Naba K. Dutta

Composite Polymer Electrolyte Containing Ionic Liquid and Functionalized Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes for Anhydrous PEM Applications

A new type of supported liquid membrane was made by combining an ionic liquid (IL) with a Nafion membrane reinforced with multifunctional polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSSs) using a layer-by-layer strategy for anhydrous proton-exchange membrane (PEM) application. The POSS was functionalized by direct sulfonation, and the sulfonated POSS (S-POSS) was incorporated into Nafion 117 membranes by the infiltration method. The resultant hybrid membrane shows strong ionic interaction between the Nafion matrix and the multifunctional POSS, resulting in increased glass transition temperature and thermal stability at very low loadings of S-POSS (1%). The presence of S-POSS has also improved the proton conductivity especially at low humidities, where it shows a marked increase due to its confinement in the ionic domains and promotes water uptake by capillary condensation. In order to achieve anhydrous conductivity, the IL 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (BMI-BTSI) was incorporated into these membranes to provide proton conduction in the absence of water. Although the incorporation of an IL shows a plasticizing effect on the Nafion membrane, the S-POSS composite membrane with an IL shows a higher modulus at high temperatures compared to Nafion 117 and a Nafion-IL membrane, with significantly higher proton conductivity (5 mS/cm at 150 degrees C with 20% IL). This shows the ability of the multifunctional POSS and IL to work symbiotically to achieve the desirable proton conductivity and mechanical properties of such membranes by enhancing the ionic interaction within the material.

Work Function Engineering of Graphene

Graphene is a two dimensional one atom thick allotrope of carbon that displays unusual crystal structure, electronic characteristics, charge transport behavior, optical clarity, physical & mechanical properties, thermal conductivity and much more that is yet to be discovered. Consequently, it has generated unprecedented excitement in the scientific community; and is of great interest to wide ranging industries including semiconductor, optoelectronics and printed electronics. Graphene is considered to be a next-generation conducting material with a remarkable band-gap structure, and has the potential to replace traditional electrode materials in optoelectronic devices. It has also been identified as one of the most promising materials for post-silicon electronics. For many such applications, modulation of the electrical and optical properties, together with tuning the band gap and the resulting work function of zero band gap graphene are critical in achieving the desired properties and outcome. In understanding the importance, a number of strategies including various functionalization, doping and hybridization have recently been identified and explored to successfully alter the work function of graphene. In this review we primarily highlight the different ways of surface modification, which have been used to specifically modify the band gap of graphene and its work function. This article focuses on the most recent perspectives, current trends and gives some indication of future challenges and possibilities.

Interfacial interactions in aprotic ionic liquid based protonic membrane and its correlation with high temperature conductivity and thermal properties.

Novel supported liquid membranes (SLMs) have been developed by impregnating Nafion and Hyflon membranes with ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (BMI-BTSI). These supported liquid membranes were characterized in terms of their ionic liquid uptake behavior, leaching of ionic liquid by water, thermal stability, mechanical properties, glass transition temperature, ion exchange capacity, and proton conductivity. In general, modified membranes are more flexible than unmodified samples due to the plasticization effects of the ionic liquid. However, these supported liquid membranes exhibit a significant increase in their operational stability and proton conductivity over unmodified membranes. We also demonstrate that proton conductivity of these supported liquid membranes allows conduction of protons in anhydrous conditions with conductivity increasing with temperature. Conductivity of up to 3.58 mS cm(-1) has been achieved at 160 degrees C in dry conditions, making these materials promising for various electrochemical applications.

Evaluation of kinetic parameters of thermal and oxidative decomposition of base oils by conventional, isothermal and modulated TGA, and pressure DSC

Abstract Multigrade engine oils used in today’s sophisticated engines are carefully engineered products. Different ingredients, such as viscosity index improvers, dispersants, antioxidants, detergents, antiwear agents, pour point depressants, etc. are added to the base oils to improve their performance as lubricants, significantly. However, the ultimate performance of the lubricant principally depends on the quality of the base oil. Therefore, understanding the degradation behaviour of the base oil is of significant importance. In this study, the kinetic parameters of the decomposition of different types and grades of base oils (all-natural, fully synthetic and semi-synthetic) have been investigated in detail by conventional and isothermal thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) as well as modulated TGA (MTGA ® ). Pressure DSC (PDSC) has been employed to evaluate the spontaneous ignition and oxidative degradation behaviour of the base oils. Base oils with higher viscosity within the same grade tend to degrade at higher temperatures. It appears that the degradation of the oils studied can be modelled by an n th-order mechanism and have similar activation energies of degradation under an inert atmosphere. The all-natural base oil ALOR100 is more resistant to oxidation than the semi-synthetic Yubase4 and fully synthetic PAO4 due to the presence of naturally occurring antioxidants.

A Genetically Engineered Protein Responsive to Multiple Stimuli

Smart protein: Careful design can yield novel biologically inspired materials that display advanced responsive behavior. A genetically engineered elastic protein displays both a lower and an upper critical solution temperature (LCST and UCST, see picture), and its photophysical behavior depends on solution pH value.

Mechanism and kinetics of the isothermal thermodegradation of ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) elastomers

The thermal degradation behavior of a range of ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) elastomers, covering the whole range of composition, has been examined under isothermal conditions between 410 and 440 °C using thermogravimetric analysis. The kinetic parameters of degradation for the polymers have been evaluated using different mathematical models based on different proposed mechanisms of degradation. The experimental data were fitted to the models using non-linear regression analysis technique based on Marquardt-Levenberg algorithm. It appears that the degradation of EPDMs follows the Avrami-Erofeev two-dimensional nucleation model or a random chain-scission mechanism. No observable trend was found between the ethylene content of EPDM and the activation energy of degradation.

The effect of hydration on molecular chain mobility and the viscoelastic behavior of resilin-mimetic protein-based hydrogels

The outstanding rubber-like elasticity of resilin and resilin-mimetic proteins depends critically on the level of hydration. In this investigation, water vapor sorption and the role of hydration on the molecular chain dynamics and viscoelastic properties of resilin-mimetic protein, rec1-resilin is investigated in detail. The dynamic and equilibrium swelling behavior of the crosslinked protein hydrogels with different crosslink density are reported under various controlled environments. We propose three different stages of hydration; involving non-crystallizable water, followed by condensation or clustering of water around the already hydrated sites, and finally crystallizable water. The kinetics of water sorption for this engineering protein is observed to be comparable to hydrophilic polymers with a diffusion coefficient in the range of 10(-7) cm(2) s(-1). From the comparison between the absorption and desorption isotherms at a constant water activity, it has been observed that rec1-resilin exhibits sorption hysteresis only for the tightly bound water. Investigation of molecular mobility using differential scanning calorimetry, indicates that dehydrated crosslinked rec1-resilin is brittle with a glass transition temperature (T(g)) of >180 °C, which dramatically decreases with increasing hydration; and above a critical level of hydration rec1-resilin exhibits rubber-like elasticity. Nanoindentation studies show that even with little hydration (<10%), the mechanical properties of rec1-resilin gels change dramatically. Rheological investigations confirm that the equilibrium-swollen crosslinked rec1-resilin hydrogel exhibits outstanding elasticity and resilience of ∼ 92%, which exceeds that of any other synthetic polymer and biopolymer hydrogels.

Fluoro-silsesquioxane-urethane hybrid for thin film applications

New fluoropolyurethane hybrids containing fluorinated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane were synthesized for thin film applications using fluoro(13) disilanol isobutyl-POSS (FluoroPOSS) and a short chain fluorodiol and diisocyanate. The kinetics of the urethane reaction was monitored using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the formation of urethane was confirmed using (29)Si Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The effect of addition of FluoroPOSS either in the I step or II step of the two step polymerization reaction is evaluated using various spectroscopic, thermal, microscopic, and diffraction techniques. In general, the major shortcoming of the lack of flexibility of fluoropolyurethane from short chain diol and diisocyanate has been overcome by the use of tethered FluoroPOSS. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscpopy (AFM), and contact angle measurements on the hybrid thin films on silicon wafer demonstrate the migration of FluoroPOSS segment to the air-thin film interface when FluoroPOSS is used in I stage reaction, and it resides at the interface when used as a chain extender. However, in both cases, the formed thin film exhibits ultrahydrophobicity with water contact angle of approximately 107 degrees and low contact angle hysteresis and solvent resistance, which are preferable for protective thin film applications.

Physical approaches for fabrication of organized nanostructure of resilin-mimetic elastic protein rec1-resilin

Protein adsorption on surfaces is a fundamental step in many applications. While various methods such as lithography, self assembly using nanoparticles, layer-by-layer attachment, etc. have been employed, here we report fabrication of controlled nanostructure of a new resilin-mimetic elastic protein rec1-resilin using physical approaches. We investigate the assembly, morphology and tunability of the nanostructure of adsorbed rec1-resilin architectures by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning thermal microscopy (SThm) demonstrating that the protein conformation and structure during assembly can be controlled by tuning the physical conditions at the surface. Our findings show distinct morphology and height of monomolecular rec1-resilin film, dependent on substrate surface energy. We also show that these heights, a function of molecular orientation, can be maintained on swelling and drying.

Generic relaxation spectra of solid polymers. I. Development of spectral distribution model and its application to stress relaxation of polypropylene

An important aspect of designing polymeric articles for engineering applications and predicting their properties over their lifetime is the computation of their time-dependent viscoelastic behavior. A simplified numerical computational technique based on a Gaussian spectral distribution model was developed to describe this behavior over a wide range of time and temperature. The model was used to describe the stress-relaxation behavior of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) over a wide range of strain, time, and temperature. It appears that a spectrum with two components (one distribution for the amorphous zone and the other for the crystalline zone ) is sufficient to describe the viscoelastic behavior of iPP. The parameters specifying the distributions (mean relaxation time, standard deviation, and relaxation strength) may be obtained by nonlinear regression analysis and the temperature dependence of the distributions may be evaluated experimentally. An excellent fit between experimental data and the mathematical model is observed. The method may be applied generally for any linear viscoelastic property (e.g., static and dynamic relaxation and creep in tensile or shear) and for any polymer.