A study of benzobisoxazole and benzobisthiazole compounds and polymers under hydrolytic conditions

The stability of benzobisoxazole and benzobisthiazole compounds and polymers under hydrolytic conditions was studied. 2,6-Bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)benzo[1,2-d;4,5-d′]bisoxazole (1) dissolved in acetonitrile containing sulfuric acid and water at 80°C is stable. A suspension of 2,6-bis[4-(2-benzoxazoyl)phenyl]benzo[1,2-d;5,4-d′]bisoxazole (2) in 0.2 N H₂SO₄ or 0.2 N NaOH solution at 100°C for 21 days is stable. The intrinsic viscosity of a poly(p-phenylene)benzobisoxazole (PBO) fiber sample soaked in 0.2 N H₂SO₄, water with 1 wt % polyphosphoric acid (PPA), or 0.2 N NaOH remained the same. Under very severe hydrolytic conditions such as dissolution of compound 2 or PBO in PPA or methanesulfonic acid with residual water followed by coagulation in water, benzobisoxazole underwent bond cleavage to generate carboxylic acid and o-aminophenol functional groups. This is in contrast to an earlier hypothesis that the decrease in intrinsic viscosity under these conditions was due to chain association. Poly(p-phenylene)benzobisthiazole (PBT) also underwent bond cleavage under these very severe conditions, which are unlikely to be encountered in normal applications. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2637–2643, 1999     

Synthesis,characterization, and photovoltaic properties of dithienylbenzobisazole‐dithienylsilole copolymers

Three conjugated polymers comprised of dioctyl‐dithieno‐[2,3‐b:2',3'‐d]silole and a donor‐acceptor‐donor triad of either cis‐benzbisoxazole, trans‐benzobisoxazole or trans‐benzobisthiazole were synthesized via the Stille cross‐coupling reaction. The impact of varying the heteroatoms and/or the location within the benzobisazole moiety on the optical and electronic properties of the resulting polymers was evaluated via cyclic voltammetry and UV‐Visible spectroscopy. All of the polymers have similar optical band‐gaps of ～1.9 eV and highest occupied molecular orbital levels of ? 5.2 eV. However, the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO) ranged from ? 3.0 to ? 3.2 eV. Interestingly, when the polymers were used as donor materials in bulk‐heterojunction photovoltaic cells with PC₇₁BM as the electron‐acceptor, the benzobisoxazole‐based polymers gave slightly better results than the benzobisthiazole‐containing polymers with power conversion efficiencies up to 3.5%. These results indicate that benzobisoxazoles are promising materials for use in OPVs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1533–1540     

Photolysis of cellulose and related compounds by 253.7 nm light. I. Rates of gas production from hydrocellulose

The initial stages of the photolysis of cellulose under vacuum can be followed by the gas production. A photolysis cell is described which allows a rigorous temperature control and gives a reproducible photolysis surface of the solid carbohydrate sample. A mass spectrometer was used to analyze the gases. To measure accurately the small amounts produced in a small volume requires careful calibration of this instrument, together with a fixed routine for the experimental procedure. Using this apparatus, we have photolyzed hydrocellulose under vacuum with 253.7 nm light. Only H₂, CO, and CO₂ were evolved, the rate of H₂ production increasing to a constant value, that of CO increasing more slowly without becoming constant, and that of CO₂ decreasing rapidly to a constant value. No induction periods were observed. The gas evolution was not caused by residual O₂ or CO₂ adsorbed on the polymer, but the rates were altered by leaving the photolyzed sample under vacuum overnight or heating the unphotolyzed sample under vacuum at 100°C. The rates of gas production increased markedly when the light filter was changed to allow a combined photolysis by 253.7 and 184.9 nm light. The results illustrate that stringent precautions must be taken to filter off the latter line in polymer photolyses with Hg arc light if the results are to be meaningfully interpreted in terms of 253.7 nm light photolysis. On photolyzing hydrocellulose previously boiled in NaOH solution, a larger H₂ production rate and a smaller CO₂ rate (compared with untreated hydrocellulose) were observed. It is suggested that this standard alkali treatment is the reason for the differences between our results and the results of the photolysis of cellulose reported in the literature.     

Synthesis and photovoltaic properties of 2,6‐bis(2‐thienyl) benzobisazole and 4,8‐bis(thienyl)‐benzo[1,2‐B:4,5‐B′]dithiophene copolymers

In an effort to design efficient low‐cost polymers for use in organic photovoltaic cells the easily prepared donor–acceptor–donor triad of a either cis‐benzobisoxazole, trans‐benzobisoxazole or trans‐benzobisthiazole flanked by two thiophene rings was combined with the electron‐rich 4,8‐bis(5‐(2‐ethylhexyl)‐thien‐2‐yl)‐benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene. The electrochemical, optical, morphological, charge transport, and photovoltaic properties of the resulting terpolymers were investigated. Although the polymers differed in the arrangement and/or nature of the chalcogens, they all had similar highest occupied molecular orbital energy levels (?5.2 to ?5.3 eV) and optical band gaps (2.1–2.2 eV). However, the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels ranged from ?3.1 to ?3.5 eV. When the polymers were used as electron donors in bulk heterojunction photovoltaic devices with PC₇₁BM ([6,6]‐phenyl C₇₁‐butyric acid methyl ester) as the acceptor, the trans‐benzobisoxazole polymer had the best performance with a power conversion efficiency of 2.8%. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 316–324     

Preparation of hyperbranched macromolecules with aryl fluoride and phenol terminal functionalities using new monomers and Cs2CO3 or Mg(OH)2 as the condensation agent

New A₂B monomers were synthesized for preparation of hyperbranched aryl ether sulfone macromolecules with aryl fluoride and phenol terminal functionalities. The macromolecules, which possess high thermal stability, were prepared using the divergent approach. A masked phenol with two aryl fluoride groups and a bisphenol with an aryl fluoride group were the monomers used to synthesize these polymers. In both cases, the aryl fluoride group is activated by a sulfone moiety. The synthetic method used for the preparation of the hyperbranched macromolecules gave a fast reaction and a high yield. These methods include, e.g., the use of Cs₂CO₃ and Mg(OH)₂ to generate the phenolate ion in situ. Use of the latter results in the formation of insoluble magnesium fluoride. The best conditions for the reaction utilized the more active nucleophilic polycondensation agent, Cs₂CO₃, and an aryl carbonate as a masked phenol. NMR, SEC, and MALDI-TOF-MS were used to characterize the samples. MALDI-TOF-MS allowed us to identify the different oligomeric species present, and it also indicated that an internal cyclization competes with the polymerization. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 2015–2033, 1997     

Photoinitiated polymerization of aryl cyclic sulfonium salts

Polymers are produced by direct photolysis of substituted aryl cyclic sulfonium Zwitterionic salts in solution or film. Analysis of zwitterionic monomers via ¹³C NMR, UV, and IR spectroscopy as well as X‐ray diffraction clearly identifies the structures taking part in the photoinduced polymerization in the solid crystalline films. The protonated form of the zwitterionic monomers, however, fails to produce detectable amounts of polymer upon photolysis under any conditions. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 571–584, 2001     

Facile one‐pot synthesis and thermal cyclopolymerization of aryl bistrifluorovinyl ether monomers bearing reactive pendant groups

A diverse pool of aryl bistrifluorovinyl ether (BTFVE) compounds with reactive pendant groups were prepared in a facile, high yielding three step “one‐pot” synthesis from commercial 4‐bromo(trifluorovinyloxy)benzene. Monomers were confirmed from ATR–FTIR, ¹H, ¹³C, and ¹⁹F NMR, and HRMS analysis. Aryl BTFVE compounds were thermally polymerized to afford perfluorocyclobutyl (PFCB) aryl ether polymers with high number–average molecular weight (M_n) for homopolymers (17,050–27,090) and copolymers with 4,4′‐bis(trifluorovinyloxy)biphenyl monomers (27,860–56,500). The PFCB aryl ether homo‐ and copolymers collectively possess high thermal stability (>299 °C in N₂) and are readily solution processable producing optically transparent films. The thermal polymerization was achieved and reactive moieties remained intact, aside from those functionalized with acrylates. In the case with acrylate functionalized polymers, orthogonal polymerization was achieved by first photopolymerizing the acrylates followed by thermal curing of the aryl trifluorovinyl ether endgroups. Preliminary results in this study produced the successful preparation of photodefinable PFCB aryl ether material. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1887–1893, 2010     

Polymers from aryl cyclic sulfonium zwitterions—photosensitive materials cast from and developed in water

Upon photolysis or heating, aryl cyclic sulfonium (ACS) zwitterions polymerize by ring‐opening and loss of charge to yield nonionic polymers. These water‐soluble monomers potentially are useful for photolithography because they can be cast from and developed in water. The ACS zwitterion from bisphenol A, 1,1′‐[isopropylidenebis(6‐hydroxy‐3,1‐phenylene)] bis (tetrahydrothiophenium hydroxide) bis(inner salt) (1) is a negative‐tone, photosensitive material that after photolysis yields a crosslinked film. Unexposed regions are removed by water. The cured film has a low dielectric constant, high volume resistivity, a high degree of planarization, low residual stress, thermogravimetric stability, acceptable fracture toughness, and high hardness. These are desirable properties for a dielectric material used in microelectronic applications. However, a shortcoming of the material is its low T_g, at about 140 °C. A second ACS zwitterion, 1,1′‐[fluorenylidenebis(6‐hydroxy‐3,1‐phenylene)] bis(tetrahydrothiophenium hydroxide) bis(inner salt) (2) was prepared that yields a crosslinked polymer with a higher T_g of about 190 °C. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1283–1290, 2000     

Copper-mediated direct arylation of benzoazoles with aryl iodides

The direct arylation of 1,3-benzoazole compounds with aryl iodides is effectively promoted by CuI with use of PPh₃ and Na₂CO₃ or K₃PO₄ as ligand and base, respectively, in DMF or DMSO to produce the corresponding 2-arylated products with good yields.     

Synthesis of polyphosphates by the polyaddition of bisphenol-S diglycidyl ether and aryl phosphorodichloridates

In this study, we synthesized polyphosphates with reactive pendant chloromethyl groups by an addition reaction of the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-S (bisphenol-S epoxy, BPSE) with aryl phosphorodichloridates. The polyphosphates obtained were characterized by IR, ¹H NMR spectra, elemental analysis, TGA, DSC, X-ray diffraction, and molar mass measurement. The polyaddition proceeded very smoothly in aromatic solvents catalyzed by quaternary ammonium or phosphonium salts such as tetrabutylammonium bromide and tetrabutylphosphonium bromide to produce a polymer having a high molecular weight. Polymer B, containing a bromine atom in the phenyl ring side chain, has the higher T_g value (T_g = 58°C) than the polyphosphate derived from phenoxy dichlorophosphate (PDCP). Polymer A derived from PDCP begins to lose 10% of its mass at 278°C, and the mass percentage remaining at 700°C is 44% under nitrogen. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that all the subsequent polyphosphates are amorphous. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 2365–2369, 1997     

Synthesis of a series of SG1 2‐[N‐tert‐butyl‐N‐(1‐diethoxyphosphoryl‐2,2‐dimethylpropyl)aminoxyl] based alkoxyamines,SG1‐CH(Me)CO2R,and measurement of the homolysis rate constants of the C?ON bond

During nitroxide‐mediated polymerization, the polymerization time decreases with an increasing rate constant of the cleavage of the NO? C bond of dormant alkoxyamines. Thus, knowledge of the factors influencing this cleavage is of considerable interest. We have prepared a series of SG1 2‐[N‐tert‐butyl‐N‐(1‐diethoxyphosphoryl‐2,2‐dimethylpropyl)aminoxyl] based alkoxyamines [SG1‐CH(Me)CO₂R] with various R groups (alkyl or aryl) and measured the homolysis rate constants (k_d). k_d decreases with the bulkiness and increases with the polarity of the R group. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3504–3515, 2004     

Pd-catalyzed amidation of aryl(Het) halides with tert-butyl carbamate

Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of tert-butyl carbamate with various aryl(Het) halides with Cs₂CO₃ as base in 1,4-dioxane as solvent was investigated, which resulted in the formation of the desired compounds in moderate to excellent yields.     

Copper-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl iodides and aryl acetylenes using microwave heating

An efficient copper-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl iodides with aryl acetylenes under microwave irradiation is described. The reaction proceeds under microwave heating with 10 mol % CuI and 2 equiv Cs₂CO₃ in 43-87% yields.     

Synthesis and characterization of new hyperbranched poly(aryl ether oxadiazole)s

A new AB₂ monomer was synthesized for use in the preparation of a hyperbranched poly(aryl ether oxadiazole) with terminal phenol functionality. The AB₂ monomer contains two phenolic groups and a single aryl fluoride group that is activated toward nucleophilic displacement by the attached oxadiazole ring. The nucleophilic substitution of the fluoride with the phenolate groups led to the formation of an ether linkage. Subsequently, a hyperbranched poly(aryl ether oxadiazole) having approximately a 44% degree of branching, as determined by a combination of model compound studies and ¹H NMR, was obtained. The terminal phenolic groups underwent facile functionalization, furnishing hyperbranched polymers with a variety of functional chain ends. The nature of the chain‐end groups had a significant influence on the physical properties of the polymers, such as the glass‐transition temperature and their solubility. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3851–3860, 2001     

A new palladium catalyzed protocol for atom-efficient cross-coupling reactions of triarylbismuths with aryl halides and triflates

A new palladium catalyzed protocol for an atom-efficient cross-coupling reaction of triarylbismuths with aryl halides and triflates has been described. The palladium catalytic system with Cs₂CO₃ base was found to be very efficient in DMA solvent to furnish excellent yields of cross-coupled functionalized biaryls in short reaction times.     

Mechanism of alkyl halide photolysis by a pulsed CO2 tea laser

A CO₂ TEA laser has been used to photolyze dilute samples of various alkyl halides in helium. The mechanism of the high intensity infrared photolysis of these molecules involves the decomposition of molecules into molecular or radical fragments. The reaction pathway is always dissociation into the lowest thermal dissociation channel(s) of the molecule photolyzed. Products from the initial process are also photo-dissociated by the laser pulse and their decomposition pathways are similarly governed. The molecules being photolyzed are not thermally equilibrated with the bath or with each other and the molecular-specific nature of the laser excitation is demonstrated.     

Synthesis of bioactive 2-(2-(difluoromethoxy)aryl)benzo[d]thiazole derivatives via base-promoted one-pot process

A convenient synthesis of 2-(2-(difluoromethoxy)aryl)benzo[d]thiazoles from 2- (o-hydroxyaryl)benzothiazoles and commercially available ethyl difluoroiodoacetate (ICF₂CO₂Et) is described. The transformation was amenable to a one-pot, sequential three-component protocol from o-hydroxybenzaldehyde, o-aminothiophenol, and ICF₂CO₂Et promoted by KOH. Additionally, some of the prepared compounds exhibited promising activity against human ovarian cancer cells.     

Coupling polymerization of monofunctional allene derivatives with malonates bearing aryl halides moieties via π-allylpalladium complex

A novel polymerization method of allene derivatives with nucleophiles bearing aryl halide moieties (A-B type) is described. By the polymerization of hexylallene with malonates bearing an aryl iodide part, polymers consisting both of internal and exomethylene (exo) double bonds were obtained by mean of the coupling reaction of three different components in high yields. On the other hand, a polymer obtained from phenylallene was selectively composed of internal double bonds (E and Z). By the reaction of hexylallene with a malonate bearing two aryl halide moieties (A-B₂ type), a multibranched polymer was also obtained. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 2097–2103, 1997     

Highly phenylated poly(aryl ether phthalazine)s

Two series of novel amorphous poly(aryl ether phthalazine)s have been prepared via an intramolecular ring closure reaction of poly(aryl ether ketone)s (PAEKs) with hydrazine monohydrate. Fluorinated PAEKs, which display solubility in solvents incorporating a ketone functionality such as acetone or ethyl acetate, were converted to poly(aryl ether phthalazine)s to observe if these polymers would display similar solubility characteristics. The poly(aryl ether phthalazine)s have glass transition temperatures in the range of 278–320°C and show 5% weight loss points greater than 500°C in air and nitrogen atmospheres. The fluorinated poly(aryl ether phthalazine)s were not soluble in ketonic solvents. A series of poly(aryl ether phthalazine)s incorporating pendant 2-naphthalenyl moieties has been prepared in an attempt to produce amorphous, thermally stable polymers with high glass transition temperatures. The polymers have glass transition temperatures in the range of 287–334°C and show 5% weight loss points greater than 500°C in air and nitrogen atmospheres. Poly(aryl ether phthalazine)s undergo an exothermic reaction above the glass transition temperature. The major product of this reaction is a rearrangement of the phthalazine moieties to quiazoline moieties, however some crosslinking of the polymers occurs. Cured samples of the poly(aryl ether phthalazine)s show a small increase in the polymer T_g and are insoluble in all solvents tested. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 34:1897–1905, 1996     

Laser flash photolysis of carboxymethylcellulose in an aqueous solution

Laser flash photolysis with excitation at 248 nm was used to study photochemically derived changes of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) in aqueous solutions. Transient absorption spectra of solutions after photolysis revealed a broad band with a maximum of approximately 720 nm, which could be ascribed to the signal of the hydrated electron. The interaction of the hydrated electron with CMC was slow (<10⁷ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1), but the OH radical, formed by the decomposition of H₂O₂, reacted with CMC at a high rate constant (9.5–11.0 × 10⁸ dm³ mol^?1 s^?1). The rate constant of the reactions of CMC with hydroxyl radicals depended on the conformation of the macromolecules, which was determined by the pH of the solution. Transient absorption was recorded at a wavelength shorter than 370 nm for CMC solutions photolyzed in the presence of H₂O₂. As a result of OH attack, long‐lived radicals were formed on CMC. The recombination of macroradicals led to the formation of crosslinking bonds between side‐chain groups, and as a result of it an insoluble gel arose in low‐pH solutions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 505–518, 2005