Zein (corn protein) was reacted with methanol in the presence of para‐toluenesulphonic acid under mild conditions to give a material formed by esterification of predominantly the amide groups of the protein. The formation of methyl zeinate was confirmed by proton NMR. The new signal appeared at 3.67 ppm in zein methylation product, which is absent for pure zein can be assigned to the protons of the CH3 group of an ester. The strong CO stretching vibration due to the presence of ester group in the region of 1739 cm−1 in case of methylated zein was also noticed from FTIR studies. The increase in the C : N atom ratio in the zein methylation product obtained from elemental analysis results further indicates the conversion of a significant proportion of the CONH2 groups in zein to COOCH3 groups in the esterified product. The methylated product had glass transition temperature about 20°C lower than that of the unmodified zein. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

No abstract

No abstract

Summary: Silica gel, an important inorganic polymer with many applications, was silylated with 3-(phenylaminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (PAPTMOS) by means of a novel ''low solvent'' method, whereby the silane was dissolved in a small amount of methanol, mixed with silica and reaction carried out in a heated vacuum oven. Polyaniline (PANI) was grafted to the silylated silica by in situ polymerization of aniline, then dedoped with aqueous ammonia. Physically adsorbed PANI was removed from the modified silica by washing with tetrahydrofuran (THF) and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). The silylated, PANI-modified silica had electrical conductivity 1.2 Â 10 À3 S cm À1 after being re-doped with methanesulfonic acid. FTIR, elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, solid-state 13 C and 29 Si NMR and morphological studies by SEM confirmed successful formation of the SiO 2 -polyaniline hybrid material.

The development of a sustained-release biocide system, involving an anchored quaternary ammonium salt (AQAS) embedded in expanded perlite (EP) substrate, is reported. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images reveal the well-defined honeycomb cells that are a feature of EP. These honeycomb cells exhibit a variety of polygon shapes, which are filled with the AQAS molecules as evidenced by SEM data. The aqueous leaching of the AQAS from the EP honeycomb cells is monitored by the Fourier transform infrared CH stretching absorbance maxima at 2920 and 2850 cm–1. Solid-state NMR data indicate the formation of three dominant oligomeric forms of the AQAS biocide molecules formed within the EP network by condensation reactions at curing temperatures (160 °C). The various oligomeric species involve different numbers of SiO chains bonded to a central Si atom within the AQAS anchoring groups. Assays confirm the potency of the AQAS oligomers against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria.