Bound fractions of methacrylate polymers adsorbed on silica using FTIR

The H‐bonding of carbonyl groups on a series of methacrylate polymers with silanols on fumed silica was studied with transmission FTIR. The set included poly(alkyl methacrylates) with alkyl groups, (n‐C_nH_2n+1) of n = 1, 2, 4, and 12 and poly(benzyl methacrylate). Shifts in the vibrational frequencies for bound carbonyl groups (of ～20 cm^?1 lower than those found in the bulk) were observed in the adsorbed polymer samples. A series of samples with different adsorbed amounts (varying from 0.5 to 2.0 mg m^?2) of each polymer was prepared to determine the effect of the side chain on the H‐bonding. The fractions of bound carbonyls, p, for each of the methacrylate polymers studied, were calculated from a model based on the ratios of the absorption coefficients of the bound to free carbonyl resonances, X (= α_b/α_f). The X values were determined from linear regressions of the ratios of the free to bound carbonyl intensities as a function of the amounts of adsorbed polymer, M_t. The bound fractions, p, were observed to decrease with increase in adsorbed amounts and with increase in the lengths of the side chains of the methacrylate polymers, except for poly(lauryl methacrylate) (PLMA). PLMA has a very low glass transition temperature (T_g) and is likely rubbery on the surface, whereas the other polymers are likely glassy at ambient temperature. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1911–1918, 2010     

Thermal analysis and FT‐IR studies of adsorbed poly(ethylene‐stat‐vinyl acetate) on silica

Adsorbed poly(ethylene‐stat‐vinyl acetate) (PEVAc) on fumed silica was studied using temperature‐modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) and FT‐IR spectroscopy. The properties of the copolymers were compared with poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) as references. TMDSC analysis of the copolymer‐silica samples in the glass transition region was complicated for the copolymers because of the ethylene crystallinity. Nevertheless, examination of the glass transition region for small adsorbed amounts of these copolymers indicated the presence of tightly‐ and loosely‐bound polymer segments, similar to other polymers which have an attraction to silica. Compared with bulk polymers with the same composition, the tightly‐bound polymers showed an increased glass transition temperature (T_g) and a loosely‐bound fraction with a lower T_g than bulk. FT‐IR spectra of the surface copolymers indicated that the fraction of bound carbonyls (p) increased as the fraction of vinyl acetate in the copolymers decreased, consistent with the notion that the carbonyls from vinyl acetate preferentially find their way to the silica surface. Spectra from samples with different adsorbed amounts of polymer were used to obtain the amount of bound polymer (M_b) and the ratio of molar absorption coefficients of bound carbonyls to free carbonyls (X). The copolymers had very large p values (up to 0.8) at small adsorbed amounts and dependent on the composition of the polymer. However, an analysis of the bound fractions, based on only the vinyl acetate groups, superimposed the data, suggesting that the ethylene units simply dilute the vinyl acetate groups in the surface polymer. The sample with the smallest fraction of vinyl acetate did not show this behavior and may be considered to be “carbonyl poor.” © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 727–736     

Revisiting the crystallization of poly(2‐alkyl‐2‐oxazoline)s

Poly(2‐alkyl‐2‐oxazoline)s (PAOx) exhibit different crystallization behavior depending on the length of the alkyl side chain. PAOx having methyl, ethyl, or propyl side chains do not show any bulk crystallization. Crystallization in the heating cycle, that is, cold crystallization, is observed for PAOx with butyl and pentyl side chains. For PAOx with longer alkyl side chains crystallization occurs in the cooling cycle. The different crystallization behavior is attributed to the different polymer chain mobility in line with the glass transition temperature (T_g) dependency on alkyl side chain length. The decrease in chain mobility with decreasing alkyl side chain length hinders the relaxation of the polymer backbone to the thermodynamic equilibrium crystalline structure. Double melting behavior is observed for PButOx and PiPropOx which is explained by the melt‐recrystallization mechanism. Isothermal crystallization experiments of PButOx between 60 and 90 °C and PiPropOx between 90 and 150 °C show that PAOx can crystallize in bulk when enough time is given. The decrease of T_g and the corresponding increase in chain mobility at T > T_g with increasing alkyl side chain length can be attributed to an increasing distance between the polymer backbones and thus decreasing average strength of amide dipole interactions. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 721–729     

Selective adsorption behavior of polymer at the polymer–nanoparticle interface

Coarse‐grained molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the adsorption behavior of monodisperse and bidisperse polymer chains on the nanoparticle (NP) surface at various polymer–NP interactions, chain lengths, and stiffness. At a strong polymer–NP interaction, long chains preferentially occupy interfacial region and squeeze short chains out of the interfacial region. Semiflexible chains with proper stiffness wrap NPs dominantly in a helical fashion, whereas fully flexible chains constitute the surrounding matrix. As chain stiffness increases, the results of the preferential adsorption are the opposite. The chain‐length or chain‐stiffness‐induced selective adsorption behavior of polymer chains in the polymer–NP interfacial region relies on a delicate competition between entropic and enthalpic contributions to the total free energy. These results could provide insights into polymer–NP interfacial adsorption behavior and guide the design of high‐performance nanocomposites. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1829–1837     

Effects of molecular mass and surface treatment on adsorbed poly(methyl methacrylate) on silica

The behavior of relatively monodisperse adsorbed poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) samples, from 19 to 587 kDa on silica, was studied using modulated differential scanning calorimetry and FTIR. On untreated Cab? O? Sil silica, the glass transition temperatures (T_gs) were higher (by around 30 °C), and the transitions were significantly broader (by a factor of 5–6) than those for the corresponding bulk samples. While the T_gs for the bulk polymers showed the expected dependence on molecular mass, the polymers on untreated silica showed little dependence, i.e., at the same adsorbed amounts, the glass transitions were very similar. The FTIR spectra of the adsorbed PMMA (on untreated silica) showed the presence of at least two resonances, one for the bound (hydrogen bonded to surface silanols) and another for free carbonyls. Fitting of the spectra allowed the estimation of the bound fractions of carbonyls that were dependent on the adsorbed amount, but not molecular mass. On Cab? O? Sil treated with hexamethyldisilizane (HMDS), the adsorbed PMMA exhibited glass transition behavior with little molecular‐mass dependence; the T_gs for the different PMMA samples were very similar to those of the high‐molecular mass bulk polymer, but with additional broadening of about a factor of 2. FTIR spectra for the PMMA samples on the treated silica did not show significant amounts of any of the hydrogen‐bonded carbonyl groups. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 649–658, 2008     

Temperature induced structural evolution of a fluorene‐thiophene copolymer on rubbed surfaces

The thermal alignment of the liquid crystalline fluorene‐thiophene copolymer (F8T2) on rubbed polyimide surfaces is investigated by ex‐situ and in‐situ X‐ray scattering experiments. The ex‐situ characterization allows an assignment of the observed diffraction peaks to distances between polymer backbones (1.6 nm), distances between the flexible side groups of the polymer chains (0.43 nm), and intramolecular distances of adjacent ring units (0.5 nm). The in‐situ characterization allows a temperature dependent observation of the polymer chain alignment. A gradual alignment process of the polymer backbones is observed for temperatures up to 563 K. Decreasing temperature after the polymer chain alignment is accompanied by a glass transition of the side chains at 380 K. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47:1599–1604, 2009     

A Monte Carlo study of the coil-to-globule transition of model polymer chains near an attractive surface

When a polymer chain in solution interacts with an atomically smooth solid substrate, its conformational properties are strongly modified and deviate substantially from those of chains in bulk. In this work, the interplay of two competing transitions that affect the conformations of polymer chains near an energetically attractive surface is studied by means of Monte Carlo simulations on a cubic lattice. The transition from an extended to a compact conformation of a polymer chain near an attractive wall, as solubility deteriorates, exhibits characteristics akin to the “coil-to-globule” transition in bulk. An effective θ-temperature is determined. Its role as the transition point is confirmed in a variety of ways. The nature of the coil-to-compact transition is not qualitatively different from that in the bulk. Adsorbed polymer chains may assume “globular” or “pancake” configurations depending on the competition among adsorption strength, cohesive energy, and entropy. In a very relevant range of conditions, the dependence of the adsorbate thickness on chain-length is intermediate between that of 3-d (“semidroplets”) and 2-d (“pancake”) objects. The focus of this study is on rather long polymer chains. Several crucial features of the transitions of the adsorbed chains are N-dependent and various aspects of the adsorption and “dissolution” process are manifested clearly only at the “long chain” limit. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2462–2476, 2009     

Monte Carlo simulations of the exchange kinetics of polymers adsorbed on a solid surface

The exchange kinetics of polymers adsorbing on a solid surface is extensively studied by dynamic Monte Carlo simulations. A model employed simulates a semidilute polymer solution placed in contact with a solid surface that attracts polymer segments by the adsorption interaction (χ_s). The exchange process of polymer chains, between the solution and the adsorbed polymer layer, is examined under various conditions. The exchange kinetics shows two characteristic regimes with increasing chain length. One is the diffusion‐controlled regime found with a small χ_s , and the other the detachment‐controlled regime with a large χ_s . These two regimes are well described by a kinetic theory. Various dynamic quantities show that the diffusion‐controlled regime is not due to sluggish dynamics near the surface, but rather to bulk diffusion of chains. The diffusion‐controlled regime found in this study is considered to appear at the high temperature limit.     

Synthesis and characterization of silica‐graft‐polystyrene hybrid nanoparticles: Effect of constraint on the glass‐transition temperature of spherical polymer brushes

The effect of the chain constraint on the glass‐transition temperature of polystyrene (pS) was studied in the context of polymer tethering to curved surfaces. The synthesis and characterization of silica‐graft‐polystyrene (SiO₂‐g‐pS) hybrid nanoparticles is reported. Silica nanoparticles possessing covalently bound pS chains were prepared by the atom transfer radical polymerization of styrene from functionalized colloidal surfaces. These hybrid nanoparticles serve as interesting examples of spherical polymer brushes, as a high density of grafted pS was achieved on the inorganic colloid. The confirmation of a brushlike extension of immobilized chains in a good solvent was obtained with dynamic light scattering in toluene of SiO₂‐g‐pS colloids possessing various molar masses of tethered pS. The solid‐state morphology of SiO₂‐g‐pS ultrathin films was assessed with transmission electron microscopy, and this confirmed that the silica colloids were well‐dispersed in a matrix of the tethered polymer. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to study the effects of tethering and chain immobilization on the glass‐transition temperature of pS. The measured glass‐transition temperature of annealed bulk films of the hybrid nanoparticles was elevated with respect to the value for pure bulk pS. The enhancements ranged from 13 to 2 K for SiO₂‐g‐pS brushes possessing tethered pS with number‐average molecular weights of 5230 and 32,670 g/mol, respectively. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2667–2676, 2002     

Temperature effects on the adsorption of polyvinyl alcohol on silica

The influence of temperature on the adsorption of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on a silica surface was studied from 15–35°C. The structure of the polymer adsorption layer was determined from spectrophotometric, viscosity and thermogravimetric measurements. The amount of PVA adsorbed, macromolecules’ conformation in solution, thickness of the polymer adsorption layer, and changes in the heating curve of SiO₂ with adsorbed polymer were determined. Temperature influences the PVA chain conformation in solution and the structure of the polymer adsorption layer. A temperature rise causes relaxation of polymer coils which results in an increase in the linear dimensions of PVA chains in the solution, the creation of a thicker adsorption layer, and an increase in polymer adsorbed. Polymer adsorption on the silica surface also causes changes in the heating curve of these systems. The mass losses due to heating are smallest for the systems obtained at 15°C because the least polymer is adsorbed at this temperature.      

Structure of Adsorbed Polymer Chains: A Monte Carlo Study

The structure of adsorbed polymer chains was studied using simplified lattice models. The model chains were adsorbed on an impenetrable surface with an attractive potential. The dynamic Monte Carlo simulations based in the Metropolis scheme were carried out using these models. The influence of the internal chain architecture (linear, star‐branched and ring chains) and the degree of adsorption on the chain's structure was studied. It was shown that for weakly adsorbed chain regime the ring polymers which exhibit an almost twice as high degree of adsorption compared to linear and star chains have a higher number of adsorbed parts of chain (trains). But the length of such train remains almost the same for all types of a polymer chain. Star‐branched chains exhibit a slightly different change in number and the mean length of trains, loops and tails with the temperature and the chain total length compared to two other types of chain.     

Formation and elasticity of layer networks

Layer network formation of poly(styrene‐alt‐n‐octadecylmaleimide) in dodecane is investigated. It is shown that the polymer in the bulk exhibits lamellar structures of alternated alkane side‐chain and main‐chain layers. Adding dodecane into the polymer separates the polymer layers, increases the mean distance between the layers, and results in a less orderly layered structure. Crystallization of the alkane side chains introduces linkages to staple the layers together and builds up a layer network. Dimensional analysis predicts that the modulus (G) of the layer network is simply related to the long period (L) of the layer network through a cubic power law, i.e., G ∼ L⁻³. This prediction is indeed observed experimentally. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 667–677, 1999     

Effect of alkyl side chain length on the properties of polyetherimides from molecular simulation combined with experimental results

Three polyetherimides (PEIs) with the same backbone of Ultem 100 but different lengths of the alkyl side chains were simulated by using molecular dynamics and molecular mechanics techniques to investigate the effect of side chain length on their properties and physical mechanism behind. Simulation results, which are consistent to the experimental data, show that PEI‐5 with four methylene units in each alkyl side chain has higher T_g (glass transition temperature) and higher tensile strength, but lower tensile elongation at break than those of PEI‐6 with five and PEI‐8 with seven methylene units in each alkyl side chain. However, unlike the traditional phenomena, conformational analysis provides that PEI‐5 with the highest T_g gives the highest flexibility to the polymer chain, whereas PEI‐8 with the lowest T_g imparts the lowest flexibility resulting from attachment of longer alkyl side chain increase the rigidity of backbone. From the calculated ratio of the accessible volume to the total volume for each system, the highest ratio of PEI‐8 indicates that long alkyl side chains generate more free volume than short side chains, acting as an internal plasticizer in bulk structure. It is the internal plasticizing effect that is predominantly responsible for the abnormal properties, instead of the rigidity from side chains. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 595–599, 2010     

Healable network polymers bearing flexible poly(lauryl methacrylate) chains via thermo‐reversible furan‐maleimide diels–alder reaction

A new ATRP initiator containing two furyl rings, namely, bis(furan‐2‐ylmethyl) 2‐bromopentanedioate was synthesized starting from commercially available l ‐glutamic acid as a precursor. Well‐defined bisfuryl‐terminated poly(lauryl methacrylate) macromonomers with molecular weight and dispersity in the range 5000–12,000 g mol^?1 and 1.30–1.37, respectively, were synthesized employing the initiator by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Independently, 1,1′,1″‐(nitrilotris(ethane‐2,1‐diyl))tris(1H‐pyrrole‐2,5‐dione) was synthesized as a tris‐maleimide counterpart for furan‐maleimide click reaction. Thermo‐reversible network polymer bearing flexible poly(lauryl methacrylate; (PLMA) chains was obtained by furan‐maleimide Diels–Alder click reaction of bisfuryl‐terminated PLMA with 1,1′,1″‐(nitrilotris(ethane‐2,1‐diyl))tris(1H‐pyrrole‐2,5‐dione). The prepared network polymer showed retro‐Diels–Alder reaction in the temperature range 110–170 °C as determined from DSC analysis. The presence of low Tg (–40 °C) PLMA chains induced chain mobility to the network structure which led to the complete scratch healing of the coating at 60 °C in five days due to furan‐maleimide adduct formation. The storage modulus of the network polymer was found to be 3.7 × 10⁴ Pa at the constant angular frequency of 5 rad/sec and strain of 0.5%. The regular reversal of storage (G ′) and loss modulus (G ″) was observed with repeated heating (40 to 110 °C) and cooling cycles (110 to 40 °C) at constant angular frequency and strain. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55 , 2700–2712     

Fluorinated comblike homopolymers: The effect of spacer lengths on surface properties

A series of polyacrylate monomers with F‐alkylalkyl [F(CF₂)_n(CH₂)_n′] side groups were prepared by free‐radical polymerization. The effect of the chemical structure on the surface properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate)s was evaluated by variations in the relative length of the fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon units in the side group. The resulting polymers were quite surface‐active in the solid state. The surface and bulk organization was investigated by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. A strong correlation between the bulk organization and surface properties of the polymers was established. The outmost layer, formed from trifluoromethyl groups and some ester functions, suggests that the side chain is arranged irregularly in the polymer–air interface. The length of the lateral chain governs this organization: long fluorinated chains and short hydrocarbon spacers are essential elements of the molecular design for such low‐surface‐energy materials. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3737–3747, 2005     

Statistics of stiff polymer chains near an adsorbing surface

The exact solution of the problem of adsorption of a long ideal polymer chain with variable degree of stiffness on a plane surface is presented. It is shown that the adsorption of stiff polymer chains is a second-order phase transition; in the adsorbed state “train” (i.e. adsorbed) sections are relatively longer and loop sections relatively shorter than for flexible chains. This effect is very pronounced: already for moderately stiff chains the number of Kuhn segment lengths in one “train” section at the temperature T = T_cr/2 (T_cr is the critical temperature for adsorption transition) can reach several thousands, and deviation from the surface occurs only in the form of small “hairpins”. The maximum length of the chain, which at the given conditions would flatten completely on the surface, is estimated.     

Diblock polyampholytes at the silicon–water interface: Adsorption as a function of block ratio and molecular weight

Polyampholytes are highly charged macromolecules carrying oppositely charged functional groups. This article reports on the adsorption of a weak diblock polyampholyte, poly(methacrylic acid)‐block‐poly[(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate], as a function of the copolymer composition and molecular weight. The adsorption experiments were performed on silicon substrates from aqueous polymer solutions at different pHs. The amount of adsorbed polyampholyte chains to the surface was determined by ellipsometry, whereas lateral structures were investigated by scanning force microscopy. A strong influence of pH on the adsorbed amount and the lateral structure formation at the surface was observed. Especially at the isoelectric point, drastic changes in adsorption behavior were detected. At low molecular weights, an increased adsorbed amount was detected, a behavior in contrast to common theoretical predictions. This phenomenon is explained by the high stability of absorbed micelles, which cover the silicon surface as a dense layer. We conclude that micelle formation is an important process for polyampholyte adsorption, which needs to be taken into account more explicitly. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 709–718, 2001     

Dynamics of Adsorbed Star‐Branched Polymer Chains: A Computer Simulation Study

The simple cubic‐lattice model of polymer chains was used to study the dynamic properties of adsorbed, branched polymers. The model star‐branched chains consisted of f = 3 arms of equal lengths. The chain was modeled with excluded volume, that is, in good solvent conditions. The only interaction assumed was a contact potential between polymer segments and an impenetrable surface. This potential was varied to cover both weak and strong adsorption regimes. The classical Metropolis sampling algorithm was used for models of star‐branched polymers in order to calculate the dynamic properties of adsorbed chains. It was shown that long‐time dynamics (diffusion constant) and short‐time dynamics (the longest relaxation time) were different for weak and strong adsorption. The diffusion of weakly adsorbed chains was found to be qualitatively the same as for free nonadsorbed chains, whereas strongly adsorbed chains behaved like two‐dimensional polymers. The time‐dependent properties of structural elements such as tails, loops, and trains were also determined.

The mean lifetimes of tails, loops, and trains versus the bead number for the chain with N = 799 beads for the case of the weak adsorption ε_a = −0.3.     

Bound carbonyls in PMMA adsorbed on silica using transmission FTIR

The fraction of directly‐bound carbonyls of surface‐adsorbed poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was determined using transmission Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The small size of the silica used allowed these measurements to be made directly in the transmission mode from dried casts deposited on KBr salt plates. Curve fitting of the carbonyl‐stretching region allowed the estimation of both the relative amounts and also the relative ratio of the absorption coefficients for the free and bound carbonyls. The bound‐carbonyl fractions were found to vary smoothly from 0.3 to 0.1 for adsorbed amounts from 0.5 to 1.8 mg of PMMA/m². The bound fractions depended primarily on the adsorbed amount of polymer. Only very small, perhaps even negligible, direct effects of the solvent composition (toluene vs. benzene/acetonitrile) or molecular mass (32 to 420 kg/mol) were observed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2071–2078, 2006     

Segmental dynamics of poly(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine) in bulk and at the surface/air interface

Anionically polymerized poly(α-deuterostyrene) and poly(β-deuterostyrene-b-2-vinylpyridine) (DSVP), selectively deuterated on the styrene backbone, were studied using deuterium wide-line NMR in bulk and adsorbed on silica and alumina. Changes in the segmental dynamics of the bulk and adsorbed polymers were inferred via changes in the NMR line shape with temperature. The DSVP bulk sample, which consisted of micellar aggregrates with a 2-vinylpyridine core, was more rigid than the homopolystyrene of a similar molecular weight. A significant change in mobility occurred at 20°C higher in the DSVP bulk sample than it did in homopolystyrene. The DSVP-adsorbed sample showed more restrictive mobility than bulk DSVP. The spectra of the adsorbed samples contained “rigid” Pake patterns with considerable intensity at temperatures where the collapse of the Pake pattern for the DSVP bulk sample was observed. DSVP bound to the silica surface was found to have a mobility similar to the same copolymer on alumina. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1609–1616, 1998