93 research outputs found

    “Greener” chemical modification of cellulose nanocrystals via oxa-Michael addition with N-Benzylmaleimide

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    Surface modification of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) was conducted by an oxa-Michael addition of primary hydroxyl groups on the CNC surface with N-Benzylmaleimide (BnM). Six principles of green chemistry were used to obtain the hydrophobized CNC. Two catalytic approaches were used, a self-catalyzed reaction where alkyl sulfuric acid on the surface of the CNC was the catalyst, and a base-catalyzed approach using triethylamine (TEA). DMSO was chosen as reaction solvent due to its low cost, low toxicity and ability to disperse native CNC compared to other polar diprotic solvents. NMR and FTIR studies confirmed the successful modification of CNCs in both reaction routes. The TEA-catalyzed reaction showed a higher BnM conversion at 70 ​°C after 72 ​h (46 ​± ​2%) compared to the self-catalyzed reaction at 100 ​°C (24 ​± ​2%). Since BnM was added at a two-fold excess compared to superficial primary –OH groups, these had estimated conversions of 92% and 48%, for the base catalyzed and acid catalyzed routes, respectively. Zeta potential measurements suggest, the sulfate groups were retained after the modification reaction. AFM demonstrated no change in particle morphology after modification. Modified CNCs degraded at a higher temperature (390 ​± ​8 ​°C) when the reaction was catalyzed by TEA compared to native CNCs and the self-catalyzed product (220 ​± ​10 ​°C). Contact angle measurements demonstrated the increased hydrophobicity of the modified nanoparticles. Visual inspection and UV–vis spectroscopy demonstrated the modified CNCs had an increased affinity towards organic solvents like acetone, acetonitrile and toluene

    Facile fabrication and characterization of kraft lignin@Fe3O4 nanocomposites using pH driven precipitation: Effects on increasing lignin content

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    This work offers a facile fabrication method for lignin nanocomposites through the assembly of kraft lignin onto magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4) based on pH-driven precipitation, without needing organic solvents or lignin functionalization. Kraft lignin@Fe3O4 multicore nanocomposites fabrication proceeded using a simple, pH-driven precipitation technique. An alkaline solution for kraft lignin (pH 12) was rapidly injected into an aqueous-based Fe3O4 nanoparticle colloidal suspension (pH 7) under constant mixing conditions, allowing the fabrication of lignin magnetic nanocomposites. The effects of increasing lignin to initial Fe3O4 mass content (g/g), increasing in ratio from 1:1 to 20:1, are discussed with a complete chemical, structural, and morphological characterization. Results showed that nanocomposites fabricated above 5:1 lignin:Fe3O4 had the highest lignin coverage and content (\u3e20%), possessed superparamagnetic properties (Ms ≈ 45,000 A·m2/kg2); had a negative surface charge (−30 mV), and formed multicore nanostructures (DH ≈ 150 nm). The multicore lignin@Fe3O4 nanocomposites allowed rapid magnetically induced separations from suspension. After 5 min exposure to a rare-earth neodymium magnet (1.27 mm × 1.27 mm × 5.08 mm), lignin@Fe3O4 nanocomposites exhibited a maximum methylene blue removal efficiency of 74.1% ± 7.1%. These nanocomposites have potential in magnetically induced separations to remove organic dyes, heavy metals, or other lignin adsorbates

    Adsorptive properties and on-demand magnetic response of lignin@Fe3O4 nanoparticles at castor oil–water interfaces

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    Lignin@Fe3O4 nanoparticles adsorb at oil–water interfaces, form Pickering emulsions, induce on-demand magnetic responses to break emulsions, and can sequester oil from water. Lignin@Fe3O4 nanoparticles were prepared using a pH-induced precipitation method and were fully characterized. These were used to prepare Pickering emulsions with castor oil/Sudan red G dye and water at various oil/water volume ratios and nanoparticle concentrations. The stability and demulsification of the emulsions under different magnetic fields generated with permanent magnets (0–540 mT) were investigated using microscopy images and by visual inspection over time. The results showed that the Pickering emulsions were more stable at the castor oil/water ratio of 50/50 and above. Increasing the concentration of lignin@Fe3O4 improved the emulsion stability and demulsification rates with 540 mT applied magnetic field strength. The adsorption of lignin@Fe3O4 nanoparticles at the oil/water interface using 1-pentanol evaporation through Marangoni effects was demonstrated, and magnetic manipulation of a lignin@Fe3O4 stabilized castor oil spill in water was shown. Nanoparticle concentration and applied magnetic field strengths were analyzed for the recovery of spilled oil from water; it was observed that increasing the magnetic strength increased oil spill motion for a lignin@Fe3O4 concentration of up to 0.8 mg mL−1 at 540 mT. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of lignin-magnetite nanocomposites for rapid on-demand magnetic responses to externally induced stimuli

    Diagnóstico y propuesta de mejora de la utilización de los recursos disponibles

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    Informe de investigación--Universidad de Costa Rica, Vicerrectoría de Acción Social, Trabajo Comunal Universitario. 2004. Para mayor información puede escribir a [email protected] realizado en la Fundación Hogar de Ancianos en Piedades de Santa Ana. Se analizó el ambiente en el hogar y la calidad de vida de los adultos mayores que habitan allí. Al respecto, se identificó la carencia de un programa de actividades para las personas de tercera edad, que aporte a su salud física y mental. Entonces, se estableció un plan que pudiera ajustarse a la realidad económica del hogar.Universidad de Costa RicaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Acción Social::Trabajo Comunal Universitario (TCU

    Methyl cellulose/cellulose nanocrystal nanocomposite fibers with high ductility

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    Methylcellulose/cellulose nanocrystal (MC/CNC) nanocomposite fibers showing high ductility and high modulus of toughness were prepared by a simple aqueous wet-spinning from corresponding nanocomposite hydrogels into ethanol coagulation bath followed by drying. The hydrogel MC aq. concentration was maintained at 1 wt-% while the CNC aq. loading was systematically varied in the range 0 – 3 wt-%. This approach resulted in MC/CNC fiber compositions from 25/75 wt-%/wt-% to 95/5 wt-%/wt-%. The optimal mechanical properties were achieved with the MC/CNC composition of 80/20 wt-%/wt-% allowing high strain (36.1 %) and modulus of toughness (48.3 MJ/m3), still keeping a high strength (190 MPa). Further, we demonstrate that the continuous spinning of MC/CNC fibers is potentially possible. The results indicate possibilities to spin MC-based highly ductile composite fibers from environmentally benign aqueous solvents.Peer reviewe

    Control of the aqueous solubility of cellulose by hydroxyl group substitution and its effect on processing

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    Native cellulose is insoluble in water, despite the high number of hydrogen bonding sites per chain, as molecules preferably hydrogen bond to each other, preventing its use in industrial applications. The modification of cellulose has received considerable recent attention, motivated by the move away from conventional petroleum-based, water-soluble polymers, however, a systematic analysis of the effects of modification is rare. Herein a detailed study of hydroxypropyl (HP)- and (2-hydroxypropyl) trimethylammonium chloride-modified cellulose, with degrees of substitution (DS) determined by NMR, establishes modification-property relationships. TEM, small-angle X-ray scattering and rheology demonstrated that increasing DS gradually changes the aqueous solubility, resulting in the formation of different morphologies, including micron-sized aggregates, needle-like cellulose nanoparticles (CNPs) and solvated molecules. It was found that aqueous dispersions with DSHP of 50 %, assigned to a ‘sweet spot’ in cellulose modification, are suitable for the fiber formation. It is shown that this state of the material can be easily detected by rheo-optical methods based on birefringence. Using structural analysis, molecular dynamic simulation and fiber-spinning results, it is proposed that co-existing CNPs and cellulose molecules, interacting via H-bonding, form a network which orients under shear, acting as a precursor for the fiber formation from aqueous solutions

    Overview of the instrumentation for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument

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    The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) embarked on an ambitious 5 yr survey in 2021 May to explore the nature of dark energy with spectroscopic measurements of 40 million galaxies and quasars. DESI will determine precise redshifts and employ the baryon acoustic oscillation method to measure distances from the nearby universe to beyond redshift z > 3.5, and employ redshift space distortions to measure the growth of structure and probe potential modifications to general relativity. We describe the significant instrumentation we developed to conduct the DESI survey. This includes: a wide-field, 3.°2 diameter prime-focus corrector; a focal plane system with 5020 fiber positioners on the 0.812 m diameter, aspheric focal surface; 10 continuous, high-efficiency fiber cable bundles that connect the focal plane to the spectrographs; and 10 identical spectrographs. Each spectrograph employs a pair of dichroics to split the light into three channels that together record the light from 360–980 nm with a spectral resolution that ranges from 2000–5000. We describe the science requirements, their connection to the technical requirements, the management of the project, and interfaces between subsystems. DESI was installed at the 4 m Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory and has achieved all of its performance goals. Some performance highlights include an rms positioner accuracy of better than 0.″1 and a median signal-to-noise ratio of 7 of the [O ii] doublet at 8 × 10−17 erg s−1 cm−2 in 1000 s for galaxies at z = 1.4–1.6. We conclude with additional highlights from the on-sky validation and commissioning, key successes, and lessons learned

    Algunas consideraciones sobre la dirección en la sociedad post-industrial

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    El presente trabajo ofrece algunas consideraciones sobre el cambio del director tradicional al líder, como impulsor de las constantes transformaciones que ha de enfrentar la empresa, y del cambio cultural asociado a las mismas.The present work offers some consideratios on the change of the manager or director to the leader, like impeller of the constant transformatios that have to face the company, and the associated cultural change to de same ones

    Effect of the Interactions between Oppositely Charged Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNCs) and Chitin Nanocrystals (ChNCs) on the Enhanced Stability of Soybean Oil-in-Water Emulsions

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    Chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have been recently used to stabilize emulsions; however, they generally require significant amounts of salt, limiting their applicability in food products. In this study, we developed nanoconjugates by mixing positively charged ChNCs and negatively charged CNCs at various ChNC:CNC mass ratios (2:1, 1:1, and 1:2), and utilized them in stabilizing soybean oil–water Pickering emulsions with minimal use of NaCl salt (20 mM) and nanoparticle (NP) concentrations below 1 wt%. The nanoconjugates stabilized the emulsions better than individual CNC or ChNC in terms of a reduced drop growth and less creaming. Oppositely charged CNC and ChNC neutralized each other when their mass ratio was 1:1, leading to significant flocculation in the absence of salt at pH 6. Raman spectroscopy provided evidence for electrostatic interactions between the ChNCs and CNCs, and generated maps suggesting an assembly of ChNC bundles of micron-scale lengths intercalated by similar-size areas predominantly composed of CNC. The previous measurements, in combination with contact angles on nanoparticle films, suggested that the conjugates preferentially exposed the hydrophobic crystalline planes of CNCs and ChNCs at a 1:1 mass ratio, which was also the best ratio at stabilizing soybean oil–water Pickering emulsions

    Novel Castor Oil/Water/Ethanol Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Magnetic Nanoparticles and Magnetically Controllable Demulsification

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    A novel castor oil/water/ethanol Pickering emulsion, stabilized by magnetic nanoparticles (NPs), was developed to allow on-demand demulsification by an external magnetic field for the extraction of ethanol from aqueous solution using the castor oil. The emulsion was stabilized by Fe3O4-coated cellulose nanocrystals (CNC@Fe3O4) and lignin-coated Fe3O4 NPs (lignin@Fe3O4). The stability of the emulsions was investigated at various castor oil to ethanol-water ratios (50/50 and 70/30), various NP concentrations, and ethanol concentrations in the aqueous phase. The magnetically controlled demulsification ability of the emulsions was investigated by using a permanent magnet. The results showed that the 70/30 emulsions were more stable than the 50/50 emulsions for all the ethanol concentrations. Moreover, increasing the NP concentration increased the emulsion stability and hence, 1 w/v% NPs concentration provided the more stable systems. However, all the emulsions were successfully broken by the permanent magnet. Yet, the presence of ethanol improves the ability of the external magnetic field to demulsify these dispersions. Furthermore, the used hybrid NPs were recovered and recycled for three cycles. The recycled NPs were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) indicating that they retained their saturation magnetization and crystalline structure, demonstrating their lack of degradation over multiple recycling cycles. This study facilitates the exploration of innovative two-phase Pickering emulsions comprising three distinct liquid components and their utilization in liquid-liquid extraction processes
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