Kinetic Analysis of Nanocomposites Prepared in situ Consisting of an Aliphatic Biodegradable Polyester and Fumed Silica Nanoparticles

Effectiveness of Esterification Catalysts in the Synthesis of Poly(Ethylene Vanillate)

Over the last few decades, bio-based polymers have attracted considerable attention from both academic and industrial fields regarding the minimization of the environmental impact arising from the excessive use of petrochemically-based polymeric materials. In this context, poly(ethylene vanillate) (PEV), an alipharomatic polyester prepared from 4-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-3-methoxybenzoic acid, a monomer originating from lignin-derived vanillic acid, has shown promising thermal and mechanical properties. Herein, the effects of three different catalysts, namely titanium butoxide (TBT), titanium isopropoxide (TIS), and antimony trioxide (Sb2O3), on the synthesis of PEV via a two-stage melt polycondensation method are investigated. The progress of the reaction is assessed using various complementary techniques, such as intrinsic viscosity measurement (IV), end group analysis (AV), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The thermal stability of the produced polyesters is studied by evolved gas analysis mass spectrometry (EGA-MS). Moreover, as the discoloration in polymers affects their applications, color measurement is performed here. Finally, theoretical kinetic studies are carried out to rationalize the experimental observations.

A Novel Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Admixture for Increasing Flowability and Reducing Viscosity of Ultra-High Performance Paste

The low flowability and high viscosity of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), which is mainly caused by the silica fume (SF) agglomeration and low water–binder ratio, is a severe defect in its engineering applications. Herein, a novel organic–inorganic hybrid (OIH) admixture was synthesized by grafting comb-like polycarboxylate ether (PCE) onto the surface of SF. On the one hand, PCE-grafting could effectively prevent SF agglomeration and improve the dispersion of SF core. The reason being the consumption of polar silicon hydroxyl (Si-OH) groups on the surface of SF and the steric hindrance effect generated from PCE arms. On the other hand, OIH admixture could adsorb onto the surface of cement and SF particles by electrostatic interaction, exhibiting stronger steric hindrance effect than traditional comb-like PCE. As a result, UHPC system with this star-like OIH admixture presented high flowability and low viscosity at low water–binder ratio (0.18).

Effect of catalyst type on molecular weight increase and coloration of poly(ethylene furanoate) biobased polyester during melt polycondensation

The effect of several catalysts on the synthesis of poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEF) was studied during a two-stage melt polycondensation process.