Synthesis and properties of UV curable polyvinylsilazane as a precursor for micro‐structuring

Photosensitive acrylated polyvinylsilazanes were prepared by reacting a diacrylate containing compound, 1,1‐bis (acryloyloxyethyl) ethyl isocyanate (BAEI), with polyvinylsilazane (PVSZ) and utilized as an inorganic photoresist for generating SiCN‐based ceramic microstructures. The acrylate‐modified polymers (m‐PVSZ) were characterized by ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR and FT‐IR methods to determine the chemical reaction mechanism. Differential photo‐calorimeter and FT‐IR analysis were employed to examine its photosensitive properties. Line patterns were fabricated by a UV nano‐imprinting method; multi‐layered octagon structures were fabricated by a two‐photon absorption stereolithography process. The results indicate that m‐PVSZ is quite a novel inorganic photoresist for the fabrication of micro ceramic structures. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

聚合物分散液晶单体4,4′-二[6-(丙烯酰氧基)己氧基]联苯的合成

利用丙烯酰氯代替丙烯酸钾与4,4′-二(6-溴己氧基)联苯反应改进了制备4,4′-二[6-(丙烯酰氧基)己氧基]联苯(BAB6)的合成路线。改进前的反应温度较高,中间产物溶解度小,产物呈淡黄色,收率仅12.4%;改进后在室温反应,中间产物溶解度较高,产物呈白色,收率达到46.8%。采用1HNMR、13CNMR和元素分析对中间体和BAB6结构进行了表征。由改进后合成的单体,制备了具有快速响应的聚合物分散液晶(PDLC)膜,响应时间约2ms。扫描电子显微镜观察的结果表明,PDLC中形成了聚合物网络结构。     

Synthesis of polypeptide/inorganic hybrid block copolymers

Polypeptide/inorganic hybrid copolymers were obtained by a four-step synthetic approach combining (i) atom transfer polymerization of tert-butyl acrylate, (ii) chemical modification of the bromo end groups of ATRP-polymers into primary amino group using Gabriel reaction, (iii) ring opening polymerization of N_ε-trifluoroacetyl-l-lysine or γ-benzyl-l-glutamate N-carboxyanhydrides followed by (iv) the transamidification reaction using a large excess of (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane to substitute the tert-butyl groups of the poly(tert-butyl acrylate) block. Products were characterized using ¹H NMR, FT-IR, DSC and MALDI-TOF MS. These techniques proved that polymerization of tert-butyl acrylate was controlled whatever the molecular weight targeted and that bromide was quantitatively converted to amino end group by a original method leading to the synthesis of copolymers in the presence of N-carboxyanhydrides as monomers. Amphiphilic polypeptide/inorganic hybrid copolymers were then achieved.     

Reversible Addition–Fragmentation Chain‐Transfer Polymerization of Octadecyl Acrylate

Abstract

Polymerization of octadecyl acrylate (ODA) was carried out in benzene solution using the 2‐cyanoprop‐2‐yl dithiobenzoate (CPDB) as the reversible addition–fragmentation chain‐transfer (RAFT) agent and AIBN as the initiator. The results show the obtained polymer with controlled molecular weight and low PDI value. The relationships between both of the ln([M ₀]/[M]) vs. reaction time and molecular weight vs. conversion showed a straight line. The block copolymer of ODA and styrene (PODA‐b‐PSt) obtained using poly(octadecyl acrylate) (PODA) as a macro‐RAFT agent. The polymers were characterized by ¹H NMR, DSC, and gel permeation chromatograph (GPC). The effect of molar ratio [CPDB]:[AIBN] and reaction temperature on polymerization was investigated.     

Preparation of biodegradable and thermoresponsive enzyme–polymer conjugates with controllable bioactivity via RAFT polymerization

The preparation of biodegradable and thermoresponsive enzyme–polymer bioconjugates with controllable enzymatic activity via reversible addition−fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and amidation conjugation reaction is presented. A new 2-mercaptothiazoline ester functionalized RAFT agent with intra-disulfide linkage was synthesized and used as chain transfer agent (CTA) to generate a biocompatible homopolymer, poly(ethyleneglycol) acrylate (polyPEG-A) and a thermoresponsive copolymer of poly(ethyleneglycol) acrylate with di(ethyleneglycol)ethyl ether acrylate [poly(PEG-A-co-DEG-A)]. These biodegradable and thermoresponsive polymers were then conjugated to the surface of glucose oxidase (GOx) under mild condition to afford the biodegradable and thermoresponsive enzyme–polymer conjugates. Cleavage of the polymer chains from the GOx surface obviously recovered the enzymatic activity. The thermoresponsive test of GOx-poly(PEG-A-co-DEG-A) revealed that the bioconjugate exhibited regular enzymatic activity fluctuation upon the temperature change below or above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST). The as-prepared enzyme–polymer conjugates were also characterized using ¹H NMR, UV–vis spectroscopy, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and biocatalytic activity tests. These smart enzyme–polymer conjugates would envision promising applications in biotechnology and biomedicine.     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel silane-based vinylic monomer and its application in the multilayer core-shell latex

A novel monomer methacrylamidophenoxy dimethylsiloxy phenylphthalimide was obtained by a reaction of 4,4′-bis-aminophenoxy dimethylsilane, phthalic anhydride and methacryloyl chloride. Then it has been used in the synthesis of phase-separated polymer latex with a multilayer core-shell morphology by surface cross-linking emulsion polymerization. Poly(butyl acrylate) was used for the seed and the core of the latex, the inner shell was poly(butyl acrylate/styrene) cross-linked with divinylbenzene to avoid phase inversion, and the poly(methyl methacrylate/butyl acrylate/methacrylamidophenoxy dimethylsiloxy phenylphthalimide) was the outer shell. The structural elucidation of monomer was carried out by elemental analysis, FTIR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic techniques. The morphology and glass transition temperatures of the synthesized product were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. The multilayer core-shell structure was clearly shown in TEM micrographs, and the three-phase separation was confirmed by DSC analysis. The obtained results demonstrated that the average particle size is 81.8, 108 and 132 nm for the core, core-shell and multilayer core-shell particles, which agrees with the TEM micrograph measurement of 75, 103, and 131 nm, respectively.     

Synthesis and characterizations of novel, positively charged poly(methyl acrylate)-SiO2 nanocomposites

A series of positively charged poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA)-SiO₂ nanocomposites were prepared through the sol-gel process of positively charged alkoxysilane-containing polymer precursors. The precursors were synthesized by coupling different amounts of N-[3-(Trimethoxysilyl) propyl] ethylene diamine (A-1120) to poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA), followed by a quaternization reaction. These precursors were then hydrolyzed and condensed to generate PMA-SiO₂ hybrid sol-gel materials. IR and ¹H NMR measurements were conducted to confirm the chemical structure of the step products during the hybrids preparation. Thermal stabilities of the hybrids were conducted by DSC, TGA and their nanoscale microphase separation was distinguished by FE-SEM. Anion-exchange capacities of these nanocomposites were examined to be in the range of 0.19−1.20 mmol/g.     

Structural Analysis of the Michael-Michael Ring Closure (MIMIRC) Reaction Products

A representative number of decalin and hydrindane derivatives 2a–l were prepared in 11–91% yield by means of a cascade reaction of cyclohexanone/cyclopentanone enolates and methyl acrylate through a Michael–Michael ring closure (MIMIRC) process. The relative stereochemistry of the four stereogenic centers formed in all products was determined by analyzing the vicinal coupling constants from the ¹H NMR and X-ray crystallography. Such a stereochemical outcome was corroborated by conformational analysis supported by DFT calculations and simulating the ¹H NMR spectra of representative products. All products showed the same relative stereochemistry at C-1 and C-8a, while at C-3 and bridgehead carbon C-4a, configurational changes were observed. The present results provide some insights about the scope and limitations of the triple cascade reaction between cycloalkanone enolates with methyl acrylate. This synthetic protocol is still a simple and very practical alternative to generate decalin and hydrindane derivatives with great structural diversity.     

A biocompatible composite based on poly(ε‐caprolactone fumarate) and hydroxyapatite

Fabrication of biodegradable composites applicable as hard tissue substitutes consisting of poly(ε‐caprolactone fumarate) (PCLF), methacrylic acid (MAA), and hydroxyapatite (HA) was investigated. PCLF macromers were synthesized by reaction of PCL diol with fumaryl chloride in the presence of propylene oxide and characterized by gel permeation chromatography, FTIR, and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Composites were fabricated by incorporating HA as inorganic filler in PCLF matrix which followed by thermal curing of the composition using benzoyl peroxide and MAA as a free radical initiator and reactive diluent, respectively. Uniform distribution of the fine ceramic phase in the polymer matrix was elucidated by scanning electron microscopy. The effects of the initial macromer molecular weight and the filler volume fraction on mechanical properties and cytotoxicity of the composites were also examined. Significant enhancement in the mechanical properties was observed upon increasing HA content and/or initial PCLF molecular weight. The biocompatibility of the specimens was also improved with increasing ceramic phase. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and characterisation of star-shaped liquid crystalline polymer with a POSS core

The star-shaped POSS-graft-LCP with POSS as the core and liquid crystal polymer, poly{6-(4?-octyloxyphenyl-4″-benzoyl)hexyl acrylate}, as arms was prepared by atom transfer radical polymerisation technique using octa(3-chloropropyl) polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane [POSS-(CH₂CH₂CH₂Cl)₈] as initiator. For comparison, the linear liquid crystal polymer, poly{6-(4?-octyloxyphenyl-4″-benzoyl)hexyl acrylate} (LLCP), was obtained by conventional radical polymerisation. Both liquid crystal polymers were characterised by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, gel permeation chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, polarised optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The liquid crystal phase behaviour research demonstrated that both liquid crystal polymers were reversible thermotropic nematic liquid crystal materials. The number of polymerisation degree of every arm attached on POSS in POSS-graft-LCP impacted greatly on the liquid crystal properties and only a small one was necessary for it to exhibit a broad liquid crystal range. Results further demonstrated that the special star-shaped topology of POSS and the eight arms attached helped POSS-graft-LCP form and stabilise liquid crystal phase easily. This research may further expand the way to star-shaped LCPs by employing a variety of (meth)acrylate and other vinyl liquid crystalline monomers.     

Controlled Radical Polymerization of N-Vinylpyrrolidone by Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer Process

Summary: Poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PNVP) was polymerized by RAFT process using diphenyldithiocarbamate of diethylmalonate (DPCM) as the reversible chain transfer agent in the presence of a small percentage of a conventional radical initiator (AIBN). The molar mass of the polymers synthesized by this method was found to increase with conversion and time. The presence of end group in the polymer chain could be confirmed by ¹H NMR spectra. The molar masses calculated using ¹H NMR spectroscopy and static light scattering (SLS) showed good agreement with the theoretical molar masses. The RAFT compound was fully consumed during the initial stages of the polymerization itself. The controlled nature of these polymers was further confirmed by generating diblock copolymers by sequential addition of monomers such as styrene or n-butyl acrylate (n-BA). PNVP efficiently participated as a macro-RAFT reagent, and cross-over reaction between the two blocks efficiently occurred. The successful diblock copolymer synthesis using PNVP as macro-transfer reagent further confirms the “controlled” nature of such synthetic procedure.     

Synthesis and characterization of star polymers initiated by hexafunctional discotic initiator through atom transfer radical polymerization

A novel hexafunctional discotic initiator, 2,3,6,7,11,12‐hexakis(2‐bromobutyryloxy)triphenylene (HBTP), was synthesized by the esterification of 2,3,6,7,11,12‐hexahydroxytriphenylene with 2‐bromobutyryl chloride. Atom transfer radical polymerizations of styrene, methyl acrylate, and n‐butyl acrylate were carried out in 50 vol % tetrahydrofuran with HBTP/copper(I) bromide/2,2′‐bipyridyl as an initiation system. The polymers produced had well‐controlled molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions (<1.2). On the basis of ¹H NMR spectra of the star polymer and its hydrolyzed products, we can conclude that the initiator quantitatively initiated the polymerization of vinyl monomers and that a star polymer with a discotic core was obtained. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2233–2243, 2001     

Simultaneous introduction of phosphonic and carboxylic acid functions to hydroxylated macromolecules

Novel diblock and dihydrophilic ionic–nonionic copolymers, having phosphonic and carboxylic functions at the same carbon atom in the repeating units of the ionic block, were prepared. The addition of 2-diethylphosphono-ethyl acrylate (PC) to hydroxyl groups of the polyglycidol block of the poly(ethylene glycol)-b-polyglycidol block copolymer was followed by the dealkylation of phosphonic acid esters and the hydrolysis of carboxylic acid esters. The polymer was characterized by ¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P NMR. The kinetics of the PC addition and the hydrolysis of the ethyl carboxylate function were also studied, and a simple bimolecular second-order reaction was established. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 432–443, 2004     

Postfunctionalization of polyoxanorbornene backbone through the combination of bromination and nitroxide radical coupling reactions

The brominated backbone of poly(oxanorbornene imide) (PONB) (PONB‐Br) was functionalized with 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine 1‐oxyl (TEMPO)‐acrylate, ‐epoxy, and poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) yielding PONB‐acrylate, PONB‐epoxy, and PONB‐PEG through the nitroxide radical coupling (NRC) reaction. Although an excess amount of functional‐TEMPOs were used. The observed NRC efficiencies were found in the range of 7–25%. Notably, ¹H NMR spectra of all polymers exhibited a signal at 6.08 ppm after NRC reactions indicating rebuilding of the main chain double bond and further identified by ¹³C NMR analysis. The inevitable formation of double bond through the tendency of the recombination of the formed radicals was supported by a separate experiment conducted without utilizing functional‐TEMPO. Besides, the versatility of the ROMP backbone further demonstrated by the introduction hetero functionality onto the polymer by a consecutive reactions. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 2381–2389     

Synthesis and characteristics of photopolymerized benzophenone

Photopolymerization is extensively used in today's industrial field due to its advantages of rapid reaction, environmental friendly, energy saving and economical. Benzophenone is a most common photoinitiator (PI) using in photopolymerization because of its superior ability to initiate acrylate monomers. However, the intrinsic nature of initiator molecules is that they migrate out of polymer network, which limits its application, especially in the domain of food packaging materials. A polymerizable PI 4‐methylbenzophenone acrylate (MBPAc) was synthesized by a facile procedure and characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and MS analyses. A systematic study of the photopolymerization kinetics of MBPAc was explored by the Real‐Time Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer. The results show that the final conversion and photopolymerization rate of acrylate monomers are closely related to the factors of their chemical structure, viscosity, functionality and light intensity, which means MBPAc is an efficient PI. Ultraviolet‐visible Spectrophotometer and vitro cytotoxicity measurement results indicate that the noncytotoxic MBPAc shows significantly lower migration than its analogue. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 313–320     

Investigation of drug release and 1H‐NMR analysis of the in situ forming systems based on poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide)

In situ forming biodegradable polymeric systems loaded with betamethasone (BTM) and betamethasone acetate (BTMA) were prepared using poly(DL ‐lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA), ethyl heptanoate (EH), and N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP) as the biodegradable polymer, additive, and solvent, respectively. The drug release studies were carried out in buffer (pH = 7.4, 37°C) using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). ¹H‐NMR was used to determine the polymer degradation behavior, release mechanism, and interactions between the polymer and drug. The ¹H‐NMR spectra showed that all interactions between the polymer and drug were hydrogen bonding. Hydroxyl groups and fluorine in drugs were involved in hydrogen bonding with PLGA polymer. In ¹H‐NMR studies, we found that the degradation rate in the systems loaded with BTMA was higher than the systems loaded with BTM because BTMA is only slightly soluble and accelerates the hydrolysis of PLGA chains. The formulations loaded with BTM had obviously lower burst release compared with BTMA loaded samples. With respect to ¹H‐NMR spectra, the mechanism of BTM release is controlled by two effective factors: solvent removal and polymer degradation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solvent-free synthesis of tris(4-hydroxybutyl acrylate) phosphate in the presence of 1-methylimidazole

In this paper, we present the synthesis of tris(4-hydroxybutyl acrylate) phosphate using 1-methylimidazole as acid scavenger for hydrochloric acid by-product, when an ionic liquid is formed. The synthesis was performed in the absence of any organic solvent. The yield is 83% for ester. The phosphate was characterized by ¹H–³¹P NMR and FTIR. The obtained phosphate is appropriate monomer for UV curing in the presence of photoinitiator. The obtained polymer was characterized by thermal analysis and LOI. The results showed good thermal stability and flame retardancy of UV-cured polymer.     

A functionalised ionic liquid: 1-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl)-3-methyl imidazolium chloride

An ionic liquid (IL) containing an appended 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl functionality group 1-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl)-3-methyl imidazolium chloride was synthesised by the reaction of N-methyl imidazole, hydrochloric acid and epichlorohydrin. The ionic liquid showed reasonably high conductivity and heat stability up to 230°C. Its structures were characterised by FT-IR, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectra. The physical characteristics of the ionic liquid, such as conductivity and solvation abilities have been investigated. Due to its high polarity, the IL is able to dissolve many inorganic salts, and due to hydroxyl-rich microenvironment, it is able to dissolve cellulose go up to 10 (wt%). The ILs can be used for synthesising other ILs or polyelectrolyte.     

Macrocyclic Dinuclear Palladium Complex as a Novel Doubly Threaded [3]Rotaxane Scaffold and Its Application as a Rotaxane Cross-Linker

A dinuclear Pd^II complex possessing a cyclic ligand was developed as a novel doubly threaded [3]rotaxane scaffold and applied as a rotaxane cross-linker reagent. The dinuclear complex (PdMC)₂ was prepared by one-step macrocyclization followed by the double palladation reaction. ¹H NMR analysis and UV/Vis measurements revealed the formation of a doubly threaded pseudo[3]rotaxane by the complexation of (PdMC)₂ with 2 equivalents of 2,6-disubstituted pyridine 3 through double metal coordination. The treatment of (PdMC)₂ with 2 equivalents of 4-vinylpyridine (VP) afforded a doubly threaded [3]rotaxane cross-linker (PdMC-VP)₂ . Radical co-polymerization of VP and t-butylstyrene in the presence of (PdMC-VP)₂ afforded a stable rotaxane cross-linked polymer (RCP). An elastic RCP was also prepared by using n-butyl acrylate as a monomer. The obtained RCPs exhibited higher swelling ability and higher mechanical toughness compared with the corresponding covalent cross-linked polymers.     

Synthesis of nanosized zirconium carbide from preceramic polymers by the facile one‐pot reaction

A novel preceramic polymer, polyzirconoxanesal (PZS), was synthesized efficiently by one‐pot protocol. The PZS polymer was characterized by the techniques of Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR and ¹³C‐NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The precursor exhibited excellent solubility and rheology for the processing of ceramic matrix fiber composites. Pyrolytic conversion of the preceramic polymer was studied by means of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and element analysis. It is suggested that the polymer decomposed completely at 600°C and nanosized ZrC is formed at 1300°C for 2 hr in argon atmosphere with a yield of 68.5%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the lowest temperature reported in the literatures for preparing ZrC ceramics from preceramic polymers. The obtained ZrC particles exhibit spherical morphology with size ranged in 20–100 nm. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.