Borax Research Articles

Effect of Borax and Boric Acid on Thermal and Flammability Properties of Rice Husk Reinforced Recycled HDPE Composite

Studies show Rice Husk (RH) and plastic appear viable in the production of a composite material. Flammability is a crucial parameter that limits multiple applications of such materials. Borax (BX) and Boric Acid (BA) have been used for wood and coating products, continually proving to be decent fire retardant agents in wood and plastic composites. In this study, the aim is to develop, test and investigate the thermal and flammability properties of RH reinforced Recycled High-Density Polyethylene (rHDPE) integrated with Maleic Anhydride Polyethylene (MAPE) as a binding agent, with Borax (BX) and Boric Acid (BA) as a fire retardant agent. RH was impregnated with BX and BA (1:1) solution at 2, 3, and 4% weight concentration and oven-dried after seven days at 105 °C for 24 hours. Only an average of 43 wt% of BX and BA remains after the impregnation process. Flammability test results show that adding RH to the composite enhanced flame retardancy compared to the pure rHDPE while adding MAPE as a binding agent makes the composite more flammable. Composite with BX and BA showed significant improvement in flame retardant properties by reducing the horizontal burning rate by 26% for 3% weight and 46% for 5% weight of MAPE. Thermogravimetric analyses exhibit an increase in the thermal stability by adding RH to reinforce rHDPE than pure rHDPE and further augmented by the integration of BX and BA. Keywords: rice husk, recycled high-density polyethylene, thermal, flammability

Sodium Tetraborate as a Triglyceride Transesterification Catalyst

Sodium Tetraborate as a Triglyceride Transesterification Catalyst

Improvement of optical properties of KDP crystals by borax additive

KDP (Potassium dihydrogen phosphate, KH2PO4) single crystals were grown in Borax (Sodium tetraborate decahydrate, Na2B4O7·10H2O or Na2[B4O5(OH)4]·8H2O) added aqueous solutions by the slow cooling method and Sankaranarayanan-Ramasamy (SR) technique. The concentrations of Borax were 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, and 1 mol%. Impurities containing hydroxyl (-OH) groups such as Borax can increase the number of hydrogen bonds in KDP crystals, which plays a key role in governing the optical properties of KDP crystals. This comment was proved by the results of the measurements: Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and Second Harmonic Generation (SHG). Borax is an important candidate in the current research of impurity-doped KDP crystal for nonlinear optical applications.

Chiral separation using cyclodextrins as mobile phase additives in open-tubular liquid chromatography with a pseudophase coating.

The chiral separation of various analytes (dichlorprop, mecoprop, ibuprofen, and ketoprofen) was demonstrated with different cyclodextrins as mobile phase additives in open‐tubular liquid chromatography using a stationary pseudophase semipermanent coating. The stable coating was prepared by a successive multiple ionic layer approach using poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), polystyrene sulfonate, and didodecyldimethyl ammonium bromide. Increasing concentrations (0–0.2 mM) of various native and derivatized cyclodextrins in 25 mM sodium tetraborate (pH 9.2) were investigated. Chiral separation was achieved for the four test analytes using 0.05–0.1 mM β‐cyclodextrin (resolution between 1.11 and 1.34), γ‐cyclodextrin (resolution between 0.78 and 1.27), carboxymethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (resolution between 1.64 and 2.59), and 2‐hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (resolution between 0.71 and 1.76) with the highest resolutions obtained with 0.1 mM carboxymethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin. %RSD values were <10%. This is the first demonstration of chiral open‐tubular liquid chromatography using achiral chromatographic coatings and cyclodextrins as mobile phase additives.

Flame‐retardant features of various boron compounds in thermoplastic polyurethane and performance comparison with aluminum trihydroxide and magnesium hydroxide

SummaryThe objective of this research was to examine and compare the flame‐retardant properties of boron compounds with respect to conventional mineral fillers, namely aluminum trihydroxide (ATH) and magnesium hydroxide (MH) in thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Seven different boron compounds including zinc borate (ZnB), colemanite (C), boron oxide (BO), anhydrous borax (BX), melamine borate (MB), imidazolium borate (IB), and guanidinium borate (GB) were used as flame‐retardant additive. The flame‐retardant characteristics of the composites were investigated using limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical and horizontal UL‐94 tests, and mass loss calorimeter (MLC) tests. According to the flammability test results, the highest LOI value (33.5%) was obtained with the use of 60 wt% ATH and BO. All samples got HB rating in UL‐94 HB test. The highest UL‐94 V rating of V0 was achieved with the use of ATH (60 wt%), BO (60 wt%), and GB (50 wt%). According to MLC test results, C, BO, and IB showed distinct better performance than ATH and MH. The other ones showed almost the similar fire performances. The lowest pHRR (37 kW/m2) and THE (16.2 MJ/m2) values, which were corresponded to 62% and 20% reduction with respect to those of ATH containing one, were achieved with the use of 60 wt% BO. In brief, all studied additives exerted different levels of fire retardancy depending upon their type and BO showed the highest performance in terms of flammability and fire‐retardant properties.

Pilot study of biobeds application for the remediation of citrus agro-industrial wastewaters

ABSTRACT Agro-industrial wastewaters from citrus packaging plants are a significant source of pollution. Looking for a solution, lab-scale biobeds were evaluated for the remediation of fungicides from citrus agro-industry wastewaters. They were constructed under controlled conditions, using an ‘in-house’ designed bio-mixture containing soil, peat and cereal bran (1:1:2). The degradation of imazalil, prochloraz, propiconazole and pyrimethanil was studied individually, as a mixture and in real wastewater from a citric packing house facility. The pesticide behaviour was assessed using a novel validated dispersive sample preparation. The extraction was performed with ethylacetate and a salting out step with sodium tetraborate. The clean-up was performed with MgSO4 and Al2O3. The instrumental determination was carried out by LC-MS/MS in MRM acquisition mode. When studied separately, all the pesticides were dissipated. Particularly, propiconazole showed a 90% concentration reduction after 60 days. Two metabolites of prochloraz of environmental concern: 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and N-formil-N’-propil-N’-2(2,4,6 trichlorophenoxy) ethyl urea were detected, and their chemical structures were confirmed through mass spectrometry experiments. The bio-mixture was also efficient in dissipating the four pesticides when applied together in a single biobed. Real wastewaters from a citric agro-industry containing pyrimethanil and imazalil were tested using the same conditions. Both compounds dissipated 50% and 79% respectively, within 70 days.

Osmium Recovery as Membrane Nanomaterials through 10-Undecenoic Acid Reduction Method.

The recovery of osmium from residual osmium tetroxide (OsO4) is a necessity imposed by its high toxicity, but also by the technical-economic value of metallic osmium. An elegant and extremely useful method is the recovery of osmium as a membrane catalytic material, in the form of nanoparticles obtained on a polymeric support. The subject of the present study is the realization of a composite membrane in which the polymeric matrix is the polypropylene hollow fiber, and the active component consists of the osmium nanoparticles obtained by reducing an alcoholic solution of osmium tetroxides directly on the polymeric support. The method of reducing osmium tetroxide on the polymeric support is based on the use of 10-undecenoic acid (10–undecylenic acid) (UDA) as a reducing agent. The osmium tetroxide was solubilized in t–butanol and the reducing agent, 10–undecenoic acid (UDA), in i–propanol, t–butanol or n–decanol solution. The membranes containing osmium nanoparticles (Os–NP) were characterized morphologically by the following: scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution SEM (HR–SEM), structurally: energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis (EDAX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. In terms of process performance, thermal gravimetric analysis was performed by differential scanning calorimetry (TGA, DSC) and in a redox reaction of an organic marker, p–nitrophenol (PNP) to p–aminophenol (PAP). The catalytic reduction reaction with sodium tetraborate solution of PNP to PAP yielded a constant catalytic rate between 2.04 × 10−4 mmol s−1 and 8.05 × 10−4 mmol s−1.

The effect of lamina configuration and compaction pressure on mechanical properties of laminated gigantochloa apus composites

This study aims to investigate the mechanical properties of bamboo apus (gigantochloa apus) as a natural reinforced composite material. Bamboo’s laminates of gigantochloa apus were used as reinforcement on the epoxy resin matrix. The parameters examined in this study are the configuration of lamina and compaction pressure. Laminate configuration varies in the number, thickness and direction of the lamina. Compaction pressures of 1.5 MPa, 2 MPa, and 2.5 MPa were used to fabricate the Laminated Bamboo Composites (LBCs). The stem of bamboo with a length of 400 mm was split to obtain bamboo lamina with a size of 400×20 mm. The thickness of bamboo lamina is varied between 1 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2 mm. The bamboo lamina is then preserved by watering it with a preservative solution in the form of 2.5 % sodium tetraborate solution and dried in an oven until the water content reaches 10 %. LBCs were made with a hand lay-up method. After the LBCs were molded, they were pressed with 3 variations of dies compaction 1.5 MPa, 2 MPa and 2.5 MPa. The tensile and bending tests were carried out on the LBCs. Tensile testing is performed in accordance with ASTM standard D3039 and the bending tests were conducted based on ASTM standard D7264. The results show that at each compaction pressure, the highest tensile and bending strength was achieved by LBCs with a thickness of 1 mm of bamboo lamina and 7 layers of bamboo laminates. The LBC with thinner bamboo lamina reinforcement and more layers has the highest tensile strength and bending strength, even it has a lower mass fraction. The LBCs with laminates oriented 0° exhibited greater tensile and bending strengths than the LBCs with laminates structured –45°/+45° and 0°/90°. The LBCs with the 0° laminates direction is matrix fracture followed by lamina fracture. In the 0°/90° direction, matrix fracture is followed by delamination in the 90° and 0° laminates direction. Delamination and lamina clefting were observed in LBCs with laminates oriented +45°/–45°.

Carbon Dioxide Separation by Polyethylene Glycol and Glutamic Acid/Polyvinyl Alcohol Composite Membrane

In this study, Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blended with Polyethylene glycol (PEG), Monosodium glutamate (MSG) and Glutamic acid (GA) was cast on a reverse osmosis membrane to form a composite membrane. It is expected that the ether group can increase the CO2 affinity of the membrane. Sodium tetraborate (Borax) as a crosslinker can increase membrane basicity and glutamic acid (salt) can provide an enhanced transport mechanism, thereby improving the permeability and selectivity of carbon dioxide. FTIR spectra show that the thickness of coating is sufficiently low, while SEM results show that PVA-PEG series have a dense surface, and particles are observed on the surface of MSG/GA series. The gas permeance and separation performance of the composite membrane was tested using a single gas. Results showed that CO2 had higher permeance (GPU) at lower pressure differential. PEG with an ether group had the greatest effect on improving CO2 permeance and selectivity. However, MSG and GA with amine groups could not effectively improve CO2 selectivity due to solubility. The best coating solution was provided by PVA-PEG-1.2. The CO2 selectivity of the composite membrane was 10.05 with a pressure differential of 1.00 bar in a humid environment and no obvious deterioration was observed over a 10-day period. Borax can improve selectivity, water absorption, and thermal stability while avoiding the need for high temperature and long crosslinking time of aldehydes, which makes it possible to be used in a PVA carbon dioxide separation membrane.

Валидация метода оценки эффективности пищевых приманок в отношении колоний рыжих домовых муравьёв

The validation of the method for testing the effectiveness of food baits against colonies of the Pharaoh ant using experiments with commercially produced and laboratory-prepared sugar baits containing insecticides from different chemical groups was carried out. We studied baits based on boron compounds (boric acid and sodium tetraborate), neonicotinoids (thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, and acetamiprid), oxadiazines (indoxacarb), phenylpyrazoles (fipronil), carbamates (methomyl), pyrroles (chlorfenapyr) amidinohydrazones (hydramethylnon), avermectins (abamectin), and insect growth regulators (pyriproxyfen). The proposed algorithm for conducting experiments covers the whole variety of active ingredients of insecticides used in baits. The verification of several dozen products intended for the elimination of colonies of the Pharaoh ant has shown that most of the products are suitable for the requirements for efficacy indices. Keywords: Pharaoh ant, insecticidal baits.

Particle design for improving taste and homogeneity of traditional Chinese medicinal powder: taking Zhuhuang Chuihou Powder as an example

Due to the complex source and different physical and chemical properties of traditional Chinese medicines(TCM) powder, there are many common pharmaceutical problems in its preparation, such as large particle size difference, poor mixing uniformity, and poor compliance with oral intake, which has directly affected the quality of solid preparations as well as their clinical efficacy and safety. This study observed the property of Zhuhuang Chuihou Powder and extract its pharmaceutical defects. It was found that realgar and calcined Borax in Zhuhuang Chuihou Powder were heavy in texture and toxic, and they were easy to be isolated, indicating the potential safety hazard. At the same time, Coptidis Rhizoma and Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex were the main sources of its bitterness. Therefore, based on the idea of &quot;drug-excipients unity&quot;, the particle design technology was used to prepare core/shell-type composite particles with bitter medicines as the core and mineral medicines as shell. Both infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy results indicated the formation of composite particles, and the taste of these composite particles were improved. Compared with the physical mixtures, the composite particles exhibited significantly decreased RSD values in the content uniformity of berberine hydrochloride, arsenic disulfide, and sodium tetraborate and appearance uniformity. The introduction of particle design technology solved the problem of uneven dispersion of Zhuhuang Chuihou Powder, thus ensuring its uniform dispersion, stability, and control and improving the quality of the original preparation. This has provided a scientific basis for the quality control of TCM powder.

A low-cost and sustainable cross-linked dextrin as aqueous binder for silicon anodes in lithium-ion batteries

Silicon is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of its impressive theoretical capacity. However, it undergoes severe volume changes in the lithiated state thus limiting its development in LIBs. Herein, a cross-linked dextrin binder is created through in-situ thermal cross-linking of dextrin and the inorganic cross-linker sodium tetraborate decahydrate, which is a cost-effective, “greener” water-soluble binder. This binder can significantly strengthen the adhesion between Si electrode and copper current collector, which is almost three times more effective in adhesion than commercially available CMC binder. Meanwhile, the cross-linked dextrin binder also has superior mechanical properties and is able to well mitigate the huge volume changes upon cycling, consequently achieving an excellent cycling stability and superior rate capability. It is believed that this aqueous binder has the potential to utilize in silicon anodes for high-energy-density LIBs, as well as providing a new idea in the design of binders for other electrode materials which suffer from volume change during cycling.

Micelle to cyclodextrin stacking in open-tubular liquid chromatography using capillaries coated with surfactant admicelles.

In-line sample concentration by micelle to cyclodextrin stacking (MCDS) in open-tubular liquid chromatography (OT-LC) with UV detection is described. OT-LC of two sets of analytes (small-molecule drugs and neutral alkenylbenzenes) was by the use of a fused-silica capillary that was coated with admicelles of didodecyldimethyl ammonium bromide (DDAB). These admicelles acted as a stationary chromatographic pseudophase. The mobile phase was 25mM sodium tetraborate in 10% methanol, pH 9.2. MCDS was by long pressure injection of samples prepared in 10mM hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) in 25mM sodium tetraborate, pH 9.2 (buffer), followed by injection of 50mM α-CD in buffer (CD solution). Stacking was by application of voltage at -20kV prior to pressure-driven OT-LC. The factors that influenced MCDS such as type and concentration of CD, concentration of CTAB in the sample, injection time ratio of the sample and the CD solution and stacking time were studied. Under optimised conditions, sensitivity enhancement factors (SEFs) were between 19 and 23, linear ranges were between 0.5 and 10µg/mL with r2 > 0.99 and inter-day/intra-day repeatability in retention time and peak area were ≤5.6% for the model small-molecule drugs. Application to real samples was by the determination of potentially toxic alkenylbenzenes (SEFs = 10 to 12) in basil-leaf and whole-clove extracts. The assay results were comparable to those obtained from an in-house high-performance liquid chromatography-UV method.

Laser‐Induced Graphene on Paper toward Efficient Fabrication of Flexible, Planar Electrodes for Electrochemical Sensing

AbstractLaser irradiation to induce networks of graphene‐based structures toward cost‐effective, flexible device fabrication is a highly pursued area, with applications in various polymeric substrates. This work reports the application of this approach toward commonly available, eco‐friendly, low‐cost substrates, namely, chromatographic and office papers. Through an appropriate chemical treatment with sodium tetraborate as a fire‐retardant agent, photothermal conversion to porous laser‐induced graphene (LIG) on paper is achieved. Raman peaks are identified, with I2D/IG and ID/IG peak ratios of 0.616 ± 0.095 and 1.281 ± 0.173, showing the formation of multilayered graphenic material, exhibiting sheet resistances as low as 56.0 Ω sq–1. Coplanar, LIG‐based, three‐electrode systems (working, counter and reference electrodes) are produced and characterized, showing high current Faradaic oxidation and reduction peaks, translating in high electrochemical active area, doubling the geometric area. Good electron transfer kinetics performed exclusively with on‐chip measurements are reached, with k0 values as high as 7.15 × 10–4 cm s–1. Proof‐of‐concept, amperometric, enzymatic glucose biosensors are developed, exhibiting good analytical performance in physiologically relevant glucose levels, with results pointing to the applicability of paper‐based LIG toward efficient, disposable electrochemical sensor development, increasing their sustainability and accessibility, while simplifying their production and reducing their cost.

Mechanical Characterization and Optical Microscopy of Homemade Slime and the Effect of Some Common Household Products

Commercial slime is popular among young children for fun and educational purposes, and it can also be useful in showcasing school students how mixing different substances can change the chemical nature and thus the viscoelastic properties of materials. It can thus be a vital technique in developing analytical thinking in children with regards to the chemical bonding of materials at the microscale and how it is directly interlinked with the mechanical properties of a material (macroscale). The simplest slime is synthesized by mixing polyvinyl acetate (PVA) glue with sodium tetraborate (borax), which is a salt of boric acid. The reaction between PVA and borax forms cross-links between polymer chains due to the creation of weak bonds to the OH groups of PVA [1]. The three-dimensional network polymers formed as a result lead to the viscoelastic nature of the fluid that gives slime its specific texture. The sodium tetraborate interlinks with the PVA through hydrogen bonds[2] or reversible covalent bonds [3] to form “di-diol” complexes, yielding slime. In this work, we analyze homemade slime using optical imaging and mechanical characterization techniques the effect of adding some common household materials.The slime was prepared in four ways: baseline (A), baseline with shaving cream (B), baseline with clay (C) and baseline with shaving cream and clay (D). The baseline was made by combining a mixture of 1 cup polyvinyl acetate (PVA), C4H6O2 (glue) and 1 cup water with a mixture of 10 ml sodium tetraborate, Na₂[B₄O₅(OH)₄]·8H₂O (borax) with 800 ml water. Both mixtures were kneaded well until the slime was formed. To the baseline, 53 ml of shaving cream (mainly water, stearic acid and lanolin) was added to make mixture B. Mixture C was prepared by adding 23 g of clay to the baseline while mixture D was made by adding shaving cream and clay to the baseline in the same amounts as in mixture B and C. The slimes were tested by scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy to observe the internal structure of the specimens and mechanical testing to evaluate the elastic modulus. The images showed samples C and D (with added clay) to have larger bubbles which may be due to high water-absorbing and moisture-retention capabilities of clay. Mechanical testing results proved the high elasticity of the slime samples: specimen A had an elastic modulus of 93 MPa while adding shaving cream (specimen B) increased the modulus to 194 MPa. As is known, a higher elastic modulus signifies a stiffer material, i.e. it stretches less when pulled and vice versa, thus the addition of shaving cream decreases the elasticity of the slime samples. Similarly, incorporating clay with into the baseline (specimen B) also decreased the flexibility of the slime (increasing the Young Modulus by more than twice to 224 MPa), making it more manageable and keep its shape after deforming. Consequently, adding both clay and shaving cream also resulted in an overall stiffer material with an elastic modulus of 229 MPa. Finally, the results show an interesting link between microscopic bubble size and the effect on the mechanical properties.[1] N. Isokawa, K. Fueda, K. Miyagawa and K. Kanno, “Demonstration of the Coagulation and Diffusion of Homemade Slime Prepared Under Acidic Conditions without Borate”, J. of Chem. Edu., 2015, 92, 11, 1886–1888.[2] Casassa, E. Z.; Sarquis, A. M.; Van Dyke, C. H. “The gelation of polyvinyl alcohol with borax: A novel class participation experiment involving the preparation and properties of a slime”, J. Chem. Educ., 1986, 63, 57−60.[3] Shibayama, M.; Sato, M.; Kimura, Y.; Fujiwara, H.; Nomura, S. B n.m.r. “Study on the reaction of poly(vinyl alcohol) with boric acid”, Polymer, 1988, 29, 336−340. Figure 1

Mechanical Properties, Elastic Moduli, and Gamma Radiation Shielding Properties of Some Zinc Sodium Tetraborate Glasses: A Closer Look at ZnO/CaO Substitution

Mechanical Properties, Elastic Moduli, and Gamma Radiation Shielding Properties of Some Zinc Sodium Tetraborate Glasses: A Closer Look at ZnO/CaO Substitution

PSVI-9 Effects of dietary boron supplementation on growth performance, fasting and postprandial serum insulin, and glucose concentration of pigs

Abstract A 49-d experiment evaluated the effects of supplemental boron (B) on growth, and serum insulin and glucose concentration of pigs. Crossbred pigs [n = 48; initial body weight (BW) 19.18 ± 0.29 kg] were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 diets based on BW and sex. Diets were corn-SBM-based, formulated to meet NRC (2012) nutrient requirement estimates, and were supplemented with 0, 25, 50, or 100 mg B/kg diet as sodium tetraborate decahydrate. On d 20 and 41, blood samples were collected. Fasting samples were collected following an overnight fast; then a postprandial sample was taken approximately 50 minutes after the pigs had 10 minutes of ad libitum access to feed. Samples were processed and serum analyzed for insulin and glucose concentration. Increasing B levels resulted in a linear decrease for overall ADG (0.87, 0.86, 0.85, and 0.82 kg, P = 0.02). On d 20, supplemental B resulted in a quadratic response on fasting serum glucose concentration (5.25, 4.80, 4.65, and 5.01, P = 0.03) and a linear decrease in postprandial serum insulin concentration (29.1, 25.5, 18.2, and 18.1 µU/mL, P = 0.02). Furthermore, there was a tendency for a linear decrease in fasting insulin:glucose ratio (0.85, 0.84, 0.42, and 0.59, P = 0.08), which became more noticeable during the postprandial state (3.96, 3.63, 2.63, and 2.73, P = 0.02). Again on d 41, there was a quadratic response on fasting serum glucose concentration (4.32, 4.07, 3.91, and 4.68, P = 0.01) with supplemental B. Results suggest that supplemental boron may impact serum insulin and glucose concentrations by reducing the amount of insulin needed to maintain glucose concentrations. However, higher levels of supplemental boron did result in suppressed growth performance. Thus, additional research is warranted to determine the optimum level of supplemental B.

Modulation of the Viscosity of Guar-Based Fracking Fluids Using Salts

Fracking is an enhanced oil recovery technology, which uses viscoelastic fluids (fracking fluids) to fracture oil reservoirs and to transport sand within the fractures, to prop them open. This technology enables oil recovery from scarcely permeable formations. Fractured formations release saline water over time. This saline water (called “produced water”) is discarded rather than used to produce fracking fluids because it can decrease fracking fluid viscosity. Nonetheless, it would be advantageous to use produced water to reduce freshwater consumption and wastewater production. Our study analyzes the effect of chloride salts (CaCl2, MgCl2, and Fe(III)Cl) and of sulfate salts (MgSO4 and FeSO4) at different concentrations (0.05–1 M) on the viscosity of aqueous guar solutions. All chloride salts tested increase the viscosity of guar solutions in the concentration range analyzed and promote the formation of small guar aggregates. At 0.05 M concentrations, MgSO4 has effects similar to chloride salts. In contrast, 1 M MgSO4 decreases the viscosity of guar solutions. FeSO4 also decreases the viscosity of aqueous guar solutions, at either 0.05 or 1 M concentrations. The decrease in viscosity of guar solutions is attributed to large guar aggregate formation (as opposed to a cohesive network). Sodium cocoyl glutamate (SCG) increases the viscosity of non-cross-linked guar solutions and the shear viscoelastic moduli of guar solutions cross-linked with sodium tetraborate. Specifically, SCG restores the viscosity of guar solutions with MgSO4 and increases it above values measured in deionized (DI) water in the presence of MgCl2. Attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy shows that hydrogen bonding was more significant in guar + SCG + 0.7 M MgCl2 samples than in guar + SCG + 0.7 M MgSO4, indicating that the formation of a hydrogen-bonded network was correlated to high viscosity. ATR-FTIR also indicates that MgSO4 weakened hydrogen bonding of water clusters, whereas SCG restored it, enabling guar hydration even in the presence of MgSO4. Our study highlights which salts are most problematic (e.g., FeSO4) and proposes a potential additive (SCG) to enhance the viscosity of guar in the presence of selected salts (e.g., magnesium salts) by promoting hydrogen bonding.

A STUDY ON ENHANCING THE FLAME RETARDANCY OF POLYPROPYLENE YARN WITH BORON COMPOUNDS

Functional properties such as; water resistance, flame retardancy, antibacterial efficiency etc. are required from textile products. One of the most commonly demanded products among functional textile products is the flame-retardant textiles. In this study, it is aimed to produce polypropylene filament yarn with permanent flame retardancy functionality by adding boron compound, which is Anhydrous disodium tetraborate powder (particle size &lt; 38 micron), to the fiber structure during melt spinning process. In this study two different yarn samples are produced with anhydrous disodium tetraborate content by mass ratios of 2% and 5%. A control polypropylene filament yarn sample is also produced with no additive. By this way, three samples are produced by a conventional BCF polypropylene melt spinning machine with the same production parameters. Then, three knitted fabric samples were produced flat knitting machine. Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI) and vertical flammability tests were applied to the samples. According to results an important level of increase for LOI value is obtained with the sample which has 2% boron compound additive. Nevertheless, there is not a consistent effect of increasing boron content in yarn structure for LOI value. The reason of this situation may be resulted due to the uneven distribution of the boron compound in the yarn structure because of the particle size.

The Protective Effects of Borax on Doxorubicin Induced Cardiotoxicity In Rats

Boron and boron compounds have benefical effects on health of human and animals.This study was designed to determine the protective effect of borax (BX) in doxorubicin (DXR) induced cardiotoxicity in rats. In this study, 20 Wistar-Albino male rats were used. The rats were divided into four groups including 5 rats in each one; control group (standard pellet food + water + normal saline), doxorubicin (3.75 mg/kg/ip, single dose in a week), doxorubicin + borax (3,75 mg/kg/ip + 25 mg/kg/oral/ respectively), and borax (25 mg/kg/oral, single dose in a week). At the end of the experiment, to evaluate antioxidant activity MDA, GSH, CAT, SOD levels determined in blood samples of rats. Besides, CK levels were investigated to determine the effect of doxorubucine on heart tissue. According to the results, MDA levels increased significantly in doxorubucin induced group (p