Effect of the addition of aliphatic diamine-functionalized carbon nanotubes on the interfacial adhesion of glass fiber/epoxy composites

To improve the interfacial adhesion of glass fiber (GF)/epoxy composites, the GF surface was treated by dispersing aliphatic diamine-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Carboxyl MWCNTs were first modified by aliphatic diamine with different alkyl chain lengths and then deposited on the surface of GF. The effect of aliphatic diamine chain lengths on the MWCNTs’ dispersion and interfacial properties of resultant composites was investigated in detail. The results showed that uniform dispersion of MWCNTs and strong fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion could be achieved, based on the grafting of 1,8-octanediamine onto MWCNTs. Compared with the control sample, the interlaminar shear, flexural, and tensile strengths of the treated composites increased by 41%, 29%, and 30%, respectively; the interlaminar fracture toughness and storage modulus in the glass region were significantly enhanced; and the glass transition temperature increased by more than 8°C. This work demonstrates that the carbon nanotubes functionalized by appropriate chain lengths of amine modifier can improve the fiber/matrix interfacial interactions and thus enhance the strength, toughness, and stiffness of fiber-reinforced composites.

Soluble and transparent polyimides with high Tgs from a new semi-aliphatic diamine with cyclohexyl and ortho-methyl groups

Herein a semi-aliphatic diamine 4,4′-(cyclohexylmethylene)bis(2-methylaniline) (CHMBMA) with a pendant cyclohexyl and two ortho-substituted methyl groups is synthesized from o-toluidine and cyclohexanecarbaldehyde by Mannich and rearrangement reactions. Then CHMBMA is polycondensed with five commercial aromatic dianhydrides by the high-temperature one-step method with the thermal imidization to produce a series of polyimides (PIs, PI-H(1–5)). The weight-averaged molecular weights ( M ws) of PI-H(1–5) are in the range from 9.08 × 104 to 27.48 × 104 g mol−1 with the polydispersity indices (PDI) from 3.29 to 6.13 by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) measurement. They are soluble in common organic solvents (such as THF, CHCl3 etc.) and can form transparent, tough films with light-color (Thickness: 20–26 μm) by the solution-casting method. The light transmittance of them is above 80% in the visible range from 400 to 760 nm. They exhibit excellent mechanical properties with tensile strength from 72.2 to 97.06 MPa and tensile modulus from 0.9 to 1.9 GPa. Furthermore, they also display low water absorption rates (<2.5%), good thermal stability (5% weight loss temperatures ( T 5%) in the range from 466 to 480°C under N2 atmosphere and high glass transition temperatures ( T gs ≥ 319°C). As comparison, we also synthesize these PIs (PI-L(1–5)) by the low-temperature two-step method with the chemical imidization. The M ws of PI-L(1–5) are lower than those of PI-H(1–5), but the film color of PI-L(1–5) is relatively lighter than the corresponding one of PI-H(1–5). In summary, the introduction of cyclohexyl and ortho-substituted methyl groups into the backbone can improve the solubility of PIs and the transparency of their corresponding films without reducing their T gs.

Novel Derivatives of Deoxycholic Acid Bearing Linear Aliphatic Diamine and Aminoalcohol Moieties and their Cyclic Analogs at the C3 Position: Synthesis and Evaluation of Their In Vitro Antitumor Potential

A series of novel deoxycholic acid (DCA) derivatives containing aliphatic diamine and aminoalcohol or morpholine moieties at the C3 position were synthesized by 3,26-epoxide ring-opening reactions. These compounds were investigated for their cytotoxicity in four human tumor cell lines and murine macrophages and for inhibitory activity against macrophage-mediated NO synthesis in vitro. Obtained data revealed that: (i) all amine-containing substituents significantly increased the cytotoxicity of the novel compounds (IC502–10 = 1.0–36.0 μM) in comparison with DCA (IC50DCA ≥ 82.9 μM); (ii) aminoalcohol moieties were more preferable than diamine moieties due to the fact they imparted better selectivity for tumor cells of the novel derivatives; (iii) the susceptibility of tested cell lines to derivatives diminished in the following order: HuTu-80 (duodenal carcinoma) ≈ HepG2 (hepatocarcinoma) > KB-3-1 (cervical carcinoma) > RAW264.7 (macrophages) > A549 (lung carcinoma); (iv) compounds 8 and 9, bearing aminoethanol and aminopropanol moieties, respectively, exhibited high cytotoxic selectivity indexes (SIHuTu-80 = 7.9 and 8.3, respectively) and good drug-likeness parameters; (v) the novel compounds do not display anti-NO activity. Mechanistic study revealed that compound 9 induces ROS-dependent cell death by activation of intrinsic caspase-dependent apoptosis and cytodestructive autophagy in HuTu-80 cells and vitamin D receptor can be considered as its primary target.