Synthesis and characterization of hydrophilic thermotropic block copolyetheresters

The block copolyetheresters with a hard segment of poly (hexamethylene p,p′-bibenzoate) and a soft segment of poly (ethylene oxide) were prepared by melt polycondensation of dimethyl-p,p′-bibenzoate, 1,6-hexanediol, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) with molecular weights of 400, 1000, 2000, or 4000. These block copolyetheresters were characterized by intrinsic viscosity, GPC, FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, and water absorption. The thermotropic liquid crystalline properties were investigated by DSC, polarized microscope, and x-ray diffraction. The block copolyetheresters exhibit smectic liquid crystallinity due to the polyester segment. The transitions are dependent on the molar content and the molecular weight of PEG used. The block copolyetheresters show high water absorption due to the hydrophilic nature of the poly (ethylene oxide) segment. The water absorption increases with increasing PEG content. As the molecular weight of PEG increases, the water absorption increases significantly. The results indicate that the water absorption of the poly (ethylene oxide) segment in the block copolymers is affected by the presence of polyester segments. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of Sodium dodecyl sulfate on the Mass Transfer Rate between Styrene and Water

Summary: The effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the mass transfer rate between styrene and water has been investigated. SDS increases the solubility of styrene in water even below the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and therefore increases the thermodynamic driving force for the mass transfer. The mass transfer coefficient however is not altered by SDS, even if the interface is almost saturated with emulsifier.     

High-performances membranes for pervaporation I. Poly(vinyl alcohol)–poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) blends

Dense membranes were prepared from poly(vinyl alcohol)–poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVA–PVP) blends of different compositions and studied in swelling and dehydration by pervaporation of three organic solvents contaminated by 5 wt% water. The swelling generally increases with the PVP content. No extraction occurs in water–tetrahydrofuran (THF) and water–methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) mixtures. In ethanol containing 10 wt% of water, there is no extraction for blends containing less than 40 wt% PVP and an increasing extraction beyond this PVP content. The pervaporation flux of the water–ethanol mixture increases drastically at the same threshold whereas the water permselectivity falls to a low level. The values of the diffusion and permeability coefficients determined from transient permeation of the test water–ethanol mixture exhibit a similar sudden increase at the same PVP content threshold. This singular behavior of the blend membranes is interpreted by a strong affinity of the PVP component to ethanol, combined with a disappearance of crystallites in the blend at this threshold. Consequently the amorphous membrane can swell freely according to the affinity of the PVP component, leading to the observed behavior.     

Exploration on regulating factors for proton transfer along hydrogen-bonded water chains.

Proton transfer along a single-file hydrogen-bonded water chain is elucidated with a special emphasis on the investigation of chain length, side water, and solvent effects, as well as the temperature and pressure dependences. The number of water molecules in the chain varies from one to nine. The proton can be transported to the acceptor fragment through the single-file hydrogen-bonded water wire which contains at most five water molecules. If the number of water molecule is more than five, the proton is trapped by the chain in the hydroxyl-centered H(7)O(3) (+) state. The farthest water molecule involved in the formation of H(7)O(3) (+) is the fifth one away from the donor fragment. These phenomena reappear in the molecular dynamics simulations. The energy of the system is reduced along with the proton conduction. The proton transfer mechanism can be altered by excess proton. The augmentation of the solvent dielectric constant weakens the stability of the system, but favors the proton transfer. NMR spin-spin coupling constants can be used as a criterion in judging whether the proton is transferred or not. The enhancement of temperature increases the thermal motion of the molecule, augments the internal energy of the system, and favors the proton transfer. The lengthening of the water wire increases the entropy of the system, concomitantly, the temperature dependence of the Gibbs free energy increases. The most favorable condition for the proton transfer along the H-bonded water wire is the four-water contained chain with side water attached near to the acceptor fragment in polar solvent under higher temperature.     

Electron-stimulated sputtering of thin amorphous solid water films on Pt(111)

The electron-stimulated sputtering of thin amorphous solid water films deposited on Pt(111) is investigated. The sputtering appears to be dominated by two processes: (1) electron-stimulated desorption of water molecules and (2) electron-stimulated reactions leading to the production of molecular hydrogen and molecular oxygen. The electron-stimulated desorption of water increases monotonically with increasing film thickness. In contrast, the total sputtering--which includes all electron-stimulated reaction channels--is maximized for films of intermediate thickness. The sputtering yield versus thickness indicates that erosion of the film occurs due to reactions at both the water/vacuum interface and the Pt/water interface. Experiments with layered films of D2O and H2O demonstrate significant loss of hydrogen due to reactions at the Pt/water interface. The electron-stimulated sputtering is independent of temperature below approximately 80 K and increases rapidly at higher temperatures.     

Electron attachment to molecules in a cluster environment

Low-energy dissociative electron attachment (DEA) to the CF(2)Cl(2) and CF(3)Cl molecules in a water cluster environment is investigated theoretically. Calculations are performed for the water trimer and water hexamer. It is shown that the DEA cross section is strongly enhanced when the attaching molecule is embedded in a water cluster, and that this cross section grows as the number of water molecules in the cluster increases. This growth is explained by a trapping effect that is due to multiple scattering by water molecules while the electron is trapped in the cluster environment. The trapping increases the resonance lifetime and the negative ion survival probability. This confirms qualitatively existing experiments on electron attachment to the CF(2)Cl(2) molecule placed on the surface of H(2)O ice. The DEA cross sections are shown to be very sensitive to the position of the attaching molecule within the cluster and the orientation of the electron beam relative to the cluster.     

高醚化三聚氰胺甲醛树脂交联水性聚氨酯的制备与表征

合成了高醚化三聚氰胺甲醛树脂(HMMM)交联改性含聚乙二醇单甲醚(Ymer N120)亲水基团的阴离子型水性聚氨酯。 通过全反射红外(ATR-FTIR)、差示扫描量热仪(DSC)、电子拉力机等技术手段表征了改性后的水性聚氨酯胶膜结构、热性能和力学性能。 结果表明,随着HMMM质量分数的增加,聚氨酯胶膜中氢键相互作用减弱,胶膜耐热性、耐水性、拉伸强度、粘接性均有所提高;当HMMM为8%时,聚氨酯胶膜的拉伸强度增加了125%,T-型剥离强度增加了7.4 N/cm,硬段最大热分解速率对应温度增加了38 ℃。 此外,交联水性聚氨酯胶膜的耐水性也得到了很大程度的提高。     

Site-dependent electron-stimulated reactions in water films on TiO2(110)

Electron-stimulated reactions in thin [<3 ML (monolayer)] water films adsorbed on TiO(2)(110) are investigated. Irradiation with 100 eV electrons results in electron-stimulated dissociation and electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) of adsorbed water molecules. The molecular water ESD yield increases linearly with water coverage theta for 0< or =theta< or =1 ML and 11 ML, the water ESD yield per additional water molecule adsorbed (i.e., the slope of the ESD yield versus coverage) is 3.5 times larger than for theta<1 ML. In contrast, the number of water molecules dissociated per incident electron increases linearly for theta< or =2 ML without changing slope at theta=1 ML. The total electron-stimulated sputtering rate, as measured by postirradiation temperature programmed desorption of the remaining water, is larger for theta>1 ML due to the increased water ESD for those coverages. The water ESD yields versus electron energy (for 5-50 eV) are qualitatively similar for 1, 2, and 40 ML water films. In each case, the observed ESD threshold is at approximately 10 eV and the yield increases monotonically with increasing electron energy. The results indicate that excitations in the adsorbed water layer are primarily responsible for the ESD in thin water films on TiO(2)(110). Experiments on "isotopically layered" films with D(2)O adsorbed on the Ti(4+) sites (D(2)O(Ti)) and H(2)O adsorbed on the bridging oxygen atoms (H(2)O(BBO)) demonstrate that increasing the water coverage above 1 ML rapidly suppresses the electron-stimulated desorption of D(2)O(Ti) and D atoms, despite the fact that the total water ESD and atomic hydrogen ESD yields increase with increasing coverage. The coverage dependence of the electron-stimulated reactions is probably related to the different bonding geometries for H(2)O(Ti) and H(2)O(BBO) and its influence on the desorption probability of the reaction products.     

Morphological studies and ionic transport properties of partially sulfonated diblock copolymers

The morphological behavior of partially sulfonated polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-alt-propylene) (PS-PEP) membranes cast from tetrahydrofuran (THF) solutions were investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM).The uptakes of methanol and water increase as the sulfonation degree increases, the methanol uptake being overwhelmingly greater than the water uptake. The conductivity increases almost exponentially with increasing sulfonation degree of polystyrene units. Clusters of sulfonated units that are formed in the solution used for casting membranes persist in the solid state after evaporation. In contact with water, swelling of the membranes proceeds predominantly in these clusters. The original lamellar morphology of the diblock copolymer is progressively deformed with increasing degree of sulfonation by the presence of the clusters containing ion-rich sequences of sulfonated polystyrene blocks.     

Azo polymer colloidal spheres containing different amounts of functional groups and their photoinduced deformation behavior

In this work, colloidal spheres composed of azo polymers with different chromophore loading densities were prepared, and their photoinduced deformation behavior was studied. The colloids were constructed by using a series of amphiphilic epoxy-based random copolymers containing 4-carboxylazobenzene functional groups with different degrees of functionalization (DFs). The colloidal spheres were fabricated through gradual hydrophobic aggregation of the polymeric chains in tetrahydrofuran-H2O dispersion media, which was induced by gradually adding water into the systems. The colloidal spheres were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The photoinduced deformation behavior was studied by irradiating the colloidal spheres with a linearly polarized Ar+ laser beam. Results showed that the critical water content (CWC) for the colloid formation is related to the DF of the polymers, and CWC increases with the increase of DF. The hydrodynamic diameter of the colloidal spheres is also related to the DF of the polymers. When the DF of the polymers increases, the average size of the colloids gradually decreases. The hydrodynamic diameter of the colloidal spheres increases as the water dropping rate decreases. When the dropping rate is below 20 microL/s, the size of the colloidal spheres increases abruptly as the dropping rate further decreases. Upon the linearly polarized Ar+ laser beam irradiation, the colloids composed of polymers with different DFs can all be elongated along the polarization direction of the laser beam. As DF increases, the deformation degree characterized by the axial ratio (l/d) almost linearly increases. These observations can give some insight into the photoinduced deformation mechanism and can be used to construct colloids with different sizes and photoresponsive ability.     

Hydrogen-bonded network of hydration water around model solutes

Clustering of water molecules in the hydration shells of spherical structureless solutes was studied in dependence on thermodynamic state, solute radius R(sp) and strength U(0) of water-solute interaction. Two qualitatively different clustering states of hydration water have been found: an "ordered" state with a hydrogen-bonded (H-bonded) network, which includes most of the hydration water, and a "disordered" state with small H-bonded clusters of hydration water. The transition from the ordered to disordered state occurs upon increasing temperature and decreasing pressure. This percolation transition is rounded due to the finite solute size and occurs in some temperature (pressure) interval. A finite-size scaling was applied to determine the transition temperature T(∞) in the limit R(sp)→∞. Strengthening of the water-solute interaction strongly enhances the stability of the ordered state: the transition temperature increases by about 35 °C, when U(0) decreases by 1 kcal mol(-1). At T > T(∞) and fixed U(0), the stability of the H-bonded water network increases upon decreasing solute size.     

Effects of Mixed Anionic-Cationic Surfactants and Alcohol on Solubilization of Water-in-oil Microemulsions

The solubilization of water in w/o microemulsions formed with mixed-surfactants containing one anionic and one cationic surfactant and alcohol was studied as a function of alkyl chain length of oil (C6 to C16), mixed-surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB, or cetylpyridinium bromide CPB), and alcohol (1-butanol, 1-pentanol, 1-hexanol). The results show that the solubilization of water in microemulsion systems increases significantly with the mixed-surfactants due to the synergistic effect resulting from the strong Coulombic interactions between cationic and anionic surfactants and the solubilizing efficiency increases as the chain length or concentration of alcohol increases. With increasing the oil chain length the solubilization for water increases, decreases, and has the chain length compatibility effect when the systems contain 1-hexanol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol, respectively. The total solubilizing capacity increases as the surfactant concentration (keep the ratio of SDS to butanol constant) increases.     

Behavior of water molecules near monolayer-protected clusters with different terminal segments of ligand

Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to investigate the behavior of water molecules near gold monolayer protected clusters (MPCs) with two different types of surfactant, HS(CH(2))(5)(OCH(2)CH(2))(2)COOH (type1) and HS(CH(2))(11)COOH (type2). The effects of the different moieties of the two ligands on the local structure of the water molecules are quantified by means of the reduced density profiles of oxygen and hydrogen atoms, and the hydrogen bond statistics. The adsorption characteristics of water molecules are evaluated by means of their residence time near the MPCs. The results show that the hydrophilic oligo (ethylene glycol) segment increases the number of water molecules, which penetrate the protective layer of MPC. As a result, the inter-water hydrogen bond network in the protective layer of type1 MPC is stronger than that in the protective layer of the type2 MPC. It is shown that the presence of interfacial hydrogen bonds increases the adsorption of water molecules near the MPCs and therefore constrains the motion of MPCs. As a result, the residence time of the water molecules adjacent to the type1 MPC is longer than that of the molecules adjacent to the type2 MPC.     

Interaction between water molecules and zinc sulfide nanoparticles studied by temperature-programmed desorption and molecular dynamics simulations

We have investigated the bonding of water molecules to the surfaces of ZnS nanoparticles (approximately 2-3 nm sphalerite) using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). The activation energy for water desorption was derived as a function of the surface coverage through kinetic modeling of the experimental TPD curves. The binding energy of water equals the activation energy of desorption if it is assumed that the activation energy for adsorption is nearly zero. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of water adsorption on 3 and 5 nm sphalerite nanoparticles provided insights into the adsorption process and water binding at the atomic level. Water binds with the ZnS nanoparticle surface mainly via formation of Zn-O bonds. As compared with bulk ZnS crystals, ZnS nanoparticles can adsorb more water molecules per unit surface area due to the greatly increased curvature, which increases the distance between adjacent adsorbed molecules. Results from both TPD and MD show that the water binding energy increases with decreasing the water surface coverage. We attribute the increase in binding energy with decreasing surface water coverage to the increasing degree of surface under-coordination as removal of water molecules proceeds. MD also suggests that the water binding energy increases with decreasing particle size due to the further distance and hence lower interaction between adsorbed water molecules on highly curved smaller particle surfaces. Results also show that the binding energy, and thus the strength of interaction of water, is highest in isolated nanoparticles, lower in nanoparticle aggregates, and lowest in bulk crystals. Given that water binding is driven by surface energy reduction, we attribute the decreased binding energy for aggregated as compared to isolated particles to the decrease in surface energy that occurs as the result of inter-particle interactions.     

Ionic cluster size distributions of swollen nafion/sulfated beta-cyclodextrin membranes characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance cryoporometry

Nafion/sb-CD membranes were prepared by mixing 5 wt% Nafion solution with H+-form sulfated beta-cyclodextrin (sb-CD), and their water uptakes, ion exchange capacities (IECs), and ionic cluster size distributions were measured. Gravimetric and thermogravimetric measurements showed that the water uptake of the membranes increased with increases in their sb-CD content. The IECs of the membrane were measured with acid-base titration and found to increase with increases in the sb-CD content, reaching 0.96 mequiv/g for NC5 ("NCx" denotes a Nafion/sb-CD composite membrane containing x wt% of sb-CD). The cluster-correlation peaks and ionic cluster size distributions of the water-swollen membranes were determined using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) cryoporometry, respectively. The SAXS experiments confirmed that increases in the sb-CD content of the membranes shifted the maximum SAXS peaks to lower angles, indicating an increase in the cluster correlation peak. NMR cryoporometry is based on the theory of the melting point depression, Delta Tm, of a liquid confined within a pore, which is dependent on the pore diameter. The melting point depression was determined by analyzing the variation of the NMR signal intensity with temperature. Our analysis of the intensity-temperature (IT) curves showed that the ionic cluster size distribution gradually became broader with increases in the membrane sb-CD content due to the increased water content, indicating an increase in the ionic cluster size. This result indicates that the presence of sb-CD with its many sulfonic acid sites in the Nafion membranes results in increases in the ionic cluster size as well as in the water uptake and the IEC. We conclude that NMR cryoporometry provides a method for determining the ionic cluster size on the nanometer scale in an aqueous environment, which cannot be obtained using other methods.     

Solid–liquid phase equilibrium and mixing thermodynamic analysis of coumarin in binary solvent mixtures

The solubility of coumarin in three aqueous solvent mixtures (methanol + water, ethanol + water and acetone + water) was experimentally determined by a gravimetric method at atmospheric pressure. The experimental solubility data were fitted using the modified Apelblat equation, non-random two-liquid (NRTL) equation, the combined nearly ideal binary solvent/Redlich–Kister equation and the Jouyban?Acree equation, respectively. All the equations were proven to be able to correlate the experimental data, and the modified Apelblat equation could obtain better correlation results than the other three models. The solubility of coumarin increases with increase in temperature. At the same temperature, the solubility increases with increase in mole fraction of organic solvents except for the ethanol–water system which shows a unimodal curve. In addition, the apparent thermodynamic properties of the mixing process were calculated based on the NRTL model and the experimental solubility data.     

Synthesis of monodisperse mesoporous TiO2 spheres with tunable sizes between 0.6 and 3.1 μm and effects of reaction temperature, Ti source purity, and type of alkylamine on size and monodispersity

We report a novel method for synthesizing monodisperse mesoporous TiO(2) spheres (sizes = 0.6-3.1 μm) by hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide (TIP) in a mixture of C(8)-C(16)n-alkylamine, water, and ethanol. The size increases with decreasing temperature, TIP concentration, and water concentration, and upon purifying TIP. n-Dodecylamine gives the highest monodispersity.     

Neutron and beta/gamma radiolysis of water up to supercritical conditions. 1. beta/gamma yields for H(2), H(.) atom, and hydrated electron

Yields for H2, H(.) atom, and hydrated electron production in beta/gamma radiolysis of water have been measured from room temperature up to 400 degrees C on a 250 bar isobar, and also as a function of pressure (density) at 380 and 400 degrees C. Radiolysis was carried out using a beam of 2-3 MeV electrons from a van de Graaff accelerator, and detection was by mass spectrometer analysis of gases sparged from the irradiated water. N2O was used as a specific scavenger for hydrated electrons giving N2 as product. Ethanol-d(6) was used to scavenge H(.) atoms, giving HD as a stable product. It is found that the hydrated electron yield decreases and the H(.) atom yield increases dramatically at lower densities in supercritical water, and the overall escape yield increases. The yield of molecular H2 increases with temperature and does not tend toward zero at low density, indicating that it is formed promptly rather than in spur recombination. A minimum in both the radical and H2 yields is observed around 0.4 kg/dm(3) density in supercritical water.     

High internal phase CO2-in-water emulsions stabilized with a branched nonionic hydrocarbon surfactant

A nonionic-methylated branched hydrocarbon surfactant, octa(ethylene glycol) 2,6,8-trimethyl-4-nonyl ether (5b-C12E8) emulsifies up to 90% CO2 in water with polyhedral cells smaller than 10 microm, as characterized by optical microscopy. The stability of these concentrated CO2/water (C/W) emulsions increases with pressure and in some cases exceeds 24 h. An increase in pressure weakens the attractive van der Waals interactions between the CO2 cells across water and raises the disjoining pressure. It also enhances the solution of the surfactant tail and drives the surfactant from water towards the water-CO2 interface, as characterized by the change in emulsion phase behavior and the decrease in interfacial tension (gamma) to 2.1 mN/m. As the surfactant adsorption increases, the greater tendency for ion adsorption is likely to increase the electrostatic repulsion in the thin lamellae and raise the disjoining pressure. As pressure increases, the increase in disjoining pressure and decrease in the capillary pressure (due to the decrease in gamma) each favor greater stability of the lamellae against rupture. The electrical conductivity is predicted successfully as a function of Bruggeman's model for concentrated emulsions. Significant differences in the stability are observed for concentrated C/W emulsions at elevated pressure versus air/W or C/W foams at atmospheric pressure.     

醇溶剂交换对聚合物/黏土纳米复合水凝胶的性能改进及结构表征

采用原位自由基聚合,制备了聚N,N-二甲基丙烯酰胺(PDMAA)/黏土(clay)纳米复合水凝胶(D-NCgel),黏土在体系结构中充当多官能团交联点的作用.考察了D-NC gel中溶剂水被交换为醇溶剂时,凝胶结构稳定性,溶胀特性,以及机械性能的变化.D-NC gel在醇溶剂中仍能保持完整的三维网络结构,体系没有瓦解.而且,D-NC gel在醇溶剂中表现出依赖于醇溶剂种类的溶剂交换和溶胀行为.在甲醇中,凝胶溶胀度呈现单调增长,但是在其它醇溶剂,如乙醇、1-丙醇或1-丁醇中,凝胶表现出先收缩后溶胀的特殊溶胀行为.通过在醇溶剂中先溶胀后干燥的方法,制备具有优异机械性能的醇溶剂纳米复合凝胶.与D-NC5 gel相比,D-NC5甲醇凝胶其拉伸力学强度提高了67%(从155 kPa增加到259 kPa),拉伸模量提高了49%(从7.5 kPa增加到11.2kPa).基于凝胶在醇水溶剂中结构可逆性讨论的基础上,探讨了醇溶剂对D-NC水凝胶的改性机理.