Structure-property behavior of ionenes-based polyurethanes

Ionenes are special type ionic polymers that have ions adhere to the backbone rather than as pendants. These arrangement helps to synthesize these polymers via classical condensation reactions. The features and behavior of these ionenes depend upon the spacing in-between cations, the nature of charged moieties such as changing structure or type of anion, and soft segments that will impact the intermolecular interactions, self-assembly, and their structure property. In order to tune the properties, a series of ionenes based on polyiomidazolium-urethanes was prepared. In this presentation, we will show the synthesis of these ionenes-urethane polymers and their structure-property relationship. We will show how changes in anion functional type and changes in soft segments will impact the structural, self-assembly, thermal, and mechanical properties of these ionenes-polyurethanes

Ionic Polyimides: New High Performance Polymers for Additive Manufacturing

There is currently a very limited set of engineering polymers that have been demonstrated as viable for use in 3-D printing. Additive manufacturing of custom components will require a much larger array of polymers, especially those with physical, thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties that can be tailor-made. The development of Ionic Polyimides offers a solution to this shortage by combining the well understood and widely accepted properties of conventional polyimides, with a new approach to polymer synthesis. Polyimides and polymeric ionic liquids (poly(ILs)) are at the forefront of advanced polymer materials, each with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. While it is clear that more types of polymer materials are needed for fused deposition modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing, there is a need to explore these classes of materials. The synthesis process developed by the Bara Research Group at the University of Alabama allows full control over polymer structure, nanostructure, thermal, electrical, and physical properties making them a prime candidate for use in the additive manufacturing process

Synthesis and Properties of Bio-based 3D Printable Resins

A photopolymer resin is a monomer that, when introduced to light of a certain wavelength, starts to polymerize into a solid. This has become a growing part of the 3D printing industry. There have been many advancements in the field of 3D printing, however, a lot of these resins are not environmentally friendly and even harmful if not handled in the correct manner. Plant based resins are becoming more and more popular because of their biodegradability and for the possibility of using renewable resources. Glycerol is a plant-based compound that is produced in excess in industry. Glycerol obtained from bioethanol production as waste and can be used for value-added chemicals. Also, changing the wavelength of light required to polymerize means that researchers are trying to move away from using UV light because it is very harmful to human skin and can even damage a person’s vision. Also, UV light creates ozone as a by-product which can be harmful to the environment. This combination can have multiple real-world applications, not limited to 3D printing. It can possibly be used for gas separation and even polymer batteries. In this presentation, we converted glycerol based secondary alcohol into photopolymerizable resins. For preliminary studies, we varied the alkyl groups of the secondary alcohol containing ether and photopolymerized with different amounts of crosslinkers. We also used plant-based resin to get 3D printed polymers to see their properties. Finally, our synthesized resins mixed with commercial plant-based resins will be used to get 3D printed structures. Synthesis and characterization of these resins will be shown in the presentation

Dual Anion-Cation Ionic Liquid Crystal for Battery Applications

Ionic liquid crystals (ILCs) are a special class of compounds that not only contains mesogens group but also have cationic and/or anionic components. ILCs can self-organize into assemblies with varying degrees of orientational order resulting into formation of unique liquid crystal phases. Thermotropic ionic liquid crystals are special subclass of liquid crystal containing ionic liquid moiety that self- assemble with application of heat to form liquid crystal phases. Thermotropic ionic liquid crystal materials may exhibit several mesogenic phases at differing temperatures, distinguishable by the degree of order. This work mainly focuses on synthesis and characterization of Ionic liquid Crystals containing imidazolium and sulfonimide functional group attached to phenyl ring containing long chain alkyl group. In this presentation we will focus on how change in alkyl tail, change in ionic component (sulfonimide vs imidazolium) , and counter ion (i.e., triethyl ammonium vs Lithium cation) present in the compound, affect the liquid crystal properties. The synthesized ILCs was characterized by TGA, DSC and SAXS data. Keywords: Ionic liquids, Liquid crystals, Dual Cation-Anion, Batterie

Tailored CO2-philic Anionic Poly(ionic liquid) Composite Membranes: Synthesis, Characterization and Gas Transport Properties

Unformatted post printPolymeric membranes either containing, or built from, ionic liquids (ILs) are of great interest for enhanced CO2/light gas separation due to the stronger affinity of ILs toward quadrupolar CO2 molecules, and hence, high CO2 solubility selectivity. Herein, we report the development of a series of four novel anionic poly(IL)-IL composite membranes via a photopolymerization method for effective CO2 separation. Interestingly, these are the first examples of anionic poly(IL)-IL composite systems, in which the poly(IL) component has delocalized sulfonimide anions pendant from the polymer backbone with imidazolium cations as “free” counterions. Two types of photopolymerizable methacryloxy-based IL monomers (MILs) with highly delocalized anions (–SO2–N(-)–SO2–CF3 and –SO2–N(-)–SO2–C7H7) and mobile imidazolium ([C2mim]+) counter cations were successfully synthesized and photopolymerized with two distinct amounts of free IL containing the same structural cation ([C2mim][Tf2N]) and 20 wt% PEGDA crosslinker, to serve as a composite matrix. The structure-property relationships of the four newly developed anionic poly(IL)-IL composite membranes were extensively characterized by TGA, DSC, and XRD analysis. All of the newly developed anionic poly(IL)-IL composite membranes exhibited superior CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 selectivities together with moderate CO2/H2 selectivity and reasonable CO2 permeabilities. The membrane with an optimal composition and polymer architecture (MIL-C7H7/PEGDA(20%)/IL(1eq.)) reaches the 2008 Robeson upper bound limit of CO2/CH4, due to the simultaneous improvement in permeability and selectivity (CO2 permeability ~ 20 barrer and αCO2/CH4 ~119). This study provides a promising strategy to explore the benefits of anionic poly(IL)-IL composites to separate CO2 from flue gas, natural gas, and syngas streams and open up new possibilities in the polymer membrane design with strong candidate materials for practical applications.Partial support for this work provided by the United States Department of Energy (DE-SC0020282) and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (80NSSC19K1314), is gratefully acknowledged. Liliana C. Tomé has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 745734

Synthesis and gas separation properties of poly(ionic liquid)-ionic liquid composite membranes containing a copper salt

Composite poly(ionic liquid)-ionic liquid membranes containing copper (I) chloride (CuCl) have been successfully fabricated via photopolymerization of an IL monomer, 1-vinyl-3-butylimidazolium bistriflimide ([C4vim][Tf2N]), in the presence of CuCl and a non-polymerizable IL, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C4mim][Cl]), forming the chlorocuprate anion ([CuCl2]-) in situ. The influence of the metal salt content on the gas separation performance of the composite membranes was assessed. Results showed that increasing the content of non-polymerizable IL enhanced the permeabilities of CO2, H2, N2 and CO relative to those obtained in the pristine poly([C4vim][Tf2N]); whereas the addition of CuCl induced a general reduction of gas diffusivity. On the whole, an enhancement of both gas permeability and ideal gas pair selectivity were observed for CO2/N2 and H2/N2 separations in the Cu-containing composite membranes with respect to the neat poly([C4vim][Tf2N]).Financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) under projects CTQ2012-31639 at the Universidad de Cantabria is gratefully acknowledged. Additional support from the American Chemical Society – Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF 52190-DNI9) is acknowledged

Multiple myeloma presenting with high-output heart failure and improving with anti-angiogenesis therapy: two case reports and a review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Common manifestations of multiple myeloma include osteolytic lesions, cytopenias, hypercalcemia, and renal insufficiency. Patients may also exhibit heart failure which is often associated with either past therapy or cardiac amyloidosis. A less recognized mechanism is high-output heart failure. Diuretic therapy in this setting has little efficacy in treating the congested state. Furthermore, effective pharmacotherapy has not been established. We report two patients with multiple myeloma and high-output heart failure who failed diuretic therapy. The patients were given dexamethasone in conjunction with lenalidomide and thalidomide, respectively. Shortly thereafter, each patient demonstrated a significant improvement in symptoms. This is the first report of successful treatment of multiple myeloma-induced high-output failure via the utilization of these agents.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Two patients with multiple myeloma were evaluated for volume overload. The first was a 50-year-old man with refractory disease. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated diffuse marrow replacement throughout the pelvis. Cardiac catheterization conveyed elevated filling pressures and a cardiac output of 15 liters/minute. He quickly decompensated and required mechanical ventilation. The second patient was a 61-year-old man recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma and volume overload. Skeletal survey demonstrated numerous lytic lesions throughout the pelvis. His cardiac catheterization also conveyed elevated filling pressures and a cardiac output of 10 liters/minute. Neither patient responded to diuretic therapy and they were subsequently started on dexamethasone plus lenalidomide and thalidomide, respectively. The first patient's brisk diuresis allowed for extubation within 48 hours after the first dose. He had a net negative fluid balance of 15 liters over 10 days. The second patient also quickly diuresed and on repeat cardiac catheterization, his cardiac output had normalized to 4.7 liters/minute.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Multiple myeloma can cause high-output failure. The mechanism is likely extensive bony involvement causing innumerable intramedullary arteriovenous fistulas. Diuretic therapy is not effective in treating this condition. Lenalidomide and thalidomide, both of which inhibit angiogenesis, seem to be viable treatment options. Based on the rapid and effective results seen in these two patients, a potential novel mechanism of 'pharmacologic fistula ligation' with these agents may be the most effective way to treat this presentation.</p

Ionic Polyimides: New High Performance Polymers for Additive Manufacturing

There is currently a very limited set of engineering polymers that have been demonstrated as viable for use in 3-D printing. Additive manufacturing of custom components will require a much larger array of polymers, especially those with physical, thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties that can be tailor-made. The development of Ionic Polyimides offers a solution to this shortage by combining the well understood and widely accepted properties of conventional polyimides, with a new approach to polymer synthesis. Polyimides and polymeric ionic liquids (poly(ILs)) are at the forefront of advanced polymer materials, each with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. While it is clear that more types of polymer materials are needed for fused deposition modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing, there is a need to explore these classes of materials. The synthesis process developed by the Bara Research Group at the University of Alabama allows full control over polymer structure, nanostructure, thermal, electrical, and physical properties making them a prime candidate for use in the additive manufacturing process. Furthermore, the new process allows us to tailor-make a high strength polymer that can be used to fabricate filament feedstock instead of pellets for 3D printing. The primary objective of this proposal is to determine the relationship between molecular structure, physical properties, and performance of ionic polyimides. Further, we seek to determine their utility as materials suitable for additive manufacturing of components used in aerospace vehicles, with an emphasis on characterizing and simulating their thermal behaviors and properties. This proposal addresses the need for fundamental research on a customizable polymer filament feedstock for 3-D printing with tailor-made properties potentially making it superior to the commercial blends offered in industry today. The deliverables for this project are the creation of a database that will detail the relationships between the molecular structure and physical properties for the ionic polyimide of interest (e.g. Tg/Tm (Glass Transition Temperature divided by Melting Point)) relative to different ionic polyimide structures). This new database will provide a road map to the development of the first generation of materials and ultimately proof-of-concept

City of Hitchcock Comprehensive Plan 2020-2040

Hitchcock is a small town located in Galveston County (Figure 1.1), nestled up on the Texas Gulf Coast. It lies about 40 miles south-east of Houston. The boundaries of the city encloses an area of land of 60.46 sq. miles, an area of water of 31.64 sq. miles at an elevation just 16 feet above sea level. Hitchcock has more undeveloped land (~90% of total area) than the county combined. Its strategic location gives it a driving force of opportunities in the Houston-Galveston Region.The guiding principles for this planning process were Hitchcock’s vision statement and its corresponding goals, which were crafted by the task force. The goals focus on factors of growth and development including public participation, development considerations, transportation, community facilities, economic development, parks, and housing and social vulnerabilityTexas Target Communitie

Commentary: Multiple Angle Observations Would Benefit Visible Band Remote Sensing using Night Lights

The spatial and angular emission patterns of artificial and natural light emitted, scattered, and reflected from the Earth at night are far more complex than those for scattered and reflected solar radiation during daytime. In this commentary, we use examples to show that there is additional information contained in the angular distribution of emitted light. We argue that this information could be used to improve existing remote sensing retrievals based on night lights, and in some cases could make entirely new remote sensing analyses possible. This work will be challenging, so we hope this article will encourage researchers and funding agencies to pursue further study of how multi-angle views can be analyzed or acquired