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High-toughness and environment-friendly solvent free solid epoxy resin through a low-cost, facile and large-scale fabrication process.

The design of renewable and fully biobased flame retardants (FRs) with high efficiencies and mechanical reinforcement functions for epoxy resin (EP) can greatly advance their potentials to satisfy sustainability. Although some biobased fire retardants have been successfully developed so far, most of existing biobased FRs are often not fully biobased and their syntheses normally involve the use of a large volume of organic solvents in addition to complicated synthesis processes. Herein, we report a facile and green strategy to synthesize fully biobased FR (P-MCC@CS@PA-Na) by surface-functionalizing microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) with chitosan (CS) and sodium phytate (PA-Na) via layer-by-layer assembly in water. The results show that incorporating 15 wt % P-MCC@CS@PA-Na enables EP composite to pass a UL-94 V-1 rating with a limiting oxygen index of 26.2%. Meanwhile, the peak heat release rate, total heat release, peak smoke production release, total smoke production, the fire growth rate, and the fire retardancy index of the EP/15 wt % P-MCC@CS@PA-Na are greatly reduced, indicating a good fire retardance. Notably, the well-designed P-MCC@CS@PA-Na simultaneously strengthens and toughens the EP because of uniform dispersion and a favorable interfacial compatibility between P-MCC@CS@PA-Na and the EP matrix. This work provides a green strategy for the fabrication of highly efficient multifunctional fully biobased FRs for polymers.

It has been always attractive to design a sustainable bio-derived adsorbent based on industrial waste lignin for removing organic dyes from water. However, existing adsorbent strategies often lead to the difficulties in adsorbent separation and recycling. Herein, we report a novel magnetically recyclable bio-adsorbent of Mg(OH)

A P-/N-containing bamboo-activated carbon (BACm) was successfully synthesized by steam activation of bamboo charcoal and chemical grafting to as-prepared activated carbon using the reaction of phosphoric acid and urea. Characterizations of BACm presented a synergistic grafting of P and N elements to the BAC surface. The BACm was further loaded in a polylactic acid (PLA) matrix to prepare BACm/PLA composites. Mechanical strength study showed tensile strength dropped from 75.19 MPa to 61.30 MPa, and tensile modulus from 602.49 MPa to 375.56 MPa, suggesting a rigidity reduction and deformation resistance enhancement owing to the roughened surface of BACm that interlocked with the polymer. The thermogravimetric analysis showed that the carbon residue rate of BACm dramatically fell to 49.25 wt.% in contrast to 88.28% for the control BAC, and cone calorimeter measurements confirmed the enhancement of flame retardancy of the composites with BACm loading, and the carbon residue rate increased progressively with BACm loading in the composites, notably up to 8.60 wt.% for the BAC/PLA9 composite, which outweighed the theoretical residue rate by more than 50%. The elemental analysis also confirmed rich P/N levels of the dense carbon residue layer that could perform synergistically and effectively in fire suppression. The BACm tended to stimulate the earlier decomposition of the composites and formed a continuous residual carbon layer which functioned as an effective barrier hindering the mass and heat transfer between the combustion zone and the underlying matrix. Moreover, 9 wt.% of BACm loading could attain a V-0 rating (UL94) for the composite with an improved limiting oxygen index up to 31.7%. The biomass-based modified activated carbon in this work could be considered as an alternative flame retardant in polymer applications.

International audience; Polylactide (PLA) derived from renewable resources has drawn great interests in packaging, electronics, and automotive fields because of its biodegradability, high mechanical strength, high transparency, and ease of processing. However, inherent flammability and heavy melt dripping exceedingly impede its real world applications in the forgoing fields. The last decade has witnessed the development of a variety of eco-benign fire retardants for PLA, but to date there has been an urgent lack of a comprehensive yet critical review on this topic. Herein, three major categories of fire retardants, organic, inorganic, and inorganic/organic FRs are reviewed, and fire retardant and mechanical properties of their PLA materials are discussed. This review highlights some representative fire retardants and their modes of actions in PLA followed by performance comparisons. Some important practical applications of fire-retardant PLA also are reviewed. Finally, key challenges with current fire-retardant PLA materials are discussed and some design principles are proposed for creating fire-retardant and mechanically robust PLA materials.

Bamboo features the fastest growing speed and abundant in the plant kingdom. However, it remains a huge challenge to prepare large flat surface boards by directly sawing or cutting due to the hollow cylindrical shape of bamboo culms. We herein have demonstrated the preparation of facile scalable fabrication of larger flattened bamboo board without cutting it into arcs bamboo strips by high-press steam softening approach. The results show that modulus of elasticity (MOE) of bamboo decreases with increasing softening temperature from 100 °C to 160 °C, and increases 8.3% from 160 °C to 180 °C, which is still less than bamboo softened at 140 °C. Bamboo can be flattened after softening above 140 °C. In addition, the main components of bamboo have no obvious changes when the softening temperature is below 140 °C. Moreover, the density and MOE are reduced after softening due to the decomposition of chemical components and increases after flattening due to increasing densification of bamboo which makes the flattened bamboo structure more uniform and stable. Hemicellulose starts to decompose from 160 °C and the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of soften bamboo is similar with flattened bamboo. It is also found that the volumetric swelling of the flattened bamboo is higher than that of soften bamboo. This work offers a facile methodology for promoting the high value-add utilization of bamboo biomass, and obtaining larger flatten bamboo board with high performance at a treatment condition of 160 ℃ and 8 min.

The aim of the present study was to explore the value of detecting antibiotic-resistant genes in

Recycling hazardous gas of H

Expanding the application range of flame-retardant polymer biocomposites remains a huge challenge for a sustainable society. Despite largely enhanced flame retardancy, until now the resultant poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites still suffer reduced tensile strength and impact toughness due to improper material design strategies. We, herein, demonstrate the design of a green flame retardant additive (ammonium polyphosphate (APP)@cellulose nanofiber (CNF)) via using the cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) as the green multifunctional additives hybridized with ammonium polyphosphate (APP). The results show that PLA composite with 5 wt % loading of APP@CNF can pass the UL-94 V-0 rating, besides a high limited oxygen index of 27.5%, indicative of a significantly enhanced flame retardancy. Moreover, the 5 wt % of APP@CNF enables the impact strength (σi) of the PVA matrix to significantly improve from 7.63 to 11.8 kJ/m2 (increase by 54%), in addition to a high tensile strength of 50.3 MPa for the resultant flame-retardant PLA composite. The enhanced flame retardancy and mechanical strength performances are attributed to the improved dispersion of APP@CNF and its smaller phase size within the PLA matrix along with their synergistic effect between APP and CNF. This work opens up a facile innovative methodology for the design of high-performance ecofriendly flame retardants and their advanced polymeric composites.

Recycling hazardous gas of H2S is one of the most important strategies to promote sustainable development. Herein, a novel method regarding purifying H2S is proposed by using yellow phosphorus and phosphate rock slurry as absorbent. The H2SO4, formed in situ by H2S conversion, can be devoted to decompose phosphate rock, and the spent absorption slurry was applied as raw material for the production of phosphorus chemical products. According to the characterization analysis, it was found that H2S was first oxidized to SO2 via O2 as well as O3 induced by P4. Subsequently, the generated SO2 dissolved rapidly in water to form H2SO4, and then reacted with the main component of phosphate rock, CaMg(CO3)2. Most notably, the active substances, such as, O3, SO4•- and OH•, produced in the reaction process, can oxidize H2S and HS- to these sulfur products. In addition, trace amounts of Fe3+ and Mn2+ that were dissolved from phosphate rock displayed a promotional effect on the formation of active substances. Consequently, as high as 85% of H2S removal efficiency can be obtained even under acidic condition and low temperature. The proposed H2S purification method offers a promising option for sulfur recovery and H2S pollution control.

Rationale A Dieulafoy lesion is a rare cause of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, especially in the jejunum, and the presence of calcifications on CT might be suspicious of the diagnosis. Patient concerns We describe a 72-year-old woman with anemia and melena. Hemoglobin was 6.0 g/dL, and the stools were positive for occult blood (4+). Blood pressure was 116/54 mm Hg. Physical examination showed pale face and pitting edema in both lower limbs. Abdominal computerized tomography showed calcification in the small intestine of the left lower abdomen. Capsule endoscopy showed a blood clot. Diagnoses Dieulafoy lesion. Interventions Single balloon endoscopy was performed via the oral approach and showed a blood clot on the suspected submucosal tumor of jejunum. A hemostatic clip was placed at the base of the lesion to allow the surgeon to locate it during the operation. Laparoscopy was performed, and the lesion was resected. Outcomes The postoperative pathology showed a Dieulafoy lesion. The lower extremity edema subsided. GI bleeding did not recur over 1 year of follow-up, and hemoglobin was 12.2 g/dL. A Dieulafoy lesion is a rare cause of GI bleeding, and it is even rarer in the jejunum. Lessons A Dieulafoy lesion does not have special imaging features, but the presence of calcifications in the small intestine on computerized tomography might be suspicious of the diagnosis. When endoscopic treatment is difficult, surgical treatment could be considered.

Due to the global concern on the increasing amount of fossil energy consumed by traditional ships, the application of renewable energy into a ship power system provides a new solution to improve the energy efficiency and to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. This study proposes a stand-alone power system on a large oil tanker including wind generation system, photovoltaic generation system, the diesel generator, and the energy storage system (ESS). Unlike on land, the wind generation on the shipboard not only relies on the natural wind speed but also the ship's course and speed. The installation of the wind turbines on the board is optimally designed, which takes the relative speed into account. In order to mitigate the intermittence of the renewable energy generation, a lead–acid battery serves as the ESS to enhance the stability of the ship power system, and the size is optimized by the multi-objective particle swarm optimization to minimize the whole system cost and CO2 emissions. Additionall...

The emission of SO

Wet phosphate rock flue gas desulfurization is a new and promising technology, which has drawn increasing attention in recent years. The effect of Mn2+, Fe3+ and Mg2+ dissolved from phosphate rock on removal efficiency of SO2 were systematically investigated in this paper. The XRD, FT-IR, SEM, XPS, IC and ICP were used to characterize the reacted products, demonstrating that these metal ions have promotive effect on the purification of SO2. Especially, trace Mn2+ and Fe3+ ions can rose up about 19%–31.5% SO2 absorption capacity compared to the system without metal ions. Furthermore, the catalytic effect of these metal ions on the oxidation of S(IV) were compared, by adding them to the sodium bisulfite aqueous solution system. The order of catalytic capability of metal ions to S(IV) is: Mn2+ > Fe3+ > Mg2+. Interestingly, in the simultaneous presence of Mn2+ and Fe3+, the catalytic synergism between them toward S(IV) oxidation is exhibited. And only 16.56 kJ/mol of activation energy is needed, which is reduced by 74.1% compared to systems without catalyst. Consequently, a satisfactory result for absorption of SO2 can be obtained although the concentrations of Mn2+ and Fe3+ in phosphate rock slurry is low. Additionally, the catalytic mechanism of Mn2+ and Fe3+ towards S(IV) was investigated by reaction barrier and free energy calculation.

The creation of high-performance polylactic acid (PLA) materials combining excellent mechanical robustness and flame-retardant performances are essential to meet demanding performances requirements for their practical applications in industry. Despite encouraging advances, current strategies by introducing toughening agents and flame retardants usually show compromised mechanical strength/ductility because of the irrational interphase reaction design of multi-component polymer blends. To date it remains challenging to robust and flame-retardant PLA via controlling interphase reactions. We, herein, report the rational design of mechanically robust and flame-retardant PLA by in situ manipulating interphase reactions between PLA, epoxidized soybean oil (ESO), a biobased and inexpensive toughening agent, and ammonia polyphosphate (APP), an effective eco-friendly flame retardant. We show that in addition to a high tensile strength of 42.0 MPa, as-designed PLA/ESO/APP ternary blend exhibits a high extensibility of 165% and a fracture toughness as high as 46 MJ/m3, which are respectively 21 and 14 folds of that of the bulk PLA. Meanwhile, a desired V-0 rating and a high limited oxygen index of 30.2% are achieved. Such outstanding performance portfolios are enabled by the rational manipulation of interphase reactions, leading to the in situ formation of favorable phase structures. This work offers an innovative methodology for facilely and massively creating high-performance multi-component polymer blends by tailoring interphase reactions, and contributes to expanding the extensive applications of PLA.

The emission of SO2 and the disposal of waste phosphate mine tailings are generally regarded as two major environmental issues in phosphorus chemical activities. In this paper, an environmentally friendly and efficient route for removing SO2 from phosphorus chemical processes by using waste phosphate mine tailings as adsorbent was proposed. It was indicated that the desulfurization performance of the waste phosphate mine tailings was better than that of its raw ore. The characterization analysis illustrated that higher content of CaMg(CO3)2 was shown on the waste phosphate mine tailings, which played a dominant role in determining the better desulfurization activity. In contrast, the accumulation of PO43− and H+ ions resulted from the dissolution of Ca5(PO4)3F on the raw ore caused negative effect on SO2 removal. In the typical desulfurization system, the produced sulfuric acid from desulfurization process was used to decompose phosphate mine tailings, and these spent tailings can be subsequently applied as raw materials for the production of phosphorus products. As a result, the present approach can achieve the dual goal of reducing the cost of desulfurization process and recycling the waste tailings, which is of great environmental and economic significance.

This study optimizes the tilt angle of photovoltaic (PV) panels on a large oil tanker ship system and considers the impact of partial shading to improve the performance of the PV system. This work presents a novel method that considers the difference between the expected and real outputs of PV modules to optimize the size of energy storage system (ESS). The method also takes into account the cost of wasted power, the capital cost of the system, fuel cost and the CO2 emissions. Unlike on land, power generation using a PV on a ship depends on the date, latitude and longitude of the navigation. Accordingly, this work considers a route from Dalian in China to Aden in Yemen, accounting for the seasonal and geographical variations of solar irradiation. This proposed method adopts five conditions associated with the navigation route to model the total shipload. Various cases are discussed in detail to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Polyphenol compounds widely exist in plant-derived foods, such as coffee beans, fruits, vegetables, olive oils and wines. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that chlorogenic acid (ChA), apigenin (API) and caffeic acid (CaA) possess various pharmacological effects, such as antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the synergistic protective effects of them on tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury remains unclear. To explore these effects, male mice were administrated CCl4 together with or without pretreatment of ChA, API, CaA or their co-treatments for 30 days. The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) increased in CCl4-treated mice (P < 0.001), and these effects were further confirmed by liver histopathological observation. In addition, CCl4 could increase the hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) formation; decrease the level of hepatic reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) (P < 0.001). ChA, API and CaA significantly attenuated CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity, especially when they were co-administrated. The factorial analysis indicated that ChA + API + CaA has the strongest synergistic protective effect on CCl4-induced reduction of antioxidative activity (P ≤ 0.001). As compared with the CCl4-treated group, the mRNA expression of inflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were significantly downregulated by co-treatment with ChA, API or CaA (P < 0.05). And they also had a synergistic protective effect on CCl4-induced up-regulation of the inflammation mediators (P < 0.01). Our study for the first time revealed the synergistic protective effect of ChA, API and CaA on CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity.

The homogeneous dispersion and strong interfacial interactions of carbon nanomaterials are vital factors on enhancing the properties of polymer composites. Two-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and one-dimensional carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were first grafted by 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA). The successful grafting of ODA onto the rGO and CNTs were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The hybrid carbon nanomaterials of the functionalized CNTs and rGO with different ratios were prepared via a solution-mixing method, and their dispersion state was investigated. The hybrid carbon nanomaterials with good stability were introduced to polyimide (PI) via in situ polymerization. The morphology and properties of the polymer composites were studied. The results show that much better mechanical and electrical properties of the composites could be achieved in comparison with those of the neat PI. An improvement of 100.7% on the tensile strength and eight orders for the electrical conductivity were achieved at only a 1.0 wt % hybrid content. A significant enhancement effect was attributed to the homogeneous dispersion of the filler, filler–matrix strong interfacial interactions, and unique structure of the hybrid carbon nanomaterials in the composites. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44575.

Graphene oxide (GO), as an important precursor of graphene, was functionalized using alkyl-amines with different structure and then reduced to prepare reduced amines grafted graphene oxide (RAGOs) by N2H4 · H2O. The successful chemical amidation reaction between amine groups of alkyl-amines and carboxyl groups of GO was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Then RAGOs/polyimide nanocomposites were prepared via in situ polymerization and thermal curing process with different loadings of RAGOs. The modification of amine chains lead to homogenous dispersion of RAGOs in the composites and it formed strong interfacial adhesion between RAGOs and the polymer matrix. The mechanical and electrical properties of polyimide (PI) were significantly improved by incorporation of a small amount of RAGOs, the influence of structure of amines grafted on RAGOs on the enhancement effects of composites was discussed. The research results indicated that the proper structure of amine could effectively enhance the properties of composites. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43820.

Caffeic acid derivatives (CADs) are well-known phytochemicals with multiple physiological and pharmacological activities. This study aimed to investigate the combined protective effects of CADs on PCB126-induced liver damages and oxidative stress in mice. Here, we used chemiluminescence and chose chlorogenic acid (CGA), salvianolic acid B (Sal B) as the best antioxidants. Then, mice were intragastrically administered with 60mg/kg/d CGA, Sal B, and CGA plus Sal B (1:1) for 3 weeks before exposing to 0.05mg/kg/d PCB126 for 2 weeks. We found that pretreatment with CGA, Sal B, and CGA plus Sal B effectively attenuated liver injury and cytotoxicity caused by PCB126, but improved the expressions of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reduced (GSH), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), CGA plus Sal B especially, was found to have the best effects that indicated a synergetic protective effect. Taken together, as the Nrf2 regulates the cyto-protective response by up-regulating the expression of antioxidant genes, we suggested that CGA plus Sal B had a combined protection on PCB126-induced tissue damages and that the Nrf2 signaling might be involved.

A new intumescent flame retardant (IFR) system consisting of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and charing-foaming agent (CFA) and a little organic montmorillonite (OMMT) was used in low-density polyethylene (LLDPE)/ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) composite. According to limiting oxygen index (LOI) value and UL-94 rating obtained from this work, the reasonable mass ratio of APP to CFA was 3 : 1, and OMMT could obviously enhance the flame retardancy of the composites. Cone calorimeter (CONE) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were applied to evaluate the burning behavior and thermal stability of IFR-LLDPE/EVA (LLDPE/EVA) composites. The results of cone calorimeter showed that heat release rate peak (HRR-peak) and smoke production rate peak (SPR-peak) and time to ignition (TTI) of IFR-LLDPE/EVA composites decreased clearly compared with the pure blend. TGA data showed that IFR could enhance the thermal stability of the composites at high temperature and effectively increase the char residue. The morphological structures of the composites observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrated that OMMT could well disperse in the composites without exfoliation, and obviously improve the compatibility of components of IFR in LLDPE/EVA blend. The morphological structures of char layer obtained from Cone indicated that OMMT make the char layer structure be more homogenous and more stable. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009

The effects of lanthanum oxide (La2O3) as a synergistic agent on the flame retardancy of intumescent flame retardant polypropylene composites (IFR–PP) were studied, and the new IFR system mainly consisted of the charring–foaming agent (CFA) and ammonium polyphosphate (APP). The limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94 test, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), cone calorimeter (CONE) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to evaluate the synergistic effects of La2O3. It was found that when IFR was fixed at 20 wt% in IFR–PP composites, only a little amount of La2O3 could enhance LOI value and pass the UL-94 V0 rating test (1.6 mm). The TGA data showed that La2O3 could enhance the thermal stability of the IFR–PP systems at high temperature and effectively increase the char residue formation. The CONE results revealed that La2O3 and IFR could clearly change the decomposition behavior of PP and form a char layer on the surface of the composites, consequently resulting in efficient reduction of the flammability parameters, such as heat release rate (HRR), total heat release (THR), smoke production rate (SPR), total smoke production (TSP), ignition time (IT) and so on. The morphological structures observed by SEM demonstrated that La2O3 could promote to form the homogenous and compact intumescent char layer. Thus, a suitable amount of La2O3 plays a synergistic effect in the flame retardancy and smoke suppression of IFR composites.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have tumoricidal action, though the exact mechanism of their action is not clear. The results of the present study showed that of all the fatty acids tested, linoleic acid (LA) and α-linolenic acid (ALA) were the most effective in suppressing the growth of normal gastric cells (GES1) at 180 and 200 μM, while gastric carcinoma cells (MGC and SGC) were inhibited at 200 μM. Arachidonic acid (AA) suppressed the growth of GES1, MGC and SGC cells and lower concentrations (120 and 160 μM) of AA were more effective against gastric carcinoma (MGC and SGC) cells compared to normal gastric cells (GES1). Paradoxically, both eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids though are more unsaturated than AA, were less effective compared with LA, ALA and AA in suppressing the growth of both normal and cancer cells. At the concentration used, methotrexate showed much less growth suppressive action compared to all the fatty acids tested. PUFAs-treated cells showed accumulation of lipid droplets. A close association was noted between apoptosis and lipid peroxides formed compared to the ability of normal and tumor cells to generate ROS (reactive oxygen species) and induce SOD (superoxide dismutase activity) in response to fatty acids tested and methotrexate. Both normal and tumor cells generated lipoxin A4 (LXA4) in response to supplementation of fatty acids and methotrexate though no significant correlation was noted between their ability to induce apoptosis and LXA4 formed. These results suggest that PUFAs induced apoptosis of normal gastric and gastric carcinoma cells could, partly, be attributed to lipid peroxidation process.

Due the concern about serious environmental pollution and fossil energy consumption, introducing solar generation into ship power systems has drawn greater attention. However, the penetration of solar energy will result in ship power system instability caused by the uncertainties of the solar irradiation. Unlike on land, the power generated by photovoltaic (PV) modules on the shipboard changes as the ship rolls. In this paper, a high-speed flywheel energy storage system (FESS) is modeled to smooth the PV power fluctuations and improve the power quality on a large oil tanker which contains a PV generation system, a diesel generator, a FESS, and various types of ship loads. Furthermore, constant torque angle control method combined with sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) approach is proposed to control the FESS charging and discharging. Different ship operating situations and the impact of the ship rolling is taken into consideration. The simulation results demonstrate the high efficiency and fast response of the flywheel energy storage system to enhance the stability of the proposed hybrid ship power system.

Two novel triazine ring-containing macromolecules, designated as charring-foaming agent 1 (CFA1) and charring-foaming agent 2 (CFA2), were synthesized by a series of polycondensation reactions. Their chemical structures were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (13C solid-state NMR), and elemental analysis, and their thermal degradation properties were assessed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TGA data revealed that CFA1 and CFA2 show high thermal stability and have a high propensity for char formation, their initial decomposition temperatures being 300.2°C and 287.1°C, and their char residues at 800°C amounting to 32.2 wt % and 21.1 wt %, respectively. CFA1 presents higher thermal stability and more char residue than CFA2. Based on experimental results of the flame retardancy (limiting oxygen indices values and UL-94 V-0 rating) and the TG data of new intumescent flame retardant polypropylene (IFR-PP) containing CFA1 and CFA2, CFA1 exhibits more outstanding intumescent flame retardance than CFA2. IFRs containing CFA1 and CFA2 enhanced Notched Izod Impact strength of IFR-PP, and slightly lower tensile strength of IFR-PP. IFR2 shows more advantageous effect on mechanical properties of IFR-PP than IFR1. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010

Chronic exposure to coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a potent inducer of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS), in the environment and food can cause liver diseases. It remains unknown whether caffeic acid derivatives (CADs) exerted protective effect on PCB-induced hepatotoxicity. We sought to evaluate the activities of 3 CADs on PCB169-induced oxidative stress and DNA damage in the liver. Male ICR mice were administered with 1 μmol/mL PCB169 at 5 mL/kg body weight for 2 weeks. The mice were given CADs by gastric gavage for 3 weeks. We found that PCB169 decreased the growth rate and reduced the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and GSH peroxidase (GPx). It increased the liver weight, malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels and CYP1A1 activity in the liver tissues and plasma of mice (P