Sustainability, Compostability, and Specific Microbial Activity on Agricultural Mulch Films Prepared from Poly(lactic acid)

Agricultural mulch film of poly­(lactic acid) (PLA) has been prepared under industrial conditions by the extrusion blown film method with modified properties using poly­(hydroxibutyrate) (PHB) and reactive compatibilizer maleic anhydride (MA). Processing parameters and blend composition have been optimized based upon processability and mechanical properties of the final materials. Because PLA is a biopolymer, evaluation of service life period of the mulch film is very much important. Sustainability of the film has been analyzed by keeping the films in a weatherometer, which can create accelerated weather conditions, followed by mechanical testing at regular intervals. Similarly, variation in compostability has been analyzed as per the American standard for test method, ASTM D 5988, using vermi-compost. In addition, specific microbial action on the mulch films also has been analyzed using bacteria <i>Berkholdaria cepacia</i> (<i>B. cepacia</i>), which is selective in particular toward PLA degradation and in mixed fungal inoculums

Tween 20-/H₂O Promoted Green Synthesis, Computational and Antibacterial Activity of Amino Acid Substituted Methylene Bisphosphonates

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Slow Magnetic Relaxations in Manganese(III) Tetra(<i>meta</i>-fluorophenyl)porphyrin-tetracyanoethenide. Comparison with the Relative Single Chain Magnet <i>ortho</i> Compound

Mn­(III) tetra­(<i>meta</i>-fluorophenyl)­porphyrin-tetracyanoethenide coordination polymer (abbreviated <i>meta</i>-F) was synthesized and crystallographically and magnetically characterized. The compound crystallizes in the space group <i>C</i>2/<i>c</i> with four equivalent molecules in the unit cell arranged along two symmetry related nonparallel linear chain directions. Magnetic properties were studied by SQUID dc magnetization and ac susceptibility techniques and high field-high frequency electron spin resonance (HF-ESR). Glassy transition to a ferromagnetic-like state is observed at 10 K accompanied by slow magnetic relaxations. The glassiness is interpreted as due to 3D domain wall pinning. In a bias dc magnetic field the width of the relaxation time distribution decreases and the relaxations become similar to the relaxations of the single chain magnet Mn­(III) tetra­(<i>ortho</i>-fluorophenyl)­porphyrin-tetracyanoethenide (abbreviated <i>ortho</i>-F), for which comparative HF-ESR studies were also conducted in this work. Magnetic properties of these two compounds are compared, and the nature of magnetic relaxations in <i>meta</i>-F is discussed