Preparation of environment-friendly solid epoxy resin with high-toughness via one-step banburying.

Solid epoxy resin is highly desired in adhesives, electronic materials and coatings due to the attractive characteristics of solvent-free, highly efficient utilization and convenient storage and transportation. However, the challenges remain in fabricating high-toughness solid epoxy resin through a facile and efficient way. Here, a high-performance environment-friendly solid epoxy resin was fabricated by employing maleic anhydride grafted ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA-g-MAH) as the flexibilizer via one-step banburying method. The results showed that the modified epoxy resin maintained a high glass transition temperature (T g) and thermal stability, while its impact strength, tensile toughness and flexural toughness were significantly increased compared with the neat epoxy resin. The impact strength, tensile toughness and flexural toughness of R-EM10 are improved 138%, 195% and 149%, respectively. The EVA-g-MAH was introduced in the epoxy matrix as a separate phase to increase toughness via transfer stress and dissipated energy. The attractive properties of this facile fabrication process and the high-toughness, as well as the environment-friendly performance make this solid epoxy highly promising for large-scale industrial application.

A lignin-based epoxy/TiO2 hybrid nanoparticle for multifunctional bio-based epoxy with improved mechanical, UV absorption and antibacterial properties.

Lignin, as a natural polymer material, has the advantages of green safety, renewable, and pollution-free. It has a wide application prospect in the field of thermosetting. However, it has been attractive but a huge challenge to design high performance and high added-value lignin-based epoxy resin. Herein, lignin-based epoxy (LEP) was synthesized from moso bamboo-derived lignin, and then lignin-based epoxy/titanium dioxide (LEP/TiO2) hybrid nanoparticle was synthesized via liquid deposition method for modifying lignin-based epoxy resin to prepare multifunctional bio-based epoxy. The results show that the LEP/TiO2 hybrid nanoparticle exhibits a stable topological surface shape and good dispersion and uniformity. By adding 10 wt% LEP/TiO2 hybrid nanoparticles, the multifunctional bio-based epoxy exhibits good mechanical strength and toughness, and the tensile strength and fracture toughness reach 36 MPa and 1.26 MPa·m1/2, respectively. In addition, the thermal stability, UV absorption and antibacterial properties of the multifunctional bio-based epoxy are further improved. This study provides a facile and efficient method for the preparation of high-performance multifunctional bio-based epoxy composite and a novel solution for the utilization of lignin.

The polyaminocarboxylated modified hydrochar for efficient capturing methylene blue and Cu(II) from water.

The polyaminocarboxylated modified hydrochar (ACHC) was synthesized to introduce abundant amino, hydroxyl and carboxylate multifunctional groups onto the surface of hydrochar by etherification, amination and carboxylated reaction. The ACHC was systematically characterized and used to evaluate adsorption properties of Cu(II) and methylene blue (MB) by batch sorption tests. The adsorption process toward Cu(II) and MB by ACHC obeyed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model. Characteristic analysis indicated the surface chelation was mainly contribute to Cu(II) adsorption by large amounts of amino and carboxylate groups while π-π interaction, hydrogen bonding and electrostatic attraction dominated MB adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacities of ACHC were 140.65 and 1238.66 mg·g-1 for Cu(II) and MB at 303 K, respectively. Approximately 97% of the adsorptive uptakes for two pollutants were removed within merely 5 min for kinetic experiment. Competitive adsorption of Cu(II) and MB, and treatment of electroplating wastewater by ACHC were also investigated.

Preparation and characterization of fast-curing powder epoxy adhesive at middle temperature.

At present, the disadvantage of powder epoxy adhesive is the limited application area. In order to widen the application range of powder epoxy adhesive from heat-resistant substrates (such as metals) to heat-sensitive substrates (such as plastic products, cardboard and wood), it is necessary to decrease the curing temperature. In this article, a series of fast-curing powder epoxy adhesives were prepared by the melt blending method with bisphenol A epoxy resin (E-20), hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) as a curing agent and 2-methylimidazole (2-MI) as an accelerant. The structure and properties of the E-20/HMTA/2-MI systems were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical analyser and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). 2-MI added into the E-20/HMTA systems can simultaneously enhance toughness, tensile strength, glass transition temperature (Tg) and thermal stability in comparison with the E-20/HMTA systems. The best mechanical properties were obtained at 100/8/0.6 weight ratio of the E-20/HMTA/2-MI systems. DSC experiments revealed that the exothermic peak of the E-20/HMTA/2-MI system was about 55°C lower than that of the E-20/HMTA system. The activation energy of the cure reaction was determined by both Kissinger's and Ozawa's methods at any heating rates. The activation energy and pre-exponential factor were about 100.3 kJ mol-1 and 3.57 × 1011 s-1, respectively. According to the KAS method, the curing time of the E-20/HMTA/2-MI systems was predicted by evaluating the relationship between temperature and curing time.

Bioinspired Design of Strong, Tough, and Thermally Stable Polymeric Materials via Nanoconfinement.

The combination of high strength, great toughness, and high heat resistance for polymeric materials is a vital factor for their practical applications. Unfortunately, until now it has remained a major challenge to achieve this performance portfolio because the mechanisms of strength and toughness are mutually exclusive. In the natural world, spider silk features the combination of high strength, great toughness, and excellent thermal stability, which are governed by the nanoconfinement of hydrogen-bonded ß-sheets. Here, we report a facile bioinspired methodology for fabricating advanced polymer composite films with a high tensile strength of 152.8 MPa, a high stiffness of 4.35 GPa, and a tensile toughness of 30.3 MJ/m3 in addition to high thermal stability (69 °C higher than that of the polymer matrix) only by adding 2.0 wt % of artificial ß-sheets. The mechanical and thermostable performance portfolio is superior to that of its counterparts developed to date because of the nanoconfinement and hydrogen-bond cross-linking effects of artificial ß-sheets. Our study offers a facile biomimetic strategy for the design of integrated mechanically robust and thermostable polymer materials, which hold promise for many applications in electrical devices and tissue engineering fields.

Synthesis of NiMn-LDH Nanosheet@Ni3S2 Nanorod Hybrid Structures for Supercapacitor Electrode Materials with Ultrahigh Specific Capacitance.

One of the key challenges for pseudocapacitive electrode materials with highly effective capacitance output and future practical applications is how to rationally construct hierarchical and ordered hybrid nanoarchitecture through the simple process. Herein, we design and synthesize a novel NiMn-layered double hydroxide nanosheet@Ni3S2 nanorod hybrid array supported on porous nickel foam via a one-pot hydrothermal method. Benefited from the ultrathin and rough nature, the well-defined porous structure of the hybrid array, as well as the synergetic effect between NiMn-layered double hydroxide nanosheets and Ni3S2 nanorods, the as-fabricated hybrid array-based electrode exhibits an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 2703 F g-1 at 3 A g-1. Moreover, the asymmetric supercapacitor with this hybrid array as a positive electrode and wood-derived activated carbon as a negative electrode demonstrates high energy density (57 Wh Kg-1 at 738 W Kg-1) and very good electrochemical cycling stability.

Two new ent-atisane diterpenoids from the whole plants of Euphorbia wallichii.

Two new ent-atisanediterpenoids, ent-atisane-16ß, 17-isopropylidenedioxy-19-ol-3-one (1) and ent-atisane-16ß, 17-isopropylidenedioxy-11ß, 18-dihydroxyl-3-one (2) were isolated from the whole plants of Euphorbia wallichii. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses.

Combination of lignin and L-lactide towards grafted copolymers from lignocellulosic butanol residue.

A series of BBL-graft-poly (L-lactide) copolymers were synthesized via ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of L-lactide (L-LA) with a biobutanol lignin (BBL) initiator and a triazabicyclodecene (TBD) catalyst under free-solvent at 135 °C. By manipulating the mass ratio of BBL/LLA, BBL-g-PLLA copolymers with tunable number-average molecular weight (Mn) (2544-7033 g mol(-1)) were obtained. The chemical structure of PLLA chains was identifiable by FT-IR, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR spectroscopies, in combination with UV-vis spectra to provide support for the existence of the BBL in the copolymer. This provided solid evidence for the successful synthesis of BBL-g-PLLA copolymer. The thermal properties and surface characterization of BBL-g-PLLA copolymers were different from those of linear PLLA. Furthermore, the BBL-g-PLLA copolymer film showed good absorption capacity in the UV region and high transparency in the visible light region, which was expected to find significant applications in UV-protective coating film.

Preparation and characterization of Lignin-graft-poly (ɛ-caprolactone) copolymers based on lignocellulosic butanol residue.

In this paper, a "graft from" Ring-Opening Polymerization (ROP) technique was used to synthesize a lignin-graft-poly (ɛ-caprolactone) copolymer (BBL-g-PCL) using biobutanol lignin (BBL) as raw material recovered from lignocellulosic butanol residue. Polymerizations were carried out with various mass ratios of BBL and CL monomer ([BBL]/([BBL]+[CL])=1.0%, 5.0%, 10%, 20% and 40% (w/w)) to obtain BBL-g-PCL copolymers with different molecular weights, ranging from 367 to 8163gmol(-1). The grafting efficiency was preliminary evidenced by the long-term stability of dissolution of BBL-g-PCL in toluene. FT-IR and NMR analysis provided the further evidences for successful formation of BBL-g-PCL copolymer. The thermal properties of BBL-g-PCL copolymers were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). These results indicated that BBL-g-PCL copolymer had relatively good thermal stability. The static contact angle of BBL-g-PCL coating film reached to 80°. The surface functional groups and chemical composition of BBL-g-PCL copolymer was investigated in detail by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The surface morphology of BBL-g-PCL copolymer was studied by Atomic force microscopy (AFM). Additionally, BBL-g-PCL coating film exhibited high absorption in the ultraviolet (UV) range, which could allow for applications in UV-blocking coatings, as well as the extents for the utilization of lignocellulosic butanol residue.

Striking multiple synergies created by combining reduced graphene oxides and carbon nanotubes for polymer nanocomposites.

The extraordinary properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene stimulate the development of advanced composites. Recently, several studies have reported significant synergies in the mechanical, electrical and thermal conductivity properties of polymer nanocomposites by incorporating their nanohybrids. In this work, we created polypropylene nanocomposites with homogeneous dispersion of CNTs and reduced graphene oxides via a facile polymer-latex-coating plus melt-mixing strategy, and investigated their synergistic effects in their viscoelastic, gas barrier, and flammability properties. Interestingly, the results show remarkable synergies, enhancing their melt modulus and viscosity, O2 barrier, and flame retardancy properties and respectively exhibiting a synergy percentage of 15.9%, 45.3%, and 20.3%. As previously reported, we also observed remarkable synergistic effects in their tensile strength (14.3%) and Young's modulus (27.1%), electrical conductivity (32.3%) and thermal conductivity (34.6%). These impressive results clearly point towards a new strategy to create advanced materials by adding binary combinations of different types of nanofillers.

Facile fabrication of HDPE-g-MA/nanodiamond nanocomposites via one-step reactive blending.

In this letter, nanocomposites based on maleic anhydride grafted high density polyethylene (HDPE-g-MA) and amine-functionalized nanodiamond (ND) were fabricated via one-step reactive melt-blending, generating a homogeneous dispersion of ND, as evidenced by transmission electron microscope observations. Thermal analysis results suggest that addition of ND does not affect significantly thermal stability of polymer matrix in nitrogen. However, it was interestingly found that incorporating pure ND decreases the thermal oxidation degradation stability temperature, but blending amino-functionalized ND via reactive processing significantly enhances it of HDPE in air condition. Most importantly, cone tests revealed that both ND additives and reactive blending greatly reduce the heat release rate of HDPE. The results suggest that ND has a potential application as flame retardant alternative for polymers. Tensile results show that adding ND considerably enhances Young's modulus, and reactive blending leads to further improvement in Young's modulus while hardly reducing the elongation at break of HDPE.