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Document Type : Research Paper
Department of Chemistry, Darab branch, Islamic Azad University, Darab, Islamic Republic of Iran
Polymer/clay nanocomposites have attracted great academic and industrial interests in recent years because they exhibit unique microstructure with enhanced mechanical, thermal and barrier properties compared with conventional microcomposite at identical filler concentrations [1–4]. It is noteworthy that chemical modification of nanoparticles such as clay prior to their incorporation into polymer nanocomposites provides a convenient route to improve dispersion and to modify interfacial properties that may in turn improve the properties of the nanocomposites. Polyimide (PI) is widely used in the field of microelectronics and photonics application, because of their outstanding electrical properties, heat resistance, and chemical stability [5-8].
Various combinations of polyimide with inorganic fillers including silica, layered silicate, graphene, alumina have been reported, showing that outstanding mechanical and physical properties can be achieved when proper contents of fine fillers are incorporated. Especially, the layered silicate clay particles, such as montmorillonite or mica, when the layers of clay are organic, exfoliated or intercalated [9], can be well dispersed and much more effective to reinforce the performance of polymer. The composites prepared from polyimide and layered clay by solution dispersion technique or in situ polymerization have been found to display novel properties [10]. It was noticed that the introduction of well dispersed clay layers such as montmorillonite (MMT) into a polyimide matrix has been proved to be extremely effective in the improvement of mechanical, thermal and barrier properties of the polyimide matrix.
Clays are used as additives because they are composed of layered silicates that can intercalate organic molecules [11, 12]. The morphology of clay particles has been described in several papers [13]. There are many types of clays, including kaolinite, montmorillonite, hectorite, saponite, and synthetic mica. Among them a new promising class of inorganic layered materials; e.g., layered double hydroxides (LDHs), have been attracting much attention because of their wide applications in catalysts, catalyst precursors, anion exchangers, fire retardants, hydrogenation reaction, acid absorbents, bioactive nanocomposites, electroactive and photoactive materials, etc [14-16] . Layered double hydroxides (LDHs), also known as anionic or hydrotalcite-like clays, are a class of lamellar compounds having overall no charge (neutral) due to the existence of positively charged brucite-like hydroxide layers with typical thickness 0.48 nm and hydrated exchangeable anions located in the interlayer gallery [17]. The positive charge of the brucite-like layers arises from the partially isomorphous substitution of trivalent cations for divalent metal ones. Due to their highly tunable properties and unique anion exchange properties, LDHs are considered as a new emerging and the most favorable class of layered crystals for fabricating of multifunctional polymer/layered inorganic nanocomposites [18].
As well as the well dispersion of the clay nanolayers in the polymer matrix, the interfacial interaction between the inorganic and organic phases is important for the improvement of the performance in the nanocomposites. Therefore, as the scale-length of the inorganic fillers approaches the nanometer range, the extent of phase separation reduces and improves the performance of the nanocomposites. In addition, the introduction of chemical bondings between inorganic and organic phases can effectively enhance the interfacial interaction, being a key issue in preparing the compatible nanocomposites exhibiting excellent performance [19-24].
Although polymer/clay nanocomposites are known to exhibit gas barrier properties better than those of conventional composite systems, the dependence of these properties on factors such as the orientations of the matrix sheets and the extent of clay aggregation and dispersion (intercalation, exfoliation, or intermediate structures) are not well understood [14, 25]. Bharadwaj [26] constructed a model for the barrier properties in polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites based completely upon the tortuosity arguments described by Nielsen. [27]. The correlations among sheet length, concentration, relative orientation, and aggregation state are expected to provide guidance in the design of better barrier materials with the nanocomposite approach [28].
To date, experimental data on clay–polymer hybrid membrane for gas separation purpose are still diminutive in contrast to other filler–polymer combinations. In fact, the compatibility of most hydrophobic thermoplastic polymers with commercially modified clay minerals has been confirmed in the literature [29, 30]. Moreover, the clay modification, commonly achieved by cationic-exchange reaction with alkylammonium surfactants, leads to the expansion of interlayer space of the clay. The pre-expanded state of the clay layers will facilitate the intercalation of polymer macromolecules into the interlayer galleries thus rendering greater extent of interaction and dispersion of silicate layers in polymer matrix [31-33]. Modified LDHs particles (M-LDHs) are an example of available modified clay which will be used in this study. As for the continuous phase, polyimide (PI) is a fine choice of membrane material for gas separation due to practical combination between its permeability and selectivity in addition to its good mechanical and thermal properties as well as easy processability.
We prepared new nanocomposite films comprised of modified LDHs particles, including LDH-amino benzoate (M-LDHs) and PI obtained from diamine monomer (diamine1B) and pyromelliticdianhydride (PMDA) monomers. The effect of the M-LDHs particles in a PI hybrid system was examined for different amounts of M-LDHs (1, 3, 5 or 7 wt%). The thermal properties, morphologies, gas permeation, and mechanical properties of the resultant PI hybrid films with various amounts of M-LDHs are reported herein.
2-(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenylsulfinyl)-4-methylphenol and 1-chloro-4-nitrobenzene and potassium carbonate were purchased from TCI (Tokyo, Japan) and Aldrich Chemical Co. (Seoul, Korea). N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) was purified and dried over molecular sieves before use. All other reagents were used without further purification. PMDA was recrystallized from acetic anhydride and then dried in a vacuum oven at 120°C overnight. Mg(NO3)2 6H2O (Riedel-deHaen), Al(NO3)3 9H2O (Riedel-deHaen), sodium hydroxide (Riedel-deHaen), sodium carbonate (Aldrich Chemical Co) and amino benzoic acid (Riedel-deHaen) were used to synthesize the amino benzoate intercalated layered double hydroxides (LDHs).
Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra were recorded using a Nicolet 360 IR spectrometer. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were performed at room temperature using a Rigaku (D/Max-IIIB) X-ray diffractometer with Ni-filtered CuKα radiation. The scan rate was 20/min over the range 2θ=2º-23º. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) photographs of ultrathin sections of the PI hybrid films were obtained with a Leo 912 OMEGA transmission electron microscope using an acceleration voltage of 120 kV. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were performed on a DuPont 910 instrument with a heating rate of 20 ºC/min under N2 flow. The measurements of the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of the samples were performed with a macroexpansion probe (TMA-2940), which was used to apply a 0.1 N expansion force to the films at a heating rate of 5 ºC/min in the temperature range 40-170 ºC. The permeability of the films was measured according to the ASTM E96 standards using a Mocon DL 100. Ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectra of the polymer films were recorded using a Shimadzu UV-3600 instrument.
Synthesis of diamine monomer (1B)
In a 50 mL three-neckround-bottom flask, 2-(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenylsulfinyl)-4-methylphenol (1.81 g, 6.8mmol), 1-chloro-4-nitrobenzene (2.03 g, 13.6mmol), potassium carbonate (1.87 g, 13.6mmol), and 15 mL of DMAc were placed. The mixture was heated with stirring at 125 °C for 5 h under nitrogen. The reaction mixture was cooled and then poured into 250 mL of methanol. The creamy precipitate was collected by filtration and dried under vacuum. The product was purified by recrystallization from glacial acetic acid to afford monomer (1A) in 89% yield; mp 213-215 °C. Second step, hydrazine monohydrate (3 mL) was added dropwise to a mixture of dinitro (1A) (1.80 g, 3.6mmol), ethanol (25 mL), and a catalytic amount of 10% palladium on activated carbon (Pd/C, 0.04 g) at the boiling temperature. The mixture became homogeneous after 2 h, and the reaction was refluxed for 18h. The mixture was then filtered to remove Pd/C. After cooling, the precipitated yellow crystals were isolated by recrystallization. It was purified by recrystallized from methanol and then sublimed before use in polymerization (Scheme 1). The yield was 78%; mp 170-173 °C [34].
The molecular structure of diamine (1B) was confirmed with elemental, IR, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR analyses. The familiar double absorption peaks of amine groups N–H are obvious around 3445–3397 cm-1.The 1H-NMR data confirm the proposed structure for diamine (1B). Signal peak resonated at 4.597 ppm is related to the amino protons -NH2. The 13C-NMR data indicated the presented chemical structure of diamine (1B) clearly. All the spectroscopic data obtained were in good agreement with the expected structure of diamine (1B) [34].
FTIR (KBr, cm-1): 3,445 (s), 3,397 (s), 3,113 (w), 3,080(w), 1,565 (m), 1,545 (m) 1,439 (w), 1,336(w), 1,157 (w), 833(m), 775(w).
1H-NMR (500 MHz, DMSO-d6, ppm): 2.367 (s, 6H, CH), 4.597 (s,4H, NH), 6.654-6.661 (d, 4H, Ar-H, J= 3.5), 6.869-6.878 (d, 2H, Ar-H, J= 4.5 Hz), 7.349-7.357 (d, 4H, Ar-H),7.629 (s, 2H, Ar-H).
13C-NMR (125 MHz, DMSO-d6), δ (ppm): 39.55 (CH3), 109.11 (Ar), 110.09 (Ar), 115.61 (Ar), 118.66 (Ar), 122.20 (Ar), 124.59 (Ar), 132.47(Ar),138.75(Ar), 146.65(Ar), 154.75(Ar).
Elemental analysis calculated for C26H24N2O3S (444.15g mol-1): C, 70.27%; N, 6.29%; S, 7.19%;H, 5.45 %.
Preparation of the modified LDHs-amino benzoate (M-LDHs)
The LDHs-amino benzoate was prepared by the co-precipitation method. 0.8 g (0.02 mol) of NaOH was dissolved in 200 ml of deionic water, and then, 3.74 g (0.02 moel) of 4-amino benzoic acid was added to the sodium hydroxide solution. 5.12 g (0.02 mol) of magnesium nitrate and 3.75 g (0.01 mol) of aluminum nitrate were dissolved in 50 ml of deionic water. The nitrate solution was then added dropwise to the vigorously stirred amino benzoate/NaOH solution at room temperature and the pH of the solution was maintained at 10 by the addition of 1 M NaOH solution. After the addition of the nitrate solution, the mixture was reacted at 75 ºC for 16 h. The slurry was then filtered until all the supernatant liquid were removed. The sample was washed four times by doubly deionic water and dried at 70 ºC. In order to minimize contamination with atmospheric CO2, the preparation of the LDH-AB was performed under a nitrogen purge [35].
Preparation of the PI Hybrid Films
The PI films were synthesized using a two-step method. First, diamine 1B (1.55 g, 3.5 mmol) was added into a flask and dissolved in the DMAc with stirring. After 0.5 h, diamine 1B was dissolved completely, and 0.75 g PMDA (3.50 mmol) was added into the above solution. The resulting solution was stirred vigorously at 0 ºC for 1 h and then at room temperature for 10 h, yielding a 20 wt% DMAc solution of PAA. The synthetic procedures for polymer hybrid preparation were the same for all clay contents used; the preparation of 10 wt% M-LDHs is detailed here as a representative example. M-LDHs (1.0 g) and DMAc (30 mL) were placed in a 100 mL three-necked flask, and the mixture was stirred at 25 ºC for 2 h. The resulting mixture was ultrasonicated for 7 h to obtain a homogeneously dispersed clay solution. In the chemical imidization procedure for the PAA solution, isoquinoline (3-4 drops) was added to the PAA solution, and the mixture was stirred at 25 ºC for 2 h under a steady stream of N2 gas. The composite solution was cast onto glass plates, and then the solution was stabilized at 50 ºC for 1 h under a steady stream of N2 gas. After that, sequential heat treatments were performed at 70 ºC for 1 h and 80 ºC for 2 h. The film was further imidized on the glass plate by sequential heating at 110, 140, 170, 200, and 250 ºC for 30 min at each temperature. The film was cooled to room temperature and stripped from the glass in hot water. The chemical structures relevant to the synthetic route are also shown in Scheme 2 and Scheme 3 [20].
FTIR spectra of PAA and PI and M-LDHs
The formation of PAA and the completion of imide formation from amic acid were confirmed by examining the FT-IR spectra; the spectra of PAA and the PIs are shown in Fig. 1a. It was observed that PAA exhibited a broad absorption band around 2800-3400 cm-1 because of the acid (O-H) group of PAA. The C=O stretching peaks at 1700 and 1602 cm-1 are due to the acid and amide groups of PAA [21], respectively, and shift to higher frequencies in the imides, specifically to approximately 1782 cm-1 (C=O, in phase) and 1712 cm-1 (C=O, out of phase), respectively. In addition, the presence of a feature at 1378 cm-1 corresponding to C-N-C stretching confirms the formation of the imides [15, 21, 23].
Fig. 1b presents the FT-IR spectrum of the M-LDHs. Strong absorption peaks of asymmetric and symmetric R–COO− at 1532 and 1398 cm-1, respectively, are observed. The characteristic peaks of the N–H bend and aromatic C=C stretching are at 1612 and 1594 cm-1, respectively [12, 15, 21, 23, 29]. These peaks demonstrate that amino benzoate was intercalated into the LDHs. A broad absorption peak between 3600 and 3000 cm-1 is assigned to O–H group stretches of both the hydroxide layers and the interlayer water [29, 30].
XRD patterns of the M-LDHs and M-LDHs/PI nanocomposites
Fig. 2a presents the X-ray patterns of the M-LDHs nanocomposite. The observed data show an increase to 15Ǻ (2θ = 5.5º) for M-LDHs. An expanded structure is obtained and two peaks are present at 2θ = 5.5º and 2θ = 11.4º, indicating that amino benzoate and carbonate are both present in the interlayer galleries of M-LDHs. From the results, not only the amino benzoate but also the carbonate are intercalated into M-LDHs, and the carbonate content is far less than the amino benzoate content. This finding may justify the involvement of less CO2 molecules in the preparation of the M-LDHs powder. The processing conditions used in the preparation of the M-LDHs/PI nanocomposites significantly affect the extent of exfoliation of the M-LDHs nanolayers in the polymer matrix.
Fig. 2b shows the XRD patterns of the M-LDHs/PI nanocomposites with various M-LDHs contents. For the M-LDHs/PI nanocomposites, no diffraction peak is observed with M-LDHs content from 1 to 5 wt%, while a diffraction peak arises at 3º with the content of 7 wt%. The result is due to the sufficiently exfoliation of the M-LDHs nanolayers in the polymer matrix to form exfoliated nanocomposites M-LDHs with the content from 1 to 5 wt%. In nanohybrids, we found that clay was very uniformly distributed in the PI matrix regardless of the clay concentration. This denotes that the clay layers in the hybrid material are homogeneously dispersed in the PI matrix. As the content of the M-LDHs reaches 7 wt%, an obvious diffraction peak appears at 3º, corresponding to some parts of the clay layer which were collapsed in the PI matrix. It was considered that thermal decomposition of the organic part in M-LDHs resulted in reducing the d-spacing of clay layers. [36] Yano et al. [37] also reported that weakly bound organic molecules may detach from the clay surface. This detachment, caused by the heat treatment during the cyclization process of PAA to PI, leads to a reduction in the interlayer spacing relative to that of M-LDHs.
Morphology of M-LDHs/PI nanocomposites
Although XRD is by far the simplest method available to measure the d-spacing of the hybrids, FE-SEM and TEM were also used to visually evaluate the degree of intercalation and the amount of aggregation of clay clusters. TEM analysis tends to support the findings from XRD but also shows that the clay is well dispersed on the nanoscale in all systems. The efficiency of the clay in modifying the properties of the matrix polymer is primarily determined by the degree of its dispersion in the polymer matrix.
The morphology of the aggregated clay can be characterized with FE-SEM. Because of the difference in scattering density between the M-LDHs and PI, large M-LDHs aggregates can be easily imaged in FE-SEM. Figs. 3(b)–(e) show clay phases within the hybrid films with organoclay contents of 1 to 7.0 wt%. The PI hybrid films containing 1 wt% M-LDHs are characterized by clay domains (with sizes of 200–300 nm) dispersed in a continuous PI phase (Fig. 3b). In contrast, the micrograph of the 5.0 wt% M-LDHs/PI hybrid film (Fig. 3d) shows voids and some deformed regions that can be attributed to the coarseness of the fractured surface. This coarseness is aggravated upon increasing the clay content up to 5 wt% (Figs 3d and e). Comparison of the micrographs reveals that the fractured surfaces of the hybrid films with higher M-LDHs contents are more deformed than those of the films with lower M-LDHs contents, likely due to the agglomeration of M-LDHs particles. This hypothesis is supported by the observation of agglomerated M-LDHs particles in the PI hybrid films with clay contents of 5–7 wt%.
More direct evidence of the formation of a true nanocomposite is provided by TEM of an ultramicrotomed section. Fig. 4(a–d) shows three photographs of PI hybrids containing different 1, 3, 5 and 7 wt % organoclays. The dark lines in the photograph are the intersections of a clay sheet 1 nm thick, and the spaces between the dark lines are interlayer spaces. TEM photography proves that most clay layers have been dispersed homogeneously into the matrix polymer, although some clusters or agglomerated particles are also detected. A similar arrangement of the layers in Fig. 4(c and d) can be observed, with the presence of one or several clay layers in the PI matrix, indicating the formation of nanocomposites. Unlike hybrids containing M-LDHs (Fig. 5(a,b)], the clay layers of Fig. 5(c and d) are more exfoliated and dispersed randomly into the matrix polymer. This will be cross-checked by ultimate strength and initial modulus in the tensile property section.
Mechanical properties of pure PI and M-LDHs/PI nanocomposites
Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) for the M-LDHs/PI nanocomposites was carried out to understand the effect of the M-LDHs particles on the thermomechanical properties of PI films. The storage modulus (E′) and loss modulus (E″) with various M-LDHs contents are shown in
Fig. 5 (a) and the values of tan δ are shown in
Fig. 5 (b). A small decrease in the storage modulus was observed around Tg in Fig. 5 (a), which is typical for rigid rod PI. Fig. 5 (c) shows the effect of the M-LDHs particles content on the Tg from the maxima of E″ curves. It was confirmed that the Tg values increased with an increase in the M-LDHs particles content: Tgs were 329, 354, 361, and 351ºC at the M-LDHs particles content of 1, 3, 5 and 7 wt. %, respectively. The tan δ values in Fig. 5 (b) also show that the Tgs increased above 400 ºC with addition of 1% of M-LDHs. Since the glass transition process is related to the molecular motion, the Tg is considered to be affected by molecular packing, chain rigidity and linearity. The increase in the Tg values of the nanocomposites in comparison with the original PI can be attributed to maximizing the adhesion between the PI and M-LDHs surfaces because of the nanometer size which restricts segmental motion near the organic inorganic interface. This is a typical effect for the inclusion of M-LDHs in a polymer system.
The tensile properties of the M-LDHs/PI nanocomposites hybrid films were examined. As summarized in Table 1, there was a clear tendency that the tensile modulus increases and elongation decreases with an increase in the content of M-LDHs nanoparticles. For pure PI, which was thermally treated at 350ºC/15 min, the tensile modulus was 7.85 GPa. With the incorporation of 1% M-LDHs nanoparticles, the tensile modulus increased to ca. 9.86 GPa, which is ca. 44% higher than that of the original PI. The increase in the modulus was accompanied with 67% decrease in the elongation at break. Addition of 3% of M-LDHs nanoparticles further increased the modulus to 11.68 GPa, which is ca. 110% higher than the pristine PI. It was reported from the viscoelastic analyses that the storage modulus of PI increased up to 20% by the inclusion of clay compared to the pristine PI [37, 38]. Thus the tensile measurements revealed that the effect of the M-LDHs nanoparticles is more pronounced on the tensile modulus. The pronounced increase in the tensile modulus reflects the reinforcement effect attained by the dispersion of the M-LDHs nanoparticles into PI film. Elongation at break, on the other hand, decreased monotonously to 15%. A further increase in the M-LDHs nanoparticles content (5%) is associated with a decrease in the modulus and a sharp elongation at break which is ca. 2%.
Fig. 6 (a) shows typical stress/strain curves for M-LDHs/PI nanocomposites. The tensile modulus of pristine PI film, which was thermally treated at 350 º C/1 h, was 12.15 GPa. With incorporation of 1% M-LDHs nanoparticles, the tensile modulus increased to 16.55 GPa. Addition of 3% of M-LDHs nanoparticles further increased the modulus to 19.85 GPa, which is 39% higher than that for the pristine PI. The pronounced increase in the tensile modulus reflects the reinforcement effect attained by the dispersion of the M-LDHs nanoparticles into PI film. Elongation at break, on the other hand, decreased monotonously. Tensile strength increased with 1% of clay loading, but started to decrease at relatively low loading of M-LDHs because of the lower elongation at break. With 5% M-LDHs nanoparticles content the tensile modulus started to decrease to 10.25 GPa. Also, the drop in the tensile properties was remarkable in the case of higher M-LDHs nanoparticles loading such as M-LDHs/PI 7% (Fig. 6(a)). This collapse of the mechanical properties can be attributed to the aggregation of the M-LDHs nanoparticles. The effect of M-LDHs nanoparticles loading on the tensile modulus of PI is shown in Fig. 6 (b). The increase of tensile modulus is mainly based on the reinforcement effect of the dispersed M-LDHs nanoparticles. The additional effect due to the chain orientation in PI should be minimum.
Thermal behavior of pure PI and M-LDHs/PI nanocomposites
TGA was recorded for M-LDHs/PI nanocomposites to monitor the effect of the M-LDHs particles on the thermal properties. Fig. 7 (a) shows some results of TGA in case of M-LDHs/PI nanocomposite. It was shown that the thermal stability increased with addition of M-LDHs nanoparticles. The temperatures at 5 and 10% weight loss indicate that the thermal stability of the PI films was enhanced by the incorporation of only small amount of LDHs nanoparticles. For example, with only 1% content of LDHs particles in the PI, the 5% decomposition temperature became higher for ca. 208 ºC than the corresponding pure PI. Above 5% loading, the effect of LDHs particles was almost constant; probably due to the aggregation of the additional LDHs. The presence of M-LDHs particles dispersed homogeneously into the PI film hinders the permeability of volatile degradation products out of the material. Fig. 7 (c) shows the isothermal TGA for M-LDHs/PI nanocomposites at 500 ºC for 250 min. As clearly seen, the nanocomposites show a delayed decomposition compared with the pure PI due to the homogeneous distribution of the M-LDHs nanoparticles which increases the total path of the volatile gases out of the film compared to the pure PI. For PI, the incorporation of the M-LDHs particles also enhanced the thermal stability.
Fig. 7b shows the effect of the inclusion of the M-LDHs particles on the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of PI films. It was found that the CTE decreased from 6.47 ppm (0% M-LDHs particles) to 5.36 ppm (1% M-LDHs particles) and 3.88 ppm (3% M-LDHs particles) and 3.26 ppm (5% M-LDHs particles) with the increase of M-LDHs particles content up to 1% loading. The CTE, however, increased with increase of the M-LDHs particles content above 5%. This tendency is in accordance with the change of the tensile modulus.
Optical properties of M-LDHs/PI nanocomposites
Optical appearance is an acceptable and convenient method in judging the dispersion of inorganic phase in polymer matrix. If the polymer/inorganic nanocomposites are transparent, the inorganic phase can be well dispersed in the polymer matrix. The variation of transparency values with wavelength for PI and M-LDHs/PI nanocomposite films is shown in Fig. 8a. It was found that the composite films lose their transparency when the clay content further increases. Two quantities, the transmission onset and the 86% transmission wavelength, are usually used to evaluate the transparency of these films [39]. They range from 450 to 465 nm for the onset wavelength, and from 550 to 800 nm for the 85% transmission wavelength. The transmittance of all films at 780 nm is given in Fig. 8b. When the M-LDHs nanoparticle content increases from 1 to 5 wt% in PI matrix, the transmittance of nanocomposite films slightly decreases. But when M-LDHs nanoparticles content is more than 5 wt%, the transparency of films rapidly decreases. This is an evidence for a poor dispersion of M-LDHs nanoparticles in PI matrix, and this phenomenon is consistent with the results of FE-SEM and TEM (Figs. 3 and 4).
Gas permeation properties of pure PI and M-LDHs/PI nanocomposite films
Gas permeability investigation of nanocomposite films based on both types of M-LDHs nanoparticles was performed using pure gases He, N2, CH4 and CO2 and the results are summarized in Table 2. For all types of M-LDHs/PI nanocomposite films, an overall decrease in permeability for all gases was observed in comparison to that of pure PI. This could be attributed to an increase in tortuous path length as well as to closer PI chain packing in M-LDHs/PI nanocomposite films in comparison to the pure PI (as revealed by lowering in dsp). The dsp of pure PI and M-LDHs/PI (1, 3, 5 and 7%) is 6.42, 5.88, 5.47, 5.24 and 4.98 , respectively. Various polymer/clay nanocomposites exhibited a large decrease in permeability for different gases [29, 30, 40–42], as also observed in the present case. This could be attributed to the lower available free volume in earlier cases at a particular loading level. This was indicated by a decrease in dsp of the polymer fraction in the nanocomposites, as a result of suitable interaction of M-LDHs with PI and observed higher density and solution viscosity for M-LDHs nanocomposites. Variation in relative permeability (M-LDHs/PI) with the volume fraction of M-LDHs loading is presented in Figs. 9 for M-LDHs nanocomposites. This ratio decreased with increased M-LDHs loading from 3 to 7%. This trend could be anticipated based on increased tortuous path for diffusing molecules. The reduction in relative permeability for different gases was observed to be different for a particular membrane. In butyl rubber/vermiculite membranes, the relative permeability for various gases differed by as much as a factor of two for a given membrane [43]. A nominal aspect ratio (α′) is usually calculated by fitting the relative permeability data as the function of clay content [29, 40, and 42]. From the trend obtained in the reduction in He permeability (Figs. 9), α′ was estimated by following Nielsen's model
(Eq. (1)) developed for depicting barrier properties of nanocomposites containing platelet particles [31].
where Pc and Pp are the permeability of the nanocomposites medium and the pure polymer, respectively, and ϕf is the volume fraction of the filler. Helium gas was chosen to estimate α′ using Eq. (2) in view of non-interacting nature of this gas. Transport of He would be diffusion controlled [41] and more accurate prediction of α′ could thus be possible. For nanocomposites based on M-LDHs nanoparticles, α′ was estimated to be 51. This indicated higher level of M-LDHs nanoparticles dispersion in PI based nanocomposites. This was in an agreement with XRD and TEM analyses of PI based nanocomposites, indicating suitable dispersion of M-LDHs nanoparticles in the polyimide matrix. As seen in Fig. 9, reduction in He permeability variation is considerably more than that for other gases such as CH4 and CO2. It could be anticipated that in addition to diffusion, permeability variations of these gases could also be contributed by sorption component. Owing to this, Nielsen's model cannot be directly applied for these gases in the present case. Wang et al. [43] has reported reduction in diffusion (59.5%) as well as in calculated solubility (22.9%) for N2 in rectorite/SBR composites. Ryu and Chang [41] also observed that variation in the relative permeability of O2, N2 and CO2 was different at certain MMT content in LLDPE. According to the simple composite theory [40], tortuosity factor depends on the content of particles, their shape, location and orientation in space, and it is not affected by the absolute particle size or the type of penetrant. Variations observed in the reduction of permeability for different gases as reported in the literature [29, 30, 40,41] and also in the present case does not seem to support this composite theory completely. The reduction in permeability may also depend upon the size and condensability of penetrant gas molecules. The gas permeability in polymer matrix is governed by solubility (affected by condensability and membrane–penetrant interactions) as well as diffusivity (affected by size and shape of the penetrant). Based on the literature[29, 44] both of these basic properties are affected by polymer–clay nanocomposite formation. It was observed that for He, diffusion rather than solubility was responsible for the reduction in the permeability, while for N2 and O2, both diffusivity and solubility were reduced by the presence of clay-fillers in PP–clay nanocomposites [45]. It was also stated that for more condensable gases, interactions along the clay–PP matrix interface may affect the gas sorption process in the polymer membrane. In the present case, gas sorption and diffusion analysis though could not be performed; an increase in packing density of polymer chains (as revealed by decrease in dsp) probably affected both solubility and diffusivity. Variations in packing density in the same family of polymers by structural variations are known to vary both these crucial parameters responsible for permeation. Thus, the simple composite theory may not be sufficient to explain variations in gas permeability caused by nanocomposites formation, and gas solubility needs to be considered in addition to the diffusion. Increased CO2 sorption in butyl rubber–vermiculite nanocomposite [40], decreased sorption of O2 and N2 in PP–clay nanocomposite [30], increase in free volume for molecular transport in case of poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) [42] and poly(4-methyl-2-pentyne) [43] could be as some of the optimistic examples indicating that with a proper selection of polymer and filler type, it may be possible to widen the difference between relative permeability variations of different gases. In other words, this can be utilized as a tool to drive selectivity of particular gas pair in a desired direction.
Effect on selectivity of nanocomposite films
Variation in the selectivity for different gas pairs in comparison to the selectivity of pure PI (Table 2) showed a complex trend at different M-LDHs nanoparticles loadings resulting in nanocomposites. α(He/CO2) was increased up to five times, while α(CO2/N2) and α(CO2/CH4) were decreased at all the loading percentages. A larger decrease in permeability of CH4 than for He, particularly at 7% loading, led to a considerable increase in α(He/CH4). A 2.7 times increase in α(He/O2) in PP–clay nanocomposite was reported [30]. The CO2 based selectivities, α(CO2/N2) and α(CO2/CH4), in the present case were reduced dramatically as a result of larger drop in CO2 permeability (48–88%) than for either N2 or CH4 (up to 69%) for different nanocomposite membranes. The greater reduction in permeability of CO2 than that in N2 and CH4 is an anomalous behavior. Both the contributing factors to permeability, i.e. diffusivity and/or solubility cannot be anticipated to be reduced based solely on established assumptions. Reduction in the diffusivity may not be just based on kinetic diameter of CO2, which is smaller than that of N2 and CH4. Similarly, sorption of CO2 in polymer matrix is usually much higher than that of N2 and CH4 in most of the polymeric materials. At least for the type of polymer used here (polyimide) this is well established. There could be some other factors responsible for this observed anomaly. It was observed that for a particular case of benzoylation of PPO, reduction in gas permeability for different gases follows the order: He < CH4 < N2 < CO2, which was in the order of their increasing molar mass and not the kinetic diameter [43-44, 45-47]. Thus, in addition to kinetic diameter, other properties of CO2 (molar mass or cylindrical nature) may also be responsible for execution of 'diffusion jump' from one activated site to another. This issue needs more investigations and supporting evidences. An increase in He/CH4 selectivity could be seen only at 7% loading, indicating that there could be a bare minimum requirement for M-LDHs loading to affect the selectivity favorably in these PI based nanocomposites. This could be possible especially in view of the presence of long amino benzoate chain of organic modifier of the LDHs. Though such modifier is required to induce compatibility of the LDHs with polymer chains, it is usually composed of long chains, which can also induce plasticization as observed by decrease in glass transition temperature in the present case. This decrease in Tg could be anticipated to adversely affect the selectivity performance owing to poorer penetrant-discriminating ability due to plasticization. A smaller variation in α(He/CH4) selectivity at 3–5% loading suggested that probably this plasticization effect is more predominant than the tortuous path offered at this loading level in governing selectivity, while at 7% loading, much higher tortuous path may be predominantly responsible to reduce permeability of larger gases, leading to higher selectivity of He/CO2 and He/CH4 pairs. In order to tune selectivity favorably, selection of amino benzoate group modifier (intercalant/surfactant) that would show minimal plasticization effect and at the same time facilitate maximum possible interactions (may be exfoliation) may be required. Variation in other physical properties by nanocomposites formation that governs gas sorption and diffusion can also be crucial.
Novel polyimide (PI) nanocomposite films were synthesized from diamine monomer and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) with various modified layered double hydroxides (LDHs) particles via solution intercalation polymerization to poly(amic acid)s, followed by thermal imidization. Modified LDHs particles, including LDH-amino benzoate (M-LDHs) were prepared with coprecipitation method. The intercalation of PI chains among the LDHs particles was examined using wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. TEM photographs showed that most LDH layers were dispersed homogeneously into the matrix polymer on the nanoscale, although some LDHs particles were agglomerated. Moreover, the addition of only a small amount of LDHs particles was enough to improve the thermal stabilities and mechanical properties of PI hybrid films. The thermo-optical properties were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and ultraviolet-visible (UV–Vis) spectrometry. As anticipated, though the gas permeability of pure gases such as He, N2, CH4 and CO2 exhibited a decrease, it was not monotonous. A marked decrease in permeability of gases like CO2 and CH4, in comparison to relatively lower decrease in permeability of He was observed, especially at higher LDH loading. An increase in selectivity: α(He/CO2) and α(He/CH4), especially at higher LDH loading indicated the capability of nanocomposites to tune the selectivity favorably.
We used TEM to evaluate the degree of intercalation and the amount of aggregation of the M-LDHs nanoparticles. The M-LDHs nanoparticles, for the most part, were well dispersed in the polymer matrix.
From thermal properties it was shown that the thermal stability increased with addition M-LDHs nanoparticles. The temperatures at 5 and 10% weight loss are which indicates that the thermal stability of the PI films was enhanced by the incorporation of only small amount of LDHs nanoparticles. Tgs of the nanocomposites were higher than that of the pure PI.
The tensile modulus was enhanced by the inclusion of the M-LDHs nanoparticles into the PI matrix, accompanied with a decrease in the elongation at break. The increase in the tensile modulus is almost solely to the reinforcement effect of the dispersed M-LDHs nanoparticles. The effect of chain orientation was considered to be minimum, if any.
Overall decrease in permeability for all the gases was observed with incremental loading of M-LDH snanoparticles. Predicted aspect ratio by Nielsen's model for both the nanocomposites was in agreement with the observed variation in physical properties of polyimide based nanocomposites. Marked decrease in permeability of gases like CO2 and CH4, in comparison to relatively lower decrease in permeability of He was observed, especially at higher M-LDHs nanoparticles loading. An increase in selectivity: α(He/CO2) and α(He/CH4), especially at higher M-LDHs nanoparticles loading indicated the capability of nanocomposites to tune the selectivity favorably. A bare minimum requirement of M-LDHs nanoparticles loading to successfully overcome the effect of plasticization towards lowering in selectivity was noted. This indicated that if amino benzoate group modifier could be chosen such that it would minimize plasticization and facilitates clay exfoliation while inducing compatibility of M-LDHs nanoparticles with polymer chains, the permeation properties, especially selectivity behavior could be better tuned.
The authors thank darab branch, Islamic Azad University for the financial support.
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.


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何回も言いますが、新聞を読むためには各々の単語が名詞(noun)なのか、形容詞(adjective)なのか、副詞(adverb)なのかがめちゃくちゃ大事になってきます!文法はほんっっっっっっとうに大事です!!!一緒に一つずつやっていきましょう!僕の勉強がわりにもなっているので、僕が知っていることは飛ばしていたりします。なので、何かわからないことがあれば気軽にコメントください。できるだけ答えます!よろしくお願いします 😉
読み終わったら、下の単語の解説と照らし合わせながら読んでいってみてください!よろしくです 😉
それでは英字新聞 読解スタートです!
'It was a touching sight': Viral photos capture the heartwarming moment a waiter sat and bonded with a 91-year-old WWII veteran who was sitting alone in the restaurant
・Lisa Meilander was dining at Eat'n Park restaurant in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, on Saturday when she saw server Dylan Tetil, 24, speaking with an elderly man
・The teacher took photos of the moment and shared them on Facebook
・She recalled how Dylan listened attentively while the lonely veteran talked about how he lost his hearing during World War II
・After bringing the man his meal, the server asked if he could sit down with him
・Lisa's post has been shared 69,000 times and received 235,000 likes since Saturday, with many people praising the server for his kind heart
To bond (verb)
Macmillan Dictionary によると " to develop feelings of love, friendship, or duty towards other people, or to make someone develop these feelings "という風に記載されています。
He never felt like he bonded with any of the other students.
The hospital gives mothers no quiet private time in which to bond with their babies.
attentively (adverb)
Cambridge Dictionary によると " in a way that is attentive (= listening carefully or giving careful attention): "という風に記載されていますね。
The children sat listening attentively to the story.
These developments are being watched attentively.
A waiter has captured the hearts of thousands with his simple act of kindness after photos of him chatting with a 91-year-old World War II veteran who was dining by himself went viral.
Lisa Meilander was eating dinner with her family at Eat'n Park restaurant in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, on Saturday evening when she saw their server Dylan Tetil, 24, speaking with the elderly man.
The preschool teacher was so moved by the heartwarming moment that she took photos of them and shared them on Facebook, where she recounted Dylan's conversation with the lonely veteran.
To recount (verb)
Cambridge Dictionary によると " to describe how something happened, or to tell a story: "という風に記載されていますね。
He recounted his adventures since he had left home.
She recounted her conversation with Sam.
In her post, she explained that they didn't really see the man come in, but they did notice when Dylan 'dropped to one knee to look him eye-to-eye as he got ready to take his order.'
'The man apologized for not hearing too well. He had forgotten to put in his hearing aids,' she wrote. 'He talked about how he lost his hearing during his time in the war. He was 91 years old with many stories to tell. Dylan patiently listened giving him his full attention.
'Eventually the man apologized for talking so much. "I'm alone now," he said, "and I don't often have someone to talk to." Dylan smiled and said he enjoyed listening.'
Lisa said the server helped the man with his order before returning to the kitchen. She noted she clearly wasn't the only one eavesdropping that day, as numerous people offered to pick up the man's check, herself included.
'After the man received his food Dylan came back to say he was on a break. He asked if he could sit with the gentleman as he ate,' she said. 'As we left the restaurant the two of them were conversing and many people seated nearby were smiling. It was a touching sight.
To eavesdrop (verb)
Macmillan Dictionary によると " to listen to other people's conversation without them knowing that you are listening "という風に記載されていますね。
He was eavesdropping on our conversation.
'With all of the negative stories about our youth today this was a breath of fresh air,' she wrote at the end of her post. 'I wonder if I would have been as kind and attentive if I were the one working there. One thing's for sure, if you are ever at Eat'n Park in Belle Vernon, ask for Dylan. If he's your waiter you're certain to get great service.'
Lisa shared two photos of the men: one shows Dylan on one knee, taking the man's order, and in the other, they are sitting across from each other in a booth while the veteran eats his dinner.
The post has earned 235,000 likes and been shared more than 69,000 times since Saturday. Thousands of commenters have praised Dylan and thanked Lisa for sharing the story.
'Thank you for posting this story,' one person wrote. 'Praise God for men like this elderly gentleman who served his country well, and thank God for young men like Dylan who stop and listen to the stories from elderly gentlemen. God bless you all.'
Another added: 'We need more young people like you in this world.'
a breath of fresh air (noun)
Cambridge Dictionary によると " someone or something that is new and different and makes everything seem more exciting: "という風に記載されていますね。
Angela's so cheerful and lively – she's like a breath of fresh air when she visits.
attentive (adjective)
Macmillan Dictionary によると " listening to or watching something carefully "という風に記載されていますね。
an attentive audience
Jurors were attentive, taking notes during her testimony.
Dylan, a radiology student at Westmoreland County Community College, has been working at the restaurant for three months. He told Trib Live that he had never seen the man before.
'I could tell as soon as I went up to him that he was eager to talk,' he said. 'I brought him out his water, and he was like, "Please come back," and I said, "You know I will."'
Dylan said he sat with the man for a bit after he brought him his dinner, which consisted of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and apple pie.
After checking on his other tables, he returned to the man's booth to talk with him some more. The college student said the veteran told him about his life and his war stories from World War II.
'It was just two human beings talking,' he said of their connection.
Other servers believe the man is a regular, though they don't know his name. Eat'n Park spokesman Kevin O'Connell told Trib Life that the restaurant chain hopes the man returns.
'We call ourselves "The Place for Smiles," and we train our employees to look for opportunities to serve,' he said. 'Dylan obviously really embraced that goal.'
go up (verb)
Cambridge Dictionary によると " to reach as far as something: "という風に記載されていますね。
The path going up to the back door is very muddy.
Let's go up to London next week.
最後に、内容が理解でき、新しい単語も知ることができたら、必ずCambridge Dictionaryか、Macmillan Dictionaryで例文を読むようにしてください。そして一番シンプルで、自分が日常使いしときやすそうなもをノートやスマホに書き溜めておいてください。そしてこれを移動中の時などに声に出して覚えることが本当に大事です!(電車では難しいので、僕はよく歩きますw)
28歳から英語の勉強を始めた僕が考える "英字新聞を読むメリット"


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It's the most wonderful time of the year… for Apple die-hards. For everyone else, this year's launch event fell a bit flat, with social media responses indicating less excitement for new items than in the past.
The announcement elicited a few responses of "Oh, that's interesting" from me, but admittedly, I wasn't as psyched as I have been in recent years. But, as Dave Smith wrote for Business Insider, "Even a yawn-inducing Apple event like Wednesday's launch is better than most events or conferences thrown by rival tech companies, which are typically slow, boring affairs that usually reveal some kind of fundamental disconnect with their audience." The one updated product that caught my attention this year was the Apple Watch, a product I don't currently own but that has now piqued my interest. Regardless of how you felt about what Tim Cook revealed on September 12, the Apple Watch upgrades carry exciting implications for a variety of audiences, including the elderly.
Fans of the Watch can look forward to a new display on the Series 4 that conforms more to the size and the shape of the physical watch face borders. Its screen is more than 30 percent larger than that of the previous model while still featuring a thinner case size. This new-and-improved face can hold up to eight complications, which are any functions on a watch besides its basic time-telling function (and yes, I had to look that up). One such complication that will likely come in handy for many is the ability to add the icons of friends or family members, who can then be contacted simply by tapping their icon.
Series 4's digital crown will also have haptic feedback (the vibrations you feel when pressing an app or unlocking your phone, for example). The watch's speaker will be 50 percent louder, and to reduce the echo on phone calls, its microphone has been moved as far away from its speaker as possible. The watch's new black ceramic and sapphire crystal backing will help users enjoy better cell reception, as radio waves can now pass through both the front and back of the watch.
The new watch generated the most excitement with the announcement of its new health-related features. The fourth generation Apple Watch will be able to detect when its wearer has fallen by "analyzing risk trajectory and impact acceleration." Once a fall has been detected, the watch face will flash an alert and give the wearer an option to dial emergency services. Move over, Life Alert. For those who worry about elderly relatives living alone, this watch could be a great gift to ensure their safety when you're not around.
The new watch can also keep track of your heart rhythm and notify you if it senses any symptoms of atrial fibrillation, and a new electrical heart sensor will allow users to take electrocardiograms. I for one welcome our robot overlords if it means they'll lovingly let us know when something is amiss with our circulatory system. That sounds much more Baymax and much less Terminator to me. What wasn't mentioned in the keynote, however, is that the irregular heartbeat notifications and the ECG app won't be released until later this year, so they won't be available at launch.
Despite these new capabilities, Series 4 still has the same 18-hour battery life as its predecessor. The starting price for GPS (no connection to a cellular plan) is $399, while the starting price for cellular is $499. The Series 4 is currently available for preorder and will be released tomorrow. In more budget-friendly news, the starting price for the third-generation Apple Watch has been bumped down to $279.
What did you think of this year's Apple Keynote? Did anything in particular capture your attention, and will you be buying any of the updated products?


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What's more universal than suffering? What's more inevitable?
We spend so much of our life trying to maximize our pleasure and minimize our pain — and yet we suffer anyway. Pain comes even to those who have all the money and fame they can wish for. It comes to those who achieve their dreams of stardom.
People suffer in many ways. Some are troubled in their thoughts and emotions. Some live with constant bodily pain. Some suffer from their memories. Some have no hope for the future.
Suffering is inevitable and universal, but it need not destroy us. We can prevail over it, as long as we struggle with Jesus Christ.
Think about it. Jesus himself lived a life full of suffering. He was misunderstood and maligned. He was wrongly accused. He went hungry and without sleep. He was homeless — he had no place to rest his head. Yet he lived a constant serenity and union with God the Father.
As he did so, he modeled the life that we too can live. But he did more than just give us an example. He shared that life with us by giving us his Holy Spirit. Now we, too, can live as children of God. It doesn't mean we won't suffer. But we won't suffer alone. And all our suffering will have profound meaning.
Saint Paul said that "those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" and can even call God "Daddy" — that's Abba, in the Aramaic language.
But Saint Paul goes on to add something very important — a condition on being a child of God. If we are God's children, he says, then we are his heirs, "joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him" (see Romans 8:14-17).
We're God's children now — but only if we live like the Son of God. Only if we suffer with the Son of God! No suffering, no glory — or, as high-school coaches like to say to their players: no pain, no gain.
Jesus suffered on our behalf, not only on Calvary, but all through his life. Everything he did was for our sake, and everything he did was redemptive.
Still we suffer. He did not simply eliminate that dimension from human life. Instead he empowered us to suffer as he suffered — to redeem with him and be his "co-workers" (1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 6:1).
Saint Paul even came to rejoice in his suffering, because he knew it was redemptive. He knew that it would win grace for others: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake," he said, "and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the Church" (Colossians 1:24).
What could be lacking in Jesus' suffering on the cross? Only what Jesus willed to be lacking, so that we could share his life completely.
This is the meaning of the traditional Catholic phrase "offer it up!" We offer our small daily annoyances (and even our life-changing pains) together with the afflictions of Jesus — and they take on his saving power. (Pope Benedict spoke of this practice in chapter 40 of his letter Spe Salvi.)
Mother Teresa of Calcutta said that the true founder of her religious order, the Missionaries of Charity, was Jacqueline de Decker, a severely disabled Belgian woman, who was bedridden in a body cast and needed countless surgeries and bone grafts. She simply "offered it up" for Mother Teresa's intention.
People who suffer sometimes suffer the temptation to despair. Their life seems wholly taken up by pain, and their pain seems meaningless.
Redemptive suffering is the key to understanding pain, and the secret to meaningful endurance and serenity.
What can you offer up today? And for whom?


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There were also plenty of smarmy and catty anonymous comments on the New York Observer's website this week, some of them way more immature (and a few just as uninformed) as the ones on webvomit -- which is extra depressing, since I can bet that at least a few of the comments were posted by folks old enough to know better. Anyway, the fireworks are a result of the bad karma surrounding a new CREEM magazine anthology book, America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine (HarperCollins) , which hit the streets last month. The book was compiled by rock photographer (and former Detroiter) Robert Matheu and Brian Bowe, a Holland, MI resident who was a frequent contributor to the Metro Times in the past. There has been a lot of ill will towards Matheu since he acquired the CREEM brand from Arnold Levitt, the last person to own the magazine, and there is now a nasty lawsuit brewing, with Matheu and his business partners on one side, and J.J. Kramer (the son of the late Barry Kramer, who founded the original CREEM in 1969) and his business partner on the other. You can read the two articles in their entirety here and here (though I should point out the writer definitely had one fact wrong; CREEM did not fold in 1985).
I don't have anything to write about all the legal stuff at this point in time -- other than to say that as an attorney, Mr. Kramer should be extra careful who he chooses as his business partners (and I'm definitely not referring to just Matheu here). I'll have plenty to say when I write my own extended piece on this whole sorry mess for the print edition of the paper in early '08. I'm not even going to offer my opinion on the quality of the book or delve into my personal relationships with most of the people involved in this fracas at the moment. Frankly, I'm kinda sick of being in the middle of it all (and this is far from the first time). Nevertheless, as a CREEM editor from 1981 through '87, it's a little hard for me to avoid -- sort of akin to wishing you had different parents. There's no way to escape your past.
The one thing I do feel the need to address at this point, however, is the comment former CREEM editor/current Detroit News scribe Susan Whitall made in the second Observer piece. Interestingly enough, Scott Woods at Rockcritics.com (whom I've never met or spoken to or even corresponded with regarding this subject) picked up on the same quote, astutely observing that "there's an underlying, more interesting battle going on here -- a sideshow to the Matheu vs. the CREEM critics -- that being '70s CREEMsters vs. '80s CREEMsters." And indeed, that line in the sand and "battle" was going on long before I worked at the rag.
Anyway, said Sue: "John Mellencamp? He's in there [the book]. Come on! He's so unCREEM. Also Duran Duran? I mean, what?" As I've already mentioned to Sue, via e-mail, as the writer of that particular Mellencamp piece, I took her comment as a bit of a personal affront.
Now, the truth is if I'd edited the book, that piece would have never been the one I'd have chosen to represent my work there. (I'm much prouder of my first Replacements piece.) Much like J. Kordosh (see his legendary CREEM pieces on Rush and Blackie Lawless), some of my best writing in the mag was done on artists I detested, such as Dokken, Marillion or Albert Goldman. I was also quite unhappy that two quotes from my original piece were cut out of the book itself. They were quotes addressing issues that I brought up in the first several paragraphs of the article, meaning that the two most important quotes in the Mellencamp article were deleted, making it look like I never addressed those issues with the artist. That surely plays into the complaints many have made that some of the copy-editing in the book leaves a lot to be desired.
That said, I'd also like to point out that Mellencamp wasn't always that annoying guy singing that annoying song about America on that annoying TV car commercial. In the '80s, he was a huge American heartland rock 'n' roll star. He was also an immense CREEM aficionado and as a longtime reader of the magazine, he knew virtually everything about the history of the publication. I interviewed him shortly after the first Lester Bangs anthology, Psychotic Reactions & Carburetor Dung, was published, and the very first thing he said to me that day was: "How's that new Lester Bangs book? My assistant is out buying me a copy right now." The first time I saw Mellencamp live, in a small MSU kiva in East Lansing (long before he was a major star), he and his band encored with a kickass, phenomenal cover of "Search & Destroy" by Iggy & The Stooges, a band Mellencamp had discovered in the pages of CREEM. Local critic Terry Lawson wrote a review of the CREEM book in the Detroit Free Press several weeks ago (which also included a fair share of factual errors -- more on that, perhaps, in my upcoming piece), which was headlined "Local voice of blue collar rock." And let's face it: If anyone represented "blue collar rock" in the '80s, it would've been Mellencamp (who Larson also took a potshot at in his column...at least I think he did) and his "I'm an idiot but I know what I like, and where I come from, people like rock 'n' roll" populist philosophy.
Beyond that, however, Mellencamp also gave the world powerhouse drummer Kenny Aronoff (currently with John Fogerty), who later also worked with the very unCREEM-like Don Was, as well as future alt-rock darling Lisa Germano (last time I saw her, she was playing with the Eels). Former CREEM writers (and founders of legendary California band the Angry Samoans) Gregg Turner and Metal Mike Saunders (the latter supposedly first used the term "heavy metal" in the pages of CREEM) started a folk offshoot project in the late '80s that they dubbed Sons of Mellencamp. They weren't being glib or ironic; they both greatly admire Mellencamp's music of that era to this day. And it was the Sons of Mellencamp who played CREEM's "Welcome to L.A." party in 1987. (When Mellencamp sent his "regrets" that he'd be unable to attend the party – thereby missing the opportunity to hang with such attendees as Little Richard and Ozzy Osbourne, among many others – he wrote: "Tell my sons I'm sorry I won't be there.")
Most importantly, Mellencamp also orchestrated the last comeback attempt Detroit's Mitch Ryder made, getting him signed to his then-label and producing the Motor City legend's subsequent album in 1983. In case any of the CREEM "old-timers" have forgotten, that would be the same Mitch Ryder who appeared on the ninth cover ever of CREEM Magazine in 1969. Not only that, but that would be the same Mitch Ryder whose band, Detroit, was managed at the time by, um, one Barry Kramer, who (bringing us full circle) was CREEM's publisher and founder. So Mellencamp is "unCREEM"? OK, then...
Finally, on the Mellencamp front, I'd like to point out that John Mellencamp (nee: Cougar) appeared on the cover of CREEM (as an inset) for the first time in December 1980. That story was assigned to writer Richard Riegel by the magazine's then editor-in-chief who just happened to be, um, Susan Whitall. (Mellencamp was so thrilled with that piece, btw, that he invited CREEM writer Riegel to his wedding.) There was another Mellencamp story shortly after that, written by Kordosh, who actually phoned me last night to let me know that Susan Whitall assigned him that article. The next time Mellencamp was on the cover was November 1982 -- he appeared, at then-publisher Connie Kramer's insistence, dressed in a "WHY DO YOU THINK THEY CALL IT DOPE, ANYWAY?" CREEM T-shirt (the irony of that has never been lost on anyone employed by CREEM at the time). But the editor in charge at the time was still Ms. Whitall. Not only that, but Mellencamp then appeared as the guest of honor at a CREEM party at Birmingham's now-defunct Midtown Café to celebrate that particular issue of the mag. Hell, there's a photo in the book of Mellencamp being hugged by Connie Kramer at that very party! So, how in the hell can these same folks now argue the sentiment, in retrospect, that Mellencamp was "so unCREEM"?
Mellencamp appeared on the cover three more times after that -- all three stories written by yours truly (the reason for this being that Mellencamp was such a big star by this time, he'd only agree to talk to a select group of journalists and I happened to be the one from CREEM). In fact, the last time he was on the cover (in conjunction with his The Lonesome Jubilee album), Kordosh and I had just done an incredible interview with George Harrison. We lobbied hard for the former Beatle to be on the cover... but publisher Levitt vetoed our votes, passing down the edict that Mellencamp would indeed be the cover subject. That point is just to illustrate that, in the '80s, the CREEM editors didn't always have final say as to who went on the cover. (In fact, Rick Johnson's legendary "Duets from Hell" article told a comical but quite realistic version of how those decisions were essentially made by Connie -- referred to as "Fearless Leader" in that Johnson piece.) Hell, I remember Dave DiMartino, Rick Johnson, and myself practically begging Connie to let us put R.E.M. on the cover
and her making us put Robert Plant on that cover instead (although, to be fair, we did get to put R.E.M. on as a smaller cover inset).
Ironically, we often had better luck with Levitt. He didn't fight (well, at least not that much) when we put Robyn Hitchcock on the cover or did that special story on the history of the Velvet Underground.
Now, I can't make any of the same claims for Duran Duran. I hated them then; I hate them now. I will point out, however, that their first appearance on the cover of CREEM – in a piece by Toby Goldstein – was July 1983. That would've been only the second issue after Sue's departure to the News, and while I can't say this for certain, it seems to me that – given our lead time -- Sue would have had to have been involved in the planning of that story as well. (Toby, after all, was one of her star writers.) Beyond that, I also recall that when Connie placed J.J.'s nanny (yes, that's right – J.J.'s former nanny, who still continues to occasionally haunt me via e-mail to this day) in our editorial department after Sue's departure, what that gal seemed to be most interested in, music-wise, was Duran Duran (well, maybe the Police as well). And she definitely had Connie's ear at the time. 'Nuff said.
So, the point of this screed (since maybe two or three readers will find this of any real interest) is simply to point out that while everyone is entitled to their own opinion, no one is entitled to rewrite history -- and that includes Robert Matheu, the Bush Administration or the former CREEMsters who are accusing Matheu of doing the same.


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Puppies born 10.07.2019, 4 boys and 4 girls!
Both parents are great personalities with lovely character.
Sire: Fabulous Teddy's Raise The Bar, just turned 1 year old. CAC-winner, NCL, PRA3, RCD4 clear by parents, PLL- carrier. Eyes clear. Knees 1/1, HD C/B, Elbows 0/0, heart murmur tests OK.
Dam: SeJW-18, SeW-18 Fabulous Teddy's Passionate Love, CAC-winner from Finland, Sweden and Norway. CACIB winner. Still too young to be champion. NCL, PRA3, RCD4, PLL clear by parents. Eyes ok, knees 0/0. HD, Elbows, heart murmur tests coming up later this year.


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Mint Muddle Southside Cocktail
Muddling herbs is truly the secret to adding freshness to your cooking or cocktails. A muddler is a tool you use in bartending to smush herbs and other ingredients together. I've found it perfect for releasing scent and taste in all cooking. I have several muddlers, but if you do not have a muddler, just use the flat of a spoon to do your smashing.
How to Muddle Herbs
- It's easy – throw some herbs in a container
- Push down on the herbs with a muddler or back of a spoon, while simultaneously twisting
- Use the herbs immediately while freshly muddled in order to capture the most flavor
Check out the video above on a watchable version of muddling and mixing – or click this LINK if you are receiving this blog post via email. (Photo credit of Charles and Crafthouse bottle by Crafthouse® Cocktails.)
Want a quick, easy solution for some yummy holiday season cocktails? Try the Crafthouse® Cocktails Southside mix created by Charles Joly as seen in the video (and right) – it's delicious with a mint muddle and tastes like you worked a whole lot more than you did to entertain your friends with some fancy-pants cocktails. Charles is a professional bartender and champion mixologist with a closet full of awards and a brilliant mind for putting together fresh ingredients.
His combination of citrus, gin, and mint is perfect for the Southside cocktail, which is rumored to have originated on the South Side of Chicago. According to legend, Al Capone ran a gin that was not as smooth as others and needed to be sweetened in order to taste better and the Southside was born. Add even more of the fresh herb for a fantastically minty mint muddle.


text: cannabisnews.com: Activists Pushing To Relax Marijuana Enforcement Activists Pushing To Relax Marijuana Enforcement Posted by CN Staff on May 18, 2006 at 11:58:54 PT By Chris Dart, Contributing Writer Source: Northwest Meridian Oregon -- A marijuana advocacy group wants Portland police to get their priorities straight. Introduced by the Citizens for a Safer Portland in early February, a new citywide initiative is aimed at reducing adult marijuana-related offenses to be the "lowest law-enforcement priority." Chris Iverson, chief petitioner of the initiative and campaign manager for CSP, is confident Portland voters will approve the measure if it gets on the ballot. About 56 percent of city voters endorsed the failed statewide medical marijuana expansion initiative two years ago, which he said was "under-funded and not well-organized.""Because of the high yes vote in Portland with Measure 33 in 2004, we feel that we have a good chance to win," said Iverson. Past low-priority proposals like Seattle's Initiative 75, passed in 2003, and Oakland, Calif.'s Proposition Z, passed in 2004, seem to have spawned greater support for drug law reform. Other similar measures may be headed to the November ballot in several California cities as well as Missoula, Mont. The Portland initiative defines marijuana-related offenses as any "in which possession, delivery or manufacture of marijuana is an element." It declares that "law enforcement activities related to all offenses other than marijuana-related offenses shall be a higher priority than all law enforcement activities related to marijuana-related offenses." Sales, cultivation, distribution, and possession of pot by minors or adults on public property and use in connection with the operation of a vehicle aren't covered by the initiative directive. Supporters say the initiative is a good first step toward focusing law enforcement more on real threats to the community, like crimes against people and property. Portland police officials reported 799 adult arrests last year for marijuana-related offenses. According to one study, the average cost of sending an offender through Multnomah County Drug Court is about $6,000, meaning that taxpayers spent about $4.8 million to prosecute adult pot possession offenses in 2005. The initiative also contains restrictions on the Portland police department's relationship with federal and state authorities as well, stating that local officials "shall not accept formal deputization or commissioning by a federal law enforcement agency to the extent that such deputization or commissioning will include investigating, citing, arresting, or seizing property from adults for marijuana- related offenses." Some supporters of the measure say this part of the initiative is important to keep local officials from joining with federal agents to bust medical marijuana collectives. "This really strikes at the heart of the issue with regard to local law enforcement cooperating with the Drug Enforcement Administration against medical cannabis dispensaries," said Nikos Leverenz, acting director of the California office of the Drug Policy Alliance. Cutting off funds that contribute to law enforcement activities for marijuana-related offenses is a unique part of the Portland initiative; of the six proposals introduced this year and the two past successful ones, only the Portland and Missoula initiatives specify that city officials cannot "accept any funds from any source, organization or individual, including federal funds or state funds." The present California initiatives only prohibit federal funds. Of course, marijuana possession of any amount and for any purpose remains a federal crime. And advocates for the measures don't expect the DEA to be particularly mellow about any effort seen as undermining the drug war. They anticipate a federally-backed "smear campaign" against the Portland initiative if it makes it to the ballot. On May 6 CSP representatives attended the Million Marijuana March, hosted by Oregon NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), to gather signatures and raise support for the initiative with the 300 or so marchers in attendance. However, signature-gathering for the measure has been a little lethargic thus far. With the signatures due on July 7, the CSP is only about half-way to the 26,691 they need to make the Nov. 7 ballot, according to the CSP website - http://www.makeportlandsafer.orgThe group also claims it is short on campaign funds. Even after a grant from the Marijuana Policy Project for $120,000, local organizers say they need an additional $20,000 for advertising and campaigning. Despite these hurdles, Iverson is optimistic that with more people out gathering signatures and more public events planned they will raise the support needed to move the initiative forward. Note: Portland initiative would direct cops to stop wasting resources arresting people for pot possession.Source: Northwest Meridian (OR) Author: Chris Dart, Contributing WriterPublished: May 18, 2006Copyright: 2006 NW Meridian, Inc. Contact: questions nwmeridian.comWebsite: http://www.nwmeridian.com/Related Article & Web Sites:Drug Policy Alliancehttp://www.drugpolicy.org/Oregon NORMLhttp://www.ornorml.org/ Puff, Puff, Pass The Petitionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21839.shtmlCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #12 posted by FoM on May 20, 2006 at 07:37:39 PT Hoffa Hoffa Hoffa Whig this is my new gripe! I know all about Jimmy Hoffa. HE's DEAD and is Dust in the Wind! There coming to take me away ha ha ho ho to the funny farm! LOL! [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by CorvallisEric on May 20, 2006 at 06:56:32 PT The Portland proposal - untangling the exclusions From the article:Sales, cultivation, distribution, and possession of pot by minors or adults on public property and use in connection with the operation of a vehicle aren't covered by the initiative directive.Due to a couple of missing commas, I was very confused until I read the actual text of the proposal:(2) This lowest law enforcement priority policy shall not apply to the following:(a) distribution or sale of marijuana to minors; possession, use, distribution, sale, or cultivation of marijuana by minors; distribution, sale, cultivation, or use of marijuana on public property; or driving under the influence of marijuana;(b) marijuana-related offenses on private property, if a person in lawful possession of the private property requests police intervention;(c) marijuana-related offenses within 100 feet of any lawfully licensed business, if the licensee, licensee's agent, employee, or contractor, with the authority to do so, requests police intervention; and(d) marijuana-related offenses within 1,000 feet of any school ordinarily attended by children under 18 years of age.http://www.makeportlandsafer.org/06init.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by jose melendez on May 20, 2006 at 03:57:54 PT traced Drug war is crime. We have proof:http://www.drugwar.com/pDyncorpMotionToDismiss.shtmhttp://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/firststone/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/story/0,1361,583254,00.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by whig on May 19, 2006 at 21:51:54 PT FoM What I'd like to know is whatever happened to the Anthrax killer? Funny how the trail went cold when they seemed to have traced the spores to the USAMRIID. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on May 19, 2006 at 17:13:28 PT Max Flowers Oh no you aren't alone. Remember Chandra Levy? Never did charge the killer either.I think it's a real waste of time following individual cases when we have the problems we have in the world. I feel bad for any child of any race that gets murdered but we have soldiers being killed in a war with no purpose or end in sight. What about them?Families - NYI see a light aheadThere's a chill wind blowin' in my headI wish that I was home insteadwith my familyhttp://www.human-highway.org/lyrics/lyrics-47.html#005 [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Max Flowers on May 19, 2006 at 16:59:49 PT that wiki I want to say that it's gratifying to me that other people recognize this phenomenon, especially to the point where it has a Wikipedia entry. I had thought I was the only one who noticed it happening. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Max Flowers on May 19, 2006 at 16:54:52 PT whig I appreciate that, but in fact, I'm entitled to it. You see, though not a girl, I am blond-haired, so I know that if I ever go missing or something, the whole word will drop everything it's doing and focus on the fact that I may or may not have been killed. Because I'm blond, I deserve the world's rapt attention.Actually, probably not, since I'm not a pretty girl.Seriously though, I do feel for the families of missing kids, but there is something very wrong when their cases, without any serious new developments to report, trump real national news that affects us all (like the hijacking of the Bill Of Rights, for one example). [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by whig on May 19, 2006 at 15:04:33 PT Heh http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_white_woman_syndrome [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by whig on May 19, 2006 at 14:53:09 PT Max I think we should stop talking about Cannabis here and focus on what's really important. Natalie Holloway. We really need to get to the bottom of that. For the next hour, we'll have Beth Twittie and some other people here to talk about this. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Max Flowers on May 19, 2006 at 14:38:23 PT Brilliant snippet from a dailykos.com post Could you please just stick to dead blond girls, because that would give us all something to really sink our teeth into while the Constitution goes up in smoke. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by global_warming on May 18, 2006 at 15:46:37 PT May The Light of God "Of course, marijuana possession of any amount and for any purpose remains a federal crime. And advocates for the measures don't expect the DEA to be particularly mellow about any effort seen as undermining the drug war. They anticipate a federally-backed "smear campaign" against the Portland initiative if it makes it to the ballot."Fill the minds and hearts of the voters this November, from another article, "What is it about marijuana that drives our politicians insane?"I reckon that small minds need very little conditioning, they are so easily brainwashed, even some noisy commercial selling some garbage car may seem a good buy, if some paid whore model is breathing in your ear.This also applys to those confounded drug commercials, whether it is the giant pharmaceutical corporations, pushing their "drugs", or the ondcpee pushing their better choices of drugs, if you want to stay legal', in the meantime, the law is the law, and power is power, and truth and justice, can wait, while politics spits it economic spit balls, in the face of the people. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by global_warming on May 18, 2006 at 15:28:54 PT Seems Like Masons Fire Has spread from Colorado, [ Post Comment ] Post Comment


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The author, Lisa Belkin, showcases a series of husbands and wives with children who are going against the grain, and attempting to create:
…"equally shared parenting," a term the Vachons have embraced."
There are reasonable arguments here, and issues here that affect all of us: work/life balance, family, raising children, tradition:
"The point…is not to spit at tradition for the heck of it but rather to think things through instead of defaulting to gender."
I could be convinced. Yet, is the equality stick the best tool by which families should measure themselves and challenge these norms? Isn't this inviting all kinds of other problems?
"Social scientists know in remarkable detail what goes on in the average American home…Any way you measure it, they say, women do about twice as much around the house as men."
Most men already have incentive to do some of the housework if they love their wives, and wish to continue to have love, companionship, and kids (in part, a way to pass on their genes). Also, of course, social science has its limits as most good social scientists would point out.
What about biology?
"Women, she says, know that the world is watching and judging. If the toddler's clothes don't match, if the thank-you notes don't get written, if the house is a shambles, it is seen as her fault, making her overly invested in the outcome."
How many guys do you know who worry about writing thank-you notes? As the article mentions, this isn't an option for everyone.
Later on, it pretty much becomes a parody of other hot-button liberal issues:
"Jo would not disagree with Deutch's point that she had a role in creating that inequity — choosing to major in international rural development…"
Poor Jo…will she never win? There's this from a lesbian couple:
"We developed a wonky theory," Dorea says of all that talking [sic]. "You need a rabid N.G.P. — nongestational parent. The N.G.P. has to push if you are going to get an equal relationship"
Dads-to-be take note!
Addition: From bloggingheads: The purpose of women is to bear children?
Another Addition: If you're like me, you're exasperated with this line of thought. Even if liberalism is more grounded and deep than this, it still promotes an idealism that can be dangerous to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for the rest of us. When will they bottom out? Do they need to bottom out? How will the right respond? What effect does this have on our institutions and our freedoms?
by wallyg


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GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala will restrict entry to visitors who have recently been to Brazil, the United Kingdom and South Africa in an effort to control a jump in coronavirus cases, President Alejandro Giammattei said on Friday.
The measure will go into effect on Saturday and last through April 30, applying to tourists who have been to those countries within the prior two weeks, Giammattei said in a public address.
He noted that Guatemala had registered 5,813 new COVID-19 infections in the last five days, bringing the total in the Central American country to 210,667 confirmed cases.
"That has triggered our alerts and forces us to have to decree a state of prevention immediately," Giammattei said.
Guatemala had previously enacted strict lockdowns and travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus, which has caused 7,160 deaths in the country of 16 million people.
(Reporting by Sofia Menchu, Writing by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Kim Coghill)


text: The second wave of snow and cold in a weeks time, spring in Bulgaria. Day 20 or so of the state of emergency, and sitting at home, due to the corona virus. No outlooks that this is going to end soon. The proposal is out to extend the state of emergency at least until May 13.


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One of the most important, and often understated, roles within the NHS – is that of receptionists. Receptionists play a key role in NHS customer care protocols, and in delivering a fast, efficient medical service, that is second to none.
In order to work as an NHS receptionist, you'll need a very particular set of skills. In this blog, we'll run you through the day to day role of an NHS receptionist, and give you some great tips on how to pass the NHS receptionist interview.
Get the very best answers and advice today. Download now for just £9.99!DOWNLOAD NOW »
The Role of an NHS Receptionist
In very simple terms, the job of an NHS Receptionist is to manage the greeting and scheduling of visitors to the hospital, answer and deal with phone calls/appointments, maintain a clear line of communication with doctors and other staff at the hospital, and ensure that the ward or hospital they are working in runs smoothly. While this is a very simple description, it goes without saying that all of the aforementioned take tremendous amounts of organisation and skill. Let's look at these in more detail.
Manage the greeting and scheduling of visitors to the hospital
As a receptionist, you are the first person that a patient meets/sees when they arrive. This means that, very often, you will be dealing with distressed or upset people, who are in pain or scared. Put yourself in the position of a patient. How would you want to be treated in this situation? You would want someone with a calming, reassuring presence, who treats you with respect and dignity. It's imperative that NHS receptionists can remain calm under pressure, and display impeccable customer service skills. The latter will be a key phrase during the NHS Receptionist interview, so take note of this.
Answering and dealing with phone calls/appointments
As an NHS receptionist, your organisation skills will be paramount to the role. It's extremely important that you have things in order, and therefore any experience of scheduling and managing appointments will be very useful in this respect. Obviously, you'll be working with other receptionists, so you won't have to do everything on your own, but you can probably imagine that things get very complicated when it comes to a service such as the NHS. This is also why you need to be good at the next area…
Maintaining a clear line of communication with doctors
As a receptionist, your ability to communicate and maintain a good relationship with medical staff is imperative. The NHS is a team effort, and everyone on the medical team (doctors, nurses, receptionists) need to operate from the same page and work as a unit. During your interview, you can expect to be quizzed on your ability to cooperate with others and work as part of a team.
What qualities do you have that would make you a good NHS receptionist?
This is a very common opening question, and is a fantastic opportunity for you to sell yourself to the interview. So, do it! Tell the interviewer all about your skills and how they link up with the particular requirements for this role.
Think about what makes a good NHS receptionist: teamwork, customer service, organisation, a genuine care for patients, and then show the interviewer that you have all of these skills. When formulating your response to this question, try not to just list the qualities, as this will make your answer seem false. Instead, take the time to expand on each individual point.
For example: 'One reason I think I'd be a good NHS receptionist, is that I'm a really organised person. I understand that this is important in a service such as the NHS, which requires staff to maintain a tight schedule, and adhere to appointment accuracy.'
Top Tips For Answering This Question
- Study the job description before you attend the interview. Learn the key skills and qualities that the interview is looking for, and think about how they relate to you personally.
- Don't just list the qualities – make sure you expand on them!
- Think about what makes a really good NHS receptionist, and then use this during your interview!
How do you think you would cope when working under pressure?
This is a very apt and important question. Working as an NHS receptionist is not like other receptionist roles. You will be under severe pressure at many points – and you must be able to handle this and organise yourself in the right way. Hospitals sink or swim based on their staff's ability to manage themselves in times of crisis, and for this reason it's important to the interviewers to hire somebody who can handle tough days.
When answering this question, try to give a personal or professional example of when you've been under severe stress, but still managed to stay calm and professional, achieving a great result despite adversity.
Top Tips For Answering This Question
- The interviewers will want to see that you have the mindset and confidence to deal with stressful situations – so make sure you show them this.
- Pre-prepare for the interview, by thinking about situations where you've coped with adversity, to achieve a good resolution.
How would you handle an angry patient?
Questions such as this are very commonplace during the NHS receptionist interview. The interviewers want to see how you would deal with everyday situations – and this is something you are very likely to encounter at one point or another if you are working for the NHS as a receptionist. The key to answering this is to demonstrate your impeccable customer service skills, and your empathy for others. For example:
'If an angry patient came to the desk, then the first thing I would do would be to try to calm them down so they could explain the issue clearly, and so that we could resolve the situation. I understand that often, patients are frightened or scared. Hospitals are intimidating places, and it would be my role as a receptionist to lessen this fear and make things comfortable for everyone.'
Essentially, you need to show an awareness of people's emotions, and how they might be feeling in a stressful scenario, rather than making the situation worse. The NHS wants receptionists who show impeccable customer service skills.
Top Tips For Answering This Question
- Show your empathy and understanding for others. It's better to try and understand why someone is angry, than getting angry yourself.
- This is a customer service-related question! So, demonstrate your customer service skills!
- Remember that the interviewers are looking for a calming, reassuring person, not someone who responds angrily to customer complaints.
If you want to further increase your chances of securing an NHS career, then we've got the perfect resource for you! Our NHS interview hub is jam-packed with tips and tricks on how answer just about any medical interview question that you can think of. So, don't hang around. Sign up below, and get notified on how YOU can join the NHS!


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Primary School
Delight in Effort, Acceptance and Achievement
Our Summer Concert was a great success! It was an amazing opportunity to showcase all of the musical talent we have in Botanic P.S.
We have been working with Jonathan from the Ulster Orchestra to prepare some pieces for the concert and he brought along some other musicians to accompany us. They even played a song for us, 'You've got a friend in me'.
The concert was also part of our celebrations for Botanic Primary School's 80th Anniversary!
Another fantastic morning with Jonathan Simmance from the Ulster Orchestra practising for our summer concert!
He brought Greg the bassoon player with him and we got to hear him play. Look how tall the bassoon is compared to Katie in P6!


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