Preparation and Characterization of SO42-/TiO2-HBeta for Selective Conversion of 1-Methylnaphthalene

In this study, new types of SO42-/TiO2-HBeta (ST/Hβ) catalysts are synthesized and characterized by XRD, IR, N2 adsorption-desorption, ICP-OES, SEM, and NH3-TPD methods. Conversion of 1-methylnaphthalene is carried out in a fixed-bed system. Based on the study's results, the catalysts ST/Hβ showed uniform SO42-/TiO2 (ST) loading, high surface area, and sufficient mild acid sites. When ST content increased, the amount of strong acid sites and by-products decreased. Under atmospheric pressure, catalyst 15-ST/Hβ showed a catalytic performance of 74.1 % conversion and 97.4 % selectivity

Exploring the Structural Transformation Mechanism of Chinese and Thailand Silk Fibroin Fibers and Formic-Acid Fabricated Silk Films

Silk fibroin (SF) is a protein polymer derived from insects, which has unique mechanical properties and tunable biodegradation rate due to its variable structures. Here, the variability of structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of two domesticated silk films (Chinese and Thailand B. Mori) regenerated from formic acid solution, as well as their original fibers, were compared and investigated using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). Four relaxation events appeared clearly during the temperature region of 25 °C to 280 °C in DMA curves, and their disorder degree (fdis) and glass transition temperature (Tg) were predicted using Group Interaction Modeling (GIM). Compared with Thai (Thailand) regenerated silks, Chin (Chinese) silks possess a lower Tg, higher fdis, and better elasticity and mechanical strength. As the calcium chloride content in the initial processing solvent increases (1%–6%), the Tg of the final SF samples gradually decrease, while their fdis increase. Besides, SF with more non-crystalline structures shows high plasticity. Two α- relaxations in the glass transition region of tan δ curve were identified due to the structural transition of silk protein. These findings provide a new perspective for the design of advanced protein biomaterials with different secondary structures, and facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the structure-property relationship of various biopolymers in the futu

Ultrasound regulated flexible protein materials: Fabrication, structure and physical-biological properties.

Ultrasound can be used in the biomaterial field due to its high efficiency, easy operation, no chemical treatment, repeatability and high level of control. In this work, we demonstrated that ultrasound is able to quickly regulate protein structure at the solution assembly stage to obtain the designed properties of protein-based materials. Silk fibroin proteins dissolved in a formic acid-CaCl solution system were treated in an ultrasound with varying times and powers. By altering these variables, the silks physical properties and structures can be fine-tuned and the results were investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), gas permeability and water contact angle measurements. Ultrasonic treatment aids the interactions between the calcium ions and silk molecular chains which leads to increased amounts of intermolecular β-sheets and α-helix. This unique structural change caused the silk film to be highly insoluble in water while also inducing a hydrophilic swelling property. The ultrasound-regulated silk materials also showed higher thermal stability, better biocompatibility and breathability, and favorable mechanical strength and flexibility. It was also possible to tune the enzymatic degradation rate and biological response (cell growth and proliferation) of protein materials by changing ultrasound parameters. This study provides a unique physical and non-contact material processing method for the wide applications of protein-based biomaterials

Recent Advances in Electrospun Sustainable Composites for Biomedical, Environmental, Energy, and Packaging Applications.

Electrospinning has gained constant enthusiasm and wide interest as a novel sustainable material processing technique due to its ease of operation and wide adaptability for fabricating eco-friendly fibers on a nanoscale. In addition, the device working parameters, spinning solution properties, and the environmental factors can have a significant effect on the fibers\u27 morphology during electrospinning. This review summarizes the newly developed principles and influence factors for electrospinning technology in the past five years, including these factors\u27 interactions with the electrospinning mechanism as well as its most recent applications of electrospun natural or sustainable composite materials in biology, environmental protection, energy, and food packaging materials

Preparation of 2-Methylnaphthalene from 1-Methylnaphthalene via Catalytic Isomerization and Crystallization

Large amounts of residual 1-methylnaphthalene are generated when 2-methylnaphthalene is extracted from alkyl naphthalene. In order to transform waste into assets, this study proposes a feasible process for preparing 2-methylnaphthalene from 1-methylnaphthalene through isomerization and crystallization. The 1-methylnaphthalene isomerization was carried out in a fixed-bed reactor over mixed acids-treated HBEA zeolite. The results showed that acidic properties of catalysts and reaction temperature were associated with the 2-methylnaphthalene selectivity, yield and catalytic stability. At a high reaction temperature of 623 K, the 2-methylnaphthalene yield was 65.84 %, and the deactivation rate was much lower. The separation of reaction products was then investigated by two consecutive crystallization processes. Under optimal conditions, the 2-methylnaphthalene purity attained 96.67 % in the product, while the yield was 87.48 % in the refining process. Copyright © 2018 BCREC Group. All rights reserved Received: 10th May 2018; Revised: 16th July 2018; Accepted: 17th July 2018 How to Cite: Sun, H., Sun, K., Jiang, J., Gu, Z. (2018). Preparation of 2-Methylnaphthalene from 1-Methylnaphthalene via Catalytic Isomerization and Crystallization. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 13 (3): 512-519 (doi:10.9767/bcrec.13.3.2650.512-519) Permalink/DOI: https://doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.13.3.2650.512-51

SEISMIC ANALYSIS OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANT CANNED MOTOR PUMP UNIT BASED ON INTEGRAL CALCULATION METHOD

The canned motor pump is a device in one of the most important loops in the nuclear power plant system and key technology research project, of which the seismic requirements shall be checked by Category A. It is required that the structural integrity and electric drive assembly performability of the unit can be ensured during or after operating basic earthquake (OBE) or safe shutdown earthquake (SSE). The author uses Ansys software workbench module to carry out appearance-based three-dimensional modeling, finite element meshing, intrinsic mode analysis, and carry out structural overall element analysis and calculation considering dead weight load and earthquake spectrum load. The results show that the unit major structure rotary and static parts, gear system, bearing parts, bolt and screw strengths meet the requirements and the structure maintains integrity, the relative deformation of the unit rotary and static parts shall be less than the specified value of gap among them, so as to keep the performability and not interfere with the operation. The appearance–based seismic analysis method not only can ensure the calculation accuracy, but also can greatly reduce the workload in calculation and checking, has a certain learning value

The effect of ions doping on the rheological properties of ferrite ferrofluids

A series of ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized via ion doping and then were coated by surfactant and dispersed in perfluorinated polyether oil (PFPE-oil), and the various ferrite ferrofluids were obtained. The scanning electron microscope was used to characterize the morphology of particles and the dispersed state of ferrofluid, energy-dispersive spectroscopy was used to study the chemical composition of particles, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis were used to study the coated effect of PFPE-acids on particles, vibrating sample magnetometer was used to research the magnetization curves of ferrite particles, and the rheological property of the ferrite ferrofluids was studied by a rheometer. The results show that Zn2+, Mn2+/Zn2+, and Dy3+ ions were doped in the ferrite nanoparticles with a size less than 50 nm. The four kinds of ferrite nanoparticles have the characteristics of super-paramagnetic materials, and the M-T curves decrease with increasing temperature, while their decline rates are notably different. The ferrite particles are coated with PFPE acids chemically, and the ferrofluids have well dispersion stability. The rheological properties of the ferrite ferrofluids change with the variation of ion doping, magnetic field strength, temperature, etc. The magnetism and viscosity of ferrite ferrofluids are regularly affected by ion doping, and the results will have a great significance on basic research and related applications

Tailoring the supramolecular structure of guanidinylated pullulan toward enhanced genetic photodynamic therapy

In the progress of designing a gene carrier system, what is urgently needed is a balance of excellent safety and satisfactory efficiency. Herein, a straightforward and versatile synthesis of a cationic guanidine-decorated dendronized pullulan (OGG3P) for efficient genetic photodynamic therapy was proposed. OGG3P was able to block the mobility of DNA from a weight ratio of 2. However, G3P lacking guanidine residues could not block DNA migration until at a weight ratio of 15, revealing guanidination could facilitate DNA condensation via specific guanidinium-phosphate interactions. A zeta potential plateau (∼+23 mV) of OGG3P complexes indicated the nonionic hydrophilic hydroxyl groups in pullulan might neutralize the excessive detrimental cationic charges. There was no obvious cytotoxicity and hemolysis, but also enhancement of transfection efficiency with regard to OGG3P in comparison with that of native G3P in Hela and HEK293T cells. More importantly, we found that the uptake efficiency in Hela cells between OGG3P and G3P complexes was not markedly different. However, guanidination caused changes in uptake pathway and led to macropinocytosis pathway, which may be a crucial reason for improved transfection efficiency. After introducing a therapeutic pKillerRed-mem plasmid, OGG3P complexes achieved significantly enhanced KillerRed protein expression and ROS production under irradiation. ROS-induced cancer cells proliferation suppression was also confirmed. This study highlights the guanidine-decorated dendronized pullulan could emerge as a reliable nonviral gene carrier to specifically deliver therapeutic genes

Aerodynamic Optimization Design of a Supersonic Compressor Rotor with High Pressure Ratio

Supersonic compressors have a high wheel speed and operational capability, which facilitate a high stage pressure ratio. However, the strong shock waves in the passage of a supersonic rotor and the interference between shock waves and boundary layers can lead to large flow loss and low efficiency. Moreover, the existing design of a high-load supersonic compressor has the problem of small stall margin. In this study, an automatic optimization method including 2D profile optimization and 3D blade optimization is proposed to achieve a high efficiency at the design point of a supersonic compressor rotor under the premise of reaching the desired mass flow rate and total pressure ratio. According to the analysis of flow near the stall point of the supersonic compressor rotor, the mechanism responsible for rotor tip stall is established, that is, the aerodynamic throat appeared inside the flow passage, reducing the ability of the blade tip to withstand back pressure, and the low-speed areas caused by the tip-leakage-vortex breakage and boundary layer separation reduced the flow capacity of the blade tip. Based on the reasons for rotor stall, three methods are proposed to improve the stall margin, which include increasing the exit radius of the upper meridian, forward sweep of the blade tip, and increasing the chord length of the blade tip. The above method is used to design a supersonic rotor with a total pressure ratio of 2.8, which exhibits an efficiency of 0.902 at the design point and a stall margin of 18.11%

The Analysis on Seepage Field of Grouted and Shotcrete Lined Underwater Tunnel

Groundwater control in underwater tunnels by drilling and blasting method is generally carried out by grouting ring, shotcrete lining (primary lining), and concrete lining. The permeable grouting ring and shotcrete lining have an important impact on seepage field. However, the currently published research models of related results are for homogeneous and isotropic single-layer unlined tunnels, ignoring the important effects of tunnel grouting circles and primary lining. If the conclusions of the relevant literature are directly used to guide the tunnel design, large errors may occur. Therefore, on the basis of previous studies, this article extends the tunnel seepage research model and incorporates the tunnel grouting ring and primary lining into the research model. The research model is more in line with actual working conditions. Based on the principle of mirror method, the seepage field of a drainage tunnel in an infinite aquifer is superposed with that of a water supply tunnel in an infinite aquifer, and the analytical solution to the seepage field of an grouted and shotcrete lined underwater tunnel in a semi-infinite aquifer is obtained, which is further verified by numerical analysis and experiment. In addition, the influence of grouting ring and primary lining parameters on seepage field is discussed by using partial differential analysis. The results show that the seepage flow of tunnel can be significantly alleviated by either reducing the permeability coefficient of grouting ring and primary lining or increasing the thickness of grouting ring and primary lining, but the water pressure of grouting ring and primary lining will increase