Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science

The impact of plasticizer and degree of hydrolysis on free volume of poly(vinyl alcohol) films

Fong, Rebecca J.; Robertson, Alexander; Mallon, Peter E.; Thompson, Richard L. (MDPI, 2018-05)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The effect of plasticizer species and the degree of hydrolysis (DH) on the free volume properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were studied using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. Both glycerol ...

Solid state NMR characterization and adsorption properties of lignocellulose-clinoptilolite composites prepared with siloxanes coupling agents

Vala, R. M. K.; Tichagwa, L.; Pasch, H.; Dikio, E. D. (South African Chemical Institute, 2015-02-15)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study reports the preparation of lignocellulose-clinoptilolite composites by means of N-terminated siloxanes as coupling agents, after acid hydrolysis. Reactions were carried out in the presence of ...

Polyester functionalisation for mycobacterial capture

Van der Westhuizen, Benjamin Jacobus Cillie (2018-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the deadliest diseases known to man and ranks among the top ten global causes of fatalities. This stems from the fact that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative ...

Fabrication and characterisation of poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) nanofibers with biocidal additive for water filtration

Motsi, Margaret (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Water is an undeniable right for all humans and their wellbeing is dependent upon equitable access to a safe, adequate and affordable water supply. The world is facing formidable challenges in meeting ...

The effect of chemical composition and morphology on the properties of polyolefin films

Barnard, Johannes Lodewiekus (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis consists of three parts, in the first part a preliminary study was conducted pertaining to dunnage bags. Dunnage bags are large inflatable restraining devices used in containers to keep the ...

Failure analysis of LLDPE based materials

Krige, Ben Hendrik (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this study the environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR) of various low density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) materials are evaluated. The main purpose was to ...

Polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles and modified polymer nanofibers for the efficient capture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)

Smit, Marica (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The World Health Organization (WHO) determined that 10.4 million people died of tuberculosis (TB) in 2015 which makes TB the number one cause of death from a preventable infectious disease worldwide. ...

Investigation of the carbon dioxide sorption properties of selected organic macrocycles

Basson, Jeanice Letitia (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The inclusion of guest molecules within host compounds has been an ever-growing interest in supramolecular chemistry. Host-guest chemistry has attracted much attention due to potential applications in ...

Incorporation of different antimicrobial agents into a poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) matrix

Dyayiya, Nelisa Assistance (2018-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: With the increase in microbial resistance to existing antimicrobial therapies, there is a need for the development of new and more effective ways to fight against microbes. This increase in resistance is ...

The cytotoxicity of the ajoene analogue BisPMB in WHCO1 oesophageal cancer cells is mediated by CHOP/GADD153

Siyo, Vuyolwethu; Schafer, Georgia; Hunter, Roger; Grafov, Andriy; Grafova, Iryna; Nieger, Martin; Katz, Arieh A.; Parker, M. Iqbal; Kaschula, Catherine H. (MDPI, 2017-05-28)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Garlic is a food and medicinal plant that has been used in folk medicine since ancient times for its beneficial health effects, which include protection against cancer. Crushed garlic cloves contain an ...

An experimental and computational investigation of organic molecular cocrystals

Carstens, Thalia (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Cocrystals have historically provided a unique platform for studying and tuning structure-property relationships of materials. In this study, co-crystallisation was specifically investigated as a possible ...

Lead optimisation of an indole based HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor

Brigg, Siobhan Ernan (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: HIV-1 remains the worst pandemic faced by mankind since its discovery as the causative agent of AIDS in the early 1980s. An enormous amount of research has been done to find a cure, but to date there has ...

Comprehensive analysis of modified hyaluronic acid by multidimensional chromatography

Viktor, Zanelle (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Hyaluronic acid (HA) that had been modified through the hydroxyl moieties with an acrylate functional group can produce very complex and heterogeneous polymers. The substitution of the hydroxyl moieties ...

Direct determination of isosteric heats of sorption using pressure-gradient differential scanning calorimetry

White, Kerry-Anne (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Porous materials, specifically porous coordination polymers (PCP) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), have shown great potential for catalysis as well as gas storage, separation and purification. Energy ...

Coupling of thermal field-flow fractionation and FTIR spectroscopy for the fractionation and analysis of complex polymers

Radebe, Nonkululeko Winnie (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The fast-paced growth and production of complex polymers has accelerated the need for advancement in characterization techniques. The structural complexity of polymers is described using the concept of ...