Synthesis and characterization of hyperbranched‐poly(siloxysilane)‐based polymeric photoinitiators

Three UV‐sensitive, hyperbranched‐poly(siloxysilane)‐based polymeric photoinitiators, bearing an alkyl phenone moiety linked to the surface of the hyperbranched polymer, were synthesized via the hydrosilylation of hyperbranched poly(siloxysilane) and modified UV‐sensitive compounds. Hyperbranched poly(siloxysilane) was prepared via the polyhydrosilylation of the AB₂‐type monomer methylvinyldichlorosilane. The chemical structures of the polymeric photoinitiators were characterized with ¹H, ¹³C, and ²⁹Si NMR, elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared, differential scanning calorimetry, UV spectrophotometry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The UV‐curing behaviors of the blends of the hyperbranched polymeric photoinitiators with UV‐curable epoxy acrylate (EA) resin were determined by Fourier transform infrared, and the results showed that the initiation efficiency of the polymeric photoinitiators was excellent and that the thermostability of the EA/polymeric photoinitiator curing systems was higher than that of the EA/photoinitiators. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3261–3270, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of highly stable blue‐light‐emitting hyperbranched conjugated polymers

Polyfluorene homopolymer ( P1 ) and its carbazole derivatives ( P2 – P4 ) have been prepared with good yield by Suzuki coupling polymerization. P2 is an alternating copolymer based on fluorene and carbazole; P3 is a hyperbranched polymer with carbazole derivative as the core and polyfluorene as the long arms; P4 is a hyperbranched polymer with carbazole derivative as the core and the alternating fluorene and carbazole as the long arms. These polymers show highly thermal stability, and their structures and physical properties are studied using gel permeation chromatography, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, UV–vis absorption, photoluminescence, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The influence of the incorporation of carbazole and the hyperbranched structures on the thermal, electrochemical, and electroluminescent properties has been investigated. Both carbazole addition and the hyperbranched structure increase the thermal and photoluminescent stability. The CV shows an increase of the HOMO energy levels for the derivatives, compared with polyfluorene homopolymer ( P1 ). The EL devices fabricated by these polymers exhibit pure blue‐light‐emitting with negligible low‐energy emission bands, indicating that the hyperbranched structure has a strong effect on the PLED characteristics. The results imply that incorporating carbazole into polyfluorene to form a hyperbranched structure is an efficient way to obtain highly stable blue‐light‐emitting conjugated polymers, and it is possible to adjust the property of light‐emitting polymers by the amount of carbazole derivative incorporated into the polymers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 790–802, 2008     

Hydroxyl‐terminated hyperbranched aromatic poly(ether‐ester)s: Synthesis,characterization, end‐group modification,and optical properties

Novel AB₂‐type monomers such as 3,5‐bis(4‐methylolphenoxy)benzoic acid ( monomer 1 ), methyl 3,5‐bis(4‐methylolphenoxy) benzoate ( monomer 2 ), and 3,5‐bis(4‐methylolphenoxy)benzoyl chloride ( monomer 3 ) were synthesized. Solution polymerization and melt self‐polycondensation of these monomers yielded hydroxyl‐terminated hyperbranched aromatic poly(ether‐ester)s. The structure of these polymers was established using FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The molecular weights (M_w) of the polymers were found to vary from 2.0 × 10³ to 1.49 × 10⁴ depending on the polymerization techniques and the experimental conditions used. Suitable model compounds that mimic exactly the dendritic, linear, and terminal units present in the hyperbranched polymer were synthesized for the calculation of degree of branching (DB) and the values ranged from 52 to 93%. The thermal stability of the polymers was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis, which showed no virtual weight loss up to 200 °C. The inherent viscosities of the polymers in DMF ranged from 0.010 to 0.120 dL/g. End‐group modification of the hyperbranched polymer was carried out with phenyl isocyanate, 4‐(decyloxy)benzoic acid and methyl red dye. The end‐capping groups were found to change the thermal properties of the polymers such as T_g. The optical properties of hyperbranched polymer and the dye‐capped hyperbranched polymer were investigated using ultraviolet‐absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5414–5430, 2008     

Photoactive,liquid‐crystalline,hyperbranched benzylidene polyesters: Synthesis and characterization

A novel photoactive, liquid‐crystalline, hyperbranched benzylidene polyester (PAHBP) was synthesized from a dilute solution of an A₂ photoactive monomer [bis(4‐hydroxybenzylidene)‐4‐phenyl cyclohexanone] and a B₃ monomer (1,3,5‐benzene tricarboxylic acid chloride) by the solution polycondensation method in the presence of pyridine as a condensing agent. PAHBP was thoroughly characterized by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, ultraviolet–visible spectrometry, and gel permeation chromatography. The inherent viscosity of the polymer was 0.35 dL/g in tetrahydrofuran. The degree of branching was 0.53, which confirmed the branched architecture of the polymer. Furthermore, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and polarized optical microscopy were used to examine the thermal stability and thermotropic liquid‐crystalline properties of the hyperbranched polyester. The polymer exhibited a nematic mesophase over a wide range of temperatures. The photoreactivity of PAHBP was studied by photolysis under ultraviolet light. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 53–61, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of ultraviolet‐curable hyperbranched poly(siloxysilane)s

Two UV‐curable hyperbranched poly(siloxysilane)s ( I and III ) containing vinyl and allyl end groups were synthesized via polyhydrosilylation with methylbis(methylethylvinylsiloxy)silane and methylbis(dimethylallylsiloxy)silane monomers. A cationic UV‐curable hyperbranched polymer ( II‐Ep ) with epoxy end groups was prepared via the hydrosilylation of hyperbranched polymer II with Si? H terminated groups and glycidyl methacrylate, and II was also obtained via the polyhydrosilylation of AB₂‐type monomer methylvinylbis(methylethylsiloxy)silane. All hydrosilylation reactions were catalyzed by Pt/C or chloroplatinic acid. Three AB₂‐type monomers were synthesized via the hydrolysis of functional chlorosilane, which was prepared with Grignard reagents and dichlorosilane. The molecular structures of the polymers were characterized with ¹H NMR, Fourier transform infrared, and gel permeation chromatography, and the UV‐curing behaviors of the polymers under different atmospheres and with different photoaccelerators were also investigated. The thermostability of uncured and cured polymers was examined with thermogravimetric analysis, and the data indicated that the orders of the onset decomposition temperatures for the cured polymers and the residue weights were as follows: III (380 °C) > I (320 °C) > II‐Ep (280 °C) and I (70.4%) > III (64.1%) > II‐Ep (60.9%), respectively. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 1883–1894, 2005     

UV‐activated hydrosilylation: a facile approach for synthesis of hyperbranched polycarbosilanes

A facile approach for synthesis of hyperbranched polycarbosilane from AB₂ monomer via UV‐activated hydrosilylation is presented in this communication. The polymerization process was monitored using real‐time FTIR spectroscopy and the resulting hyperbranched polycarbosilanes were characterized using ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, ²⁹Si‐NMR and SEC/MALLS. It is found that hyperbranched polycarbosilane can be synthesized from methyldiallylsilane via UV‐activated hydrosilylation with bis(acetylacetonato)platinum(II) as catalyst. The polymerization activated by UV irradiation was much faster than that under thermal conditions. The similar degree of branching, average number of branch units and the exponent of the Mark–Houwink equation demonstrate that the hyperbranched polycarbosilane synthesized via UV‐activated polyhydrosilylation possesses almost the same branching structure as that synthesized via thermal‐activated polyhydrosilylation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Free radical and thermal curing of terpyridine‐modified terpolymers

Terpolymers bearing terpyridine as well as (meth)acrylates as free radical curable groups (UV‐curing) or hydroxyl groups (thermal curing with bis‐isocyanates) were synthesized and characterized using ¹H NMR, IR and UV‐vis spectroscopy as well as GPC. Subsequently, the ability of covalent crosslinking via the UV‐initiated polymerization of the acrylate groups was investigated. Moreover, the thermal covalent crosslinking via the reaction of hydroxyl functionalized terpolymer and bis‐isocyanate compounds could be successfully achieved. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4028–4035, 2004     

Hydroxyl‐ and amine‐terminated hyperbranched polyurethanes using AB2‐type azide monomers: Synthesis,characterization, fluorescence,and charge‐transfer complexation studies

Novel AB₂‐type azide monomers such as 3,5‐bis(4‐methylolphenoxy)carbonyl azide (monomer 1) , 3,5‐bis(methylol)phenyl carbonyl azide (monomer 2) , 4‐(methylol phenoxy) isopthaloyl azide (monomer 3) , and 5‐(methylol) isopthaloyl azide (monomer 4) were synthesized. Melt and solution polymerization of these monomers yielded hydroxyl‐ and amine‐terminated hyperbranched polyurethanes with and without flexible ether groups. The structures of theses polymers were established using FT‐IR and NMR spectroscopy. The molecular weights (M_w) of the polymers were found to vary from 3.2 × 10³ to 5.5 × 10⁴ g/mol depending on the experimental conditions used. The thermal properties of the polymers were evaluated using TGA and DSC: the polymer obtained from monomer ( 1 ) exhibited lowest T_g and highest thermal stability and the polymer obtained from monomer ( 2 ) registered the highest T_g and lowest thermal stability. All the polymers displayed fluorescence maxima in the 425–525 nm range with relatively narrow peak widths indicating that they had pure and intense fluorescence. Also, the polymers formed charge transfer (CT) complexes with electron acceptor molecules such as 7,7,8,8‐tetracyano‐quino‐dimethane (TCNQ) and 1,1,2,2‐tetracyanoethane (TCNE) as evidenced by UV‐visible spectra. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3337–3351, 2009     

Design,synthesis, photophysical,and electrochemical properties of DCM‐based conjugated polymers for light‐emitting devices

A series of conjugated hyperbranched polymers, hyperbranched copolymers, and linear polymers containing 2‐pyran‐4‐ylidenemalononitrile (acceptor) and triphenylamine/fluorene (donor) units were synthesized and characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR, thermogravimetric analyses, differential scanning calorimetry, gel permeation chromatography, UV–visible, photoluminescence, and cyclic voltammetry measurements. All the polymers show red‐light emission in the range of 566–656 nm both in solution and in solid state. The quantum efficiency of the polymers was in the range of 56–82%. Among the six polymers synthesized, only polymers containing fluorene units show T_g and polymers based on triphenylamine not exhibit T_g. The band gap of these polymers were found to be reasonably low; hyperbranched copolymer containing fluorene unit shows lowest band gap of 2.18 eV due to the stabilization of LUMO energy level by the electron withdrawing ? CN groups. The thermal and solubility behavior of the polymers were found to be good. All the EL spectra of the devices (indium‐tin oxide/poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)/polymer/2,9‐dimethyl‐4,7‐diphenyl‐1,10‐phenanthroline/tris(8‐hydroxyquinoline)aluminum)/LiF/Al) show red‐light emission, and the device fabricated with P3 and P4 shows maximum luminance and luminous efficiency of 4104 cd m^?2 and 0.55 cd Å^?1 and 3696 cd m^?2 and 0.47 cd Å^?1, respectively, indicates that they had the best carrier balance. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Hyperbranched and thermally cross‐linkable oligomer from a new 2,5,7‐tri‐functional fluorene monomer

New hyperbranched (HOFV) and linear oligomers (LOFV) were prepared from 2‐bromo‐5,7‐divinyl‐9,9‐dihexylfluorene (AB₂) and 2‐bromo‐7‐vinyl‐9,9‐dihexylfluorene, respectively, by the Heck reaction to study the effect of hyperbranched structure. The oligomers were readily soluble in common organic solvents. The weight‐average molecular weights (M_w) of HOFV and LOFV, determined by gel permeation chromatography using polystyrene as standard, were 2350 and 3950, respectively. Optical properties, both in solution and film state, were investigated using absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. In film state, the absorption and PL spectra peaked at 416 ～ 425 nm and 473 ～ 503 nm, respectively. The HOFV showed energy funnel effect and enhanced fluorescence efficiency owing to the hyperbranched structure. The HOMO and LUMO levels of HOFV (LOFV), estimated from their cyclic voltammograms, were ?5.25 (?5.34) eV and ?2.66 (?2.75) eV, respectively. Thermal curing of HOFV to form cross‐linked HPFV (hyperbranched poly(fluorenevinylene)) was studied by IR, DSC, UV–visible spectra, NMR, AFM and SEM. The terminal vinyl groups in HOFV film almost disappeared to provide smooth, homogeneous and solvent‐resistant films of HPFV. Two‐layer PLED devices (ITO/PEDOT/HPFV/Ca/Al) exhibited maximal luminance and luminous efficiency of 1480 cd/m² and 0.18 cd/A, respectively, which were superior to its linear counterpart LPFV (352 cd/m², 0.06 cd/A). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 70–84, 2008     

Synthesis of a novel one‐pot approach of hyperbranched polyurethanes and their properties

A new method for the synthesis of hyperbranched polymers involving the use of AB_x macromonomers containing linear units have been investigated. Two types of novel hyperbranched polyurethanes have been synthesized by a one‐pot approach. The structures of monomers and polymers were characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, and thermogravimetric analysis. The hyperbranched polymers have been proven to be extremely soluble in a wide range of solvents. Polymer electrolytes were prepared with hyperbranched polymer, linear polymer as the host, and lithium perchlorate (LiClO₄) as the ion source. Analysis of the isotherm conductivity dependence of the ion concentration indicated that these hyperbranched polymers could function as a “solvent” for the lithium salt. The conductivity increased with the increasing concentration of hyperbranched polymers in the host polymer. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 344–350, 2002     

Synthesis of a new multiarm star polymer based on hyperbranched poly(styrene) core and poly(ε‐caprolactone) arms and its use as reactive modifier of epoxy thermosets

A well‐defined multiarm star copolymer poly(styrene)‐b‐poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PSOH‐b‐PCL) with an average number of PCL arms per molecule of 60 has been prepared. 4‐Chloromethyl styrene (4‐CMS) was polymerized by means of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) to obtain a hyperbranched poly(styrene) with chlorines as terminal groups. Subsequently, chlorines were substituted by reaction with diisopropanolamine (DIPA) to give the hydroxyl‐ended derivative. Finally, the hydroxyl‐ended hyperbranched poly(styrene) has been used as a macroinitiator core to polymerize ε‐caprolactone by means of cationic ring‐opening polymerization so as to obtain the star copolymer. In a second step, PSOH‐b‐PCL was used as reactive modifier of diglycidylether of bisphenol A formulations cured by 1‐methyl imidazole (1‐MI) obtaining nanostructured thermosets. The curing process was studied by dynamic scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). By rheometry, the effect of this new polymer topology on the complex viscosity (η*) of the reactive mixture and on the gelation process was also analyzed. The thermomechanical characteristics of the modified materials were determined. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Synthesis of imidazole‐terminated hyperbranched polymers with POSS‐branching points and their pH responsive and coordination properties

An imidazole‐terminated hyperbranched polymer with octafunctional POSS branching units denoted as POSS‐HYPAM‐Im was prepared by the polymerization of excess amounts of tris(2‐aminoethyl)amine with the first‐generation methyl ester‐terminated POSS‐core poly(amidoamine)‐typed dendrimer, reacting with methyl acrylate, and ester‐amide exchange reaction with 3‐aminopropylimidazole. The imidazole‐terminated hyperbranched poly(amidoamine) denoted as HYPAM‐Im was also synthesized with 1‐(3‐aminopropyl)imidazole from a methyl ester‐terminated hyperbranched poly(amidoamine) by the ester‐amide exchange reaction. The transmittance of the POSS‐HYPAM‐Im solution drastically decreased when the solution pH was greater than 8.2. On the other hand, the transmittance of the HYPAM‐Im solution gradually decreased when the solution pH at 8.5 and was greater than 9. Spectrophotometric titrations of the hyperbranched polymer aqueous solutions with Cu²⁺ ions indicated the variation of the coordination modes of POSS‐HYPAM‐Im from the Cu²⁺–N₄ complex to the Cu²⁺–N₂O₂ complex and the existence of the only one complexation mode of Cu²⁺–N₄ between Cu²⁺ ion and HYPAM‐Im with increasing the concentrations. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2695–2701     

Synthesis and application as polymer electrolyte of hyperbranched polyether made by cationic ring‐opening polymerization of 3‐{2‐[2‐(2‐hydroxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethoxymethyl}‐3′‐methyl‐oxetane

A novel cyclic ether monomer 3‐{2‐[2‐(2‐hydroxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethoxy‐methyl}‐3′‐methyloxetane (HEMO) was prepared from the reaction of 3‐hydroxymethyl‐3′‐methyloxetane tosylate with triethylene glycol. The corresponding hyperbranched polyether (PHEMO) was synthesized using BF₃·Et₂O as initiator through cationic ring‐opening polymerization. The evidence from ¹H and ¹³C NMR analyses revealed that the hyperbranched structure is constructed by the competition between two chain propagation mechanisms, i.e. active chain end and activated monomer mechanism. The terminal structure of PHEMO with a cyclic fragment was definitely detected by MALDI‐TOF measurement. A DSC test implied that the resulting polyether has excellent segment motion performance potentially beneficial for the ion transport of polymer electrolytes. Moreover, a TGA assay showed that this hyperbranched polymer possesses high thermostability as compared to its liquid counterpart. The ion conductivity was measured to reach 5.6 × 10^?5 S/cm at room temperature and 6.3 × 10^?4 S/cm at 80 °C after doped with LiTFSI at a ratio of Li:O = 0.05, presenting the promise to meet the practical requirement of lithium ion batteries for polymer electrolytes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3650–3665, 2006     

Cyclodextrin‐overhanging hyperbranched core‐double‐shell miktoarm architectures: Synthesis and gradient stimuli‐responsive properties

We report the synthesis and gradient stimuli‐responsive properties of cyclodextrin‐overhanging hyperbranched core‐double‐shell miktoarm architectures. A ionic hyperbranched poly(β‐cyclodextrin) (β‐CD) core was firstly synthesized via a convenient “A₂+B₃” approach. Double‐layered shell architectures, composed of poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAm) and poly(N,N‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) miktoarms as the outermost shell linked to poly(N,N‐diethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDEAEMA) homoarms which form the inner shell, were obtained by a sequential atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and parallel click chemistry from the modified hyperbranched poly(β‐CD) macroinitiator. The combined characterization by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ¹H‐²⁹Si heteronuclear multiple‐bond correlation (HMBC), FTIR and size exclusion chromatography/multiangle laser light scattering (SEC/MALLS) confirms the remarkable hyperbranched poly(β‐CD) core and double‐shell miktoarm architectures. The gradient triple‐stimuli‐responsive properties of hyperbranched core‐double‐shell miktoarm architectures and the corresponding mechanisms were investigated by UV–vis spectrophotometer and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Results show that this polymer possesses three‐stage phase transition behaviors. The first‐stage phase transition comes from the deprotonation of PDEAEMA segments at pH 9–10 aqueous solution under room temperature. The confined coil‐globule conformation transition of PNIPAm and PDMAEMA arms gives rise to the second‐stage hysteretic cophase transition between 38 and 44 °C at pH 10. The third‐stage phase transition occurs above 44 °C at pH = 10 attributed to the confined secondary conformation transition of partial PDMAEMA segments. This cyclodextrin‐overhanging hyperbranched core‐double‐shell miktoarm architectures are expected to solve the problems of inadequate functionalities from core layer and lacking multiresponsiveness for shell layers existing in the dendritic core‐multishell architectures. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Synthesis and properties of hyperbranched poly(ether sulfone)s prepared by self‐polycondensation of novel AB2 monomer

Hyperbranched poly(ether sulfone)s were prepared by the self‐polycondensation of the novel AB₂ monomer, 4‐(3,5‐hydroxyphenoxy)‐4′‐fluorodiphenylsulfone. The high‐molecular‐weight polymers were isolated in good yields. The degree of branching (DB) of the resulting polymers was investigated by the preparation of dendritic and linear model compounds. The DB determined by gated decoupling ¹³C NMR measurements was in the range 0.17–0.41 and was dependent on the base used for the self‐polycondensation. It was found that cesium fluoride was an effective base to form the polymer having the DB of 0.41. The resulting hyperbranched poly(ether sulfone)s showed good solubility in organic solvents. The solubility and the glass transition temperature of the polymers were influenced by the terminal functional groups. The unique thermal crosslinking phenomenon was observed during the DSC measurements of the hydroxyl‐terminated hyperbranched poly(ether sulfone) under air condition. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Synthesis and characterization of N‐substituted hyperbranched polyureas

N,N′‐disubstituted hyperbranched polyureas with methyl, benzyl, and allyl substitutents were synthesized starting from AB₂ monomers based on 3,5‐diamino benzoic acid. Carbonyl azide approach, which generates isocyanate group in situ on thermal decomposition, was used for the protection of isocyanate functional groups. The N‐substituted hyperbranched polymers can be considered as the new class of internally functionalized hyperbranched polyureas wherein the substituent can function either as receptor or as a chemical entity for selective transformations as a tool to tailor the properties. The chain‐ends were also modified by attaching long chain aliphatic groups to fully realize the interior functionalization. This approach opens up a possible synthetic route wherein different functional substituents can be used to generate a library of internally functionalized hyperbranched polymers. All the hyperbranched polyureas were characterized by FTIR, ¹H‐NMR, DSC, TGA, and size exclusion chromatography. Degree of branching in these N,N′‐disubstituted hyperbranched polyureas, as calculated by ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy using model compounds, was found to be lower than the unsubstituted hyperbranched polyurea and is attributed to the lower reactivity of N‐substituted amines compared to that of unsubstituted amines. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5134–5145, 2004     

A flame‐retardant phosphate and cyclotriphosphazene‐containing epoxy resin: Synthesis and properties

A novel flame‐retardant epoxy resin, (4‐diethoxyphosphoryloxyphenoxy)(4‐glycidoxyphenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene (PPCTP), was prepared by the reaction of epichlorohydrin with (4‐diethoxyphosphoryloxyphenoxy)(4‐hydroxyphenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene and was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, ³¹P NMR, and ¹H NMR analyses. The epoxy resin was further cured with diamine curing agents, 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM), 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS), dicyanodiamide (DICY), and 3,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA), to obtain the corresponding epoxy polymers. The curing reactions of the PPCTP resin with the diamines were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The reactivities of the four curing agents toward PPCTP were in the following order: DDM > ODA > DICY > DDS. In addition, the thermal properties of the cured epoxy polymers were studied by thermogravimetric analysis, and the flame retardancies were estimated by measurement of the limiting oxygen index (LOI). Compared to a corresponding Epon 828‐based epoxy polymer, the PPCTP‐based epoxy polymers showed lower weight‐loss temperatures, higher char yields, and higher LOI values, indicating that the epoxy resin prepared could be useful as a flame retardant. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 972–981, 2000     

Synthesis and two‐photon absorption properties of hyperbranched diketo‐pyrrolo‐pyrrole polymer with triphenylamine as the core

A novel hyperbranched polyyne (hb‐ DPP ) with triphenylamine as the core, 2,5‐dioctylpyrrolo [3,4‐c]pyrrole‐1,4 (2H,5H)‐dione ( DPP ) as the connecting unit has been designed and synthesized by Glaser‐Hay oxidative coupling reaction, which was characterized by IR, NMR, UV‐vis, FL, and GPC. The polymer exhibits high molecular weight (M_w up to ～6.55 × 10⁴ Da) and is readily soluble in common organic solvents such as toluene, chloroform, tetrahydrofuran, N,N‐dimethyl formamide and so on. The one‐ and two‐photon absorption (TPA) properties have been investigated. The TPA cross section of the polymer was measured by open‐aperture Z‐scan experiment using 140 femtosecond (fs) pulse, and the TPA cross section for hb‐ DPP was determined to be 579 GM per repeating unit at wavelength of 800 nm. In tetrahydrofuran, hb‐ DPP exhibits intense frequency up‐converted fluorescence with the peak located at 584 nm under the excitation of 800 nm fs pulses. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4400–4408, 2009     

Poly(thienylene‐vinylene‐thienylene) with cyano substituent: Synthesis and application in field‐effect transistor and polymer solar cell

A novel conjugated polymer, poly(thienylene‐vinylene‐thienylene) with cyano substituent ( CN‐PTVT ) was synthesized via Stille coupling for the application in air stable field‐effect transistor and polymer solar cell. The polymer was characterized by ¹H NMR, elemental analysis, UV‐vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy, TGA, cyclic voltammetry and XRD analysis. CN‐PTVT exhibits a good thermal stability with 5% weight loss at 306 °C. The FET hole mobility of the polymer reached 5.9 × 10^?3 cm² V^?1 s^?1 with I_on/I_off ratio of 4.9 × 10⁴, which is one of the highest performance among the air‐stable amorphous polymers. The polymer solar cell based on CN‐PTVT as donor and PCBM as acceptor shows a relatively high open‐circuit voltage of 0.82 V and a power conversion efficiency of 0.3% under the illumination of AM1.5, 100 mW/cm². © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4028–4036, 2009