Synthesis and properties of thermally cross-linkable main-chain azobenzene polymers containing diacetylene moieties

A series of main chain azobenzene polymers containing diacetylene moieties with different lengths of the spacer {-[CC-CH₂-O-C₆H₄-OCO-(CH₂)_m-O-C₆H₄-NN-C₆H₄-O-(CH₂)_m-OCO-C₆H₄-O-CH₂-CC]_n-, where m = 3, 6, 11} were synthesized by oxidative coupling polymerization. These polymers had molecular weights of 17,600-68,600 and polydispersity indices of 1.2-1.8 as determined by gel permeation chromatography using polystyrene as a standard. Their structures and properties were characterized and evaluated with NMR, FT-IR, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and nonlinear optical (NLO) analyses. All the polymers could be cross-linked at the elevated temperatures due to the polymerization reactions of the diacetylene groups in the polymer backbone, and the cross-linked polymers showed dramatically modified properties, such as thermal stability and solvent resistance. The third-order nonlinear susceptibilities of the cross-linked polymers were evaluated by means of the Z-scan technique and calculated to be 3.60 × 10⁻⁹, 2.73 × 10⁻⁹, 2.28 × 10⁻⁹ esu, respectively, whereas the un-cross-linked polymers showed no obvious NLO property.     

Composite membranes prepared from glutaraldehyde cross-linked sulfonated cardo polyetherketone and its blends for the dehydration of acetic acid by pervaporation

Cardo polyetherketone (PEK-C) composite membranes were prepared by casting glutaraldehyde (GA) cross-linked sulfonated cardo polyetherketone (SPEK-C) or silicotungstic acid (STA) filled SPEK-C and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blending onto a PEK-C substrate. The compatibility between the active layer and PEK-C substrate is improved by immersing the PEK-C substrate in a GA cross-linked sodium alginate (NaAlg) solution and using water–dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a co-solvent for preparing the STA-PVA-SPEK-C/GA active layer. The pervaporation (PV) dehydration of acetic acid shows that permeation flux decreased and separation factor increased with increasing GA content in the homogeneous membranes. The permeation flux achieved a minimum and the separation factor a maximum when the GA content increased to a certain amount. Thereafter the permeation flux increased and the separation factor decreased with further increasing the GA content. The PV performance of the composite membranes is superior to that of the homogeneous membranes when the feed water content is below 25 wt%. The permeation activation energy of the composite membranes is lower than that of the homogeneous membranes in the PV dehydration of 10 wt% water in acetic acid. The STA-PVA-SPEK-C-GA/PEK-C composite membrane using water–DMSO as co-solvent has an excellent separation performance with a flux of 592 g m⁻² h⁻¹ and a separation factor of 91.2 at a feed water content of 10 wt% at 50 °C.     

Surface tension of diethyl carbonate, 1,2-dimethoxyethane and diethyl adipate

The surface tension was investigated with a differential capillary rise method in the temperature range from 273 to 373 K for diethyl carbonate, 278 to 373 K for 1,2-dimethoxyethane, and 293 to 373 K for diethyl adipate, respectively. The uncertainties of the temperature and surface tension were estimated to be within ±10 mK and ±0.2 mN m⁻¹, respectively. A surface tension correlation was developed as a function of temperature with the experimental data, and the average absolute deviations were 0.04, 0.07 and 0.09 mN m⁻¹ for diethyl carbonate, 1,2-dimethoxyethane and diethyl adipate, respectively.     

Synthesis of novel soluble poly(imide-siloxane)s via hydrosilylation: Characterization and structure property behaviour

A series of novel poly(imide-siloxane)s (PIS) were synthesized by the grafting of amine terminated soluble imides to the siloxane backbone. The amine terminated imides were synthesized by choosing suitable anhydrides and amines to get the imides that are soluble in polar and non-polar solvents. The imides were grafted to the siloxane backbone by the epoxy group cleavage. All the polymers were obtained in quantitative yields with the inherent viscosities ranging from 0.22 to 1.2 dL g⁻¹. The polymers were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, and were examined for their thermal properties. The polymers were found to be stable up to a temperature 350 °C. The DSC results showed a single glass transition in the negative temperature, whereas the DTA revealed another glass transition in the positive end for some of the polymers showing phase separation. Polymer films were prepared employing the coupling reaction between PIS and the polydimethylsiloxane matrix by varying the amount of incorporation of PIS in the films. The polymer films had a tensile strength of 35-82 MPa with a percentage elongation of 86-271%. The contribution of polar and dispersion component towards the total surface energy was studied by the contact angle measurement and a reduction in surface tension of 14 mN m⁻¹ was achieved with the fluorine containing PIS membrane.     

Determination of solubility parameters of cross-linked macromonomeric initiators based on polypropylene glycol

A new type macromonomeric azo initiators also named macroinimers, MIMs, based on polypropylene glycol, PPG, with molecular weight 400 and 2000, were synthesized. Self-condensing radical polymerization of the macroinimers gave cross-linked polypropylene glycols. The solubility parameters of the cross-linked polymers determined using swelling experiments in a series of solvents have been reported. Crosss-linked PPG-400 and cross-linked PPG-2000 indicated the same solubility parameter value. But their swelling ratios were different because of the differences of the chain lengths in between of the cross-points (Mc) of the gels. Therefore, while the largest swelling ratio exhibited by a cross-linked PPG-2000 in tetrahydrofurane was being 19.48, this ratio was 6.84 for the cross-linked PPG-400 in the same solvent. The solubility parameters and constant α for these cross-linked polymers were obtained as δ_{cross-linked PPG-400} = 9.56 (cal cm⁻³)^1/2, α = 0.123 cm³ cal⁻¹ and δ_{cross-linked PPG-2000} = 8.95 (cal cm⁻³)^1/2, α = 0.107 cm³ cal⁻¹ by using the least squares regression method.     

Liquid crystal alignment behaviours on poly(methyl methacrylate) having polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane groups

A series of poly(methyl methacrylate) derivatives containing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) groups (MCP#) were synthesised via free radical polymerisation (FRP) using methacryl isobutyl POSS (MA-POSS) and methyl methacrylate as monomers to investigate liquid crystal (LC) alignment property of these polymer films. The LC cells made from the films of the polymers having 100 mol% of MA-POSS units (MCP100) showed vertical LC alignment having a pretilt angle of about 90°. The vertical LC alignment behaviour on the MCP100 film was ascribed to the very hydrophobic MCP100 surface having the surface energy value smaller than about 23 mJ/m² generated by the nonpolar bulky POSS group. Good electro-optical characteristics, such as voltage holding ratio (VHR) and residual DC voltage (R-DC), were observed for the LC cells fabricated using MCP100 as a LC alignment layer.     

Thermo-oxygen degradation mechanisms of POSS/epoxy nanocomposites

A series of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane/epoxy nanocomposites (POSS/EP) containing 0 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt% and 15 wt% content of POSS were prepared. Mechanical properties were used as the index to show the effect of POSS on the thermo-oxygen degradation resistance of epoxy resin. And the thermo-oxygen degradation mechanism was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Results showed that the incorporation of POSS into epoxy networks enhanced the thermo-oxygen resistance of epoxy. POSS led to the formation of inert layer on the surface of materials which could protect the internal structure from decomposition. As a result, the retention of mechanical properties of EP/POSS hybrids increased with the POSS content increasing.     

Synthesis,characterization, aggregation and thermal properties of a novel polymeric metal-free phthalocyanine and its metal complexes

A novel polymeric metal-free phthalocyanine (M = 2H) and its metal complexes (M = Zn, Cu, Co and Ni) were prepared by the tetramerization reaction of 3,6,9-Tris(p-tolylsulfonyl)-1,11-bis(3,4-dicyanophenoxy)-3,6,9-triazaundecane 5 with the appropriate materials. The electrical conductivities of the metal-free phthalocyanine and the metal complexes, measured in air, were found to be ∼10⁻⁶–10⁻⁵ S m⁻¹. The aggregation property of the zinc complex 7 was investigated with Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Ag⁺ cations. Thermal analysis of the polymers were done by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) at a heating rate of 10 °C min⁻¹ under a nitrogen atmosphere. All the novel compounds were characterized by using elemental analysis, UV–Vis, FT–IR, NMR and MS spectral data and DSC, DTA/TG techniques.     

PAMAM dendrimer composite membrane for CO2 separation: Formation of a chitosan gutter layer

A poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer composite membrane with an excellent CO₂/N₂ separation factor was developed in-situ. The In-situ Modification (IM) method was used to modify the surface of commercial porous membranes, such as ultrafiltration membranes, to produce a gas selective layer by controlling the interface precipitation of the membrane materials in the state of a received membrane module. Using the IM method, a chitosan layer was prepared on the inner surface of a commercially available ultrafiltration membrane as a gutter layer, in order to affix PAMAM dendrimer molecules on the porous substrate. After chitosan treatment, the PAMAM dendrimer was impregnated into the gutter layer to form a PAMAM/chitosan hybrid layer. The CO₂ separation performance of the resulting composite membrane was tested at a pressure difference of 100 kPa and a temperature of 40 °C, using a mixed CO₂ (5 vol%)/N₂ (95 vol%) feed gas. The PAMAM dendrimer composite membrane, with a gutter layer prepared from ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether and a 0.5 wt% chitosan solution of two different molecular weight chitosans, revealed an excellent CO₂/N₂ separation factor and a CO₂ permeance of 400 and 1.6 × 10⁻⁷ m³ (STP) m⁻² s⁻¹ kPa⁻¹, respectively. SEM observations revealed a defect-free chitosan layer (thickness 200 nm) positioned directly beneath the top surface of the UF membrane substrate. After PAMAM dendrimer treatment, the hybrid chitosan/PAMAM dendrimer layer was observed with a thickness of 300 nm. XPS analysis indicated that the hybrid layer contained about 20–40% PAMAM dendrimer.     

Synthesis and characterization of para-nitro substituted 2,6-bis(phenylimino)pyridyl Fe(II) and Co(II) complexes and their ethylene polymerization properties

Four iron(II) and cobalt(II) complexes ligated by 2,6-bis(4-nitro-2,6-R₂-phenylimino)pyridines, LMCl₂ (1: R = Me, M = Fe; 2: R = iPr, M = Fe; 3: R = Me, M = Co; 4: R = iPr, M = Co) have been synthesized and fully characterized, and their catalytic ethylene polymerization properties have been investigated. Among these complexes, the iron(II) pre-catalyst bearing the ortho-isopropyl groups (complex 2) exhibited higher activities and produced higher molecular weight polymers than the other complexes in the presence of methylaluminoxane (MAO). A comparison of 2 with the reference non-nitro-substituted catalyst (2,6-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenylimino)pyridyl)FeCl₂ (FeCat 5) revealed a modest increase of the catalytic activity and longer lifetime upon substitution of the para-positions with nitro groups (activity up to 6.0 × 10³ kg mol⁻¹ h⁻¹ bar⁻¹ for 2 and 4.8 × 10³ kg mol⁻¹ h⁻¹ bar⁻¹ for 5), converting ethylene to highly linear polyethylenes with a unimodal molecular weight distribution around 456.4 kg mol⁻¹. However, the iron(II) pre-catalyst 1 on changing from ortho-isopropyl to methyl groups displayed much lower activities (over an order of magnitude) than 2 under mild conditions. As expected, the cobalt analogues showed relatively low polymerization activities.     

Facile fabrication of a novel high performance CO2 separation membrane: Immobilization of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers in poly(ethylene glycol) networks

Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers showed high CO₂ separation properties and were successfully immobilized in a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) network upon photopolymerization of PEG dimethacrylate. The PAMAM dendrimer incorporation ratio was readily controlled, and a stable self-standing membrane containing up to 75 wt.% PAMAM dendrimer was obtained. The CO₂ separation properties over smaller H₂ were investigated by changing the PAMAM dendrimer content or generation and CO₂ partial pressure (ΔPCO₂$\mathrm{\Delta }{P}_{\text{C}{\text{O}}_2}$) under atmospheric conditions. Especially, a polymeric membrane containing 50 wt.% PAMAM dendrimer (0th generation) exhibited an excellent CO₂/H₂ selectivity of 500 with CO₂ permeability of 2.74 × 10⁻¹⁴ m³(STP)m/(m² s Pa) or 3.65 × 10³ barrer (1 barrer = 7.5 × 10⁻¹⁸ m³(STP)m/(m² s Pa)) when a mixture gas (CO₂/H₂: 5/95 by vol.) was fed at 25 °C and 100 kPa with 80% relative humidity. This polymeric materials are promising for a novel CO₂ separation membrane.     

Synthesis of light-emmting materials bis-[2′-2″-(9H-fluoren-2-yl)-vinyl-8-hydroxyquinoline] zinc(II) and bis-[2′-4″-(4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)styryl-8-hydroxyquinoline] zinc(II)

Two novel light-emitting materials bis-[2′-2″-(9H-fluoren-2-yl)-vinyl-8-hydroxyquinoline] zinc(II) (3) and bis-[2′-4″-(4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)styryl-8-hydroxyquinoline] zinc(II) (4) containting 8-hydroxyquinoline and fluorene or imidazole moieties have been synthesized. The optical properties of these complexes were influenced by the styryl substituents, and exhibited orange-emission. They have higher fluorescence quantum yields than Alq₃, and good stabilities with thermal decomposition temperatures 395 °C and 435 °C. The single-layer OLED fabricated by 3 emitted lemon-yellow, and exhibited good device performance with a maximum luminance of 489 cd m⁻², and luminance efficiency of up to 0.41 cd A⁻¹. The single-layer OLED fabricated by 4 emitted yellow-green, and exhibited good device performance with a maximum luminance of 323 cd m⁻², and luminance efficiency of up to 0.54 cd A⁻¹.     

Studies on two coordination polymers [M(μ4-pz25dc)]n (M = Cd or Zn, pz25dc = pyrazine-2,5-dicarboxylato) with three-dimensional pillared-layer three-nodal framework: Synthesis, structural characterization, strong optical non-linearities and optical limiting properties

Two isomorphous new candidates [M(μ₄-pz25dc)]_n (M = Cd, 1; Zn, 2; pz25dc = pyrazine-2,5-dicarboxylato) for nonlinear optical (NLO) materials have been synthesized hydrothermally and characterized crystallographically as pillared-layer three-nodal frameworks with one four-connected metal nodes and two crystallographically different four-connected ligand nodes. Their optical non-linearities are measured by the z-Scan technique with an 8 ns pulsed laser at 532 nm. These two coordination polymers both exhibit strong NLO absorptive abilities [α₂ = (63 ± 6) × 10⁻¹² m W⁻¹1, (46 ± 6) × 10⁻¹¹ m W⁻¹2] and effective self-focusing performance [n₂ = (67 ± 5) × 10⁻¹⁸1, (13 ± 3) × 10⁻¹⁸ m² W⁻¹2] in 1.02 × 10⁻⁴1 and 1.05 × 10⁻⁴ mol dm⁻³2 DMF solution separately. The values of the limiting threshold are also measured from the optical limiting experimental data. The heavy atom effect plays important role in the enhancement of optical non-linearities and optical limiting properties.     

Standard absolute entropies, S°298, from volume or density: Part II. Organic liquids and solids

The standard absolute entropies of many materials are unknown, which precludes a full understanding of their thermodynamic stabilities. We show, for both organic liquids and solids, that entropies are reliably linearly correlated with volume per molecule, V_m (nm³ per molecule) (or molar volume, M/ρ (cm³ mol⁻¹)); thus, permitting simple evaluation of standard entropies (J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹) at 298 K. The regression lines generally pass close to the origin, with formulae:For organic liquids:

     

1-D Polymeric divalent metal m-ferrocenylbenzoates: Structures, NLO and electrochemical properties

Three 1-D metal-organic polymers containing m-ferrocenylbenzoate components: {[Pb(μ₂-η²-OOCH₄C₆Fc)₂] · (CH₃OH)₂}_n (1), [Zn(OOCH₄C₆Fc)₂(bpe)]_n (2) and [Mn(η²-OOCH₄C₆Fc)₂(4,4′-bpy)]_n (3) were synthesized and structurally characterized. In polymer 1, each m-FcC₆H₄COO⁻ anion adopts a tridentate fashion, bridging the central Pb(II) ions to form a 1-D chain. Polymers 2 and 3 give similar zigzag chain structures. Their third-order NLO properties were investigated with 532 nm laser pulses of 8 ns duration by Z-scan experiment in DMF solution. All of the polymers exhibit good NLO refractive properties with self-focusing behaviors. The third-order NLO refractive indexes n₂ are 2.44 × 10⁻¹¹ esu for 1, 2.33 × 10⁻¹¹ esu for 2, and 2.10 × 10⁻¹¹ esu for 3, respectively. Through quantum chemistry calculations, we conclude that the nonlinear refractive behaviors of the three polymers mainly come of the ferrocenyl units and organic adjuvant ligands; Mn(II) ions and Pb(II) ions have also some influence on NLO properties. The solution-state differential pulse voltammetrys indicate that the half-wave potential of the ferrocenyl moiety in 3 has slightly higher value than those of 1 and 2. This may be because the HOMO orbitals in 1 and 2 are located in the m-FcC₆H₄COO⁻ groups, while in 3 the HOMO orbital is located in the m-FcC₆H₄COO⁻ and Mn(II)groups, the charge transitions of the metal cores may play an important role in the change of the Fe(II)/Fe(III) oxidation potential of 3, so the Fe(II) centers of 1 and 2 are more easily oxidized to Fe(III) centers than that of 3.     

Synthesis and characterization of dithienobenzothiadiazole-based donor–acceptor conjugated polymers for organic solar cell applications

New donor–acceptor conjugated polymers (P1 and P2) containing a fused-ring dithienobenzothiadiazole (DT-BTD building block) were synthesized by using the Stille copolymerization method. The synthesized polymers were characterized by ¹H NMR, GPC, and elemental analysis. The optical band gaps of the polymers were found to be 1.86 and 1.9 eV, respectively, as calculated from their film onset absorption edge. Upon annealing both produced a distinct shoulder peak in their film absorption spectra. The electrochemical studies of P1 and P2 revealed that the HOMO and LUMO energy levels of the polymer were −5.3, −5.1 eV, and −3.4, −3.2 eV, respectively. The polymers are thermally stable up to 250–350 °C.     

Surface tension of dimethyl ether + propane from 243 to 333 K

The surface tension of the binary refrigerant mixture dimethyl ether (RE170)(1) + propane (R290)(2) at three mass fraction of w₁=0.3007,0.4975 ??and ??0.6949$w_1=\mathrm{0.3007,0.4975}\text{\hspace{0.17em}??}\text{and}\text{\hspace{0.17em}??}0.6949$ was measured in the temperature range from 243 to 333 K with a differential capillary rise method. The uncertainties of the measurement of the temperature and the surface tension were estimated to be within ±10 mK and ±0.2 mN m⁻¹, respectively. A correlation for the surface tension of the binary refrigerant mixture RE170 + R290 was developed as a function of the composition.     

Synthesis, characterization, and electroluminescent properties of star shaped donor-acceptor dendrimers with carbazole dendrons as peripheral branches and heterotriangulene as central core

Luminescent and redox-active heterotriangulene-based dendrimers (G1 and G2) of first and second generation have been synthesized, and their photophysical properties, oxidation behaviors, and applications in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) have been investigated. The dendrimers show efficient aggregation-induced emissions originated from the carbazole dendrons, heterotriangulene core, intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT), and intermolecular aggregation absorptions. Highest-occupied molecular orbital and lowest-unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO and LUMO) values were acquired using UV-vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The OLEDs fabricated with G1 and G2 as non-doping emitters exhibit exclusive aggregation-induced luminescence peaking at 600 and 630 nm, respectively, and demonstrate a good performance with maximum luminance of 1586 cd m⁻² at current efficiency of 5.3 cd A⁻¹ for G1 and 827 cd m⁻² at current efficiency of 6.9 cd A⁻¹ for G2.     

Anti-trade-off in dehydration of ethanol by novel PVA/APTEOS hybrid membranes

Novel organic–inorganic hybrid membranes were prepared through sol–gel reaction of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with γ-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APTEOS) for pervaporation (PV) separation of ethanol/water mixtures. The membranes were characterized by FTIR, EDX, WXRD and PALS. The amorphous region of the hybrid membranes increased with increasing APTEOS content, and both the free volume and the hydrophilicity of the hybrid membranes increased when APTEOS content was less than 5 wt%. The swelling degree of the hybrid membranes has been restrained in an aqueous solution owing to the formation of hydrogen and covalent bonds in the membrane matrix. Permeation flux increased remarkably with APTEOS content increasing, and water permselectivity increased at the same time, the trade-off between the permeation flux and water permselectivity of the hybrid membranes was broken. The sorption selectivity increased with increasing temperature, and decreased with increasing water content. In addition, the diffusion selectivity and diffusion coefficient of the permeants through the hybrid membranes were investigated. The hybrid membrane containing 5 wt% APTEOS has highest separation factor of 536.7 at 50 °C and permeation flux of 0.0355 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ in PV separation of 5 wt% water in the feed.     

Copper(II) complexes of thioarylazo-pentanedione: Structures,magnetism, redox properties and correlation with DFT calculations

Copper(II) complexes of 3-((2-(alkylthio)phenylazo)-2,4-pentanedione, tridentate O, N, S donor ligands, are described in this work. Chloride bridged copper(II) polymers (1) and thiocyanato bridged copper(II) dimmers (2) are characterized by a single crystal X-ray diffraction study. The complexes show antiferromagnetic interactions, with J = −0.5 ± 0.1 cm⁻¹ (1a) and −25.8 ± 0.5 cm⁻¹ (2b), which implies stronger coupling in the –SCN-bridging compound. The spectra, redox and magnetism are explained by DFT studies.