Mechanism for degradation of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane by mechano-chemical ball milling with Fe-Zn bimetal.

As a non-combustion technique for destruction of persistent organic pollutants, mechanochemical ball milling has attracted research attention worldwide due to high effectiveness, simplicity, and wide applicability. Previous studies have demonstrated that Fe-Zn bimetal outperformed other commonly used reagents such as CaO, Fe and FeO in mechanochemical destruction of industrial DDT. Mechanistic studies on mechanochemical destruction of persistent organic pollutants are rather limited and mechanisms may differ among reagents and chemicals.

Mechanochemical destruction of DDTs with Fe-Zn bimetal in a high-energy planetary ball mill.

Mechanochemical destruction has been proposed as a promising, non-combustion technology for the disposal of toxic, halogenated, organic pollutants. In the study presented, additives including Fe, Zn, Fe-Zn bimetal, CaO and FeO were tested for their effectiveness to remove DDTs by MC. The results showed that Fe-Zn bimetal was the most efficient additive, with 98% of DDTs removed after 4h.

Unexpected segmental dynamics in polystyrene-grafted silica nanocomposites.

Establishing the relationship between interfacial layer chain packing and dynamics remains a continuing challenge in polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). This issue is expected to be significant in our understanding of the mechanism of the dynamic response of such materials and the manner in which these parameters affect the macroscopic properties of PNCs. In this study, we report the dynamics of free polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix chains, as well as those of polymer chains surrounding the spherical silica nanoparticles (NPs) where silica NPs are either bare or PS grafted, to discriminate the role of grafted chains and interfacial interactions between grafted NPs and the matrix.

Thermoplastics Reinforced with Self-Welded Short Carbon Fibers: Nanoparticle-Promoted Structural Evolution.

The large volume of currently available fiber-reinforced polymer composites critically limits the intrinsic versatility of fibers such as high mechanical strength, heat resistance, and excellent thermal/electrical conductivity. We proposed a facile and widely applicable strategy to promote self-organization of randomly dispersed short carbon fibers (CFs) into a three-dimensionally continuous scaffold. The morphological evolution and structural reinforcement of the self-welded CF-polyamide 6 (PA6) scaffold in polystyrene (PS) matrix were investigated, with carbon black (CB) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) selectively localized in the PA6 domains.