Research of the process of polymer raw materials metallization applying an automated laboratory complex.
Students Name: Pokhodzhai Stepan Bohdanovych
Qualification Level: magister
Speciality: Chemical Technologies of Polymeric and Composite Materials Processing
Institute: Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies
Mode of Study: full
Academic Year: 2022-2023 н.р.
Language of Defence: ukrainian
Abstract: Conducting chemical experiments requires the use of specialized equipment, measurement of various physical quantities and, as a rule, automated control of the experiment itself. A large number of electronic components and measuring devices allows you to create measuring complexes that are able not only to organize the collection of experimental data, but also to conduct their analysis. At the same time, the process of creation and construction of measuring complexes requires considerable time and highly qualified developers of such complexes. On the other hand, universal solutions that are present on the market and allow solving most of the questions facing researchers are characterized by a high cost. The most famous system widely used in laboratory practice is the product of the National Instruments company. The products produced by National Instruments combine hundreds of different data collection modules, universal drivers that can work under the guidance of different operating systems, as well as the LabVIEW graphical programming system [1]. In this master’s thesis, an attempt was made to automate the process of volumetric studies, which is used to study the process of metallization of polymer raw materials with the aim of obtaining metal-filled polymer composites [2-6]. The volumetric method is based on the principle of measuring the volume of hydrogen, which is a by-product of the reduction reaction of copper ions and which is released in a stoichiometric amount. This feature is used to estimate the rate of recovery of copper ions and the amount of recovered copper during the production of metallized polymer raw materials. The possibility of implementing the operation of the installation was investigated, the description of which is given in the publication [7]. This installation consists of two measuring burettes and electromagnetic valves connected according to a certain scheme. It is shown that the proposed design of the installation turned out to be inoperable. In order to increase the reliability of measurements of the volume of gas released during metallization, it was proposed to implement another measurement method based on the Hall effect. The scheme of distribution of gas flows in this installation is based on the used patent [8] with a certain variable of the principle of organization of gas distribution. Namely, instead of three traveling cranes, a system of flexible tubes with the possibility of squeezing them is used. The program for controlling the operation of the microcontroller, which controls the operation of the entire installation, is developed in the visual programming environment for Arduino FLProg boards. Program code in the Arduino IDE development environment. The conducted test measurement of the volume of hydrogen released during the metallization of polyethylene granules showed the efficiency of the decisions made and the possibility of conducting a metallization study in automatic mode with recording and recording of the obtained results. Thus, the use of the developed measuring laboratory complex allows you to automate the process of studying the kinetics of copper ion reduction during the chemical metallization of polymer raw materials. In addition, the developed complex allows to increase the accuracy of measurements, including when measuring small volumes of gas. Object of the research: automated laboratory complex for the study of the process of metallization of polymer raw materials. Subject of the research: establishment of suitable principles for measuring gas volumes that can be automated, design and optimization of a research facility with development of software for its management. The purpose of the study: to develop an automated laboratory complex, the use of which will allow to automate experimental studies of chemical metallization of polymer raw materials as a result of measuring the volume of hydrogen released during the reduction of copper ions. The paper investigated the possibilities of using different principles of gas volume measurement and selected the optimal one. The work of experimental installations was designed and tested, which showed their different suitability for use in the conditions of conducting the experiment. With the help of a specialized CAD, the design of the experimental installations was optimized. 3D modeling followed by the production of products using the 3D printing method produced the main elements of the experimental setups. It has been established that the method of measuring the change in liquid level in measuring burettes based on the Hall effect can be used to build a laboratory automated complex. At the same time, this method is characterized by high accuracy and is protected from external influences. Software has been developed that allows you to control the experimental setup in automatic mode with the recording of experimental data on an external storage medium. Experimental data are formed in a form suitable for processing and analysis by means of computer technology. The final version of the experimental setup can be modernized to expand the possibilities of analyzing experimental results. The conducted test measurement of the volume of hydrogen released during the metallization of polyethylene granules showed the efficiency of the decisions taken and the possibility of conducting a metallization study in automatic mode with recording and recording of the obtained results. The master’s thesis consists of an introduction, 3 chapters, conclusions and a list of used literary sources containing 27 references. The material of the work is laid out on 82 pages of printed text and contains 7 tables and 56 figures. Key words: automation, Arduino, Hall effect, metallization, gas volume. List of used literature sources. 1. Elliott C., Vijayakumar V., Zink W., Hansen R. National Instruments LabVIEW: A Programming Environment for Laboratory Automation and Measurement // Journal of The Association for Laboratory Automation. - 2007. – Vol. 12. – P. 17-24. DOI: 10.1016/j.jala.2006.07.012 2. А. Kucherenko, Y. Dovha, M. Kuznetsova, V. Moravskyi Analysis of processes which occur during the destruction of a copper shell formed on polyethylene granules // Chemistry, technology and application of substances. – 2022. - Vol. 5, №. 1. – Р. 186-192. https://doi.org/10.23939/ctas2022.01.186 3. Moravskyi V., Kucherenko A., Kuznetsova M., Dulebova L., Spisak E. Obtainment and characterization of metal-coated polyethylene granules as a basis for the development of heat storage systems // Polymers. – 2022. Vol. 14, № 1. - 218. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14010218 4. А. Kucherenko, О. Nikitchuk, M. Kuznetsova, V. Moravskyi Peculiarities of metallization of polyvinyl chloride granules // Chemistry, technology and application of substances. – 2021. - Vol. 4, №. 2. – Р. 173-178. https://doi.org/10.23939/ctas2021.02.173 5. Kucherenko A., Nikitchuk О., Dulebova L., Moravskyi V. Activation of polyethylene granules by finely dispersed zinc // Chemistry, technology and application of substances. – 2021. - Vol. 4, №. 1. – Р. 191-197. https://doi.org/10.23939/ctas2021.01.191 6. Kucherenko А.N., Mankevych S.О., Kuznetsova М.Ya., Moravskyi V.S. Peculiarities of metalization of pulled polyethylene // Chemistry, technology and application of substances. – 2020. - Vol. 3, №. 2. – Р. 140-145. https://doi.org/10.23939/ctas2020.02.140 7. В.С. Моравський, А.М. Кучеренко, Л. Дулебова, І. Гайдос Пристрій для проведення волюметричних досліджень // Вимірювальна та обчислювальна техніка в технологічних процесах: Матеріали XVIIІ міжнар. наук.-техн. конференції (8-13 червня 2018 р., м. Одеса); Одес. нац. акад. зв’язку ім. О.С. Попова. – Одеса, 2018. – с. 54-55. 8. Патент 125372 України на корисну модель; МПК G01F1/00, G01F22/00. Газоволюмометричний апарат / В.С. Моравський, І.З. Дзяман, А.С. Масюк, А.М. Кучеренко, Л. Дулебова, Т. Гарбач; Заявл. 23.11.2017. Опубл. 10.05.2018, Бюл. № 9.