Melt Memory Effect in Polyethylene Random Terpolymer with Small Amount of 1-Octene and 1-Hexene Co-Units: Non-Isothermal and Isothermal Investigations.

Homo-polymers of reasonable molecular weight relax very fast in the molten state. Starting from a semi-crystalline structure, when the homo-polymer is heated up to a temperature higher than its nominal melting temperature, it relaxes quickly into a homogenous molten state. The following crystallization temperature during cooling remains constant irrespective of the melt temperature. However, the situation is evidently different in copolymers. A phenomenon named the crystallization melt memory effect denotes an increased crystallization rate during cooling after a polymer was melted at different temperatures, which is often observed. The melt temperature can be even higher than the equilibrium melting temperature of the corresponding polymer crystals. In this work, we investigated such memory effect in a polyethylene random terpolymer with a small fraction of 1-octene and 1-hexene co-units using differential scanning calorimetry techniques. Both non-isothermal and isothermal protocols were employed. In non-isothermal tests, a purposely prepared sample with well defined thermal history (the sample has been first conditioned at 200 °C for 5 min to eliminate the thermal history and then cooled down to -50 °C) was melted at different temperatures, followed by a continuous cooling at a constant rate of 20 °C/min. Peak crystallization temperature during cooling was taken to represent the crystallization rate. Whereas, in isothermal tests, the same prepared sample with well defined thermal history was cooled to a certain crystallization temperature after being melted at different temperatures. Here, time to complete the isothermal crystallization was recorded. It was found that the results of isothermal tests allowed us to divide the melt temperature into four zones where the features of the crystallization half time change.

Effect of Synergistic Aging on Bauxite Residue Dust Reduction Performance via the Application of Colloids, an Orthogonal Design-Based Study.

The application of polymer colloids is a promising approach for bauxite residue dust pollution control. However, due to the existence of synergistic aging, the efficiency of colloid dynamic viscosity to predict the dust control performance of bauxite residue is unclear. Previous studies were also rarely performed under synergistic aging conditions. Thus, this paper investigates the relationship between colloids' viscosity and dust control performance under synergistic aging modes. Results illustrated that the binary colloid achieved better dust control performance than unitary colloid for their higher viscosity and penetration resistance. For both unitary and binary colloid, higher viscosity results in better crust strength. A logarithmic relationship was found for viscosity and dust erosion resistance under unitary aging. However, Only the dynamic viscosity of colloids in solid-liquid two-phase conditions, rather than dissolved in deionized water, can effectively predict the dust control performance under synergistic aging conditions.

[Determination of 32 sulfonylurea herbicide residues in sweet corns and green soybeans by QuEChERS-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

A fast method based on QuEChERS methodology for the simultaneous determination of 32 sulfonylurea herbicide residues in sweet corns and green soybeans was developed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The clean-up effects of three dispersive sorbents were evaluated in terms of the residue mass for extracts after evaporation and recoveries. The three sorbents were C18, a mixture of two sorbents--silica coated with zirconium dioxide (Z-Sep) and C18, a bonded C18 zirconia-coated silica (Z-Sep+). As a result, the best effects were obtained from using Z-Sep/C18 sorbents. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile, and salted out with anhydrous magnesium sulphate and sodium chloride. The extracts were cleaned up with dispersive solid phase extraction using Z-Sep/C18 sorbents. Chromatographic analysis was carried out using a CSH C18 column with gradient elution. The pesticides were analyzed by negative electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry under scheduled multiple reaction monitoring mode. The quantification was achieved using matrix-matched standard calibrations as the external standard. The recoveries at fortification levels of 10, 20, 100 µg/kg in sweet corns and green beans ranged from 80.0% to 108.2% with the relative standard deviations of 1.2%-13.0%. The limits of quantification (S/N ≥ 10) were 0.2-5.0 µg/kg. The method has been proven to be simple, sensitive, environmental, and thus suitable for the determination of the 32 sulfonylurea herbicide residues in sweet corns and green soy- beans.

[Determination of 51 carbamate pesticide residues in vegetables by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based on optimization of QuEChERS sample preparation method].

The raw extracts of six vegetables (tomato, green bean, shallot, broccoli, ginger and carrot) were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in full scan mode combined with NIST library search to confirm main matrix compounds. The effects of cleanup and adsorption mechanisms of primary secondary amine (PSA) , octadecylsilane (C18) and PSA + C18 on co-extractives were studied by the weight of evaporation residue for extracts before and after cleanup. The suitability of the two versions of QuEChERS method for sample preparation was evaluated for the extraction of 51 carbamate pesticides in the six vegetables. One of the QuEChERS methods was the original un-buffered method published in 2003, and the other was AOAC Official Method 2007.01 using acetate buffer. As a result, the best effects were obtained from using the combination of C18 and PSA for extract cleanup in vegetables. The acetate-buffered version was suitable for the determination of all pesticides except dioxacarb. Un-buffered QuEChERS method gave satisfactory results for determining dioxacarb. Based on these results, the suitable QuEChERS sample preparation method and liquid chromatography-positive electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry under the optimized conditions were applied to determine the 51 carbamate pesticide residues in six vegetables. The analytes were quantified by matrix-matched standard solution. The recoveries at three levels of 10, 20 and 100 microg/kg spiked in six vegetables ranged from 58.4% to 126% with the relative standard deviations of 3.3%-26%. The limits of quantification (LOQ, S/N > or = 10) were 0.2-10 microg/kg except that the LOQs of cartap and thiofanox were 50 microg/kg. The method is highly efficient, sensitive and suitable for monitoring the 51 carbamate pesticide residues in vegetables.