Synthesis and characterization of new copolymers of thiophene and vinylene: Poly(thienylenevinylene)s and poly(terthienylenevinylene)s with thioether side chains

Poly[3,4-bis(3-methylbutylthio)thienylenevinylene], poly[3,4-bis-(S)-(2-methylbutylthio)thienylenevinylene], poly[3′,4′-bis(3-methylbutylthio)-2,2′:5′,2″-terthienylene-5,5″-vinylene], and poly{3′,4′-bis-(S)-[2-methylbutylthio]-2,2′:5′,2″-terthienylene-5,5″-vinylene} have been synthesized. The synthesis starts from the thiophene monomers and trimers, which are formylated to give the corresponding dialdehydes. The dialdehydes are reductively polymerized using a McMurry coupling. The polymers are characterized by GPC, optical spectroscopy (FT-IR, UV-vis, circular dichroism spectroscopy and photoluminescence) and by proton and carbon NMR spectroscopy. The polymers are soluble in common organic solvents, such as THF, chloroform, toluene, benzene and 1,2-dichlorobenzene. The solvatochromism and thermochromism of the polymers in solution are investigated, while the optical activity of the polymers is used to investigate the supramolecular aggregation. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 4629–4639, 1999     

Synthesis and chiroptical properties of optically active photochromic methacrylic polymers bearing in the side chain the (S)-3-hydroxypyrrolidinyl group conjugated with the trans-azoaromatic chromophore

Novel optically active polymethacrylates, namely poly[(S)-3-methacryloyloxy-1-(4-azobenzene)pyrrolidine] and poly[(S)-3-methacryloyloxy-1-(4′-nitro-4-azobenzene)pyrrolidine], have been synthesized by radical polymerization of the corresponding monomers, prepared in turn through a synthetic route preserving the asymmetric center by any racemization reaction. These homopolymers are characterized by the presence in the side chain of an optically active pyrrolidinyl ring linked to the trans-azoaromatic system through the nitrogen atom. The optical activity of the polymers in solution appears much higher than that observed with the low molecular weight models, purposely synthesized for comparison. Circular dichroism spectra of the synthesized products demonstrated that, in solution, the macromolecules assume highly homogeneous conformations with a prevailing chirality to a larger extent with respect to analogous systems previously investigated. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3257–3268, 1999     

Dispersion polymerization of pyrrole using ethylhydroxy-ethylcellulose as a stabilizer

Oxidative polymerization of pyrrole has been studied using FeCl₃ or (NH₄)₂S₂O₈ (APS) as oxidant, ethylhydroxyethylcellulose (EHEC) as a steric stabilizer and water or aqueous ethanol as the dispersion medium. Transmission electron micrographic images of the particles from the as-prepared dialysed dispersions in aqueous ethanol show small as well as large particles (about a decade larger) when FeCl₃ is used as the oxidant but only large particles when APS is used as the oxidant. Small particles are not found when the dispersions are prepared in water, irrespective of the oxidant used. The particle size decreases with an increase in molecular weight of the stabilizer for the same stabilizer concentration. The minimum amount of stabilizer required to support dispersion polymerization decreases upon increasing the alcohol content of the medium. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3723–3729, 1999     

The kinetics of radical copolymerization of acrylonitrile and methylacrylate with tricaprylylmethylammonium chloride as a phase-transfer catalyst

The phase-transfer radical copolymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) and methylacrylate (MA) with tricaprylylmethylammonium chloride was investigated in Na₂S₂O₈ aqueous-organic two-phase system at 25°C and under nitrogen atmosphere. The rate of copolymerization was expressed as the combined terms of quaternary ammonium ion and peroxydisulfate ion in the aqueous phase rather than the fed concentrations of catalyst and Na₂S₂O₈. The observed initial rate of copolymerization was used to analyze the copolymerization mechanism with a cyclic phase-transfer initiation step in the heterogeneous liquid–liquid system. The monomer reactivity ratio r₁ and r₂ obtained from the analysis of copolymerization mechanism were 1.584 and 0.856, respectively. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3504–3512, 1999     

Glass transition temperatures of butyl acrylate–methyl methacrylate copolymers

The glass transition temperatures T_g of butyl acrylate–methyl methacrylate copolymers obtained by free radical polymerization in 3 and 5 mol/L benzene solution have been measured using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the values have been correlated using Johnston's equation with inter‐intramolecular copolymer structure. From the data calculated with copolymer prepared at low conversion, the variation of glass transition temperature with copolymer conversion has been theoretically predicted. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 2512–2520, 1999     

Asymmetric polymerization of N‐substituted maleimides with chiral oxazolidine–organolithium

Asymmetric anionic homopolymerizations of achiral N‐substituted maleimides (RMI) were performed with lithium 4‐alkyl‐2,2‐dialkyloxazolidinylamide. All obtained polymers were optically active, exhibiting opposite optical rotation to that of a corresponding oxazolidinyl group at the terminal of the main chain. This suggests that opposite optical rotation to the corresponding chiral oxazolidine was induced to the polymer main chain. In the polymerization using a fluorenyllithium (FlLi)–oxazolidine complex, the obtained polymer with a fluorenyl group at the polymer end showed a negative specific rotation. This also suggests that asymmetric induction took place in the polymer main chain. The asymmetric induction was supported by the circular dichroism (CD) and GPC analysis with polarimetric detector. Optical activity of the polymer was attributed to different contents of (S,S) and (R,R) structures formed from threo‐diisotactic additions, as supported by the ¹³C‐NMR spectra of the polymers and the model compounds. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 473–482, 1999     

Asymmetric synthesis of (S,R)- and (R,R)-methiin stereoisomers

Abstract

An asymmetric synthesis of (+)- and (–)-methiine (S-methyl-(R)-cysteine sulfoxide) diastereomers has been developed. These natural sulfur compounds were isolated from a variety of Brassica vegetables. As the starting compound, (R)-cysteine was used, which was methylated to form (R)-S-methylcysteine. Then the oxidation of S-methylcysteine with tert-butyl hydroperoxide catalyzed by the chiral tetra(isopropylate)titanium/(S)- or (R)-Binol complex led to the formation of (1?R,2S)-(+)- or (1?R,2R)-(–)-methiin stereomers.     

Vibrational dynamics and heat capacity in poly(L‐lactic acid)

Poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) (? CH(CH₃) ? COO? )_n is a biodegradable polymer, which exhibits many applications in the biomedical field and where thermoplastics are employed. A comprehensive study of the normal modes and their dispersion in PLLA using Wilson′s GF matrix method as modified by Higgs is being reported. Assignments of calculated normal modes have been made and characteristic features of dispersion curves are discussed. Heat capacity has been calculated via density‐of‐states using Debye relation in the temperature range 10–250 K, which is in fairly good agreement with the experimental data. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 175–182, 2010     

Low- and high-conversion studies of the free radical copolymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate with styrene in N,N′-dimethylformamide solution

2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and styrene (S) have been copolymerized in a 3 mol · L⁻¹N,N′-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution using 2,2′azobis (isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) as an initiator over a wide composition and conversion range. From low-conversion experiments and ¹H-NMR analysis, the monomer reactivity ratios were determined according to the Mayo–Lewis terminal model. The comparison of the obtained results with those previously reported for copolymerization in bulk and in toluene reveals a relatively small but noticeable solvent effect that can be qualitatively explained by the bootstrap model. Cumulative copolymer composition as a function of conversion is satisfactorily described by the integrated Mayo–Lewis equation; overall copolymerization rate increases with increasing the HEMA/S ratio, and individual monomer conversion is closely related to the monomer molar fraction in the feed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2941–2948, 1999     

Preparation of polymer microspheres from solutions

Polymer microspheres are obtained by the dropwise addition of a precipitant, containing a polymeric stabilizer, into a polymer solution, containing a polymeric stabilizer. The polymer and stabilizer concentrations, the stirring speed, and the precipitation temperature determine the size and size uniformity of the microspheres. Seven polymer microspheres of polyimide, poly(ether imide), poly(ether ketone), poly(phenylene oxide), polysulfone, poly(vinylidene fluoride), and cellulose diacetate have been prepared with dimethylacetamide as the solvent, with water as the precipitant, and with poly(vinyl alcohol) as the stabilizer. The size and size uniformity of the obtained microspheres are d = 2.3–25.7 μm and ? = 0.15–0.50, respectively (? = σ/d, where ? is the dispersion coefficient, d is the average diameter, and σ is the standard deviation of the diameter). © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 159–165, 2003     

Preparation of chiral polystyrene monoliths by utilizing W/O emulsion polymerization and their optical resolution ability

We synthesized two kinds of chiral polystyrene‐based monoliths, which are macroporous gel with continuous open‐celled monolith structure. Thus, two chiral styrene monomers, (–)‐p‐[dimethyl(10‐pinanyl)silyl]styrene ((–)‐PSSt) and (–)‐p‐(menthoxycarbonyl)styrene ((–)‐MtSt]), were prepared and subjected to water‐in‐oil emulsion polymerization in the presence of divinylbenzene and AIBN. The macroporous structure of the obtained monoliths was directly confirmed by SEM observation. The obtained monoliths showed an optical resolution ability. That is, in the enantioselective adsorption using trans‐stilbene oxide, poly[(–)‐PSSt] monolith and poly[(–)‐MtSt] monoliths preferentially adsorbed (S,S)‐isomer [poly[(–)‐PSSt] monolith: α^(S,S) = 1.49 (0.25 wt % acetone solution); poly[(–)‐MtSt] monolith: α^(S,S) = 1.39 (0.25 wt % toluene solution)]. Depinanylsilylation of the poly[(?)‐PSSt] monolith and removal of menthyl groups from the poly[(–)‐MtSt] monolith were achieved by acid‐catalyzed scission of the Si? C bond and base‐catalyzed hydrolysis, respectively. In addition, de‐poly[(–)‐PSSt] and de‐poly[(–)‐MtSt] showed enantioselectivity ((S,S)‐isomer preferentially absorbed) in adsorption using trans‐stilbene oxide in spite of the absence of chiral substituents in the monoliths. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2348–2357, 2005     

Degradation of polymer coating systems studied by positron annihilation spectroscopy. II. Correlation with free radical formation

The photo‐degradation of polymer coating systems due to irradiation by UV and Xenon light sources is studied using positron annihilation spectroscopy and electron spin resonance (ESR). Doppler broadened spectra of positron annihilation, as a function of slow positron implantation energy and ESR spectra, are measured in two types of polyurethane which were exposed, ex situ, to UV irradiation for up to 800 h. The UV irradiation systematically decreases the S parameter as a function of exposure duration and increases the ESR signals. Thus, significant S parameter decrease is correlated with the ESR signal increase resulting from photo‐degradation of polymers due to UV irradiation. Parallel in situ positron annihilation and ESR experiments are performed as a function of Xenon light exposure for up to 100 min. These results show that the photo‐degradation of the polyurethane coatings involves initial free‐radical formation, which is correlated with the subnanometer defects detected by positron annihilation spectroscopy. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1289–1305, 1999     

Optically active poly(amide–imide)s containing axially dissymmetric 1,1′-binaphthyl moieties

Novel optically active aromatic poly(amide–imide)s (PAIs) were prepared from newly synthesized 2,2′-bis(3,4-dicarboxybenzamido)-1,1′-binaphthyl dianhydride ((+ )-, (S)-, and (R)-BNDADA). PAIs based on dianhydride monomers with different ee % were investigated with respect to their structures and chiroptical properties. These polymers were highly soluble in polar aprotic solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, pyridine, etc., and showed high glass transition temperatures of 287–290°C and 5% weight loss temperatures of 450–465°C in nitrogen. Optically active PAIs exhibited high specific rotations, excellent optical stabilities, and a dependence of optical activities on temperature. Investigations on chiroptical properties indicated that chiral conformation was possessed by optically active PAIs. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3147–3154, 1999     

A study on free‐volume properties of styrene‐acrylic ester type copolymers

The positron annihilation lifetime measurements have been performed on a number of amorphous styrene–methyl acrylate copolymers and styrene–butyl methacrylate copolymers. The densities of copolymers were obtained with immersion method by using a capillary pycnometer and the average molecular weights were determined by gel chromatography. The lifetime τ₃ of ortho‐positronium (o‐Ps) pick‐off annihilation have been found to correlate with side group volume and polarity of macromolecular chains in the copolymers, and relative intensity I₃ is attributed mainly to the electron‐attracting groups trapping the spur electrons and positrons. The experimental results have been discussed on the basis of the structural variation of macromolecular chains. In addition, the PALS measurement as a function of time for polystyrene and several styrene–methyl acrylate copolymers has also been performed. The result shows that an electric field is built in polymers during extended positron annihilation spectroscopy measurement, and the field effect is a main factor which causes the decrease in I₃ with time. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 2476–2485, 1999     

Electrical DC conduction mechanism in some newly synthesized nylon 6/12 copolymers

The synthesis and the study of DC electrical transport properties (electrical conductivity, σ, and Seebeck coefficient, S) as a function of temperature of some recently synthesized nylon 6/12 copolymers with 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 50 wt % laurolactam (LL), respectively, are reported. Nylons were obtained by rotational molding via the anionic activated copolymerization of ε‐caprolactam and LL. As evidenced by XRD analyses, they are semicrystalline. The temperature dependences of σ and S are typical for polycrystalline semiconducting (p‐type) materials. The activation energy of electrical conduction lay in the range 0.79–1.22 eV, while the ratio of charge carrier mobilities ranged between 0.53 and 0.77. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 794–799, 2007     

Transport properties of crosslinked acrylonitrile butadiene rubber/poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) blends

The diffusion and transport of organic solvents through crosslinked nitrile rubber/poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) (NBR/EVA) blends have been studied. The diffusion of cyclohexanone through these blends was studied with special reference to blend composition, crosslinking systems, fillers, filler loading, and temperature. At room temperature the mechanism of diffusion was found to be Fickian for cyclohexanone–NBR/EVA blend systems. However, a deviation from the Fickian mode of diffusion is observed at higher temperature. The transport coefficients, namely, intrinsic diffusion coefficient (D*), sorption coefficient (S), and permeation coefficient (P) increase with the increase in NBR content. The sorption data have been used to estimate the activation energies for permeation and diffusion. The van't Hoff relationship was used to determine the thermodynamic parameters. The affine and phantom models for chemical crosslinks were used to predict the nature of crosslinks. The experimental results were compared with the theoretical predictions. The influence of penetrants transport was studied using dichloromethane, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1815–1831, 1999     

β-Butyrolactone polymerization initiated with tetrabutylammonium carboxylates: A novel approach to biomimetic polyester synthesis

The anionic ring-opening polymerizations of (R,S)-β-butyrolactone and (S)-β-butyrolactone initiated with tetrabutylammonium salts of carboxylic acids as initiators were investigated. Poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate] and poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate], with relatively high molecular weights (170,000 and 35,000, respectively) and low molecular weight distributions, were synthesized. Moreover, biomimetic poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)s with well-defined microstructures and predictable iso-dyad contents were obtained. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2184–2189, 2002     

Relaxation behavior of methacrylic polymers with bulky hydrophilic groups in their structures

The isochrones showing the temperature dependence of the loss relaxation modulus of poly(neopentyl glycol methacrylate) present an ostensible subglass absorption called β relaxation that roughly has the same intensity as the glass–rubber relaxation, or α process. The dielectric relaxation spectrum of this polymer also exhibits a well-developed β process followed at higher temperatures by the glass–rubber, or α relaxation, which strong conductive effects only permit to be detected at high frequencies. A detailed study of the conductive contributions to the dielectric loss above T_g was carried out using a theory that assumes that the dispersion observed in tan δ in the frequency domain arises from the Maxwell–Wagner–Sillars effect combined with Nernst–Planck electrodynamic effects caused by interfacial polarizations in the interface polymer electrodes. Attempts were made to evaluate the equivalent salt concentration that would produce the conductive effects experimentally observed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 3027–3037, 1999     

Vibrational spectroscopic investigation of poly(p‐phenylene sulfide)

Poly(p‐phenylene sulfide) (PPS) is an important polymer of engineering interest particularly useful in the electronics and automotive industries. Normal mode analysis including phonon dispersion has been performed to understand completely the vibrational spectra of this polymer. Various characteristic features of the dispersion curves have been reported. Crossing/Repulsion between various pairs of modes at certain phase values have been explained as arising due to internal symmetry in the energy momentum space. The heat capacity is calculated as a function of temperature via density‐of‐states in the range 220–360 K. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2353–2367, 2009