Water‐disintegrative and biodegradable blends containing poly(L‐lactic acid) and poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate)

In this study, novel biodegradable materials were successfully generated, which have excellent mechanical properties in air during usage and storage, but whose structure easily disintegrates when immersed in water. The materials were prepared by melt blending poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) with a small amount of oligomeric poly(aspartic acid‐co‐lactide) (PAL) as a degradation accelerator. The degradation behavior of the blends was investigated by immersing the blend films in phosphate‐buffered saline (pH = 7.3) at 40 °C. It was shown that the PAL content and composition significantly affected morphology, mechanical properties, and hydrolysis rate of the blends. It was observed that the blends containing PAL with higher molar ratios of L ‐lactyl [LA]/[Asp] had smaller PBAT domain size, showing better mechanical properties when compared with those containing PAL with lower molar ratios of [LA]/[Asp]. The degradation rates of both PLLA and PBAT components in the ternary blends simultaneously became higher for the blends containing PAL with higher molar ratios of [LA]/[Asp]. It was confirmed that the PLLA component and its decomposed materials efficiently catalyze the hydrolytic degradation of the PBAT component, but by contrast that the PBAT component and its decomposed materials do not catalyze the hydrolytic degradation of the PLLA component in the blends. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2010     

Fluorinated polyamides and poly(amide imide)s based on 1,4‐bis(4‐amino‐2‐trifluromethylphenoxy)benzene,aromatic dicarboxylic acids,and various monotrimellitimides and bistrimellitimides: Syntheses and properties

A CF₃‐containing diamine, 1,4‐bis(4‐amino‐2‐trifluromethylphenoxy) benzene ( I ), was prepared from hydroquinone and 2‐chloro‐5‐nitrobenzotrifluoride. Imide‐containing diacids ( V _a–h and VI _a,b ) were prepared through the condensation reaction of amino acids, aromatic diamines, and trimellitic anhydride. Then, a series of soluble fluorinated polyamides ( VII _a–h ) and poly(amide imide)s ( VIII _a–h and X _a,b ) were synthesized from I with various aromatic diacids ( II _a–h ) and imide‐containing diacids ( V _a–h and VI _a,b ) via direct polycondensation with triphenyl phosphate and pyridine. The polyamides and poly(amide imide)s had inherent viscosities of 1.00–1.70 and 0.79–1.34 dL/g, respectively. All the synthesized polymers showed excellent solubility in amide‐type solvents such as N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, and N‐dimethylformamide and afforded transparent and tough films via solvent casting. Polymer films of VII _a–h , VIII _a–h , and X _a,b had tensile strengths of 91–113 MPa, elongations to break of 8–40%, and initial moduli of 2.1–2.8 GPa. The glass‐transition temperatures of the polyamides and poly(amide imide)s were 254–276 and 255–292 °C, respectively, and the imide‐containing poly(amide imide)s had better thermal stability than the polyamides. The polyamides showed higher transparency and were much lighter in color than the poly(amide imide)s, and their cutoff wave numbers were below 400 nm. In comparison with isomeric IX _{c – h} , poly(amide imide)s VIII _c–h exhibited less coloring and showed lower yellowness indices. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3116–3129, 2004     

Synthesis and hydrolytic degradation of a random copolymer derived from 1,4‐dioxan‐2‐one and glycolide

Novel biodegradable copolymers, poly(1,4‐dioxan‐2‐one‐co‐glycolide) [P(DON‐co‐GA)] containing a high proportion of 1,4‐dioxan‐2‐one (DON), were synthesized by copolymerizations of DON and glycolide (GA) at 120 °C for 16 h using stannous octoate as catalyst. Chemical composition and microstructural variation of the resulting copolymer were investigated by ¹H‐ and ¹³C NMR and thermal properties by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). From the ¹³C NMR spectra, it was observed that, apart from the expected preponderance of DON sequences, the minor component, GA, was indeed distributed at various points along the copolymer chain rather than incorporated as distinct blocks, which is consistent with a random sequence distribution. This view also was supported by the DSC results, which showed that most copolymers were amorphous except for one with a relatively high fraction of DON. The conclusion that it was a random structure rather than a statistical copolymer is discussed, using the theories about the mechanism of this type of polymerization in current as a reference. P(DON‐co‐GA) films were prepared by casting the copolymer solution in hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) with two concentrations of the polymeric solution (10 and 25 wt %). The in vitro hydrolytic degradation behaviors of these films were studied in phosphate buffer solution (pH = 7.4) at 37 °C and characterized by DSC, scanning electron microscopy, weight loss, and change in inherent viscosity. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2558–2566, 2004     

Layer‐by‐layer ionomer films made from poly(styrene‐co‐styrenesulfonic acid) and poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐4‐vinylpyridine) in tetrahydrofuran

Thin films were fabricated layer‐by‐layer (LbL) via ionic bonds formed between a cationic ionomer and an anionic ionomer, which were produced via proton transfer from poly(styrene‐co‐styrenesulfonic acid) to poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐4‐vinylpyridine) in an organic solvent, tetrahydrofuran. Ionic contents of the ionomers were very low down to 5.6 mol %, much lower than usual polyelectrolytes. The build up of the LbL films was demonstrated by UV/vis spectroscopy: the absorbance of the phenyl rings in styrene residues increased with the number of depositions (thus the number of layers). Transmission electron microscopy observation of strained thin films showed unique deformation mode, involving many bands that developed both in the parallel and perpendicular directions to the stress axis. This is quite different from the deformation modes seen for ionomer blend films and for coextruded polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) multilayer tapes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 50: 101–105, 2012     

Synthesis of poly[(2‐oxo‐1,3‐dioxolane‐4‐yl) methyl methacrylate‐co‐ethyl acrylate] by incorporation of carbon dioxide into epoxide polymer and the miscibility behavior of its blends with poly(methyl methacrylate) or poly(vinyl chloride)

This study was related to the investigation of the chemical fixation of carbon dioxide to a copolymer bearing epoxide and the application of the cyclic carbonate group containing copolymer‐to‐polymer blends. In the synthesis of poly[(2‐oxo‐1,3‐dioxolane‐4‐yl) methyl methacrylate‐co‐ethyl acrylate] [poly(DOMA‐co‐EA)] from poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐co‐ethyl acrylate) [poly(GMA‐co‐EA)] and CO₂, quaternary ammonium salts showed good catalytic activity. The films of poly(DOMA‐co‐EA) with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) or poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) blends were cast from N,N′‐dimethylformamide solution. The miscibility of the blends of poly(DOMA‐co‐EA) with PMMA or PVC have been investigated both by DSC and visual inspection of the blends. The optical clarity test and DSC analysis showed that poly(DOMA‐co‐EA) containing blends were miscible over the whole composition range. The miscibility behaviors were discussed in terms of Fourier transform infrared spectra and interaction parameters based on the binary interaction model. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1472–1480, 2001     

Synthesis and properties of new adamantane‐based poly(ether imide)s

A new adamantane‐based bis(ether anhydride), 2,2‐bis[4‐(3,4‐dicarboxyphenoxy)phenyl]adamantane dianhydride, was prepared in three steps starting from nitrodisplacement of 4‐nitrophthalonitrile with the potassium phenolate of 2,2‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)adamantane. A series of adamantane‐containing poly(ether imide)s were prepared from the adamantane‐based bis(ether anhydride) and aromatic diamines by a conventional two‐stage synthesis in which the poly(ether amic acid)s obtained in the first stage were heated stage‐by‐stage at 150–270°C to give the poly(ether imide)s. The intermediate poly(ether amic acid)s had inherent viscosities between 0.56 and 1.92 dL/g. Except for those from p‐phenylenediamine, m‐phenylenediamine, and benzidine, all the poly(ether amic acid) films could be thermally converted into transparent, flexible, and tough poly(ether imide) films. All the poly(ether imide)s showed limited solubility in organic solvents, although they were amorphous in nature as evidenced by X‐ray diffractograms. Glass transition temperatures of these poly(ether imide)s were recorded in the range of 242–317°C by differential scanning calorimetry and of 270–322°C by dynamic mechanical analysis. They exhibited high resistance to thermal degrdation, with 10% weight loss temperatures being recorded between 514–538°C in nitrogen and 511–527°C in air. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1619–1628, 1999     

Biodegradable electrospun mat: Novel block copolymer of poly (p‐dioxanone‐co‐L‐lactide)‐block‐poly(ethylene glycol)

Ultrafine fibers of a laboratory‐synthesized new biodegradable poly(p‐dioxanone‐co‐L ‐lactide)‐block‐poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer were electrospun from solution and collected as a nonwoven mat. The structure and morphology of the electrospun membrane were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), and a mercury porosimeter. Solutions of the copolymer, ranging in the lactide fraction from 60 to 80 mol % in copolymer composition, were readily electrospun at room temperature from solutions up to 20 wt % in methylene chloride. We demonstrate the ability to control the fiber diameter of the copolymer as a function of solution concentration with dimethylformamide as a cosolvent. DSC and WAXD results showed the relatively poor crystallinity of the electrospun copolymer fiber. Electrospun copolymer membrane was applied for the hydrolytic degradation in phosphate buffer solution (pH = 7.5) at 37 °C. Preliminary results of the hydrolytic degradation demonstrated the degradation rate of the electrospun membrane was slower than that of the corresponding copolymers of cast film. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1955–1964, 2003     

Layer‐by‐layer assembly of readily detachable chitosan and poly(acrylic acid) polyelectrolyte multilayer films

Free‐standing layer‐by‐layer (LbL) assembled thin films have recently found utility in a broad range of applications. Previously reported free‐standing LbL films have generally required covalent modifications to improve aqueous stability and render these films suitable for biomedical applications. Here, we engineered chitosan and poly(acrylic acid) containing polyelectrolyte multilayer films, which are readily detached from hydrophilic silicon in aqueous conditions. These films demonstrate remarkable stability over 28 days in simulated in vivo conditions (pH 7.4, phosphate buffered saline at 37 °C) without the incorporation of any covalent crosslinking modifications. These films exhibit moduli (27–420 kPa) resembling that of many biological tissues including tendon, show high visible light transmittance of greater than 50%, and prevent fibronectin adsorption. The properties of this new detachable LbL film architecture indicate its promise for use in a variety of applications, particularly in medicine and biotechnology. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 127–131     

Oriented lamellar structures in uniaxially drawn films of poly(vinylidene fluoride) and poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) blends studied by small‐angle X‐ray scattering measurements

The lamellar structures in uniaxially drawn films of miscible crystalline/crystalline polymer blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) were investigated by static and time‐resolved measurements of small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). Intense SAXS in the low angle range of the meridian was interpreted as originating from the interlamellar inclusion structure, in which the PHB chains were included between the lamellae of PVDF. The interlamellar inclusion was induced for the uniaxially drawn films of PVDF/PHB = 30/70 blend with a draw ratio (DR) of 2.8–4.5, whereas the lamellae of the PVDF and PHB components were mutually excluded from each other forming their own lamellar stacks (interlamellar exclusion) in the blend with a higher DR (5.0–5.7). When the highly drawn film with the interlamellar exclusion structure was heat treated at 154–165 °C, the interlamellar inclusion structure was partially induced by the heat treatment. The time‐resolved SAXS measurements indicated that the interlamellar inclusion structure was developed by melting and recrystallization of PVDF during the heat treatment. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 381–392, 2009     

Photodegradation‐induced photoluminescence behaviors of π‐conjugated polymers upon the doping of organometallic triplet emitters

The different effects on the photodegradation‐induced photoluminescence (PL) of π‐conjugated polymeric thin films upon the doping of Ir(III) containing triplet emitters in ambient conditions at room temperature were investigated. In this study, we prepared spin‐coated thin films using three different polymer matrices including poly(9‐vinylcarbazole) (PVK), poly[9,9‐bis(2‐ethylhexyl)fluorene‐2,7‐diyl] (PF2/6), and poly[2‐(5′‐cyano‐5′‐methyl‐hexyloxy)‐1,4‐phenylene] (CNPPP) derivatives doped with Ir(III) containing triplet emitters: Ir(III) bis[(4,6‐fluorophenyl)‐pyridinato‐N,C²′] picolinate (FIrpic), or Ir(III)fac‐tris(2‐phenylpyridine) (Ir(ppy)₃), or Ir(III)bis(2‐(2′‐benzothienyl) pyridinato‐N‐acetylacetonate) (Ir(btp)₂acac). Using the doped films, and their neat films, on quartz substrates, the UV‐Visible absorption (UV‐Vis) and PL spectra were recorded under continuous illumination with the excitation wavelengths at the absorption maxima of the corresponding matrix polymers. The dopant effects on the photodegradation‐induced PL were extracted from the kinetic data obtained from the doped films by subtracting the mutual degradation kinetics of their corresponding neat films. The obtained dopant effects show a strong correlation between the photo‐induced PL degradation and the exciton migration behaviors. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 2395–2403, 2008     

Synthesis and properties of new organo‐soluble and strictly alternating aromatic poly(ester‐imide)s from 3,3‐bis[4‐(trimellitimidophenoxy)phenyl]phthalide and bisphenols

A series of new strictly alternating aromatic poly(ester‐imide)s having inherent viscosities of 0.20–0.98 dL/g was synthesized by the diphenylchlorophosphate (DPCP) activated direct polycondensation of the preformed imide ring‐containing diacid, 3,3‐bis[4‐(trimellitimidophenoxy)phenyl]phthalide (I), with various bisphenols in a medium consisting of pyridine and lithium chloride. The diimide–diacid I was prepared from the condensation of 3,3‐bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]phthalide and trimellitic anhydride. Most of the resulting polymers showed an amorphous nature and were readily soluble in a variety of organic solvents such as N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP) and N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc). Transparent and flexible films of these polymers could be cast from their DMAc solutions. The cast films had tensile strengths ranging 66–105 MPa, elongations at break from 7–10%, and initial moduli from 1.9–2.4 GPa. The glass‐transition temperatures of these polymers were recorded between 208–275 °C. All polymers showed no significant weight loss below 400 °C in the air or in nitrogen, and the decomposition temperatures at 10% weight loss all occurred above 460 °C. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1090–1099, 2000     

Layer‐by‐layer assembly of weak‐strong copolymer polyelectrolytes: A route to morphological control of thin films

Multilayer films were assembled from a strong polyelectrolyte (poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), PDADMAC) and a copolymer containing both strongly charged styrene sulfonate moieties and weakly charged maleic acid moieties (poly(4‐styrenesulfonic acid‐co‐maleic acid), PSSMA). Growth of PSSMA/PDADMAC multilayers was linear, as characterized by UV‐vis spectroscopy and quartz crystal microgravimetry. The influence of both the pH of the PSSMA adsorption solutions and the ratio of SS:MA in the PSSMA on multilayer properties was investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results showed that the ionization of carboxylic acid groups in PSSMA/PDADMAC multilayers did not vary significantly with changes in the PSSMA assembly pH. However, the multilayers showed different thicknesses, surface morphologies, and stability to post‐assembly pH treatment. We also demonstrate that PSSMA/PDADMAC multilayers are significantly more stable than PSSMA/PAH multilayers after post‐assembly pH treatment (i.e. the films remain intact when exposed to pH extremes). In addition, the surface morphology of two films (PSSMA 1:1 assembled at pH 5.8, post‐treated at pH 2 and PSSMA 3:1 assembled at pH 5.8, post‐treated at pH 11) changed significantly when the films were exposed to solutions of different pH and, in the former case, this change in film morphology was reversible. The porous morphology after treatment at pH 2 could be reversed to give a significantly smoother film after subsequent exposure to water for 24 h. Our results demonstrate that by the rational choice of the assembly pH of PSSMA, stable and pH‐responsive films can be obtained via the sequential assembly of PSSMA and PDADMAC. These films have potential in controlled release applications where film stability and pH‐responsive behavior are essential. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4341‐4351, 2007     

Synthesis and characterization of new soluble poly(amide‐imide)s derived from 2,2‐bis[4‐(4‐trimellitimidophenoxy)phenyl]hexafluoropropane

A series of new soluble poly(amide‐imide)s were prepared from the diimide‐dicarboxylic acid 2,2‐bis[4‐(4‐trimellitimidophenoxy)phenyl]hexafluoropropane with various diamines by direct polycondensation in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone containing CaCl₂ with triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. All the polymers were obtained in quantitative yields with inherent viscosities of 0.52–0.86 dL · g^?1. The poly(amide‐imide)s showed an amorphous nature and were readily soluble in various solvents, such as N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone, N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N,N‐dimethylformamide, pyridine, and cyclohexanone. Tough and flexible films were obtained through casting from DMAc solutions. These polymer films had tensile strengths of 71–107 MPa and a tensile modulus range of 1.6–2.7 GPa. The glass‐transition temperatures of the polymers were determined by a differential scanning calorimetry method, and they ranged from 242 to 279 °C. These polymers were fairly stable up to a temperature around or above 400 °C, and they lost 10% of their weight from 480 to 536 °C and 486 to 537 °C in nitrogen and air, respectively. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3498–3504, 2001     

Electrospun fiber mats of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate), poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate), and their blends

Electrospinning of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), and their blends was first carried out in chloroform at 50 °C on a stationary collector. The average diameter of the as‐spun fiber from PHB and PHBV solutions decreased with increasing collection distance and increased with increasing solution concentration and applied electrical potential. In all of the spinning conditions investigated, the average diameter of the as‐spun pure fibers ranged between 1.6 and 8.8 μm. Electrospinning of PHB, PHBV, and their blends was carried out further at a fixed solution concentration of 14% w/v on a homemade rotating cylindrical collector. Well‐aligned, cross‐sectionally round fibers without beads were obtained. The average diameter of the as‐spun pure and blend fibers ranged between 2.3 and 4.0 μm. The as‐spun fiber mats appeared to be more hydrophobic than the corresponding films and much improvement in the tensile strength and the elongation at break was observed for the blend fiber mats over those of the pure fiber ones. Lastly, indirect cytotoxicity evaluation of the as‐spun pure and blend fiber mats with mouse fibroblasts (L929) indicated that these mats posed no threat to the cells. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2923–2933, 2006     

Novel electroluminescent cationic polyelectrolyte based on poly[(fluorene‐2,7‐diylvinylene)‐alt‐(1,4‐phenylenevinylene)] and its precursor

A novel conjugated poly[(fluorene‐2,7‐vinylene)‐alt‐(1,4‐phenylenevinylene)] derivative 2 with quaternizable tertiary amino groups was synthesized by Heck coupling of a substituted 2,7‐dibromofluorene and 1,4‐dialkoxy‐2,5‐divinylbenzene. The corresponding quaternary ammonium cationic polyelectrolyte 3 was obtained by the treatment of 2 with bromoethane. Both polymers were soluble in common organic solvents, like tetrahydrofuran, chloroform, and dichloromethane. Polymer 3 showed a limited solubility in alcohols and was insoluble in water. Photophysical and electrochemical properties of the resulting polymers were fully investigated. An intensive green photoluminescence (PL) with maxima at 550 and 545 nm was observed from thin films of 2 and 3 polymers, respectively, red‐shifted compared with the PL emission spectra measured in the solution. The electrochemical band gaps were 2.38–2.45 eV. Single‐layer and double‐layer (with poly[3,4‐(ethylenedioxy)thiophene]/poly (styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)) light‐emitting devices (LEDs) with ITO and Al electrodes were prepared and studied. They emitted a green light and their electroluminescence (EL) spectra were similar to those of PL thin films. The external EL efficiency was determined to be 0.43 and 0.32% for ITO/PEDOT:PSS/ 2 /Al and ITO/PEDOT:PSS/ 3 /Al LEDs, respectively. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1016–1027, 2007     

Hydrogen‐bond‐assisted stereocontrol in the radical polymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide with secondary alkyl phosphate: The effect of the bulkiness of the ester group

The radical polymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) in toluene at low temperatures was investigated in the presence of triisopropyl phosphate (TiPP). The addition of TiPP induced a syndiotactic specificity that was enhanced by the polymerization temperature being lowered, whereas atactic polymers were obtained in the absence of TiPP, regardless of the temperature. Syndiotactic‐rich poly(NIPAAm) with a racemo dyad content of 65% was obtained at ?60 °C with a fourfold amount of TiPP, but almost atactic poly(NIPAAm)s were obtained by the temperature being lowered to ?80 °C. This result contrasted with the result in the presence of primary alkyl phosphates, such as tri‐n‐propyl phosphate: the stereospecificity varied from syndiotactic to isotactic as the polymerization temperature was lowered. NMR analysis at ?80 °C revealed that TiPP predominantly formed a 1:1 complex with NIPAAm, although primary alkyl phosphates preferentially formed a 1:2 complex with NIPAAm. Thus, it was concluded that a slight increase in the bulkiness of the added phosphates influenced the stoichiometry of the NIPAAm–phosphate complex at lower temperatures, and consequently a drastic change in the effect on the stereospecificity of NIPAAm polymerization was observed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3899–3908, 2005     

Covalently attached self‐assembly of ultrathin films from hydroxy‐containing porphyrin and diazoresin

Ultrathin films from 5,10,15,20‐tetrakis(4‐hydroxyphenyl) porphyrin (HPP) and diazoresin (DR) via a H bonding interaction were fabricated with the self‐assembly technique. Under UV irradiation, the H bonds between the layers will convert to covalent bonds following the decomposition of the diazonium group of DR. The stability of the film against the polar solvent and electrolyte aqueous solution increases a lot because of the formation of the covalent crosslinking structure. Thus, the photoelectric conversion property of DR/HPP film can be measured directly with a normal photoelectric chemical cell with potassium chloride as the electrolyte. The maximum of the anodic photocurrent was measured as 1.7 μ Å for an eight bilayer DR/HPP film deposited on an indium–tin oxide glass electrode. The action spectrum of the photocurrent generation indicated that the HPP contained in the film is responsible for the generation of the observed photocurrent. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3103–3108, 2003     

Surface‐confined photopolymerization of single‐ and mixed‐monomer systems to tailor the wettability of poly(L‐lactide) film

The major objective of this research was to modify the surface characteristics of poly(L ‐lactide) (PLA) by grafting a combination of hydrophilic polymers to produce a continuum of hydrophilicity. The PLA film was solvent cast, and the film surfaces were activated by ultra violet (UV) irradiation. A single monomer or combination of two monomers, selected from vinyl acetate (VAc), acrylic acid (AA), and acrylamide (AAm), were then grafted to the PLA film surface using a UV induced photopolymerization process. The film surfaces resulting from each reaction step were analyzed using ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy and contact angle goniometry. Results showed that AAm dominated the hydrophilicity of the film surface when copolymerized with VAc or AA, while the water contact angles for PLA films grafted with poly(vinyl acetate‐co‐acrylic acid) varied more gradually with feed composition. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6534‐6543, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of novel poly(amide‐imide)s containing 1,3‐diamino mesitylene moieties

A series of poly(amide‐imide)s were prepared using a new monomer, 1,3‐bis(trimellitimido)‐2,4,6‐trimethyl benzene (BTB), with four different diamines: 1,4‐phenylene diamine (PDA), 2,4‐diamino mesitylene (DAM), 2,2′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐diamino biphenyl (DMDB), and 2,2′‐bis(trifluoromethyl)‐4,4′‐diamino biphenyl (TFDB). They were prepared by the condensation method in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP) solvent using triphenyl phosphate and pyridine as condensing agents. The synthesized poly(amide‐imide)s were characterized by Fourier transform infrared and ¹H NMR techniques. Films were prepared and characterized using DSC, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), a prism coupler, and a film dielectric property analyzer. DSC measurement showed that the glass‐transition temperatures of the polymers were in the range of 259–327 °C. TGA analysis showed 5% weight loss, in the range of 472–514 °C. The refractive index varied from 1.6004 to 1.6586 in the following increasing order: BTB‐TFBM < BTB‐DAM < BTB‐DMDB < BTB‐PDA. For the poly(amide‐imide) films, the birefringence varied in the range of 0.0319–0.0580, in the following increasing order: BTB‐DAM < BTB‐TFBM < BTB‐DMDB < BTB‐PDA. The capacitance method showed that the dielectric constant of poly(amide‐imide) varied with the diamine structure; no difference was found by the optical method. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 137–143, 2004     

Direct copolymerization of sulfonated poly(phthalazinone arylene ether)s for proton‐exchange‐membrane materials

Sulfonated poly(phthalazinone ether ketone) (SPPEK) copolymers and sulfonated poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone) (SPPES) copolymers containing pendant sodium sulfonate groups were prepared by direct copolymerization. The reaction of disodium 3,3′‐disulfonate‐4,4′‐difluorobenzophenone (SDFB‐Na), 4,4′‐difluorobenzophenone (DFB), and 4‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐1(2H)‐phthalazinone (DHPZ) at 170 °C in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidione containing anhydrous potassium carbonate gave SPPEKs. SPPESs were similarly obtained with 3,3′‐disulfonate‐4,4′‐difluorophenyl sulfone, 4‐fluorophenyl sulfone (DFS), and DHPZ as monomers. The sulfonic acid groups, being on deactivated positions of the polymer backbone, were expected to be hydrolytically more stable than postsulfonated polymers. Fourier transform infrared and ¹H NMR were used to characterize the structures and degrees of sulfonation of the sulfonated polymers. Membrane films of SPPEKs with SDFB‐Na/DFB molar feed ratios of up to 60/40 and SPPESs with sulfonated 4‐fluorophenyl sulfone/DFS molar feed ratios of up to 50/50 were cast from N,N‐dimethylacetamide polymer solutions. Membrane films in acid form were then obtained by the treatment of the sodium‐form membrane films in 2 N sulfuric acid at room temperature. An increase in the number of sulfonate groups in the copolymers resulted in an increased glass‐transition temperature and enhanced membrane hydrophilicity. The sodium‐form copolymers were thermally more stable than their acid forms. The proton conductivities of the acid‐form copolymers with sulfonated monomer/unsulfonated monomer molar feed ratios of 0.5 and 0.6 were higher than 10^?2 S/cm and increased with temperature; they were less temperature‐dependent than those of the postsulfonated products. SPPESH‐50 showed higher conductivity than the corresponding postsulfonated poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone). © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2731–2742, 2003