X-ray Powder Diffractometer Research Articles

Green synthesis of reusable super-paramagnetic diatomite for aqueous nickel (II) removal

Adsorption is an effective method for treating wastewater containing nickel due to its minimal equipment requirements and flexible operation. Therefore, an environmental friendly, inexpensive, efficient and recyclable adsorbent is needed. In this work, a reusable dual-functional super-paramagnetic adsorbent was prepared by combining APTES (3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane) and EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium) with magnetic diatomite for the removal of Ni2+. It is named diatomite/CoFe2O4@APTES-EDTA (DECFASEs). The synthetic material was characterized and studied by XRD (X-ray Powder Diffractometer), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer), SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope), EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectrometer), VSM (Vibrating-Sample Magnetometer), BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) method, Zeta potential analyzer and XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy), respectively. The performance of adsorption Ni2+ by DECFASEs was studied on effect of pH, reaction time and initial concentrations. The adsorption and desorption capacity and recyclability of the adsorbent material were estimated. A adsorption kinetic data had a significant correlation with the pseudo second-order kinetic and also adsorption isotherm data corresponded well with Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacity of the adsorbent material was 19.22 mg/g. The Ni2+ adsorption capacity of DECFASEs decreased slightly from 9.11 to 8.25 mg/g after 4 recycles. The XPS results of DECFASEs before and after Ni2+ uptake showed N and O participated in the complexation of Ni2+ in the adsorption process, which verified the chemical interaction between Ni2+ and DECFASEs. Modified-diatomite is a promising adsorbent for aqueous Ni2+ removal.

Curcumin Niosomes (curcusomes) as an alternative to conventional vehicles: A potential for efficient dermal delivery

This research aimed to enhance the skin delivery of curcumin niosome (curcusome) made by a thin film hydration technique. To optimize the cucusome formulations the effect of the ratio of cholesterol:surfactants was investigated. The solid-state and morphology of curcumin in curcusome was characterized by photon correlation spectroscopy, powder x-ray diffractometer (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The results showed that the particle size of curcusomes decreased by adding cholesterol. The results showed that the size and zeta potential of nanoparticles can be modulated by the changes in cholesterol and surfactant concentrations. Zeta potential data showed an increase in this value from −0.73 ± 0.31 to −9.31 ± 0.97 mV when the concentration of cholesterol declined from 1.8 to 0%. Maximum entrapment efficiency around 95% was observed for a formulation with the greatest content of cholesterol. Solid-state analysis results ruled out any interaction between excipients and curcumin, and also showed that curcumin was in an amorphous state in the niosomes. Skin permeation test showed that the amounts of the curcumin in skin layers and the receptor chamber was greater for curcusome than when the curcumin solution was used. The skin irritation test of the formulations on Wistar rats showed that the curcumin niosomal gels were not irritant. Finally, curcusome formulations revealed considerable antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities compared to the control group in the late phase. The utilizations of the curcusome gel modified the tail-flick latency as compared to the curcumin simple gel, placebo, as well as the simple gel (P < 0.05). These results suggested that nisomes could enhance the efficiency of curcumin as an antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory agent via improvement in drug delivery to the target location.

ZnO-nanocatalyst Promoted the Production of Imidazole Derivatives via four-component Reaction of Aminoacid: Study of Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity.

In current research, imidazole derivatives are synthesized via a new process of four component reaction of trichloroacetonitrile, amides, alkyl bromides and amino acids catalyzed by zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) as a simple and recyclable catalyst in water at room temperature. Among investigated compounds, compounds 5b have good results relative to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and 2-tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) as standard antioxidant. The achieved outcomes of disk diffusion experiment showed that these compounds avoided the growth of bacterial. In this research, all chemicals are purchased from Fluka (Buchs, Switzerland) and employed with any purification. For measuring infrared spectroscopy and melting point, a Shimadzu IR-460 spectrometer and Electrothermal 9100 apparatus are utilized respectively. BRUKER DRX-400 AVANCE spectrometer is used for giving the 1H, and 13CNMR spectra at 400.1 and 100 MHz respectively. For recording mass spectra, A FINNIGAN-MAT 8430 spectrometer with an ionization potential of 70 eV was utilized. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) employing a Holland Philips XL30 microscope was used for determination of ZnO nanocomposites morphology. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis at room temperature using a Holland Philips Xpert X-ray powder diffractometer, with CuKα radiation (λ=0.15406 nm), with 2θ ranging from 20 to 80° was employed for characterization of crystalline structure of Fe3O4/CuO nanocomposites. Scherrer's formula; D= 0.9λ/β cosθ was employed for calculating the average crystallite size where D is the diameter of the nanoparticles, λ (CuKα) =1.5406 Å and β is the fullwidth at half-maximum of the diffraction lines. A general way to prepare of compounds 5 The trichloroacetonitrile 1 (2 mmol) and amides 2 (2 mmol) mixed with ZnO-NPs (10 mol%) in water (5 mL). after 45 min amino acids 3 (2 mmol) was added to previous mixture at room temperature. After 30 min α-haloketones 4 (2 mmol) was added to mixture and stirred for 3 h. After 3 h, the reaction is completed and TLC confirms progress of the reaction. At last, the solid residue was collected by filtration and cleaned with EtOAC to removing ZnO-NPs and after evaporating solvent and washing solid with Et2O compounds 5 afforded as pure product. Without employing catalyst, these reactions have low yield and busy mixture. The synthesis of compound 5a as sample reaction and displayed the ZnO nanoparticles (10 mol%) is the best catalyst for sample reaction and H2O is the very better than other solvent in sample raection. Structures of 5 are confirmed by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR mass spectra. In summary, imdazole derivatives were produced in excellent yield from the reaction of trichloroacetonitrile, amides, alkyl bromides and amino acids using ZnO-NPs in water at room temperature. In addition, the power of synthesized imidazole as antioxidant was determined by radical trapping of DPPH and power of reducing ferric analyzes. The tested imidazoles display good radical trapping of DPPH but exhibitted moderate FRAP relative to BHT and TBHQ as synthetic antioxidants.The outcomes of disk diffusion experiment exhibite that synthesized imidazole avoided the bacterial growth. The superiorities of this procedure are environmental, high yield of product and low amounts of catalyst and short time of reaction.

Growth and characterization of organic scintillation single crystal 1,1,4,4-Tetraphenyl-1,3-Butadiene (TPB) using vertical Bridgman technique

Abstract Studies on organic scintillation single crystal 1,1,4,4-Tetraphenyl-1,3-Butadiene (TPB) grown by vertical Bridgman technique for the first time is reported. Structural analysis was carried out with Single crystal and Powder X-ray diffractometer which is confirmed the cell parameters of the grown crystal. A definite vibrational analysis was identified on the fundamental modes of vibration. The refractive index of 1.618 was recorded by Abbe refractometer. UV–Vis near IR spectrum was used to determine the absorption edge and found to be 419 nm. The bandgap energy of the crystal was found to be 2.89 eV. Fluorescence spectra of the crystal exhibit a broad emission band at 440 nm. The fluorescence lifetime of TPB measured by TCSPC method reveals a short decay time of 16 ns for prompt and 40 ns for delayed. Photoconductivity of TPB exhibits the positive photoconductivity nature. The Vickers microhardness were used to determine the hardness number (Hυ) and Meyers index of the grown crystal. Essential Mechanical properties such as stiffness constant and yield strength were calculated. Chemical etching was carried out to study the defects and growth mechanism involved in the grown crystal and the etching characteristics of the crystal surface enunciate the 2-dimensional layer growth.

Preparation and characterization of Ni0.6CoxMn2.4−xO4 (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 1.4) NTC ceramics with low resistivity and high B value

The effects of Co content on the phase structure, micromorphology and electrical performance of Ni0.6CoxMn2.4−xO4 ceramics were studied using transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray powder diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and resistance/temperature measurements. TEM and high angle annular dark field (HAADF)-mapping results show that the calcined powders were nano-sized and the elements were uniformly distributed. For x < 0.98, the ceramics exhibited single cubic spinel structure. Our SEM–EDS results confirm that a rock-salt phase (Ni,Co)O is formed when 0.98 ≤ x ≤ 1.4. The lattice parameter of the spinel phase decreases with increasing Co content. The room-temperature resistivity of the ceramics decreases from 1100 to 219 Ω cm and then increased to 325 Ω cm as Co was added, while the B value decreased slightly from 3588 to 3030 K. The Ni0.6CoxMn2.4−xO4 ceramics are promising negative temperature coefficient materials for temperature monitoring in electric vehicles owing to their low resistivity and high B values.

Micro-Structural and Thermoelectric Characterization of Zinc-Doped In0.6Se0.4 Crystal Grown by Direct Vapour Transport Method

Crystal of zinc-doped In0.6Se0.4 was successfully grown by direct vapour transport (DVT) method. Grown In0.6Se0.4:Zn crystal has been characterized by energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX) and powder X-ray diffractometer (XRD) techniques for compositional and micro-structural analysis, respectively. The EDAX spectra represent the grown In0.6Se0.4:Zn crystal enriched with excess indium doped with Zn, which consecutively shows enhanced n-type conductivity. The powder XRD spectrum signified that the grown sample was crystalline and had hexagonal structure. The micro-structural parameters: average crystallite size, average lattice strain, dislocation density, and domain population were determined from powder XRD spectra. The thermoelectric properties such as Seebeck coefficient (S), electrical resistivity (σ), and thermal conductivity (κ) were measured in the temperature range of 313 to 368 K. Grown In0.6Se0.4:Zn crystal reported Seebeck coefficient (S) as high as –548 μV K–1 and figure of merit of 1.14 at 368 K.

Green route synthesis of nanoporous copper oxide for efficient supercapacitor and capacitive deionization performances

We demonstrate a simple template-free green method to prepare copper oxide (CuO) nanoporous material using copper acetate as a single precursor with Piper nigrum (Indian black pepper) dried fruit extract as a reducing medium under microwave irradiation. The surface properties and morphology of the obtained CuO material were assessed using powder X-ray diffractometer, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, field-emission scanning electron microscope with elemental mapping analysis, focused ion beam high-resolution transmission electron microscope, and N2 adsorption-isotherm techniques. The characterization results reveal that the prepared CuO is a single monoclinic crystalline phase, and nanoporous in morphology with a specific surface area of 81.23 m2 g−1 and containing pore sizes between 3–8 nm. Nanoporous CuO showed excellent electrochemical energy storage performance with the specific capacitance of 238 Fg−1 at 5 mVs−1 when compared with commercially available CuO (75 Fg−1). Also, nanoporous CuO showed efficient desalting performance in the capacitive deionization system. This eco-friendly synthesis derived nanoporous CuO can be applied as high-performance supercapacitor material for high-energy storage devices and desalination processes.

Crystallographic and magnetic phase stabilities of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles at shocked conditions

In the present article, we have reported the crystallographic and magnetic phase stabilities of nickel ferrite nano particles (NiFe2O4 NPs) at different number of shock wave-loaded conditions. Series of shock pulses have been loaded on the test samples such as 50,100 and 150 shock pulses with Mach number 2.2. Powder X-ray diffractometer (XRD), diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM) are utilized to examine the crystallographic, electronic and magnetic phase stabilities. The observed XRD, DRS and VSM results indicated that no crystallographic, electronic and magnetic phase transitions occurred by the impact of shock waves. Fascinatingly, SEM images show the shock wave assisted shape modification at 150 shocks. The accomplished magnetic phase stability results have compared with our previous report on Fe2O3 NPs for better understanding the structure-property stabilities of title ferrite against the impact of shock waves. Based on the observed results, we wish to suggest that the title material is a suitable candidate for high pressure, high temperature applications and for aerospace applications due to the outstanding shock resistance properties.

Synthesis and electrorheological properties of hierarchical and core-shell MoS2@TiO2 nanocomposite

MoS2@TiO2 nanocomposite with core-shell and hierarchical structure was synthesized using a simple and effective two-step method. First, 3D radically oriented MoS2 nanospheres were initially synthesized using a simple and convenient hydrothermal method to provide a large surface and active site for the uniform TiO2 growth on MoS2. Then, the structure, morphology, composition and electrorheological (ER) properties were characterised using an X-ray powder diffractometer, Fourier infrared spectrometer, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscope with an attached energy-dispersive spectrometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ER rheometer. The MoS2@TiO2 nanocomposite was dispersed into insulating silicone oil to form an ER fluid at a concentration of 10 ​wt %, which shown an enhanced ER efficiency by combining the useful of two dimensional MoS2 multistage structures and coating TiO2 shell to control conductivity. The large dielectric constant mismatch and short relaxation time of ER fluid was observed, which resulted in the creation of multiple polarizations and enhanced ER properties.

Phospholipid complex-loaded self-assembled phytosomal soft nanoparticles: evidence of enhanced solubility, dissolution rate, ex vivo permeability, oral bioavailability, and antioxidant potential of mangiferin.

In this study, self-assembled phytosomal soft nanoparticles encapsulated with phospholipid complex (MPLC SNPs) using a combination of solvent evaporation and nanoprecipitation method were developed to enhance the biopharmaceutical and antioxidant potential of MGN. The mangiferin-Phospholipon® 90H complex (MPLC) was produced by the solvent evaporation method and optimized using central composite design (CCD). The optimized MPLC was converted into MPLC SNPs using the nanoprecipitation method. The physicochemical and functional characterization of MPLC and MPLC SNPs was carried out by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), powder X-ray diffractometer (PXRD), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), solubility, in vitro dissolution, oral bioavailability, and in vivo antioxidant studies. A CCD formed stable MPLC with the optimal values of 1:1.76, 50.55°C, and 2.02h, respectively. Characterization studies supported the formation of a complex. MPLC and MPLC SNPs both enhanced the aqueous solubility (~ 32-fold and ~ 39-fold), dissolution rate around ~ 98% via biphasic release pattern, and permeation rate of ~ 97%, respectively, compared with MGN and MGN SNPs. Liver function tests and in vivo antioxidant studies exhibited that MPLC SNPs significantly preserved the CCl4-intoxicated liver marker and antioxidant marker enzymes, compared with MGN SNPs. The oral bioavailability of MPLC SNPs was increased appreciably up to ~ 10-fold by increasing the main pharmacokinetic parameters such as Cmax, Tmax, and AUC. Thus, MPLC SNPs could be engaged as a nanovesicle delivery system for improving the biopharmaceutical and antioxidant potential of MGN. Graphical abstract.

Green mediated synthesis of lanthanum doped zinc oxide: Study of its structural, optical and latent fingerprint application

The present paper summarises the synthesis of La3+ doped zinc oxide nanoparticles using Aloe vera gel by solution combustion method and the characterization using a powder X-ray diffractometer (PXRD), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), an X-ray photometric spectrometer (XPS), a Raman spectrometer and their applications in optical devices and latent fingerprinting. PXRD pattern confirms the crystallite size of La3+ doped ZnO varies from 13 to 20 nm. Crystallite size varies inversely with doping concentration. Photoluminescence properties are found to be the maximum for 2 mol% doping concentration. PL spectra extends the use of ZnO:La3+ nanoparticles in blue green LED. These nanoparticles also have superior property as a fluorescent labels in fingerprints.

Metal doping in topological insulators- a key for tunable generation of terahertz

The unique surface edge states make topological insulators a primary focus among different applications. In this article, we synthesized a large single crystal of Niobium (Nb)-doped Bi2Se3 topological insulator (TI) with a formula Nb0·25Bi2Se3. The single crystal has characterized by using various techniques such as Powder X-ray Diffractometer (PXRD), DC magnetization measurements, Raman, and Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy (TRUS). There are (00l) reflections in the PXRD, and Superconductivity ingrown crystal is evident from clearly visible diamagnetic transition at 2.5 K in both FC and ZFC measurements. The Raman spectroscopy is used to find the different vibrational modes in the sample. Further, the sample is excited by a pump of 1.90 eV, and a kinetic decay profile at 1.38 eV is considered for terahertz analysis. The differential decay profile has different vibrations, and these oscillations have analyzed in terms of terahertz. This article not only provides evidence of terahertz generation in Nb-doped sample along with undoped sample but also show that the dopant atom changes the dynamics of charge carriers and thereby the shift in the Terahertz frequency response. In conclusion, a suitable dopant can be used as a processor for the tunability of terahertz frequency in TI.

Certification of SRM 640f line position and line shape standard for powder diffraction.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) certifies a suite of Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) to be used to evaluate specific aspects of the instrument performance of both X-ray and neutron powder diffractometers. This report describes SRM 640f, the seventh generation of this powder diffraction SRM, which is designed to be used primarily for calibrating powder diffractometers with respect to line position; it also can be used for the determination of the instrument profile function. It is certified with respect to the lattice parameter and consists of approximately 7.5 g of silicon powder prepared to minimize line broadening. A NIST-built diffractometer, incorporating many advanced design features, was used to certify the lattice parameter of the Si powder. Both statistical and systematic uncertainties have been assigned to yield a certified value for the lattice parameter at 22.5 °C of a = 0.5431144 ± 0.000008 nm.

Cytotoxic effects of novel solvothermal synthesised Ag-doped PEGylated WO3 sheet-like nanocomposites on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells

Nanotechnology has provided an unprecedented opportunity in addressing challenges faced by cancer treatment. Nanomaterials represent a promising and versatile method in biomedical applications. PEGylation of nanomaterials is considered as the most effective strategy for commercial relevance. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel solvothermal synthesis of PEGylated tungsten trioxide (PEG-WO3) and Ag-doped PEGylated tungsten trioxide (Ag/PEG-WO3) (1:2 ratio) sheet-like nanocomposites and to investigate the in vitro anticancer activities of PEGylated WO3 and Ag-doped PEGylated tungsten trioxide (Ag/PEG-WO3) (1:2 ratio) nanoparticles on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. The structural, morphological and textural properties were characterized by powder X-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscope, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and FTIR. The XRD analysis proved that doping of Ag NPs into the lattice of PEGylated WO3 and TEM image indicated the successful anchoring of spherical-like shape of Ag NPs approximately 6–8 nm in size onto the sheet-like PEGylated WO3. Morphological changes, ATP proliferation, cytotoxicity, caspase activity and nuclear damage of NPs treated an MCF-7 cell line were assessed. The Ag-doped PEGylated WO3 nanoparticles (10 μg/mL) showed more toxicity towards MCF-7 cells in LDH assay (p < 0.05), reduced the proliferation (p < 0.01) and induced the caspase 3/7 activities significantly (p < 0.01). The morphological changes of MCF-7 cells after the treatments and results of Hoechst stain indicated nuclear damage. These results indicate a successful synthesis of a novel solvothermal nanocomposite capable of inducing cancer cell death.

Shock wave induced defect engineering on structural and optical properties of pure and dye doped potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystals

Abstract Based on the importance of the shock recovery experiments, the authors report the structural and optical properties of pure and 0.001 M dye-doped potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystals for virgin and shock wave loaded samples. Rhodamine B and Methylene blue dyes are selected as dopants to be doped with KDP crystal for the present investigation. The test crystals of pure and doped KDP crystals are grown by slow evaporation technique and cut and polished crystals of (200) face are used for the present investigation. Table-top pressure driven shock tube is utilized for the shock wave generation and the used functional Mach number is 1.7. Virgin and shock wave loaded test crystals’ surface morphology, structural properties and optical transmissions are observed using optical microscope, powder X-ray diffractometer and UV-Visible spectrometer, respectively. Crystalline nature and optical transmission of pure and doped KDP crystals are found to have reduced by the impact of shock waves. It occurs due to the enhancement of defect concentration on the surface of the test crystals. From the observed results, we assert that the pure KDP crystal is relatively more stable to shock wave induced damage compared to doped KDP crystals as reflected by structural and optical studies.

Assessment of crystallographic and magnetic phase stabilities on MnFe2O4 nano crystalline materials at shocked conditions

Today's advanced science and technology has witnessed extensive efforts put forth by researchers whose persistent work has been continuing quite consistently to find high shock resistant and technologically important device materials. Ferrites are right at the top in terms of contribution for the making of modern electronic and spintronics devices which are predominantly used in magnetic sensors as well as data storage applications. On the other hand, several ferrite materials do not fulfill the real practical requirements of the device engineers even though they have the required functional properties for device fabrications. Hence, the journey of finding ideal materials for device fabrication is still an ongoing arduous process. On this context, we have made systematic investigation of unearthing and understanding the properties and especially the stability of MnFe2O4 NPs at shock wave loaded conditions. Powder X-ray diffractometer (PXRD), Ultra-Violet diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) techniques have been undertaken so as to find out the crystallographic, electronic and magnetic phase stabilities at shocked conditions. The observed XRD, UV-DRS and VSM studies reveal that the title ferrite NPs has high shock resistant behavior so that it is suggested for the application of device fabrication.

The Behaviour of Siderite Rocks in an Experimental Imitation of Pyrometamorphic Processes in Coal-Waste Fires: Upper and Lower Silesian Case, Poland

Little is known of the influence of fluxes on the nature and the intensity of burning in coal-waste heaps. To gain some insight, two siderite samples, one each from coal-mining waste heaps in Upper- and Lower Silesian Coal Basins (Poland), were heated under identical conditions in a thermal chamber coupled to a powder X-ray diffractometer. Differences in the behaviour of siderite phase and the products of its decomposition, mainly magnetite, wüstite, and olivine, are discussed. The waste heaps sampled underwent self-heating and self-ignition catalysed by fluxes. Though the samples are unlikely to be truly representative of the Silesian basins, the heterogeneous behaviour they displayed on heating merits description and explanation, as siderite is an important widely known flux in pyrometamorphic processes.

Changing of Particle Size and Pore Structures of Calcium Oxide during Calcinations of Industrial Eggshell Waste

Surface area and particle size are significant properties of a catalyst that determine the reaction rate of the heterogeneous catalyst. In this research, calcium oxide derived from industrial eggshell waste was synthesized by thermal decomposition method under air-atmosphere. The obtained eggshell waste was washed, dried, and ground to 420 μm followed by calcination of the ground eggshell in different conditions including calcination temperature (800 to 900 °C) and holding time (1 to 4 hours). Changes of pore structure and the median particle size diameter of the obtained calcium oxides were systematically investigated by various scientific instruments. Results from powder X-ray diffractometer (PXRD) indicated that the calcium oxide can be obtained after calcination at both 800 and at 900°C. Laser diffractometer shows that median particle size diameter of calcium oxide significantly decreased by about 76-95 % with increasing of both calcination temperature and holding time. Additionally, specific surface area of calcium oxides determined by N2 adsorption experiment at-195 °C shows that surface area of calcium oxide dramatically decreased (37-84 %) with increasing both calcination temperature from 800 to 900 °C and calcination time from 1 to 4 hours. These results indicated that both calcination temperature and time play an important role in the shrinkage of pores of calcium oxide. Higher calcination temperature and longer holding time induce more shrinkage of pore leading to smaller particle size diameter and lower surface area of the calcium oxide catalyst.

Role of percent grafting and chain length of fully fluorinated pendant units in the grafted acrylic compound on crucial characteristic properties of high density polyethylene

This comprehensive study paves way to investigate the effects of not only the extent of grafting but also the chain length of the perfluorinated pendant tail presenting in the three different fluoroalkyl acrylate monomers on the significant characteristic properties; namely the thermal behavior, crystal structure quality, mechanical performance and morphological structure of high density polyethylene (HDPE). The individual graft copolymerizations of the monomer onto HDPE were conducted at the content level from 5 % to 30 % via bulk-melt polymerization. The characterizations of copolymers were performed with differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), powder X-ray diffractometer, universal testing machine and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. As for the results deduced from DSC analysis, both the melting temperatures of HDPE and degree of crystallinity were found to increase systematically with the enhancement in the percent grafting level up to 10 % beyond which the parameters were noted to decrease drastically and reach towards globally minimum values. According to the XRD results, as the percentage of grafting enhanced, the remarkable expansions were observed in unit cell parameters of HDPE crystallized in the orthorhombic symmetry. Moreover, the presence of relatively higher amount of -CF2 groups in the perfluorinated pendant tail caused the formation of three-dimensional lateral repulsions due to its helix structure. Furthermore, there seemed to remarkably improve in the mechanical performance features in case of percent grafting level of 70.6 % where the tensile strength, Modulus and impact strength parameters were measured to be about 42.51 MPa, 539.90 MPa and 41.11 kj/m2, respectively. These reinforcements were found to be explained by the improvement in the regulation, orientations, alignments of HDPE chains. Furthermore, the formation of thick, bulky and long-fibrils were observed at high percent grafting.

Effect of Potassium Nitrate on Anti-Caking Performance of AN-based NPK Granular Compound Fertilizer

Agricultural ammonium nitrate(ANP) is one of the main raw materials for the production of AN-based compound fertilizer. The IV-III phase transition of ammonium nitrate(AN) is one of the main reasons for the caking of AN-based compound fertilizer(NPK). Potassium salts used for the production of compound fertilizers are usually K2SO4(KS). In this paper KNO3(KN) was added to improve the anti-caking properties of AN-based NPK. The IV-III phase transition of ANP and the effects of KN, KS, NH4SO4(NS), and NH4H2PO4(NP) on the solid phase transitions of ANP was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder X-ray diffractometer(XRD). The results showed that the phase transformation inhibition effect of KN and KS on ANP was better than that of NS and NP. In this experiment, KN was used to replace part of KS in the formula of AN-based NPK, and the granular fertilizer with different contents of KN were prepared, the anti caking properties and hygroscopicity of the fertilizer were tested. The results showed that although the content of potassium in the compound fertilizer remained unchanged, with the increase of the content of KN and the decrease of the content of KS in the formula, the anti-caking performance and hygroscopicity of the AN-based NPK were obviously improved.