Towards a better mixing of two incompatible polymers by casting from solution without compatibilizer

Blends of polystyrene/poly(oxyethylene) (PS/POE) and polystyrene/poly-(methyl methacrylate) (PS/PMMA) have been obtained by casting from solution. Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Optical Microscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy showed that two incompatible polymers can present relatively good miscibility (formation of domains smaller than 5 μm) when the solvent from which the films are obtained does not present any noticeable selectivity towards the two polymers of the blends. An increase of the casting temperature increases the miscibility of PS and PMMA because the selectivity of the solvent used, towards these polymers decreases with increasing temperature. On the contrary, an increase of the casting temperature in the case of the PS and POE mixture decreases their miscibility because the selectivity of the solvent used increases with increasing temperature. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1051–1060, 1998     

Theoretical consideration of the molecular mass distribution of starlike polymers formed by attachment of linear polymers to dendritic cores

Star‐shaped polymers can be synthesized by condensation of linear polymers to dendritic cores. The distribution of molecular masses of such hybrid star polymers and the factors influencing it have been investigated by calculations based on population balance equations and Laplace transformations. Moreover, the expressions for numerical calculations of molecular mass distributions have been derived for both Poisson and Schultz–Zimm types of initial molecular mass distributions. According to the calculation results, the molecular mass distribution of the star polymers is strongly dependent on the distribution of the length of linear polymers. Beyond this, the molecular mass development is affected by several parameters that describe the reaction degree of dendritic cores, thus, by the fraction of all functional groups of dendritic cores involved in grafting, denoted by p; the average branching degree of one starlike molecule, represented by ρ; or the fraction of dendritic molecules becoming the cores of star polymers, expressed by p/ρ, provided the star molecule contains only one core. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2751–2758, 2001     

Self-association and self-assembly of molecular clips in solution and in the solid state

Clip molecules based on diphenylglycoluril form well-defined dimeric structures in chloroform solution and in the solid state. In solution the dimerization process is based on favourable π-π interactions and cavity filling effects. A combination of favourable π-π interactions and crystal packing forces determine the self-assembly of clips in the solid state. The geometry that the clip molecules adopt in solution and in a series of X-ray crystal structures is compared with favourable geometries predicted by molecular modelling calculations.     

凝胶色谱法测定聚丙烯腈相对分子质量的验证

采用窄分布的聚苯乙烯和聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯分别对凝胶色谱柱进行标定,测定了聚丙烯腈的相对分子质量。聚苯乙烯、聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯标定法得到聚丙烯腈的重均相对分子质量分别为5.008×10^5,2.929×10^5,两种标定方法所得数据相差较大。采用光散射法验证窄分布标准样品标定测试数据的准确度,得到聚丙烯腈的重均相对分子质量为1.485×10^5,与窄分布聚合物标定凝胶色谱法得到的数据相差很大,表明凝胶色谱标定法测定聚丙烯腈的相对分子质量是一种相对方法,其量值无法实现准确溯源。     

Interfacial tension between low molecular weight polymers from the static analysis of cylindrical drops and their break-up dynamics

A spinning drop tensiometer was used to measure the interfacial tension between the coexisting phases of mixtures of low molecular weight polypropylene glycol, M_w = 1000, and polyethylene glycol, M_w = 300, 400, or 550. Two types of experiments gave concordant interfacial tensions. First, the static analysis of the equilibrium diameter of cylindrical drops according to Vonnegut and, second, Tomotika's dynamic analysis of Rayleigh instabilities caused by a sharp decrease of the angular speed. The end-pinching process also lead to the break-up of the drops and it was characterized by a rapid expansion of the hemispherical ends followed by a slower pinching step. The pinching rate increases as the final angular speed decreases while the growth rate of Rayleigh instabilities shows no definite trends in the range 118-245 rad · s^?1. It is shown that the end-pinching of long cylindrical drops can be analyzed in terms of short fiber retraction to get the interfacial tension. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The influence of the molecular structure of polymers on their reactivity in polycondensation

The influence of the conditions of synthesis, the chain length and the chemical structure of macromolecules on their reactivity is examined. The main emphasis is placed on the connection between polymer molecular structure and macromolecular effects in polycondensation. The far order effect is presented as the principal chemical factor determining the reactivity of macromolecules in solution polycondensation reactions.     

The structure of hydantoins in solution and in the solid state

The results of NMR spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic studies are critically discussed with respect to the structure of hydantoins, their tautomerism, and their acidity. The imide NH proton of the preferred, nearly planar 2,4-imidazolidine-dione tautomer proved to be more acidic than the corresponding amide NH proton. Phenyl substituents at the ring nitrogen atoms and at C-5 are twisted from the plane of the hydantoin ring; in case ofortho substituents restricted rotation about the N-aryl bond was found and the barrier to rotation determined by dynamic NMR spectroscopy. For 5-benzyl substituents, afolded conformation of the two rings, due to intramolecular interactions, was found and for 5-exo-methylene substituted hydantoins the relevant E/Z isomerism at theexo-cyclic C, C double bond was studied. In addition, the¹H and¹³C chemical shifts of the hydantoins proved to excellently indicate the electronic distribution along the hydantoin ring moiety. Finally, the mass spectrometric fragmentation of the hydantoins is critically discussed.Dedicated to Prof. Rolf Borsdorf on the occasion of his 65th birthday.     

The influence of the adsorbent amount on the changes in molecular mass distribution of polymers under adsorption from mixtures

Changes in the molecular mass distribution (MMD) for polymer as a result of adsorption from binary and ternary solutions have been studied by the exclusion chromatography method. It was found that the affinity of polymer components to a surface has a crucial influence on the changes in MMD of polymers. The diminution of polydispersity in solutions after adsorption was observed for two polymers. In the case of the polar polymer poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) the diminution of polydispersity is caused mainly by the preferential adsorption of low-molecular-mass fractions, whereas in the case of the nonpolar polymer polystyrene (PS) it is caused by the transition of the high-molecular-mass fractions onto the adsorbent surface. The analysis of experimental results indicates that the quantity of the adsorbent affects the composition of the adsorption layer formed by polymers of different chemical nature.     

Analysis of steroidal glycoalkaloids and their metabolites in Solanum nigrum fruits based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and molecular networking

Solanum nigrum fruit is like a treasure house for anticancer drugs because of its steroidal alkaloids. However, the clinical treatment of cancer mainly uses immature fruits, which can cause a toxic reaction if eaten directly, while mature fruits are eaten as fruit. In order to clarify the reasons for the differences in pharmacodynamics and toxicity between them, we studied the composition and metabolism of steroidal alkaloids in fruits of different maturities based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and molecular networking. As a result, 114 steroidal glycoalkaloids were identified. During fruit ripening, the aglycones of steroidal alkaloids mainly undergo hydroxylation and carboxylation, and the sugar side chains mainly undergo acylation and glycosylation reactions. Furthermore, 219 steroidal alkaloids were identified in a metabolism experiment in rats. Metabolic processes include deglycosylation, redox, sulfuric acid binding, acetyl binding, and glucuronic acid-binding. Steroidal alkaloids in mature fruits have high molecular weight and polarity, which are difficult to absorb, and most of them are excreted through feces and urine, which may be the reason for their poor efficacy. This study lays a foundation for research on the biosynthesis of steroidal alkaloids and provides potential candidates for the discovery of new steroidal alkaloid anticancer drugs.     

单体慢加入技术对超支化聚合物分子参数的影响

详细分析了单体慢加入到多官能度核分子中制备超支化聚合物的动力学过程,以单体转化率为参数导出了产物的聚合度分布函数、平均聚合度、多分散性指标和支化度等分子参数的解析式,计算结果与文献报道的实验数据十分一致.分子参数依赖于核的官能度(f)、核分数(α)和单体转化率(x),这为通过聚合反应条件来进行分子结构的设计提供了理论依据.与一步聚合方法的产物相比,单体慢加入技术能够改进产物的分子量分布,提高其支化度.     

Effect of slow monomer addition on molecular parameters of hyperbranched polymers synthesized in the presence of multifunctional core molecules

This study develops the kinetics for the slow monomer addition technique in the synthesis of hyperbranched polymers. Taking the conversion of monomer (x) as a variable, we derived the analytic expressions of molecular size distribution function, average degree of polymerization, polydispersity index and degree of branching. These expressions are not only amenable to the polymerization with high monomer conversion, but also appropriate to describe the whole polymerization process. Comparison with the one-pot...     

Effects of polymer adsorption on the effective viscosity in microchannel flows: phenomenological slip layer model from molecular simulations

Molecular simulations (Dissipative Particle Dynamics - DPD) were used to quantify the effect of polymer adsorption on the effective shear viscosity of a semi-dilute polymer solution in microchannel Poseuille flow. It is well known that polymer depletion layers develop adjacent to solid walls due to hydrodynamic forces, causing an apparent wall slip and reduced effective viscosity (increased total flow rate). We found that depletion layers also developed in the presence of hydrodynamically rough adsorbed layers on the wall. Polymer-polymer (steric) repulsion between flowing and adsorbed polymer expanded the depletion layer compared to no-adsorption cases, and the effective viscosity was reduced further. Desorption occurred for higher shear rates, reducing the repulsion effect and shrinking the depletion layers. A phenomenological algebraic model for the depletion layer thickness, including a shear modified adsorption isotherm, was developed based on the simulation data. The depletion layer model can be used together with the effective viscosity model we developed earlier.     

The influence of ionic medium on the kinetics of ligand replacement in the Ptdient H2O2+ complex in an aqueous solution

The influence of the ion background (NaClO₄, LiClO₄, and HClO₄) on the kinetics of the reaction PtdientH₂O²⁺+X⁻→PtdientX⁺+H₂O(X=Cl, Br, I, SCN, and N₃) was studied at 25°C by spectrophotometry. Changes in the rate constant with increase in the ionic strength are described by the Debye-Hückel and Gosh-Bjerrum equations. The reaction PtdienCl⁺+H₂O→PtdientH₂O²⁺+Cl⁻ was studied by potentiometry and its rate constant was established to depend weakly on variations of the medium. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 1918–1921, October, 1998.     

Strong effect of minor impurities in a gas on the rate of evaporation of solid surfaces

Evaporation of surfaces of quartz, corundum, and germanium monoxide precipitates in a flow of nitrogen and air was studied by the method of molecular nuclei of condensation, which makes it possible to determine extremely low concentrations of molecules from 10² to 10⁸ per I cm³ of a gas. The appreciable effect of low concentrations of gas impurities on the rate of evaporation of solid surfaces was found and studied in the region of low evaporation rates. Equations describing the dissimilar effects of the retention of molecules of impurities on the surface on the rates of evaporation and reverse condensation were proposed.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 808–813, April, 1996.     

A molecular orbital explanation for the B?N bond shortening in H3BNH3 on going from the gaseous to the solid state

A simple molecular orbital model has been applied to explanation of the B? N bond shortening in H₃BNH₃ on going from the gaseous to the solid state. In this model, the shortening is attributed to the bond order increase that is caused by the fact that each atom in the crystal experiences different external electrostatic potential to each other and thus the orbital energy level of each atom is changed. To illustrate this model, Effective Fragment Potential (EFP) method has been applied to the system consisting of a H₃BNH₃ molecule and 30 dipole moments whose magnitudes are determined by Lorentz's local field theory. This EFP computation has brought significant B? N bond shortening (1.668 → 1.623 Å), which is about 50% of the actual shortening. The factor of the remaining discrepancy has been analyzed by Morokuma decomposition under EFP and localized orbital analysis. These analyses have revealed that the remaining discrepancy is almost compensated by incorporating the dihydrogen bonds (B? H···H? N) that are formed by the orbital interaction between the bonding orbital of the B? H and the antibonding orbital of the N? H. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008     

Determination of rare earth element in carbonate using laser-ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry: an examination of the influence of the matrix on laser-ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis

In this study, we examined the influence of the matrix on rare earth element (REE) analyses of carbonate with laser-ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) using carbonate and NIST glass standards. A UV 213 nm Nd:YAG laser system was coupled to an ICP-MS. Laser-ablation was carried out in both He and Ar atmospheres to investigate the influence of ablation gas on the analytical results. A small amount of N₂ gas was added to the carrier gas to enhance the signal intensities. Synthetic CaCO₃ standards, doped with REEs, as well as NIST glasses (NIST SRM 610 and 612) were used as calibration standards. Carbonatite, which is composed of pure calcite, was analyzed as carbonate samples. The degree of the influence of the matrix on the results was evaluated by comparing the results, which were calibrated by the synthetic CaCO₃ and NIST glass standards. With laser-ablation in a He atmosphere, the differences between the results calibrated by the synthetic CaCO₃ and NIST glass standards were less than 10% across the REE series, except for those of La which were 25%. In contrast, for the measurements made in an Ar atmosphere, the results calibrated by the synthetic CaCO₃ and NIST glass standards differed by 25-40%. It was demonstrated that the LA-ICP-MS system can provide quantitative analysis of REE concentrations in carbonate samples using non matrix-matched standards of NIST glasses.     

Effect of sample mass on the kinetics of thermal decomposition of a solid

Effects of sample mass on the kinetics of isothermal dehydration of crushed crystals of Li₂SO₄·H₂O were investigated using conventional TG. The process was characterized by a combination of Avrami-Erofeyev and contracting geometry models. Distribution of the fractional reaction, α, in particles within the sample assembly as well as the change in the rate of gross diffusion of the evolved water vapour appear responsible for the sample-mass-dependent kinetic parameters obtained for the system.     

The influence of solid‐state microstructure on the origin and yield of long‐lived photogenerated charge in neat semiconducting polymers

The influence of solid‐state microstructure on the optoelectronic properties of conjugated polymers is widely recognized, but still poorly understood. Here, we show how the microstructure of conjugated polymers controls the yield and decay dynamics of long‐lived photogenerated charge in neat films. Poly(3‐hexylthiophene) was used as a model system. By varying the molecular weight, we drive a transition in the polymer microstructure from nonentangled, chain‐extended, paraffinic‐like to entangled, semicrystalline (M_W = 5.5–347 kg/mol). The molecular weight range at which this transition occurs (M_W = 40–50 kg/mol) can be deduced from the drastic change in elongation at break found in tensile tests. Linear absorption measurements of free‐exciton bandwidth and time‐resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) measurements of transient photoconductance track the concomitant evolution in optoelectronic properties of the polymer as a function of M_W. TRMC measurements show that the yield of free photogenerated charge increases with increasing molecular weight in the paraffinic regime and saturates at the transition into the entangled, semicrystalline regime. This transition in carrier yield correlates with a sharp transition in free‐exciton bandwidth and decay dynamics at a similar molecular weight. We propose that the transition in microstructure controls the yield and decay dynamics of long‐lived photogenerated charge. The evolution of a semicrystalline structure with well‐defined interfaces between amorphous and crystalline domains of the polymer is required for spatial separation of the electron and hole. This structural characteristic not only largely controls the yield of free charges, but also serves as a recombination center, where mobile holes encounter a bath of dark electrons resident in the amorphous phase and recombine with quasi first‐order kinetics. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

An ambient self‐curable latex based on colloidal dispersions in water of two functionalized polymers and the thermally reversible crosslinked films generated

An ambient self‐curable latex (ASCL) was prepared by mixing colloidal dispersions in water of a chloromethylstyrene (CMS)‐functionalized polymer and a tertiary‐amine‐functionalized polymer. The two dispersions were obtained via the conventional emulsion copolymerization of CMS and 2‐(dimethylamino)ethylacrylate (DMAEA), respectively, with styrene (St), butyl acrylate (BA), or both. No visible coagulation was observed either in the blends after 6 months of storage or after the latexes were introduced into aqueous media with pHs in the range of 3–11. Continuous, transparent, crosslinked elastic films with smooth surfaces were obtained via casting and drying the ASCL at room temperature, when one or both of the two functional polymer particles contained BA monomeric units. Thermocompression cycles; swelling experiments; solubility tests; and ¹H NMR, IR, DSC, and transmission electron microscopy tests were carried out to investigate the crosslinking and morphology of the films. The following observations were made: (1) the crosslinks in the films were generated via the Menschutkin reaction (quaternization) between the  CH₂‐Cl groups of the CMS containing particles and the amine groups of the DMAEA containing particles; (2) the crosslinked films were thermally remoldable due to reversible decrosslinking (dequaternization) on heating and recrosslinking (requaternization) on cooling; and (3) phase separation in the films was observed when one of the functional polymers (for instance, the nonpolar CMS‐St copolymer) was incompatible with the other one (for instance, the polar BA‐DMAEA copolymer). The present ASCL might be useful in producing water‐borne coatings and adhesives, elastic films, and functional membranes. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 389–397, 2001