Nair, Vishnu Sukumaran; Mukhopadhyay, Rahul Dev; Saeki, Akinori; Seki, Shu; Ajayaghosh, Ayyappanpillai
A π-gel scaffold for assembling fullerene to photoconducting supramolecular rods
Nonequilibrium self-assembly of molecules holds a huge prospect as a tool for obtaining new-generation materials for future applications. Crystallization of neutral molecules within a supramolecular gel matrix is one example in which two nonequilibrium processes occur orthogonal to each other. On the other hand, electronically interacting donor-acceptor two-component systems are…
Bioinspired Polylactide Based on the Multilayer Assembly of Shish-Kebab Structure: A Strategy for Achieving Balanced Performances
Yi, Longfei; Luo, Shanshan; Shen, Jiabin; Guo, Shaoyun; Sue, Hung-Jue
Achieving balanced mechanical performances in a polymer material has long been attractive, but it is still a significant challenge. Herein, a nonadditive strategy was proposed by tailoring the crystalline structure of neat polylactide (PLA) through a layer-multiplying extrusion. Compared with normal PLA, the layer-multiplied material exhibited a 50% increase in…
Biologically sustainable rubber resin and rubber-filler promoter: a precursor study
Manoharan, Partheban; Naskar, Kinsuk
Enthused by the ever growing demand for sustainable and green based materials in responding to applications based on macromolecules, an attempt was made in seeking a bio-resin (Terpene). Herein, we report the functionalization of bio-resin with natural rubber (NR) to produce new sustainable and greener functional polymer. Bio-resin functionalized NR…
“Bottom-up” self-assembly and “cold crystallization” of butterfly shaped tetrabenzofluorene molecules
Sampath, Srinivasan; Boopathi, A. A.; Mandal, A. B.
Butterfly-shaped tetrabenzofluorene (TBF)-based molecules (1 and 2) were designed, synthesized and well characterized using various spectroscopic techniques. The single crystal X-ray structure of 1 shows the presence of intermolecular 3-D π–π stacking interaction and unprecedented “cold crystallization” in polycyclic aromatic molecules. We report for the first time, the “bottom-up”…
Cavitation in Isotactic Polypropylene at Large Strains during Tensile Deformation at Elevated Temperatures
Lu, Ying; Wang, Yaotao; Chen, Ran; Zhao, Jiayi; Jiang, Zhiyong; Men, Yongfeng
Two quenched isotactic polypropylene samples with different molecular weight were used to explore the sudden stress whitening activated at large strains during stretching at elevated temperatures via the ultrasmall-angle X-ray scattering technique. This kind of whitening was confirmed to be caused by the creation of cavities within the highly oriented…
Cetyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromide Modified Kaolin as a Reinforcing Filler for Natural Rubber
Peter, Roshin; Sreelekshmi, R. V.; Menon, A. R. R.
Cure characteristics, Mooney viscosity and physico-mechanical properties of natural rubber (NR) containing CTAB modified kaolin have been studied. NR mix containing 6 phr (parts per hundred part rubber) of CTAB modified kaolin showed significant increases in cure rate and state of cure as compared to gum NR compound and a…
Characterization of multi-scale structure and thermal properties of Indica rice starch with different amylose contents
Li, Zhihang; Kong, Xiangli; Zhou, Xianrong; Zhong, Kui; Zhou, Sumei; Liu, Xingxun
Fully understanding the relationship between multi-scale structure and thermal properties of rice starch is important for starch-based food processing. Multi-scale structures of Indica rice starch were studied from molecules to aggregation structure. Gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) and high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) both show that the amylopectin from debranched rice…
Cold Crystallization of PDMS and PLLA in Poly(l-lactide-b-dimethylsiloxane-b-l-lactide) Triblock Copolymer and Their Effect on Nanostructure Morphology
Nagarajan, S.; Gowd, E. Bhoje
Poly(l-lactide-b-dimethylsiloxane-b-l-lactide) (PLLA-b-PDMS-b-PLLA) triblock copolymer was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of l-lactide using bis(hydroxyalkyl)-terminated PDMS as a macroinitiator. The block copolymer was immiscible in the melt, and the melt morphology was preserved upon cooling the melt to −120 °C. It was also observed that at moderate cooling rates PDMS and PLLA…
Composite bottlebrush mechanics: α-internexin fine-tunes neurofilament network properties
Kornreich, M.; Malka-Gibor, E.; Laser-Azogui, A.; Doron, O.; Herrmann, H.; Beck, R.
Neuronal cytoplasmic intermediate filaments are principal structural and mechanical elements of the axon. Their expression during embryonic development follows a differential pattern, while their unregulated expression is correlated to neurodegenerative diseases. The largest neurofilament proteins of medium (NF-M) and high molecular weight (NF-H) were shown to modulate the axonal architecture…
Comprehension of direct extraction of hydrophilic antioxidants using vegetable oils by polar paradox theory and small angle X-ray scattering analysis
Li, Ying; Fabiano-Tixier, Anne Sylvie; Ruiz, Karine; Rossignol Castera, Anne; Bauduin, Pierre; Diat, Olivier; Chemat, Farid
Since the polar paradox theory rationalised the fact that polar antioxidants are more effective in nonpolar media, extractions of phenolic compounds in vegetable oils were inspired and achieved in this study for obtaining oils enriched in phenolic compounds. Moreover, the influence of surfactants on the extractability of phenolic compounds was…