Main-chain polybenzoxazine nanofibers via electrospinning

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Here we report the successful production of nanofibers from main-chain polybenzoxazines (MCPBz) via electrospinning without using any other carrier polymer matrix. Two different types of MCPBz (PBA-ad6 and PBA-ad12) were synthesized by using two types of difunctional amine (1,6-diaminohexane and 1,12-diaminododecane), bisphenol-A, and paraformaldehyde as starting materials through a Mannich reaction. 1H NMR and FTIR spectroscopy studies have confirmed the chemical structures of the two MCPBz. We were able to obtain highly concentrated homogeneous solutions of the two MCPBz in chloroform/N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) (4:1, v/v) solvent system. The electrospinning conditions were optimized in order to produce bead-free, uniform and continuous nanofibers from these two MCPBz by varying the concentrations of PBA-ad6 (30–45%, w/v) and PBA-ad12 (15–20%, w/v) in chloroform/DMF (4:1, v/v). The bead-free fiber morphology was evidenced under SEM imaging when PBA-ad6 and PBA-ad12 were electrospun at solution concentration of 40% and 18% (w/v), respectively. The nanofibrous mats of MCPBz were obtained as free-standing material, yet, PBA-ad12 mat was more flexible than and PBA-ad6 mat. Furthermore, the curing studies of these MCPBz nanofibrous mats were performed to obtain cross-linked materials

Memory based on abstraction for dynamic fitness functions

Copyright @ Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008.This paper proposes a memory scheme based on abstraction for evolutionary algorithms to address dynamic optimization problems. In this memory scheme, the memory does not store good solutions as themselves but as their abstraction, i.e., their approximate location in the search space. When the environment changes, the stored abstraction information is extracted to generate new individuals into the population. Experiments are carried out to validate the abstraction based memory scheme. The results show the efficiency of the abstraction based memory scheme for evolutionary algorithms in dynamic environments.This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of UK under Grant No. EP/E060722/1

Sensitive surface states and their passivation mechanism in CdS quantum dots

Cataloged from PDF version of article.We report on phase sensitive surface states of CdS quantum dots (QDs), where it is noticed that a simple phase change from dispersion to solid has shown significant influence on the emission spectrum. As the solvent evaporates from the dispersion, apparently yellow dispersion transforms into a white light emitter because of the conformal changes in the polymer that surrounds the QDs. In turn, these changes catalyze the emission from three specific wavelengths in the blue region of the spectrum, shifting the surface defects closer to the conduction band of CdS. In the phase change from dispersion to solid, flexible and dangling polymer chains are transformed into rigid moieties that can be treated as a modified chemical environment. Furthermore, to ascertain the origin of the new emission lines, we have studied a dipole interaction-based passivation mechanism between QDs and the polymer. The proposed mechanism may be valuable for designing future QD-based fluorophores and explains the sensitivity of the surface states in the case of CdS

In Situ Synthesis of Polymer/Clay Nanocomposites by Type II Photoinitiated Free Radical Polymerization

Cataloged from PDF version of article.A new synthetic route for the preparation of poly(methyl methacrylate)/montmorillonite (PMMA/MMT) nanocomposites was reported. In this method, first 4-(dimethylamino)benzoate group was incorporated into silicate layers of clay by esterification reaction and used to produce PMMA/MMT nanocomposites by in situ Type II photoinitiated free radical polymerization. In situ photopolymerization of methyl methacrylate through into the silicate layers by either visible or UV light irradiation leads to PMMA/MMT nanocomposites. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Self-aligned and bundled electrospun fibers prepared from blends of polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with a hairt-rod polyphenylene copolymer

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Bundled and self-aligned fibers were obtained by electrospinning blends of polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with a hairy-rod polyphenylene-g-polystyrene/poly(a-caprolactone) (PP-g-PS/PCL) copolymer. The self-alignment and bundling characteristics of these electrospun fibers were ascribed to the unique molecular architecture of the conjugated polymer, PP-g-PS/PCL, and its interactions with the solvent and the polymer matrixes used for the electrospinning. The self-alignment and bundling was found to be much more pronounced for PP-g-PS/PCL-PS blend when compared to PP-g-PS/PCL-PMMA blend. Furthermore we found that the degree of self-alignment of the fiber bundles was enhanced by increasing the amount of PP-g-PS/PCL in the blends but the alignment completely disappeared when the solvent dimethylformamide was changed to chloroform. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The effect of regular physical activity on women's self-confidence levels: An exploratory research

Introduction: It is known that physical activity is good for many diseases such as obesity, heart diseases, various types of cancer, musculoskeletal disorders. Compared to men, women's participation in physical activity is more limited. Physical activity, on the other hand, contributes to both the increase in the quality of life and the socialization of people. In this context, the aim of this study is to determine the self-confidence levels of women who regularly participate in physical activity. Method: In the research, besides the personal information form prepared by the researchers, the self-confidence scale was used. The sample population survey in Turkey Kocaeli province has created 408 women participating regularly in physical activity. In the analysis of the data, arithmetic means, frequency and percentage values were taken. As a result of the normality test, it was seen that it showed a normal distribution. Accordingly, independent sample t-test was used in the analysis of paired groups and one way Anova tests were used in the analysis of multiple groups. Results: As a result of the analysis, no significant difference was found in any sub-dimension according to the marital status variable. Significant differences were observed in the sub-dimensions of the scale according to the variables of income level, physical activity duration, education level and age. Conclusion: It has been observed that as the duration of physical activity increases, the level of self-confidence increases. In addition, it was concluded that age and educational status were directly related to self-confidence, and as education level and age increased, self-confidence increased

Fabrication of cellulose acetate/polybenzoxazine cross-linked electrospun nanofibrous membrane for water treatment

Herein, polybenzoxazine based cross-linked cellulose acetate nanofibrous membrane exhibiting enhanced thermal/mechanical properties and improved adsorption efficiency was successfully produced via electrospinning and thermal curing. Initially, suitable solution composition was determined by varying the amount of the benzoxazine (BA-a) resin, cellulose acetate (CA) and citric acid (CTR) to obtain uniform nanofibrous membrane via electrospinning. Subsequently, thermal curing was performed by step-wise at 150, 175, 200 and 225 °C to obtain cross-linked composite nanofibrous membranes. SEM images and solubility experiments demonstrated that most favorable result was obtained from the 10% (w/v) CA, 5% (w/v) BA-a and 1% (w/v) CTR composition and cross-linked nanofibrous membrane (CA10/PolyBA-a5/CTR1) was obtained after the thermal curing. Chemical structural changes (ring opening) occurred by thermal curing revealed successful cross-linking of BA-a in the composite nanofibrous membrane. Thermal, mechanical and adsorption performance of pristine CA and CA10/PolyBA-a5/CTR1 nanofibrous membranes were studied. Char yield of the pristine CA nanofibrous membrane has increased notably from 12 to 24.7% for composite CA10/PolyBA-a5/CTR1 membrane. When compared to pristine CA membrane, CA10/PolyBA-a5/CTR1 nanofibrous membrane has shown superior mechanical properties having tensile strength and Young's modulus of 8.64 ± 0.63 MPa and 213.87 ± 30.79 MPa, respectively. Finally, adsorption performance of pristine CA and CA10/PolyBA-a5/CTR1 nanofibrous membranes was examined by a model polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compound (i.e. phenanthrene) in aqueous solution, in which CA10/PolyBA-a5/CTR1 nanofibrous membrane has shown better removal efficiency (98.5%) and adsorption capacity (592 μg/g). © 2017 Elsevier Lt

Cross-linked main-chain polybenzoxazine nanofibers by photo and thermal curing; Stable at high temperatures and harsh acidic conditions

In this study, for the first time cross-linking of linear aliphatic diamine-based main-chain polybenzoxazine (MCPBz) electrospun nanofibers were accomplished by two-step approach consisting of photo and thermal curing. Initially, two novel MCPBz resins which comprise of a benzophenone unit in the polymer main-chain were synthesized and uniform MCPBz nanofibers were produced by electrospinning. At first step, photo curing was performed by free radical polymerization initiated by UV-light and thermal stability of nanofibers was enhanced. At second step, thermal curing was carried out at different temperatures (150-225 °C) and ring opening and cross-linking of benzoxazine groups in the fiber structure were achieved. After two-step curing, cross-linked MCPBz nanofibers were obtained as free-standing material with good mechanical properties. Moreover, it was shown that these two cross-linked MCPBz nanofibers were structurally stable and maintained their fibrous morphology at high temperatures (400 °C), in good solvents (chloroform, DMF, 1,4-dioxane, DMAc, THF) and highly concentrated strong acids (HCl, HNO3, H2SO4). © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Polybenzoxazine-Based Nanofibers by Electrospinning

In this chapter recent progress in the production of polybenzoxazine-based nanofibrous mats by electrospinning is highlighted. The benzoxazine monomers could easily form thermosetting polybenzoxazines by in situ thermally initiated ring-opening polymerization, hence, they are promising materials for both the surface modification of polymeric nanofibrous mats and the production of polybenzoxazine-based composite nanofibers. After curing, polybenzoxazines provide hydrophobic characteristic for the modified polymeric nanofiber surfaces by in situ polymerization of the benzoxazines because of their highly cross-linked structure. Also, they allow for the further functionalization of the surfaces as superhydrophobic and superleophilic by the incorporation of SiO2 nanoparticles into the benzoxazine solution. In addtion, benzoxazine monomers could be directly added into electrospinning solutions and the thermal curing of the obtained nanofibrous mat could yield hydrophobic composite nanofibers. Moreover, because of outstanding properties, such as near-zero volumetric change upon curing, low water absorption, high glass transition temperature, high char yield, and no by-products without any catalysts during curing, polybenzoxazines are good a candidate as a precursor for the production of carbon nanofibers. In addition, the molecular structure of polybenzoxazines facilitates immense design flexibility, which enables the tailoring of the properties of the cured material. Therefore, suitable polybenzoxazines can be synthesized, and cross-linked polybenzoxazine nanofibers, with enhanced thermal and mechanical properties, can be obtained by electrospinning without the blending of other polymers. By combining the unique properties of nanofibers and the facinating properties of polybenzoxazines, highly cross-linked polybenzoxazine-based nanofibrous mats can be obtained and these materials are quite useful, especially in filtration applications. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Polysulfone/Clay Nanocomposites by in situ Photoinduced Crosslinking Polymerization

Cataloged from PDF version of article.PSU/MMT nanocomposites are prepared by dispersing MMT nanolayers in a PSU matrix via in situ photoinduced crosslinking polymerization. Intercalated methacrylate-functionalized MMT and polysulfone dimethacrylate macromonomer are synthesized independently by esterification. In situ photoinduced crosslinking of the intercalated monomer and the PSU macromonomer in the silicate layers leads to nanocomposites that are formed by individually dispersing inorganic silica nanolayers in the polymer matrix. The morphology of the nanocomposites is investigated by XRD and TEM, which suggests the random dispersion of silicate layers in the PSU matrix. TGA results confirm that the thermal stability and char yield of PSU/MMT nanocomposites increases with the increase of clay loading