thermoplastic polyurethane (tpu)/clay nanocomposites were prepared via a melt-compounding method using ester type tpu and two different modified organoclays (cloisite 30b and cloisite 15a) in different contents. the effects of the chemical structure and content of the nanoclays on the thermal degradation and mechanical properties of tpu were also investigated. the effect of structural modificat...

Well-drilling fluid and a number of the known components (barite, clay, Aldacide, Surflo, and Dowicide, were tested for effects on the biomass and community structure of the microbiota that colonize marine sands exposed for eight weeks to running ambient seawater. Shading the microbiota from light depressed the microflora without a significant effect on the biomass, while well-drilling fluids l...

Effective intercalation of protein molecules within the galleries of montmorillonites can be achieved via simple space enlarging and exchange processes while retaining the native conformation of the guest protein and the multilayered structure of the bioinert host plates. The capacity of accommodating protein molecules in the galleries can be markedly larger than that governed by the Langmuir-t...

The primary objective of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, which will launch in 2011, is to characterize the habitability of a site on Mars through detailed analyses of the composition and geological context of surface materials. Within the framework of established mission goals, we have evaluated the value of a possible landing site in the Mawrth Vallis region of Mars that is targe...

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)/polycaprolactone (PCL)/stearate Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanocomposites were prepared via solution casting intercalation method. Coprecipitation method was used to prepare the anionic clay Mg-Al LDH from nitrate salt solution. Modification of nitrate anions by stearate anions between the LDH layers via ion exchange reaction. FTIR spectra showed the presence...

Rate acceleration and selectivity enhancement of organic reactions such as Diels-Alder or Ene reac­ tions using water [1] as a solvent or clay supported reagents [2 ] have recently attracted much interest. The underlaying reason for their influence on the reaction rates and selectivity, has been ascribed to hydrophobic association of the reactants, as in the case of water, or the presence of wa...

Caesium-137 (Cs), with its high release rate and long half life, is the most important longterm contributor to environmental contamination of all the radionuclides released by the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in March 2011. There have been many surveys of the fate of Cs in terrestrial environments, especially after the atmospheric nuclear tests of the 1950s and 60s and...

Clay minerals are naturally occurring layered phyllosilicates which consist of fine particles and possess antimicrobial activity. In a recent article, Behroozian et al. obtained Kisameet clay (KC) from Kisameet, from the central coast of British Columbia, Canada, northwest of Vancouver and assessed its antimicrobial activity versus 16 selected ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococ...

Sub-surface irrigation with porous clay pipe can be an efficient, water saving method of irrigation for many less developed arid and semi-arid regions. Maximizing the efficiency of clay pipe irrigation requires guidelines and criteria for system design and operation. In this study, experimental and simulated (with HYDRUS (2D/3D)) soil wetting patterns were investigated for sub-surface pipe syst...