Preparation and characterization of three-dimensionally ordered macroporous yttria-stabilized zirconia by aqueous organic gel route

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3-DOM) yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was prepared by aqueous organic gel method through the interstitial spaces between polystyrene spheres assembled on glass substrates. The morphologies and pore size of the porous YSZ were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and nitrogen adsorption. The thermal behavior, the phase and chemical composition of PS/YSZ composite were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that porous YSZ has been formed with the pores arranged in an ordered close-packed three-dimensional structure. Ni/YSZ cermet was also prepared by immersing the 3-DOM YSZ into the solution of nickel nitrate and urea. The electrical conductivity of Ni/YSZ was about 400 S cm⁻¹ between 600 and 800 °C.     

Anomalous solubility of polyacrylamide prepared by dispersion (precipitation) polymerization in aqueous tert‐butyl alcohol

Polyacrylamide prepared by dispersion (precipitation) polymerization in an aqueous t‐butyl alcohol (TBA) medium is only partially soluble when the TBA concentrations in the polymerization media are in the range 82 vol % < TBA < 95 vol %. Independent experiments with a soluble (linear) sample of polyacrylamide show that the polymer swells sufficiently in the aforementioned media to lower the glass‐transition temperature of the polymer below the polymerization temperature (50 °C). The anomalous solubility has been attributed to the crosslinking of polymer chains that occurs during the solid‐phase polymerization of acrylamide in the swollen polymer particles. It is postulated that some of the radical centers shift from the chain end to the chain backbone during solid‐phase polymerization by chain transfer to neighboring polymer molecules, and when pairs of such radicals come into close vicinity, crosslinking occurs. However, dispersion (precipitation) polymerization in other media such as aqueous methanol and aqueous acetone yields polymers that are soluble. This result has been attributed to the fact that the polymer radical undergoes a chain‐transfer reaction with these solvents at a much faster rate than with TBA, which overcomes the effect of the polymer‐transfer reaction. Even the addition of as little as 5% methanol to a TBA–water mixture (TBA:water = 85:10) gives rise to a soluble polymer. The chain‐transfer constants for acetone, methanol, and TBA have been determined to be 9.0 × 10^?6, 6.9 × 10^?6, and 1.48 × 10^?6, respectively, at 50 °C. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3434–3442, 2001     

Ring‐opening polymerization of rac‐ and meso‐lactide initiated by indium bis(phenolate) isopropoxy complexes

Ring‐opening polymerization of rac‐ and meso‐lactide initiated by indium bis(phenolate) isopropoxides {1,4‐dithiabutanediylbis(4,6‐di‐tert‐butylphenolate)}(isopropoxy)indium ( 1 ) and {1,4‐dithiabutanediylbis(4,6‐di(2‐phenyl‐2‐propyl)phenolate)}(isopropoxy)indium ( 2 ) is found to follow first‐order kinetics for monomer conversion. Activation parameters ΔH^? and ΔS^? suggest an ordered transition state. Initiators 1 and 2 polymerize meso‐lactide faster than rac‐lactide. In general, compound 2 with the more bulky cumyl ortho‐substituents in the phenolate moiety shows higher polymerization activity than 1 with tert‐butyl substituents. meso‐Lactide is polymerized to syndiotactic poly(meso‐lactides) in THF, while polymerization of rac‐lactide in THF gives atactic poly(rac‐lactides) with solvent‐dependent preferences for heterotactic (THF) or isotactic (CH₂Cl₂) sequences. Indium bis(phenolate) compound rac‐(1,2‐cyclohexanedithio‐2,2′‐bis{4,6‐di(2‐phenyl‐2‐propyl)phenolato}(isopropoxy)indium ( 3 ) polymerizes meso‐lactide to give syndiotactic poly(meso‐lactide) with narrow molecular weight distributions and rac‐lactide in THF to give heterotactically enriched poly(rac‐lactides). © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4983–4991     

Oxidative degradation and deamination of atenolol by diperiodatocuprate(III) in aqueous alkaline medium: A mechanistic study

The kinetics of oxidation of atenolol (ATN) by diperiodatocuprate(III) (DPC) in aqueous alkaline medium at a constant ionic strength of 0.10 mol dm⁻³ was studied spectrophotometrically. The reaction between DPC and ATN in alkaline medium exhibits 1:2 stoichiometry (ATN:DPC). The reaction is of first order in [DPC] and has less than unit order in both [ATN] and [alkali]. However, the order in [ATN] and [alkali] changes from first order to zero order as their concentration increase. Intervention of free radicals was observed in the reaction. Increase in periodate concentration decreases the rate. The oxidation reaction in alkaline medium has been shown to proceed via a monoperiodatocuprate(III)–ATN complex, which decomposes slowly in a rate-determining step followed by other fast steps to give the products. The main oxidative products were identified by spot test, IR, NMR and LC–ESI-MS studies. The reaction constants involved in the different steps of the mechanism are calculated. The activation parameters with respect to slow step of the mechanism are computed and discussed, and thermodynamic quantities are also determined.     

Cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether initiated with transition‐metal ate complexes

The cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether was examined with transition‐metal ate complexes with trityl cation as initiators. The initiators were generated by the reaction of triphenylmethyl chloride [trityl chloride (TrCl)] with ate complexes of Nb, Mo, and W with lithium cation, which were obtained in situ by the reaction of the transition‐metal halides with anionic reagents (organolithium or lithium amide). When the polymerization was initiated with a mixture of TrCl and Li⁺[NbH₅(NnBuPh)]^?, the resulting poly(isobutyl vinyl ether)s had narrow molecular weight distributions (weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight = 1.13–1.20). Although the polymerization was supposed to be initiated by the electrophilic attack of the trityl cation, matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry analysis of the resulting poly(isobutyl vinyl ether)s revealed the presence of H at the α‐chain end. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2636–2641, 2006     

Synthesis of poly(vinyl acetate)‐graft‐polystyrene by a combination of cobalt‐mediated radical polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization

Vinyl acetate and vinyl chloroacetate were copolymerized in the presence of a bis(trifluoro‐2,4‐pentanedionato)cobalt(II) complex and 2,2′‐azobis(4‐methoxy‐2,4‐dimethylvaleronitrile) at 30 °C, forming a cobalt‐capped poly(vinyl acetate‐co‐vinyl chloroacetate). The addition of 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyloxy after a certain degree of copolymerization was reached afforded 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyloxy‐terminated poly(vinyl acetate‐co‐vinyl chloroacetate) (PVOAc–MI; number‐average molecular weight = 31,000, weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight = 1.24). A ¹H NMR study of the resulting PVOAc–MI revealed quantitative terminal 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyloxy functionality and the presence of 5.5 mol % vinyl chloroacetate in the copolymer. The atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene (St) was studied with ethyl chloroacetate as a model initiator and five different Cu‐based catalysts. Catalysts with bis(2‐pyridylmethyl)octadecylamine (BPMODA) or tris(2‐pyridylmethyl)amine (TPMA) ligands provided the highest initiation efficiency and best control over the polymerization of St. The grafting‐from ATRP of St from PVOAc–MI catalyzed by copper complexes with BPMODA or TPMA ligands provided poly(vinyl acetate)‐graft‐polystyrene copolymers with relatively high polydispersity (>1.5) because of intermolecular coupling between growing polystyrene (PSt) grafts. After the hydrolysis of the graft copolymers, the cleaved PSt side chains had a monomodal molecular weight distribution with some tailing toward the lower number‐average molecular weight region because of termination. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 447–459, 2007     

Effects of hydration and hydrophilicity on Na‐Clay‐supported aqueous‐phase catalysis for atom transfer radical polymerization

Hydrated sodium montmorillonite (Na‐clay) has been used as a catalyst support for the heterogeneous atom transfer radical polymerization of benzyl methacrylate in the presence of various concentrations of water, reducing agent, and CuBr₂ in anisole at ambient temperature. The polymerization was promoted via reduction of Cu^II to Cu^I through the addition of sodium ascorbate (NaAsc) as a reducing agent in aqueous solution. The polymerizaton proceeded in a controlled manner and produced poly(benzyl methacylate) with moderately narrow molecular weight distribution (MWD) when performed under optimum conditions of hydration (10 wt % ≤ H₂O/Na‐clay ≤ 21 wt %) and reducing agent (0.15 ≤ [NaAsc]/[I] ≤ 0.23). The polymerization was uncontrolled if hydration and NaAsc exceed above their optimum range of concentrations. Apparent rate of the polymerization (k_app) increased in the presence of decane–anisole (1/3, v/v) mixture solvent. Selective adsorption of decane at the interfaces of the hydrated clay was attributed for the rate enhancement due to increased polymer and hydrophobic interface interaction. The polymerization progressed in a controlled manner as confirmed by the first‐order time‐conversion plot, linear increase in molecular weights, and moderately narrow MWDs over conversion. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Living radical polymerization. II. Improved atom transfer radical polymerization of acrylamide in aqueous glycerol media with a novel pentamethyldiethylenetriamine‐based soluble copper(I) complex catalyst system

An improved atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of acrylamide was achieved in a glycerol/water (1:1 v/v) medium with 2‐halopropionamide initiators, CuX (X = Cl or Br) as catalysts, pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) as a ligand, and CuX₂ (≥20 mol % CuX) and excess alkali halide (ca. 1 mol/dm³) as additives. The first‐order kinetic plots for the disappearance of the monomer at 130 °C were linear; this was a significant improvement over the results obtained earlier with the bipyridine ligand. However, even under such improved situations, about 7 mol % of the polymer chains were estimated to be formed dead. The polydispersity index was approximately 1.5. At a lower temperature (ca. 90 °C), a lower polydispersity index (1.24) was obtained for the bromide‐based initiating system. Chain‐extension experiments proved the living nature of the polymers. The presence of both extra halide ions and the monomer was necessary to take the CuX–PMDETA complex into solution. It was suggested that the soluble Cu(I) complex was formed with one PMDETA molecule acting as a monodentate ligand and with two halide ions and one acrylamide molecule occupying the other three coordination sites. Some support for the involvement of all three ligands (X^?, PMDETA, and acrylamide) in the complex formation was obtained from ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy studies. The better ATRP with the PMDETA ligand was attributed to the better stability and lesser hydrolysis of the 1:1 Cu⁺²/PMDETA complex with respect the corresponding bipyridine complex. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2483–2494, 2004     

Are o‐nitrobenzyl (meth)acrylate monomers polymerizable by controlled‐radical polymerization?

We report on the controlled‐radical polymerization of the photocleavable o‐nitrobenzyl methacrylate (NBMA) and o‐nitrobenzyl acrylate (NBA) monomers. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT), and nitroxide‐mediated polymerization (NMP) have been evaluated. For all methods used, the acrylate‐type monomer does not polymerize, or polymerizes very slowly in a noncontrolled manner. The methacrylate‐type monomer can be polymerized by RAFT with some degree of control (PDI ∼ 1.5) but leading to molar masses up to 11,000 g/mol only. ATRP proved to be the best method since a controlled‐polymerization was achieved when conversions are limited to 30%. In this case, polymers with molar masses up to 17,000 g/mol and polydispersity index as low as 1.13 have been obtained. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 6504–6513, 2009     

Effect of Rh(III) and Ru(II) complexes in the polymerization of vinyl monomers initiated by charge transfer mechanism

The initiation of polymerization of vinyl monomers such as methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methyl acrylate (MA) by a charge transfer complex formed between n-butylamine(nBA) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) at 30°C is slow. The effect of the dimethylsulfoxide complexes of Rh(III) and Ru(II) on the polymerization of MMA and MA in the presence of nBA, and CCl₄ in DMSO has been studied. The rate of polymerization and percent conversion of the MMA and MA at 30°C are evaluated at the critical concentration of the metal complexes. At the critical range of the metal complex concentrations, both R_p, and percent conversion of MMA and MA were found to be highest. However, above and below the critical concentrations, R_p and percent conversion of the monomers were found to decrease. A suitable mechanism for the polymerization has been proposed.     

Graft copolymerization of butyl acrylate and 2‐ethyl hexyl acrylate from labile chlorines of poly(vinyl chloride) by atom transfer radical polymerization

Trace amounts of labile chlorines present in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) were found to act as initiation sites for the preparation of graft copolymers of PVC by copper‐mediated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). High grafting yields were attained during the graft copolymerizations of n‐butyl acrylate (161.8%) and 2‐ethyl hexyl acrylate (51.2%) in 7.5 h. In both cases, the grafting proceeded with first‐order kinetics with respect to the monomer concentrations, this being typical for ATRP. Gel permeation chromatography traces of the resulting products did not exhibit additional peaks attributable to the formation of free homopolymers. The presented procedure offers an efficient means of preparing self‐plasticized PVC structures. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3457–3462, 2003     

Spontaneous Cu(I)Br–PMDETA‐mediated polymerization of isobornyl methacrylate in heterogeneous aqueous medium at ambient temperature

Isobornyl methacrylate (IBMA), a bulky hydrophobic methacrylate, undergoes very fast polymerization, in bulk, with Cu(I)Br/N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA)/ethyl‐2‐bromoisobutyrate system, at ambient temperature. IBMA also undergoes a spontaneous initiator‐free polymerization, at ambient temperature, with Cu(I)Br/PMDETA catalytic system in dimethyl sulfoxide–water mixtures. The rate of the polymerization is seen to increase with the water content up to 80 mol % of water. A possible intervention of air in initiation is proposed. The active Cu(0) formed by the disproportionation of Cu(I) species in aqueous medium probably plays a vital role for a possible air‐initiation of IBMA via single electron transfer‐living radical polymerization (SET‐LRP) mechanism. A high tolerance level to water under SET‐LRP conditions is demonstrated. The poly(IBMA) samples obtained exhibit low molecular weight distributions (1.1–1.3). Similar behavior was not observed with other common methacrylates such as methyl methacrylate, t‐butyl methacrylate, cyclohexyl methacrylate, and benzyl methacrylate. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Surface‐initiated polymerization from poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The free‐radical polymerization of styrene initiated from a functionalized poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) surface yielded a tethered polymer layer. The anchoring of the initiator species on the PET surface was performed from surface‐reactive groups easily generated by an alkaline hydrolysis of PET. After each surface modification, PET films were characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, measurements of water contact angles, and time‐of‐flight secondary‐ion mass spectrometry. The influence of the polymerization duration, the grafted initiator density, and the grafting mode on the efficiency of the surface‐initiated polymerization of styrene was investigated. In some cases, the tethering of the polystyrene layer on PET could be a reversible process. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1347–1359, 2003     

Solution polymerization of vinyl monomers in the presence of poly(N-acetyliminoethylene) macroazoinitiators

New block copolymers with poly(N-acetyliminoethylene) and vinyl sequences were obtained by a two-step synthetic approach. In the first stage macroinitiators of poly(N-acetyliminoethylene) type, with azo groups inserted in the main chain, were prepared. They were latter used in the radical polymerization of some vinyl monomers [styrene, methacrylic acid, methyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, β-(N-carbazolyl)ethyl acrylate, β-(methacryloyfoxy)ethyl 3,5-dinitrobenzoate]. The resulting block copolymers were characterized by spectral methods, elemental analysis, gel permeation chromatography, and electron microscopy. The kinetic study of the thermal and photochemical decomposition of the synthesized macroazoinitiators, as well as the polymerization data, suggest a dependence of their initiating efficiency on the length of the poly(N-acetyliminoethylene) segments. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of poly(vinyl laurate)‐b‐poly(vinyl stearate) diblock copolymers by cobalt‐mediated radical polymerization in solution

Poly(vinyl laurate) (PVL) and poly(vinyl stearate) (PVS) were synthesized by means of cobalt‐mediated radical polymerization (CMRP). Cobalt(II) diacetylacetonate (Co(acac)₂) was demonstrated to control the radical polymerization of these monomers in solution. Molecular weights up to 15,000 g·mol^?1 were obtained with reasonably low polydispersity indices (PDI < 1.3). The efficiency of the redox initiator [lauroyle peroxide (LPO)/citric acid (CA)] was found to be low (around 10%) as already reported for vinyl acetate. The solvent and temperature were found to have a very weak influence on the initiator efficiency. It appeared that CA played no role in the initiation process that only involved a redox reaction between LPO and Co(acac)₂. PVL‐b‐PVS diblock copolymers could be synthesized using two strategies: (1) Sequential addition, that is, addition of the second monomer (VS) at high conversion of the first one (VL). (2) Macroinitiator technique, that is, isolation of a PVL macroinitiator then polymerization of VS from this cobalt functionalized macroinitiator. Both techniques allowed the synthesis of diblock copolymers with molar masses around 25,000 g·mol^?1 and PDI lower than 1.4. The resulting materials were characterized by DSC, revealing that both blocks exhibit side‐chain crystallinity and phase segregate in the bulk. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Osmium(VIII) catalysed and uncatalysed oxidation of aspirin drug by diperiodatocuprate(III) complex in aqueous alkaline medium: A mechanistic approach

The kinetics of oxidation of a non-steroidal analgesic drug, aspirin (ASP) by diperiodatocuprate(III)(DPC) in the presence and absence of osmium(VIII) have been investigated at 298 K in alkaline medium at a constant ionic strength of 0.10 mol dm⁻³ spectrophotometrically. The reaction showed a first-order in [DPC] and less than unit order in [ASP] and [alkali] for both the osmium(VIII) catalysed and uncatalysed reactions. The order with respect to Os(VIII) concentration was unity. The effects of added products, ionic strength, periodate and dielectric constant have been studied. The stoichiometry of the reaction was found to be 1:4 (ASP:DPC) for both the cases. The main oxidation product of aspirin was identified by spot test, IR, NMR and GC–MS. The reaction constants involved in the different steps of the mechanisms were calculated for both reactions. Activation parameters with respect to slow step of the mechanisms were computed and discussed for both the cases. The thermodynamic quantities were also determined for both reactions. The catalytic constant (K_C) was also calculated for catalysed reaction at different temperatures and the corresponding activation parameters were determined.     

Kinetics and Mechanism of Oxidation of Sarcosine by Diperiodatocuprate(III) Complex in Alkaline Medium

The kinetics of oxidation of sarcosine by diperiodatocuprate(III) (DPC) was studied with spectrophotometry in a temperature range of 292.2–304.2 K. The reaction between diperiodatocuprate(III) and sarcosine in alkaline medium exhibits 1:1 stoichiometry (DPC:sarcosine). The reaction was found to be first order with respect to both DPC and sarcosine. The observed rate constant (k_obs) decreased with the increase of the [IO^?₄], decreased with the increase of the [OH^?], and then increased with the increase of the [OH^?] after a turning point. There was no salt effect, and free radicals were detected. Based on the experimental results, a mechanism involving the diperiodatocuprate(III) (DPC) as the reactive species of the oxidant has been proposed. The activation parameters, as well as the rate constants of the rate‐determining step, have been calculated.     

Functionalization of three‐dimensionally ordered macroporous cross‐linked polystyrene by atom‐transfer radical polymerization of hydroxyethyl methacrylate and subsequent derivatization

The surface‐initiated atom‐transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) technique was applied to the graft polymerization of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) from three‐dimensionally ordered macroporous crosslinked polystyrene (3DOM CLPS) on which the initiator (benzyl chloride) was immobilized onto the pore wall of 3DOM CLPS by chloromethylation of benzene ring. By the adjustment of the monomer concentration or graft polymerization time, the thickness of grafted polymer layers can be controlled. FTIR analysis confirms that the graft polymerization of HEMA via ATRP had been taken place at the pore wall of 3DOM CLPS. SEM images of PHEMA‐grafted 3DOM CLPS show that the ordered structure is well preserved after graft polymerization and the grafted layers are dense and homogeneous. The maximum thickness of grafted layer is up to 35 nm and the corresponding percent weight increase is 102.8% in this study. Moreover, the PHEMA layers were further functionalized in high yield via their reactive hydroxyl groups under gentle condition. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 7950–7959, 2008     

Graft polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by pendant azo groups introduced onto γ-poly(glutamic acid)

The grafting of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) onto biosynthesized γ-poly(glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) initiated by pendant azo groups introduced onto γ-PGA was performed. The introduction of pendant azo groups onto γ-PGA was achieved by the reaction of carboxyl groups of γ-PGA with azo initiators having hydroxyl or amino groups, such as 2,2-azobis[2-(hydroxymethyl)propionitrile] (AHP), 2,2′-azobis[2-methyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)propionamide] (AMHP), and 2,2′-azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane] (AIP), using N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The amount of pendant AHP groups introduced onto γ-PGA was estimated to be 0.15 mmol/g. Untreated γ-PGA failed to initiate the polymerization of MMA. On the contrary, the polymerization of MMA was found to be initiated in the presence of γ-PGA having azo groups: the polymerization rate was proportional to the square root of the concentration of γ-PGA having pendant azo groups. During the polymerization PMMA was grafted onto γ-PGA; the percentage of grafting of PMMA onto γ-PGA obtained from the graft polymerization initiated by pendant AHP, AMHP, and AIP groups was evaluated to be 65.0, 53.1, and 29.0%, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetric analysis shows that the endotherm transition point of γ-PGA at 220°C disappears by the grafting of PMMA onto the polymer. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.