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At least 433 records · Page 24

Characterization of the fatigue threshold behavior of UHMWPE

Ultra-high-molecular-weight-polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been the material of choice for bearings in total joint replacements (TJRs) for decades as a result of its excellent wear resistance, chemical inertness, energetic toughness, low friction, and biocompatibility. Utilization of this polymer in orthopedic devices requires oxidation, wear, and fatigue resistance. Balancing these important properties by tailoring processing techniques and modulating microstructural features has been an ongoing endeavor in the field. Research into the clinical applications of UHMWPE has primarily focused on the challenges of wear and oxidation while studies into the realm of fatigue have been more limited. Literature gaps exist in fully understanding the fatigue crack initiation near notches or propagation of small existing flaws in UHMWPE used in TJRs. In particular, the characterization of the fatigue thresholds and near-threshold fatigue behavior of orthopedic grade UHMWPE has yet to be thoroughly explored. In this work, we characterized the fatigue crack arrest threshold of clinically-relevant UHMWPE formulations. Correlations between the fatigue thresholds and bulk mechanical properties as well as microstructural properties were examined across these medical resins. The important role played by crosslinking in influencing the fatigue performance of UHMWPE is highlighted in this study. In addition, it is established that J-integral fracture toughness is the best predictor of fatigue thresholds and could possibly be used as a stand-in metric for fatigue performance if thresholds cannot be directly ascertained. Finally, this study corroborates that the true constitutive parameters best describe the mechanical behavior of UHMWPE.

Cross-linking↗

Techno-economic analysis of non-aqueous hybrid redox flow batteries

Renewable energy has become indispensable to improving human life, but its growth is hampered by a lack of cost-effective energy storage systems to solve the intermittency problem. Non-aqueous hybrid redox flow batteries (NAqHRFBs), based on lithium metal anode and organic redox molecules (redoxmers), have been investigated as an attractive energy storage option because of their high cell voltages and energy densities compared to other redox flow battery candidates. However, little is known about the economic potential of NAqHRFBs, as well as the operational and materials impacts. This research establishes a techno-economic model to analyze the capital costs of NAqHRFBs with selected organic redoxmers, including 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO). Sensitivity analyses for current density, area-specific resistance, cell voltage, electrolyte composition, redoxmer price, and equivalent molecular weight indicate the key factors in controlling NAqHRFB capital cost. To make the current NAqHRFB cost-effective, the first priority is to increase the operation current density over 10 times of those used in lab-scale tests, followed by adjusting redoxmer-related characteristics to afford more cost reduction space such as decreasing the unit price by ~20 fold. The results have shed light on potential material development and system engineering directions to make NAqHRFBs viable for renewable energy storage.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Enhancing membrane performance for CO 2 capture from flue gas with ultrahigh MW polyvinylamine

Membranes for post-combustion CO 2 capture are required to have a high CO 2 permeance due to the limited driving force. For facilitated transport membranes synthesized with polyvinylamine (PVAm), a defect-free selective layer of <200 nm is usually required to render sufficient permeance with high CO 2 /N 2 selectivity. In order to meet such a demand through the knife-coating process, the coating solution needs to have a high viscosity at a relatively low concentration to minimize its penetration into the substrate. The demand was met by synthesizing PVAm with an ultrahigh molecular weight (MW) via inverse emulsion polymerization (IEP) in this study. Compared to solution polymerization, IEP isolates the reaction in inverse micelles suspended in a continuous organic phase, which allows excellent dissipation of the heat generated by the reaction and reduces gel formation drastically. The polymerization parameters, including monomer concentration, initiator concentration, and reaction temperature, were investigated to obtain the optimal MW of PVAm for membrane performance. As compared to solution polymerization, IEP enhanced the MW of PVAm from 1.2 to 12.7 MDa, which minimized the penetration of the coating solution into the substrate and hence the extra mass transfer resistance. The effect of MW and degree of hydrolysis of PVAm on the membrane transport properties were studied. Furthermore, by employing PVAm with a MW of 12.7 MDa to strengthen the polymer matrix, the loading of piperazine glycinate in the membrane was increased up to 85 wt.%. In conclusion, the resultant membrane achieved a CO 2 permeance of 839 GPU and a CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of 161 at the typical flue gas temperature of 57°C.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

High-performance multiblock PEMs containing a highly acidic fluorinated-hydrophilic domain for water electrolysis

The present paper describes the design and evaluation of novel hydrophilic–hydrophobic poly(arylene ether sulfone) (PAES) multiblock copolymers for their synergistic effects upon transport properties and their potential use in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis. The multiblock copolymers are prepared via a coupling reaction between (i) a hydrophilic segment consisting of a disulfonated quinone fluorinated biphenyl group that contains fluorine moieties next to the sulfonated groups to increase the acidity, and (ii) hydrophobic segments composed of non-sulfonated biphenyl sulfone to provide dimensional stability. Two different lengths (molecular weights; 5k and 10k, where k represents 10 3 g mol -1 ) of hydrophobic segments are used to investigate the effects of the membrane properties compared with those of Nafion® and PAES random copolymer (i.e., BPSH40). Atomic force microscopy images of the BPSH40 and multiblock membranes are shown to agree closely with a mesoscale simulation, thus confirming the importance of the morphological effect upon the transport properties. Furthermore, the multiblock copolymer with a higher proportion of hydrophilic segments (10 k–5k) was shown to provide enhanced performance (3.41 A cm -2 at 1.9 V) compared to the multiblock copolymer with equal proportions of hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments (10 k–10 k) due to the greater continuity of nano-sized ionic channels.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Thin-film composite membranes based on hyperbranched poly(ethylene oxide) for CO 2 /N 2 separation

Cross-linked amorphous poly(ethylene oxide) (XLPEO) is one of the leading membrane materials for post-combustion CO 2 capture. For example, XLPEO prepared from poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (PEGMEA) exhibited CO 2 permeability of 570 Barrer and CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of 41 at 35 °C. However, these XLPEOs cannot be dissolved in coating solutions, making it impossible to be fabricated into thin-film composite (TFC) membranes using state-of-the-art manufacturing processes. In this study, we synthesized high molecular weight yet soluble HPEO via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). These polymers were thoroughly characterized and compared with XLPEO, including thermal transitions, free volumes, and pure-gas sorption and permeation properties. A polymer with the best combination of CO 2 permeability (540 Barrer) and CO 2 /N 2 selectivity (43) was fabricated into defect-free TFC membranes with a thickness as thin as 506 ± 44 nm. When challenged with simulated flue gas containing water vapor at 35 °C for over 100 h, the membrane shows stable CO 2 permeance of 850 GPU and CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of 37, comparable to the leading commercial membranes for carbon capture.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

New sterically hindered polyvinylamine-containing membranes for CO 2 capture from flue gas

Amine-containing facilitated transport membranes can have both high permeability and selectivity due to the reversible reaction between CO 2 and amino groups for effective carbon capture from flue gas. In this study, we have developed an improved method for the synthesis of high-molecular-weight sterically hindered polyvinylamine (PVAm) as the new fixed-site carrier in thin-film composite membranes for CO 2 capture. Commercially available PVAm was N-monomethylated into poly-N-methyl-N-vinylamine (PVAm-CH 3 ) using the stepwise reductive amination with a highly polar fluorinated alcohol as the solvent to enhance the equilibrium shift to the formation of the imine intermediate. The method prevented over-alkylation, resulting in the increased yield of the target product. PVAm-CH 3 exhibited excellent CO 2 facilitation with a CO 2 permeability of 445.7 Barrer (1 Barrer = 3.349 x 10 –16 mol m m –2 s –1 Pa –1 ) and a CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of 70.3, which are above the Robeson 2008 upper bound. The PVAm-CH 3 solution retained a sufficiently high viscosity after incorporating the aminoacid salt, 2-(1-piperazinyl)ethylamine sarcosinate (PZEA-Sar), as the mobile carrier for the membrane coating on nanoporous polyethersulfone (PES) substrates without any penetration issues. The resultant thin-film composite PVAm-CH3/PZEA-Sar membrane with a thickness of approximately 170 nm exhibited a superior CO 2 performance of 1071 GPU (1 GPU = 3.349 x 10 –10 mol m –2 s –1 Pa –1 ) and a CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of 183 at 57°C and a feed gas pressure of 111.64 kPa (1.5 psig). This PVAm-CH 3 /PZEA-Sar membrane surpassed the latest redefined 2019 CO 2 /N 2 upper bound and outperformed other polymer-based membranes. Density functional theory calculations also demonstrated that PVAm-CH 3 showed a stronger preference, relative to PVAm, toward the more efficient bicarbonate pathway. Thus, the steric hindrance effect of PVAm-CH 3 enhanced the solubility of CO 2 in the polymer matrix and resulted in the higher CO 2 permeance.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Thermoresponsive antifouling ultrafiltration membranes from mesophase templating

Nanostructured polymers synthesized by lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) templates with normal hexagonal (H 1 ) structure exhibit a 3D-continuous transport path, which makes them ideal for membrane separation application. Incorporating additional functionality, especially stimuli-responsiveness, in such an ordered structure provides even more application opportunities. Here, in this work, we present the first successful synthesis of H 1 -structured thermoresponsive ultrafiltration (UF) membranes via LLC templating. The membrane contains thermoresponsive Pluronic P84 diacrylate (P84DA) which not only acts as the monomer and structure-directing amphiphile, but also enables the pore size change with temperature. Experimental studies reveal that the swelling capacity of H 1 -templated polymer as well as permeability and selectivity of the obtained membrane can be altered by changing the temperature. Increasing the temperature from 25 to 45 °C increases the normalized flux from 28 to 68 L m -2 h -1 μm and molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) from 2200 to 3900 Da. Furthermore, the membrane shows an outstanding fouling resistance against different solutes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Electrostatically assembled open square and checkerboard superlattices

Programmable assembly of nanoparticles into structures other than two-dimensional hexagonal lattices remains challenging. Assembling an open checkerboard or square lattice is harder to achieve compared to a close-packed hexagonal structure. Here, in this study, we introduce a unified, robust approach to assemble nanoparticles into a diverse family of two-dimensional superlattices at the liquid–air interface. Gold nanoparticles are grafted with pH-responsive, water-soluble poly(ethylene glycol) chains terminating in single bondCOOH or -NH 2 end groups, enabling control over interparticle Coloumbic interactions, while the molecular weight of grafted polymer dictates its conformation. This combined control of charges and conformation enables crystallization into checkerboard, simple-square, and body-centered honeycomb superlattices. Furthermore, tuning the pH induces structural transitions between different lattice types. This approach opens new avenues for the fabrication of colloidal superstructures with tailored architectures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Average hydrodynamic radius analysis reveals critical solvation thresholds in high-concentration lithium electrolytes

Understanding the solvation structures of lithium salts in carbonate- and ether-based electrolytes is central to explaining the exceptional stability of high-concentration electrolytes (HCEs) and localized high-concentration electrolytes (LHCEs). Conventional techniques such as vibrational spectroscopy and one-dimensional NMR provide only limited information, typically restricted to coordination ratios and ion-pair distributions, without revealing the actual size and mass of solution complexes. Here, in this study, we introduce an average hydrodynamic radius (AHR) analysis based on internally referenced DOSY NMR, which enables direct estimation of the average volume and molecular weight of lithium–solvent complexes in solution. Using LiFSI–EMC and LiFSI–EMC–TTE electrolytes, we demonstrate that the onset of effective lithium metal stabilization and aluminum corrosion suppression coincides with the formation of very large complexes, whose average volume exceeds 300 times that of free EMC molecules. This finding supports a new “blocking mechanism,” wherein bulky solvated complexes impede direct solvent access to reactive surfaces. The AHR analysis thus not only clarifies the fundamental origin of HCE and LHCE effectiveness, but also provides a broadly applicable experimental framework for probing complex solvation structures and guiding rational electrolyte design.

Concentrated electrolytes↗

Synthesis and Characterization of Lignin-grafted-poly(ε-caprolactone) from Different Biomass Sources

Modification of lignin with poly(ε-caprolactone) is a promising approach to valorize industrial low-value lignins and to advance the bioeconomy. We have synthesized lignin grafted poly(ε-caprolactone) (lignin-g-PCL) copolymers via ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone with different types of lignins of varying botanical sources (G-type pine lignin, S/G-type poplar lignin, and C-type Vanilla seeds lignin) and lignin extraction methods (Kraft and ethanol organosolv pulping). The lignin-g-PCL copolymer showed remarkably improved compatibility and dispersion in acetone, chloroform, and toluene in comparison to non-modified lignins. The structure and thermal properties of the lignin-g-PCL were investigated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 31 P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 2D heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC) NMR, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore, we have found that all the technical lignins were reactive to the copolymerization reaction regardless of their plant source and isolation methods. The molecular weights of the synthesized lignin-g-PCL copolymers were positively correlated with the content of aliphatic lignin hydroxyls, suggesting that the copolymerization reaction tends to occur preferentially at the aliphatic hydroxyls rather than the phenolic hydroxyls of lignin. Thermal analyses of the lignin-g-PCL copolymers were studied, and in general, a reduction of melting temperature and crystallinity percentage in comparison to the neat PCL was observed. However, the thermal behavior of lignin-g-PCL copolymers varied depending on the lignin feedstocks employed in the copolymerization reaction.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Characterization of a collimated neutron imager for low-rate fast neutron imaging

Spatial localization of special nuclear materials (SNM) via their neutron signatures amidst background requires knowledge of the background neutron environment or a means of separating a source from background based on low amounts of information. This requirement has created the need for characterizing the spatial distribution of the cosmogenic neutron background. Neutron scatter cameras have been developed and optimized for rapid detection of high activity sources, but have low imaging efficiency, making it difficult to use them to characterize low rate diffuse sources, such as the neutron background. The Low Intensity Neutron Imaging System (LINIS) is a collimated neutron imager that has been designed and optimized for imaging diffuse cosmogenic neutron background in the energy range of 0.5–15 MeV. LINIS operates using 16 liquid scintillation detectors shielded by ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene cylindrical collimators in a staggered orientation and rotates to 7 discrete positions, giving it roughly 2π sensitivity. Finally, LINIS has been characterized using (α, n) and fission neutron sources using two imaging techniques for neutron source localization, simple backprojection and Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Spatially calibrating polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as proxies of area burned by vegetation fires: Insights from comparisons of historical data and sedimentary PAH fluxes

Many regions worldwide have experienced increasing wildfire activity in recent years and climate changes are predicted to result in more frequent and severe fires. Reconstruction of past fire activity offers paleoenvironmental context for modern and future burning. Pyrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been increasingly used as a molecular biomarker for fire occurrence in the paleorecord and offer opportunity for nuanced reconstructions of fire characteristics. A suite of PAHs are produced during combustion, and the emission amount and assemblage is influenced by many variables including fuel type, fire temperature, and oxygen availability. Despite recent advances in understanding the controls and taphonomy of these biomass burning markers, the spatial scale of this proxy is unknown. In this paper, measurements of PAH fluxes preserved in a lake sediment archive from the Sierra Nevada, California were compared with a historical geographic information system dataset of area burned up to 150 km distance from the lake to determine the spatial scales for which these biomarkers are reliable proxies of burning. Comparisons of PAH fluxes with charcoal accumulation rates in the same sediments suggest that pyrogenic particulate transport modulates low to mid-molecular weight PAHs via adsorption. Overall, the results indicate that PAH records integrate a combination of spatial signals of area burned and measurement of individual PAHs may enable cross-scale paleofire reconstructions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The behavior of antioxidant irganox 1010 during the thermal degradation of a plastic bonded explosive

The effect of water concentration on the aging behavior of blend components in plastic bonded explosive (PBX) 9501 is investigated when samples were aged up to 24 months under various conditions. Additionally, the blend components studied here are: poly(urethane ester) (Estane®5703) (Estane), nitroplasticizer (NP), and antioxidant Irganox 1010 (Irg1010). The experimental results reveal that NP is prone to thermally degrading and producing H 2 O, NO x , and HNO x species, which are the predominant species to consume Irg1010 during PBX 9501 aging under inert environment. As Irg1010 is completely consumed, Estane degrades through oxidation and NP addition, in addition to well anticipated hydrolysis. The competition among hydrolysis, oxidation, and NP addition results in non-monotonical changes in the molecular weight of Estane over the aging process.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Connecting radiation-driven changes in structural, thermal, and mechanical properties in several medical device polymers

Stemming from security threats and shortages in supply, a recent push has emerged to develop alternatives to radioisotope Cobalt-60 gamma radiation for sterilization of polymeric medical products, including electron beam (e-beam) and X-ray machine-based sources. However, before large-scale implementation, the effects of these non-isotope-based methods must be thoroughly investigated from several perspectives, involving their potential detrimental effects on the structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of polymers in medical devices. This paper investigates such effects in commonly used medical device polymers, including polypropylene homopolymer (PPH), polyolefin elastomer (POE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and chlorobutyl rubber (CIIR). To connect radiation-driven changes in polymer structural and thermal properties and corresponding changes in mechanical properties, several characterization techniques were utilized, including gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). We found that the tensile strength of X-ray irradiated PPH, as well as X-ray, e-beam, and gamma irradiated CIIR decreases due to chain scission, which is corroborated by GPC and DMA. The GPC results of LDPE suggest chain scission, but interestingly without a corresponding decline in tensile strength. By comparison, POE and ABS appear to undergo further crosslinking with increasing irradiation dose, which generally strengthens them. Importantly, in the vast majority of the cases, there were small to no changes in properties upon changing radiation technologies (at a given dose), i.e., no radiation source dependence. However, in a few specific cases, radiation method dependencies did arise, for instance, in terms of the molecular weight of PPH being significantly increased upon X-ray irradiation, while the melting temperature, glass transition temperature, and elongation at break reduced compared to gamma. Overall, this study provides valuable insight into radiation-driven chemical and structural changes in polymers that produce changes in physical and functional properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Synthesis and thermomechanical characteristics of zwitterionic poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymers

Charge-containing polymeric materials have been widely studied for a range of applications. The fundamental relationships between the charge species, charge density, and the microscale morphology of charge-containing polymers are critical for defining the application in which they may be used. In this work, a series of thermoplastic poly(arylene ether sulfone) (PAES) copolymers with controllable sulfobetaine charge contents (0~100 mol%) and high molecular weights (Mw ~ 65 kDa) were prepared. All the zwitterionic PAESs synthesized showed thermal stability up to 250 °C. DSC and tensile tests showed a decreased T g and mechanical strength with the incorporation of increasing charge density, which suggests a plasticization effect by the charged group. Electron microscopy and X-ray scattering data confirmed the absence of microphase separation in the ion-containing random copolymer system, which corroborated with the observation of a single T g for all zwitterionic copolymers studied. Furthermore, the relative hydrophilicity of the samples was evaluated by water uptake measurements, which revealed that the water uptake of the zwitterionic PAESs can reach up to 64% for the 72 mol% zwitterion copolymer while the free-standing film in the wet state still maintains a Young's modulus of 185 MPa. Here, the thermoplastic charge-containing copolymers in this work demonstrated potential for applications such as coatings or water purification membranes, in which balancing hydrophilicity, processibility, and thermomechanical performance are important.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Engineering a biopolymer for vascular embolization based on fundamental polymer principals

Herein we describe the engineering of a potential polymer substitute to metal coils for achieving vascular embolization. Our system is based on a methacrylate end-functionalized polyethylene oxide-polypropylene oxide-polyethylene oxide (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock copolymer which displays thermal-reversible gelation properties and FCC ordering of the original copolymer while also being able to chemically crosslink. This system shows injectability, two-step gelation, chemical crosslinking with a five-fold increase in modulus and is highly resistant to washout under physiological flow conditions. Furthermore, we show that exposure to aqueous flow imparts resistance to swelling where less than 10 % swelling was observed under physiological flow as opposed to more than 60 % under static conditions after 30 days. Auxiliary experiments with PEO-PPO-PEO copolymers of various molecular weights indicate that this phenomenon may possibly be attributed to entanglements known to occur between adjacent micelles, where the reptation time, the time for polymer disentanglement, is long compared to the flow rate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Modeling hyperbranched polymer formation via ATRP using dissipative particle dynamics

Hyperbranched polymers (HBPs) offer distinguishing, advantageous properties that arise from their distinctive complex topology. One of the effective approaches to the synthesis of hyperbranched structures involves the use of a branching initiator (inibramer) that is activated only after incorporation into a polymer chain. There remain, however, challenges in determining and characterizing the structures of the synthesized HBPs. Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) was used to probe the effects of inibramer concentration, solvent concentration, and inibramer reactivity on the kinetics, molecular weight, and dispersity of HBPs. Additionally, DPD allows for direct observation of branched structures, which was not possible in previously reported Monte Carlo type simulations. It was found that higher inibramer concentrations led to faster monomer consumption while forming more dendritic structures with fewer defects. Additionally, high dispersities characteristic of HBP systems were found to originate from asymmetric propagation rates between inibramer-inibramer and inibramer-monomer reactions.

Biswas, Santidan↗

Structural characterization of sugarcane lignins extracted from different protic ionic liquid pretreatments

Previous studies based on protic ionic liquids have shown them to be effective for extracting lignins from biomass. Moreover, ILs synthesized with amine cations can promote the insertion of nitrogen into lignin, favoring its valorization for industrial applications. Here, lignins extracted from sugarcane bagasse by eight different PILs were analyzed. Several techniques of characterization were employed (2D HSQC NMR, 31P NMR, GPC, Py-GC/MS, TGA, FTIR, and elemental analysis), seeking a deeper understanding of lignin structure post-PILS treatment. In particular, lignin obtained with acetate and lactate anions with monoethanolamonium cations showed similar structural compositions. Lignins obtained from ethylenediamonium cation combined anions acetate and lactate exhibited relatively higher molecular weights compared to the other lignins studied. The elemental analysis of these lignins further revealed the presence of nitrogen in their structures, suggesting that amination occurred. In this work we used PILs not yet reported in the literature for this purpose, and consequently obtained lignins with specific structures. Overall, our results demonstrated that depending on the PILs used, lignins with distinct properties could be obtained which might be used for value-added applications. This work covered new advances in elucidation of lignin chemical structure and opened a new path for lignin valorization.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗