Studies on molecular weight distribution of carbon fiber polymer precursors synthesized using mixed solvents

The molecular weight distributions were estimated for carbon fiber polymer precursors such as poly（acrylonitrile-co -itaconic acid） synthesized by semi batch solution polymerization in mixed solvents media with the azonitrile compounds as initiator under the different ratios of solvent and non solvent from 0.75 to 2.5 in weight.The copolymer was characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR） and nuclear magnetic resonance（¹H-NMR） analyses.The molecular weight distributions were evaluated by M_v/M_n ratios estimated from viscosity and osmotic measurements,and M_w/M_n estimated from size exclusion chromatography.The molecular weight distributions of these polymers as determined from M_v/M_n and M_w/M_n are 2.9 to 3.2 and 2.0 to 2.5 respectively.The molecular distributions were close to a narrow distribution of 2.0 when the solvent/non-solvent ratio was varied between 1.4 and 2.0.Intrinsic viscosity[?]as a function of molecular weight of poly（acrylonitrile-co-itaconic acid） was evaluated by means of low angle laser light scattering with size exclusion chromatography（SEC-LALLS） and viscometry with SEC（SEC-VISCO）.The relationship between[?]and M_w for poly（acrylonitrile-co-itaconic acid） in DMF at 50℃was[?]= 1.1×10^-5M_w^0.79,where[?]is obtained in dL/g.     

NOVEL HYPERBRANCHED POLY（PHENYLENE OXIDE）S WITH PHENOLIC TERMINAL GROUPS： EFFECTS OF REACTION TIME AND CORE MOLECULES ON THE MOLECULAR WEIGHT AND POLYDISPERSITY

A novel hyperbranched poly（phenylene oxide） （HPPO） with phenolic terminal groups was prepared from 4-bromo-4＇,4＂-dihydroxytriphenylmethane as AB2 monomer in dimethylsulfoxide （DMSO） via a modified Ullmann reaction. The molecular weight and polydispersity （PD） of the resulting polymers increased with increasing reaction time. In the presence of core molecules （bisphenol A and 1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene）, which have the similar molecular backbones to the reactive monomer, the molecular weight could be controlled by varying the core-to-monomer ratio. Incorporation of a very small amount of core molecules could lead to a higher molecular weight as compared with that without the addition of core molecules. However, when the core content reached certain extent, the molecular weight would decrease with the further increase in the core content. A new similar behavior of control over the PD was also obtained. The resulting polymers were characterized by ^1H-NMR, ^13C-NMR, FT-IR, and GPC.     

PREPARATION OF LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLY（GLYCIDYL METHACRYLATE） BY PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION

Low molecular weight poly（glycidyl methacrylate）s （PGMAs） were prepared by photopolymerization in ethyl acetate, with benzophenone （BP） as photoinitiator, and triethylamine （TEA） as hydrogen donor. The existence of semipinacol dormant end groups in PGMA was confirmed by FT-IR and ^1H-NMR, and the content of the semipinacol dormant groups was determined quantitatively by ^1H-NMR measurement. The effects of various thctors, such as reaction time, BP concentration and monomer concentration on the synthesis of the polymers were investigated systematically. The molecular weights of the polymers were also investigated with GPC. It is shown that increasing BP concentration and decreasing irradiation time and monomer concentration led to a significant decrease of the molecular weights.     

Polyamides with pendant 1,3,4-oxadiazole and pyridine moieties

A novel aromatic diamine,2-（5-（3,5-diaminophenyl）-l,3,4-oxadiazole-2-yl）pyridine（POBD）,containing a pyridine ring and a 1,3,4-oxadiazole moiety,was synthesized.It was used in a polycondensation with various aromatic and aliphatic diacid chlorides to generate a series of new aromatic polyamides with pendant 1,3,4-oxadiazole groups.The prepared polyamides were characterized by IR,elemental analysis and through the synthesis of model compounds.Thermophysical properties of the synthesized polyamides have been studied by DSC,TGA and inherent viscosity measurements. Relatively high inherent viscosity values（0.76-1.62 dL/g,in 0.125%H₂SO₄ at 25℃） were observed for these compounds. Number average molecular weight（M_n） of the polymers was measured by vapor phase osmometry（VPO）.The introduction of bulky side chains in the structure of aromatic polyamides led to increased solubility of these polymers in common polar and aprotic solvents,such as DMF,DMSO,NMP and DMAc,which allowed thin films to be cast from polymer solutions. The highest molecular weight（M_n = 51190） was observed for polymer（DC）,which was prepared from pyridine-2,6-dichlorocarbonyl.     

SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND NANOPARTICLE FORMATION OF STAR-SHAPED POLY(L-LACTIDE) WITH SIX ARMS

Well-defined star-shaped poly(L-lactide)with six arms(sPLLA)was synthesized via the ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide using dipentaerythritol as initiator and stannous octoate as catalyst in bulk at 125~C.The effects of molar ratios of both monomer to initiator and monomer to catalyst on the molecular weights of as-synthesized sPLLA polymers were in detail investigated.The molecular weights of sPLLA polymers linearly increased with the molar ratio of monomer to initiator,and the molecular weight d...     

“LIVING”/CONTROLLED RADICAL POLYMERIZATION OF ETHYL METHYLACRYLATE WITH 2,2’-AZOBISISOBUTYRONITRILE/FERRIC CHLORIDE/TRIPHENYLPHOSPHINE INITIATION SYSTEM

"Living"/controlled radical polymerization of ethyl methacrylate (EMA) was carried out with a 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN)/ferric chloride (FeCl_3)/triphenylphosphine (PPh_3) initiation system at 85℃. Thc numberaverage molecular weight (M_n) increases linearly with monomer conversion and the rate of polymerization is first order withrespect to monomer concentration. The M_w of PEMA ranges from 3900 to 17600 and the polydispersity indices are quitenarrow (1.09～1.22). The conversion can reach up to～100% and M_w of the polymers obtained is close to that designed. Thepolymerization mechanism belongs to the reverse atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The polymer was end-functionalized by chlorine atom, which acts as a macroinitiator to proceed extension polymerization in the presence ofCuBr/bipy catalyst system via an ATRP process. The presence of ω-chlorine in the PEMA obtained was identified by ~1H-NMR spectrum.     

Reverse Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of (-)-Menthyl Methacrylate

The reverse atom transfer radical polymerization(RATRP)of (-)-menthyl methacrylate ((-)-MnMA) with AIBN(AIBM/CuCl2/bipyridine(bipy) or (-)sparteine((-)Sp)=1/2/4 initiating system in THF has been studied.The dependence of the specific rotation on molecular weight was investigated.     

Photo-polymerization of liquid crystalline monomer in oriented liquid crystal phase

<正>A new approach to synthesize liquid crystalline polymer with narrow polydispersity index(PDI) was developed.Photopolymerization of 4-cyanophenyl-4'-(6-acryloyloxyhexyloxy)benzoate(RM23) in nematic liquid crystals with macroscopic orientation was studied.The effects of the monomer concentration on the molecular weight and PDI of the resulting polymers were studied through gel permeation chromatography(GPC) and polarized optical microscopy.The low PDI of 1.19 and 1.22 was obtained in the reverse and normal modes,respectively.The PDI and molecular weight increased with monomer concentration.     

Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Selenium-functionalized Poly(ε-caprolactone)

A selenium-functionalizedε-caprolactone was synthesized by introducing a phenyl selenide group at the 7-position.A polymer was obtained through the ring-opening polymerization of this monomer in a base/thiourea binary organocatalytic system.A living polymerization process was achieved under mild conditions.The resulting polymers had a controlled molecular weight with a narrow molecular weight distributions and high end-group fidelity.Random copolymers could be obtained by copolymerizing this monomer withε-caprolactone.The thermal degradation temperature of the obtained copolymers decreased with the increasing molar ratio of selenide functionalized monomer in copolymers,while the glass transition temperature increased.In addition,the phenyl selenide side group could be further modified to a polyselenonium salt,which resulted in a polymer with good antibacterial properties.The survival rate of E.coli and S.aureus was only 9%with a polymer concentration of 62.5μg/mL.     

Pervaporation for separating benzene/cyclohexane mixture by P(AA-MA) copolymer membranes

P(AA-MA)copolymers composed of acrylic acid and methyl acrylate with different molecular weights and sequence structures were synthesized by combination of ATRP and selective hydrolysis.These copolymers were used as membrane materials to separate benzene/cyclohexane mixture by pervaporation.The effects of molecular weight and sequence structure of the copolymers on the pervaporation performance were investigated in detail.For the random copolymers,the permeate flux decreased rapidly with the increasing of molecular weight.The separation factor was also influenced by the molecular weight,which was changed from no selectivity to cyclohexane selectivity with increasing the molecular weight.Contrarily,the block copolymer membrane showed good benzene selectivity with separation factor of 4.3 and permeate flux of 157 g/(m~2h)to 50 wt%benzene/cyclohexane mixture.     

A copper‐based reverse atom‐transfer radical polymerization process for the living radical polymerization of polyacrylonitrile

The reverse atom‐transfer radical polymerization (RATRP) technique using CuCl₂/2,2′‐bipyridine (bipy) complex as a catalyst was applied to the living radical polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN). A hexasubstituted ethane thermal iniferter, diethyl 2,3‐dicyano‐2,3‐diphenylsuccinate (DCDPS), was firstly used as the initiator in this copper‐based RATRP initiation system. A CuCl₂ to bipy ratio of 0.5 not only gives the best control of molecular weight and its distribution, but also provides rather rapid reaction rate. The rate of polymerization increases with increasing the polymerization temperature, and the apparent activation energy was calculated to be 57.4 kJ mol^?1. Because the polymers obtained were end‐functionalized by chlorine atoms, they were used as macroinitiators to proceed the chain extension polymerization in the presence of CuCl/bipy catalyst system via a conventional ATRP process. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 226–231, 2006     

Photoinduced Electron Transfer between N,N, Nr,N' ‐Tetra‐(p‐methylphenyl)‐4, 4‐diamino‐1, 1'‐diphenyl Ether (TPDAE) and Fullerenes (C60/C70) by Laser Flash Photolysis

The photoinduced electron‐transfer reaction of N, N, N', N'‐tetra‐(p‐methylphenyl)‐4,4'‐diamino‐1,1'‐diphenyl ether (TPDAE) and fullerenes (C₆₀/C₇₀) by nanosecond laser flash photolysis occurred in benzonitrile. Transient absorption spectral measurements were carried out during 532 nm laser flash photolysis of a mixture of the fullerenes (C₆₀/C₇₀) and TPDAE. The electron transfer from the TPDAE to excited triplet state of the fullerenes (C₆₀/C₇₀) quantum yields and rate constants of electron transfer from TPDAE to excited triplet state of fullerenes (C₆₀/C₇₀) in benzonitrile have been evaluated by observing the transient absorption bands in the near‐IR region where the excited triplet state, radical anion of fullerenes (C₆₀/C₇₀) and radical cations of TPDAE are expected to appear.     

Transient Absorption Spectral characterization of Electron Transfer between Fullerenes（C60／C70）and N,N,N’，N’—Tetra（p—methylphenyl）—4,4’—diamino—1,1’—diphenyl Sulphide（TPDAS）

In search of new systems with a photoexcited redox pair which exhibits a strong and stable photoinduced absorption band to understand the photophyscial and photochemical properties of electron transfer between fullernes (C60/C70) and organic donor[N,N,N’，N’-tetra(p-methylphenyl)-4,4’-diamino-1,1’-diphenyl sulphide(TPDAS)],we studied characteristic absorption spectra in the near-IR region obtained from 532nm nanosecond laser flash photolysis of a mixture of the fullerenes (C60/C70) and TPDAS in polar solvents.When fullerenes (C60/C70)were photoexcithed,the rise of the radical anion of fullerenes (C60/C70)with the rapid decay of their excited triplet states were observed in benzonitrile.It can be deduced that the electron transfer reaction does take place from TPDAS to excithed triplet state of rullerens(C60/C70).The rate consants(ket)and quantum yiekls(φet) of this process have been also evaluated.     

Electrochemically formed fullerene-based polymeric films

The recent results of investigations involving the electrochemical formation of polymers containing fullerenes and studies of their properties and applications are critically reviewed. From a structural point of view, these polymers can be divided into four main categories including (1) polymers with fullerenes physically incorporated into the foreign polymeric network without forming covalent bonds, (2) fullerene homopolymers formed via [2+2] cycloaddition, (3) “pearl necklace” polymers with fullerenes mutually linked covalently to form polymer chains, and (4) “charm bracelet” polymers containing pendant fullerene substituents. The methods of electrochemical polymerization of these systems are described and assessed. The structural features and properties of the electrochemically prepared polymers and their chemically synthesized analogs are compared. Polymer films containing fullerenes are electroactive in the negative potential range due to electroreduction of the fullerene moieties. Related films made with fullerenes derivatized with electron-donating moieties as building blocks are electroactive in both the negative and positive potential range. These can be regarded as “double cables” as they exhibit both p- and n-doping properties. Fullerene-based polymers may find numerous applications. For instance, they can be used as charge-storage and energy-converting materials for batteries and photoactive units of photovoltaic cell devices, respectively. They can be also used as substrates for electrochemical sensors and biosensors. Films of the C₆₀/Pt and C₆₀/Pd polymers containing metallic nano-particles of platinum and palladium, respectively, effectively catalyze the hydrogenation of olefins and acetylenes. Laser ablation of electrochemically formed C₆₀/M and C₇₀/M polymer films (M=Pt or Ir) results in fragmentation of the fullerenes leading to the formation of hetero-fullerenes, such as [C₅₉M]⁺ and [C₆₉M]⁺.Dedicated to Professor Dr. Alan M. Bond on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

Impact of fullerenes on the thermal stability of melt processed polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) composites

The impact of the two fullerenes C₆₀ and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) on the thermal and thermo-oxidative stability of the corresponding melt processed composites with the two polymers polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), was studied using both dynamic and isothermal thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). For each polymer, three different composites with C₆₀ loadings of 1.0 wt% and 3.0 wt% and PCBM loadings of 1.0 wt% were considered. The aim of this work was to compare the stabilization effect of both fullerenes on PS and PMMA. The results obtained show unequivocally that, although PCBM has lower thermal and thermo-oxidative stability than C₆₀, the PS-PCBM and PMMA-PCBM composites have higher thermal and thermo-oxidative stability than the corresponding PS-C₆₀ and PMMA-C₆₀ composites. These results corroborate our previous reports, on showing that PCBM is better than C₆₀ at improving the thermal and thermo-oxidative stability of polymers which degrade through radical degradation mechanisms.     

“Helix‐in‐Helix” Superstructure Formation through Encapsulation of Fullerene‐Bound Helical Peptides within a Helical Poly(methyl methacrylate) Cavity

A one‐handed 3₁₀‐helical hexapeptide is efficiently encapsulated within the helical cavity of st‐PMMA when a fullerene (C₆₀) derivative is introduced at the C‐terminal end of the peptide. The encapsulation is accompanied by induction of a preferred‐handed helical conformation in the st‐PMMA backbone with the same‐handedness as that of the hexapeptide to form a crystalline st‐PMMA/peptide‐C₆₀ inclusion complex with a unique optically active helix‐in‐helix structure. Although the st‐PMMA is unable to encapsulate the 3₁₀‐helical peptide without the terminal C₆₀ unit, the helical hollow space of the st‐PMMA is almost filled by the C₆₀‐bound peptides. This result suggests that the C₆₀ moiety can serve as a versatile molecular carrier of specific molecules and polymers in the helical cavity of the st‐PMMA for the formation of an inclusion complex, thus producing unique supramolecular soft materials that cannot be prepared by other methods.     

Interplay between the Diradical Character and Third‐Order Nonlinear Optical Properties in Fullerene Systems

To reveal new structure–property relationships in the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of fullerenes that are associated with their open‐shell character, we investigated the interplay between the diradical character (y_i) and second hyperpolarizability (longitudinal component, γ_zzzz) in several fullerenes, including C₂₀ , C₂₆ , C₃₀ , C₃₆ , C₄₀ , C₄₂ , C₄₈ , C₆₀ , and C₇₀ , by using the broken‐symmetry density functional theory (DFT; LC‐UBLYP (μ=0.33)/6‐31G*//UB3LYP/6‐31G*). We found that the large differences between the geometry and topology of fullerenes have a significant effect on the diradical character of each fullerene. On the basis of their different diradical character, these fullerenes were categorized into three groups, that is, closed‐shell (y_i=0), intermediate open‐shell (0<y_i<1), and almost pure open‐shell compounds (y_i?1), which originated from their diverse topological features, as explained by odd‐electron‐density and spin‐density diagrams. For example, we found that closed‐shell fullerenes include C₂₀ , C₆₀ , and C₇₀ , whereas fullerenes C₂₆ and C₃₆ and C₃₀ , C₄₀ , C₄₂ , and C₄₈ are pure and intermediate open‐shell compounds, respectively. Interestingly, the γ_zzzz enhancement ratios between C₃₀ / C₃₆ and C₄₀ / C₆₀ are 4.42 and 11.75, respectively, regardless of the smaller π‐conjugation size in C₃₀ and C₄₀ than in C₃₆ and C₆₀ . Larger γ_zzzz values were obtained for other fullerenes that had intermediate diradical character, in accordance with our previous valence configuration interaction (VCI) results for the two‐site diradical model. The γ_zzzz density analysis shows that the large positive contributions originate from the large γ_zzzz density distributions on the right‐ and left‐extended edges of the fullerenes, between which significant spin polarizations (related to their intermediate diradical character) appear within the spin‐unrestricted DFT level of theory.     

Synthesis of well‐defined cyclodextrin‐core star polymers

The synthesis of 21‐arm methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene star polymers is reported. The copper (I)‐mediated living radical polymerization of MMA was carried out with a cyclodextrin‐core‐based initiator with 21 independent discrete initiation sites: heptakis[2,3,6‐tri‐O‐(2‐bromo‐2‐methylpropionyl]‐β‐cyclodextrin. Living polymerization occurred, providing well‐defined 21‐arm star polymers with predicted molecular weights calculated from the initiator concentration and the consumed monomer as well as low polydispersities [e.g., poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), number‐average molecular weight (M_n) = 55,700, polydispersity index (PDI) = 1.07; M_n = 118,000, PDI = 1.06; polystyrene, M_n = 37,100, PDI = 1.15]. Functional methacrylate monomers containing poly(ethylene glycol), a glucose residue, and a tert‐amine group in the side chain were also polymerized in a similar fashion, leading to hydrophilic star polymers, again with good control over the molecular weight and polydispersity (M_n = 15,000, PDI = 1.03; M_n = 36,500, PDI = 1.14; and M_n = 139,000, PDI = 1.09, respectively). When styrene was used as the monomer, it was difficult to obtain well‐defined polystyrene stars at high molecular weights. This was due to the increased occurrence of side reactions such as star–star coupling and thermal (spontaneous) polymerization; however, low‐polydispersity polymers were achieved at relatively low conversions. Furthermore, a star block copolymer consisting of PMMA and poly(butyl methacrylate) was successfully synthesized with a star PMMA as a macroinitiator (M_n = 104,000, PDI = 1.05). © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2206–2214, 2001     

Phase separation of polymer‐functionalized SWNTs within a PMMA/polystyrene blend

Phase separation of polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends was used as a means to segregate PS‐ or PMMA‐functionalized single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in thin films. Dilute solutions (5 wt % in THF) of 1:1 PS/PMMA blends containing the functionalized nanotubes were spin cast and annealed at 180 °C for 12 h. Two different polymer molecular weights were used (M_n = 8000 or M_n = 22,000), and were of approximately equivalent molecular weight to those attached to the surface of the nanotubes. Nanotube functionalization was accomplished using the Cu(I)‐catalyzed [3 + 2] Huisgen cycloaddition, in which alkyne‐decorated nanotubes were coupled with azide‐terminated polymers, resulting in polymer‐SWNT conjugates that were soluble in THF. Characterization of the annealed films by scanning Raman spectroscopy, which utilized the unique Raman fingerprint of carbon nanotubes, enabled accurate mapping of the functionalized SWNTs within the films relative to the two phase‐separated polymers. It was found that nanotube localization within the phase‐separated polymer films was influenced by the type of polymer attached to the nanotube surface, as well as its molecular weight. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 450–458, 2009     

Supramolecular Porphyrin‐Based Metal–Organic Frameworks with Fullerenes: Crystal Structures and Preferential Intercalation of C70

The syntheses and characterization of two new porphyrin‐based metal–organic frameworks (P‐MOFs), through the complexation of 5,10,15,20‐tetra‐4‐pyridyl‐21 H,23 H‐porphine (H₂TPyP) and copper(II) acetate (CuAcO) in the presence of the fullerenes C₆₀ or C₇₀ are reported. Complex 1 was synthesized in conjunction with C₆₀, and this reaction produced a two‐dimensional (2D) porous structure with the composition CuAcO‐CuTPyP?m‐dichlorobenzene (m‐DCB), in which C₆₀ molecules were not intercalated. Complex 2 was synthesized in the presence of C₇₀, generating a three‐dimensional (3D) porous structure, in which C₇₀ was intercalated, with the composition CuAcO‐CuTPyP?C₇₀?m‐DCB?CHCl₃. The structures of these materials were determined by X‐ray diffraction to identify the supramolecular interactions that lead to 2D and 3D crystal packing motifs. When a combination of C₆₀ and C₇₀ was employed, C₇₀ was found to be preferentially intercalated between the porphyrins.