Amorphous Beads Research Articles

Synthesis and characterization of peanut hull modified chitosan beads.

The incorporation of plant materials is an effective method to improve the stability of chitosan beads, as it further increases the adsorption of toxic dyes and metals from aqueous systems. In the present study, chitosan gels were impregnated with a novel type of powder as the groundnut hull powder in order to form composite beads by using a simple droplet-based microfluidic system. The beads were then characterised through various techniques such as SEM, TGA, FTIR, and XRD. Microscopic imaging revealed a change in the surface morphology of the composite beads, which became rough and wrinkled with more valley-like features and irregular cracks. FTIR data suggest that the impregnation of groundnut hull powder led to an increase in functional groups. The thermal analysis allowed for the assessment of composite bead hydration contents and indicated the presence of groundnut hull entrapped in the loaded beads, which was corroborated by vibrational spectroscopy. XRD analysis allows us to conclude that there is an involvement of groundnut hull in the chitosan gels, and the consequence of that is the formation of amorphous beads, which would make them suitable for the adsorption of toxic dyes and metals from water systems.

Uranyl-Sorption Properties of Amorphous and Crystalline TiO2/ZrO2 Millimeter-Sized Hierarchically Porous Beads

Hierarchically porous TiO(2)/ZrO(2) millimeter-sized beads were synthesized using a sol-gel templating technique, and investigated for suitability as radionuclide sorbents using uranyl as a radionuclide-representative probe. The bead properties were varied by altering either composition (22, 36, and 82 wt % Zr in the Ti/Zr composite) or calcination temperature (500 or 700 °C). Uranyl adsorption was higher for the crystalline beads (surface area: 52-59 m(2) g(-1)) than the amorphous beads (surface area: 95-247 m(2) g(-1)), reaching a maximum of 0.170 mmol g(-1) for the 22 wt % Zr sample. This was attributed to the higher surface hydroxyl density (OH nm(-2)), presence of limited microporosity, and larger mesopores in the crystalline beads. Mass transport properties of the crystalline beads were not compromised by the large bead diameter: sorption rates comparable to those reported for powders were achieved and rates were higher than exclusively mesoporous reported systems, thereby highlighting the importance of pore hierarchy in designing materials with improved kinetics. Chemical stability of the sorbent, an important property for processes involving corrosive effluents (e.g., radioactive waste), was also assessed. Crystalline beads displayed superior resistance against matrix leaching in HNO(3). Stability varied with composition: the 22 wt % Zr sample demonstrated the highest stability.

In situ preparation of blends of polystyrene and poly (2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether)

A new approach to prepare blends of polystyrene (PS) and poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) (PPE) directly in the reactor is presented. The key step in this new route is the in situ ‘cold’ end-capping of PPE, dissolved in styrene, but the acetylation of the reactive phenolic end group of PPE. Without isolation of the PPE-acetyl (Ac), the reaction mixture is subjected to a classical styrene suspension polymerization procedure, yielding homogeneous beads of PS/PPE-Ac. The presence of PPE-Ac does not interfere chemically with the styrene polymerization as demonstrated by g.p.c. analysis of the separated constituents of the blend. A series of blends with different compositions was prepared. The maximum content of PPE in these reaction blends is 35 wt%, due to a limitation in viscosity of the PPE-styrene solution. Homogeneous transparent amorphous beads of PS/PPE-Ac were obtained, possessing a single glass transition temperature between 105°C and 140°C, depending on the composition.