Soluble aromatic polyamide bearing ether linkages: synthesis and characterization

Soluble aromatic polyamide chains were prepared by reacting 4–4′-oxydianiline with isophthaloyl chloride in dimethylacetamide. To quench the HCl produced during the polymerization reaction, a stoichiometric amount of triethylamine was added. The precipitates formed were separated leaving behind clear polyamide resin. Thin and transparent film was obtained by evaporating the solvent and was subjected for Fourier transform infrared (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gel permeation chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, water absorption, and mechanical analyses. The transparent film was found to be soluble in dimethylacetamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, and dimethylformamide. IR and NMR spectroscopic analyses confirmed the structure of the polyamide while the gel permeation chromatography revealed the formation of a high-molecular-weight polymer. Thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, water absorption, and mechanical testing were also performed to further verify its physical properties. A soluble aromatic polyamide was successfully synthesized by solution polymerization and characterized. The polyamide has film-forming property, and the film is transparent, mechanically strong, and thermally stable.     

高平均分子量聚丙烯腈的制备、性能和应用

介绍了高平均分子量聚丙烯腈的主要制备方法，如混合溶剂自由基聚合、水相悬浮聚合、反相浮液聚合、离子聚合、紫外光辐射聚合等。还根据高平均分子量聚丙烯腈的性能探讨了其在高性能碳纤维前驱体聚丙烯腈原丝和高强高模中空纤维过滤膜方面的应用。     

Solvent effect in the formation of polyconjugated system during pyrolysis of polyacrylonitrile

IR spectroscopy and quantum chemistry were used in the studies of structural transformations taking place in polyacrylonitrile films, formed from dimethylformamide and dimethyl sulfoxide upon their IR pyrolysis and convection annealing. Residual solvent was found to affect conditions of the formation of polyconjugated bonds in polyacrylonitrile films.     

Preparation of Polyacrylonitrile Microfibers Using Gelation and Phase Separation During the Solution Polymerization of Acrylonitrile

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) microfibrils were prepared directly via the solution polymerization of acrylonitrile at specified ratios of controlling solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to non‐solvent tert‐butyl alcohol. At first, gel formation occurred due to the interaction between DMSO and the cyano groups of PAN. The microfibrillar structure was then formed through the phase separation of PAN molecules from the gel. It is shown that very small variations in the solvent/non‐solvent ratio facilitate a major change in the gelation and phase separation processes.     

Viscometric measurement of the thermodynamics of PAN terpolymer/DMSO/water system and effect of fiber‐forming conditions on the morphology of PAN precursor

The thermodynamics of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) terpolymer/dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO)/water system was investigated by viscometric method. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurement of the temperature dependence of polymer/solvent interaction was performed in the range of 25–80 °C, which was in good agreement with viscometric results. Meanwhile, the upper critical solution temperature (UCST) for PAN terpolymer/DMSO/water system, which is proved to be stable one, was determined from the temperature dependence of the expansion factor α_η 3 . The morphology of PAN precursor prepared by dry‐jet‐wet spinning with different fiber‐forming conditions was examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Judging from SEM photographs, not only the number and size of microvoids of PAN precursor gradually increase, with increasing the temperature of coagulation bath, but also the cross‐section shape of PAN precursor changes from nephroid shape to elliptical shape or circular shape. Therefore, PAN precursor with different microstructures can be fabricated at different quenching‐depths, suggesting that the final microstructure of the PAN precursor greatly depends on the phase separation in the fiber‐forming process. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 1997–2011, 2008     

Studies of reactions with polymers. V. The reaction mechanism and resultant structure of PVA with PAN in DMSO without any catalyst

The reaction of polyacrylonitrile with poly(vinyl alcohol) in dimethyl sulfoxide without any catalyst was studied, and it showed that the adjacent nitrile groups on polyacrylonitrile could be linked up to form conjugated carbon-nitrogen sequence by the presence of poly(vinyl alcohol). However, no such reaction occurred when poly(vinyl alcohol) was replaced by i-propanol or poly(vinyl alcohol) graft copolymers. The structure of the resulting polymers were proposed by means of IR, UV, ¹H, and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopies. On the basis of the results, the effect of polymer feed and polymerization condition on this reaction were discussed. The compositions were determined by elemental analysis. The viscosity and thermal analysis of the products were also determined. At feed weight ratios of poly(vinyl alcohol) to polyacrylonitrile above one-half, gels were obtained.     

Water-Soluble imide-amide copolymers. II. Preparation and characterization of poly (acrylamide-co-p-maleimidobenzoic acid)

The comonomer required, p-maleimidobenzoic acid (MBA) was first prepared in good yield by refinements of published methods. p-Carboxysuccinanilic acid (CSA), and p-succinimidobenzoic acid (SBA), were also prepared to provide models useful for IR and NMR for spectroscopic assignments of the new copolymers. Polymerization of MBA with acrylamide in glacial acetic acid at 60°C gave copolymers with estimated viscosity average molecular weights of 60,000 to 90,000. Yields and viscosity average molecular weights decreased as the MBA to acrylamide monomer feed ratio was increased. The rate of incorporation of MBA into the copolymer rose from 7 to 23% when the mole ratio in the feed was raised from 5 to 20%. Decreasing the initiator concentration increased molecular weights by less than predicted and reduced the yield of copolymer for any given feed ratio of MBA to acrylamide. In all cases about 30–40% of the MBA units in the purified copolymers were hydrolyzed. A change to dimethyl sulfoxide solvent gave good, and poor yields of copolymer at 5 and 10 mol % MBA, respectively, and no copolymer at 20 mol % MBA. Viscosity average molecular weights of the copolymer products prepared in DMSO were somewhat lower than obtained for the copolymers prepared in acetic acid. Polymerization in a DMSO-water mixture gave a negligible yield of polymeric product. Instead, only hydrolysates of MBA precipitated when the coloured polymerization solutions were added to methanol.     

FeCl3/Acetic Acid-mediated Reverse Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of Acrylonitrile

Reverse atom transfer radical polymerization (RATRP) has been successfully applied in the synthesis of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) with FeCl₃/acetic acid as catalyst in the presence of conventional initiator azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) at 65°C in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). A FeCl₃ to acetic acid ratio of 1:2 not only gave better control on polymer's molecular weight and its distribution, but also provided a rapid polymerization rate compared with any other molar ratio of FeCl₃ to acetic acid. The polymerization rate increased with increasing temperature and the apparent activation energy was calculated to be 80.6 kJ·mol^?1. In comparison with dimethyl sulfoxide, acetonitrile, cyclohexanone and ethyl acetate, DMF was considered to be the best solvent of the polymerization for its polarity. Analysis of ¹H-NMR further confirmed the living nature of the polymerization.     

Shear and extensional rheology of polyacrylonitrile solution: effect of ultrahigh molecular weight polyacrylonitrile

The effect of ultrahigh molecular weight polyacrylonitrile (UHMWPAN) on the shear and extensional rheological behavior of PAN solutions were studied. The PAN solutions were prepared by dissolving medium molecular weight polyacrylonitrile in dilute UHMWPAN/dimethyl sulfoxide solutions. The results of shear rheological measurements indicated that the existence of UHMWPAN reduced the shear-thinning but increased the characteristic relaxation time and the elasticity of PAN solutions. Moreover, the PAN solutions containing UHMWPAN exhibited much more evident strain-hardening behavior than the solution without UHMWPAN. It was found from the results of extensional rheological measurements that the strain hardening and elasticity of PAN solutions increased greatly with the increase of molecular weight or content of UHMWPAN in the solutions. PAN solutions containing a small amount of UHMWPAN have better drawability and favor the increase of jet stretch ratio in dry-jet wet spinning of PAN precursor fibers.     

Solvent effects on radical copolymerization of acrylonitrile and methyl acrylate: solvent polarity and solvent-monomer interaction

Abstract

New insights for the effects of organic solvent polarities and solvent-monomer interactions on the radical copolymerization for an important copolymer, poly(acrylonitrile-co-methyl acrylate) (PAN-co-MA), were provided in this research. Solvents, dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), were used as reaction media. The polarity of these solvents was in the sequence of DMAc?<?DMF?<?DMSO. By studying the reactivity ratios of AN and MA, the triad fractions of the resultant copolymers, the interactions between monomers and solvents, and the compositions of copolymers at various conversions, we concluded that the solvent polarity had minimal influence on the copolymerization of AN and MA, while the solvent-monomer interactions played important roles. The interactions between monomer-monomer, monomer-solvent, and solvent-solvent, were calculated based on quantum chemistry methods. Both theoretical calculations and experimental results suggested that AN and MA in DMSO tended to aggregate locally, while they could be homogeneously dissolved in DMAc and DMF. The interactions between solvent and monomers could cause local monomer concentration variations, or ‘bootstrap’ effect, which is one of the critical factors affecting the copolymerization process of AN and MA and the chemical structures of the resultant polymers.     

Linear and comb‐like acrylonitrile/N‐isopropylacrylamide copolymers synthesized by the combination of RAFT polymerization and ATRP

We describe the synthesis of three novel thermoresponsive copolymers of acrylonitrile (AN) with N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) by a combination of reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Linear copolymer polyacrylonitrile (PAN)‐b‐PNIPAM was directly prepared by RAFT polymerization. Comb‐like copolymers were synthesized by ATRP using brominated AN/2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate copolymers as macroinitiators, which were prepared by RAFT polymerization. FT‐IR, NMR, and GPC were employed to characterize the synthesized copolymers. Results indicate that the polymerization processes can be well controlled and the resultant copolymers have well‐defined structures as well as narrow polydispersity. Then dense films were fabricated from these thermoresponsive copolymers and the surface wettability was evaluated by water contact angle measurements at different temperatures. It is found that the surface wettability is temperature‐dependant and both the transition temperature and decrement of water contact angle are affected by the copolymer shapes as well as the length of PNIPAM blocks. Considering the excellent fiber‐ and membrane‐forming properties of PAN‐based copolymers, the obtained thermoresponsive copolymers are latent materials for functional fibers and membranes. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 92–102, 2009     

Graft Photopolymerization of Styrene to Wheat Gluten Protein in Dimethyl Sulfoxide

To determine the suitability of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a solvent for photo polymerization, solutions of wheat gluten protein (0.28-0.93% by weight) and styrene (4.13-12.65% by weight) in DMSO were irradiated by a 200.W high-pressure mercury arc lamp from 3 min up to 1 hr. Graft copolymers of gluten styrene resulted that contained styrene residues ranging from 2 to 23% by weight. When gluten protein was photolyzed in DMSO alone, a significant amount of sulfur from the solvent was incorporated; however, styrene successfully competed with the solvent for free radical sites. The rate of grafting was directly related to both the concentration of gluten and of styrene. Also, the ratio of grafted polystyrene to gluten in the graft polymer indicated that the grafts were composed of small units of polystyrene.     

Synthesis,characterization, and biodegradation of copolymers of unsaturated and saturated poly(ester amide)s

A new family of biodegradable copolymers of unsaturated poly(ester amide)s (UPEAs) and saturated poly(ester amide)s (SPEAs) based on L ‐phenylalanine, aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, and aliphatic dialcohols was synthesized by solution polycondensation and characterized. These unsaturated/saturated poly(ester amide) copolymers (USPEAs) were obtained in fairly good yields with N,N‐dimethylacetamide as the solvent. The molecular weights (M_n and M_w) of the USPEAs measured by GPC ranged from 15 to 60 kg/mol with a molecular weight distribution of 1.07–1.63. The chemical structures of the USPEAs were confirmed by both IR and NMR spectra. The USPEA copolymers had glass transition temperatures lower than that of pure UPEA but higher than that of pure SPEA. An increase in the unsaturated component in the USPEA copolymers led to an increase in their glass transition temperatures. The solubility of the copolymers was good in N,N‐dimethylacetamide and dimethyl sulfoxide but poor in water, acetone, methanol, and ethyl acetate. The preliminary in vitro biodegradation properties of the USPEA copolymers were investigated in both pure phosphate buffered saline (PBS) buffer and α‐chymotrypsin solutions. The copolymers showed significantly faster weight loss in an enzyme solution than in a pure PBS buffer. Upon the adjustment of the unsaturated‐to‐saturated diester monomer feed ratio, the obtained USPEA copolymers could have controlled chemical and physical properties, such as glass transition temperatures, solubility, and biodegradability, which could easily extend their applications to biomedical and pharmaceutical areas. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1595–1606, 2007     

Graft polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate via ATRP with poly(acrylonitrile-co-p-chloromethyl styrene) as a macroinitiator

Amphiphilic graft copolymers are excellent additives for the development of antifouling membranes by nonsolvent induced phase separation. We report a convenient approach to the synthesis of novel graft copolymers with hydrophobic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) backbones and hydrophilic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) side chains. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate was carried out with poly(acrylonitrile-co-p-chloromethyl styrene) (PAN-co-PCMS) as a macroinitiator in the presence of CuCl/2,2’-bipyridine at 50 °C in dimethyl sulfoxide. Kinetics of the graft polymerization was also evaluated. The synthesis of poly(acrylonitrile-co-p-chloromethyl styrene-g-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PAN-co-(PCMS-g-PHEMA)) can be relatively controlled when CMS (the ATRP sites) unit in the macroinitiator is around 5 mol%. Both the macroinitiators and graft copolymers were characterized by FTIR, NMR and GPC. The surface morphology and wettability of the copolymer films were studied by AFM and water contact angle measurement, respectively. We demonstrate that phase segregation between the PAN-co-PCMS backbones and the PHEMA side chains takes place and the surface hydrophilicity of the graft copolymers increases with the length of the PHEMA side chains. Because these amphiphilic graft copolymers can be synthesized in mass, they will be useful as latent additives for the fabrication of advanced PAN separation membranes.     

同质编织管增强型聚丙烯腈中空纤维膜研究

利用二维编织技术将聚丙烯腈(PAN)纤维编织成中空编织管,以聚丙烯腈为成膜聚合物,以聚乙二醇为成孔剂,配制铸膜液,采用同心圆纺丝法制备同质编织管增强型聚丙烯腈中空纤维膜.研究结果表明,所得同质编织管增强型聚丙烯腈中空纤维膜的表面分离层具有类似于非对称膜的结构,铸膜液可渗入编织管纤维束中;随着编织管编织节距的增大,同质编织管增强型聚丙烯腈中空纤维膜表面分离层厚度减小,同时膜的平均孔径增大,膜的纯水通量随之增大;铸膜液渗入编织管纤维束的现象未影响膜的通透性能;编织管的断裂强度最大可达100 MPa以上.通过水浴振荡、超声波水浴振荡及等力拉伸3种方法测试了同质编织管增强型中空纤维膜和异质编织管增强型中空纤维膜中编织管与表面分离层之间的界面结合性能,结果表明前者的界面结合性能优于后者.     

Preparation of polybenzoxazole fibers via electrospinning and postspun thermal cyclization of polyhydroxyamide

Polybenzoxazole (PBO) fibers with a submicron diameter were successfully prepared by electrospinning its precursor, polyhydroxyamide (PHA), solutions to obtain the PHA fibers first, followed by appropriate thermal treatments for cyclization reaction. BisAPAF‐IC PHA with two different molecular weights (MWs) were synthesized from a low temperature polymerization of 2,2′‐bis(3‐amino‐4‐hydroxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane (BisAPAF) and isophthaloyl chloride (IC). Using dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and tetrahydrofuran (THF), solvent effects on the electrospinnability of PHA solutions were investigated. For balancing the solution properties, it was found that DMAc/THF mixture with a weight ratio of 1/9 was the best cosolvent to prepare smooth PHA fibers; uniform PHA fibers with a diameter of 325–720 nm were obtained by using 20 wt % PHA/(DMAc/THF) solutions. For a fixed PHA concentration, solutions with a lower MW of PHA yielded thinner electrospun fibers under the same electrospinning condition. After obtaining the electrospun BisAPAF‐IC PHA fibers, subsequent thermal cyclization up to 350 °C produced the corresponding thermally stable BisAPAF‐IC PBO fibers with a diameter of 305–645 nm. The structure of the precursor fibers and the fully cyclized fibers were characterized by FTIR. For the cyclized BisAPAF‐IC PBO fibers, thermogravimetric analysis showed a 5% weight loss temperature at 523 °C in nitrogen atmosphere. The interconnected fiber structure in the BisAPAF‐IC PBO fiber mats was irrelevant to the curing process, but resulted from the jet merging during the whipping process as revealed by the high speed camera images. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 8159–8169, 2008     

Vinyl Polymerization. 287. Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate Initiated by the Polyacrylonitrile-Water-Cupric Ion System

Abstract

Methyl methacrylate was found to be polymerized by the system polyacrylonitrile-water-cupric ion without any added initiator. Addition of carbon tetrachloride to this system greatly increased the polymerization rate. Acrylonitrile and styrene did not polymerize in this system. The kinetic behavior of polymerization was the same as the system consisting'of cellulose or nylon instead of polyacrylonitrile. When the flaky polyacrylo-nitrile was swelled or dissolved by the solvent DMF, the conversion and the degree of polymerization of the poly-methyl methacrylate formed decreased markedly. Commercial acrylic fiber also initiated polymerization but the activity was lower than with flaky polyacrylonitrile, even after steam treatment, because of the poor permeability of monomer into the fiber.     

Anionic polymerization and copolymerization of acrylonitrile initiated by systems based on bicyclic tertiary amines and ethylene oxide

It is shown that the products of interaction of ethylene oxide and bicyclic amines containing tertiary nitrogen atoms at the tops of bicyclic structures efficiently initiate the anionic polymerization of acrylonitrile. As opposed to all known initiators of this process, the mentioned initiating systems contain no metal atoms or atoms of elements heavier than oxygen. The polymerization of acrylonitrile under the action of the ethylene oxide–bicyclic amine system in a polar medium (dimethyl sulfoxide) at room temperature occurs in the homogeneous regime over several minutes, while, in a weakly polar solvent (tetrahydrofuran), polymerization occurs in the heterogeneous regime over several hours. The reaction may become homogeneous in a mixture of these solvents at both room temperature and a lower temperature. The number-average molecular masses of the polymers, depending on polymerization conditions, are in the range from 25 × 10³ to 480 × 10³ and their polydispersity indexes are from 1.55 to ~3.40. It is found that the copolymers of acrylonitrile with oxygen-containing acrylic monomers, as well as with ethylene oxide, can be prepared.     

Research on PAN Nascent Fiber Interior Microstructure through Ultrasonic Etching and Ultrathin Sectioning

The interior microstructures of polyacrylonitrile nascent fibers is studied by the scanning electronic microscopy and the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy through ultrasonic etching and ultrathin sectioning. Due to the orientation and fold of molecular chains, the lamellae of 50–80 nm in thickness are formed. A high number of pores, ranging from dozens to two hundred nanometers in diameters exist between the lamellae, which result from residual solvent. The fibril structure is formed in the nascent fiber during the coagulation process, which are oriented along the fiber axis. An uneven tensile stress distribution leads to the formation of skin-core structures in the nascent fiber during the dry-jet wet spinning process.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Triphenylphosphine Oxide-Containing Poly(Aryl Imide)-Poly(Dimethyl Siloxane) Randomly Segmented Copolymers

Abstract

Poly(aryl imide)-poly(dimethyl siloxane) randomly segmented copolymers were synthesized by essentially a one-step solution imidization process in a solvent system consisting of predominately o-dichlorobenzene with a small amount of n-methylpyrolidone. This solvent combination was selected because of its ability to afford homogeneous solutions throughout the polymerization process. This enabled copolymers of any desired poly(dimethyl siloxane) composition to be prepared. A hydrolytically stable triphenylphosphine oxide containing diamine, bis(3-amino-phenoxy-4′-phenyl)phenylphosphine oxide, was utilized as a chain extender and together with oxydiphthalic anhydride formed the hard segment in these copolymers. The soft segment was formed from α,ω-aminopropyl poly(dimethyl siloxane) oligomers of controlled molecular weight. The presence of phosphorus and silicon contributes several unique properties to the system, including enhanced solubility, thermal stability, and flame resistance. High molecular weight copolymers containing up to 60% (w/w) of the poly(dimethyl siloxane) segments were successfully prepared using this method. Gel permeation chromatography analysis, based on a universal calibration curve in CHCl₃, was performed to determine the molecular weights and distribution. These copolymers with 40-60% (w/w) poly(dimethyl siloxane) exhibited upper T_g values ranging from 130 to 180°C and showed substantial char yields at 750°C in air, which increased with siloxane content. Dynamic mechanical analysis confirmed the anticipated microphase behavior by the presence of two separate glass-transition regions. Both small angle x-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy measurements determined on well-characterized transparent cast films were used to better demonstrate the multiphase nature of these copolymers.