Recent advances in polymer network liquid crystal spatial light modulators

Polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC) spatial light modulators are attractive for display and photonic applications because they can achieve submillisecond response time while keeping a large phase change. However, their on-state scattering caused by the grain boundary of LC multidomains hinders their applications. In this article, we review recent progress on the development of scattering-free PNLCs extending from short-wavelength infrared to visible region by reducing the domain sizes to ∼200 nm through low temperature curing process. To reduce operation voltage, both transmissive and reflective modes, LC material properties (birefringence and dielectric anisotropy), polymer composition and concentration, and pretilt angle effect are analyzed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 183–192     

Deep-Eutectic-Solvent-Based Self-Healing Polymer Electrolyte for Safe and Long-Life Lithium-Metal Batteries

The deployment of high-energy-density lithium-metal batteries has been greatly impeded by Li dendrite growth and safety concerns originating from flammable liquid electrolytes. Herein, we report a stable quasi-solid-state Li metal battery with a deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based self-healing polymer (DSP) electrolyte. This electrolyte was fabricated in a facile manner by in situ copolymerization of 2-(3-(6-methyl-4-oxo-1,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-yl)ureido)ethyl methacrylate (UPyMA) and pentaerythritol tetraacrylate (PETEA) monomers in a DES-based electrolyte containing fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) as an additive. The well-designed DSP electrolyte simultaneously possesses non-flammability, high ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability, and dendrite-free Li plating. When applied in Li metal batteries with a LiMn₂O₄ cathode, the DSP electrolyte effectively suppressed manganese dissolution from the cathode and enabled high-capacity and a long lifespan at room and elevated temperatures.     

Solid-Phase Radical Polymerization of Halogen-Bond-Based Crystals and Applications to Pre-Shaped Polymer Materials

Liquid vinyl monomers were converted into solid crystals via halogen bonding. They underwent solid-phase radical polymerizations through heating at 40 °C or ultraviolet photo-irradiation (365 nm). The X-ray crystallography analysis showed the high degree of monomer alignment in the crystals. The polymerizations of the solid monomer crystals yielded polymers with high molecular weights and relatively low dispersities because of the high degree of the monomer alignment in the crystal. As a unique application of this system, the crystalized monomers were assembled to pre-determined structures, followed by solid-phase polymerization, to obtain a two-layer polymer sheet and a three-dimensional house-shaped polymer material. The two-layer sheet contained a unique asymmetric pore structure and exhibited a solvent-responsive shape memory property and may find applications to asymmetric membranes and polymer actuators.     

A Non-Conjugated Polymer Acceptor for Efficient and Thermally Stable All-Polymer Solar Cells

A non-conjugated polymer acceptor PF1-TS4 was firstly synthesized by embedding a thioalkyl segment in the mainchain, which shows excellent photophysical properties on par with a fully conjugated polymer, with a low optical band gap of 1.58 eV and a high absorption coefficient >10⁵ cm⁻¹, a high LUMO level of −3.89 eV, and suitable crystallinity. Matched with the polymer donor PM6, the PF1-TS4-based all-PSC achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.63 %, which is ≈45 % higher than that of a device based on the small molecule acceptor counterpart IDIC16. Moreover, the PF1-TS4-based all-PSC has good thermal stability with ≈70 % of its initial PCE retained after being stored at 85 °C for 180 h, while the IDIC16-based device only retained ≈50 % of its initial PCE when stored at 85 °C for only 18 h. Our work provides a new strategy to develop efficient polymer acceptor materials by linkage of conjugated units with non-conjugated thioalkyl segments.     

Helicity Control of Polymeric Backbones with Alternating cis-trans Double Bonds in Cyclopolymerized Dipropargyl Amides

We report the synthesis of new helical polymeric structures having alternating cis and trans double bonds and chiral amino acid side chains by metathesis cyclopolymerization. The polymer helicity, which is generated by the interaction between fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc) groups in the side chains, is dramatically affected by solvents. A thorough experimental and theoretical analysis including nuclear magnetic resonance, atomic force microscopy, and density functional theory and molecular mechanics calculations suggests that the helicity of both backbone and side chains are determined by anti-syn rotation of the carbamate groups and by the different interactions of the Fmoc groups with solvents.     

基于正电荷和光热协同效应的新型半导体聚合物纳米抗菌材料

由于抗生素的不当使用和细菌多药耐药的出现, 迫切需要开发新的抗菌剂. 本文制备了具有光热转换性能的正电荷半导体高分子材料及具有协同抗菌活性的半导体聚合物纳米粒子(SP-PPh₃ NPs). SP-PPh₃ NPs的光热转化效率为43.8%. 带正电荷的SP-PPh₃ NPs可以附着在细菌上, 有助于将热量有效传递给细菌. 在热和正电荷的协同作用下, SP-PPh₃ NPs对革兰氏阴性大肠杆菌(E. coli)和革兰氏阳性金黄色葡萄球菌(S. aureus)均具有抗菌活性, 其对二者的体外抑菌率分别为99.9%和98.6%. 此外, SP-PPh₃ NPs具有良好的生物相容性, 对小鼠的主要器官几乎无副作用. 对细菌感染的小鼠皮肤伤口用SP-PPh₃ NPs治疗12 d后, 伤口可以很好地愈合.     

Ambient Temperature Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Six Transition Metal Acetylenedicarboxylate Coordination Polymers

This work reports the ambient temperature synthesis and structural characterization of six new first row transition metal acetylenedicarboxylate coordination polymers. The Co and two Ni compounds adopt structures in which the octahedral metals are connected into 1D chains via the acetylenedicarboxylate ligand. In contrast the Mn and two Zn compounds adopt 3D metal-organic frameworks; while the Mn compound is non-porous the two Zn structures contain dimeric or trimeric clusters connected into frameworks that are potentially porous. These two anionic metal-organic frameworks are, however, charged balanced by cations siting in their pores which greatly reduces the ability to access their porosity.     

黄体酮纳米胶束构建及体外释放行为

为了制备可缓释释放的黄体酮纳米胶束新剂型,构建了两嵌段聚合物载体聚乙二醇-聚丙烯基缩水甘油醚(PEG-PAGE),组装成胶束,对黄体酮担载,考察不同条件下的载药量和包封率,筛选出最佳比例,并进行体外释放研究。 结果表明,该胶束能够担载黄体酮,载药量为4.26%,包封率为21.30%,48 h内累计释放达61.31%,能够有效地延缓黄体酮的释放,为黄体酮纳米剂型的开发提供了实验和技术参考。     

Spatially and electrically tunable random lasing based on a polymer-stabilised blue phase liquid crystal-wedged cell

ABSTRACT

We demonstrate a spatially and electrically tunable random lasing based on polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystal (PS-BPLC)-wedged cell. The spatially tunable random lasers can be obtained from the laser dye-doped PS-BPLC-wedged cell through changing the pump positions, where the emission wavelength of the random laser can be tuned due to the thickness gradient of the wedged cell, which affects the scattering mean free path. Additionally, applying different electric fields can also tune the laser emission wavelength. The changing of refractive index due to the Kerr effect leads to a change in the scattering mean free path, resulting in shift of lasing wavelength. This PS-BPLC-wedged cell device has a great potential in applications of speckle-free imaging, document coding, biomedicine and other photonic devices.