Molar-mass dependence of apparent relaxation time in melting region of poly(oxytetramethylene)glycol

Melting behaviours of poly(oxytetramethylene)glycols (POTMGs) with different molar masses were investigated by temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) and relaxation times within the melting range were estimated from the modulation-frequency dependence of phase angle δ. An Arrhenius plot of the relaxation times exhibited a plateau in the lower melting peak region of POTMGs with molar masses of 1400, 1000 and 650. This plot was compared with the standard DSC curve. The apparent activation energy was estimated from the relaxation time in the upper and lower sides of a melting temperature region: slight dependence on the molar mass was observed for the former region whereas the maximum value was obtained for a molar mass 1400 for the latter region.     

Temperature and pressure dependences of volumetric properties of two poly(propylene glycol) dimethyl ether lubricants

The densities at high pressures of two dimethoxy end-capped poly(propylene glycols), CH₃–O–[CH₂–CH(CH₃)–O]_m–CH₃, with average molar masses higher than 1300 g · mol^?1, were measured in the range (0.1 to 60) MPa at five different temperatures from (298.15 to 398.15) K. The measurements were performed in a high-pressure vibrating tube densimeter. A correction factor, due to the viscosity of the sample, was applied to the experimental density values. The pressure–volume–temperature behavior of these lubricants was evaluated accurately over wide temperature and pressure ranges and correlated successfully with the empirical Tammann–Tait equation. The experimental data and the correlations were used to study the behavior and the influence of temperature and pressure on the isothermal compressibility, the isobaric thermal expansivity, and the internal pressure, as well as the effect of the polyether molecular structure on these properties.     

Synthesis and properties of 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-lauroylimidophenyl)porphyrin and its metal complexes

Transition metal complexes of 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-lauroylimidophenyl)porphyrin TLPPM [M = Mn(Cl), Fe(Cl), Co, Ni, Cu, Zn] have been synthesized and characterized by means of elemental analyses, UV–VIS spectra, infrared spectra, ¹H NMR spectra, molar conductance, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM), cyclic voltammetry, luminescence spectra and surface photovoltage spectroscopies. The porphyrin ligand shows liquid crystalline behaviour, and it exhibits a high phase transition temperature 182 °C and a broad mesophase temperature span, 88 °C. The oxidation and reduction properties of the compounds were investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The photovoltaic properties and charge transfer process of the compounds were investigated by surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) and electric field-induced surface photovoltage spectroscopic (EFISPS) techniques, which revealed that all the compounds are p-type semiconductors. Quantum yields of the S₁ → S₀ fluorescence were measured at room temperature. These studies will contribute to further choice and application of the liquid crystals.     

Effect of electron beam irradiation on the structural properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) formulations with triphenyl tetrazolium chloride dye (TTC)

Films of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composites with triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) dye were prepared and exposed to various radiation doses delivered by accelerated electrons. The results showed that at a low dose of 50 kGy, the colour difference (ΔE^*) of PVA/TTC films was increased by ∼10 times of the initial value. However, the change in colour differences did not go systematically with increasing the TTC content, in which the composite with 1.5 wt% displayed higher value than that with 3.5 wt%. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that the presence of the TTC dye caused a depression in the melting point (T_m) and heat of fusion (ΔH_f) of the PVA bulk polymer. However, the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the presence of the TTC dye improved the thermal stability of PVA. Also, the tensile strength at break of PVA/TTC composites was improved after electron beam irradiation.     

Poly(ether amine) and cross-linked poly(propylene oxide) diacrylate thin-film polymer electrolyte for 3D-microbatteries

This paper presents a novel thin-film electrolyte of a 2:1 blend of polyetheramine (glyceryl poly(oxypropylene)) and cross-linked oligomeric poly(propylene oxide) diacrylate with LiTFSI. The polyetheramine acts as a surfactant, and can thereby be applied as a conformal coating on complex surfaces—here demonstrated for porous LiFePO₄ cathodes—making it useful for 3D-microbatteries. The poly(propylene oxide) diacrylate blends with the surfactant and is easily UV cross-linked, thereby ensuring good mechanical stability. Electrolytes, ~ 2 μm thick, were casted onto LiFePO₄ cathodes and cycled against metallic lithium, displaying stable discharge capacities of ~ 8 mAh/g at room temperature and ~ 120 mAh/g at 60 °C. The electrolyte showed conductivities of 3.45 × 10^? 6 and 5.80 × 10^? 5 S cm^? 1 at room temperature and 60 °C, respectively.     

Synthesis and characterization of photocrosslinkable poly(l-lactide)s with a pendent cinnamate group

In this report, we describe the synthesis and characterization of photosensitive poly(l-lactide) with a pendent cinnamate group. α,ω-Dihydoxy terminated poly(l-lactide) (PLLA-diol) [molecular weights (MW); 2000, 4000 and 9000 g/mol ] was chain-extended with a diacyl chloride of 5-cinnamoyloxyisophthalic acid (ICA) to obtain high-molecular-weight photocrosslinkable poly(l-lactide)s (ICA/PLLA). The resulting polyesters were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermomechanical analysis and thermogravimetry. The glass transition temperature (T_g), the melting temperature (T_m) and the degree of relative crystallinity (X_c) of ICA/PLLAs increased with the increasing MW of the PLLA-diols. The photosensitive ICA/PLLAs were irradiated with a 400 W high-pressure mercury lamp (λ > 280 nm) for various times to produce the PLLA gel films without a photoinitiator. The crosslinking rate monitored by a UV–vis spectrum decreased with the increasing MW of the PLLA-diols. The crosslinking of the ICA/PLLA ?4000 film enhanced the T_g slightly and the tensile strength and Young’s modulus significantly, while reduced the T_m and X_c. The enzymatic degradation was measured by the weight loss of the films in a phosphate buffer solution with proteinaze-k. The crosslinking of the films decreased markedly the degradation rate.     

Radiation-induced grafting of styrene into poly(vinylidene fluoride) film by simultaneous method with two different solvents

Radiation-induced grafting of styrene into poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) films with 0.125 mm thickness at doses of 1 and 2.5 kGy in the presence of a styrene/N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution (1:1, v/v) and at doses of 20, 40 and 80 kGy in presence of a styrene/toluene solution (1:1, v/v) at dose rate of 5 kGy h^?1 was carried out by the simultaneous method under nitrogen atmosphere and room temperature, using gamma rays from a Co-60. The films were characterized before and after modification by calculated grafting yield (GY %), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG/DTG). GY results shows that grafting increases with dose, and the grafting of styrene was confirm by FT-IR due to the new characteristic peaks and by the TG and DSC attributed to changes in thermal behavior of the grafted material. Results showed that the system allows the controlled grafting of styrene into PVDF using gamma rays at doses as low as 1 kGy in DMF.     

Heat capacity and thermodynamic properties of germanium disulfide at temperatures from T = (2 to 1240) K

The heat capacity of polycrystalline germanium disulfide α-GeS₂ has been measured by relaxation calorimetry, adiabatic calorimetry, DSC and heat flux calorimetry from T = (2 to 1240) K. Values of the molar heat capacity, standard molar entropy and standard molar enthalpy are 66.191 J · K^?1 · mol^?1, 87.935 J · K^?1 · mol^?1 and 12.642 kJ · mol^?1. The temperature of fusion and its enthalpy change are 1116 K and 23 kJ · mol^?1, respectively. The thermodynamic functions of α-GeS₂ were calculated over the range (0 ? T/K ? 1250).     

Measurement and prediction of (solid + liquid) equilibria of (alkanediamine + biphenyl) mixtures

Diamines represent, besides many technically important classes of substance, a particularly interesting family of molecules for the purpose of testing group-contribution models.A differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to determine binary (solid + liquid) phase equilibria for {diamines NH₂–(CH₂)_n–NH₂ (n = 6, 8, 9, and 12) + biphenyl} mixtures. Results obtained with this technique are compared with those predicted by modified UNIFAC (Larsen and Gmehling) and DISQUAC models. It was found out that all the systems are eutectic and deviations were observed between experimental and predicted SLE.     

Heat capacity and thermodynamic properties of 2,4-dichlorobenzaldehyde (C7H4Cl2O)

Heat capacities of 2,4-dichlorobenzaldehyde have been measured with a high-precision automatic adiabatic calorimeter over the temperature range from (79 to 371) K. The melting temperature, molar enthalpy, and entropy of fusion were determined by the heat capacity measurements to be (347.24 ± 0.13) K, (20468 ± 19) J · mol⁻¹, and (58.94 ± 0.04) J · K⁻¹ · mol⁻¹, respectively. The melting temperatures for the sample and the absolutely pure compound have been obtained from fractional melting experiments to be (347.230 and 347.619) K, respectively, and the chemical purity of the sample was calculated to be 0.9921 mol fraction according to the Van't Hoff equation. Moreover, the solid-to-liquid phase transition of the substance was further investigated by using DSC technique. The results obtained from the heat capacity measurements were in agreement with those from the DSC analysis.     

Densities of {poly(ethylene glycol) + water} over the temperature range (283.15 to 363.15) K

Densities of {poly(ethylene glycol) [PEG] + water} prepared with PEG average molar mass (200, 400, 600, and 1500) g · mol^?1 have been measured over the entire composition range over the temperature range (283.15 to 363.15) K at 10 K intervals using a density meter based on electromagnetically-induced oscillations of a U-shaped glass tube and an inbuilt Peltier thermostat. The density versus temperature data of (PEG + water) at each composition for all PEGs were fit to a simple quadratic equation: ρ/(g · cm^?3) = ρ₀/(g · cm^?3) + a(T/K) + b(T/K)². Fits were observed to be satisfactory at each composition for all four (PEG + water). The excess molar volumes of (PEG + water) are observed to be negative and significant over the entire composition range for all four (PEG + water). Irrespective of the temperature, the maximum absolute excess molar volumes are observed in the water-rich region of the mixture and are found to decrease with increasing temperature. This is attributed to the presence of strong interactions within the (PEG + water). Specifically, it is proposed to be due to the H-bonding interactions between the PEG and the water molecules within the mixtures.     

The effect of temperature and molar mass on the (liquid + liquid) equilibria of (poly ethylene glycol dimethyl ether + di-sodium hydrogen citrate + water) systems: Experimental and correlation

The (liquid + liquid) equilibrium for the {polyethylene glycol dimethyl ether 2000 (PEGDME₂₀₀₀) + di-sodium hydrogen citrate + H₂O} system was studied at T = (298.15, 308.15 and 318.15) K and atmospheric pressure (≈85 kPa). The free energies, enthalpies and entropies of cloud points were calculated in order to investigate the driving force formation of this two-phase system. To investigate the effect of molar mass of the polymer on the binodals and tie-lines, similar measurements were also made at T = 298.15 K on this two-phase system consisting of the PEGDME with molar masses of 500 and 250 g ⋅ mol⁻¹. The effective excluded volume model was used for representation of the phase-forming ability in PEGDME systems. An empirical and the Merchuck equations with the temperature dependency were used to correlate the binodal curves. The Othmer–Tobias and Bancraft and Setschenow equations, the osmotic virial and the extended NRTL models were used to fit the tie-line data.     

The binary (solid + liquid) phase diagrams of (caprylic or capric acid) + (1-octanol or 1-decanol)

In the present study the phase diagrams of four (fatty acid + fatty alcohol) binary mixtures composed of caprylic (C8O2) or capric acid (C10O2) + 1-octanol (C8OH) or 1-decanol (C10OH) were obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Eutectic and peritectic reactions occurred in the systems. In standard DSC analyses of the (C8O2 + C10OH) and (C10O2 + C8OH) systems, an exothermic transition occurs in association with the melting of a metastable phase. A Stepscan DSC method was used in order to avoid the formation of this metastable phase during the heating of the mixtures. The approach suggested by Slaughter and Doherty (1995) [24] was used for modeling the solid phase, and the Margules 2-suffix, Margules 3-suffix and NRTL models were applied for calculating the activity coefficients of the liquid phase. The best modeling results were obtained using the Margules-3-suffix with an average deviation between experimental and calculated values ranging from T = (0.3 to 0.9) K.     

Reversible melting of high molar mass poly(oxyethylene)

The heat capacity, C_p, of poly(oxyethylene), POE, with a molar mass of 900,000 Da, was analyzed by temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry, TMDSC. The high molar mass POE crystals are in a folded-chain macroconformation and show some locally reversible melting, starting already at about 250 K. At 335 K the thermodynamic heat capacity reaches the level of the melt. The end of melting of a high-crystallinity sample was analyzed quasi-isothermally with varying modulation amplitudes from 0.2 to 3.0 K to study the reversible crystallinity. A new internal calibration method was developed which allows to quantitatively assess small fractions of reversibly melting crystals in the presence of the reversible heat capacity and large amounts of irreversible melting. The specific reversibility decreases to small values in the vicinity of the end of melting, but does not seem to go to zero. The reversible melting is close to symmetric with a small fraction crystallizing slower than melting, i.e., under the chosen condition some of the melting and crystallization remains reversing. The collected data behave as one expects for a crystallization governed by molecular nucleation and not as one would expect from the formation of an intermediate mesophase on crystallization. The method developed allows a study of the active surface of melting and crystallization of flexible macromolecules.     

Caractérisation par spectrométrie de masse MALDI–TOF de poly(isosorbide-éther)s cycliques et linéaires obtenus sous irradiation microondes

Characterisation of cyclic and linear poly(isosorbide-ether)s obtained under microwave irradiation by MALDI–TOF mass spectrometry. We studied the influence of the alkyl chain length and of the leaving group on the fraction of cyclic or linear poly(isosorbide-ether)s. A survey by MALDI–TOF MS showed that cyclic chains (C) are predominant when some short aliphatic chains are used (m = 4 or 6), whereas with longer chains (m = 8, 10 or 12), we noted that cyclic products were in a minority, whatever the leaving group (bromide or mesyl). Important non-thermal microwave effects have been demonstrated, notably a methanol-insoluble fraction of polyether considerably larger than the one obtained by conventional heating. These poly(isosorbide-ether)s have been characterized by RMN, MALDI–TOF, SEC, elementary analysis, and DSC. The survey of the thermal behaviour by DSC showed that the temperatures of fusion increase with the aliphatic chain's length (m = 12; T_f = 37 °C).     

Thermogelling polymers composed of poly(cyclohexylenedimethylene adipate) and poly(ethylene glycol)

Block copolymers composed of hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and hydrophobic biodegradable polyesters have been reported as thermogelling polymers, because they feature temperature-dependent sol-to-gel or gel-to-sol transitions in aqueous solutions. In this study, a series of thermogelling poly(ethylene glycol methyl ether)-block–poly(cyclohexylenedimethylene adipate)-block–poly(ethylene glycol methyl ether) triblock copolymers and PEG-block–poly(cyclohexylenedimethylene adipate) multiblock copolymers was synthesized by reacting hydroxyl-terminated poly(cyclohexylenedimethylene adipate) (PCA) with poly(ethylene glycol methyl ether) and PEG, respectively, using 1,6-diisocyanatohexane as the coupling agent. Two hydroxyl-terminated PCAs, i.e., poly(1,4-cyclohexylenedimethylene adipate) and poly(1,3/1,4-cyclohexylenedimethylene adipate), were synthesized by the condensation reaction of adipic acid (AA) with 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) and 1,3/1,4-CHDM, respectively, and used as the hydrophobic polyester blocks of these thermogelling copolymers to compare the effect of crystallinity on the sol-to-gel transition behavior.The polymers were characterized using proton nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, solubility testing, and rheological analysis. Experimental results revealed that the structure of the PCA block (crystalline vs. amorphous), the molecular weights of the hydrophobic PCA and hydrophilic PEG blocks, and the type of thermogelling polymer (triblock vs. multiblock) influenced the solubility, polymer micelle packing characteristics, maximum storage modulus, and sol-to-gel temperature of the polymers. Among all the samples at 40 wt.% aqueous solutions, triblock copolymer TB3 showed sol-to-gel temperature at 22 °C, and had the highest maximum storage modulus about 170 Pa.     

Preparation of aqueous crosslinked dispersions of functionalized poly(d,l-lactic acid) with a thermomechanical method

Aqueous crosslinked microparticle dispersions were prepared from a copolymer of d,l-lactic acid, 1,4-butanediol, and itaconic acid with a thermomechanical method. The copolymer was prepared in one step polycondensation reaction using Sn(Oct)₂ as a catalyst. A polymer with M_n of 2800 g mol^?1 and a molecular weight distribution of 1.41 was obtained (as determined by SEC), that contained double bonds introduced by the itaconic acid monomer units (6 mol-%, as determined by NMR). Crosslinking ability of the prepared copolymer was demonstrated in bulk by adding a thermal initiator and altering amounts of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) crosslinking agent into molten polymer at 60–150 °C. A crosslinked gel was formed in less than 15 min at 80 °C when 10 wt.% of EGDMA was added and benzoyl peroxide (BPO) was used as the initiator. Aqueous dispersions were prepared of the non-crosslinked copolymer with a thermomechanical method that involved slow addition of aqueous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution into molten copolymer at 60 °C under shear. Dispersions were prepared with 10 wt.% of EGDMA and 2 wt.% of BPO. Crosslinking of the dispersed microparticles was achieved by heating the dispersions at 80 °C for 30 or 60 min. The dispersions were characterized by SEM, DSC, TGA, FT-IR, solid state NMR, and gel content measurements. The effect of crosslinking was clearly seen in SEM images of films cast from the dispersions. The films cast from non-crosslinked dispersions had smooth morphology whereas in films cast from crosslinked dispersions separate spherical particles were observed. During the crosslinking reactions, glass transition temperatures increased (as determined by DSC), thermal stability of the samples increased (as determined by TGA), and the gel content of the samples increased.     

FTIR assessment of poly(ethylene oxide) irradiated in solid state,melt and aqeuous solution

FTIR spectroscopy was used to study poly(ethylene oxide), PEO, irradiated in solid and molten aggregate states and as aqueous solutions of various concentrations. The changes in shape and width of –C–O–C– complex absorption intensities at around 1112 cm^?1 were the most prominent. On irradiation of solid samples in contact with air shrinking of –C–O–C– complex and increase in its absorption intensities indicated predominant degradation. Crosslinking prevailed on irradiation of molten PEO and of its aqueous solutions in nitrogen atmosphere and manifested itself as widening of –C–O–C– absorption and decrease of corresponding intensities. Partial or complete merging of CH₂ wagging vibrations at 1342 cm^?1 and 1360 cm^?1 that are characteristic of crystalline PEO into a single absorption at around 1350 cm^?1 indicated amorphization what was observed for samples that had reduced degree of crystallinity determined by differential scanning calorimetry. DSC could not discriminate between degradation and crosslinking while the changes in width and shape of –C–O–C– complex were independent of the changes in crystallinity. Comparison of FTIR spectra of the same PEO samples obtained as thin film and as KBr pellets revealed that pellet preparation results in a number of spectral artefacts.     

Study of the stability of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphine (TPP) and metalloporphyrins NiTPP,CoTPP, CuTPP,and ZnTPP by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry

In this work, the stability of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphine (TPP) and its metallic derivatives, NiTPP, CoTPP, CuTPP, and ZnTPP has been studied through differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry. The decomposition temperatures are (712, 710, 708, 702, and 671) K for NiTPP, CoTPP, CuTPP, ZnTPP, and TPP, respectively. These values are in correspondence with the N–M bond length d_M–N, of the metalloporphyrins. The corresponding molar enthalpies of melting Δ_fusH_m, were determined as (58, 57, 55, 52, and 44) kJ · mol^?1 for the same series. These values are discussed in terms of the crystallographic features in the solid state.     

Novel miscible blends of poly(p-dioxanone) with poly(vinyl phenol)

Poly(p-dioxanone) (PPDO) has been blended with poly(vinyl phenol) (PVPh) and the PPDO/PVPh blends have been investigated using DSC, FTIR and POM. According to the single T_g criterion, miscibility has been found in the whole composition range for the blends obtained by solvent casting from dioxane solutions. The dependence of the T_g on composition shows negative deviation from the Fox equation. The interaction parameter, obtained from melting point depression analysis, χ₁₂ = ?1.0, confirms a thermodynamically miscible blend. Specific interactions have been analyzed by FTIR. The OH stretching region of PVPh indicates that upon addition of PPDO the hydroxyl–hydroxyl autoassociation interactions are mainly replaced by hydroxyl–carbonyl interassociation contacts, in detrimental of the possible hydroxyl–ether interactions. The carbonyl stretching region of pure PPDO is sensitive to intramolecular ether-ester interactions occurring in the oxyethanoate structures (–O–CH₂–CO–O–) present along the PPDO chain. The –O–CH₂–CO–O– structure presents only two minimum energy conformations, trans and cis, resulting in two different absorptions in the CO stretching region located respectively at about 1757 and 1732 cm^?1. Blending with PVPh promotes two new contributions red shifted by about 23 cm^?1 relative to the “free” CO components. Finally, POM analysis shows that the addition of PVPh to PPDO significantly decreases the crystallization rate of PPDO.