Cabot Corporation

Abstract: The renewability, biocompatibility, and mechanical properties of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have made them an attractive material for numerous composite, biomedical, and rheological applications. However, for CNCs to shift from a laboratory curiosity to commercial applications, researchers must transition from CNCs extracted on the bench scale to material produced on an industrial scale. There are a number of companies currently producing kilogram to ton per day quantities of sulfuric acid-hydrolyzed CNCs as well as other nanocelluloses, as described herein. With the recent intensification of industrially produced CNCs and the variety of cellulose sources, hydrolysis methods, and purification procedures, the characterization of these materials becomes critical. This has further been justified by the past two decades of research that demonstrate that the CNC stability and behavior are highly dependent on the surface chemistry, surface charge density, and particle size. This work outlines key test method...

Abstract: Extracts of selected xerographic toners and copies were found to be mutagenic in the Salmonella assay. The activity was independent of the xerographic hardware and process and was traced to nitropyrenes present as impurities in the carbon black, the toner colorant. Manufacturing process changes resulted in a substantial reduction of the nitropyrene content of the carbon black and thus in the mutagenicity of the corresponding toners. Nitropyrenes are potent frameshift mutagens, and possible mechanisms for their biological action are discussed.

Abstract: Elastomer composites are produced by novel continuous flow methods and apparatus in which fluid streams of particulate filler and elastomer latex are fed to the mixing zone of a coagulum reactor to form a mixture in semi-confined flow continuously from the mixing zone through a coagulum zone to a discharge end of the reactor. The particulate filler fluid is fed under high pressure to the mixing zone, such as to form a jet stream to entrain elastomer latex fluid sufficiently energetically to substantially completely coagulate the elastomer with the particulate filler prior to the discharge end. Highly efficient and effective elastomer coagulation is achieved without the need for a coagulation step involving exposure to acid or salt solution or the like. Novel elastomer composites are produced. Such novel elastomer composites may be cured or uncured, and combine material properties, such as choice of filler, elastomer, level of filler loading, and macro-dispersion, not previously achieved.