Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)‐b‐polyisobutylene‐b‐poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐hydroxyethyl Methacrylate) Triblock Copolymers

The synthesis of poly[(methyl methacrylate‐co‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)‐b‐isobutylene‐b‐(methyl methacrylate‐co‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)] P(MMA‐co‐HEMA)‐b‐PIB‐b‐P(MMA‐co‐HEMA) triblock copolymers with different HEMA/MMA ratios has been accomplished by the combination of living cationic and anionic polymerizations. P(MMA‐co‐HEMA)‐b‐PIB‐b‐P(MMA‐co‐HEMA) triblock copolymers with different compositions were prepared by a synthetic methodology involving the transformation from living cationic to anionic polymerization. First, 1,1‐diphenylethylene end‐functionalized PIB (DPE‐PIB‐DPE) was prepared by the reaction of living difunctional PIB and 1,4‐bis(1‐phenylethenyl)benzene (PDDPE), followed by the methylation of the resulting diphenyl carbenium ion with dimethylzinc (Zn(CH₃)₂). The DPE ends were quantitatively metalated with n‐butyllithium in tetrahydrofuran, and the resulting macroanion initiated the polymerization of methacrylates yielding triblock copolymers with high blocking efficiency. Microphase separation of the thus prepared triblock copolymers was evidenced by the two glass transitions at ?64 and +120°C observed by differential scanning calorimetry. These new block copolymers exhibit typical stress‐strain behavior of thermoplastic elastomers. Surface characterization of the samples was accomplished by angle‐resolved X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which revealed that the surface is richer in PIB compared to the bulk. However, a substantial amount of P(MMA‐co‐HEMA) remains at the surface. The presence of hydroxyl functionality at the surface provides an opportunity for further modification.     

Angular dependence of pp spin correlation and rescattering observables between 1.80 and 2.10 GeV

A polarized proton beam extracted from SATURNE II and the Saclay polarized proton target were used to determine the spin correlation parameter Aoosk and the rescattering observablesK _os″ so; D_os″ok, N_os″sn, andN _onsk at 1.80 and 2.10 GeV. The beam polarization was oriented perpendicular to the beam direction in the horizontal scattering plane and the target polarization was directed either along the vertical axis or longitudinally. Left-right and up-down asymmetries in the second scattering were measured. A check for the beam optimization with the beam and target polarizations oriented vertically provided other observables, of which results forD _onon andK _onno at 1.80, 1.85, 2.04, and 2.10 GeV are listed here. The new data at 2.10 GeV suggest a smooth energy dependence of spin triplet scattering amplitudes at fixed angles in the vicinity of this energy.     

A novel and efficient synthesis of 3-carboxy-4-oxo-1,8-naphthyridines using magnesium chloride

A novel and efficient synthesis of 5-oxo-6-carboxy-naphthyridines is reported in this Letter along with a discussion of scope and limitations. Activated 3-nicotinic acids readily acylate the magnesium anion of 2-(benzothiazol-2-yl) or 2-(benzimidazol-2-yl) acetates. The corresponding product can then undergo cyclization spontaneously or under very mild conditions to give the desired naphthyridine products. Only near stoichiometric ratios of reactants are required for this approach and the products are isolated in pure form after a trituration making this an efficient process.     

The effect of hydrogen chemisorption on titanium surface bonding

The effect of hydrogen chemisorption on the strength of Ti-Ti bonds is studied byab initio configuration interaction techniques using an embedding theory to describe the electronic structure. A Ti adatom on Ti(0001) is modelled by a Ti₂₀H cluster with boundary potentials determined from the embedding treatment. Hydrogen atom chemisorption is highly exothermic for adsorption atop the adatom, a three-fold site formed by the adatom and in the interstitial site below the adatom. Compared to the planar Ti(0001) surface the adatom region binds hydrogen much more strongly. Removal of Ti from the surface is energetically much more favorable if H remains on the surface as opposed to the removal of TiH. The exchange reaction Ti₂₀+HTi₁₉H+Ti is endothermic by 0.3 eV. These results suggest high reactivity of the adatom region on Ti(0001) but not such that the surface is more easily fragmented by removal of Ti or TiH.Dedicated to Professor J. Koutecký on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Forces between Polymer Surfaces and Self-Assembled Monolayers

Gold-coated atomic force microscope (AFM) tips functionalized with amine-, hydroxyl-, carboxylic acid-, and methyl-terminated alkanethiol molecules were used to probe the adhesive forces of polystyrene and poly(acrylic acid) films in dry air (relative humidity < 0.5%). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle measurements confirmed the quality and uniformity of similarly treated gold surfaces and the polymer films. XPS indicated that the amine-functionalized thiol films were protonated and comprised of multilayers. Contact angle data were used to calculate surface free energies, and DMT theory yielded the works of adhesion and interfacial free energies for the tip-substrate combinations. In the case of polystyrene, the work of adhesion followed the order methyl > carboxylic acid > hydroxyl > amine. For poly(acrylic acid), the observed order was hydroxyl > amine > carboxylic acid > methyl.     

Conjugated polymers in an arene sandwich

A series of poly(p-arylene butadiynylene)s containing zero, one, and two co-facial pi-pi interactions per repeat unit were synthesized and characterized. A surprisingly selective and high-yielding Diels-Alder cycloaddition of anthracene and nonsymmetric, sterically hindered anhydrides proved essential to generating the cofacial arene-containing monomers. Single-crystal X-ray structures display nearly parallel cofacial arenes that are within the van der Waals contact distances. The precursor molecules with cofacial arenes undergo reversible one- and two-electron oxidations to the radical cation and dication in CH2Cl2. The anhydrides were converted to N-alkyl imides to increase the solubility. High-molecular weight poly(p-arylene butadiynylene)s were prepared via Pd/Cu(I)/benzoquinone oxidative coupling of the diacetylene monomers. The resulting polymers are highly emissive in solution and thin films. The ionization potentials were measured using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy with thin films. Last, fluorescence measurements of polymer thin films during continuous irradiation indicate that the most hindered polymer is more resistant to photobleaching.     

Dipole and quadrupole moments of molecules in crystals: a novel approach based on integration over Hirshfeld surfaces

Elegant expressions are derived for the computation of dipole and quadrupole moments of molecules using the electrostatic potential and electric field evaluated on an oriented molecular surface. These expressions are implemented for Hirshfeld surfaces, applied to various molecular crystals, and compared with the results from the quantum theory of atoms in molecules. The effect of intermolecular interactions is also explored by examining the differences between electrostatic moments derived from a periodic Hartree-Fock electron density and an electron density resulting from a superposition of noninteracting molecules. The enhancement of the dipole moment for hydrogen bonded molecular crystals is typically 30%-40% and shown to be largely independent of the partitioning scheme. Dipole moments calculated from Hirshfeld surfaces systematically underestimate those from zero-flux surfaces, a result attributed to the translation of the Hirshfeld surface relative to the zero-flux surfaces for these molecules. For acetylene and benzene, the differences between a crystal calculation and the sum of noninteracting molecules are small, and both partitioning schemes yield quadrupole and second moment results in close agreement.     

Tough Supersoft Sponge Fibers with Tunable Stiffness from a DNA Self‐Assembly Technique

Tough and soft : Highly porous, spongelike materials self‐assemble by calcium ion condensation of DNA‐wrapped carbon nanotubes (SWNTs–DNA; see picture, IL=ionic liquid). The toughness, modulus, and swellability of the electrically conductive sponges can be tuned by controlling the density and strength of interfiber junctions. The sponges have compliances similar to the softest natural tissue, while robust interfiber junctions give high toughness.

     

Elastic pp scattering at 1.463 GeV/c in the Coulomb interference region

The differential cross section for elastic pp scattering has been measured at 800 MeV, for laboratory angles ranging between 1.2° and 4.3° (lab). The ratio ? of the real to imaginary parts of the forward spin-independent scattering amplitude and the combined magnitudes of the forward double spin-flip amplitudes have been extracted from the data and are compared with the results of recent forward dispersion relation calculations and phase shift analyses.