EVA incorporating organo-MMT exhibits greater toughness and biostability at high strain, at which point the organo-MMT is exfoliated and introduces a more tortuous path for the entrance of permeants.

Thermoplastic starch (TPS) composites incorporating bentonite/cellulose (Bent/Cellulose) hybrid fillers in different ratios were prepared by film casting. Ultra‐sonication was done to promote good dispersion of filler in the host TPS and enhance the filler‐matrix interactions. Ultra‐sonicated fillers resulted in superior improvement in the tensile properties when the samples preconditioned at both ambient and 2°C. Upon preconditioning at 2°C, the TPS composite containing the ultra‐sonicated hybrid bent/cellulose in 80:20 ratio displayed the greatest tensile properties achievement among all the tested materials. These could be due to the effect of low temperature interactions between the starch, plasticizers, and the hybrid fillers. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis proved the changes in the crystallinity and dynamic characteristic of the TPS molecular chains which benefit in enhancing the biopolymer elongation at break and toughness, even when stored at refrigerated condition. In summary, the TPS/bent/cellulose composite has potential to be further developed for refrigerated food packaging application. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 60:810–822, 2020. © 2020 Society of Plastics Engineers

In this study, a novel desulfurization method was conducted using the superoxide ion (O 2 •−) generated chemically in four ionic liquids (ILs): 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, N-methoxyethyl-N-methylmorpholinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, 1-(2-methoxyethyl)-1-methylpiperidinium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate, and 4-(2-methoxyethyl)-4-methylmorpholinium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate. Remarkably, it was found that O 2•− can convert the sulfur compounds (i.e., thiophene and 2-methylthiophene) dissolved in these ILs. The products of the conversion were identified as H 2 O, CO 2 , and SO 3 . The conversion percentage ranged from 35 to 99% for thiophene and 20 to 96% for 2-methylthiophene. In addition, a mechanism was proposed for this conversion. Furthermore, the effect of temperature on this reaction was studied and the solubility of sulfur compounds in these ILs was determined. The ILs did not only behave as media for the generation of O 2 •−, but they also possessed catalytic activity to accelerate the reaction rate between O 2•− and substrates.

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