Enhanced Crystallization of Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)by a Self-assembly Nucleating Agent

Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(PBAT)is a promising biodegradable flexible polymer but suffers from slow crystallization rate,making it less attractive for some applications like the injection-molded products in comparison with low-density polyethylene(LDPE).This work aimed to accelerate the crystallization of PBAT by adding a self-assembly nucleating agent octamethylenedicarboxylic dibenzoylhydrazide(OMBH).PBAT/OMBH composites with various OMBH contents(0 wt%,0.5 wt%,0.7 wt%,1 wt%,2 wt%,3 wt%and 5 wt%)were prepared through melt-mixing.The effect of OMBH on the crystallization behavior,morphologies and mechanical properties of PBAT was investigated.The highest nucleation efficiency value of 59.6%was achieved for PBAT with 0.7 wt%OMBH,much higher than that of 22.7%for PBAT with 0.7 wt%talc.Atomic force microscopy results showed that OMBH formed fine fibers and induced the formation of transcrystalline layers of PBAT.Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)combined with two-dimensional correlation spectra suggested that the intermolecular dipole-dipole N—H…O=C interactions but not hydrogen bond between OMBH and PBAT promoted the crystallization of PBAT in the initial period of crystallization.The presence of OMBH did not change the crystal form of PBAT but had positive contribution in enhancing its crystallinity and mechanical properties.This work is essential for preparing PBAT with high crystallization rate,enhancing its potential applications in injection-molded products.

Lightweight,Strong and High Heat-Resistant Poly(lactide acid)Foams via Microcellular Injection Molding with Self-Assembly Nucleating Agent

Poly(lactide acid)(PLA)foams have shown considerable promise as eco-friendly alternatives to nondegradable plastic foams,such as polystyrene(PS)foams.Nevertheless,PLA foam typically suffers from low heat-resistance and poor cellular structure stemming from its inherent slow crystallization rate and low melt strength.In this study,a high-performance PLA foam with well-defined cell morphology,exceptional strength and enhanced heat-resistance was successfully fabricated via a core-back microcellular injection molding(MIM)process.Differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)results revealed that the added hydrazine-based nucleating agent(HNA)significantly increased the crystallization temperature and accelerated the crystallization process of PLA.Remarkably,the addition of a 1.5 wt%of HNA led to a significant reduction in PLA’s cell size,from 43.5µm to 2.87µm,and a remarkable increase in cell density,from 1.08×10^(7)cells/cm^(3)to 2.15×10^(10)cells/cm^(3).This enhancement resulted in a final crystallinity of approximately 55.7%for the PLA blend foam,a marked improvement compared to the pure PLA foam.Furthermore,at 1.5 wt%HNA concentration,the tensile strength and tensile toughness of PLA blend foams demonstrated remarkable improvements of 136%and 463%,respectively.Additionally,the Vicat softening temperature of PLA blend foam increased significantly to 134.8°C,whereas the pure PLA foam exhibited only about 59.7℃.These findings underscore the potential for the preparation of lightweight injection-molded PLA foam with enhanced toughness and heat-resistance,which offers a viable approach for the production of high-performance PLA foams suitable for large-scale applications.

Effect of Nucleating Agents and Heat Treatments on the Crystallization of Magnesium Aluminosilicate Transparent Glass-ceramics

The crystallization behavior and transparent property of MgO-A1203-SiO2 （MAS） glasses with TiO2 and TiO2＋ZrO2 as nucleating agents were discussed by differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, field emission-environment scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrum and UV-VIS-NIR scanning spectrophotometer. It was found that the glass crystallized at 950 ℃ with ZrO2 less than 3% could obtain transparent glass ceramic, which presented purple to colorless. With the nucleating agent additives （5% TIO2＋3% ZrO2）, the colorless transparent glass-ceramics with spinel as the main crystal phase could be prepared, and the transmittance reached about 80%. As the crystallized temperature increase to 1 000 ℃, besides spinel（MgA1204）, sapphirine （Mg3.5A19Si1.5O20） and ZrTiO4 precipitated from matrix glass, and the transmitance of glass-ceramic decreased.

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.

THERMODYNAMIC STUDY OF NUCLEATION PROPERTY OF NUCLEATING AGENT

It is deduced from thermodynamic relations and confirmed by experiment results that the nucleation rate and nucleation temperature of nucleating agents in the glass are dependent upon their melting entropy Delta S//m melting temperature T//m and crystal - type transition in terms of some mathematical expressions. (Author abstract) 10 Refs.

MELTING BEHAVIOR OF LOW ETHYLENE CONTENT POLYPROPYLENE COPOLYMERS WITH AND WITHOUT NUCLEATING AGENTS

The melting behavior of polypropylene (PP) and low ethylene content polypropylenecopolymer with and without nucleating agent samples crystallized under both isothermal and non-isothermal conditions were studied by Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) and X-raydiffraction. Multiple melting behavior were observed depending on the existence of nucleatingagent and crystallization conditions. The observed phenomena have been discussed by the effect ofnucleating agent on perfection of crystal and the melting and recrystallization of imperfect crystalto a more perfect crystal during the heating process of samples.

Preliminary Study on the Characteristics of Isotactic Polypropylene with Nucleating Agent Swollen by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Impregnation of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) with nucleating agent (NA21) using supercritical carbon dioxide as the swelling agent at different temperature and pressure and its non-isothermal crystallization kinetics were investigated. The results showed that NA21 was dispersed at a nanometer-scale in the PP matrix, resulting in the formation of different typesof crystal phases of iPP and the enhancement of its mechanical properties.

Effect of Nucleating Agent on the Crystallization of Tailings Glass Ceramics Prepared by One-time Sintering

Glass ceramics was made by the one-time sintering method using the main raw material of iron tailings. On the basis of quaternary system of CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2, using DTA, XRD and SEM, the effects of different nucleating agents and mixing amounts as well as heat treatment on the crystallization of railings glass ceramics were studied. The experimental results show that, nucleating agent and heat treatment are two necessary conditions for one-time sintering preparation of tailings glass ceramics namely, only adding nucleating agent or experiencing heat treatment, the quaternary system can not crystallize. The composite nucleating agent consisting of Cr2O3 and TiO2 can further lead to the crystallization of the CaO-MgO-A1203-SiO2 quaternary system at the lower temperature, with the major phase of diopside. In the range of mass content, 0%-4%, crystal intensity and crystal content grow. But when mass content is more than 4%, the crystal size will become coarser and the crystal distribution will be less regular. Different heat treatment regimes do not change the composition of the crystalline major phase in the glass ceramics crystallization of CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 system. In the range of 30-60 minutes, with the extension of nucleation and crystallization, crystallization degree enhanced, but if the holding time surpasses 60 minutes, the crystallization is worse.

Influence of Nucleating Agent on the Formation of C_4A_3S

The reference test methods are carried out parallelly, by means of chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry-thermogravimetry, scanning electron microscopy and polarized optical microscope to study the formation of C4A3S in the presence and absence of nucleating agent. The results show that nucleating agent with high calcium and low heat consumption as tricalcium silicate （C3S） promotes the formation of C4A3S and increases desulfurization degree obviously. During calcining raw meals doped with C3S, the grain sizes of C4A3S are larger compared with that without C3S. And at the same calcining level, the mass loss and the heat consumption belonged to CaCO3 decomposition is reduced.

Effects of Nucleating Agents on Crystallization of Arc-Molten Slag from Incinerator Fly Ash

Glass-ceramics obtained from the electric arc furnace molten slag of incinerator fly ash was produced by applying nucleation and crystallization through heat treatment process. The effects of nucleating agent （TiO2 and Cr2O3） on the crystallization kinetics and heat treatment schedule of the slag were investigated. The results show that the nucleating agents changed the crystallization phase and morphology of the obtained glass-ceramics. The optimum heat treatment schedule of the glass with TiO2 was determined as nucleation at 952 K for 1.5 h and crystal growth at 1 258 K for 1.5 h, while those values with Cr203 were estimated at 971 K for 2 h and at 1 238 K for 2 h. TiO2 acting as nucleating agent could decrease the activation energy of the slag and shorten the total thermal treatment time in comparison with Cr2O3. The glass-ceramics obtained under the optimum heat treatment condition was environmentfriendly and had remarkable physical/mechanical properties and chemical durability.

The sequence-dependent morphology of self-assembly peptides after binding with organophosphorus nerve agent VX

VX is a highly toxic organophosphorus nerve agent that the Chemical Weapons Convention classifies as a Schedule 1. In our previous study, we developed a method for detecting organophosphorus compounds using peptide self-assembly. Nevertheless, the self-assembly mechanisms of peptides that bind organophosphorus and the roles of each peptide residue remain elusive, restricting the design and application of peptide materials. Here, we use a multi-scale computational combined with experimental approach to illustrate the self-assembly mechanism of peptide-bound VX and the roles played by residues in different peptide sequences. We calculated that the self-assembly of peptides was accelerated after adding VX, and the final size of assembled nanofibers was larger than the original one, aligning with experimental findings. The atomic scale details offered by our approach enabled us to clarify the connection between the peptide sequences and nanostructures formation, as well as the contribution of various residues in binding VX and assembly process. Our investigation revealed a tight correlation between the number of Tyrosine residues and morphology of the assembly. These results indicate a self-assembly mechanism of peptide and VX, which can be used to design functional peptides for binding and hydrolyzing other organophosphorus nerve agents for detoxification and biomedical applications.

Self-assembled superparamagnetic nanoparticles as MRI contrast agents — A review

Recent progress of the preparation and applications of superparamagnetic iron oxide（SPIO） clusters as magnetic resonance imaging（MRI） probes is reviewed with regard to their applications in labeling and tracking cells in vivo, in diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and tumors, and in drug delivery systems. Magnetic nanoparticles（NPs）, especially SPIO nanoparticles, have long been used as MRI contrast agents and as an advantageous nanoplatform for drug delivery,taking advantage of their unique magnetic properties and ability to function at the molecular and cellular levels. Due to advances in nanotechnology, various means to control SPIO NPs＇ size, composition, magnetization and relaxivity have been developed, as well as ways to usefully modify their surface. Recently, self-assembly of SPIO NP clusters in particulate carriers — such as polymeric micelles, vesicles, liposomes, and layer-by-layer（Lb L） capsules — have been widely studied for application as ultrasensitive MRI probes, owing to their remarkably high spin–spin（T2） relaxivity and convenience for further functionalization.

Influence of Nucleation Agents Concentration on Crystallization Structure and Properties of Glass-ceramics

Deep color glass-ceramics is prepared by using gold tailings as the main raw material, and Cr2O3 is added as nucleation agent. Influence of different Cr2O3 additions on crystallization structure and properties of CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 glass-ceramics has been discussed so as to select optimum additions. DTA is employed to determine optimum crystallization and nucleation temperatures; XRD and SEM are used to characterize microstructure of each sample; and performance indexes, such as water absorption, bulk density, flexural strength and so on, are also determined. Experimental results show that when 3wt% Cr2O3 is introduced, fine glass-ceramics with diopside as the main crystal and Ca-Fe diopside as the second-crystal is obtained, and its corresponding performance indexes are as follows： water absorption 0.12%, bulk density 2.56 g/cm^3, and flexural strength 70.01 Mpa.

Highly Reversible Zn Metal Anodes Enabled by Increased Nucleation Overpotential

Dendrite formation severely compromises further development of zinc ion batteries. Increasing the nucleation overpotential plays a crucial role in achieving uniform deposition of metal ions. However, this strategy has not yet attracted enough attention from researchers to our knowledge. Here, we propose that thermodynamic nucleation overpotential of Zn deposition can be boosted through complexing agent and select sodium L-tartrate(Na-L) as example. Theoretical and experimental characterization reveals L-tartrate anion can partially replace H_(2)O in the solvation sheath of Zn^(2+), increasing de-solvation energy. Concurrently, the Na^(+) could absorb on the surface of Zn anode preferentially to inhibit the deposition of Zn^(2+) aggregation. In consequence, the overpotential of Zn deposition could increase from 32.2 to 45.1 mV with the help of Na-L. The Zn-Zn cell could achieve a Zn utilization rate of 80% at areal capacity of 20 mAh cm^(-2). Zn-LiMn_(2)O_(4) full cell with Na-L additive delivers improved stability than that with blank electrolyte. This study also provides insight into the regulation of nucleation overpotential to achieve homogeneous Zn deposition.

EFFECTS OF NUCLEATION AGENTS ON EFFICIENCY OF BORON EXTRACTION FROM MgO－B_2O_3－SiO_2 SLAGS

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聚丙烯/蒙脱土纳米复合材料的制备与力学性能预测

本文采用熔融挤出法制备了β成核聚丙烯/蒙脱土纳米复合材料,考察了蒙脱土、β成核剂及增容剂用量对复合材料缺口冲击强度和弯曲强度的影响,并用BP神经网络进行预测。结果表明,增加蒙脱土用量有助于复合材料强度的提高但对韧性不利;随β成核剂用量的增加,复合材料的缺口冲击强度略有增加,而弯曲强度存在最优值,即添加β成核剂0.1%时,弯曲强度达到最大值35.06MPa,较不添加时增加了13.68%;随增容剂用量的增加,复合材料的韧性显著增大而强度有所降低,添加30%增容剂,复合材料的缺口冲击强度较不添加时增加了约3倍,而弯曲强度仅降低了28.39%;BP神经网络预测结果表明,该模型能够比较精确的预测该复合材料的力学性能。该研究对于优化聚丙烯基纳米复合材料制备及改进力学性能预测具有借鉴意义。

聚偏氟乙烯流延膜的制备与性能

含β晶体的聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)的极性较强,是一种重要的压电和铁电材料,受到人们的广泛关注。在该工作中,选择了PVDF的3种β晶体成核剂,首先用傅里叶红外光谱(FTIR)比较了3种成核剂对PVDF流延膜中β晶体含量的影响,随后选择成核效率最高的成核剂四苯基溴化膦(TPPB),通过调整流延工艺制备了高β晶体含量的PVDF流延膜,最后利用广角X射线衍射(WAXS)及小角X射线散射(SAXS)技术研究了PVDF流延膜以及其在后拉伸过程中的结晶结构,同时研究了流延膜的力学性能以及弹性回复性能等。研究结果表明,PVDF/TPPB流延膜的β晶体含量和片晶取向程度随着流延膜牵伸比的增加而增大。随着牵伸比的增加,PVDF/TPPB流延膜的屈服应力和杨氏模量增大,弹性回复能力增强。同时,在流延膜的后拉伸过程中,随着拉伸应变的增加,流延膜出现空洞结构,并且温度越低,空洞出现的临界应变越小,这对含β晶体PVDF微孔膜的制备具有指导意义。

利用废岩棉制备高性能泡沫玻璃陶瓷的实验研究

以工业垃圾废岩棉和废玻璃为原料,以CaCO_(3)为发泡剂制备出高强度泡沫玻璃陶瓷。研究了废岩棉和废玻璃的添加量及烧结温度对泡沫玻璃陶瓷材料性能的影响。结果表明:随着废岩棉添加量的增加和烧结温度的提高,熔体黏度会降低,不利于气泡结构的稳定;在废岩棉添加量为40%、750℃烧结温度下得到的样品容重为0.54 g/cm^(3)、孔隙率为62.5%、抗压强度为4.76 MPa;样品主晶相为亚硅酸钙和石英晶相,加入TiO_(2)作为晶核剂后主晶相改变为榍石;TiO_(2)掺量为10%时,在750℃烧结20 min更经济,所得样品容重为0.82 g/cm^(3)、孔隙率为50%、抗压强度为7.76 MPa。

无规共聚透明聚丙烯的研发

研究了不同成核剂种类和用量对无规共聚聚丙烯(PP)RP210M透明性的影响。通过优化复合助剂配方,成功工业化生产了无规共聚透明PP产品(PP-E800),综合性能好于对标产品。

β成核聚丙烯/蒙脱土纳米复合材料的结构与力学性能

本文使用双螺杆挤出机制备了β成核聚丙烯(β-PP)/有机蒙脱土(OMMT)纳米复合材料。采用FTIR、XRD和SEM分析了复合材料的微观结构与形貌特征,考察了OMMT、β成核剂(β-NA)及增容剂用量对复合材料冲击强度和弯曲强度的影响,并对比研究了标准BP神经网络模型和LM-BP神经网络模型对力学性能的预测能力。结果表明,增容剂与OMMT表面形成了强相互作用,提高了复合体系的相容性,黏土片以插层结构分散在β-PP基体内。OMMT、β-NA及增容剂用量对复合材料的力学性能均产生了一定影响,其中添加30%增容剂时复合材料的冲击强度约为不添加时的4倍,而弯曲强度仅降低了28.39%。此外,与标准BP神经网络模型相比,LM-BP神经网络模型具有更快的收敛速度和更高的预测精度。该研究为优化PP基纳米复合材料的制备及力学性能预测提供了参考。