Browsing by Author "Toffey, Ackah"

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    Aspects of amidization of chitosan
    Toffey, Ackah (Virginia Tech, 1996)
    The intent of this research was to develop an understanding of an amidized chitosan-from-chitosan regeneration process discovered in our laboratory. In this study several characterization methods including DMTA, TMA, TGA, X-ray diffraction, FTIR, solid state CP-MAS ¹³C NMR, and HPLC were used to study the transformation of various ionic complexes of chitosan (N-acylate) to their respective N-acyl homologs of chitosan; and several properties of these materials were examined. DMTA and TMA provided information on changes in Tg as well as modulus-changes and glass formation underlying the transformation of the N-acylate to the N-acyl derivative. X-ray diffraction and FTIR shed some insights on the morphology of the N-acetyl homolog of chitosan in relation to native chitin. Solid state CP-MAS ¹³C NMR provided evidence of the conversion of N-acylate to N-acetyl. Enzymatic hydrolysis of native chitin and amidized chitosan homologs and subsequent identification of fractions by HPLC allowed a comparison of various amidized chitosan homologs in terms of their recognition and degradation by chitinolytic enzymes. Solid state CP-MAS ¹³C showed that the heat treatment of the ionic complex of chitosan results in thermal dehydration leading to the formation of the N-acetyl group at the C-2 of chitin. The DS of amidized chitosan varied between 0.1 and 0.6. Tg-changes with time and heating temperature were used as a variable to monitor amidization. Kinetics analysis indicated that the amidization of various ionic complexes of chitosan is a first order, two-phase process with activation energies of 14±1 kcal/mol and 21±2 kcal/mol for the first and second phase, respectively. These values did not vary with the type of acid used in the formation of the chitosan complex. This two-phase behavior is explained with the influence of vitrification on chain mobility. In situ DMTA was found to be a suitable technique for monitoring the phase transformation of chitosonium acetate and chitosonium propionate from a rubbery to a glassy phase (vitrification). Consequently, the concept of TTT-cure diagram analysis was used to describe such phase changes and map out vitrification and full cure curves. As in thermosets, the vitrification curve describing glass formation in these materials is S-shaped. The time to full cure decreased with increasing heating temperature. The activation energy for vitrification is the same irrespective of the type of acid used in the preparation of chitosan complex. Thermal analysis revealed that the Tg of N-acyl homologs of chitin displays a stepwise relationship with length of N-acyl substituent. These materials are characterized by two transitions designated as β- and α-relaxation. Additionally, enzymatic hydrolysis of N-acyl homologs of chitosan using an enzyme mixture of chitinase, chitosanase, and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase and subsequent identification of fractions revealed that these enzymes recognize and degrade chitin irrespective of the N-acyl substituent at the C-2 position of chitin at any DS.
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    Chitin-based coatings
    (United States Patent and Trademark Office, 1999-05-04)
    A chitosan starting material is combined with a dilute organic acid to produce a chitosonium ion complex. The chitosonium ion complex is then cast, sprayed, extruded, or otherwise processed to produce filaments, coatings, fibers, or the like. Heat is then used to convert the chitosonium ion complex into a N-(C.sub.1-30)acyl glucose amine polymer.
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    Cure studies of network-forming polyurethanes
    Toffey, Ackah (Virginia Tech, 1993)
    The polyhydroxy character of lignocellulosics and their natural abundance make them good candidates for the manufacture of polyurethanes. The cure characteristics of hydroxypropyl-cellulose and hydroxypropyl lignin (HPC and HPL, respectively) with polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) was studied via dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). HPC/MDI and HPL/MDI resins flow at 30°C and proceed to cure at 50°C. The latter has excellent thermal stability over the former. Crosslinking of HPL and HPC with MDI follow an nth order kinetics, with an order of reaction of 2 and an apparent activation energy in the range of 12.9 kcal/mol - 14.7 kcal/mol. The rate of cure with time is higher in HPL-based polymers than HPC-based ones at the initial stage of cure; the difference vanishes at later stages. This demonstrates that the hydroxyl groups in HPC are less accessible to the NCO groups, and that cure rate might be dependent on diffusion limitations at later stages. Degree of cure, under all cure schedules, follows a parallel trend, and has to do with the fact that the hydroxyl groups of HPC are less accessible to isocyanate. Both HPL and HPC react with MDI at a reduced rate in comparison to a synthetic polyol: caprolactone triol. Time-glass transition temperature superposition was used to calculate times to vitrification of the HPL-based polymers, and is presented in a TTT cure diagram. This bio-based polymer displays the s-shaped vitrification pattern characteristics of thermosets. A similar approach did not work with HPC-based polymers. HPC- and HPL-based polymers did not display damping transitions, in isothermal cure, typical of gelation and vitrification. As the isocyanate to hydroxyl ratio (NCO:OH) increased, the glass transition temperature of the polymers increased, and the transition amplitude and width decreased and increased, respectively. In practical terms, this study illustrates that it is advantageous to use a) to use high isocyanate to hydroxyl ratios in order to produce polyurethanes which retain desirable damping behavior over a wider range of temperature. b) to use HPC/MDI resins in those situations where retention of stiffness at temperatures below 230° is required. c) to use HPL where rapid cure is desired. The study also reveals that the relative reactivity of water, HPL and HPC with isocyanate takes the form water > HPL > HPC.