Determination of iodine in polyamide by inductively-coupled plasma/mass spectrometry.

A method was developed for the determination of iodine in polyamide (PA). This method is needed as PA containing iodine (such as CuI/KX (X = I or Br) heat stabilizing agent), may represent a risk of corrosion for electronic parts in the automotive industry. The method involved a microwave assisted digestion method using nitric acid followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis.

Micromechanical modeling and characterization of the effective properties in starch-based nano-biocomposites.

The aim of this work was to predict the effective elastic properties of starch-based nano-biocomposites. Experiments (materials elaboration, morphological characterization and determination of mechanical properties) were conducted on both the pristine matrix (plasticized starch) and the matrix filled with montmorillonite nanoclay. Aggregated/intercalated and exfoliated nano-biocomposites were produced and mechanically tested under uniaxial tension to understand the effect of montmorillonite morphology/dispersion on the stiffness properties of starch-based nano-biocomposites.