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As argilas são materiais muito usados e que atualmente apresentam inúmeras aplicações devido as interessantes propriedades que apresentam. A modificação superficial de argilas é uma área que tem recebido bastante atenção dos pesquisadores porque por meio dos diversos tipos de modificação é possível a preparação de novos materiais e novas aplicações. Este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar uma revisão bibliográfica sobre argilas organofílicas, especialmente as obtidas a partir de bentonitas e de sais quaternários de amônio. Diversos estudos vêm sendo realizados baseados em diferentes técnicas e parâmetros de síntese desses materiais, incluindo argilas de diferentes regiões e diferentes agentes de modificação, bem como as diferentes aplicações que são propostas.

Neste trabalho foram preparados nanocompósitos de polipropileno e montmorilonita organofílica comercial Cloisite 20A em concentrações de 2,5%, 5,0%, 7,5% e 10,0% e polipropileno graftizado com anidrido maleico como agente compatibilizante pela técnica de intercalação do fundido em extrusora de dupla rosca. Os materiais obtidos foram caracterizados por difração de raios x, ensaios de tração e impacto de acordo com as normas ASTM D638 e D256, respectivamente. Os resultados de difração de raios x indicaram a formação de nanocompósitos com estruturas parcialmente esfoliadas ou intercaladas, dependendo da composição, que proporcionaram aumento do módulo de elasticidade enquanto as propriedades de resistência ao impacto não foram satisfatórias.

The present review highlights the effect of different types of nanoparticles/nanotubes/nanolayers in polyamide nanocomposite properties. Polyamides belong to an important class of engineering polymers due to their interesting properties, such as temperature stability, good chemical resistance, relatively high tensile strength and stiffness. The availability of different types of nanoparticles and its functionalization, besides the improved knowledge on the integration with the polyamide matrix, has opened possibilities for developing new fields of applications and products. POLYM. COM-POS., 00:000-000, FIG. 12. TEM images of PA6/prisitine multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) (a) and PA6/amide like-3 MWNT nanocomposites (5 phr) by melt-compounding. Reprinted from [40], Copyright (2014), with permission from Elsevier.

In this study polyester‐based thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) samples were annealed at 110°C for 0, 8, 16, and 24 h. To elucidate the relationship between the hard and soft phase separation and the shape memory properties, the samples were characterized within a rheometer, by selecting well defined thermal cycles. The results showed an enhancement of the shape recovery ratio (Rr ~ 65%) for all the annealed samples, when compared to the non‐annealed TPU (Rr ~ 60%). This behavior was attributed to the modifications of hard‐soft domain morphology occurring during the thermal annealing treatment, as it was shown both by differential scanning calorimetry with the shift in thermal transitions toward higher temperature, due the formation of new short‐range ordered hard domains and infrared spectroscopy, with the increase in degree of phase separation. Analyzing small‐angle X‐ray scattering, the decrease of the invariant also confirmed the enhancement of short‐range domains. The formation of these new short‐range domains acted as crosslinking points in TPU's morphology leading to an increase in stiffness, presented by higher Young and storage modulus. Based on these results, a model mechanism is proposed to correlate the morphology and structure of the annealed materials with their shape memory effect.

No abstract

-This study describes the influence of the intrinsic properties of raw materials on the organophilization of bentonites from Argentinean raw sodium bentonites and Brazilian sodium activated bentonites. The organophilization was done with two methodologies: solid-liquid and semisolid reactions. Correlations between the properties of sodium and organophilic bentonites were established. The effectiveness of the treatments was verified by X-ray diffraction, swelling capacity in water and xylene and SEM to evaluate the morphology of the particles. The analysis was done before and after the modification process. The bentonites had organic cations intercalated, as shown by the increase of the basal spacings, and the organophilic character was confirmed because the bentonites showed xylene swelling capacity and particles with an expanded aspect in comparison to those of the sodium bentonites. Both methodologies were efficient to obtain organophilic clays. The organophilic bentonites obtained from raw sodium bentonites gave better results.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are clonal hematopoietic stem cell-based disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, increased genomic instability and a tendency to progress toward acute myeloid leukemia (AML). MDS and AML cells present genetic and epigenetic abnormalities and, due to the heterogeneity of these molecular alterations, the current treatment options remain unsatisfactory. Hypomethylating agents (HMA), especially azacitidine, are the mainstay of treatment for high-risk MDS patients and HMA are used in treating elderly AML. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of the epigenetic reader bromodomain-containing protein-4 (BRD4) in MDS and AML patients. We identified the upregulation of the short variant BRD4 in MDS and AML patients, which was associated with a worse outcome of MDS. Furthermore, the inhibition of BRD4 in vitro with JQ1 or shRNA induced leukemia cell apoptosis, especially when combined to azacitidine, and triggered the activation of the DNA damage response pathway. JQ1 and AZD6738 (a specific ATR inhibitor) also synergized to induce apoptosis in leukemia cells. Our results indicate that the BRD4-dependent transcriptional program is a defective pathway in MDS and AML pathogenesis and its inhibition induces apoptosis of leukemia cells, which is enhanced in combination with HMA or an ATR inhibitor.