RESEARCH OF PROPERTIES, STRUCTURAL FEATURES AND TECHNOLOGICAL POSSIBILITIES OF NEW POLYMERIC MATERIALS FOR FILLING-RETANNING OF LEATHER

The paper presents the results of research of two new industrial polymer materials in the form of the Syntan RS3L product and the Syntan F187 product. It has been experimentally established that these materials differ in appearance, structure, and physicochemical properties. So, the first product is a solution of polyacrylates and is well compatible with water, while the second product is a synthetic composition of melamine-formaldehyde resins and inorganic compounds based on aluminium, iron, potassium, sulfur, silicon in the form of a powder, which is partially soluble in water. Using the method of infrared spectroscopy, the features of the structure of polymeric materials are determined – the presence of various groups and bonds, which indicates the polyfunctional nature of both reagents. It was found that after treatment of a chrome tanned collagen preparation with Syntan LF187, the optical density in the IR spectrum of collagen changes to the greatest extent at a frequency of 876-873 cm-1, which corresponds to stretching vibrations of O-O groups of peroxides in the protein structure. When exposed to the Syntan RS3 product, significant changes are observed in the frequency range 1240-1235 cm-1, which corresponds to the stretching and deformation vibrations of the nitrogen-containing Amide II groups, amines and OH groups of alcohols. When studying the technological capabilities of polymeric materials as reagents for filling and retanning chrome tanned leather for shoe uppers from cattle raw materials, it was found that, according to the organoleptic assessment and the indicator of the generalized objective function, the best were leather samples processed with 2.0 % of the Syntan RS3 product. The results obtained can be explained by the peculiarities of the distribution and interaction of materials in the structure of the dermis, the essence of which is the formation of strong and at the same time flexible bonds, which has a positive effect on the formation of the structure and quality indicators of leather. To confirm the obtained data, it is planned to conduct semi-production tests. It is expected that the quality of the finished product will improve, and the existing vegetable and synthetic tanning agents will be replaced with a modern, more efficient and environmentally friendly polymer material.

Physicochemical Analysis of Water Extracts of Particulate Matter from Polluted Air in the Area of Kraków, Poland

Solubility of transition metal compounds plays a significant role in adverse health effects because that is one of the most important factors of particulate matter bioavailability in the body. In this study, we focus on the chemical analysis of particulate matter (PM) collected at different locations in the area of Kraków, one of the most polluted cities in Poland, and compare them with Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1648a from NIST. The content of four elements (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur) was determined by elemental analysis, and the ratio between organic and inorganic carbon in PM extracts was confirmed by Total Organic Carbon analysis. Among the most concentrated elements found there are calcium, magnesium, sulfur, silicon, and zinc, whereas copper, iron, and manganese were present in lower concentrations. SEM-EDS analysis showed a similar morphology of the SRM and PM collected in the urban area of Kraków, while PM collected in the industrial area has smaller particles with a smooth surface. The reported analyses are significant for the APARIC project (“Air Pollution versus Autoimmunity: Role of multiphase aqueous Inorganic Chemistry”), which aims to identify the main inorganic components of PM and to understand how they affect the development of immunological diseases.

Sustainable and Low-Cost Lithium-Ion Batteries: Nonconventional Electrode Chemistries and State of Health Characterization

With the advancements in portable electronics and electric vehicle (EV) applications, the demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with high energy densities is ever increasing. Battery-powered transportation is being adopted more frequently due to its potential to enable a more sustainable society by reducing vehicle emissions from fossil fuels. There has been exponential growth in the need for high-capacity LIBs in all types of EVs, including hybrid and full electric automobiles, e-bikes, and drones, as well as electric tools, cell phones, tablets, and, more recently, house storage; this growth significantly increases the consumption of source material commodities,especially cobalt. Despite its drop in price in the last couple of years due to increased mining, cobalt remains expensive, and its price increase has gained momentum again compared toother electrode materials due to higher demand. Moreover, its toxicity and difficult mining practices could result in many problems, including excessive carbon dioxide and nitrogendioxide emission along with a possible much higher demand in the long term. This provides a strong motivation to explore alternatives to battery source materials. In this article, we present a selection of our important works on LIBs, with a focus on alternative electrode chemistries by using abundant and sustainable material sources. As alternatives to traditional graphite-based anodes, we demonstrate the successful use of both silicon electrodes derived from beach sand and waste glass and carbon electrodes derived from portobello mushroom and waste plastic precursors. In addition, we demonstrate stable cycling of batteries with nonconventional electrode chemistries, such as lithium-sulfur with TiO2-coated sulfur electrodes and sulfur-silicon full cell batteries with integrated lithium sources. Batteries prepared by sustainable methods not only perform better than conventional ones but also result in reduced costs. Since accurate determination of battery state of health is another important challenge, we further present our electrochemical impedance spectroscopy-based analysis of LIBs, which could potentially be utilized in safety evaluations of current and next-generation LIBs.