Structure of poly(maleic anhydride)

The bulk polymerization of maleic anhydride initiated with acylperoxides, di-tert-butyl peroxide, AIBN, or pyridine proceeds with evolution of CO₂. The amount of CO₂ generated depends on the nature and the concentration of the initiator. With peroxide initiators, less than 5% of the polymerized maleic anhydride is decarboxylated. ¹H-NMR spectra, obtained on the benzoyl peroxide-initiated polymer and its methyl ester, are consistent with the unrearranged poly(maleic anhydride) structure and rule out the polycyclopentanone structure proposed by Braun and co-workers. Base-initiated polymaleic anhydride is substantially decarboxylated, and the resulting polymer has anhydride and carboxyl groups. Elemental analyses and ¹H-NMR spectra obtained on the pyridine-initiated polymer and its methyl ester refute both the cis-poly(vinylene ketoanhydride) structure suggested by Schopov and the polycylopentanone structure proposed by Braun and co-workers.     

Structure investigation of poly(p-phenylene vinylene)

Electron diffraction patterns of highly oriented poly(p-phenylene vinylene) films obtained by the soluble polymeric precursor route are interpreted on the basis of a monoclinic unit cell containing two monomer units: c (chain axis) = 0.658 nm, a = 0.790 nm, b = 0.605 nm, α ? 123°. The molecules are nearly perfectly oriented along the stretching direction but exhibit partial axial translational disorder.     

Structure and properties of poly(2,5-dimethylterephthalamides)

Six methyl-substituted wholly aromatic polyamides were synthesized from the reaction of 2,5-dimethylterephthaloyl chloride with p-phenylenediamine, its 2,5-dimethyl and 2-methyl derivatives, m-phenylenediamine, or its 2-methyl and 4-methyl derivatives by solution polycondensation at low temperature. The x-ray diffraction diagrams of the polyamides obtained exhibit crystal patterns. Density values range from 1.26 to 1.37 g/cm³. NMR spectra determined in concentrated H₂SO₄ solution are reported. Poly(2,5-dimethylterephthalamides) have lower thermal stability than the corresponding polyterephthalamides. The increase in solubility of polyamide by the introduction of the 2,5-dimethylterephthaloyl linkage is accompanied by a decrease in thermal stability. The effect of methyl substituents on thermal properties and solubility is discussed in terms of the packing of polymeric molecules and the extent of hydrogen bonding of the amide groups.     

Structure of poly(vinylidene fluoride) gel electrolytes

Polymer gel electrolytes have three constituents: polymer, salt and solvent. This paper gives structural information on polymer gel electrolytes made from poly(vinylidene fluoride), lithium triflate and tetraglyme. These electrolytes exhibit a room-temperature ionic conductivity in the region of 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ while maintaining sufficient mechanical rigidity to form self-supporting films (having elastic moduli in the region of 100 kPa). Differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis have been used to show that the majority of the network junctions of the gel are crystalline in nature. Wide angle X-ray diffraction has revealed that when no salt is included in the gel, these crystal junctions are almost an order of magnitude larger in their lateral dimensions than when salt is present. The salt is thought to nucleate crystallisation. The modulus is significantly reduced by inclusion of salt; however, DSC suggests that apparent crystallinity is only slightly reduced by the presence of salt. This discrepancy is attributed to either the uncertainty in the heat of fusion of PVDF, or to the formation of small crystalline particles that are not incorporated in the network junctions. Gels with polymer concentrations between 15 and 40% (by weight) maintain their mechanical rigidity up to temperatures around 100 °C. However, once melted, the gel structure only reforms at much lower temperatures. The variation of ionic conductivity of salted gels with temperature shows no such hysteresis, and it is concluded that the ionic conductivity is independent of the mechanical state of the gel.     

Structure and phase transitions in poly(diethylsiloxane)

The structure changes accompanying phase transitions in poly(diethylsiloxane) (PDES) have been studied by WAXS and SAXS techniques using oriented and isotropic samples. PDES may exist in two low-temperature modifications (the monoclinic α₁-form and presumably the “tetragonal” β₁-form) and two high-temperature modifications (the monoclinic α₂-form and the “tetragonal” β₂-form). In linear PDES the crystal - crystal transitions α₁–α₂ and β₁–β₂ occur near 214 and 206 K, respectively. At higher temperatures α₂ (280 K) and β₂ (290 K) forms transform into the mesomorphic phase α_m that gradually melts at 280–300 K giving an amorphous phase. According to x-ray and density data, α_m phase is also characterized by monoclinic structure slightly different from hexagonal packing.     

Structure and properties of new polyester elastomers composed of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) and poly(ethylene oxide)

Series of PTT-b-PEO copolymers with different composition of rigid PTT and PEO flexible segments were synthesized from dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), 1,3-propanediol (PDO), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, M_n = 1000 g/mol) in a two stage process involving transesterification and polycondensation in the melt. The weight fraction of flexible segments was varied between 20 and 70 wt%. The molecular structure of synthesized copolymers was confirmed by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The superstructure of these polymers was characterized by DSC, DMTA, WAXS and SAXS measurements. It was observed that domains of three types can exist in PTT-b-PEOT copolymers: semi-crystalline PTT, amorphous PEO rich phase (amorphous PEO/PTT blended phase) and semi-crystalline PEO phase. Semi-crystalline PEO phase was observed only at temperature below 0 °C for sample containing the highest concentration of PEO segment. The phase structure, thermal and mechanical properties are effected by copolymer composition. The copolymers containing 30÷70 wt% of PEO segment posses good thermoplastic elastomers properties with high thermal stability. Hardness and tensile strength rise with increase of PTT content in copolymers.     

Structure and sorption properties of the polyion complex between poly(acrylic acid) and poly(4-vinylpyridine)

A polyion complex was formed from poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PVP). Its structure and composition were examined by means of infrared spectroscopy (IR), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and elemental analysis. The polyion complex was obtained by dissolving PAA and PVP together in methanol. The composition of the polyion complex was independent of stirring speed, mixing sequence, and standing time after mixing. However, the composition depended on the concentrations and the ratio of the components in the reaction mixture. Excess of PAA in the product was observed when concentrated solutions (2.0 × 10^?1M) were used for the preparation or when an excess of PAA was added to PVP. The sorption of water vapor by an equimolar PAA/PVP complex at 293 and 303 K was higher than that by the pure components, especially in the low- and middle-pressure regions. In the high-pressure region, however, the uptake was not affected by the complex formation. While hydrogen bond interactions in general decrease sorption, Coulombic interactions between polymer chains increased the sorption capacity.     

Structure and dynamics in poly(L-lactide) copolymer networks

Poly(L-lactide) networks (PmLA) hydrophilized with different amounts of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) were investigated by dielectric relaxation spectroscopy, thermally stimulated depolarization currents, and differential scanning calorimetry. The incorporation of HEA units in the PmLA network, with the aim of modulating the water sorption capacity of the system, results in a material with a complex behavior. The system consists of phase-separated microdomains richer in one or the other comonomers that constitute the network. Initially, the addition of smalls amount of HEA units in the network gives rise to a one-phase, two-component system; however, when the amount of HEA in the system increases, a new phase (HEA-rich one) is formed containing some mLA chains that modify the main relaxation mode of these domains and the local dynamics of the system. The structure of the system has been analyzed by comparing the relaxational modes in the PmLA and PHEA homonetworks with those in the copolymer networks.     

Structure of the polyion complex between poly(sodium P-styrene sulfonate) and poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride)

Stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric polyion complex films were prepared from poly(sodium p-styrene sulfonate) and poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the ionic groups in the complex are more ionized than in each component polymer. Fluorescence measurements showed that the complex had a main emission peak around 300 nm, whereas the peak for its original polyanion occurred at 324 nm. With the monomer and excimer peaks of the phenyl rings taken to be at 294 and 324 nm, respectively, the ratio of excimer to monomer emission intensities increased in proportion to the mole fraction of polyanion in the observed range 0.44–0.59. There was no discontinuity at the stoichiometric composition. Furthermore, the change in peak position shows that the local aggregation of phenyl groups in the polyanion was destroyed by complexation with the polycation through Coulombic forces. These results, together with the visual observation of the transparency of the films, mean that the mixing between polyanion and polycation chains in the polyion complex is on the molecular level and that this polymer alloy is miscible.     

Transparent and ductile poly(lactic acid)/poly(butyl acrylate) (PBA) blends: Structure and properties

Poly(butyl acrylate) was prepared by the free radical polymerization of butyl acrylate as an initiator in the presence of 2,2′-Azoisobu-tyronitrile (AIBN) and the average molecular weight, polydispersity and thermal stability were evaluated. PLA and PBA were melt blended using a Haake Rheometer, and the light transmission, thermal properties, dynamic rheological properties, mechanical properties, phase morphology of blends and toughening mechanism were investigated. Dynamic rheology, SEM and DSC results show that the PLA is partial miscible with PBA. The PBA component improved the crystallization ability of PLA and the crystallinity of PLA increased with content of PBA (<15 wt.%). With the increase of PBA, the tensile strength and modulus of the blend decreased slightly while the elongation at break and toughness were dramatically increased. With the addition of PBA, the failure mode changes from brittle fracture of neat PLA to ductile fracture of the blend. Rheological results revealed the complex viscosity and melt elasticity of the blends decreased with increasing content of PBA and phase segregation occurred at loading above 11 wt.% PBA. UV–vis light transmittance showed that PLA/PBA blends with a high transparency, and the transmittance decreased with the amount of PBA.     

Structure of triblock-copolymers based on poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(acrylamide) with central blocks of varying lengths

Temperature transitions have been studied in the structure of triblock copolymers based on poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(acrylamide) (PAA-b-PEO-b-PAA) with central blocks of varying length and compared with individual polymers and polymer mixtures with analogous composition. It has been established that interaction of the polymer components on account of the formation of systems of intramolecular hydrogen bonds is strengthened by the presence of covalent bonds between the components. __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 41, No. 6, pp. 364–370, November–December, 2005.     

Structure defects and thermal stability of poly(vinyl chloride)

The presence of polyene and peroxide structures in PVC and their contribution to the rate of thermal decomposition were determined using a large number of commercial suspension PVC samples. Two types of PVC having conjugated -C=C-bonds with different reactivity towards dienophiles were found. Polymer samples of the first type react with chlorine, organic phosphites and maleic anhydride under mild conditions whereas the second type PVC under the same conditions reacts only with chlorine. The obtained data show that polyene structures in these two types of PVC are of cis and trans configuration, respectively. It was also demonstrated that the contribution of diene and peroxy groups to the rate of PVC thermal decomposition is greater than the contribution of any other anomalous structures.     

Structure of chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride). V. Molecular parameters of chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride)

The molecular parameters of samples of chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) (CPVC) and chlorinated β,β-dideuterated poly(vinyl chloride) (β,β-d₂-CPVC) were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), light scattering, osmometry, and viscometry. Comparison of GPC, light scattering, osmometric, and viscometric data resulted in a discussion of the possibility of degradation and the causes of changes in the solution properties in chlorination of PVC and ββ-dideuterated poly(vinyl chloride) (ββ-d₂-PVC). The results obtained are discussed in relation to the mechanism of chlorination of PVC.     

Synthesis of N-methyl imines in the presence of poly(N-vinylpyridine) as a reusable solid base catalyst by a mechanochemical process

Research on Chemical Intermediates - The synthesis of N-methyl imines was performed in the presence of catalytic amounts of poly(4-vinylpyridine) in high yields and rapidly at room temperature by a...