Article
Polymer Science
Shaojie Zhang, Xiangyun Gong, Caixia Zhao, Guoxiang Zou
Summary: Long-chain branched polylactides with high melt strength were prepared by a melting reaction, and the occurrence of chain scissions, branching reactions, and cross-linking reactions were confirmed. Both the branch-on-branch and cross-linked architectures were observed with an increase in the content of Trigonox301 or DCP. The presence of gel fraction indicated a higher likelihood of cross-linking reactions in PLA-LCBD samples, compared to PLA-LCBT.
POLYMERS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Chatura Goonesinghe, Hyuk-Joon Jung, Hootan Roshandel, Carlos Diaz, Hassan A. Baalbaki, Kudzanai Nyamayaro, Maria Ezhova, Kimia Hosseini, Parisa Mehrkhodavandi
Summary: The synthesis of high-molecular-weight cyclic poly(lactide) (c-PLA) has been a challenge due to entropic constraints. This study successfully produced c-PLA with low dispersity and high molecular weights using an air-stable cationic alkyl indium complex. The complex remained active even after prolonged exposure to high-humidity air, allowing the formation of high-molecular-weight c-PLLA, c-PDLA, and their stereo-complex without epimerization.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yu Liu, Bernard P. Binks
Summary: The experiment explores the possibility of stable oil foams produced from vegetable oils containing long-chain triglycerides and fat crystals. It demonstrates that oleogels can be aerated to create oil foams stabilized by fat crystals, resulting in non-draining, non-coarsening, and non-coalescing oil foams. The stability of the oil foams decreases upon heating near the melting point of the crystals.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Siqing Mao, Ziling Liu, Yuan Tian, Dan Li, Xin Gao, Yanqiong Wen, Tao Peng, Weijun Shen, Dingfu Xiao, Fachun Wan, Lei Liu
Summary: Branched-long-chain monomethyl fatty acids (BLCFA) are consumed daily by humans and have versatile beneficial bioactivities. However, compared to other fatty acids, BLCFA has received less attention, indicating a need for increased research on BLCFA.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Xiaoli Wang, Yaqiao Wang, Xiangdong Wang
Summary: In this study, a method for fabricating long-chain branched polypropylene (LCBPP) foams with high resilience and strength was proposed. LCBPP was blended with thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE) using polyethylene octene elastomer grafted glycidyl methacrylate (POE-g-GMA) as a compatibilizer, and the blends were then used to prepare foams by the supercritical CO2 batch foaming method. The introduction of TPEE and POE-g-GMA increased the resilience of the foam. By adjusting the foam density (rho) and cell size (d), a balance between resilience and strength was achieved, resulting in LCBPP foams with high resilience and compressive strength.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Le Yang, Yin Qin, Yang Li, Yinhan Xu, Yao Tao, Zhu Luo, Qiang Zheng
Summary: Introducing long-chain branch structures can enhance the melt performance of poly(lactic acid), while a dual hybrid branching strategy can overcome the excessive polymer degradation caused by thermal decomposition, leading to significant improvement in melt strength.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Grzegorz Dabrowski, Iwona Konopka
Summary: This review synthesizes recent data on the food sources and physiological properties of odd-, branched-chain, and cyclic fatty acids, highlighting their impact on human health. The estimated daily intake of these fatty acids from typical Western diets is approximately 1.5g, mainly derived from ruminant fat. In Asian countries, significant sources come from spirulina and fish. For vegans and vegetarians, algae, selected plants, mushrooms, and fermented plants are the best sources. However, there are inconsistencies in specific fatty acid data from different sources.
TRENDS IN FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Woo Kyun Kim, Amit Kumar Singh, Jinquan Wang, Todd Applegate
Summary: This review discusses the effects of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) on poultry growth, production performance, immunity, and intestinal health. The imbalance of BCAA ratio in a low protein diet can hinder poultry growth performance. The recommended levels of BCAA for poultry are influenced by the type of diet, breed, and age of the birds. BCAA supplementation in low protein diets can reduce nitrogen excretion. Further research is needed to understand the impact of BCAA inclusion ratio in different disease-challenged conditions.
Article
Thermodynamics
Jana Navratilova, Lenka Gajzlerova, Lukas Kovar, Roman Cermak
Summary: The study compared high-pressure crystallization and polymorphic composition between long-chain branched polypropylene (LCB-PP) and linear isotactic polypropylene (PP). It found that LCB-PP crystallizes at a higher temperature than PP under low pressure, but the opposite occurs under high pressure. LCB-PP tends to crystallize into orthorhombic gamma-form, while PP does not form pure gamma-form samples.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL ANALYSIS AND CALORIMETRY
(2021)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yoichi Toyokawa, Jirasin Koonthongkaew, Hiroshi Takagi
Summary: BCAT catalyzes transamination between BCAAs and BCKAs in the cell. Eukaryotic cells have mitochondrial BCAT (BCATm) and cytosolic BCAT (BCATc) isozymes, which have similar enzymatic functions but differences in physiological functions and regulatory mechanisms. The variations of BCAT could have significant implications for research into the relationship between their primary structures and protein functions.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Jian Yuan, Shixin Zhu, Xiaoshan Kai
Summary: This paper studies the construction of self-dual MDR cyclic codes over a finite chain ring and provides conditions for the codes to be self-dual and self-orthogonal. By utilizing torsion codes, self-dual MDR cyclic codes over the Galois ring with certain length and divisibility conditions are constructed.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Mohamed Yousfi, Cedric Samuel, Tarek Dadouche, Rosica Mincheva, Marie-France Lacrampe
Summary: Highly biobased poly(butylene succinate-co-terephthalate) (PBST) with processing temperatures close to those of commodity polymers (160-180 degrees C) and long-chain branched architectures (LCB) are synthesized. Two different strategies, a two-step synthesis route and a one-step synthesis strategy, are proposed. The rheological properties, including melt strength properties, are investigated. The effectiveness of these strategies in improving the melt strength and eliminating extrusion defects/instabilities in PBSTs is demonstrated, allowing the potential expansion of industrial applications in packaging and sustainable applications.
EXPRESS POLYMER LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Menglong Xu, Jiawei Lu, Jinchuan Zhao, Linfeng Wei, Tao Liu, Ling Zhao, Chul B. Park
Summary: In this study, a series of long-chain branched polyamide 6 samples (LCB PA6s) with well-defined branch length were successfully fabricated via reactive extrusion using various linear PA6s as reactive materials. The GPC-rheology method was used to demonstrate the existence of LCB topological structure and quantitatively determine the relative branch length for three LCB PA6s. Rheological characterization showed that increasing branch length resulted in enhanced elastic response and melt strength of PA6s. Additionally, the melt foamability of these LCB PA6s was verified through batch foaming experiments with supercritical CO2 as the blowing agent, showing potential for large-scale production via continuous extrusion foaming process.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Deyin Wang, Xiaohui Wen, Dong Zhang, Jiajun Tang
Summary: In this study, the effect of arms and shear flow on the dynamical and structural properties of the comb long-chain branched (LCB) polymer with dense arms was investigated using hybrid multi-particle collision dynamics (MPCD) and molecular dynamics (MD) methods. The results show that the LCB polymer undergoes periodic stretched-folded-stretched state transition and rotation, with the arms playing a role in stabilizing the polymer's motion. The impact induced by random and fast motions of arms and backbone decreases as the shear rate increases. The length of the arms and the conformational distribution are found to be important factors affecting the rotation period of the LCB polymer. The structural properties analysis reveals that the changes in gyration of the LCB polymer are in accordance with its rolling behavior, and the resistance to configuration expansion against the imposed flow field is stronger for the comb polymer with shorter arms. Additionally, with increasing arm length, the comb polymer transitions from linear-polymer-like to capsule-like behavior in shear flow.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Yanan Zhu, Shiyi Wei, Chao Guo, Xianwu Cao, Xiaochun Yin, Guangjian He
Summary: In order to enhance the processability of HDPE, a UV-induced reactive extrusion process was developed to prepare long-chain branched high-density polyethylene (LCB-HDPE) at mild temperatures. The combination of photoinitiator (ITX) and chain extender (TMPTA) induced the formation of a star-shaped LCB structure, which resulted in reduced crystallinity and increased nucleation rate during isothermal crystallization. The modified HDPE also exhibited improved mechanical properties, with a higher impact strength compared to virgin HDPE.
