A facile synthesis of polyamides from aromatic diisocyanates and dicarboxylic acid catalyzed by Lewis acids

Aromatic polyamides were prepared by an AlCl₃ or HCl-catalyzed polymerization of toluene diisocyanate or methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate) with adipic acid at low temperatures (≤100°C) in a short reaction time (3–4 h). The intrinsic viscosity of the polymers was approximately 1.1 dL/g as determined at 25°C with m-cresol as solvent, indicating that the polyamides obtained by this method have relatively high molecular weights. The polymers exhibit high glass transition temperatures and good thermal stability.     

Automated Generation of Microkinetics for Heterogeneously Catalyzed Reactions Considering Correlated Uncertainties**

The study presents an ab-initio based framework for the automated construction of microkinetic mechanisms considering correlated uncertainties in all energetic parameters and estimation routines. 2000 unique microkinetic models were generated within the uncertainty space of the BEEF-vdW functional for the oxidation reactions of representative exhaust gas emissions from stoichiometric combustion engines over Pt(111) and compared to experiments through multiscale modeling. The ensemble of simulations stresses the importance of considering uncertainties. Within this set of first-principles-based models, it is possible to identify a microkinetic mechanism that agrees with experimental data. This mechanism can be traced back to a single exchange-correlation functional, and it suggests that Pt(111) could be the active site for the oxidation of light hydrocarbons. The study provides a universal framework for the automated construction of reaction mechanisms with correlated uncertainty quantification, enabling a DFT-constrained microkinetic model optimization for other heterogeneously catalyzed systems.