The Synthesis of Poly(ethylene oxide)-Block-Polybutylacrylate

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Preparation of degradable polypropylene by an addition of poly(ethylene oxide) microcapsule containing TiO2

In order to prepare a novel photo-degradable polypropylene (PP), an addition of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) microcapsule containing TiO₂ to PP was performed. Adsorbed H₂O in the PEO phase and the TiO₂ photocatalytically reacted, and a hydroxyl radical (OH), which initiated the PEO degradation, was produced. The degraded PEO produced an acid and an aldehyde, which were able to facilitate PP degradation. The addition of the PEO/TiO₂ microcapsule brought about the facilitative effect of the PP degradation. In addition, an addition of a hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS) had a potential to suppress the PP degradation initiated by the microcapsule. The suppression effect was rising by the simultaneous addition of a phenolic antioxidant in the early phase of the PP degradation. However, the simultaneous addition showed an antagonism after 4 h degradation. This behavior suggested that the HALS also worked as a neutralizer of the produced acid.     

Photodegradation of polyglycidol in aqueous solutions exposed to UV irradiation

The photodegradation of polyglycidol in aqueous solution with UV wavelength of 254 nm was investigated. The experiments were carried out in air at a constant temperature and the photodegradation of polyglycidol (PGl) was compared to that of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), the most widely studied polyether. Size exclusion chromatography with multiangle light scattering detection (SEC-MALLS) was used to measure the changes in the molar masses and molar mass dispersities of polymers during degradation. The molar mass of PGl decreased dramatically during the first period of UV irradiation and then gradually approached a limiting value of 17,000 g/mol, regardless of the initial polymer concentration. PEO was less sensitive to UV irradiation than polyglycidol however, both polymers degrade mainly via chain scission. The degradation of PGl and PEO leads to acidification of their water solution. The photooxidation products were analyzed by FTIR and NMR spectroscopy and the spectrophotometric results revealed that the irradiation of the polymers led to the formation of carbonyl groups in the macromolecular chains. A mechanism accounting for the main routes of PGl photooxidation is proposed.     

Preparation of degradable polypropylene by an addition of poly(ethylene oxide) microcapsule containing TiO2 part II. Modification of calcium phosphate on the TiO2 surface and its effect

To prepare a novel photo-degradable polypropylene (PP) with a higher degradation rate, a PP composite containing a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/modified TiO₂ microcapsule was prepared. The modification of the TiO₂ was performed by the synthesis of octacalcium phosphate intercalated with succinic acid ion (OCPC) under various Ca/P molar ratio conditions. It was found that the synthesis conditions of the Ca/P = 3.5 and 3.6 M ratios were suitable to prepare the OCPC. However, the microscopic composition on the TiO₂ surface was different between these Ca/P conditions and affected the PP photo-degradation rate in the PP/PEO/modified TiO₂ composite. It was found from the Fourier Transform Infrared (IR) and the tensile testing measurements that the existence of the OCPC covering material on the TiO₂ surface brought about the higher PP photo-degradation rate. The facilitation behavior of the degradation was due to the release of the acid species (succinic acid ion) from the OCPC in the degradation process. In addition, the higher coverage of the OCPC on the TiO₂ surface brought about an induction period for the degradation.     

Thermal degradation during melt processing of poly(ethylene oxide), poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) and their blends in the presence of additives, for conducting applications

In this paper, the thermal degradation during compounding of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) and their immiscible blends was investigated. Infrared spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, dynamic rheology, thermogravimetric analysis, and coupled gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy were used. Most of the identified degradation products or substances are glycols, formates, lactones, ethers or even acids for long processing times. The mechanisms for the production of these chemical compounds were already reported in previous publications. Additionally, the influence of carbon black and LiV₃O₈ additives, currently used for enhancing the conductive properties, was studied. Addition of carbon black causes an increase in the PEO stability, whereas addition of LiV₃O₈ has an opposite and dramatic effect. PVDF-HFP is found to be less susceptible to degradation because of the inherent stability of fluorine-containing polymers. However, melt processing provides additional contributions to degradation because of the high viscosities.     

Ionic transport studies on (PEO)6:NaPO3 polymer electrolyte plasticized with PEG400

Conduction characteristics of the poly(ethylene oxide) based new polymer electrolyte (PEO)₆:NaPO₃, plasticized with poly(ethylene glycol) are investigated. Free standing flexible electrolyte films of composition (PEO)₆:NaPO₃ + x wt.% PEG₄₀₀ (30 ? x ? 70) are prepared by solution casting method. A combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies have indicated enhancement in the amorphous phase of polymer due to the addition of plasticizer. Further, a reduction in the glass transition temperature observed from the DSC result has inferred increase in the flexibility of the polymer chains. The cationic transport number (t_Na⁺) of 0.42 determined through combined ac-dc technique has confirmed ionic nature of conducting species. Ionic conductivity studies are carried out as a function of composition and temperature using complex impedance spectroscopy. The electrolyte with maximum PEG₄₀₀ content has exhibited an enhancement in the conductivity of about two orders of magnitude compared to the host polymer electrolyte. The complex impedance data is analyzed in conductivity, permittivity and electric modulus formalism in order to throw light on transport mechanism. A solid state electrochemical cell based on the above polymer electrolyte with a configuration Na|SPE|(I₂ + acetylene black + PEO) has exhibited an open circuit voltage of 2.94 V. The discharge characteristics are found to be satisfactory as a laboratory cell.     

Thermal degradation chemistry of poly(ethylene naphthalate) – A study by thermal volatilisation analysis

Although the fundamental degradation chemistry of poly(ethylene naphthalate), PEN, is thought to be similar to that of poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, there is very little evidence in the literature to support this. This paper presents data on the thermal degradation of PEN, in comparison to PET, with particular reference to evolved gas analysis undertaken by thermal volatilisation analysis (TVA). Our thermal degradation studies highlight strong similarities in the degradation behaviour of PET and PEN, despite some evidence of increased thermal stability of PEN in comparison to PET. Identical primary and secondary thermal degradation mechanisms are proposed for PET and PEN, with radical degradation processes thought to dominate at high temperature.     

17R4/F127混合水溶液的凝胶结构

结合流变学频率扫描和同步辐射小角X射线散射(SAXS), 研究了17R4(PO₁₄-EO₂₄-PO₁₄)含量和温度对17R4/F127(EO₉₉-PO₆₅-EO₉₉)混合水溶液凝胶结构的影响. 结果表明, 溶胶、 软凝胶和硬凝胶分别对应无序结构、 无序与立方相共存结构以及立方相结构. 对于F127水溶液体系, 可以将F127形成的胶束看作硬球, 随着温度的升高, 胶束的硬球半径和胶束中F127链的聚集数随之减小, 这是因为17R4在较低温度下很难形成胶束, 当温度升高时, 17R4链参与胶束的形成, 从而使胶束数目增加, 因此每个胶束中的F127链数也随之减小. 当17R4含量较高时, 胶束外壳中F127部分的PEO链段数随着温度升高而减小, 胶束外壳变得更软, 因此, 当17R4/F127摩尔比为2: 1时, 混合溶液在高温下呈现面心立方(fcc)到体心立方(bcc)的结构转变.     

Characterization of polyesters: Thermo-oxidative degradation

The thermo-oxidative degradation ofPET was investigated. Using turbidimetric titration the distribution of molecular mass at different degradation steps was determined. Chemical and molecular transformations of the polymers during degradation were also analyzed. It is shown that vinylic end groups are involved in radical reactions and determine the increase of the molecular mass.

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Characterisierung von Polyestern: Thermo-oxidativer Abbau

Zusammenfassung Es wird der thermo-oxidative Abbau vonPET untersucht. Mit Hilfe der turbidimetrischen Titration wurde die Molekulargewichtsverteilung in unterschiedlichen Stufen des Abbaus bestimmt. Die chemischen und molekularen Umwandlungen des Polymers während der Abbauzeit wurden ebenfalls untersucht. Es wurde festgestellt, daß Vinylester-Endgruppen an Radikal-Reaktionen beteiligt sind und eine Molekulargewichtserhöhung verursachen.

     

Synthesis and properties of segmented block copolymers based on mixtures of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(tetramethylene oxide) segments

The synthesis and characterisation of segmented block copolymers based on mixtures of hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) and hydrophobic poly(tetramethylene oxide) polyether segments and monodisperse crystallisable bisester tetra-amide segments are reported. The PEO length was varied from 600 to 8000 g/mol and the PTMO length was varied from 650 to 2900 g/mol. The influence of the polyether phase composition on the thermal mechanical and the elastic properties of the resulting copolymers was studied.The use of high melting monodisperse tetra-amide segments resulted in a fast and almost complete crystallisation of the rigid segment. The copolymers had only one polyether glass transition temperature, which suggests that the amorphous polyether segments were homogenously mixed. Thermal analysis of the copolymers showed one polyether melting temperature that was lower than in the case of ideal co-crystallisation between the two polyether segments. However, at PEO or PTMO lengths larger than 2000 g/mol two polyether melting temperatures were observed. The copolymer with the best low temperature properties was based on a mixture of PEO and PTMO segments, both having a molecular weight of 1000 g/mol, at a weight ratio of 30/70.     

Synthesis and degradation of intelligent hydrogels containing polyacetal segments

Intelligent hydrogels were first obtained by copolymerization of telechelic poly(1,3-dioxolane) (pDXL) with acrylic acid, acrylamide, N-isopropylacrylamide respectively. The synthesis and characterization of the networks were discussed. The swelling behavior of the hydrogel was dependent on the solubility parameter of the solvents and hydrogels. The networks containing polyacetal segments (pDXL) can degrade by acid in different solvents. DXL and few other cycle molecules measured by GC-MS analysis were formed after degradation. According to the degradation products, the polymerization mechanism can be testified.     

Thermal degradation of poly(vinyl chloride)/poly(ethylene oxide) blends: Thermogravimetric analysis

Thermal stability of poly(vinyl chloride)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PVC/PEO) blends has been investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in dynamic and isothermal heating regime. PVC/PEO blends were prepared by hot-melt extrusion (HME). According to TG analysis, PEO decomposes in one stage, while PVC and PVC/PEO blends in two degradation stages. In order to evaluate the effect of PEO content on the thermal stability of PVC/PEO blends, different criteria were used. It was found that thermal stability of PVC/PEO blends depends on the blend composition. The interactions of blends components with their degradation products were confirmed. By using multiple heating rate kinetics the activation energies of the PVC/PEO blends thermal degradation were calculated by isoconversional integral Flynn–Wall–Ozawa and differential Friedman method. According to dependence of activation energy on degree of conversion the complexity of degradation processes was determined.     

PEO-PS共聚微粒在MgSO4溶液中聚集的分形

可溶性高聚物的聚集动力学研究在物理、化学、生物和医学工程等诸多领域都极有理论和实际应用价值，这方面的工作国外多有报导［‘，’，“］．最近Napper与他的合作者Zhu又报导用聚地异丙基丙烯酸胺（PNIPAM）空间稳定的聚苯乙烯（PS）微乳粒子在NaNO。中的聚集动力学研究［‘’］．指出该粒子的聚集生长遵循指数规律，聚集速率和描述生长过程的分形值（fractal山mension）随着NaNO。的浓度和温度增加·在所研究的条件范围内粒子的聚集过程属扩散限制型簇聚集（dffesion－h。tedclusteraggregation，DLCA．本文将报导用不同摩to＄…     

In vitro ageing and degradation of PEG-PLA diblock copolymer-based nanoparticles

Diblock copolymers composed of poly(oxy-ethylene) (POE) and poly(dl-lactic acid) segments were synthesized by anionic polymerization of d,l-lactide using the oxyanion formed by reaction of the monohydroxyl monomethoxy-poly(ethylene glycol) on sodium hydride. For comparison, a similar copolymer was prepared by using tin octoate to catalyze the lactide polymerization. The copolymers were used to make nanoparticles, which were stored at 4 °C. After a few months under these storage conditions, a dramatic decrease of the poly(ethylene glycol) content was observed, however, the mean diameter of the nanoparticles was not affected. The degradation of the nanoparticles was investigated in vitro under conditions selected to mimic physiological conditions. Changes of characteristics were monitored by ¹H NMR, SEC, DLLS and CZE on nanoparticles and/or on the degradation by-products dissolved in the ageing medium. According to their nanometric dimensions, the microparticles degraded very slowly and there was no difference in behaviour between the sodium hydride and the stannous octoate-derived copolymers.     

Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable aliphatic copolyesters with poly(ethylene oxide) soft segments

A series of multiblock poly(ether-ester)s based on poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) as the hard segments and hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as the soft segments was synthesized with the aim of developing degradable polymers which could combine the mechanical properties of high performance elastomers with those of flexible plastics. The aliphatic poly(ether-ester)s were synthesized by the catalyzed two-step transesterification reaction of dimethyl succinate, 1,4-butanediol and α,ω-hydroxyl terminated poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO, = 1000 g/mol) in bulk. The content of soft PEO segments in the polymer chains was varied from about 10 to 50 mass%. The effect of the introduction of the soft PEO segments on the structure, thermal and physical properties, as well as on the biodegradation properties was investigated. The composition and structure of these aliphatic segmented copolyesters were determined by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The molecular weights of the polyesters were verified by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), as well as by viscometry of dilute solutions and polymer melts. The thermal properties were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The degree of crystallinity was determined by means of DSC and wide-angle X-ray scattering. A depression of melting temperature and a reduction of crystallinity of the hard segments with increasing content of PEO segments were observed. Biodegradation of the synthesized copolyesters, estimated in enzymatic degradation tests in phosphate buffer solution with Candida rugosa lipase at 37 °C was compared with hydrolytic degradation in the buffer solution. The weight losses of the samples were in the range from 2 to 10 mass%. GPC analysis confirmed that there were significant changes in molecular weight of copolyesters with higher content of PEO segments, up to 40% of initial values. This leads to conclusion that degradation mechanism of the poly(ether-ester)s based on PEO segments occurs through bulk degradation in addition to surface erosion.     

PEO-PPO-PEO水溶液体系胶束化及凝胶化行为的耗散粒子动力学模拟

采用耗散粒子动力学(Dissipative particle dynamics, DPD)模拟方法研究了三嵌段共聚物聚氧乙烯-聚氧丙烯-聚氧乙烯(PEO-PPO-PEO)的胶束化和凝胶化行为. 通过模拟得到了F127(EO₉₉PO₆₅EO₉₉)水溶液的临界胶束浓度和临界凝胶浓度. 结果发现, 在298 K、 质量分数低于40%时, F127水溶液中形成的胶束形状均为球形. 此外,进一步研究了亲水嵌段长度对胶束结构及凝胶形成浓度的影响, 结果发现, 亲水嵌段越短, 越有利于长椭球状胶束的形成, 而临界凝胶浓度随着亲水嵌段PEO长度的增加而降低.     

Novel degradable copolyesters containing poly(ethylene oxalate) units derived from diethylene oxalate

Two series of poly(ethylene terephthalate-co-oxalate-co-sebacate) (PETOXS) have been synthesized by melt polycondensation using diethylene oxalate (DEOX) as a starting material. NMR quantified the composition, structure, and average sequence length of the copolyesters. Melting and crystallization properties differ from each other on the basis of PETOXS feature. Analysis of TG traces determined that initial degradation temperatures were affected by the content of PET. It was observed that the Young's modulus and the maximum tensile stress increased with increasing content of poly(ethylene oxalate) (PEOX) in aliphatic units, whereas the elongation at break considerably decreased. Obvious weight loss was observed in alkali hydrolysis experiments, and the degradation rates are subject to distinct factors when the ratio of two aliphatic polyester units is varied. DSC was performed to degraded copolyester samples, and the variation of melting temperature and crystallinity were investigated.     

Hydrolytic degradation of carbohydrate-based aromatic homo- and co-polyesters analogous to PET and PEI

The hydrolytic degradation of a series of homo- and co-polyesters analogous to poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(ethylene isophthalate) (PEI), prepared from carbohydrate-based monomers, was studied. The degradation process was carried out at temperatures of approximately 10 °C above the T_g of the polymers. All the studied polyesters were found to degrade at significant rates, and degradability showed a clear dependence on the configuration of the sugar units present in the polymer chain. No weight loss was detected upon degradation, apparently due to the non-solubility of the degraded products in the aqueous incubation medium. Hydrolysis of co-polyesters took place preferentially by cleavage of the ester groups of the sugar units.     

从GPC和特性粘数计算高聚物各种平均相对分子质量的新方法

聚合物相对分子质量表征问题可以从ＧＰＣ数据和特性粘数较可靠地迅速解决，同时求出其烽均、粘均、重均，动力学平均相对分子质量及相对分子质量－特性粘数关联参数。为些须对以往方法作较大的改进，其关键是用迭代法进行特性粘数与相对分子质量的关联。方法经用聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯验证后用于聚碳酸亚乙酯（ＰＥＣ）和聚碳酸亚丙酯（ＰＰＣ）分别得到关系式。     

On-line preferential solvation studies of polymers by coupled chromatographic-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic flow-cell technique

Qualitative and quantitative comparison between liquid chromatography (LC) and LC coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (LC-FTIR) to evaluate preferential solvation phenomenon of polymers in a mixed solvent has been performed. These studies show that LC-FTIR technique leads to detailed structural information without the requirement for determination of additional parameters for quantitative analysis except calibration. Appropriate experimental conditions for preferential solvation study have been established by variation of polymer concentration, molar mass and eluent content.