Fracture behavior in nylon 6 fibers

A reaction rate model of fracture in polymer fibers is described. This model assumes that bond rupture is governed by absolute reaction rate theory with a stress-aided activation energy. It is demonstrated that the key in obtaining good agreement between the model and experiment lies in taking proper account of the variation of stress on the tie-chain molecules. The more taut chains rupture first, and the load is redistributed among the remaining unruptured tie chains. The effect of varying the temperature both in the model and in experiments on fracture in fibers is explored. Good agreement between predictions of the model and experiment is possible only with an undeterstanding of the distribution in stress on the tie chains. The distribution in stress on the chains was experimentally determined by monitoring the kinetics of bond rupture with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Temperature is found to have two effects on macroscopic strength. (1) The thermal energy aids the atomic stress in breaking the atomic bonds; as a consequence the rate of bond rupture of a family of bonds under a given molecular stress is increased. In this respect temperature might be viewed as decreasing the “strength” of a bond. (2) Temperature also serves to “loosen” the molecular structure and in this way modify the distribution in stress on the tie chains. To explain bond rupture and macroscopic fracture behavior quantitatively, account must be taken of both effects.     

Recent progress in EPR study of spin labeled polymers and spin probed polymer systems

The EPR technique is commonly used for the detection and characterization of paramagnetic centers in chemical science. This method can provides a lot of information, such as identity, structure, dynamics, interaction, orientation, glass transition temperature, adsorption behavior, functionality, phase behavior, nano-inhomogeneities, and conformation of the free-radical portion of the polymer chain. Most polymers intrinsically possess diamagnetic properties, so in order to study polymers with EPR, paramagnetic centers need to be incorporated into the polymer systems. Spin labeling and spin probing are main methods of covalently attaching paramagnetic centers to polymer chains or embedding them in polymer matrices through non-covalent interactions, respectively. Spin labeling and spin probing techniques for polymers and polymer systems (especially with nitroxide radicals) have also been studied, which have a profound impact on polymer science. This review focuses on the continuous wave EPR technique and introduces the recent advances in spin labeled polymers and spin probed polymer systems in EPR research.     

Spectroelectrochemical characterisation of poly[Ni(saltMe)]-modified electrodes

Electrogenerated polymers based on the nickel(II) complex 2,3-dimethyl-N,N'-bis(salicylidene)butane-2,3-diaminatonickel(II), poly[Ni(saltMe)], were characterised by in situ FTIR and UV/Vis spectroscopy and ex-situ EPR spectroscopy in order to gain insights into film structure, electronic states and charge conduction. The role of the nickel ions during film oxidation was probed by using EPR to study naturally abundant Ni and 61Ni-enriched polymers. The data from all the spectroscopic techniques are consistent, and clearly indicate that polymerisation and redox switching are associated with oxidative ligand based processes; coulometry suggests that one positive charge was delocalised through each monomer unit. EPR provided evidence for the non-direct involvement of the metal in polymer oxidation: the polymer is best described as a polyphenylene-type compound (conducting polymer), rather than an aggregation of nickel complexes (redox polymer), and the main charge carriers are identified as polarons. An explanation for the high electrochemical stability and conductivity of poly[Ni(saltMe)] with respect to that of poly[Ni(salen)] is proposed. based on stereochemical repulsion between monomeric units; this can impose a less compact supramolecular structure on polymers with bulkier substituents.     

Electronic properties of the linear ladder polymer,poly[4-(3-pyridyl),8-methyl,2,3–6,7-quinolino] (PPMQ)

Electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and conductivity of pristine and iodine-doped PPMQ were studied. The pristine polymer EPR signal exhibited a Lorentzian line shape. Unpaired spin density measurements indicated that the spin concentrations of the undoped polymer lie in the range of one spin per 150–190 repeat units at room temperature. The peak-to-peak width doubled, the line shape became asymmetric and the spin concentration in the polymer increased slightly after doping with iodine. EPR saturation experiments show that the spin lattice relaxation time T₁ is sensitive to trace impurity. Considerable reduction of T₁ after doping with iodine shows strong coupling between the spin system and N-iodonium nucleus. Conductivity increases up to 5 orders of magnitude by iodine doping; at room temperature, the best value found was 0.017 S/cm. The activation energy for conductance after doping is about half that of pristine polymer.     

二元乙丙橡胶的环氧官能化及其增韧尼龙6的研究

在双螺杆挤出机中制备了环氧官能化的二元乙丙橡胶(gEPR) ,采用红外光谱工作曲线法测量了EPR的接枝率.将环氧官能化的EPR与尼龙6 (Nylon- 6 )熔融共混,并对共混体系的相形态、断裂形貌、增韧机理、力学性能进行了研究.结果表明,gEPR的环氧官能团与Nylon- 6的端羧基和(或)端氨基发生了化学反应生成Nylon -6 co EPR共聚物,该共聚物作为界面改性剂降低了Nylon -6与EPR之间的界面张力,使EPR在Nylon -6基体中均匀、稳定地分散,而且随着EPR接枝率的增加,EPR的粒径尺寸逐渐减小.断面形貌观察发现,与Nylon -6 EPR体系相比,Nyon -6 gEPR共混体系呈现明显的韧性断裂特征.通过对Nylon -6 gEPR共混体系缺口冲击形变区的研究得出EPR增韧Nylon -6的机理是橡胶粒子的空洞化和塑料基体的剪切屈服.力学性能测试表明gEPR的引入显著提高了Nylon -6的缺口冲击强度.     

Durability and integrity studies of environmentally conditioned interfaces in fibrous polymeric composites: Critical concepts and comments

Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are the most promising and elegant material of the present century. Their durability and integrity in various service environments can be altered by the response of its constituent i.e. fibre, polymer matrix, and the existing interface/interphase between the fibre and polymer matrix, in that particular environment. The interphase is generally manifested by chemical bonding, molecular segregation and also by van der Waals bonding. The sizing of fibres generally influences the chemistry and character of the interface/interphase and might generate structural gradient in the polymer matrix. Their susceptibilities to degradation are dependent of the nature of environments and each of the constituents' responds differently and uniquely. Amongst the three constituents, the interface/interphase has a very critical role to play on the performance and reliability of FRP composites. The reduced glass transition temperature of the interphase may induce low modulus area, which subsequently affects fracture toughness and local stresses of the composite. These result in high fracture toughness at ambient temperatures, but significantly reduced performance at high temperatures.     

Determination of the Nanostructure of Polymer Materials by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is one the few methods that can characterize structural features in the range between 0.5 and 5 nm in systems that lack long‐range order. Approaches based on EPR spectroscopy provide good structural contrast even in complex materials, as the sites of interest can be selectively labeled or addressed by suitably functionalized spin probes using well established techniques. This article assesses the EPR experiments available for distance measurements on nanoscales in terms of the accessible distance range, precision, and sensitivity. Recommendations are derived for the proper choice of experiment for a given problem. Both simple and sophisticated methods for data analysis are described and their limitations are evaluated. It is discussed which assumptions must be made to extract a pair correlation function from EPR data. Finally, applications to the study of polymer chain conformation and the structure of ionically functionalized diblock copolymers are highlighted.     

Spin‐labeling of polymeric micelles and application in probing micelle swelling using EPR spectroscopy

Polymer structure and conformational dynamics are essential to polymer macroscopic properties, but are challenging to probe. We report here a synthetic pathway to chemically add a nitroxide moiety onto block polymers in a mild, aqueous environment and demonstrate its use in a series of polymeric micelles using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The micelles were characterized with several analytical approaches and EPR findings were in general consistent with other approaches. Upon exposure to organic solvents, the line shape changes reflected the micelle swelling and EPR spectral simulations revealed structural information of the swelled micelles. The label introduced via our method can be cleaved and replaced with other probes to report different information site‐specifically. The mild conditions facilitate the future use of EPR in solving biopolymer problems. In combination with other labeling approaches, one can perform polymer spin labeling with different chemistry, so that various information about polymers can be obtained site‐specifically. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1770–1782     

Formation of a mesoscopic skin barrier in mesoglobules of thermoresponsive polymers

With the combination of molecular scale information from electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and meso-/macroscopic information from various other characterization techniques, the formation of mesoglobules of thermoresponsive dendronized polymers is explained. Apparent differences in the EPR spectra in dependence of the heating rate, the chemical nature of the dendritic substructure of the polymer, and the concentration are interpreted to be caused by the formation of a dense polymeric layer at the periphery of the mesoglobule. This skin barrier is formed in a narrow temperature range of ~4 K above T(C) and prohibits the release of molecules that are incorporated in the polymer aggregate. In large mesoglobules, formed at low heating rates and at high polymer concentrations, a considerable amount of water is entrapped that microphase-separates from the collapsed polymer chains at high temperatures. This results in the aggregates possessing an aqueous core and a corona consisting of collapsed polymer chains. A fast heating rate, a low polymer concentration, and hydrophobic subunits in the dendritic polymer side chains make the entrapment of water less favorable and lead to a higher degree of vitrification. This may bear consequences for the design and use of thermoresponsive polymeric systems in the fast growing field of drug delivery.     

Time-Resolved (CW) Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: An Overview of the Technique and Its Use in Organic Photochemistry

Abstract— Steady-state and time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) experiments are described. Comparison of the TREPR continuous wave method to other time domain EPR techniques such as Fourier transform EPR (FT-EPR) is made, and the advantages and disadvantages of each are presented. The role played by several mechanisms of chemically induced dynamic electron spin polarization (CIDEP) in the appearance of the spectra is explained. The advantages of using higher frequency spectrometers than the standard X-band (9.5 GHz) are presented and discussed. Examples are presented that are relevant to organic photochemistry and electron donor-acceptor chemistry. The use of TREPR to study polymer photodegradation, polymer chain dynamics, free radical initiator chemistry and biradical spin exchange interactions is described. Emphasis is placed on magnetic field effects studied by multiple frequency TREPR in these systems. Finally, several future directions in the field are discussed in terms of new developments in microwave and magnetic field technology.     

The application of fracture mechanics to the impact behaviour of rubber-toughened polyamides

Rubber-modification of polyamide is a widely-applied method of improving material resistance under high strain rate loading. The processing conditions used for preparing such two-phase blends strongly influence their structure and thus their subsequent impact properties. In the present work the relationships between production parameters, phase structure and impact resistance have been studied, and the rǒle of the rubber phase in promoting energy absorption investigated. It has been found that improved impact resistance, defined as a combination of high resistance to crack initiation and to crack propagation, is achieved by decreasing the polyamide phase viscosity while increasing the extrusion and injection temperatures, the mixing shear rate and the rubber phase volume fraction; an EPR modifier offers superior performance to a polybutadiene modifier; the dominant mechanisms of energy-absorption are shearing and void formation, there being no clear evidence of crazing; the J-integral technique of plastic fracture mechanics can be applied to Charpy impact testing; TEM allied with image analysis techniques provides quantitative morphological information on polymer blends.     

烯烃序贯聚合中嵌段物的形成证明

烯烃序贯聚合中嵌段物的形成证明王益龙（大连理工大学化工学院高分子材料系大连１１６０１２）庞德仁黄葆同（中国科学院长春应用化学研究所长春１３００２２）关键词乙丙共聚物，嵌段，聚合，络合催化利用络合催化聚合方法能否合成出乙丙嵌段共聚物是一个有争议的问题...     

Immobilized metal complexes in porous organic hosts: development of a material for the selective and reversible binding of nitric oxide.

Delivery of NO to specific targets is important in fundamental studies and therapeutic applications. Various methods have been reported for delivery of NO in vivo and in vitro; however, there are few examples of systems that reversibly bind NO. Reported herein is the development of a new polymer (P-1[Co(II)]) that reversibly binds NO. P-1[Co(II)] has a significantly higher affinity for NO compared to O(2), CO(2), and CO. The polymer is synthesized by template copolymerization methods and consists of a porous methacrylate network, containing immobilized four-coordinate Co(II) sites. Binding of NO causes an immediate color change, indicating coordination of NO to the site-isolated Co(II) centers. The formation of P-1[Co(NO)] has been confirmed by EPR, electronic absorbance, and X-ray absorption spectroscopies. Electronic and X-ray absorbance results for P-1[Co(II)] and P-1[Co(NO)] show that the coordination geometry of the immobilized cobalt complexes are similar to those of their monomeric analogues and that NO binds directly to the cobalt centers. EPR spectra show that the binding of NO to P-1[Co(II)] is reversible in the solid state; the axial EPR signal associated with the four-coordinate Co(II) sites in P-1[Co(II)] is quenched upon NO binding. At room temperature and atmospheric pressure, 40% conversion of P-1[Co(NO)] to P-1[Co(II)] is achieved in 14 days; under vacuum at 120 degrees C this conversion is complete in approximately 1 h. The binding of NO to P-1[Co(II)] is also observed when the polymer is suspended in liquids, including water.     

Low-temperature radical polymerization of acrylamide in ethanol and glycerol under the action of molecular chlorine

It is shown by means of calorimetry, IR and EPR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, chromatography, and viscosimetry that radicals formed during the low-temperature action of molecular chlorine on acrylamide or its solutions in ethanol or glycerol initiate the polymerization reaction of acrylamide. It is established that during the low-temperature chlorination of pure acrylamide, polymerization takes place in the temperature range of 180–210 K with a polymer yield of ∼10%. The low-temperature chlorination of 20% solutions of acrylamide in ethanol or glycerol was performed to increase the product yield. It is shown that the low-temperature chlorination of acrylamide solution in glycerol increases the polymer yield by a factor of approximately two, and the content of chlorine in it falls by a factor of around ten. The low-temperature chlorination of acrylamide solution in ethanol did not lead to an increase in the polymer yield. A small reduction was noted in the chlorine content of the polymer.     

Further EPR studies of molecular motions in polymer/plasticizer mixtures

Molecular motions in mixtures of the side chain polymer—poly(vinyl acetate) and dibuthyl phthalate were studied as a functionof polymer concentration and temperature using the technique of paramagnetic resonance (EPR). When the small spherical probe tempol (TPL) was used, we were able to approximate the observed EPR spectrum with a simulation using a single rotational correlation time τ. The peviously developed Grest–Cohen all-temperature model matched the Arrhenius polts. The EPR spectra from a cigar-shaped cholestane (COL) probe could not be adequately matched by single τ simulation when the polymer was at temperatures somewhat above the glass to rubber transition temperature (T_g). Points corresponding to these temperatures were left of the Arrhenius plot and a discontinuity was observed where the gap in the data occurred. As the concentration of plasticizer was increased, we found that the discontinuity became less steep, but the τ at which the gap occurs was always ≈ 10^?8. The spectra observed at the temperature region of the gap were approximately 50–50 composites of experimental spectra observed at ± K. In both the TPL and COL cases, there was evidence of the existence of multiple correlation times. Preliminary studies of other polymers, both with and without side chains, also indicated the existence of the gap when COL is used as the probe. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Structure and morphology of polypropylene/poly(ethylene-co-propylene) in situ blends synthesized by spherical Ziegler-Natta catalyst

Polypropylene/poly(ethylene-co-propylene) (iPP/EPR) in situ blends of different composition were synthesized by spherical Ziegler-Natta catalyst, and were fractionated into three portions: the random copolymer (EPR), the block copolymer, and the iPP matrix. The EPR fraction was characterized by ¹³C NMR, and the block copolymer fraction was characterized by crystalline segregation and differential scanning calorimetry analysis. The blends showed bi-phase structure with EPR existing in the dispersed phase. Increasing EPR in the blends resulted in increase of the number and diameter of the EPR particles, but there is an upper limit for the particle number. There were only highly irregular spherulites or tiny crystallites in the isothermal crystallized blends. The morphology of the impact fracture surfaces of the blends clearly showed that they were fractured in ductile fashion. There was strong dependence of impact strength of the blends on their morphology, and the sequence distributions of the EPR and segmented copolymer fractions also markedly influenced the mechanical properties.     

Some recent multi-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance results on systems relevant for dosimetry and dating

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) applications like e.g. EPR dosimetry and dating, are usually performed at X-band frequencies because of practical reasons (cost, sample size, etc.). However, it is increasingly recognized that the radiation-induced EPR signals are strongly composite, what might affect dose/age estimates. A few recent examples from both the dosimetry and dating field, illustrating the problems, will be presented. The involved spectra are mainly due to carbonate-derived radicals (CO2-, CO3(3-), etc.). Measurements at higher microwave frequencies are often recommended to improve the insight into the spectra and/or the practical signal quantification. Recent results at Q- and W-band frequencies will show that a multi-frequency approach indeed opens many interesting perspectives in this field but also that each frequency may have specific (dis)advantages depending on the EPR probe and application involved. The discussion will concern carbonate-containing apatite single crystals, shells, modern and fossil tooth enamel.     

Self‐Forming Interlocking Interfaces on the Immiscible Polymer Bilayers via Gelation‐Mediated Phase Separation

Gelation‐mediated phase separation is applied to prepare immiscible polymer bilayer films with an interlocking interface structure. Polymer systems consisting of copolymer of urea and polydimethylsiloxane and epoxy are selected to demonstrate the feasibility. When the epoxy fraction exceeds 25 wt%, well‐defined bilayer structures self‐form by a one‐pot casting method in which the phase separation state is fixed by an evaporation‐induced gelation. Microscopy studies of the resulting bilayers clearly reveal that interlocking structures form during the bilayer films construct. The interlocking structures lead to an enhanced interfacial adhesion and higher fracture energy. The current strategy might offer a facile way to in situ create an interlocking interface between immiscible polymer systems.     

Thermally induced spin transitions in nitroxide-copper(II)-nitroxide spin triads studied by EPR

Thermally induced spin transitions in a family of heterospin polymer chain complexes of Cu2+ hexafluoroacetylacetonate with two pyrazole-substituted nitronyl nitroxides are studied using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The structural rearrangements at low temperatures induce spin transitions in exchange-coupled spin triads of nitroxide-copper(II)-nitroxide. The values of exchange interactions in spin triads of studied systems are typically on the order of tens to hundreds of inverse centimeters. The large magnitude of exchange interaction determines the specific and very informative peculiarities in EPR spectra due to the predominant population of the ground state of a spin triad and spin exchange processes. The variety of these manifestations depending on structure and magnetic properties of spin triads are described. EPR is demonstrated as an efficient tool for the characterization of spin transitions and for obtaining information on the temperature-dependent sign and value of the exchange interaction in strongly coupled spin triads.     

Characterisation of Solute Mobility in Hypercross‐Linked Resins in Solvents of Different Polarity: Two Promising Supports for Catalysis

Two hypercross‐linked resins stemming from a gel‐type poly‐chloromethylated styrene‐divinylbenzene resin (GT) in beaded form are investigated with a combination of spectroscopic techniques (EPR and time‐domain (TD)‐NMR spectroscopy) to evaluate their use as supports for the development of operationally flexible heterogeneous metal catalysts, suitable to be employed in liquid and gas phase. The first resin (HGT) is the direct product of the hypercross‐linking reaction, whereas the second one (HGS) is the sulphonated analogue of HGT obtained by exchanging approximately 3 wt % of the chloromethyl groups with sulphonic groups. HGT and HGS absorb both polar and apolar solvents in the permanent nanoporosity created by the hypercross‐linking, and NMR data highlight that the pore size is not affected by the different properties of the investigated liquid media. The EPR analysis of the dry resins reveals that during the hypercross‐linking process paramagnetic species are formed in the HGT beads, which persist in the sulphonated resin. The mobility of solutes inside the polymers framework was investigated with EPR spectroscopy upon soaking the resins with solutions of two spin probes (2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl (TEMPO) and 4‐hydroxy‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl (TEMPOL)) in THF, toluene, n‐heptane and water. The EPR spectra show that, depending on the solvent, the two resins can act as sorbents, able to trap the solutes in the polymer framework, or as simple supports that allow free diffusion of the solutes. Our results suggest that HGT and HGS are promising supporting materials for metal catalysts, provided one chooses carefully the solvent to be employed for the catalysed reaction as this choice strongly affects the mobility of the substrates and, thus their effective reactivity.