Tda Research, Inc.

Brian John Elliott

Silvia DeVito Luebben

Ronald Cook

Andrew William Myers

Bryan Matthew Smith

Carolina Wilson

Vinh The Nguyen

Shawn Sapp

William Wallace Ellis, Iii

Cory Kreutzer

Manfred Meiser

Chieh-Hui Chang

William W Ellis

Raechelle A D'Sa

A triarylmethane dye-oximate compound derived from 2,3-butanedione monoxime reacted with a triarylmethane dye. Particular embodiments include a triarylmethane dye selected from methyl violet, crystal violet, fuchsine, pararosaniline, new fuchsine, fuchsine acid, phenol red, malachite green, brilliant green, brilliant blue, Victoria blue B Victoria blue FBR, Victoria blue BO, Victoria blue FGA, Victoria blue 4 R, Victoria blue R or methyl blue. The dye-oximate compound is suitable for use as both a reactive decontaminating compound and a color indicating compound for organophosphates.

Triarylmethane dye-oximate compounds

A nanoporous polymer electrolyte and methods for making the polymer electrolyte are disclosed. The polymer electrolyte comprises a crosslinked self-assembly of a polymerizable salt surfactant, wherein the crosslinked self-assembly includes nanopores and wherein the crosslinked self-assembly has a conductivity of at least 1.0&#xd7;10S/cm at 25&#xb0; C. The method of making a polymer electrolyte comprises providing a polymerizable salt surfactant. The method further comprises crosslinking the polymerizable salt surfactant to form a nanoporous polymer electrolyte.

Nanoporous polymer electrolyte

Methods of making alkyl esters are described herein. The methods are capable of using raw, unprocessed, low-cost feedstocks and waste grease. Generally, the method involves converting a glyceride source to a fatty acid composition and esterifying the fatty acid composition to make alkyl esters. In an embodiment, a method of making alkyl esters comprises providing a glyceride source. The method further comprises converting the glyceride source to a fatty acid composition comprising free fatty acids and less than about 1% glyceride by mass. Moreover, the method comprises esterifying the fatty acid composition in the presence of a solid acid catalyst at a temperature ranging firm about 70&#xb0; C. to about 120&#xb0; C. to produce alkyl esters, such that at least 85% of the free fatty acids are converted to alkyl esters. The method also incorporates the use of packed bed reactors for glyceride conversion and/or fatty acid esterification to make alkyl esters.

Method of making alkyl esters

A method comprising contacting an alcohol, a feed comprising one or more glycerides and equal to or greater than 2 wt % of one or more free fatty acids, and a solid acid catalyst, a nanostructured polymer catalyst, or a sulfated zirconia catalyst in one or more reactors, and recovering from the one or more reactors an effluent comprising equal to or greater than about 75 wt % alkyl ester and equal to or less than about 5 wt % glyceride.

Methods of making alkyl esters

The present invention relates to a class of conducting oligomers and polymers and to a method for the preparation of the same. The conducting oligomers and polymers contain an end-capping group, which is non-electrically conductive and contains at least one branch point. The branched end-capping groups are made by a method that first substitutes the branched group on the heteroaromatic monomer, particularly at the '2' position on these monomers. In a second step, the end-capping intermediate is co-polymerized with one or more additional heteroaromatic monomers to form capped conducting oligomers and polymers.

Electrically conducting materials from branched end-capping intermediates

The present invention provides block copolymers containing at least one block of a poly(heteroaromatic) polymer and at least two blocks of a non-conjugated polymer. The chemically different blocks of the copolymer are covalently bonded to each other in an alternating fashion through an appropriate linkage group. The poly(heteroaromatic) block may exist in its neutral or oxidized form, and when in the oxidized form, it associates with organic or inorganic counter-anions to balance the charge. The poly(heteroaromatic) polymer is an intrinsically conducting polymer (ICP), and when in the oxidized form it is electrically conducting. When the ICP block or blocks of the block copolymer are in the doped form, the block copolymer is electrically conducting. Preferably the conducting block copolymers have conductivities in the range 10-10S/cm. Block copolymers of this invention are soluble or dispersible in water, one or more organic solvents, or in a mixture thereof at a level of at least about 0.1 g/liter.

Poly(heteroaromatic) block copolymers with electrical conductivity

Surface-modified nanoparticles of boehmite, and methods for preparing the same. Aluminum oxyhydroxide nanoparticles are surface modified by reaction with selected amounts of organic acids. In particular, the nanoparticle surface is modified by reactions with two or more different carboxylic acids, at least one of which is an organic carboxylic acid. The product is a surface modified boehmite nanoparticle that has an inorganic aluminum oxyhydroxide core, or part aluminum oxyhydroxide core and a surface-bonded organic shell. Organic carboxylic acids of this invention contain at least one carboxylic acid group and one carbon-hydrogen bond. One embodiment of this invention provides boehmite nanoparticles that have been surface modified with two or more acids one of which additional carries at least one reactive functional group. Another embodiment of this invention provides boehmite nanoparticles that have been surface modified with multiple acids one of which has molecular weight or average molecular weight greater than or equal to 500 Daltons. Yet, another embodiment of this invention provides boehmite nanoparticles that are surface modified with two or more acids one of which is hydrophobic in nature and has solubility in water of less than 15 by weight. The products of the methods of this invention have specific useful properties when used in mixture with liquids, as filler in solids, or as stand-alone entities.

Nanoparticles modified with multiple organic acids

This invention provides composite materials that combine the material properties of hydrophobic polymers with internal structure and order provided by polymerization of lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs). Composites, particularly nanocomposites, are made by forming a LLC assembly that has hydrophobic regions and hydrophilic regions, combining hydrophobic polymer in the assembly and polymerizing the polymerizable LLC monomers in the assembly. The hydrophobic polymer, polymerized LLC assembly or both can be crosslinked in the composite. Nanoporous composites, particularly those with uniform-sized pores and/or with uniform pores distribution can be prepared in this way. In addition, complex polymers in which a second polymeric material, which may be organic or inorganic, can be introduced into the pores or other structural features of the composite can be prepared. Adding flexible hydrophobic polymers to the LLC assembly increases the flexibility and toughness of the resultant polymerized composite material to provide improved composite materials for use as membranes and in other applications. Hydrophobic polymer addition can also increase the diffusion resistance in the organic phase of the composite. Of particular interest are composites in which the hydrophobic polymer is butyl rubber or related synthetic rubber.

Nanoporous composites of polymerized lyotropic liquid-crystalline monomers, and hydrophobic polymers

The present invention relates to a new class of surface modified particles and to a multi-step surface modification process for the preparation of the same. The multi-step surface functionalization process involves two or more reactions to produce particles that are compatible with various host systems and/or to provide the particles with particular chemical reactivities. The initial step comprises the attachment of a small organic compound to the surface of the inorganic particle. The subsequent steps attach additional compounds to the previously attached organic compounds through organic linking groups.

Surface modified particles by multi-step addition and process for the preparation thereof

A new class of surface modified particles and a multi-step Michael-type addition surface modification process for the preparation of the same is provided. The multi-step Michael-type addition surface modification process involves two or more reactions to compatibilize particles with various host systems and/or to provide the particles with particular chemical reactivities. The initial step comprises the attachment of a small organic compound to the surface of the inorganic particle. The subsequent steps attach additional compounds to the previously attached organic compounds through reactive organic linking groups. Specifically, these reactive groups are activated carbon&#x2014;carbon pi bonds and carbon and non-carbon nucleophiles that react via Michael or Michael-type additions.

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Superior, CO, United States of America

Brian John Elliott