Simultaneous synthesis of silver nanoparticles and poly(2,5‐dimethoxyaniline) in poly(styrene sulfonic acid)

Silver nanoparticles were formed in situ along with poly(2,5‐dimethoxyaniline) (PDMA) in an interconnected network matrix (reactor), comprising the electronic conductive polymer, PDMA, and a polyelectrolyte, poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PSS), through the simultaneous reduction of Ag⁺ ions and polymerization of 2,5‐dimethoxyaniline. In situ ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy showed that peaks corresponding to the plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles at 411 nm and the polaronic transition of PDMA at 438 nm provided evidences for the simultaneous formation of silver nanoparticles and PDMA. Transmission electron microscopy and size distribution analysis revealed the presence of spherical silver nanoparticles with an average diameter of 12 nm in the composite. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the amine units in PDMA changed to imine units upon the formation of silver nanoparticles. A comprehensive mechanism for the formation of the PDMA‐PSS‐Ag nanocomposite is proposed. A 10‐fold increase in the conductivity was noticed for the PDMA–PSS–Ag nanocomposite (1 S/cm) in comparison with the PDMA–PSS composite (0.1 S/cm). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3843–3852, 2006     

Preparation and properties of conductive silver/photosensitive polyimide nanocomposites

A new electrically conductive photoresist has been developed. It is based on the dispersion of silver nanoflakes in a negative‐tone photosensitive polyimide (PSPI) precursor. 2‐Mercaptopropionic acid was used as the surfactant to modify the silver nanoflake surface for the dispersion of silver nanoflakes in the polymer. The silver/PSPI nanocomposites showed electrical conductivity at a low silver content of 10 wt %. The electrical conductivity of the silver/PSPI nanocomposites ranged from 10 to 10⁴ S/cm, which was dependent on the silver weight fraction in the resist formulation. Patterns with a resolution of 30 μm were obtained from the silver/PSPI nanocomposites. The silver/PSPI nanocomposites had excellent thermal properties. Their glass transition temperatures were above 360 °C and thermal decomposition temperatures were over 420 °C. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 1575–1583, 2009     

Poly(thieno[3,4‐b]‐1,4‐oxathiane) and poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene‐co‐thieno[3,4‐b]‐1,4‐oxathiane)/poly(styrene sulfonic sodium): Preparation,characterization, and optoelectronic performance

In this work, the asymmetrical analog of 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT), thieno[3,4‐b]‐1,4‐oxathiane (EOTT), was synthesized and chemically polymerized first in aqueous solution using poly(styrene sulfonic sodium) (PSS) as the polyelectrolyte to yield poly(thieno[3,4‐b]‐1,4‐oxathiane) (PEOTT)/PSS. As‐formed film exhibited low electrical conductivity (～10^?4 S/cm). Alternatively, EOTT together with EDOT (in different molar ratio of 1:1 and 1:5) was copolymerized and the polymer poly(EOTT‐co‐EDOT)/PSS had electrical conductivity of 10^?1 S/cm. After dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) treatment, the electrical conductivity was enhanced to 10⁰ S/cm; however, the conductivity of the above homopolymer was reduced (～10^?5 S/cm). Raman spectroscopy was used to interpret conductivity enhancement or reduction after DMSO treatment. The conductivity decrease of PEOTT/PSS compared to poly(EOTT‐co‐EDOT)/PSS may arise from the conformational change of PEOTT backbone from the quasi‐planar to the distorted planar mode induced by PSS^–/PSSH through ionic interaction. Kinetic studies revealed that the copolymer had high coloration efficiencies (375 cm²/C), low switching voltages (?0.8 to +0.6 V), decent contrast ratios (45%), moderate response time (1.0 s), excellent stability, and color persistence. An electrochromic device employing poly(3‐methylthiophene) and poly(EOTT‐co‐EDOT)/PSS as the anode and cathode materials was also studied. From these results, poly(EOTT‐co‐EDOT)/PSS would be a promising candidate material for organic electronics. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 2285–2297     

Synthesis and characterization of fluorine‐containing polybenzimidazole for proton conducting membranes in fuel cells

Two new kinds of fluorine‐containing polybenzimidazoles (PBI), poly(2,2′‐(tetrafluoro‐p‐phenylene)‐5,5′‐bibenzimidazole) and poly(2,2′‐tetradecafluoroheptylene‐5,5′‐bibenzimidazole), were synthesized by condensation polymerization of 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine and perfluoroterephthalic acid (or perfluoroazelaic acid), with polyphosphoric acid as solvent. Thermogravimetric analysis results show that the fluorine‐containing polymers synthesized exhibit promising thermal stability. The film‐forming properties of the fluorine‐containing polymers are improved over nonfluorinated PBI. The introduction of fluorine into the backbone of the polymers has significant positive affection on their chemical oxidation stability demonstrated by Fenton test. Compared with poly(2,2′‐(m‐phenylene)‐5,5′‐bibenzimidazole)/phosphoric acid (PA) composite membrane, the resulting fluorinated membranes with a same PA doping level exhibit better flexibility and higher proton conductivity. The maximum proton conductivity gained is 3.05 × 10^?2 S/cm at 150 °C with a PA doping level of 7. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2115–2122, 2010     

Doping of processable conducting poly(m‐aminophenol) with silver nanoparticles

Processable poly(m‐aminophenol) (PmAP) was synthesized using ammonium persulfate (APS) oxidant in 0.6 M sodium hydroxide solution at room temperature. Soluble silver hydroxide ammonium complex was formed by dissolving silver nitrate in excess liquor ammonia and the thermal decomposition of this complex easily produced silver nanoparticle. Then, in situ silver nanoparticle‐doped PmAP film was obtained by casting PmAP film from dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with silver hydroxide ammonia complex mixture at 140°C. The nanocomposite was characterized by ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy, Fourier transformed spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy, electron dispersion spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and X‐ray diffraction analysis. The average size of the nanoparticle was around 130–140 nm as confirmed by the TEM analysis. Synthesized PmAP silver nanocomposite showed the highest DC‐conductivity of 1.03 × 10^?6 S/cm. From the above characterizations, it can be said that silver nanoparticle shows some doping effect on the conductivity of PmAP. The doping level of the silver nanoparticle inside the polymer was optimized in terms of DC‐conductivity of the silver nanoparticle‐doped PmAP film. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polymer electrolyte membranes based on p‐toluenesulfonic acid doped poly(1‐vinyl‐1,2,4‐triazole): Synthesis,thermal and proton conductivity properties

Throughout this work, the synthesis, thermal as well as proton conducting properties of acid doped heterocyclic polymer were studied under anhydrous conditions. In this context, poly(1‐vinyl‐1,2,4‐triazole), PVTri was produced by free radical polymerization of 1‐vinyl‐1,2,4‐triazole with a high yield. The structure of the homopolymer was proved by FTIR and solid state ¹³C CP‐MAS NMR spectroscopy. The polymer was doped with p‐toluenesulfonic acid at various molar ratios, x = 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, with respect to polymer repeating unit. The proton transfer from p‐toluenesulfonic acid to the triazole rings was proved with FTIR spectroscopy. Thermogravimetry analysis showed that the samples are thermally stable up to ～250 °C. Differential scanning calorimetry results illustrated that the materials are homogeneous and the dopant strongly affects the glass transition temperature of the host polymer. Cyclic voltammetry results showed that the electrochemical stability domain extends over 3 V. The proton conductivity of these materials increased with dopant concentration and the temperature. Charge transport relaxation times were derived via complex electrical modulus formalism (M*). The temperature dependence of conductivity relaxation times showed that the proton conductivity occurs via structure diffusion. In the anhydrous state, the proton conductivity of PVTri1PTSA and PVTri2PTSA was measured as 8 × 10^?4 S/cm at 150 °C and 0.012 S/cm at 110 °C, respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1016–1021, 2010     

Novel silver/polyurethane nanocomposite by in situ reduction: Effects of the silver nanoparticles on phase and viscoelastic behavior

A novel silver/poly(carbonate urethane) nanocomposite was prepared through in situ reduction of a silver salt (AgNO₃) added to a solution consisting of a commercial poly(carbonate urethane) dissolved in N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF). In this system, the presence of the poly(carbonate urethane) was proved to protect the silver nanoparticles, whose formation was confirmed by means of UV–vis spectroscopy, from aggregation phenomena. The silver morphology developed in the solid state after DMF casting was imaged by FESEM. Homogeneous dispersion of silver nanoprisms in the poly(carbonate urethane) matrix was clearly observed. The effects of dispersion of silver nanoparticles within the poly(carbonate urethane) matrix were investigated by means of ATR‐FTIR and multifrequency dynamic mechanical thermal analyses. The obtained results revealed that the presence of silver nanoparticles modifies both the phase and the viscoelastic behaviors of poly(carbonate urethane). As a matter of fact, the hydrogen bond formation in the hard and soft segments was found to be hindered and the molecular motions of the soft segments were restricted, because a comparatively higher activation energy was required for the related α‐relaxation process. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 344–350, 2008     

Electrical and optical properties of ceramic–polymer nanocomposite coatings

Transparent, conductive composite coatings were fabricated from suspensions of poly(vinyl acetate‐acrylic) (PVAc‐co‐acrylic) copolymer latices (50–600 nm) and nanosized antimony‐doped tin oxide (ATO) particles (～15 nm). The suspensions were deposited as coatings onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrates and dried at 50 °C. Microstructure studies using field emission scanning electron microscopy and tapping‐mode atomic force microscopy (TMAFM) indicated that the latex particles coalesced during drying and forced the ATO particles to segregate into the boundaries between the latex particles. Low phase contrast was observed with TMAFM; this result was consistent with the presence of PVAc‐co‐acrylic in the ATO‐rich phase of the composite. The conductivity of the composite coatings followed a percolation power‐law equation, with the percolation threshold between 0.05 and 0.075 volume fractions of ATO and the critical conductivity exponent ranging from 1.34 to 2.32. The highest direct‐current conductivity of the composite coatings was around 10^?2 S/cm. The optical transmittance and scattering behavior of the coatings were also investigated. Compared with the PVAc‐co‐acrylic coating, the composite coatings had lower transparency because of the Rayleigh scattering. The transparency of the composite coatings was improved by a reduction in the coating thickness. The best transparency for the coatings with a direct‐current conductivity of approximately 10^?2 S/cm was around 85% at a wavelength of 600 nm. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1744–1761, 2003     

Preparation of polypyrrole‐graft‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)/silver nanocomposites from pyrrolyl‐capped macromonomer by AgNO3 and their stimuli responsibility of light emission

Pyrrolyl‐capped poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) macromonomers (Py‐PNIPAM) were prepared through reversible addition‐fragmentation‐transfer polymerization with benzyl 1‐pyrrolylcarbodithioate as chain‐transfer agent. Polymerizations of Py‐PNIPAM with/without pyrrole using AgNO₃ as oxidizing agent and dimethylforamide as solvent resulted in graft copolymers of polypyrrole‐graft‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PPy‐g‐PNIPAM) as well as silver nanoparticles, leading to the formation of PPy‐g‐PNIPAM/silver nanocomposites. The resulting nanocomposites were soluble in water when the content of PPy was low, and when the molar ratio of Py/Py‐PNIPAM increased to 30, the resulting products became insoluble in water. The resulting nanocomposites had special optical properties because of PPy as well as the temperature‐responsible PNIPAM. The chemical structure and composition of nanocomposite were characterized by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatograms, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. Their optical properties were characterized by UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6950–6960, 2008     

Proton transportation in an organic–inorganic hybrid polymer electrolyte based on a polysiloxane/poly(allylamine) network

A new class of proton‐conducting polymer was developed via the sol–gel process from amino‐containing organic–inorganic hybrids by the treatment of poly(allylamine) with 3‐glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane doped with ortho‐phosphoric acid. The polymer matrix contains many hydrophilic sites and consists of a double‐crosslinked framework of polysiloxane and amine/epoxide. Differential scanning calorimetry results suggest that hydrogen bonding or electrostatic forces are present between H₃PO₄ and the amine nitrogen, resulting in an increase in the glass‐transition temperature of the poly(allylamine) chain with an increasing P/N ratio. The ³¹P magic‐angle spinning NMR spectra indicate that three types of phosphate species are involved in the proton conduction, and the motional freedom of H₃PO₄ is increased with increasing P/N ratios. The conductivity above 80 °C does not drop off but increases instead. Under a dry atmosphere, a high conductivity of 10^?3 S/cm at temperatures up to 130 °C has been achieved. The maximum activation energy obtained at P/N = 0.5 suggests that a transition of proton‐conducting behavior exits between Grotthus‐ and vehicle‐type mechanisms. The dependence of conductivity on relative humidity (RH) above 50% is smaller for H₃PO₄‐doped membranes compared with H₃PO₄‐free ones. These hybrid polymers have characteristics of low water content (23 wt %) and high conductivity (10^?2 S/cm at 95% RH), making them promising candidates as electrolytes for fuel cells. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3359–3367, 2005     

In situ formation of silver nanoparticles within an amphiphilic graft copolymer film

Silver nanoparticles were prepared by UV irradiation from silver salts, such as AgBF₄ or AgNO₃, when dissolved in an amphiphilic film of poly((oxyethylene)₉ methacrylate)‐graft‐poly((dimethyl siloxane)_n methacrylate), POEM‐g‐mPDMS. The in situ formation of silver nanoparticles in the graft copolymer film was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV‐visible spectroscopy, and wide angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS). The results demonstrated that the use of AgBF₄ yielded silver nanoparticles with a smaller size (～5 nm) and narrower particle distribution when compared with AgNO₃. The formation of silver nanoparticles was explained in terms of the interaction strength of the silver ions with the ether oxygens of POEM, as revealed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was thus concluded that a stronger interaction of silver ions with the ether oxygens results in a more stable formation of silver nanoparticles, which produces uniform and small‐sized nanoparticles. DSC and small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) data also showed the selective incorporation and in situ reduction of the silver ions within the hydrophilic POEM domains. Excellent mechanical properties of the nanocomposite films (3–5 × 10⁵ dyn/cm²) were observed, mostly because of the confinement of silver nanoparticles in the POEM chains as well as interfaces created by the microphase separation of the graft copolymer film. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1283–1290, 2007     

Synthesis and characterization of novel,optically active poly(amide‐imide)s from N,N′‐(4,4′‐sulfonediphthaloyl)‐bis‐L‐phenylalanine diacid chloride and aromatic diamines under microwave irradiation

3,3′,4,4′‐Diphenylsulfonetetracarboxylic dianhydride was reacted with L ‐phenylalanine in acetic acid, and the resulting imide acid ( 3 ) was obtained in high yield. The diacid chloride ( 4 ) was obtained from its diacid derivative ( 3 ) by reaction with thionyl chloride. The polycondensation reaction of 4 with several aromatic diamines such as 4,4′‐sulfonyldianiline, 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl methane, 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylether, p‐phenylenediamine, m‐phenylenediamine, 2,4‐diaminotoluene, and 1,5‐diaminonaphthalene was developed with a domestic microwave oven in the presence of trimethylsilyl chloride and a small amount of a polar organic medium such as o‐cresol. The polymerization reactions were also performed with two other methods: low‐temperature solution polycondensation in the presence of trimethylsilyl chloride and reflux conditions. A series of optically active poly(amide‐imide)s with moderate inherent viscosities of 0.21–0.42 dL/g were obtained in high yield. All of the aforementioned polymers were fully characterized by IR, ¹H NMR elemental analyses, and specific rotation techniques. Some structural characterizations and physical properties of these optically active poly(amide‐imide) s are reported. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3974–3988, 2003     

Improvement in carrier mobility of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) nanowires synthesized in porous alumina templates

Polymeric nanowires of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) are electrochemically synthesized using porous anodic alumina oxide (AAO) membranes as templates. Four‐point resistivity measurements on more than 100 PEDOT nanowires with different diameters (50–250 nm) reveal a statistically significant size‐dependent phenomenon in which the nanowires with a smaller diameter exhibit higher conductivity. Structural characterization with Raman spectroscopy and doping level estimation with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectrometry and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicate that the observed conductivity enhancement can be attributed to improved carrier mobility in PEDOT nanowires having an elongated conjugation structure because of the effect of the AAO template. From the estimated doping levels (～5%) and conductivity data (～100 S/cm), it is found that the carrier mobility reach 2.0 cm²/V s for the nanowire with the smallest diameter, as compared with 4.0 × 10^?4 cm²/V s for a bulk PEDOT film. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Composites of polypyrrole with conducting and ferromagnetic behaviors

Composites of polypyrrole (PPy) with electrical and ferromagnetic behaviors were synthesized by a chemical method in the presence of p‐dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid sodium salt (NaDS) as a surfactant and dopant. The magnetic properties of the resulting composites showed ferromagnetic behavior, such as high saturated magnetization (M_s = 3.06–43.7 emu/g), and coercive force (H_c = 9–57 Oe). The saturated magnetization linearly increased with increases in the Fe content. No influence of the counterion on this relationship was observed. The conductivity of the composites at room temperature depended on the counterion and doping degree. The highest conductivity of 10⁰ S/cm was achieved under the optimal synthetic conditions. A structural characterization by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared, and X‐ray diffraction proved that nanometer‐sized (16–20‐nm) iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) in the composites was responsible for the ferromagnetic behavior of the composites, whereas the high conductivity of the composites contributed to the difficult deprotonation of the doping PPy with DS⁻ counterion in a basic reaction medium. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2734–2739, 2000     

Effects of different acid functional groups on proton conductivity of polymer‐1,2,4‐triazole blends

Proton transfer reactions under anhydrous conditions have attracted remarkable interest due to chemical energy conversions in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. In this work, 1H‐1,2,4‐triazole (Tri) was used as a proton solvent in different polymer host matrices such as Poly(vinylphosphonic acid) (PVPA), and poly(2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propane sulfonic acid) (PAMPS). PVPATri_x and PAMPSTri_x electrolytes were investigated where x is the molar ratio of Tri to corresponding polymer repeat unit. The interaction between polymer and Tri was studied via FTIR spectroscopy. Thermogravimetry analysis and differential scanning calorimetry were employed to examine the thermal stability and homogeneity of the materials, respectively. PVPATri_1.5 showed a maximum water‐free proton conductivity of 2.3 × 10^?3 S/cm at 120 °C and that of PAMPSTri₂ was 9.3 × 10^?4 S/cm at 140 °C. The results were interpreted in terms of different acidic functional groups and composition. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3315–3322, 2006     

Nanostructure,interactions, and conductivities of polymer electrolytes comprising silver salt and microphase‐separated graft copolymer

Silver polymer electrolytes were prepared by blending silver salt with poly(oxyethylene)₉ methacrylate)‐graft‐poly(dimethyl siloxane), POEM‐g‐PDMS, confining silver salts within the continuous ion‐conducting POEM domains of microphase‐separated graft copolymer. AgClO₄ polymer electrolytes exhibited their maximum conductivity at high silver concentrations as well as higher ionic conductivities than AgCF₃SO₃ electrolytes. The difference in conductivities of the two electrolytes was investigated in terms of the differences in the interactions of silver ions with ether oxygen of POEM and, hence, with the anions of salts. Upon the addition of salt in graft copolymer, the increase of T_g in AgClO₄ was higher than that in AgCF₃SO₃ electrolytes. Analysis of an extended configuration entropy model revealed that the interaction of ether oxygen/AgClO₄ was stronger than that of ether oxygen/AgCF₃SO₃ whereas the interaction of Ag⁺/ClO₄^? was weaker than that of Ag⁺/CF₃SO₃^?. These interactions are supported by the anion vibration mode of FT‐Raman spectroscopy. It is thus concluded that the higher ionic conductivity of AgClO₄ electrolytes was mostly because of higher concentrations of free ions, resulting from their strong ether oxygen/silver ion and weak silver ion/anion interactions. A small angle X‐ray scattering study also showed that the connectivity of the POEM phase was well developed to form nanophase morphology and the domain periodicities of graft copolymer electrolytes monotonically increased with the increase of silver concentration up to critical concentrations, after which the connectivity was less developed and the domain spacings remained invariant. This is attributed to the fact that silver salts are spatially and selectively incorporated in conducting POEM domains as free ions up to critical concentrations, after which they are distributed in both domains as ion pairs without selectivity. The increase of domain d‐spacing in AgClO₄ electrolytes was larger than that in AgCF₃SO₃, which again results from high concentrations of free ions in the former. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1018–1025, 2007     

The preparation of conducting polyaniline–silver and poly(p-phenylenediamine)–silver nanocomposites in liquid and frozen reaction mixtures

The oxidation of aniline with silver nitrate in 1 mol L⁻¹ acetic acid at 20 °C yielded a composite of two conducting components, polyaniline and silver; the acceleration with 1 mol% of p-phenylenediamine is needed for efficient synthesis. The yield and molecular weight increased when aniline was copolymerized with 10 mol% p-phenylenediamine. Such product displayed metallic conductivity below 180 K and semiconductor type above this temperature. As the result, the conductivity was the same at 100 and 300 K. The oxidation of p-phenylenediamine alone with silver nitrate also produced a conducting composite having the conductivity of 1,750 S cm⁻¹ despite the assumed nonconductivity of poly(p-phenylenediamine). The present study demonstrates that all oxidations proceeded also in frozen reaction mixtures at −24 °C, i.e., in the solid state. In most cases, molecular weights of polymer component increased, the conductivity of composites with silver improved, to 2,990 S cm⁻¹ for poly(p-phenylenediamine)–silver, and remained high after deprotonation with 1 mol L⁻¹ ammonium hydroxide.

     

Preparation and characterization of branched and linear sulfonated poly(ether ketone sulfone) proton exchange membranes for fuel cell applications

Branched sulfonated poly(ether ketone sulfone)s (Br‐SPEKS) were prepared with bisphenol A, bis(4‐fluorophenyl)sulfone, 3,3′‐disodiumsulfonyl‐4,4′‐difluorobenzophenone, and THPE (1,1,1‐tris‐p‐hydroxyphenylethane), respectively, at 180 °C using potassium carbonate in NMP (N‐methylpyrrolidinone). THPE, as a branching agent, was used with 0.4 mol % of bisphenol A to synthesize branched copolymers. Copolymers containing 10–50 mol % disulfonated units were cast from dimethylsulfoxide solutions to form films. Linear sulfonated poly(ether ketone sulfone)s (SPEKS) were also synthesized without THPE. The films were converted from the salt to acid forms with dilute hydrochloric acid. A series of copolymers were studied by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Sorption experiments were conducted to observe the interaction of sulfonated polymers with water and methanol. The ion‐exchange capacity (IEC), a measure of proton conductivity, was evaluated. The synthesized Br‐SPEKS and SPEKS membranes exhibit conductivities (25 °C) from 1.04 × 10^?3 to 4.32 × 10^?3 S/cm, water swell from 20.18 to 62.35%, IEC from 0.24 to 0.83 mequiv/g, and methanol diffusion coefficients from 3.2 × 10^?7 to 4.7 × 10^?7 cm²/S at 25 °C. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 1792–1799, 2008     

Synthesis of amphiphilic graft copolymer brush and its use as template film for the preparation of silver nanoparticles

A microphase‐separated, amphiphilic graft copolymer consisting of a poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) backbone and poly(oxyethylene methacrylate) (POEM) side chains, (PVC‐g‐POEM at 62:38 wt %) was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), FTIR spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) clearly revealed that the “grafting from” method using ATRP was successful and that the graft copolymer molecularly self‐assembled into discrete nanophase domains of continuous PVC and isolated POEM regions. The self‐assembled graft copolymer film was used to template the growth of silver nanoparticles in solid state by introducing a AgCF₃SO₃ precursor and a UV irradiation process. The in situ formation of silver nanoparticles in the graft copolymer template film was confirmed by TEM, UV–visible spectroscopy, and wide angle X‐ray scattering. FTIR spectroscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy also demonstrated the selective incorporation and in situ formation of silver nanoparticles within the hydrophilic POEM domains, presumably due to strong interactions between the silver and the ether oxygen in POEM. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 3911–3918, 2008     

New aromatic benzazole polymers II: Synthesis and conductivity of benzobisthiazole-co-polymers incorporated with 4-N,N-dimethylaminotriphenylamine groups

New aromatic benzobisthiazole copolymers containing 10–70 mol % of 4-N,N-dimethylamino-triphenylamine functionality were prepared from the respective dinitrile or dicarboxylic acid monomers, terephthalic acid, and 2,5-diamino-1,4-benzene-dithiol dihydrochloride in polyphosphoric acid. At the first approximation, the copolymers containing 10 mol % or less of the triarylamino moieties in the polymer chains still preserve the capability to form anisotropic (nematic) solutions at 10 wt % polymer concentration. This is an important requirement for processing the copolymers into fibers and films with good to excellent mechanical properties. Films with good mechanical integrity were cast from the dilute methanesulfonic acid solutions of the copolymers under reduced pressure. They showed electrical conductivity values of the order of 10⁻¹¹–10⁻¹⁰ S/cm in pristine state, with four to seven orders of magnitude increase upon exposure to mild oxidizing agents such as iodine vapor. On the contrary, the parent polymer, poly(p-phenylene benzobisthiazole) is an insulator with conductivity of less than 10⁻¹² S/cm, and its conductivity does not improve at all with exposure to iodine vapor. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 713–724, 1998