Surface Polymers on Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes for Selective Extraction and Electrochemical Determination of Rhodamine B in Food Samples

In this study, we combine magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE), with the screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified by a molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) for sensitive and selective extraction and electrochemical determination of Rhodamine B in food samples. A magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) was carried out using magnetic poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) (PS-DVB) and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) synthetized on the surface of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). An MIP was prepared on the surface of MWCNTs in the presence of titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO₂NPs) modifying the SPCE for the rapid electrochemical detection of Rhodamine B. The MIPs synthesis was optimized by varying the activated titanium oxide (TiO₂) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) amounts. The MSPE and electrochemical detection conditions were optimized as well. The present method exhibited good selectivity, high sensitivity, and good reproducibility towards the determination of Rhodamine B, making it a suitable method for the determination of Rhodamine B in food samples.     

Optimizing the monomer structure of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane for ion transport in hybrid organic–inorganic block copolymers

Poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (PEO–POSS) mixed with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide salt is a nanostructured hybrid organic–inorganic block copolymer electrolyte that may enable lithium metal batteries. The synthesis and characteristics of three PEO–POSS block copolymer electrolytes which only differ by their POSS silica cage substituents (ethyl, isobutyl, and isooctyl) is reported. Changing the POSS monomer structure results in differences in both thermodynamics and ion transport. All three neat polymers exhibit lamellar morphologies. Adding salt results in the formation of a disordered window which closes and gives way to lamellae at higher salt concentrations. The width of disordered window decreases with increasing length of the POSS alkyl chain substituent from ethyl to isobutyl and is absent in the isooctyl sample. Rheological measurements demonstrate good mechanical rigidity when compared with similar all-organic block copolymers. While salt diffusion coefficient and current ratio are unaffected by substituent length, ionic conductivity increases as the length of the alkyl chain substituent decreases: the ethyl substituent is optimal for ion transport. This is surprising because conventional wisdom suggests that ion transport occurs primarily in the PEO-rich domains, that is, ion transport should be unaffected by substituent length after accounting for the minor change in conducting phase volume fraction. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2020 © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 58, 363–371     

Investigation of segmental reorganization within amphiphilic block polymer nanoparticles derived from shell crosslinked micelle templates: Shell crosslinked knedel-like inversion

The construction of nanoscopic materials by synthetic methodologies that iterate covalent and supramolecular interactions has been developed over the past three decades as a powerful method to afford complex functional materials. Indeed, the present study was nearly lost in the archives of dissertation research completed in 2001, which revealed nanoscale conformational dynamics in the segmental reorganization, and partial inversion, of topologically shell crosslinked knedel-like (SCK) nanoparticles. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 58, 204–214     

Thermoset modified with polyethersulfone: Characterization and control of the morphology

Thermoset (TS) epoxy resins can be toughened with a thermoplastic (TP) for high-performance applications. The final structure morphology has to be controlled to achieve high mechanical properties and high impact resistance. Four polyethersulfone-modified epoxy resins are considered. They consist of different epoxy monomer structure (TGAP, triglycidyl-p-aminophenol and TGDDM, tetraglycidyl diaminodiphenylmethane) and a fixed amount of thermoplastic, and they are cured with two different amounts of curing agent. A reaction-induced phase separation occurs for all formulations generating morphologies, different in shapes and scales. The aim is to control the final morphology and in particular its dominant length scale. This morphology depends on the phase separation process, from the initiation to its final stage. The initiation relies on the relative miscibility of the components and on the stoichiometry between epoxy and curing agent. The kinetics depends on the viscosity of the systems. The different morphologies are characterized by electron microscopy or neutron scattering. Dynamic mechanical analysis allows confirming the presence of a phase separation even when it is not observable by electron microscopy. Vermicular morphologies with few hundreds nanometer width are obtained for the systems containing the TGAP as epoxy monomer. Systems formulated with TGDDM presents morphologies on much smaller scale of order a few tens of nanometers. We interpret the different sizes of the morphologies as a consequence of a larger viscosity for the TGDDM systems as compared to the TGAP ones rather than by a latter initiation of phase separation.     

Preparation of polymethyl methacrylate with well-controlled stereoregularity by anionic polymerization in an ionic liquid solvent

This study investigates the effect of ionic liquids (ILs) on the anionic polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA). Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), an isotactic polymer, is prepared by anionic polymerization at a high reaction temperature with an IL that acts as both solvent and additive. The most plausible reaction mechanism is determined using ¹H NMR and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The electrostatic interaction between MMA and the IL increases the apparent steric hindrance in MMA, resulting in the isotactic PMMA.     

Growth of ZIF-8 MOF Films with Tunable Porosity by using Poly (1-vinylimidazole) Brushes as 3D Primers

This work reports on a novel and versatile approach to control the structure of metal–organic framework (MOFs) films by using polymeric brushes as 3D primers, suitable for triggering heterogeneous MOF nucleation. As a proof-of-concept, this work explores the use of poly(1-vinylimidazole) brushes primer obtained via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) for the synthesis of Zn-based ZIF-8 MOF films. By modifying the grafting density of the brushes, smooth porous films were obtained featuring inherently hydrophobic microporosity arising from ZIF-8 structure, and an additional constructional interparticle mesoporosity, which can be employed for differential adsorption of targeted adsorbates. It was found that the grafting density modulates the constructional porosity of the films obtained; higher grafting densities result in more compact structures, while lower grafting density generates increasingly inhomogeneous films with a higher proportion of interparticle constructional porosity.     

Tailoring a Dress to Single Protein Molecules: Proteins Can Do It Themselves through Localized Photo-Polymerization and Molecular Imprinting

Molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (MIP NPs) are antibody-like recognition materials prepared by a template-assisted synthesis. MIP NPs able to target biomolecules, like proteins, are under the spotlight for their great potential in medicine, but efficiently imprinting biological templates is still very challenging. Here we propose generating a molecular imprint in single NPs, by photochemically initiating the polymerization from individual protein templates. In this way, each protein molecule tailors itself its own “polymeric dress”. For this, the template protein is covalently coupled with a photoinitiator, Eosin Y. Irradiated with light at 533 nm, the Eosin moiety acts as an antenna and transfers energy to a co-initiator (an amine), which generates a radical and initiates polymerization. As a result, a polymer network is forming only around the very template molecule, producing cross-linked NPs of 50 nm, with single binding sites showing high affinity (K_D 10⁻⁹ m ) for their biological target, and selectivity over other proteins.     

Optical diffusers based on uniform nano-sized polymer balls/nematic liquid crystals composite films

ABSTRACT

Optical diffusers are promising diffusing materials in the optical devices such as monitors, projectors, fibre optics, light-emitting diode (LED) systems and liquid crystal displays (LCDs). We report optical diffusers comprising uniformly distributed nano-sized polymer balls/nematic liquid crystals (LCs) by ultraviolet (UV) click reaction of ene monomer and thiol monomer. By optimising the mass ratio 1:1 of ene and thiol, of which the average diameter of the corresponding nano-sized polymer balls is about 900 nm, relatively high optical transmission and haze with 88.99% and 94.49% are yielded, respectively. Furthermore, by controlling the curing time, the average diameter of nano-sized polymer balls can be reduced to 810 nm, and the developed film exhibits high transmission (98.49%) without sacrificing the high haze (91.77%). This paper demonstrates that UV click reaction is an economical approach to fabricate optical diffusers in a controllable manner.     

Pd nanoparticles supported on amphiphilic porous organic polymer as an efficient catalyst for aqueous hydrodechlorination and Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions

Developing efficient and recyclable heterogeneous catalysts for organic reactions in water is important for the sustainable development of chemical industry. In this work, Pd nanoparticles supported on DABCO-functionalized porous organic polymer was successfully prepared through an easy copolymerization and successive immobilization method. Characterization results indicated that the prepared catalyst featured big surface area, hierarchical porous structure, and excellent surface amphiphilicity. We demonstrated the use of this amphiphilic catalyst in two case reactions, i.e. the aqueous hydrodechlorination and Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions. Under mild reaction conditions, the catalyst showed high catalytic activities for the two reactions. In addition, the catalyst could be easily recovered and reused for several times. Also, no obvious Pd leaching and aggregation of Pd nanoparticles occurred up during the consecutive reactions.