Nanocomposites of regenerated cellulose containing different amounts of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) (0.5, 1, and 2 wt%) have been prepared by wet spinning using Lyocell process. The thermal stability, mechanical, and electrical properties of the nanocomposite fibers were studied. The nanocomposite fibers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The tenacity and initial modulus of the nanocomposite fibers improved by 66% and 61%, respectively with the addition of 2 wt% GNPs. The T20 decomposition temperature of regenerated cellulose fibers improved with the addition of GNPs up to 2 wt%. The morphology by SEM revealed exfoliated dispersion of GNPs into the regenerated cellulose matrix which subsequently resulted in good interaction between the nanofillers and the matrix. The addition of exfoliated GNPs generated electrical conductivity. The nanocomposite fibers containing 2 wt% GNPs has a conductivity of 2.3 × 10−4 S/cm. The FTIR spectra showed that the addition of GNPs in regenerated cellulose did not result in any noticeable change in its chemical structure. The resulting nanocomposite may find potential applications in the areas of carbon fiber precursor, conductive fibers, electrical tools, and biodegradable composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:E81–E88, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers

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A Cr + TiN double layer was coated on an SS-420 substrate using a hollow cathode discharge gun. The compositional analysis of the samples carried out by glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy confirmed the Cr/TiN constituents. X-ray diffraction pattern studies showed that due to the presence of chromium in the TiN matrix, preferential growth of TiN was changed from (200) to (111) reflection plane, leading to formation of a Cr + TiN double layer hard composite. However, at the same time, the hard coating layers exhibited unavoidable defects exposing them to corrosive environments. In this work, the corrosion protective behaviour of the Cr + TiN double layer was examined by potentiodynamic measurements in sodium chloride solution. It was inferred from this study that the increase in corrosion potential from −505 mV to −452 mV corresponding to the bare substrate and Cr + TiN coatings, respectively, led to the formation of more corrosion protective layers. The electrochemical impedance spectra analysis of the SS-420 substrate, TiN and Cr + TiN layers revealed that corrosion resistance increased and the electrochemical impedance of the Cr + TiN layer decreased. This is attributed to the corrosion protective properties of the resultant coating and its reduced permeability to the corrosive environment.

The main lipid extracted from chicken skin at high temperature was used as an initial material for producing a specific emulsifier for a water/oil dispersion system. More than 30 different compounds including saturated, mono-unsaturated and multi unsaturated fatty acids were identified through GC-MS analysis of the methylated ester of the extracted fatty glycerol. The transformation of soap to fatty acid was performed using hydrochloric acid with a 1:1 mole ratio. The collected fatty acids were reacted with triethanol amine in a refluxed system over 90 o C for 1 hour. The application of triethanolamine soap as an emulsifier for dispersing of water droplet in oil phase (W/O) was confirmed. The surface tension, stability of emulsion in alcohol and electrolyte for a long period of time studied. The dynamic viscosity was determined, and the results showed that higher concentration of emulsifier in water volume fraction lower than 25% were effective in stabilizing the W/O emulsion at room temperature.