Polymer and Organic Materials Commons^™

Direct Contact Pyrolysis Of Hydrocarbons: A Source Of Hydrogen And Interesting Carbon Formations, Peter G. Faught

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The work detailed in this document looks at a novel liquid metal supported catalytic system for the generation of hydrogen by decomposition of ethanol through direct contact pyrolysis. The hydrogen is produced at relatively low temperatures (500-600°C) and has carbon and water as co-products. It should be noted that CO is not observed as a product at these low temperatures. This is to be contrasted with the hydrogen produced at higher temperature from ethanol which does contain carbon monoxide. The presence of carbon monoxide in hydrogen complicates fuel cell operation and catalytic chemical processes. Thus, the lack of CO in …

Artificial Muscle Project: Process Development Of Polydimethyl Siloxane Thin Films For Use In Dielectric Electroactive Polymer Artificial Muscle Actuators, Vincent J. Gayotin, Richard W. Morrison, Paul A. Preisser

Materials Engineering

An artificial muscle design was created founded on the principles of a dielectric electroactive polymer (DEAP), which is fundamentally similar to a capacitor. A polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS)-based elastomer, Sylgard 184 from Dow Corning, was chosen for the design and spun coat onto polystyrene (PS) Petri dishes at varying speeds to create a thin film, using speeds of 2000 rpm, 3000 rpm, 4000 rpm, 5000 rpm, and 6000 rpm. The film thicknesses were measured optically through use of a microscope with coupled computer imaging software to generate a characteristic curve of film thickness to spin speed, achieving a minimum film thickness …

Palm Oil-Based Polyester Binder For Making Fiberboards., Wong Yew Chuan

Student Works (2010-2019)

Palm kernel oil was used as a raw material for the synthesis of polyester polyol.The palm oil based polyester polyol was synthesized using glycerol, phthalic anhydride and fumaric acid. Palm oil based polyester polyol combines with methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) to form the polyurethane binder. The fibers are derived from empty fruit bunch (EFB) of the palm tree and have the acceptable mechanical properties. In this project, palm fibers were converted into palm fiberboards by using polyurethane (PU) binder under specified pressure and temperature. The binder to fiber ratio was varied from 10% to 30 % by dried weight of …

Preparation Of Styrene Acrylic Copolymer Toner Resin By Solution Polymerization., Neo Su Siang

Student Works (2010-2019)

This project has investigated solution polymerization to produce toner resins. There are three stages: (i) synthesis of low molecular weight styrene acrylic copolymer; (ii) synthesis of high molecular weight styrene acrylic copolymer; (iii) mixing high and low molecular weight copolymers. Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) was used to study molecular weight distributions, Melt Flow Index (MFI) Instrument to study the flowability of resin, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to study the thermal properties of resin, and acid number to quantitate the amount of acidic group in the resin. A comparison of properties between the experimental samples, patent’s claims, and commercial resins had …

Characteristics Of Proton Conducting Pva-Chitosan Polymer Blend Electrolytes., Mohd Fakhrul Zamani Abdul Kadir

Student Works (2010-2019)

The main focus of this present work is to build a good conducting solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) based on chitosan and poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) blend. Solution cast technique has been employed to produce sample films in this work. From the scanning electron micrographs (SEM) the surface morphology of the blend containing 40 wt.% chitosan and 60 wt.% PVA (C4P6) is homogenous and miscible in one and another. The C4P6 film is the most amorphous and is the best candidate for the polymer host in the electrolyte systems studied in the present work. Ammonium Nitrate (NH4NO3) is the doping salt that provides …

Thermo-Electrical And Mechanical Studies On Polymer-Organically Modified Montmorillonite Composite., Norhana Abdul Halim

Student Works (2010-2019)

The field of polymer-nanoclay composite has attracted a lot of attention in materials studies due to the dramatic improvement on polymers characteristics. For example mechanical and thermal properties, chemical resistance as well as the reduced gas permeability. However, structural changes and the mechanisms that may contribute to these improvements are not fully understood. In this work, the study on polymer nanoclay composite concentrates on the effects of OMON inclusion within different polymer matrix systems. The matrixes are a series of natural rubbers (Standard Malaysia Rubber – Latex grade (SMRL); Deproteinized Natural Rubber (DPNR) and Epoxidized Natural Rubber (ENR-50)), plasticized Polyvinyl …

Electrical And Structural Studies Of Polyacrylonitrile (Pan) Complexed With Inorganic Salts., Khairul Bahiyah Md Isa

Student Works (2010-2019)

In the present study, polymer electrolyte films composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as a host polymer, ethylene carbonate (EC) as the plasticizer and lithium triflate (LiCF3SO3) and sodium triflate (NaCF3SO3) as dopant salts were prepared by the solution cast technique. Five systems of polymer electrolytes films have been prepared; these systems are the plasticized-PAN system i.e. PAN-EC system, two salted-PAN systems i.e. PAN-LiCF3SO3 and PAN-NaCF3SO3, and two plasticized-salted PAN systems i.e. PAN-EC-LiCF3SO3 and PAN-EC-NaCF3SO3. The pure PAN film was prepared as a reference. The ionic conductivity for each system is characterized using impedance spectroscopy. The room temperature conductivity of the pure …

An Evaluation Of Supercritical Drying And Peg/Freeze Drying Of Waterlogged Archaeological Wood, Eric Schindelholz, Robert Blanchette, Desmond C. Cook, Michael Drews, Steve Hand, Benjamin Held, Joel Jurgens, Betty Seifert

Physics Faculty Publications

This study was undertaken to evaluate the physical effects of drying waterlogged archaeological wood using supercritical carbon dioxide as compared to air drying and the popular polyethylene glycol (PEG)/freeze drying method. Previous studies have shown supercritical drying to be a potentially advantageous alternative to current methods of drying waterlogged wood through reduced processing time, minimal shrinkage, and increased success for reversibility. Samples in the form of blocks and planks of a few centimeters in size were prepared from two archaeological waterlogged wood sources and grouped into three treatment sets: one for air drying, one for PEG/freeze drying, and the other …

Compostability Of Degradable Plastics And Its Use In Solid Waste Disposal / Putri Nadzrul Faizura Bt Megat Khamaruddin., Putri Nadzrul Faizura Megat Khamaruddin

Student Works (2000-2009)

Plastic waste generation and quantity generated is a growing concern in many countries including Malaysia. Plastic waste contributes the third highest waste volume in Malaysian municipal solid waste (MSW) next to putrescible waste and paper. ln the year 2000, plastic waste in MSW of Kuala Lumpur was 24.4% by weight from the MSW and most of the plastic waste was dumped into landfills. Landfills in Malaysia are reducing in its useful life as the amount of waste generated is growing every year by 2% and they have become an undesirable option of getting rid of plastic waste because of the …

Analysis Of Plastics In The Tyre Industry Using Fourier Transform Infrared Techniques, Differential Scanning Calorimetry And Softening Point Apparatus, Ching Ching Loh

Student Works (2000-2009)

The plastics in a tyre factory were investigated. The plastics were analysed by FTlR-transmission, FTI.R-ATR, softening point apparatus as well as a Differential Scanning Calorimeter. All the plastics were detected to be polyethene based with melting point range of 107 to 125°C. It was also observed that The FTIR transmission spectrum can be different from the FTIR-ATR spectrum. The FTIR-ATR spectrum gives a higher band intensity at longer wavelengths compared to the FTIR-Transmission spectrum. Interference fringes can be present in the FTlR transmission spectrum. In addition to the above, it was also found that the melting point of plastics obtained …

Use Of High-Energy Radiation For Degradation Of Environmental Pollutants, Robert D. Guthrie, Manjiri Patwardhan

KWRRI Research Reports

The purpose of this project was to explore the advantages and/or limitations of high-energy radiation treatment as a method for degrading organic pollutants, particularly aryl halides, in an aqueous medium. We have done analyses of ⁶⁰Co-irradiated samples and kinetic studies using pulsed electron beams. For aryl halides containing no more than two fused rings, the main products detected are those of simple halogen replacement by hydrogen, although the amount of aryl halide destroyed was always greater than the total amount of products detected. To accomplish halogen replacement by H, the reaction solvent may not be pure water but must …

Chemistry Of The Oxidant, Ferrate, Its Interaction With Specific Organics Found In Waste Water, Donald H. Williams, J. T. Riley

KWRRI Research Reports

It became obvious during this investigation that while much work has been done with ferrate (VI) chemistry, discrepancies existed in the literature and very little attention had been given possible engineering uses. This work attempted to fulfill these two needs in an exploratory manner.

The preparative techniques were reviewed and mechanical improvements made in one which allowed improved yields. Essentially what was done was to enlarge and improve the filtering technique of the product and use cooler temperatures throughout the preparation. This greatly shortened the time required. Then it was learned that the addition of ethyl alcohol to the final …