No description available.

Processing of ceramics has always been difficult due to how hard and brittle the material is. Fused Deposition of Ceramics (FDC) is a method of additive manufacturing which allows ceramic parts to be built layer by layer, abetting more complex geometries and avoiding the potential to fracture seen with processes such as grinding and milling. In the process of FDC, a polymeric binder system is mixed with ceramic powder for the printing of the part and then burned out to leave a fully ceramic part. This experiment investigates a new combination of materials, zirconia and acrylic binder, optimizing the process of making the material into a filament conducive to the printer system and then performing trials with the filament in the printer to assess its feasibility. Statistical analysis was used to determine optimal parameter levels using response surface methodology to pinpoint the material composition and temperature yielding the highest quality filament. It was discovered that although the mixture had adequate melting characteristics to be liquefied and printed into a part, the binder system did not provide the stiffness required to act as a piston to be fed through the printer head. Further studies should be completed continuing the investigation of zirconia and acrylic binder, but with added components to increase strength and rigidity of the filament.

In this thesis, copolymer latexes comprised of various fractions of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and butyl acrylate (BA) were synthesized through surfactant-free emulsion polymerization. A carbon dioxide responsive comonomer, 2-(diethyl)aminoethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) was also used with an equimolar amount of hydrochloric acid (HCl) to promote its partitioning into the water phase. Changing the MMA/BA fraction gave control over the resulting glass transition temperature of the particles. Following polymerization, the particles from the resulting latexes could be effectively coagulated be adding a small amount of caustic soda, and could be easily separated from water. After washing the particles with deionized water, CO2-redispersibility of the latex particles was evaluated as a function of their respective glass transition temperature. It was determined that coagulated particles higher in MMA content could be easily redispersed into carbonated water with the aid of ultrasonication, preparing stable latexes of the same solids content. For latex particles with a glass transition temperature below ambient conditions, coagulation led to the fusion of individual particles, which inhibited their ability to be redispersed. By conducting the coagulation and redispersion cycles at temperatures cold enough for the BA-rich particles to be below their glass transition temperature, these same latex particles could be effectively redispersed. The relationship between the glass transition temperature of the latexes and their CO2-redispersibility provides guidance from a practical sense for the applicability of CO2-sensitive amine-functionalized molecules in developing industrially useful CO2-redispersible latex products. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / This work examines special type of coagulatable and redispersible latex paint that could potentially reduce the costs in storing and transporting latex paint products. After synthesizing the latex, the nanoscopic polymer particles that make up the latex could be easily coagulated by adding a small amount of sodium hydroxide. Following this, water could be removed and a condensed form of the paint was obtained. The ability to redisperse the particles back into carbonated water was subsequently examined based on the softness of the polymer particles by synthesizing a series of latexes with different fractions of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and butyl acrylate (BA). After synthesis, the latexes that contained higher fractions of MMA were comprised of particles that were less soft than the BA-rich latexes, which made the redispersibility of these particles much easier. Upon coagulation, BA-rich particles fused together upon contact and could not be separated, hence inhibiting their redispersibility. When these same BA-rich latex particles were coagulated at colder temperatures, fusion was inhibited and the redispersibility of particles was greatly improved. Overall, the particles were found to be redispersible if the glass transition temperature of polymer chains within the particles was lower than ambient temperature. Since softer polymer particles are often used for latex paint-based applications, this work provides important and relevant insight in the development of industrially useful CO2-redispersible products.

No description available.

Yes / A low concentration poly(acrylamide) sensor has been developed which uses the segmental mobility of another polymer probe with a covalently attached fluorescent marker. Interpolymer complexation with poly(acrylic acid) leads to reduced segmental mobility which can be used to determine the concentration of polymer in solution. This technique could be useful in detecting the runoff of polymer dispersants and flocculants in fresh water supplies following water purification processes. / Funding for the research was kindly provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Yes / Hydroxyapatite and fluorhydroxyapatite (F)HA nanoparticles were synthesised in the presence of branched poly(acrylic acid)s (PAA) synthesised via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerisation and compared to those synthesised in the presence of linear PAA. Analysis of the resulting nanoparticles using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and transition electron microscopy found that the polymer was included within the nanoparticle samples and affected their morphology with nanoparticles synthesised in the presence of branched PAA being more acicular and smaller overall.

Yes / Functional crosslinked hydrogels were prepared from 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and acrylic acid (AA). The acid monomer was incorporated both via copolymerization and chain extension of a branching, reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer agent incorporated into the crosslinked polymer gel. The hydrogels were intolerant to high levels of acidic copolymerization as the acrylic acid weakened the ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) crosslinked network. Hydrogels made from HEMA, EGDMA and a branching RAFT agent provide the network with loose-chain end functionality that can be retained for subsequent chain extension. Traditional methods of surface functionalization have the downside of potentially creating a high volume of homopolymerization in the solution. Branching RAFT comonomers act as versatile anchor sites by which additional polymerization chain extension reactions can be carried out. Acrylic acid grafted onto HEMA–EGDMA hydrogels showed higher mechanical strength than the equivalent statistical copolymer networks and was shown to have functionality as an electrostatic binder of cationic flocculants.

Yes / Interpolymer complexes of homopolymer macromolecules are often described as ‘laddered’ or ‘ribbon’ type structures. The proposition of the existence of these ladder structures seems to us not reasonable and here we examine this hypothesis. To address this we have used polymers enabled for Förster Energy Transfer (FRET). Chromophores bound to a macromolecular backbone can transfer energy across short distances via FRET. The close binding of poly(acrylamide) and poly(acrylic acid) interpolymer complex formation at low pH forms a structure compact enough for significant energy transfer to occur between different chains containing naphthalene and anthracene labels. In the context of the proposition that ladder polymers can form it was surprising that the distance between labels on the same polymer back-bone was equivalent regardless of whether the polymer was complexed or not. The data indicated that the bicomponent structure may be more compact than previously supposed: I.e. the complexes are not ladders composed of extended chains. This evidence suggests formation not of ordered ‘ladder’ systems but colloidal ‘co-globules’. / This work was carried out in part thanks to an EPSRC CASE funded PhD studentship at the University of Sheffield, sponsored by SNF (UK) Ltd.

Conservators have long been aware of the problems associated with the preservation of rubber objects due to inherent instability that can be attributed, in part, to the presence of additives. Inorganic additives, such as fillers, accelerators, stabilizers, and special ingredients are necessary in manufacturing to alter the properties of natural rubber. These materials all have different interactions with the rubber, and each other, and differing effects on the ageing process. To date, the most effective and accepted methods to preserve rubber are cold, dark storage of objects, or the use of low oxygen environments. While these methods are effective, they greatly limit access. The application of coatings to the surface of rubber objects can slow deterioration and greatly increase the ability of an institution to handle and display rubber objects. While numerous coatings for preventive and interventive treatment have been tested, none have been so successful to warrant routine use. The first section of this research highlighted the relationship between the inclusion of certain additives in natural rubber objects and the accelerated or slowed down overall degradation. In the second part of this research, the acrylic varnishes Golden Polymer Varnish with UVLS, Lascaux Acrylic Transparent Varnish-UV, Sennelier Matte Lacquer with UV Protection, and Liquitex Soluvar Varnish containing ultraviolet light absorbers or stabilizers were tested as a preventative coating for rubber. Through testing the visual and physical properties of the samples, as well as compound analysis the results of this research suggest that acrylic varnishes do provide protection, each to varying degrees. The results also provided insight into the behavior of rubber and these varnishes with continuing light exposure. / Thesis (Master, Art Conservation) -- Queen's University, 2013-10-04 20:14:54.597

Possibly, Maybe is an exhibition of polychromatic, process-based objects made out of acrylic paint. Working with and against the limits of the material, the paint is systematically cast, peeled, and stretched colour by colour transforming it into three-dimensional hybrid forms. The working process I devise is predetermined and regulated, yet the element of chance is integral to the work due to material constraints. I explore the sculptural potential and plasticity of a material traditionally used for painting. While acrylic is a relatively new material, designed to be durable and long lasting, the forms I create out of acrylic paint are vulnerable to climate, gravity, and time and therefore counter plastic’s perceived resilience. Possibly, Maybe looks within the marginalized and the failed of our everyday, and uses these as aesthetic elements, which can constitute contemporary cultural potential. Through an engagement with the fallibility of plastic, with the hybridity of artistic practice, and the excess, opulence, and decay of the Baroque, my work plays with the paradoxes and relationships between the high and the low, pure and impure, precious and throw-away, which I find are all elements that exemplify our contemporary culture.