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Recent reports of the release of large numbers of respirable and critically long fiber-shaped fragments from mesophase pitch-based carbon fiber polymer composites during machining and tensile testing have raised inhalation toxicological concerns. As carbon fibers and their fragments are to be considered as inherently biodurable, the fiber pathogenicity paradigm motivated the development of a laboratory test method to assess the propensity of different types of carbon fibers to form such fragments. It uses spallation testing of carbon fibers by impact grinding in an oscillating ball mill. The resulting fragments were dispersed on track-etched membrane filters and morphologically analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The method was applied to nine different carbon fiber types synthesized from polyacrylonitrile, mesophase or isotropic pitch, covering a broad range of material properties. Significant differences in the morphology of formed fragments were observed between the materials studied. These were statistically analyzed to relate disintegration characteristics to material properties and to rank the carbon fiber types according to their propensity to form respirable fiber fragments. This tendency was found to be lower for polyacrylonitrile-based and isotropic pitch-based carbon fibers than for mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers, but still significant. Although there are currently only few reports in the literature of increased respirable fiber dust concentrations during the machining of polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber composites, we conclude that such materials have the potential to form critical fiber morphologies of WHO dimensions. For safe-and-sustainable carbon fiber-reinforced composites, a better understanding of the material properties that control the carbon fiber fragmentation is imperative.

We report on a new process for the spinning of high-performance cellulosic fibers. For the first time, cellulose has been dissolved in the ionic liquid (IL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium octanoate ([C2C1im][Oc]) via a thin film evaporator in a continuous process. Compared to other ILs, [C2C1im][Oc] shows no signs of hydrolysis with water. For dope preparation the degree of polymerization of the pulp was adjusted by electron beam irradiation and determined by viscosimetry. In addition, the quality of the pulp was evaluated by means of alkali resistance. Endless filament fibers have been spun using dry-jet wet spinning and an extruder instead of a spinning pump, which significantly increases productivity. By this approach, more than 1000 m of continuous multifilament fibers have been spun. The novel approach allows for preparing cellulose fibers with high Young's modulus (33 GPa) and unprecedented high tensile strengths up to 45 cN/tex. The high performance of the obtained fibers provides a promising outlook for their application as replacement material for rayon-based tire cord fibers., Projekt DEAL

Carbon fiber (CF) structure is strongly influenced in terms of CF's crystallinity, crystallite dimensions, orientation, and interlayer spacing by the structure of the CF precursor, including its sp2/sp3 carbon content, and the process parameters for spinning, oxidative stabilization, and carbonization/graphitization. In order to retrieve information about structure formation in all-aromatic CF precursors, poly(p-phenylene-vinylene) (PPV) fibers have been prepared through dry spinning of a sulfinyl-based precursor polymer followed by thermal conversion into PPV. By applying different stretch ratios, different degrees of orientation were realized. Subsequent thermal conversion of these PPV fibers into CFs with and without additional tension during carbonization allowed for following structure formation in the final CFs. Wide-angle X-ray scattering and Raman data were recorded at different stages of carbonization and compared to those of a poly(acrylonitrile)-derived CF as well as to lignin- and cellulose-derived CFs. Structure formation during carbonization was correlated with the sp2/sp3 carbon content of the CF precursors. The all-sp2 carbon precursor PPV was found to favor crystallite growth in the direction of the CF axis, parallel to the individual graphite planes, and formation of ordered graphitic structures at an earlier stage and to a higher extent than in high-/all-sp3 carbon precursors.

Structure evolution during the conversion of melt spun, electron beam‐crosslinked polyethylene fibers into carbon fibers using a combined sulphurization/pyrolysis/carbonization process is reported. Solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis–mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive X‐ray scattering, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction data are presented and provide a comprehensive picture of the structural changes during carbonization.

The focus of the work was to clarify the influence of the cross section shape of the viscose fibers and additives on the carbonization process and the resulting carbon fiber properties. Overall, the shape of cross section of carbon fibers produced was determined by the initial fiber morphology of the precursor viscose fibers. The carbon yield was independent of the geometric structure of the viscose fibers and a certain degree of shrinkage was observed for all types of fibers due to the loss of water, hydrocarbons and other volatile products. Several additives, such as carbon black, a nitrogen containing carbohydrate and lignin, were homogenously incorporated into the precursor fiber and resulted in slight increase of the carbon yield. Carbon black particles became distinctive and visible on the surface of the carbon fibers. In particular, the thermal and chemical course of the carbonization was altered by the nitrogen containing additive, while the structure and properties of the carbonized fibers remained basically unchanged.

Cellulose derivative fibers were prepared via phosphorylation of cellulose with the ionic liquid (IL) 1,3-dimethylimidazolium methyl-H-phosphonate [MMIM] + [MMP] − in the spinning dope and subsequent fiber formation in a dry–wet-spinning process. The thus obtained precursor fibers were carbonized at different temperatures. In order to receive carbon fibers in high carbonization yields, the degree of substitution (DS) was adjusted. The rheological behavior of the spinning dope was studied and the spinning and carbonization parameters were optimized. Moreover, the precursor fiber tensile and structural properties were compared to pure cellulose fibers. According to thermal analysis coupled with evolved gas analysis (TGA-EGA) of the derivative and pure cellulose fibers, the carbonization yields could be almost doubled via the applied functionalization of cellulose and differences in the relative amounts of released gases during carbonization were studied. Both, precursor and carbon fibers were analyzed by, wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and tensile testing.

We report an examination of the ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of endo-dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) by 10 well-defined molybdenum-based and 16 tungsten-based alkylidene initiators. Five tungsten-based MAP (monoaryloxide pyrrolide) initiators with the general formula W(X)(CHCMe2Ph)(Me2Pyr)(OAr) (X = arylimido, alkylimido, or oxo; Me2Pyr =2,5-dimethylpyrrolide; OAr = an aryloxide) were found to yield >98% cis, >98% syndiotactic poly(DCPD); they are W(N-t-Bu)(CHCMe3)(pyr)(OHMT) (2, OHMT = O-2,6-(2,4,6-Me3C6H2)2C6H3, pyr = pyrrolide), W(N-2,6-i-Pr2C6H3)(CHCMe2Ph)(pyr)(OHMT) (3), W(O)(CHCMe2Ph)(Me2Pyr)(OHMT)(PPh2Me) (7, Me2Pyr =2,5-dimethylpyrrolide), W(O)(CHCMe2Ph)(Me2Pyr)(ODFT)(PPh2Me) (9, ODFT = O-2,6-(C6F5)2C6H3), and W(O)(CHCMe2Ph)(Me2Pyr)(OTPP)(PMePh2) (10, OTPP = O-2,3,5,6-Ph4C6H). Two biphenolate alkylidene complexes, Mo(N-2,6-Me2C6H3)(CHCMe2Ph)(rac-biphen) (17) and W(N-2,6-Me2C6H3)(CHCMe2Ph)(rac-biphen) (22, biphen =3,3′-(t-Bu)2-5,5′-6,6′-(CH3)4-1,1′-biphenyl-2,2′-diolate), were found to yi...

The stability of the surface termination of intermetallic Pd2Ga nanoparticles and its effect on the hydrogenation of acetylene was investigated. For this purpose, a precursor synthesis approach was applied to synthesize supported intermetallic Pd2Ga nanoparticles. A series of Pd-substituted MgGa-hydrotalcite (HT)-like compounds with different Pd loading was prepared by coprecipitation and studied in terms of loading, phase formation, stability and catalytic performance in the selective hydrogenation of acetylene. Higher Pd loadings than 1 mol % revealed an incomplete incorporation of Pd into the HT lattice, as evidenced by XANES and TPR measurements. Upon thermal reduction in hydrogen, Pd2Ga nanoparticles were obtained with particle sizes varying with the Pd loading, from 2 nm to 6 nm. The formation of intermetallic Pd2Ga nanoparticles led to a change of the CO adsorption properties as was evidenced by IR spectroscopy. Dynamic changes of the surface were noticed at longer exposure times to CO and higher c...

Reversible-addition fragmentation-transfer (RAFT) polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) was performed with 2-(2- cyano-2-propyl-dodecyl)trithiocarbonate as RAFT agent and azobis(isobutyronitrile) as initiator. Linear polyacrylonitrile (Mn 5 133,000 g/mol, PDI 5 1.34) was prepared within 7 h in 86% isolated yield. High-yield copolymerization with methyl methacrylate (MMA) was performed and copolymerization parameters were determined according to Kelen and T€ ud€ os at 90 � C in ethylene carbonate yielding rAN 5 0.2 and rMMA 5 0.42. The molecular weights, polydispersity indices (PDIs), and MMA content of the copolymer were adjusted in a way that precur- sor fibers could be prepared via wet spinning. These precursor fibers had round cross-sections and a dense morphology, showing tenacities of 40-50 cN/tex and elastic moduli of 900- 1000 cN/tex at a fineness of 1 dtex and an elongation of 13- 17%. Precursor fibers were oxidatively stabilized and then car- bonized at different temperatures. A maximum tensile strength of 2.5 GPa was reached at 1350 � C. Thermal analysis, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray scatter- ing, scanning electron microscopy, and tensile testing were used to characterize the resulting carbon fibers. V C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014, 52, 1322-1333

An effective and versatile synthetic approach to produce well-dispersed supported intermetallic nanoparticles is presented that allows a comparative study of the catalytic properties of different intermetallic phases while minimizing the influence of differences in preparation history. Supported PdZn, Pd 2 Ga, and Pd catalysts were synthesized by reductive decomposition of ternary Hydrotalcite-like compounds obtained by co-precipitation from aqueous solutions. The precursors and resulting catalysts were characterized by HRTEM, XRD, XAS, and CO-IR spectroscopy. The Pd 2+ cations were found to be at least partially incorporated into the cationic slabs of the precursor. Full incorporation was confirmed for the PdZnAl -Hydrotalcite-like precursor. After reduction of Ga- and Zn-containing precursors, the intermetallic compounds Pd 2 Ga and PdZn were present in the form of nanoparticles with an average diameter of 6 nm or less. Tests of catalytic performance in methanol steam reforming and methanol synthesis from CO 2 have shown that the presence of Zn and Ga improves the selectivity to CO 2 and methanol, respectively. The catalysts containing intermetallic compounds were 100 and 200 times, respectively, more active for methanol synthesis than the monometallic Pd catalyst. The beneficial effect of Ga in the active phase was found to be more pronounced in methanol synthesis compared with steam reforming of methanol, which is likely related to insufficient stability of the reduced Ga species in the more oxidizing feed of the latter reaction. Although the intermetallic catalysts were in general less active than a Cu-/ZnO-based material prepared by a similar procedure, the marked changes in Pd reactivity upon formation of intermetallic compounds and to study the tunability of Pd-based catalysts for different reactions.

Different softwood lignin O-acyl derivatives, i.e., methacrylated, hexanoylated, benzoylated, methoxybenzoylated, and cinnamoylated lignin are synthesized and subjected to melt spinning. In the presence of spinning aids such as vanillin and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, multifilament melt spinning is accomplished with spinning speeds up to 500 m min−1, which allowed for realizing uniform precursor fibers 17 μm in diameter. Out of all acyl-derivatives of softwood lignin investigated, cinnamoylated softwood lignin (CL) turned out to be superior in terms of processability. CL-derived precursor fibers are oxidatively thermostabilized and then carbonized applying carbonization temperatures up to 2200 °C. Carbon fiber structure formation is followed in detail by wide-angle X-ray scattering and Raman spectroscopy. An orientation ≤53% and a d 002 spacing of 0.353 nm is achieved. According to small angle X-ray scattering, carbon fibers have a porosity of ≈38%. CL-derived carbon fibers are also characterized in terms of mechanical properties. Tensile strengths up to 0.93 GPa (average 0.75 GPa) are obtained and follow Weibull statistics. Elastic moduli are ≤66.5 GPa (average 41.1 GPa).

A synthesis method for producing MgAl oxide supported uniform palladium nanoparticles with varying diameters has been developed. The method consists of reductive-thermal decomposition of a PdMgAl hydrotalcite-like compound, formed via co-precipitation of metal nitrate salts and sodium carbonate. The hydrotalcite–like precursors were characterized by XRD, TG-MS and SEM, and were found to contain a well-defined crystalline structure and a uniform distribution of all constituent elements. The resulting catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, Chemisorption of CO and in situ IR measurements of CO, and were found to consist of partially oxide-embedded Pd nanoparticles with diameters ranging from d = 1.7 to 3.3 nm and correspond dispersions of 67–14%. Furthermore, the particle size was found to be inversely related to Pd loading. The palladium catalysts were studied for methane activation via chemisorption at 200 and 400 °C followed by a temperature programmed surface hydrogenation. The most disperse catalyst (d = 1.7 nm) possessed an intrinsic methane adsorption capacity, which was an order of magnitude larger than that of other catalysts in the series, indicating a strong structure sensitivity in this reaction. Additionally, the methane adsorption capacity of the hydrotalcite-derived Pd catalysts was nearly two orders of magnitude higher than that of catalysts derived through other synthesis pathways such as colloidal deposition or sonochemical reduction.

Discussed are the recent experimental and theoretical results on palladium-based catalysts for selective hydrogenation of alkynes obtained by a number of collaborating groups in a joint multi-method and multi-material approach. The critical modification of catalytically active Pd surfaces by incorporation of foreign species X into the sub-surface of Pd metal was observed by in situ spectroscopy for X=H, C under hydrogenation conditions. Under certain conditions (low H2 partial pressure) alkyne fragmentation leads to formation of a PdC surface phase in the reactant gas feed. The insertion of C as a modifier species in the sub-surface increases considerably the selectivity of alkyne semi-hydrogenation over Pd-based catalysts through the decoupling of bulk hydrogen from the outmost active surface layer. DFT calculations confirm that PdC hinders the diffusion of hydridic hydrogen. Its formation is dependent on the chemical potential of carbon (reactant partial pressure) and is suppressed when the hydrogen/alkyne pressure ratio is high, which leads to rather unselective hydrogenation over in situ formed bulk PdH. The beneficial effect of the modifier species X on the selectivity, however, is also present in intermetallic compounds with X=Ga. As a great advantage, such PdxGay catalysts show extended stability under in situ conditions. Metallurgical, clean samples were used to determine the intrinsic catalytic properties of PdGa and Pd3Ga7. For high performance catalysts, supported nanostructured intermetallic compounds are more preferable and partial reduction of Ga2O3, upon heating of Pd/Ga2O3 in hydrogen, was shown to lead to formation of PdGa intermetallic compounds at moderate temperatures. In this way, Pd5Ga2 and Pd2Ga are accessible in the form of supported nanoparticles, in thin film models, and realistic powder samples, respectively.

The Pd on α-Al 2 O 3 catalysts with Pd particles in the low nanometer range have been prepared by a sonochemical reduction and a colloidal method, respectively. The two catalysts differ in their particle size, the widths of their particle size distributions and the amount of carbon incorporation in the Pd lattice. The adsorptive properties of the Pd/Al 2 O 3 samples are different as a result of the different preparation methods. The methane adsorption capacity of that sample with smaller particles is lower than that of the catalyst with larger particles and the energy of activation is nearly doubled. DRIFTS and TPD results of CO adsorption supported by transmission electron microscopy data indicate that the PdSON catalyst with smaller and more homogeneous particles than PdCOL is highly dispersed which influences the coupling-hydrogenolysis process. The catalytic activity evidenced the formation of different adspecies during methane coupling and chemisorption on both catalysts. During the hydrogenation the carbon adspecies formed mainly methane at low adsorption temperatures. The significant amount of adsorbed methane at 773 K is governed by the highly active coordination unsaturated sites at the surface.

A novel nanostructured Pd2Ga intermetallic catalyst is presented and compared to elemental Pd and a macroscopic bulk Pd2Ga material concern- ing physical and chemical properties. The new material was prepared by controlled co-precipitation from a single phase layered double hydroxide precursor or hydrotalcite-like compound, of the composition Pd0.025Mg0.675Ga0.3(OH)2(CO3)0.15 ∙ m H2O. Upon thermal reduction in hydrogen, bi- metallic nanoparticles of an average size less than 10 nm and a porous MgO/MgGa2O4 support are formed. HRTEM images confirmed the pres- ence of the intermetallic compound Pd2Ga and are corroborated by XPS investigations which revealed an interaction between Pd and Ga. Due to the relatively high dispersion of the intermetallic compound, the catalytic activity of the sample in the semi-hydrogenation of acetylene was more than five thousand times higher than observed for a bulk Pd2Ga model catalyst. Interestingly, the high selectivity of the model catalysts towards the semi-hydrogenated product of 74% was only slightly lowered to 70% for the nano-structured catalyst, while an elemental Pd reference cata- lyst showed only a selectivity of around 20% under these testing conditions. This result indicates the structural integrity of the intermetallic com- pound and the absence of elemental Pd in the nano-sized particles. Thus, this work serves as an example of how the unique properties of an intermetallic compound, well-studied as a model catalyst, can be made accessible as a real high performing materials allowing establishment of structure-performance relationships and other application-related further investigations. The general synthesis approach is assumed to be applica- ble to several Pd-X intermetallic catalysts for X being elements forming hydrotalcite-like precursors in their ionic form.