Search results for "plastics"

1997

A bipolar membrane (BM) is a layered structure composed of one cation and one anion ion-exchange layers joined together in series. Polymer BMs offer promising applications for many industrial processes (e. g., the use of bipolar electrodialysis for environmentally clean technologies and the treatment of salt-water effluents) because of their unique electrochemical properties. The most important of these properties is the electric field enhanced (EFE) water dissociation which arises when an electric current is forced through the membrane. This phenomenon occurs at the bipolar junction of the BM, and its coupling with ion transport, though still poorly understood, is the basis of most of the …

Morphology, interfacial interaction, and thermal degradation of polycarbonate/MCM-41 (nano)composites

2017

ABSTRACTThis article reports on the morphology, interfacial interaction, thermal stability, and thermal degradation kinetics of polycarbonate (PC)/mesoporous silica (MCM-41) composites with various MCM-41 contents, prepared by melt compounding. The composites with low filler loadings (<0.3 wt%) maintained their transparency because of the well dispersed MCM-41 particles, but at higher filler loadings the composites lost their transparency due to the presence of agglomerates. The presence of agglomerates decreased the thermal stability of PC due to the reduced effectiveness of the particles to immobilize the polymer chains, free radicals, and volatile degradation products.

Polymer solutions: Equilibrium clusters versus shear clusters

2021

Abstract Polymer solutions are inhomogeneous on mesoscopic scales as a result of chemical bonds linking their monomeric units. This situation leads to polymer clusters within which the polymer concentration c cluster is only a small fraction of the overall concentration c. The ratio c/ c cluster (overlap parameters Ω ) quantifies the number of clusters that need to overlap to yield c. Equilibrium clusters (minimization of Gibbs energy) and shear clusters (minimization of entropy production) differ fundamentally where Ω equil ≥ Ω shear . Only in the vicinity of the glass transition temperature and at high concentration the opposite is the case. Experimental information on Ω equil as a functi…

Sanctuaries and rural settlements along the Roman road Lyon-Trier on the civitates of the Lingoni

2015

From a memory of a master on the study of the material from the sanctuary of Beire-le-Châtel "The Pâtis the Letto" as well as new studies such as material from the fanum Lux "Le Bois Giraud", the objective of this thesis is to understand the people who live along the Roman road Lyon - Trier on the civitates of the Lingoni et go on these places of worship. The material found in these sanctuaries was confronted with one of the rural settlements to distinguish local attendance and passing travelers. Finally, the study allows to emphasize the role of settlements - administrative center of the city and secondary towns - and communication routes in the genesis of Lingones’ places of worship but a…

Aliphatic polycarbonates based on carbon dioxide, furfuryl glycidyl ether, and glycidyl methyl ether: reversible functionalization and cross-linking.

2014

Well-defined poly((furfuryl glycidyl ether)-co-(glycidyl methyl ether) carbonate) (P((FGE-co-GME)C)) copolymers with varying furfuryl glycidyl ether (FGE) content in the range of 26% to 100% are prepared directly from CO2 and the respective epoxides in a solvent-free synthesis. All materials are characterized by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), (1)H NMR spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The furfuryl-functional samples exhibit monomodal molecular weight distributions with Mw/Mn in the range of 1.16 to 1.43 and molecular weights (Mn) between 2300 and 4300 g mol(-1). Thermal properties reflect the amorphous structure of the polymers. Both post-functionalization and…

The effectiveness of Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage edible coating on postharvest maintenance of ‘Dottato’ fig (Ficus carica L.) fruit

2017

Abstract Breba figs are highly perishable and their shelf-life is very short. In this study, breba figs (cv. ‘Dottato’) were treated with a mucilage solution of Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes, sealed in plastic bags, and stored at 4 °C for 14 days. The effect of the edible coating on the shelf-life and qualitative attributes of the fruit were evaluated by colors, content of total soluble solids, titratable acidity, total phenol, total carotenoids. Results showed that coating improves the quality of breba fig during storage. The edible coating was effective in maintaining fruit fresh weight, visual score values, fruit firmness and total carotenoid content. Coated fruit showed a significantly …

Effect of refrigerated storage on microbiological, chemical and sensory characteristics of a ewes’ raw milk stretched cheese

2017

This study aimed to describe the effects of refrigerated storage up to 180 days on microbiological, chemical, physical, and sensory characteristics of a PDO ewes’ raw milk stretched cheese. To this aim, a total of 224 cheeses were manufactured in four consecutive production weeks, and series of 32 of them were examined before packaging and after 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 d of storage at 4 ± 2 °C in the dark, respectively. Lactic acid bacteria cocci displayed the highest levels (7.8 Log CFU*g−1) during early storage and decreased progressively over time (7.4 Log CFU*g−1), while the opposite trend was observed for lactic acid bacteria rods (from 6.5 to 7.3 Log CFU*g−1). TMC and enterocci s…

Surface, mechanical and barrier properties of bio-based composite films based on chitosan and whey protein

2014

Mono-component and composite bilayer and blend films composed of chitosan and whey protein were made. Colour, microstructure, water contact angles, swelling, water vapour sorption, barrier properties (oxygen, water vapour), water vapour diffusion coefficients and mechanical properties were determined. The influence of water vapour on barrier properties was studied in relation to the surface and structural properties. Mono-component and bilayer films were transparent with a homogeneous surface. Contrarily, blend films were translucent. Bilayer films had significantly lower water vapour permeability in comparison to mono-component and blend films. In all bilayer films, the air side (chitosan)…

Mechanical and barrier properties of extruded film made from sodium and calcium caseinates

2014

Abstract Over the past few years, much interest has been placed into the investigation of increased barrier and mechanical properties of protein films via a multitude of approaches. Generally, these techniques involve modifications of interactions among protein molecules, such as ionic crosslinking using divalent ions. To evaluate the crosslinking effect of Ca 2+ cations, films were made from calcium caseinate (CaCAS) and/or sodium caseinate (NaCAS). The production of caseinate thin films was carried out in two steps: first thermoplastic pellets were made using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder, then they were transformed into thin films (60 μm) using a classical film blowing machine. Tensi…

Impacts of weathered microplastics on bioavailability of pollutants in Paracentrotus lividus and Danio rerio: molecular and ecotoxicological approach…

2022

Plastic materials provide countless applications in every sector of human life, from food and health preservation to textiles and electronics industry (Cole et al., 2011;Thompson et al., 2009) which is resulting in huge amount of plastic waste. Recently, it was estimated that plastics account for the 80-90% of the whole marine litter (Derraik, 2002) and over 5 trillion microscopic plastic fragments are floating on the surface of the World Oceans (Eriksen et al., 2014). The predominant form of marine plastic litter is called “Microplastics (MPs)", terminology by Thompson et al. 2004, used to indicate small plastic fragments, fibers and granules of microscopic size (1 μm to 5 mm in diameter).…