Search results for "polymer"

Influence of Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles on the Soil Burial Degradation of Polybutyleneadipate-Co-Butylenetherephthalate Films.

2022

A polybutyleneadipate-co-butylenetherephthalate (PBAT) sample, commercially known as Ecoflex®, was processed via melt extrusion with CaCO3 nanoparticles coated with a hydrophobic coating. Blown films of PBAT and two composites with nanofiller (2% and 5%wt) were prepared and degradation tests in soil at 30 °C up to 180 days were carried out with weight loss measurements. Furthermore, biodegradation test according to ISO 14851 was carried out at 30 °C. The effect of CaCO3 on soil burial degradation was assessed by surface wettability and SEM. ATR-FTIR and XPS analyses highlighted chemical modifications induced by soil degradation. CaCO3 nanoparticles decreased surface wettability …

Oil solubilization in copolymer and copolymer covered laponite aqueous dispersion

2007

Effect of different processing techniques and presence of antioxidant on the chitosan film performance

2022

In the last two decades, the naturally occurring polysaccharides have gained great attention because of their potential applications in different sectors, for example, from food to biomedical sectors. Chitosan is a cationic polysaccharide with good transparency, and currently, it has been considered also as suitable material for the formulation film and coating in cultural heritage protection. In this work, the chitosan films (Ch), with and without natural antioxidant such as citric acid (CA), are formulated considering two different processing techniques: (i) conventional solvent casting and (ii) compression molding, that is an unconventional method for this polysaccharide, giving the poss…

Sonication-Induced Modification of Carbon Nanotubes: Effect on the Rheological and Thermo-Oxidative Behaviour of Polymer-Based Nanocomposites.

2018

The aim of this work is the investigation of the effect of ultrasound treatment on the structural characteristics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the consequent influence that the shortening induced by sonication exerts on the morphology, rheological behaviour and thermo-oxidative resistance of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)-based nanocomposites. First, CNTs have been subjected to sonication for different time intervals and the performed spectroscopic and morphological analyses reveal that a dramatic decrease of the CNT's original length occurs with increased sonication time. The reduction of the initial length of CNTs strongly affects the nanocomposite rheological behavio…

Measuring optical anisotropy in poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) films with added graphene

2015

Abstract Graphene is a 2D nanomaterial having a great potential for applications in electronics and optoelectronics. Composites of graphene with conducting polymers have shown high performance in practical devices and their solution-processability enables low-cost and high-throughput mass manufacturing using printing techniques. Here we measure the effect of incorporation of graphene into poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) to the optical anisotropy, absorbance and conductivity of the film. Uniaxial anisotropy in PEDOT:PSS films has been thought to be caused by the spin-coating process used in fabrication. We have characterized spray- and spin-coated films …

Structure and dielectric breakdown strength of nano calcium carbonate/polypropylene composites

2013

Nanodielectrics, a 21st-century phenomena, is envisioned to be the answer for material challenges in progressive high-voltage technology. It is well known that the proper dispersion of nanoparticles plays a key role in improving the dielectric properties of a material, but to understand where changes in the properties of a material originate, it is also essential to reveal the multiscale structure of the material. In this study, the dielectric permittivity, breakdown strength, and structure of nano calcium carbonate (nano-CaCO3)/polypropylene composites with 1.8-8.1 wt % doping were characterized systematically. The combined results from transmission electron microscopy, Raman microscopy, a…

A Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the Spectroscopic Properties of a DNA-Intercalator Salphen-Type ZnIIComplex

2014

The photophysical and DNA-binding properties of the cationic zinc(II) complex of 5-triethylammonium methyl salicylidene ortho-phenylenediiminato (ZnL 2 + ) were investi- gated by a combination of experimental and theoretical methods. DFT calculations were performed on both the ground and the first excited states of ZnL 2 + and on its possi- ble mono- and dioxidation products, both in vacuo and in selected solvents mimicked by the polarizable continuum model. Comparison of the calculated absorption and fluores- cence transitions with the corresponding experimental data led to the conclusion that visible light induces a two-elec- tron photooxidation process located on the phenylenediimi- nato…

Optical properties of conductive carbon-based nanomaterials

2016

The interaction of light with carbon nanomaterials is the main focus of this thesis. I explore several nanostructured systems involving different allotropes of carbon, and characterize them both electrically, if applicable, and optically. Special attention is paid to search for plasmon-like excitations on the systems, or utilizing surface plasmons on characterization. The first objective is to achieve control of carbon nanotube (CNT) conductivity with surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), which resulted in the first CNT field-effect transistor (FET) that can be gated definitively with SPPs. The second objective is the investigation of optical properties of various thin carbon-based molecular n…

Optical Monitoring of Microplastics Filtrated from Wastewater Sludge and Suspended in Ethanol.

2021

The abundance of microplastics (MPs) in the atmosphere, on land, and especially in water bodies is well acknowledged. In this study, we establish an optical method based on three different techniques, namely, specular reflection to probe the medium, transmission spectroscopy measurements for the detection and identification, and a speckle pattern for monitoring the sedimentation of MPs filtrated from wastewater sludge and suspended in ethanol. We used first Raman measurements to estimate the presence and types of different MPs in wastewater sludge samples. We also used microscopy to identify the shapes of the main MPs. This allowed us to create a teaching set of samples to be characterized …

TP53 mutations and S-phase fraction but not DNA-ploidy are independent prognostic indicators in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

2005

To prospectively evaluate the prognostic significance of TP53, H-, K-, and N-Ras mutations, DNA-ploidy and S-phase fraction (SPF) in patients affected by locally advanced laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Eight-one patients (median follow-up was 71 months) who underwent resective surgery for primary operable locally advanced LSCC were analyzed. Tumor DNA was screened for mutational analysis by PCR/SSCP and sequencing. DNA-ploidy and SPF were performed by flow cytometric analyses. Thirty-six patients (44%) had, at least, a mutation in the TP53 gene. Of them, 22% (8/36) had double mutations and 3% (1/36) had triple mutations. In total, 46 TP53 mutations were observed. The majority (41…