Academic literature on the topic 'Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), viscoelasticity, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)'

In order to improve the dispersibility of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the resin matrix, CNTs grafted with hyperbranched triazine compound (HPTC–CNTs) was produced by four generations condensation reaction using cyanuric chloride and hexamethylenediamine. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), UV-Vis spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and transmission electron microscopes (TEM) were used to characterize the obtained HPTC–CNTs. The FTIR, XPS, UV-Vis and TEM analysis showed that CNTs had been successfully grafted with HPTC. The TGA showed that the content of HPTC on the surface of CNTs was about 58 wt.%. And the HPTC–CNTs had good dispersion both in water and acetone.

The structure and thermal properties of Ba[Formula: see text]La[Formula: see text]MnO3 polycrystalline powder have been investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. The structural studies have shown that Ba[Formula: see text]La[Formula: see text]MnO3 compound crystallizes in perovskite structure with Pm-3m cubic symmetry group. The lattice parameters were obtained to be a = b = c = 3.9073 Å. Mass changes have been observed from thermogravimetric (TG) and differential thermogravimetric (DTG) curves obtained in a wide temperature interval of 30–950[Formula: see text]C. Free energy and enthalpy changes for all observed transformations were determined. Observed endo and exo effects.

Mesoporous silicas SBA-15 are modified with β-Cyclodextrins (β-CD) by simple grafting method. β-CD functionalized SBA-15 was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Furthermore, the applicability of it is investigated through studying the adsorption properties of clenbuterol. It showed better adsorption capacities of clenbuterol than pure SBA-15. β-CD functionalized SBA-15 material has the potential applications in the treatment of clenbuterol contamination in food and environment science.

The pyrolysis of siloxy-anchored, organic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on oxide substrates [titanium dioxide powder; hydrolyzed silicon dioxide on (100) silicon] was studied using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and mass spectroscopy (MS). Pyrolysis in air began on heating at 200 °C and was complete by 400 °C for both octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) and C16-thioacetate (TA) SAMs, as observed in TGA of SAM-coated TiO2 powders, and in XPS studies of TA-SAM-coated TiO2 powders and Si wafers after various heat treatments. In low-oxygen environments, pyrolysis of SAMs began at higher temperatures: between 250 and 400 °C for heating in ultrahigh vacuum (10−8 Torr) as observed in XPS studies of TA-SAMs on Si, and between 300 and 400 °C in nitrogen, as observed in TEM analysis of sulfonate SAMs under a TiO2 thin film on Si substrates.

The synthesis of iron oxide nanocrystals from reagents taken from high street sources using thermal decomposition of an iron–fatty acid precursor in a high boiling point solvent in the presence of surfactants is presented. The nanocrystals were characterised using a variety of techniques including: electron microscopy, X-ray dispersive spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and magnetometry. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is also used to compare the decomposition behaviour of iron oleate and iron palmitate, our nanoparticle precursors. The nanoparticles also exhibit shape anisotropy when prepared under optimum conditions. We show that these nanoparticles have potential in magnetic hyperthermia after transfer to aqueous media via an amphiphilic polymer.

The oxidation kinetics and the effects of alloying on the oxidation behaviors of copper-based bulk metallic glasses were studied. The oxidation kinetics, oxide compositions, and structures were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy. Both the TGA results and the XPS depth profile measurements showed that the oxidation resistance of Cu60Zr30Ti10 bulk metallic glass was improved by adding Hf, but it deteriorated when it was alloyed with Y. The oxide phases were found to be ZrO2, Cu2O, and CuO in samples heated at 573 K while an additional metallic Cu phase was detected in the ones heated at 773 K. A porous oxide structure was observed in the (Cu0.6Zr0.3Ti0.1)98Y2 metallic glass oxidized at 673 K, and the poor oxidation resistance of the alloy is attributed to the porous structure.

The aim of this research is to investigate sodium perborate tetrahydrate (SP) modification of cellulosic fibers. Flax, jute, and sisal fibers were treated with aqueous solutions of SP at three different concentrations. The changes in surface characteristics were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). No significant changes in the crystallinity index for all fibers tested were observed as SP treatments only produced surface modification. SEM images showed partial removal of non-cellulosic components occurred. Increased SP concentrations led to greater surface cleaning and fiber separation, imparting a more hydrophobic surface character.

In the present work, a mild strategy was employed to obtain cotton fabrics (CFs) coated with Cu2(OH)PO4 (CHP) nanoparticles to achieve self-cleaning property. The phytic acid (IP6) assisted method was employed to synthesize nanoparticles (CHP-IP6). The as-prepared coated cotton fabrics were characterized using the following techniques: Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The CHP-IP6 coated cotton fabrics showed significant photocatalytic activity, excellent photocatalytic stability, and good discoloration of methylene blue (MB) stains when exposed to sunlight, which could have important applications as tablecloths, household apparels, and industrial workwear.

Self-stratifying polyacrylate latex containing silicon was synthesized via semi-continuous emulsion polymerization, using organic silicon and acrylate as raw materials. Transmission electron microscope(TEM) characterization indicated that the particles were form uniform analogous core-shell structure and dynamic light scattering(DLS) analysis possessed narrow size distributions. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) proved the propensity of silicon enrichment at film-air interface, which revealed self-stratifying phenomenon. The thermal stability of the latex films determined by thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) was increased 24 °C as the join of organic silicon.

Surface-modified Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabrics were prepared through thionylchlorided cellulose nano-crystal (CNC) reacting with hydroxyl groups at the surface of the alkali-etched PET fabrics. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were employed to study the topography, superficial ingredients and thermal properties of the composite, respectively. It was confirmed by the observation of FE-SEM that the surface of PET fabrics was covered by the immobilized CNC particles, and increasing O/C atomic ratio in XPS-spectra was found with grafting. The TGA examination indicated that CNC-g-PET had less weight loss in the range of 300–350° than alkali-treated PET fibers, which was caused by the cross-linking effect of CNC particles with multi-ended reactive groups.

The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) allows the presentation of a thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the format of published or submitted papers, where such papers have been published, accepted or submitted during the period of candidature. This thesis is composed of Seven published/submitted papers and one poster presentation, of which five have been published and the other two are under review. This project is financially supported by the QUTPRA Grant. The twenty-first century started with the resurrection of lignocellulosic biomass as a potential substitute for petrochemicals. Petrochemicals, which enjoyed the sustainable economic growth during the past century, have begun to reach or have reached their peak. The world energy situation is complicated by political uncertainty and by the environmental impact associated with petrochemical import and usage. In particular, greenhouse gasses and toxic emissions produced by petrochemicals have been implicated as a significant cause of climate changes. Lignocellulosic biomass (e.g. sugarcane biomass and bagasse), which potentially enjoys a more abundant, widely distributed, and cost-effective resource base, can play an indispensible role in the paradigm transition from fossil-based to carbohydrate-based economy. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), PHB has attracted much commercial interest as a plastic and biodegradable material because some its physical properties are similar to those of polypropylene (PP), even though the two polymers have quite different chemical structures. PHB exhibits a high degree of crystallinity, has a high melting point of approximately 180°C, and most importantly, unlike PP, PHB is rapidly biodegradable. Two major factors which currently inhibit the widespread use of PHB are its high cost and poor mechanical properties. The production costs of PHB are significantly higher than for plastics produced from petrochemical resources (e.g. PP costs $US1 kg-1, whereas PHB costs $US8 kg-1), and its stiff and brittle nature makes processing difficult and impedes its ability to handle high impact. Lignin, together with cellulose and hemicellulose, are the three main components of every lignocellulosic biomass. It is a natural polymer occurring in the plant cell wall. Lignin, after cellulose, is the most abundant polymer in nature. It is extracted mainly as a by-product in the pulp and paper industry. Although, traditionally lignin is burnt in industry for energy, it has a lot of value-add properties. Lignin, which to date has not been exploited, is an amorphous polymer with hydrophobic behaviour. These make it a good candidate for blending with PHB and technically, blending can be a viable solution for price and reduction and enhance production properties. Theoretically, lignin and PHB affect the physiochemical properties of each other when they become miscible in a composite. A comprehensive study on structural, thermal, rheological and environmental properties of lignin/PHB blends together with neat lignin and PHB is the targeted scope of this thesis. An introduction to this research, including a description of the research problem, a literature review and an account of the research progress linking the research papers is presented in Chapter 1. In this research, lignin was obtained from bagasse through extraction with sodium hydroxide. A novel two-step pH precipitation procedure was used to recover soda lignin with the purity of 96.3 wt% from the black liquor (i.e. the spent sodium hydroxide solution). The precipitation process is presented in Chapter 2. A sequential solvent extraction process was used to fractionate the soda lignin into three fractions. These fractions, together with the soda lignin, were characterised to determine elemental composition, purity, carbohydrate content, molecular weight, and functional group content. The thermal properties of the lignins were also determined. The results are presented and discussed in Chapter 2. On the basis of the type and quantity of functional groups, attempts were made to identify potential applications for each of the individual lignins. As an addendum to the general section on the development of composite materials of lignin, which includes Chapters 1 and 2, studies on the kinetics of bagasse thermal degradation are presented in Appendix 1. The work showed that distinct stages of mass losses depend on residual sucrose. As the development of value-added products from lignin will improve the economics of cellulosic ethanol, a review on lignin applications, which included lignin/PHB composites, is presented in Appendix 2. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 are dedicated to investigations of the properties of soda lignin/PHB composites. Chapter 3 reports on the thermal stability and miscibility of the blends. Although the addition of soda lignin shifts the onset of PHB decomposition to lower temperatures, the lignin/PHB blends are thermally more stable over a wider temperature range. The results from the thermal study also indicated that blends containing up to 40 wt% soda lignin were miscible. The Tg data for these blends fitted nicely to the Gordon-Taylor and Kwei models. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) evaluation showed that the miscibility of the blends was because of specific hydrogen bonding (and similar interactions) between reactive phenolic hydroxyl groups of lignin and the carbonyl group of PHB. The thermophysical and rheological properties of soda lignin/PHB blends are presented in Chapter 4. In this chapter, the kinetics of thermal degradation of the blends is studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). This preliminary investigation is limited to the processing temperature of blend manufacturing. Of significance in the study, is the drop in the apparent energy of activation, Ea from 112 kJmol-1 for pure PHB to half that value for blends. This means that the addition of lignin to PHB reduces the thermal stability of PHB, and that the comparative reduced weight loss observed in the TGA data is associated with the slower rate of lignin degradation in the composite. The Tg of PHB, as well as its melting temperature, melting enthalpy, crystallinity and melting point decrease with increase in lignin content. Results from the rheological investigation showed that at low lignin content (.30 wt%), lignin acts as a plasticiser for PHB, while at high lignin content it acts as a filler. Chapter 5 is dedicated to the environmental study of soda lignin/PHB blends. The biodegradability of lignin/PHB blends is compared to that of PHB using the standard soil burial test. To obtain acceptable biodegradation data, samples were buried for 12 months under controlled conditions. Gravimetric analysis, TGA, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), FT-IR, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used in the study. The results clearly demonstrated that lignin retards the biodegradation of PHB, and that the miscible blends were more resistant to degradation compared to the immiscible blends. To obtain an understanding between the structure of lignin and the properties of the blends, a methanol-soluble lignin, which contains 3× less phenolic hydroxyl group that its parent soda lignin used in preparing blends for the work reported in Chapters 3 and 4, was blended with PHB and the properties of the blends investigated. The results are reported in Chapter 6. At up to 40 wt% methanolsoluble lignin, the experimental data fitted the Gordon-Taylor and Kwei models, similar to the results obtained soda lignin-based blends. However, the values obtained for the interactive parameters for the methanol-soluble lignin blends were slightly lower than the blends obtained with soda lignin indicating weaker association between methanol-soluble lignin and PHB. FT-IR data confirmed that hydrogen bonding is the main interactive force between the reactive functional groups of lignin and the carbonyl group of PHB. In summary, the structural differences existing between the two lignins did not manifest itself in the properties of their blends.

Abstract The low and ultra-low permeability reservoirs in China, such as the Changqing, Jidong, and Daqing peripheral oil fields, often apply CO2 as a flooding medium to enhance oil recovery. A serial of water-rock interactions will be occurred among the CO2, formation rock, and formation water under the HT/HP conditions. The pH value of the formation will be converted to acidity accordingly. As a side effect, the traditional guar-based fracturing fluids in an alkaline range, such as the borate cross-linked hydroxypropyl guar gum (HPG), cannot result in an effective hydrofracturing operation due to the incompatibility. Consequently, developing an acidic fracturing fluid system with a satisfactory performance is an imperative. Acidic fracturing fluids, such as the zirconium cross-linked carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar gum (CMHPG), can protect the formation during the hydrofracturing process from the damage arising from the swelling and migration of the clay particles. However, the shortcomings of the uncontrollable viscosity growth and the irreversible shear-thinning behavior limit the large-scale use of the acidic fracturing fluids. In this work, a novel organic zirconium cross-linker synthesized in the laboratory was applied to control and delay the cross-link reaction under the acidic condition. The ligands coordinated to the zirconium center were the L-lactate and ethylene glycol. The thickener used was the CMHPG at a low loading of 0.3% (approximately 25 pptg). Meanwhile, the surface functionalized metallic phase (1T-phase) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets were employed to improve the rheological performance of the zirconium cross-linked CMHPG fracturing fluid. The modification reagent utilized was the L-cysteine. The morphology, structure, and property of the fabricated functionalized 1T-MoS2 (Cys-1T-MoS2) nanosheets were systematically characterized using the transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements. The results of the characterization tests demonstrated a successful functionalization of the 1T-MoS2 nanosheets with L-cysteine. Then, the effects of this new nanosheet-enhanced zirconium cross-linked CMHPG fracturing fluid systems with different cross-linker and nanosheet loadings on gelation performance were systematically assessed employing the Sydansk bottle testing method combined with a rheometer under the controlled-stress or controlled-rate modes. The results indicated that the nanosheet-enhanced fracturing fluid had a desirable delayed property. Compared with the blank fracturing fluid (without nanosheets), the nanosheet-enhanced fracturing fluid had a much better shear-tolerant and shear-recovery performance.