Polyactide (PLA) was blended with an ethylene/n-butyl acrylate/glycidyl methacrylate (EBA-GMA) terpolymer and a zinc ionomer of ethylene/methacrylic acid (EMAA-Zn) copolymer. The phase morphology of the resulting ternary blends and its relationship with impact behaviors were studied systematically. Dynamic vulcanization of EBA-GMA in the presence of EMAA-Zn was investigated by torque rheology, and its cross-link level was evaluated by dynamic mechanical analysis. Reactive compatibilization between PLA and EBA-GMA was studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The dispersed domains in the ternary blends displayed a “salami”-like phase structure, in which the EMAA-Zn phase evolved from occluded subinclusions into continuous phase with decrease in the EBA-GMA/EMAA-Zn ratio. An optimum range of particle sizes of the dispersed domains for high impact toughness was identified. Also, the micromechanical deformation process of these ternary blends was also investigated by observation of the impact-fractured surfaces using the electron microscope. It was suggested that the low cavitation resistance of dispersed particles in conjunction with suitable interfacial adhesion was responsible for the optimum impact toughness observed.

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The ingestion of volcanic ash by jet engines is widely recognized as a potentially fatal hazard for aircraft operation. The high temperatures (1,200–2,000 °C) typical of jet engines exacerbate the impact of ash by provoking its melting and sticking to turbine parts. Estimation of this potential hazard is complicated by the fact that chemical composition, which affects the temperature at which volcanic ash becomes liquid, can vary widely amongst volcanoes. Here, based on experiments, we parameterize ash behaviour and develop a model to predict melting and sticking conditions for its global compositional range. The results of our experiments confirm that the common use of sand or dust proxy is wholly inadequate for the prediction of the behaviour of volcanic ash, leading to overestimates of sticking temperature and thus severe underestimates of the thermal hazard. Our model can be used to assess the deposition probability of volcanic ash in jet engines.

In this work, biobased hydrogels with temperature and pH responsive properties were prepared by copolymerizing N-isopropyl­acrylamide (NIPAM), itaconic acid (IA), and methacrylated lignosulfonate (MLS), where the multifunctional MLS served as a novel macro-cross-linker. The network structures of the lignosulfonate-NIPAM-IA hydrogels (LNIH) were characterized and confirmed by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared, and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance. The equilibrium swelling capacity of the LNIH hydrogel decreased from 31.6 to 19.1 g/g with MLS content increasing from 3.7 to 14.3%, suggesting a strong dependence of water absorption of the gel on MLS content. LNIH hydrogels showed temperature-sensitive behaviors with volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) around the body temperature, which was also influenced by MLS content. Moreover, all LNIH hydrogels exhibited pH sensitivity in the range of pH 3.0 to 9.1. Rheological study indicated that mechanical strength of the gel also increased with MLS content. The results from this study suggest that lignosulfonate derivative MLS is a potential feedstock serving both water-absorbing moiety and cross-linker for preparation of biobased smart hydrogels.

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