Energy-consuming micromechanisms in the fracture of glassy polymers. I. Chain scission in polystyrene

The number of chain scissions per unit area that occur during the fracture of partially annealed latex films from M_n ? 180,000 g/mol polystyrene particles of about 275 Å radius were measured and correlated to annealing times. A curve with four regimes was found. At short annealing times the curve is nearly flat, in what is called the chain pull-out regime. In the second regime, the number of chains broken per unit area increases with a 0.8 power of annealing time as entanglement of the diffusing polymer chains increases in neighboring host particles. This is in good agreement with Wool's theory which predicts a 0.75 power dependence. Then, after reaching a peak, the number of scissions decreases in the third regime, indicating a change in fracture mechanism. The number of chain scissions increases again in the fourth regime, as final healing of the film interface takes place. Fracture surface analysis reveals a rough surface for short annealing times and a smooth surface for longer annealing times. The number of polymer chain scissions per unit area of fracture surface showed no dependence on initial molecular weights for t ? τ_r where t and τ_r are annealing and relaxation times, respectively. The number of chain bridges crossing a unit area of interface was suggested as the basic molecular property. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Temperature measurements of the gaseous emission during the fracture of polystyrene: A determination of the fracture energy and fracture surface temperature

The emission of volatile species accompanying the fracture of polystyrene has been monitored as a function of time by two quadrupole mass spectrometers mounted at different distances from the sample. The resulting time-of-arrival signals were numerically modeled to yield an estimate of the energy per unit area dissipated as heat by fracture. Neutral emissions of ethyl benzene molecules (a common volatile impurity) and a noble gas (Ar? introduced by exposure) were monitored. Dissipation (fracture) energies determined ranged from 680 to 1480 J/cm², consistent with the range of energy release rates in the literature. The peak surface temperatures calculated from the measured heat dissipation ranged from 600 to 1300 K. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of nanoscale confinement on the glass transition temperature of free-standing polymer films: Novel,self-referencing fluorescence method

The effect of nanoscale confinement on the glass transition temperature, T_g, of freely standing polystyrene (PS) films was determined using the temperature dependence of a fluorescence intensity ratio associated with pyrene dye labeled to the polymer. The ratio of the intensity of the third fluorescence peak to that of the first fluorescence peak in 1-pyrenylmethyl methacrylate-labeled PS (MApyrene-labeled PS) decreased with decreasing temperature, and the intersection of the linear temperature dependences in the rubbery and glassy states yielded the measurement of T_g. The sensitivity of this method to T_g was also shown in bulk, supported PS and poly(isobutyl methacrylate) films. With free-standing PS films, a strong effect of confinement on T_g was evident at thicknesses less than 80–90 nm. For MApyrene-labeled PS with M_n = 701 kg mol⁻¹, a 41-nm-thick film exhibited a 47 K reduction in T_g relative to bulk PS. A strong molecular weight dependence of the T_g-confinement effect was also observed, with a 65-nm-thick free-standing film exhibiting a reduction in T_g relative to bulk PS of 19 K with M_n = 701 kg mol⁻¹ and 31 K with M_n = 1460 kg mol⁻¹. The data are in reasonable agreement with results of Forrest, Dalnoki-Veress, and Dutcher who performed the seminal studies on T_g-confinement effects in free-standing PS films. The utility of self-referencing fluorescence for novel studies of confinement effects in free-standing films is discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 2754–2764, 2008     

A novel temperature‐step method to determine the glass transition temperature of ultrathin polymer films by liquid dewetting

A novel temperature‐step experimental method that extends the Bodiguel‐Fretigny liquid dewetting method of investigating polymer thin films is described and results presented from an investigation of thickness effects on the glass transition temperature (T_g) of ultrathin polystyrene (PS) films. Unlike most other methods of thin film investigation, this procedure promises a rapid screening tool to determine the overall profile of T_g versus film thickness for ultrathin polymer films using a limited number of samples. Similar to our prior observations and other literature data, with this new method obvious T_g depression was observed for PS thin films dewetting on both glycerol and an ionic liquid. The results for PS dewetting on the two different liquids are similar indicating only modest effects of the substrate on the T_g‐film thickness relationship. In both instances, the T_g depression is somewhat less than for similar PSs supported on silicon substrates reported in the literature. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013 , 51, 1343–1349     

Thermochemistry data from kinetics results: A test of quality of the potential energy surface

A straightforward test of the quality of potential energy surfaces in polyatomic systems is proposed based on obtaining thermochemical properties, in this case, standard enthalpies of formation, from kinetics results. Agreement with experiment lends confidence to the PESs, and the disagreement serves to help improve them.     

Application of free‐volume theory to self diffusion of solvents in polymers below the glass transition temperature: A review

Theories based on free‐volume concepts have been developed to characterize the self and mutual‐diffusion coefficients of low molecular weight penetrants in rubbery and glassy polymer‐solvent systems. These theories are applicable over wide ranges of temperature and concentration. The capability of free‐volume theory to describe solvent diffusion in glassy polymers is reviewed in this article. Two alternative free‐volume based approaches used to evaluate solvent self‐diffusion coefficients in glassy polymer‐solvent systems are compared in terms of their differences and applicability. The models can correlate/predict temperature and concentration dependencies of the solvent diffusion coefficient. With the appropriate accompanying thermodynamic factors they can be used to model concentration profiles in mutual diffusion processes that are Fickian such as drying of coatings. The free‐volume methodology has been found to be consistent with molecular dynamics simulations. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

A novel approach toward the prediction of the glass transition temperature: Application of the EVM model,a designer QSPR equation for the prediction of acrylate and methacrylate polymers

We describe an original QSPR model called the EVM model (Energy, Volume, Mass) to calculate the glass transition temperature (T_g) of aliphatic acrylate and methacrylate homopolymers using classical molecular mechanics and dynamics. The latter was used to calculate an energy density function related to the cylindrical volume of a 20 monomer unit polymer segment (TSSV, Total Space around a Standard deviation Volume). We then calculated the T_g as a function of this density function and the repeat unit molecular weight, although no interchain interactions were taken into account. For linear and branched aliphatic acrylate and methacrylate polymers, the standard deviation from linear regression was 12 K, and the r² was 0.96. The model allows calculation of the T_g with an average absolute error of error of 10% for linear and branched derivatives not included in the original linear regression analysis. The results obtained with the EVM model are compared with those obtained with Bicerano's model. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 2579–2590, 1997     

A critical investigation of the liebermann colour test: The formation and behaviour of phenolindophenol in strong acid media

The Liebermann test has been investigated by spectroscopic and Chromatographic methods. Phenols in concentrated sulphuric acid reacted with nitrite to give green to blue solutions which turned to red or violet, yellow or brown, respectively, after dilution with water. Alkalization of these solutions changed the colour to green or blue, but also to yellow or brown, respectively. The reaction of phenols withp-nitrosophenol was also studied. Except for 4-iodophenol and hydroquinone, phenols substituted in thep-position did not react with either nitrite orp-nitrosophenol. Negative reactions were obtained with 2- and 3-nitrophenols, 2- and 3-hydroxybenzoic acids and 2,6-dichlorophenol, although these phenols have a freep-position. The sensitivity is much poorer than that of other reactions for detection of phenols, e.g. the Emerson or Gibbs reactions. The Liebermann test is often recommended as a generic test for phenols, but its importance, selectivity and sensitivity seem to have been considerably overestimated. Application of the reaction for spectrophotometric determination of phenols is impracticable, because of the very poor reproducibility, the small yield of reaction product and the inconvenience of working with concentrated sulphuric acid media.p-Nitrosophenol was found to be the operative species and the main product was phenolindophenol, which is present in its diprotonated form H₂In²⁺ in the medium of concentrated sulphuric acid. Further forms of the dye can exist, depending on the pH or Ho of the medium. The orange spiro(7-hydroxyacridine-9,1-cyclohexa-2,5-dien)-2,4-dione was found to be the main byproduct of the reaction. The formation of further by-products was observed, of which 1,4-benzoquinone and 4-nitrophenol were identified.Dedicated to Prof. RNDr. PhMr. Vladimír Jokl, DrSc., Head of the Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia.     

Self-sustained oscillations within the temperature hysteresis in CO oxidation over Pd: Mathematical model of a cascade of continuous stirred-tank reactors

The results of temperature-programmed reaction experimental studies and mathematical modeling of self-sustained oscillations within an inverse temperature hysteresis in CO oxidation over Pd catalyst are presented. The experimental data demonstrate the influence of the reaction medium on the catalyst activity under reaction conditions. Under oxygen excess in the feeding gas mixture and high temperature, the defects appeared on the initially flat surface of metallic palladium due to deep oxidation of palladium (three-dimensional PdO nanoparticles were observed). The palladium oxide reduced under cooling of the catalytic system, and the catalyst surface became flat again. To take into account these variations of the palladium surface structure, we consider the piecewise-constant dependence of the rate constant of some reaction step on the concentrations of oxygen species, namely, the dissolved oxygen or oxide in the palladium bulk. The proposed model of the process in the cascade of continuous stirred-tank reactors that account for these dependences qualitatively describes the inverse temperature hysteresis as well as the oscillatory dynamics within the hysteresis loop which were obtained experimentally.     

Characterization of carbon nanotubes and analytical methods for their determination in environmental and biological samples: A review

In the present paper, a critical overview of the most commonly used techniques for the characterization and the determination of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is given on the basis of 170 references (2000–2014). The analytical techniques used for CNT characterization (including microscopic and diffraction, spectroscopic, thermal and separation techniques) are classified, described, and illustrated with applied examples. Furthermore, the performance of sampling procedures as well as the available methods for the determination of CNTs in real biological and environmental samples are reviewed and discussed according to their analytical characteristics. In addition, future trends and perspectives in this field of work are critically presented.