Poly level

Fig. 11.22. TVA pipe reactor system for production of ammonium polyphosphate base solution from low-conversion superphosphoric acid. The product base solution is typically 10-34-0 with a 65-70% poly level. (Courtesy TVA.)...

If tlie level(s) associated witli tlie defect are deep, tliey become electron-hole recombination centres. The result is a (sometimes dramatic) reduction in carrier lifetimes. Such an effect is often associated witli tlie presence of transition metal impurities or certain extended defects in tlie material. For example, substitutional Au is used to make fast switches in Si. Many point defects have deep levels in tlie gap, such as vacancies or transition metals. In addition, complexes, precipitates and extended defects are often associated witli recombination centres. The presence of grain boundaries, dislocation tangles and metallic precipitates in poly-Si photovoltaic devices are major factors which reduce tlieir efficiency. 

The next significant strength improvement followed the 1950 Du Pont (19) discovery of monoamine and quaternary ammonium modifiers, which, when added to the viscose, prolonged the life of the ziac cellulose xanthate gel, and enabled even higher stretch levels to be used. Modifiers have proliferated siace they were first patented and the Hst now iacludes many poly(alkylene oxide) derivatives (20), polyhydroxypolyamines (21—23), and dithiocarbamates (24). 

Poly-P-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a biodegradable thermoplastic that is produced by several microorganism. The PHB synthesis has been characterized eutrophus and the operon iavolved ia PHB productioa has beea cloaed. Recombiaant E. coli straias that can produce high levels of... 

The packaging (qv) requirements for shipping and storage of thermoplastic resins depend on the moisture that can be absorbed by the resin and its effect when the material is heated to processing temperatures. Excess moisture may result in undesirable degradation during melt processing and inferior properties. Condensation polymers such as nylons and polyesters need to be specially predried to very low moisture levels (3,4), ie, less than 0.2% for nylon-6,6 and as low as 0.005% for poly(ethylene terephthalate) which hydrolyzes faster. 

Of the three worldwide manufacturers of poly(ethylene oxide) resins. Union Carbide Corp. offers the broadest range of products. The primary quaUty control measure for these resins is the concentrated aqueous solution viscosity, which is related to molecular weight. Specifications for Polyox are summarized in Table 4. Additional product specifications frequendy include moisture content, particle size distribution, and residual catalyst by-product level. 

An example is poly(bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)propane) (PCPP) which has been prepared as a copolymer with various levels of sebacic anhydride (SA). Injection molded samples of poly (anhydride) / dmg mixtures display 2ero-order kinetics in both polymer erosion and dmg release. Degradation of these polymers simply releases the dicarboxyhc acid monomers (54). Preliminary toxicological evaluations showed that the polymers and degradation products had acceptable biocompatibiUty and did not exhibit cytotoxicity or mutagenicity (55). 

Manufacture. PVBs are manufactured by a variety of two-stage heterogeneous processes. In one of these an alcohol solution of poly(vinyl acetate) and an acid catalyst are heated to 60—80°C with strong agitation. As the poly(vinyl alcohol) forms, it precipitates from solution (77). Ethyl acetate, the principle by-product, is stripped off and sold. The precipitated poly(vinyl alcohol) is washed to remove by-products and excess acid. The poly(vinyl alcohol) is then suspended in a mixture of ethyl alcohol, butyraldehyde, and mineral acid at temperatures above 70°C. As the reaction approaches completion the reactants go into solution. When the reaction is complete, the catalyst is neutralized and the PVB is precipitated from solution with water, washed, centrifuged, and dried. Resin from this process has very low residual vinyl acetate and very low levels of gel from intermolecular acetalization. 

Suspension Polymerization. At very low levels of stabilizer, eg, 0.1 wt %, the polymer does not form a creamy dispersion that stays indefinitely suspended in the aqueous phase but forms small beads that setde and may be easily separated by filtration (qv) (69). This suspension or pearl polymerization process has been used to prepare polymers for adhesive and coating appHcations and for conversion to poly(vinyl alcohol). Products in bead form are available from several commercial suppHers of PVAc resins. Suspension polymerizations are carried out with monomer-soluble initiators predominantly, with low levels of stabilizers. Suspension copolymerization processes for the production of vinyl acetate—ethylene bead products have been described and the properties of the copolymers determined (70). Continuous tubular polymerization of vinyl acetate in suspension (71,72) yields stable dispersions of beads with narrow particle size distributions at high yields. 

The resistance of the polymer to oils and organic solvents can be direcdy attributed to the hydroxyl fiinctionahty and the fihn-forrning properties of the polymer. Treated paper substrates display a significant amount of oil resistance, which make them valuable for packing papers and food-grade paperboard containers. This performance improvement is achieved despite the fact that the 1—3 wt % add-on level, typical of size press appHcations, is too low to provide a continuous poly(vinyl alcohol) film. 

Polymer/Polymer Complexes. PVP complexes with other polymers capable of interacting by hydrogen-bonding, ion-dipole, or dispersion forces. For example mixing of PVP with poly(acryHc acid) (PAA) in aqueous solution results in immediate precipitation of an insoluble complex (113). Addition of base results in dismption of hydrogen bonding and dissolution (114—116). Complexes with a variety of poly-acids (117) and polyphenols (118) have been reported. The interest in compatibiHty on a molecular level, an interesting phenomenon rarely found to exist between dissimilar polymers, is favored by the abiHty of PVP to form polymer/polymer complexes. 

Multienzyme electrodes can increase sensitivity from micromolar to nanomolar detection levels (53,57). In this case the substrate is converted to a detectable product by one enzyme, then that product is recycled into the initial substrate by another enzyme resulting in an amplification of the response signal. For example, using lactate oxidase and lactate dehydrogenase immobilized in poly(vinyl chloride), an amplification of 250 was obtained for the detection oflactate (61). 

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