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Cyclohexanone–formaldehyde resin (CFR) was in situ modified with isocyanuric acid (ICA) in the presence of hydrochloric acid or p-toluenesulfonic acid by condensation polymerization. The purpose of this study is to produce isocyanuric acid-modified ketonic resins that have higher melting and decomposition temperature, and to use the produced resin in the production of fire-retardant polyurethane.

Two methods were used for in situ preparation of ICA-modified CFR in the presence of an acid catalyst. Method I: cyclohexanone, paraformaldehyde and ICA were mixed, and then an acid catalyst was added to form the modified CFR. Method II: ICA and formalin were mixed to produce N, N, N-trihydroxymethyl isocyanurate, and then water was removed under vacuum. The produced N, N, N-trihydroxymethyl isocyanurate solution was mixed with cyclohexanone and paraformaldehyde, then an acid catalyst was slowly added to this mixture to obtain ICA-modified CFR.

CFR was prepared in the presence of an acid catalyst. The product, CFR, has a dark red colour. The resulting resins have similar physical properties with the resin prepared in the presence of a basic catalyst. The solubility of ICA-modified CFR is much different than CFR in organic solvents.

This study focuses on obtaining an ICA-modified ketonic resin. Cyanuric acid has the form of an enolic structure under a basic condition; therefore, it cannot give a product with formaldehyde under basic conditions. The modification experiments were carried out in acidic conditions.

This study provides technical information for in situ modification of ketonic resin in the presence of acid catalysts. The resins may also promote the adhesive strength of the coating and provide corrosion inhibition on metal surfaces for a coating. The modified resins may also be used in the field of fire-retardant polyurethane applications.

These resins may be used for the preparation of non-toxic fire-retardant polyurethane foam. Polyurethane containing ICA-modified resin may exhibit better fire-retardant performance because of the incorporation of ICA molecule into the polyurethane structure.

ICA-modified CFRs have been synthesized in the presence of an acid catalyst, and the ICA-modified resin was used to produce fire-retardant polyurethane.

The Institute for the Future (IFTF) has collaborated with the Rockefeller Foundation and its Searchlight function to create a framework for broad engagement in strategic thinking about ways to catalyze change in the lives of poor or vulnerable communities. This paper seeks to focus on this broad‐based approach.

Starting from the top‐down horizon scan of the foundation's Searchlight partners – a network of horizon scanning organizations – IFTF created a public database of signals of innovation and disruption in the domain of poverty and social change. This signals database was used to build a visual map of catalysts for change, creating a simple hierarchy of four catalyst types, each containing four action zones and a pivotal challenge. This map provided the language and framework for engaging a global community in a serious game to extend the vision of the Searchlight function and capture novel ideas for innovations that could improve the lives of those in marginalized communities.

With an estimated global reach of 160,000 views and 1,600 game players from 79 countries, the game produced more than 18,000 ideas about catalysts for change.

This framework of foresight (the signals database) to insight (the visual map of catalysts for change) to action (global strategic game) demonstrates a way to integrate top‐down expert foresight with bottom‐up strategic ideation on a global scale.

This study aims to investigate the catalytic performance and tribological properties of MoS₂ powder.

In this work, the authors attempted to use MoS₂ nanoparticles (nano-MoS₂) as a catalyst to synthesize trimethylolpropane oleate (TMPTO) by esterification of trimethylolpropane and oleic acid. The small amount of highly dispersed nano-MoS₂ catalyst remaining in TMPTO needed not to be separated and could be used as a lubricant modifier directly to achieve the purpose of improving the lubricity performance of TMPTO.

The results demonstrated that nano-MoS₂ had good catalytic esterification ability and achieved in situ dispersion of about 0.191% nano-MoS₂ in TMPTO while catalyzing the synthesis of base oil. After high-speed centrifugal sedimentation treatment, the product TMPTO still retained about 0.008% of nano-MoS₂. The above-synthesized TMPTO has significantly better lubricity performance than commercially available TMPTO, in which the friction coefficient and wear rate could be reduced by 75%.

The results of this study provide an idea for the design of catalysts for ester oil synthesis.

This paper aims to observe how the Catalyst Energy college of engineering for women has played a significant role in helping to train women in fields such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and power production and so overcome a shortage of qualified women in these fields.

The paper examines what gave rise to the diversity initiative at Catalyst Energy’s Ahmedabad plant, India, and the success that it has achieved.

This paper reveals that, of the first batch of 30 students, in 1995, eight made it to Catalyst Energy. The number has grown every year since then.

It explains that Catalyst is working towards having women make up half its workforce, as it moves away from being dominated by Gujarati males.

It touches on some of the reasons that women are under-represented in Indian companies.

It reveals that globalization is a key pressure in encouraging Catalyst to make its workforce more diverse.

The first article sought to establish that there is a role for a “catalyst” type of tutor under the self‐development philosophy. This second article will look at the important steps, at both organisational and individual level, which the tutor must take to get self‐development started. The opening article talked of the need to have the right organisational climate (e.g. establishing that coaching by the boss was the norm, establishing that mistakes are allowable, proving that people matter) and of getting the various types of individual (e.g. the high flyer, the top manager, the switched off) to pick up the ball and run with it. This article will continue those metaphors.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the relevant role of the stereochemistry of two Ruthenium catalysts on the self-healing efficiency of aeronautical resins.

Here, a very detailed evaluation on the stereochemistry of two new ruthenium catalysts evidences the crucial role of the spatial orientation of phenyl groups in the N-heterocyclic carbene ligands in determining the temperature range within the curing cycles is feasible without deactivating the self-healing mechanisms (ring-opening metathesis polymerization reactions) inside the thermosetting resin. The exceptional activity and thermal stability of the HG2_MesPhSyn catalyst, with the syn orientation of phenyl groups, highlight the relevant potentiality and the future perspectives of this complex for the activation of the self-healing function in aeronautical resins.

The HG2_MesPhSyn complex, with the syn orientation of the phenyl groups, is able to activate metathesis reactions within the highly reactive environment of the epoxy thermosetting resins, cured up to 180°C, while the other stereoisomer, with the anti-orientation of the phenyl groups, does not preserve its catalytic activity in these conditions.

In this paper, a comparison between the self-healing functionality of two catalytic systems has been performed, using metathesis tests and FTIR spectroscopy. In the field of the design of catalytic systems for self-healing structural materials, a very relevant result has been found: a slight difference in the molecular stereochemistry plays a key role in the development of self-healing materials for aeronautical and aerospace applications.

From the atom economy and environmentally friendly point of views, the development of clean and green approaches using ionic liquids (ILs) as recyclable catalysts has attracted increasing attention. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of task-specific ILs content on the one-pot three-component Biginelli reaction.

A series of halogen-free quaternary ammonium ILs functionalized with –SO₃H group were prepared and characterized by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ¹³C NMR and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The ILs were used as catalysts for Biginelli reaction among aromatic aldehydes, urea or thiourea and β-dicarbonyl compounds. Anions and cations of ILs were varied to observe their effects on and contributions to the catalysts. The influencing factors, such as the amount of catalyst, solvent, reaction time and reaction temperature, were investigated.

The effect and contribution of cations of ILs were observed. Results showed that 3-(N, N-dimethylhexadecylammonium) propanesulfonic acid toluene sulfate ([DHPA][Tos]) showed comparable catalytic activity. Good adaptability to the reaction substrate and maximum product yield was observed when [DHPA][Tos] was used as catalyst. It was found that Biginelli reaction catalyzed by 10 mol% [DHPA][Tos] for 3 h under solvent-free conditions at 80 °C gave the best yield of 94%. Post-processing steps were simple, and the catalyst could be reused easily.

This paper demonstrates that ILs containing a long carbon chain and a bulky Tos anion efficiently promoted the reaction, in which the long carbon chains facilitate mass transfer in the reaction system.

The purpose of this paper is to conduct the directed synthesis of blue-colour aluminate spinel pigments based on spent aluminium–cobalt–molybdenum (ACM) catalyst and to study peculiar features of mineral formation processes and changes in their colour indices depending on composition and firing temperature.

Aluminate spinel ceramic pigments with specified colour indices were synthesised by directed formation of their mineral composition and identification of the most rational technological parameters of production. Mineral composition of synthesised pigments was evaluated by X-ray phase analysis. The colour indices of pigments and pigment-containing glaze coatings were studied on the comparator colour. The chemical resistance of pigments was determined by loss of their weight loss after boiling in 1 N hydrochloric acid solution and 1 N sodium hydroxide solution.

Peculiar features of formation of the mineral composition of aluminate spinel pigments based on the ACM catalyst were studied. The expediency of using magnesium and zinc oxides in their composition has been proved. It is found that for the formation of stable pigments of intense blue colour, a concentration of cobalt (II) oxide in the amount of 0.5 mol is sufficient, which is 23.1 Wt.%. The colour of such pigments is determined by the ratios of cobalt, magnesium and zinc aluminates, which form a spinel solid solution.

The use of developed aluminate spinel pigments provides obtaining of high-quality glass coatings of blue colour, in particular, for ceramics.

Aluminium oxide in the spent ACM catalyst is predominantly in the active form (of amorphous aluminium hydroxide and y-Al₂O₃). This is a prerequisite for the use of this waste material as a complete substitute for chemically pure Al₂O₃ in the technology of aluminate spinel pigments and reduction of their firing temperature. Besides, spent ACM catalyst already contains 5 Wt.% of expensive cobalt (II) oxide in the form of stable colour-bearing phase CoAl₂O₄.

The term “glass ceiling” was coined by two Wall Street Journal reporters in 1986 to describe the “invisible but impenetrable barrier between women and the executive suite.” In the decade since, women have made undisputed progress in gaining entry to higher management in corporate America. For example, between 1982 and 1992 the number of female vice presidents increased by 75% and the number of female executive vice presidents more than doubled, according to one recent study (Korn/Ferry International, 1993). However, until Catalyst undertook an enumeration in 1996, no systematic research had been conducted to document the extent to which women have actually advanced to positions of senior leadership. Previous studies had estimated the figure at 3% to 5% (Catalyst, 1990; Korn/Ferry International, 1979), but researchers could not verify the accuracy of these estimates as they were derived from surveys of various sample populations. Even the US Glass Ceiling Commission failed to provide a baseline measure of women's representation at various levels of corporate management. (Federal Glass Ceiling Commission, March 1995).

This article describes findings from a series of recent Catalyst studies. Several of these studies investigated the use of flexible work arrangements in business, exploring employee and employer attitudes towards, opinions about, and experiences with, these alternative arrangements. Together, findings from these studies help to delineate current approaches to flexibility initiatives in business, the increasing interest in these arrangements, the key benefits to business from the use of these alternatives, and the continuing barriers to the use of flexible arrangements. They also help to clarify effective strategies and practices for successful flexibility initiatives, along with critical skills needed by supervisors and employees using these arrangements. Detailed examples from two Catalyst Award‐winning organizations – The Bank of Montreal and Deloitte & Touche LLP – are included.