Rheological and DSC changes in poly(vinyl alcohol) gels induced by immersion in water

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) gels were prepared by freezing and thawing aqueous solutions at temperatures from ?20 to 15°C. The temperature was varied periodically by use of a computer. The endothermic DSC peak was observed for the PVA gels at about 60°C for five specimens of different degrees of saponification (DS). Another endothermic peak was also observed in the range 67–80°C, and this peak shifted to higher temperature with increasing DS. These endothermic peaks shifted to lower temperature on immersion of the PVA gels in water. The dynamic Young's modulus E′ at room temperature was also decreased by immersion of PVA gels in water; E′ decreased monotonically with increasing temperature for PVA gels without immersion in water, while it increased up to a certain temperature and then decreased with increasing temperature for PVA gels in water. The X-ray diffraction showed a characteristic crystalline pattern for PVA gels of higher DS, and this peak was intensified by stretching the gel.     

Aging effect of diethanolamine derived precursor sol on TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> films deposited at different annealing temperatures

A diethanolamine stabilized precursor sol has been utilized for studying the effect of sol aging and annealing temperature on key properties of TiO₂ films. X-ray diffraction investigations have shown increased crystallite size in the films as a function of both sol aging and the thermal treatment. Fourier transform infrared studies have elucidated that cleavage of the bond involving diethanolamine and the alkoxide in the films requires high temperature annealing treatment upon the use of aged sol for the deposition of the films. Multiple step chronoamperometry has shown the ion storage capacity of the films increases as a function of sol aging, with the highest extent of Li ion insertion being obtained for films produced from as-prepared and aged sols and subsequently annealed at, 300 and 350 °C, respectively. Films with excellent optical quality were obtained. Ellipsometry revealed that the refractive indices of the films vary from 1.67 to 2.02. The highest thickness obtained in these films was nearly 900 nm. The bandgaps of the films for both direct and indirect transitions decreased as a function of precursor sol’s aging. In addition, although the indirect bandgap values have shown a decrease with increasing annealing temperature, the direct bandgap values reveal a slight increase as a function of annealing temperature.     

Phase evolution of sol-gel CaO-ZrO2 using sulfuric acid as hydrolysis catalyst

Several compositions in the CaO-ZrO₂ system were synthesized from zirconium n-butoxide and calcium methoxide, by the sol-gel method. Hydrolysis and gelation occurred at pH 3, using H₂SO₄ as hydrolysis catalyst. Fresh gels were annealed in air at 100 to 900°C, in 100°C steps every 20 h, for a total annealing time of 140 h. Analysis by X-ray diffraction showed the formation of hydrated calcium sulfate together with amorphous zirconia up to 400°C. At the ZrO₂ rich-end, tetragonal and monoclinic zirconia solid solutions were stabilized in the presence of Ca ions. When 20 and 30 wt% of CaO were added, cubic zirconia and CaZrO₃ solid solutions were observed above 700°C. At the CaO rich-end, the coexistence of calcium carbonate polymorphs as vaterite and calcite were observed. Anhydrite was present across the entire range of compositions studied from 300 to 900°C.     

A comparative studyof heat‐treated Ag:SiO2 nanocomposites synthesized by cosputtering and sol‐gel methods

In this work, we compared formation and properties of heat‐treated Ag nanoparticles in silica matrix synthesized by RF‐reactive magnetron cosputtering and sol–gel methods separately. The sol–gel and sputtered films were annealed at different temperatures in air and in a reduced environment, respectively. The optical UV‐visible spectrophotometry have shown that the absorption peak appears at 456 and 400 nm wavelength indicating formation of silver nanoparticles in SiO₂ matrix for both the sol–gel and sputtering methods at 100 and 800 °C, respectively. XPS measurements showed that the metallic Ag⁰ nanoparticles can be obtained from both the techniques at these temperatures. According to XPS and AFM analysis, by increasing annealing temperature, the concentration of the Ag nanoparticles on the surface decreased and the nanoparticles diffused into the substrate for the sol–gel films, while for the films deposited by cosputtering method, the Ag surface concentration increased by increasing the temperature. Based on AFM observations, the size of nanoparticles on the surface were obtained at about 25 and 55 nm for sputtered and sol–gel films, respectively, supporting our optical data analysis. In comparison, the sputtering technique can produce Ag metallic nanoparticles with a narrower particle size distribution relative to the sol–gel method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

CRYSTALLIZATION AND MELTING OF NYLON 610

Differential scanning calorimetry was used to study the crystallization andmelting of nylon 610. For nylon 610 crystallized from the melt state (260℃), the overall rateof bulk crystallization can be described by a simple Avrami equation with Avrami exponentn ≈ 2, independent of crystallization temperature. With the experimentally obtainedT_m~0 (235℃ ～ 255℃) of nylon 610, the fold surface free energy σ_e was determined to be35 ～38 erg/cm~2. The effects of annealing temperature and time on the melting of quenchednylon 610 were also investigated. For nylon 610 quenched at room temperature there isonly one DSC endotherm peak DSC scans on annealed samples exhibited an endothermpeak at approximately 10℃ above the annealing temperature. The size and position of theendothermic peak is strongly related to annealing temperature and time. An additionalthird melting was observed when quenched nylon 610 was annealed at high temperaturefor a sufficiently long residence time. The existence of the third melting peak suggests thatmore than one kind of distribution of lamella thickness may occur when quenched nylon610 is annealed. The implications of these results in terms of crystal thickening mechanismwere discussed.     

Study of the structure and mechanical properties of hexagonal BaTiO3 thin films prepared by sol鈥揼el processing

Hexagonal barium titanate (HBT) thin films were prepared on borosilicate plate substrates via sol–gel method using the dip-coating process. The structure, texture and morphology of the thin film were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, nanoindentation technique, and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the thin film annealed at 700?°C crystallized with BaTiO₃ hexagonal phase and traces of Ba₂TiO₄ (secondary phase). The nanoparticles and the RMS roughness of the sample treated at 700?°C presented high values when compared with those thermally treated at lower temperatures. The hardness and Youngs??modulus of the thin films increased with increasing in grain size, and the thin film annealed at 700?°C with crystallite size about 10?nm presented multiple “pop-in??events during nano-indentation loading curves. The annealing temperature, growth size and surface roughness were discussed in connection with the HBT mechanical properties.     

Influence of surfactant and annealing temperature on optical properties of sol–gel derived nano-crystalline TiO2 thin films

Titanium dioxide thin films have been synthesized by sol–gel spin coating technique on glass and silicon substrates with and without surfactant polyethylene glycol (PEG). XRD and SEM results confirm the presence of nano-crystalline (anatase) phase at an annealing temperature of 300 °C. The influence of surfactant and annealing temperature on optical properties of TiO₂ thin films has been studied. Optical constants and film thickness were estimated by Swanepoel's (envelope) method and by ellipsometric measurements in the visible spectral range. The optical transmittance and reflectance were found to decrease with an increase in PEG percentage. Refractive index of the films decreased and film thickness increased with the increase in percentage of surfactant. The refractive index of the un-doped TiO₂ films was estimated at different annealing temperatures and it has increased with the increasing annealing temperature. The optical band gap of pure TiO₂ films was estimated by Tauc's method at different annealing temperature.     

Aging and cold crystallization of melt‐extruded poly(trimethylene terephthalate) films

We analyzed the thermal crystallization, glass‐transition behavior, and mechanical properties of melt‐extruded poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) films to investigate their physical aging and annealing effects. The physical aging and annealing of PTT films had an influence on the glass‐transition temperature, recrystallization behavior, and mechanical properties. When samples were aged at an ambient temperature, the crystallization temperature decreased largely within 5 h, the heat of crystallization increased, and the breaking stress and breaking elongation increased. The glass‐transition temperature of annealed samples, which was obtained from differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical measurements, increased with increasing annealing temperature below 80 °C but decreased above that temperature. In addition, the glass‐transition temperature and modulus of annealed samples were largely affected by the annealing time; in particular, they increased sharply within 1 h on annealing at 50 °C. Consequently, the change in the glass‐transition temperature on annealing was ascribed to the fact that the molecular constraint due to recrystallization and the mobility of rigid amorphous PTT chains competed with each other, being dependent on the annealing temperature. The mechanical properties of aged samples were closely related to their cold‐crystallization behavior. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 1920–1927, 2001     

Synthesis and characterization of reversible thermosensitive methylated chitin and its application in zinc-ion battery thermal runaway

Novel water-soluble methylated chitins (MCHs) were synthesized homogeneously in aqueous alkaline solution. The relatively mild reaction conditions resulted in the MCH with high degree of acetylation (DA >0.76). The chemical structure of the obtained MCHs was analyzed and the degree of methylation substitution (DS) and DA were determined by proton NMR in both D₂O and 20% DCl/D₂O. The MCH aqueous solutions (DS = 0.46 ~ 0.71) showed a reversible thermosensitive sol–gel–sol transition upon heating and cooling. The gel transition temperature of these MCHs (in the range of 15–85 °C) increased with increasing DS and decreasing polymer concentration. Thermal runaway has been an important safety issue impeding the development of high-energy-density zinc-ion batteries. A smart thermosensitive reversible electrolyte was prepared based on this MCH for the aqueous zinc-ion battery to prevent thermal runaway. When the temperature of zinc-ion battery rises or even gets out of control, the thermosensitive electrolyte can quickly gel and inhibit the migration of zinc ions, resulting in increase of the internal resistance and realizing intelligent and efficient thermal self-protection. Thus the novel thermosensitive methylated chitin shows promise for safe aqueous zinc-ion batteries.     

Designed synthesis and chiroptical properties of regioregular poly(p-phenyleneethynylene-alter-m-phenyleneethynylene) bearing (−)-trans-myrtanoxyl side groups

Two regioregular poly(p-phenyleneethynylene-alter-m-phenyleneethynylene)s bearing (−)-trans-myrtanoxyl side groups with different substitution patterns were designed and synthesized, e.g. Myr-PMPE-1 and Myr-PMPE-2. In Myr-PMPE-1, the side chiral groups are distributed uniformly along the backbone. In Myr-PMPE-2, the distribution of the side chiral groups is alternatively crowded and loose. Both of these two polymers show no CD signal in solutions because of their good solubility. The investigations of chiroptical properties of these two polymers were carried out in the form of spin-coated films. The films were annealed above the glass temperature of the corresponding polymer, and the effects of annealing temperature and time on the properties of the films were investigated by UV-Vis absorption, fluorescence and circular dichroism spectra. The results show that annealing treatment had no significant effect on the properties of Myr-PMPE-1, including UV-Vis absorption, fluorescence and optical activity. The maximum absolute value of dissymmetry factor (|g _max|) was 1.62 × 10⁻⁴. On the other hand, annealing treatment significantly affected the properties of Myr-PMPE-2. Without annealing or being annealed below 100°C, Myr-PMPE-2 films show almost no Cotton effect. In contrast, when annealed above 120°C, the absorption and emission of Myr-PMPE-2 films slightly red shifted with increasing annealing temperature and annealing time. Most importantly, the intensity of CD signals increased significantly and the optical activity of Myr-PMPE-2 films markedly increased. After annealing at 140°C for 4 h, the |g _max| of Myr-PMPE-2 films was increased up to 3.07 × 10⁻³, about one order of magnitude higher than that of Myr-PMPE-1 films. __________ Translated from Acta Polymeric Sinica, 2008, 3 (in Chinese)     

Synthesis of high surface area nanocrystalline anatase-TiO2 powders derived from particulate sol-gel route by tailoring processing parameters

Stabilised titania sols were prepared using an additive free particulate sol-gel route, via electrostatic stabilisation mechanism, with various processing parameters. Peptisation temperature, 50°C and 70°C, and TiO₂ concentration, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 molar, were chosen as processing parameters during sol preparation. Results from TiO₂ particle size and zeta potential of sols revealed that the smallest titania hydrodynamic diameter (13 nm) and the highest zeta potential (47.7 mV) were obtained for the sol produced at the lower peptisation temperature of 50°C and lower TiO₂ concentration of 0.1 M. On the other hand, between the sols prepared at 70°C, smaller titania particles (20 nm) and higher zeta potential (46.3 mV) were achieved with increasing TiO₂ concentration up to 0.4 M. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) results of produced powders annealed at different temperatures showed that the 300°C annealed powder made from 0.1 M sol prepared at 50°C was a mixture of anatase and brookite, corresponding to a major phase of anatase (∼95% estimated), with the smallest average crystallite size of 1.3 nm and the highest specific surface area (SSA) of 193 m²/g. Furthermore, increasing TiO₂ concentration up to 0.4 molar for the sols prepared at 70°C resulted in decreasing the average crystallite size (1.9 nm at 300°C) and increasing SSA (116 m²/g at 300°C) of the powders annealed at different temperatures. Anatase-to-rutile phase transformation temperature was increased with decreasing peptisation temperature down to 50°C, whereas TiO₂ concentration had no effect on this transition. Anatase percentage increased with decreasing both peptisation temperature and TiO₂ concentration. Such prepared powders can be used in many applications in areas from photo catalysts to gas sensors.     

Small‐angle x‐ray scattering study of thermoreversible poly(vinyl chloride) gels

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/bis(2‐ethylhexyl)phthalate (DOP) gels were prepared at room temperature from tetrahydrofuran solutions of PVC and DOP. PVC/DOP gels of different molecular weights at various PVC concentrations (c) were investigated with small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). The mean distance between two neighboring inhomogeneities (D) and two characteristic lengths, the intrainhomogeneity distance (d₁) and interinhomogeneity distance (d₂), were evaluated from Bragg's law and the distance distribution function, respectively. Both D and d₂ can be expressed by a power‐law relation (e.g., D and d₂ ∝ c^?0.5). After a period of rapid cooling to 25 °C from the sol state, the structural evolution was examined with time‐resolved SAXS measurements. An Avrami analysis with the SAXS invariant data revealed that the growth kinetics of PVC/DOP gels was one‐dimensional growth from predetermined nuclei, regardless of c. These results suggest that the PVC/DOP gels are constructed from a fibrillar structure that forms gel structures at high concentrations or low temperatures. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2340–2350, 2001     

Preparation and characterization of MPEG–PCL diblock copolymers with thermo‐responsive sol–gel–sol phase transition

MPEG–PCL diblock copolymers consisting of methoxy polyethylene glycol (MPEG, 750 g/mol) and poly(?‐caprolactone) (PCL) were synthesized by ring‐opening polymerization. Aqueous solutions of the synthesized diblock copolymers were prepared by dissolving the MPEG–PCL diblock copolymers at concentrations in the range of 0–20 wt %. When the PCL molecular weight was 3000 or greater, the polymer was only partially soluble in water. As the temperature was increased from room temperature, the diblock copolymer solutions showed two phase transitions: a sol‐to‐gel transition and a gel‐to‐sol transition. The sol‐to‐gel phase transition temperature decreased substantially with increasing PCL length. The sol–gel–sol transition with the increase in temperature was confirmed by monitoring the viscosity as a function of temperature. The temperature ranges of the phase transitions measured by the tilting method were in full agreement with those determined from the viscosity measurements. The maximum viscosity of the copolymer solution increased with increasing hydrophobicity of the diblock copolymer and with increasing copolymer concentration. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses revealed that the diblock copolymers exhibited crystalline domains that favored the formation of an aggregated gel because of the tight aggregation and strong packing interactions between PCL blocks. Scanning electron micrographs of the diblock copolymer solutions in the sol state showed interconnected polyhedral pore structures, whereas those of the gel state revealed a fibrillar‐like morphology. Atomic force microscope (AFM) studies of the sol and gel surfaces showed that the sol surface was covered with fine globular particles, whereas the gel surface was covered with particles in micron‐scale irregular islets. These findings are consistent with uniform mixing of the diblock copolymer and water in the sol state, and aggregation of PCL blocks in the gel state. In conclusion, we confirm that the MPEG–PCL diblock copolymer solution exhibited a sol–gel–sol transition as a function of temperature. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5413–5423, 2006     

Aggregation,gelation instability,and morphologies of diblock copolymers consisting of poly(p‐benzamide) and poly(m‐benzamide)

The solution, gelation, and morphological properties of monodisperse aromatic polyamide diblock copolymers consisting of poly(p‐benzamide) (PpBA), poly(m‐benzamide) (PmBA), and poly(N‐octyl m‐benzamide) (POmBA) were investigated. The block copolymers of these polymers, PpBA‐block‐POmBA and PmBA‐block‐POmBA, formed spherical micelles or amorphous aggregates in many solvents in addition to physical gels at concentrations higher than 5 wt %. A temperature‐induced sol‐gel transition was also exhibited for PpBA‐block‐POmBA in solvents with high boiling points such as N,N‐dimethylacetamide and N‐methylpyrrolidone (NMP), although the transition was not entirely thermoreversible; the transition temperature decreased by annealing at ～80 °C. Dynamic light scattering measurements of the PpBA‐block‐POmBA/NMP solutions revealed that metastable micelles in the sol state reorganized into smaller micelles upon annealing at 90 °C. The block copolymer, which forms strong associations, exhibited some transient structure as indicated by the need to sufficiently anneal the solution to reach equilibrium. Network‐like patterns with characteristic length of ～10 μm appeared on the gel surfaces upon evaporation of volatile solvents such as dichloromethane and chloroform, in which the copolymers were observed to aggregate. The unique properties of the copolymers originate from interactions between the highly polar N? H aromatic polyamide blocks. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1732–1739, 2010     

Structure and voltage tunable dielectric properties of sol–gel derived Bi1.5MgNb1.5O7 thin films

Bi_1.5MgNb_1.5O₇ (BMN) thin films were fabricated on Au/Ti/SiO₂/Si(100) substrates using a sol?Cgel spin coating process. Thermo decomposition of the BMN precursor gel was discussed. The structures, morphologies, dielectric properties and voltage tunable dielectric properties were investigated. The deposited films showed a cubic pyrochlore structure after annealing at 550?°C or higher temperatures. With the annealing temperature increased from 500 to 800?°C, the root-mean-square surface roughness of the films increased from 0.6 to 6.8?nm. Additional phase, MgNb₂O₆, emerged after annealing at 800?°C due to the volatilization of Bi element. The dielectric properties and tunability of the films were annealing temperature dependent. BMN thin films annealed at 750?°C had a high dielectric constant of 135 and low dielectric loss of 0.002 at 1?MHz. The high tunability of 31.3?% and figure of merit of 156.5 were obtained under an applied electric field of 1?MV/cm at room temperature.     

IR-spectroscopic study of lewis acid centers on polyzirconiummethylsiloxanes

Acid centers on the surface of polyzirconiummethylsiloxanes (PZMS) containing 5 and 10% ZrO₂ were studied by diffuse-reflectance IR-spectroscopy. Deuterated acetonitrile adsorbed at room temperature at a 96 torr saturated vapor pressure was used as a probe-molecule for acid centers. It was shown that zirconium ions were not built into the matrix but were situated predominantly on the surface of the siliconoxygen framework of silica gels. The introduction of zirconium ions into the polymethylsiloxane matrix at the stage of sol formation caused the appearance of Lewis acid centers (coordinatively unsaturated zirconium ions) on the surface of PZMS along with centers of the physical adsorption of CD₃CN.     

Characterization of sol–gel process in the Y–Ba–Cu–O acetate–tartrate system using IR spectroscopy

Systematic investigation of sol–gel process in the Y–Ba–Cu–O acetate–tartrate system was performed using IR spectroscopy. Different values of synthesis parameters (temperature and duration of inorganic polymerization reactions, evaporation temperature and evaporation time during gelation) were used, and significant influence in some cases on superconducting characteristics of the oxide ceramics of composition YBa₂Cu₄O₈ was observed. Characterization by IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, revealed the difference of local homogeneity in the precursor gels prepared under different evaporation regimes during gelation process. In addition, the explanation of the possible hydrolysis and condensation reactions in the sol state has been suggested.     

Phase transition properties of vanadium oxide films deposited by polymer-assisted deposition

Vanadium dioxide (VO₂) films were synthesized on mica substrates by a polymer-assisted deposition method, followed by rapid annealing with different annealing temperatures. The crystalline structure and morphology of the films were investigated by XRD and FE-SEM, and their phase transition properties were studied by in situ FT-IR. The results indicated that the annealing temperature affected the crystalline structure and morphology of the films remarkably, which then resulted in varied phase transition properties. In particular, the films annealed at higher temperature showed more polycrystalline structure, increased particle size and reduced phase transition intensity. But the films exhibited the similar hysteresis temperature width with increasing annealing temperature.     

Thermoreversible gelation of solutions of vinyl polymers

The thermoreversible gelation of solutions of isotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) is investigated. Amorphous gels can be prepared in l-butanol by a combination of a liquid-liquid demixing with an upper critical demixing temperature and a glass transition. Annealing of the demixed solutions above their glass transition temperature T_G, results in the formation of a crystalline gel. In oxylene, crystalline gels are formed by a liquid-liquid demixing with an lower critical demixing temperature and an annealing at room temperature. Very fast gelation is observed to occur far below room temperature in solvents like 2-butanone.     

Multiphase structure of segmented polyurethanes: Its relation with spherulite structure

Small-angle light-scattering (SALS), Polarized light microscopy (PLM), differntial scanning calorimetry (DSC), and small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) were used to study morphological changes in segmented polyurethanes with 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and 1,4-butanediol (BD) as the hard segment. It was found. for the first time, that spherulites could form from the melt by quenching the polyurethanes in the melt state to annealing temperatures between 120°C and T_h, the highest annealing temperature for spherulite formation. T_h ranged from 140°C to ca. 170°C and depended upon the hard-and soft-segment compatibility. Within the range 120°C to T_h, the radius of the spherulite increased with increasing hard-segment content at each fixed annealing temperature. Annealing at 135–140°C gave rise to the largest spherulites. SAXS was used to investigate the phase-separated structures corresponding to the spherulite formation. The interdomain spacing increased with increasing hard-segment content and with increasing annealing temperature.The degree of phase separation first increased with increasing annealing temperature from room temperatures (ca. 25°C), reached a maximum at ca. 107°C, and then decreased with further increase in the annealing temperature. On the basis of these observations, the mechanisms of phase separation, crystallization, and spherulite formation are discussed. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.