Improving the polarization-holography performance of PQ/PMMA photopolymer by doping with THMFA.

Increasing photosensitizer concentration has been considered as an effective approach to improve the performance of holographic material. In this paper, we report on new method for increasing the saturated dissolvability of photosensitizer PQ within polymeric media by introducing copolymerization monomer into the PQ/PMMA. The photosensitizer concentration of PQ was increased from 0.7wt% to 1.3wt%, compared with the typical PQ/PMMA sample. Besides, we investigated performance of polarization holographic recordings in typical PQ/PMMA and copolymerization monomer-containing PQ/PMMA with the orthogonally polarized signal and reference waves. And the doping of THFMA component resulted in a significant improvement of diffraction intensity and photosensitivity. In addition, high-quality holographic image reconstruction was realized in our home-made material.

Synthesis of Interpenetrating Polymer Networks Based on Triisocyanate-Terminated and Modified Poly(urethane-imide) with Superior Mechanical Properties.

Interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) based on triisocyanate-terminated poly(urethane-imide)s (PUIs) were prepared by in situ interpenetrating reactions between modified polyurethane (PU) with different ratios of polyimide (PI). The effects of PU, which was made from hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene modified with triisocyanate, and the amounts of PI on the mechanical properties, thermal properties, and crystalline character of the IPNs were discussed. Triisocyanate-terminated PUI showed that the highest tensile strength was 38 times that of the diisocyanate-terminated materials. Supramolecular cross-linking from an additional hydrogen-bonding network of modified PU and the degree of interpenetration with a regular imide structure of PI were introduced, which accounted for the remarkable improvement in mechanical properties of IPNs. Preferable thermal stability and glass transition temperature for the hard segment of IPNs were rewarded with increasing PI content. X-ray diffraction revealed vigorous segmental mixing between the soft and hard segments of modified PUI. Scanning electron micrographs showed the "fibrous assembly" morphology and short-range-ordered structure of modified PUI.

Thermal and mechanical reinforcement of a novel paraffin-based hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) binder containing a three-dimension (3D) diurea-paraffin wax (DU-PW) for prevention of PW leakage.

Leakage of paraffin wax (PW) is a major concern in the development of polymer bonded explosive (PBX) systems because it relates to the amount of PW that can be used as a desensitizer or a fuel, which, in turn, affects the mechanical performance and tolerance of PBX in high-temperature environments. Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) binders significantly contribute desirable polymer features to PBX. Thus, a three-dimension (3D) high-temperature non-flowing diurea-paraffin wax (DU-PW) composite was synthesized and creatively employed to a HTPB binder. DU-PW/PW/HTPB composites with different contents of the 3D DU-PW phase change material (PCM) were prepared through a cast molding process. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results demonstrate that these composites can show high phase-change enthalpies and good thermal reliability. As observed from the scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs, adding DU-PW can clearly reduce the number of holes caused by the leaked PW on the fracture surface of DU-PW/HTPB. Moreover, the addition of DU-PW can remarkably reduce the leakage of PW and improve the thermal stability as well as mechanical properties of the PW-based HTPB. These observations present the potential of utilizing form-stable PCM (FSPCM) to solve the problem of PW leakage in PBX systems.

Catalytic cracking of large molecules over hierarchical zeolites.

A hierarchical zeolite catalyst was synthesized by transforming the skeletons of a bimodal pore silica gel into a zeolite through a steam-assisted conversion method, and shows high catalytic activity and a long catalyst lifetime for catalytic cracking of large molecules.

Determination of fluorine, chlorine and bromine in household products by means of oxygen bomb combustion and ion chromatography.

A method for routine determination of fluorine, chlorine and bromine in household products was developed and validated. In this work, halogen analyses were made based on oxygen bomb combustion followed by ion chromatography (IC). The chromatographic analysis was performed by an IonPac AS19 hydroxide-selective anion-exchange column, a reagent free ion chromatograph eluent generator and an anion self-regenerating suppressor in 10 min. The response was linear (r ≥ 0.9995) in the entire investigated domain. The limit of detection for the halogens was in the range of 2 to 9 × 10(-3) mg/L and the limit of quantification was lower than 8 mg/Kg with 20 µL of injection volume. The certified reference material of ERM-EC 681k was pretreated using an oxygen bomb combustion procedure to demonstrate the precision of the proposed method. The quantitative analysis results obtained by IC for the target elements were 797 ± 9 mg/Kg chlorine and 786 ± 25 mg/Kg bromine, which were in good agreement with the certified values of 800 ± 4 mg/Kg chlorine, 770 ± 5 mg/Kg bromine for ERM-EC 681k, respectively. This validated method was successfully applied for the analysis of fluorine, chlorine and bromine in household product samples, and the variation of halogen contained among the tested samples was remarkable.