STUDIES ON ULTRASONIC DEGRADATION AND BLOCK COPOLYMERIZATION OF POLYACRYLAMIDE AND POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE)

The kinetics of ultrasonic degradation of aqueous solution of polyacrylamide（PAM）and poly（ethyleneoxide）（PEO）as well as ultrasonic block copolymerization of aqueous solution of the mixture of PAM/PEOwere studied respectively.The degradation reaction of PEO follows a linear relationship between（P1-P∞）-1and irradiation time,while that of PAM follows a linear relationship between（P1-P∞）-1/2and irradiation time.The structure of the copolymer was identified by IR,NMR and DTA,and the copolymer prepared is a blockone.The copolymer formed by irradiating 1% aqueous solution of PEO/PAM mixture（1:1）for a period of40min.at 18.2 kHz with a sonic intensity corresponding to 2.OA input current on the reversed main circuitamounts to 61.8%.

Ultrasonic Degradation of Biosynthetic Poly (3-Hydroxybutyrate-co-Hydroxyvalerate)

In this article, ultrasonic degradation of copolymers--poly (3\|hydroxybutyrate\|co\|hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) was first re ported. Effect of reaction conditions on the degradation rate was investigated. By ultrasonic irradiation w e find that copolymers with narrower molecular weight distributions and higher purity can be obtained in a s hort time and chain cleavage takes place at HV block.

Molecular Weight Controllable Degradation of Laminaria japonica Polysaccharides and Its Antioxidant Properties

In this study, molecular weight controllable degradation of algal Laminaria japonica polysaccharides(LPS) was investigated by ultrasound combined with hydrogen peroxide. Three main factors, i.e., ultrasonic power(A), ultrasonic time(B), and H_2O_2 concentration(C) were chosen for optimizing parameters by employing three-factors, three-levels BBD. The influence of degradation on structure change and antioxidant activities was also investigated. A second-order polynomial equation including molecular weight(Y) of Laminaria japonica polysaccharides and each variable parameter, i.e., ultrasonic power(A), ultrasonic time(B), and H_2O_2 concentration(C), was established: Y=20718.67-4273.13A-4000.38B-1438.75C+2333.25AB+1511.00AC+873.00BC+2838.29A^2 + 2490.79B^2+873.04C^2. The equation regression coefficient value(R^2 = 0.969) indicated that this equation was valid. The value of the adjusted determination coefficient(adjusted R^2 = 0.914) also confirmed that the model was highly significant. The results of selected experimental degradation conditions matched with the predicted value. FT-IR spectra revealed that the structures of LPS before and after degradation were not significantly changed. Antioxidant activities of LPS revealed that low Mws possessed stronger inhibitory than the original polysaccharides. The scavenging effects on superoxide radicals was the highest when IC50 of crude LPS was 4.92 mg mL^(-1) and IC50 of Mw 18.576 KDa was 1.02 mg mL^(-1), which was fourfold higher than initial polysaccharide.

Numerical simulation of acoustic field under mechanical stirring

The present study analyzes the effect of stirring on ultrasonic degradation experiments through acoustic field distribution,which provides a guidance for further improvement of the degradation rate of organic solutions.It is known that in order to eliminate the standing wave field formed by ultrasonic radiation in the water tank,the liquid in the water tank needs to be stirred and the corresponding distribution of acoustic field is simulated by using the finite element method(FEM).The standing wave leads to an uneven distribution of the acoustic field when it is not stirred,and disappears after being stirred,which increases the cavitation area in the ultrasonic cleaning tank.Then,the degradation experiment with agitation is carried out.The experimental results show that the degradation rate of the solution is higher than that when there is no agitation,which confirms the importance of the acoustic field distribution to ultrasonic degradation.In addition,it is clear that with the increase of the stirring speed,the degradation rate increases first and reaches a maximum at 600 rpm before decreasing.Finally,the distribution of flow field is simulated and analyzed.

Progress in sonochemical fabrication of nanostructured photocatalysts

In recent years,nanostructured photocatalysts have become the research focus due to their immense potential application in environmental purification and energy conversion.The photocatalytic performance of photocatalysts is closely related to their synthesis methods.High-intensity ultrasound irradiation could provide a unique tool for fabrication of photocatalysts with novel nanostructures.Ultrasound induces acoustic cavitation which generates unique physicochemical conditions,e.g.,hot spot（5000℃）,high pressure of 100 MPa,fast rate of heat conduction（〉〉1×10^10℃·s^-1）.These unique physicochemical conditions allow for the synthesis of various nanostructured photocatalysts.This review summarized the recent development in fabrication of photocatalysts with special nanostructures and their applications.The typical sonochemical reactors and parameters in sonochemical synthesis are introduced and discussed.Sonochemically prepared structures including nano-/microspheres,one-dimensional（1D） nanorods,two-dimensional（2D） nanosheets（nanoflakes,nanosquares）,noble metal nanoparticle（NP）-deposited and element-doped photocatalysts are described and summarized.It is believed that sonication is a green methodology,and it holds greatpotential in the near future for nanostructured photocatalyst fabrication.