Thermal Measurements (thermal + measurement)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


PREDICTING TEXTURE ATTRIBUTES FROM MICROSTRUCTURAL, RHEOLOGICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF HAZELNUT SPREADS

JOURNAL OF TEXTURE STUDIES, Issue 5 2008
ROSSELLA DI MONACO
ABSTRACT Eight trained assessors evaluated one visual, eight texture and four gustative attributes of 15 commercial spreads. In addition, 100 consumers evaluated the acceptability of the spreads. Rheological behavior of the samples was evaluated in transient (stress,relaxation test) and dynamic (strain and frequency sweep test) shear mode. Thermal measurements were also performed. Finally, the microstructure of the samples was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Partial least squares regression was used to predict acceptability from sensory attributes and texture from instrumental data. Scanning electron micrographs indicated that spreads differed in morphology, size and distribution of hazelnut particles. Overall liking of the spreads was found to be related to hazelnut flavor and texture attributes. Prediction of the most important texture properties from instrumental measurements was quite successful, especially for spreadability which was found negatively related to the consistency and flow indices and, secondly, for meltability which was found to be strongly dependent on measured thermal parameters. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This study contributes to knowledge development in the research area of acceptability, sensory and instrumental correlation for semi-solid foods. The results confirm that texture properties of spreadable foods play a most important role in consumer acceptability. The research also allows better understanding as to why no single measurement is able to predict all texture attributes adequately and why more appropriate tests need to be developed for an accurate prediction of some sensory attributes as perceived by the human senses. [source]


Influence of interfacial adhesion on the structural and mechanical behavior of PP-banana/glass hybrid composites

POLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 7 2010
Sanjay K. Nayak
Hybrid composites of polypropylene (PP), reinforced with short banana and glass fibers were fabricated using Haake torque rheocord followed by compression molding with and without the presence maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) as a coupling agent. Incorporation of both fibers into PP matrix resulted in increase of tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact strength upto 30 wt% with an optimum strength observed at 2 wt% MAPP treated 15 wt% banana and 15 wt% glass fiber. The rate of water absorption for the hybrid composites was decreased due to the presence of glass fiber and coupling agent. The effect of fiber loading in presence of coupling agent on the dynamic mechanical properties has been analyzed to investigate the interfacial properties. An increase in storage modulus (E,) of the treated-composite indicates higher stiffness. The loss tangent (tan ,) spectra confirms a strong influence of fiber loading and coupling agent concentration on the , and , relaxation process of PP. The nature of fiber matrix adhesion was examined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the tensile fractured specimen. Thermal measurements were carried out through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), indicated an increase in the crystallization temperature and thermal stability of PP with the incorporation of MAPP-treated banana and glass fiber. POLYM. COMPOS., 31:1247,1257, 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers [source]


Self-Organisation in the Assembly of Gels from Mixtures of Different Dendritic Peptide Building Blocks

CHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 8 2007
Andrew
Abstract This paper investigates dendritic peptides capable of assembling into nanostructured gels, and explores the effect on self-assembly of mixing different molecular building blocks. Thermal measurements, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy are used to probe these materials on macroscopic, nanoscopic and molecular length scales. The results from these investigations demonstrate that in this case, systems with different "size" and "chirality" factors can self-organise, whilst systems with different "shape" factors cannot. The "size" and "chirality" factors are directly connected with the molecular information programmed into the dendritic peptides, whilst the shape factor depends on the group linking these peptides together,this is consistent with molecular recognition hydrogen bond pathways between the peptidic building blocks controlling the ability of these systems to self-recognise. These results demonstrate that mixtures of relatively complex peptides, with only subtle differences on the molecular scale, can self-organise into nanoscale structures, an important step in the spontaneous assembly of ordered systems from complex mixtures. [source]


Permafrost and Little Ice Age glacier relationships, Posets Massif, Central Pyrenees, Spain

PERMAFROST AND PERIGLACIAL PROCESSES, Issue 3 2004
Ralph Lugon
Abstract This paper contributes to the study of permafrost in the Pyrenees by reporting geoelectrical investigations and thermal measurement on the Little Ice Age (LIA) forefields of two glaciers. The aim was to assess the internal composition of sedimentary bodies (debris rock glaciers and moraine deposits) located in this proglacial environment. Ground ice was prospected using two DC resistivity techniques: vertical electrical soundings and resistivity mapping at a fixed pseudo-depth. Extreme specific resistivities ranging between 1 and 25,M,,m were detected under a thin (1,2,m) unfrozen layer, indicating the presence of a massive ice layer, certainly buried glacier ice. This ice of glacial origin probably covers former permafrost bodies, i.e. a much thicker layer of perennially frozen sediments. Low subsurface temperatures measured on the deposits indicate that buried glacier ice could have been preserved on top of permafrost since the end of the LIA or earlier Holocene glacier advances. This stratigraphy demonstrates that glaciers and pre-existing perennially frozen sediments (permafrost) were in contact during the LIA. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Structure and properties of cellulose nanocomposite films containing melamine formaldehyde

JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 4 2007
Marielle Henriksson
Abstract Films of high Young's modulus and low density are of interest for application as loudspeaker membranes. In the present study nanocomposite films were prepared from microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and from MFC in combination with melamine formaldehyde (MF). The prepared materials were studied with respect to structure as well as physical and mechanical properties. Studies in SEM and calculation of porosity showed that these materials have a dense paper-like structure. The moisture sorption isotherms were measured and showed that moisture content decreased in the presence of MF. Mechanical properties were studied by dynamical mechanical thermal measurements as well as by tensile tests. Cellulose films showed an average Young's modulus of 14 GPa while the nanocomposites showed an average Young's modulus as high as 16.6 GPa and average tensile strength as high as 142 MPa. By controlling composition and structure, the range of properties of these materials can extend the property range available for existing materials. The combination of comparatively high mechanical damping and high sound propagation velocity is of technical interest. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007 [source]


Self-Assembly of Two-Component Gels: Stoichiometric Control and Component Selection

CHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009
Andrew
Abstract Two-component systems capable of self-assembling into soft gel-phase materials are of considerable interest due to their tunability and versatility. This paper investigates two-component gels based on a combination of a L -lysine-based dendron and a rigid diamine spacer (1,4-diaminobenzene or 1,4-diaminocyclohexane). The networked gelator was investigated using thermal measurements, circular dichroism, NMR spectroscopy and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) giving insight into the macroscopic properties, nanostructure and molecular-scale organisation. Surprisingly, all of these techniques confirmed that irrespective of the molar ratio of the components employed, the "solid-like" gel network always consisted of a 1:1 mixture of dendron/diamine. Additionally, the gel network was able to tolerate a significant excess of diamine in the "liquid-like" phase before being disrupted. In the light of this observation, we investigated the ability of the gel network structure to evolve from mixtures of different aromatic diamines present in excess. We found that these two-component gels assembled in a component-selective manner, with the dendron preferentially recognising 1,4 - diaminobenzene (>70,%), when similar competitor diamines (1,2- and 1,3-diaminobenzene) are present. Furthermore, NMR relaxation measurements demonstrated that the gel based on 1,4-diaminobenzene was better able to form a selective ternary complex with pyrene than the gel based on 1,4-diaminocyclohexane, indicative of controlled and selective ,,, interactions within a three-component assembly. As such, the results in this paper demonstrate how component selection processes in two-component gel systems can control hierarchical self-assembly. [source]