, apparently, untilted[001] ED patterns was observed from a given sample, suggesting some variation in molecular packing. ED evidence wasfound for a second phase, with [001] appearing the same as for phase Ⅱ of the related poly(p-oxybenzoate) (PpOBA)polymer. CTFMP crystals polymerized above 220℃ (up to 370℃) and CTFSP crystals polymerized at 300℃ consisted oflamellae 100-200 A thick.

Crystallization Behavior of Copolymer Poly(ethylene terephth-alate/isophthalate)(IPET)

The non-isothermal crystallization kinetics, isothermal crystallization and the morphology of crystals of the copolymer poly (ethylene terephthalate/ isophthalate )(IPET) were studied by DSC and polarized-light microscopy in this paper. DSC results indicate that the glass transition temperature Tg of IPET is slightly lower than that of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), but the melting temperature Tm and the crystallization temperature Tc of PET and IPET have much difference.The difference of Tc between PET and IPET2 is about 7℃, and the difference of Tm between PET and IPET2 is about 16℃. From the kinetics analysis of the crystallization, the crystallization mechanism of all samples is of three-dimension spherulitic growth from instantaneous nuclei and the incorporation of isophthalate (IPA) decreases the crystallization rate of IPET greatly. The isothermal results indicate that the morphologies of PET and IPET crystals are all spherulite, which is in conformity to the results of nonisothermal dynamic crystallization. At the same time,the spherulite of IPET grows slower and has longer incubation time than the spherulite of PET under the same crystallization condition.

Effect of a Novel Nucleating Agent on Isothermal Crystallization of Poly（L-lactic acid）

The effect of a novel active nucleating agent(TBC8-eb) on the isothermal crystallization of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) was studied by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) . The analysis on kinetics demonstrates that TBC8-eb can not only accelerate the crystallization rate but also transform most of the original spherulite crystals of PLLA into sheaf-like crystals. Furthermore,the free energy of folding(σe) of PLLA and PLLA with TBC8-eb is 0.15 and 0.06 J·m-2,respectively,which suggests that the addition of TBC8-eb favors the regular folding of molecule chains in the crystallization of PLLA,improv-ing its crystallization rate. The FTIR results show that TBC8-eb can accelerate the conformational ordering of PLLA in the isothermal crystallization. The conformational ordering of PLLA nucleated with TBC8-eb begins with the interchain interaction of CH3,and then a short helix emerges where a couple of CH3 groups interact.

Evaluations of physico-chemical properties of TiO_(2)/clinoptilolite synthesized via three methods on photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet

Different preparation routes for TiO_(2)-supported natural and synthetic clinoptilolite(TiO_(2)/CP)composites were thoroughly investigated on the basis of sol-gel,hydrothermal,and in-situ hydrothermal methods.The micro-structural features and physicochemical properties of resultant TiO_(2)/CPs were characterized via X-ray diffraction patterns,scanning(transmission)electron microscope images,Fourier transform infrared spectra,inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry methods,BET-isotherms,UV-visible spectra,and surface charge potential distributions.The results showed that in-situ hydrothermal method led to well dispersions of loaded-TiO_(2) particles on the surface of leaf-like CP,while obviously aggregated TiO_(2) on a relatively distorted structure of CP was obtained using sol-gel and hydrothermal methods.Their adsorptive and photocatalytic efficiencies for removal of crystal violet(CV)dye in aqueous solution were also explored under UV-irradiations.The results demonstrated that TiO_(2)/CPs synthesized via sol-gel and in-situ hydrothermal methods presented the excellent performances with 98% removal efficiencies as compare to the bare commercial TiO_(2) which achieved 53%removal of CV dye.While,the in-situ hydrothermally synthesized TiO_(2)/CPs were the best due to their moderate energy cost,highest adsorption capacities and removal efficiencies.Particularly,the synthetic CPs as supports exhibited synergetic photocatalytic activities for the degradation of CV dye,which is attributed to their high surface areas,better adsorption capability,and fine dispersion of TiO_(2) particles.Adsorption and degradation kinetics of CV dye were found to follow the pseudo-second and pseudo-first order models,respectively.

Optical Limiting Performance of a Crystal Violet Cation Fulleride Salt

Optical limiting properties of a crystal violet cation fulleride salt dissolved in tetrahydrofuran have been studied by using 10 ns,532 nm laser pulses.The fluence-dependent transmissivity measurements were performed on the samples with the same concentration and different path lengths in a collimated optical set-up.For comparison,the fluence-dependent transmissivities of fullerene C_(60) and crystal violet solutions were also measured under the same linear transmissivity.The nonlinear optical limiting effect of the fulleride salt in tetrahydrofuran was even slightly stronger than that of C_(60) in toluene.

SYNTHESIS OF A NOVEL "MESOGEN-JACKETED LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYMER" BASED ON VINYLTEREPHTHALIC ACID

Poly{2, 5-bis[(p-methoxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl]styrene} was successfully synthesized. This new polymer has a structure characteristic of mesogen-jacketed liquid cyrstalline polymers (MJLCPs) and does form a liquid crystal phase above its glass transition. It thus became the starting member of a new series of MJLCPs. The synthesis of the polymer as well as the liquid crystalline properties of the polymer and its monomer was discussed. A brief comparison of the new monomer and polymer with some previously reported counterparts was also included.

Isothermal Crystallization Behavior of Poly (ethylene terephthalate)/Carbon Black Masterbatch

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/carbon black (CB) masterbatch was prepared by melt blending using a separate feeding technique and its homogeneous dispersion morphology was confirmed by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The Avrami and Hoffman-Lauritzen secondary nucleation theories were employed to analyze the effect of high CB content on crystallization kinetics of PET, providing theoretical support for the development of masterbatch with high content of functional components. The Avrami exponents,average values of n,for PET and PET/CB masterbatch are both greater than 3, which indicates three-dimensional growth of crystals. In addition,no significant evidence for regime transition of PET is found applying Hoffman-Lauritzen secondary nucleation theory,though such observations have been reported previously in the literature. Furthermore,appropriate U* value for PET is determined to be 12 800 J/mol. For PET/CB masterbatch,a transition from regime I to regime II around 225℃ is observed with appropriate U* value (12 800 J/mol) . This phenomenon is consistent with a transition point in plot of G versus Tc . The fold surface free energy σe (100. 3 mJ/m 2) of PET is much greater than that of PET/CB masterbatch (48. 3 mJ/m 2) ,which indicates heterogeneous nucleation effect of CB particles.

Liquid Crystalline Polymers XIII Main Chain Thermotropic Copoly (Arylidene-Ether)s Containing 4-Teriary Butyl-Cyclohexanone Moiety Linked with Polymethylene Spacers

A new homologous series of thermotropic liquid crystalline copoly(arylidene-ether)s based on 4-teriary butyl cyclohexanone moiety were synthesized by solution polycondensation of 4,4’-diformyl-α,ω-diphenoxyalkanes, Ia-d or 4,4’- diformyl-2,2’-dimethoxy-α,ω-diphenoxyalkanes IIa-d with the 4-teriary butyl-cyclohexanone III and cyclopentanone. A model compound IV was synthesized from the monomer III with benzaldehyde and characterized by elemental and spectral analyses. The inherent viscosities of the resulting polymers were in the range 0.22 - 0.92 dI/g. All the copoly(arylidene-ether)s were insoluble in common organic solvents but dissolved completely in concentrated H2SO4 and formic acid. The mesomorphic properties of these polymers were studied as a function of the diphenoxyalkane space length. Their thermotropic liquid crystalline properties were examined by DSC and optical polarizing microscopy and demonstrated that the resulting polymers form nematic mesophases over wide temperature ranges. The thermogravimetric analyses of those polymers were evaluated by TGA and DSC measurements and correlated to their structural units. X-Ray analysis showed that copolymers having some degree of crystallinity in the region 2q = 5° -60°. In addition, the morphological properties of selected examples were tested by Scanning electron microscopy.

EPITAXIAL CRYSTALLIZATION OF POLY(ε-CAPROLACTONE)ON HIGHLY ORIENTED ISOTACTIC POLYPROPYLENE

Electron microscope and electron diffraction have been used to study epitaxial crystallization of poly(ε-caprolactone)(PCL).on highly oriented film of isotactic polypropylene(iPP).The results obtained from bright field(BF)electron micrograph and electron diffraction indicate that the PCL can epitaxially grow on iPP substrate and form cross-hatched lamellar texture.The c axes of PCL are ±500 apart from the c axes of iPP. The contact planes of the two kinds of crystals are(010)of iPP and(100) of PCL,respectively.

Effect of Curing Poly(<i>p</i>-Phenylene Sulfide) on Thermal Properties and Crystalline Morphologies

Commercial poly(p-phenylene sulfide) (PPS) was thermally cured, which resulted in an increase of molecular weight due to cross-linking. Non-isothermal crystallization studies of samples cured for up to 7 days at 250?C showed a monotonous increase of crystallization temperature compared to pure PPS. However, a further increase of curing time decreased the crystallization temperature. The change in the half-crystallization time (t1/2) was similar to the crystallization temperature. Thus, the cross-linking of PPS affected crystallization behaviors significantly. To a certain extent, crosslinks acted as nucleation agents, but excessive cross-linking hindered the crystallization. Morphologies observed by polarized optical microscopy suggested that thermal curing for as little as 1 day contributed to the spherulitic structure having a smaller size, that was not observed with pure PPS.

Mechanical, Thermal and Crystallization Properties of Polypropylene (PP) Reinforced Composites with High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) as Matrix

Our work aims to evaluate a complete outlook of virgin high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) polyblends. Virgin PP of 20, 30 and 50 weight% is compounded with virgin HDPE. The properties like tensile strength, flexural strength, Izod impact strength are examined. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and polarised light microscopy (PLM) are used to observe the surface and crystal morphology. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) tests verify the non compatibility of both polymers. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques are used to study the thermal behaviour of composites. The results manifest co-occurring spherulites for polyblends;indicating the composite to be a physical blend of continuous and dispersed phases, but on the other hand PP improves the tensile and flexural properties of HDPE.