Molecular Composites Comprising Rodlike Polyamides and Vinyl Polymers

Abstract

At present we have strong evidence that several members of a series of wholly-aromatic, para-linked, rodlike polyamides, polyesters, and polyesteramides form molecular composites with certain flexible-chain, thermoplastic polymers over a wide range of compositions. This paper reports on the initial results of an investigation of intermolecular interactions using spectroscopy and various scattering techniques as well as characterization of some of the mechanical and optical properties of these materials. The composites are made by two techniques: 1) photo-polymerization of a homogeneous solution of a rodlike polymer in a monomer containing a photoinitiation; 2) solvent evaporation from homogeneous solutions of very limited combinations of solvent, rodlike polymers and flexible polymers. While both of these techniques produce optically clear, nonscattering films of various thicknesses over the entire compositional range, e.g., 1–99 wt% of rodlike polymer, the latter is generally more convenient and has been used extensively in this study. Optical and electron microscopy, wide angle light scattering, and spectroscopic and thermal analysis support the view that these polymer combinations are truly molecularly dispersed.     

Synthesis of functionalized asymmetric star polymers containing conductive polyacetylene segments by living anionic polymerization

Novel 3-arm ABC, 4-arm ABCD, and 5-arm ABCDE asymmetric star polymers comprising the conductive polyacetylene precursor, poly(4-methylphenyl vinyl sulfoxide) (PMePVSO), and other segments, such as polystyrene, poly(alpha-methylstyrene), poly(4-methoxystyrene), poly(4-trimethylsilylstyrene), and poly(4-methylstyrene), were synthesized by the methodology based on living anionic polymerization using DPE-functionalized polymers. This methodology involves the addition reaction of a DPE-functionalized polymer to a living anionic polymer followed by the living anionic polymerization of MePVSO initiated from the in situ formed polymer anion with two, three, or four polymer segments. The resultant asymmetric star polymers possessed predetermined molecular weights, narrow molecular weight distributions (Mw/Mn < 1.03), and desired compositions as confirmed by SEC, 1H NMR, SLS, and elemental analysis. After thermal treatment, the PMePVSO segment in the star polymer could be completely converted into a conductive polyacetylene segment, evident from TGA and elemental analysis. These asymmetric star polymers are expected to exhibit interesting solution properties and unique microphase-separated morphological suprastructures with potential applications in nanoscopic conductive materials. Moreover, this methodology can afford the target asymmetric star polymers with arm segments varying in a wide range and enables the synthesis of more complex macromolecular architectures.     

室温固化蓖麻油聚氨酯/乙烯基聚合物互穿网络材料的一些规律及其性能

研究了蓖麻油与甲苯二异氰酸酯及丙烯酸酯或苯乙烯等乙烯基单体在室温下生成的互穿网络聚合物(IPN)的一些规律及其性能.用红外光谱追踪表明,聚氨酯的生成快于甲基丙烯酸甲酯的聚合.研究IPN凝胶点指出.凝胶点时间随聚氨酯含量增加及聚苯乙烯含量减少而缩短.丙烯酸甲酯在生成IPN过程中凝胶的生成速度要比苯乙烯的场合快.丙烯酸丁酯、丙烯腈或丙烯酸甲酯与蓖麻油聚氨酯生成的IPN的抗张强度在聚氨酯占一半时呈现最大值.透射电镜观察表明,生成速率较快的聚氨酯的微区存在于聚丙烯酸甲酯中.聚丙烯酸甲酯与蓖麻油聚氨酯形成的IPN在tanδ-T,曲线上呈现一个宽的玻璃化转变温度.     

Regularities of formation of emboli of liquid polymer solutions in aqueous medium

Work on creating the basis for embolic compositions for the treatment of a wide range of pathologies of various organs was conducted. This basis is a solution of a biocompatible water-insoluble polymer in a biocompatible water-soluble solvent. Formation of the embolus in such an aqueous medium takes place in the transition of the solvent into the aqueous phase and the formation of a solid polymer clot occluding a blood vessel. Criteria for selection of the polymer and the solvent for the basis were formulated, and a number of polymers and solvents that meet these criteria were selected for further research. Research on the solubility of the selected polymers in solvents was carried out, and the rheoviscometric characteristics of polymer solutions, as well as parameters of solid emboli formation of polymer solutions in aqueous media, were found. The solution of cellulose acetate plasticized with OPADRY CA 500F190000 polyethylene glycol in dimethylsulfoxide with concentration of no less than 60 g/L was recognized as optimal for further studies.     

Compatibilization strategies for upgrading recycled plastics performance: Use of reactive rubbery polymers

One of the inherent problems in the recycling of polymers involves the wide variety of immiscible and incompatible polymer resins. For this reason, it is important to keep scrap from different sources separate, especially if it is known beforehand that the compositions are significantly different. Approaches to upgrading the performance of the scrap streams can then be tailored to each stream. Our work has been based, in part, upon one such approach. Reactive rubbery polymers have been used to modify several recycle streams. These models represent household scrap, business machine housings, and automobile bumpers. Dramatic property improvements can be obtained if specific reactive rubbery polymers are matched to certain recycle streams. Also, it was found that variability in the source and the composition of a given stream over time can dramatically affect results. These findings underscore the inherent difficulty in developing a universal approach to the recycling of mixed plastics.     

A calculation scheme for estimation of dielectric loss factors in polymers

For the quantitative estimation of dielectric loss tangent tanδ in linear and network polymers, the calculation scheme based on the Debye theory is proposed. The calculation is performed for both polar and nonpolar dielectrics in a wide frequency interval ranging from 10² to 10⁶ Hz. This calculation requires knowledge of only the chemical structure of a repeating unit in a linear polymer or a repeating fragment in a polymer network. Experiments on the estimation of frequency dependences of tanδ are conducted for polymer networks based on poly(urethanes) and poly(isocyanurates) of different compositions. A fair correlation between calculation and experimental data is obtained. It has been shown that tanδ tends to change with the increasing content of bulky isocyanurate network junctions that are responsible for the specific behavior of the system under the action of alternating mechanical and electric fields.     

Characteristics of fullerene C60-doped polymers

The results of studying the characteristics of various polymers that possess different structures and are used for various applications after their modification by minor amounts of fullerene C₆₀ are summarized. The character of bonds that arise in fullerene-doped polymer compositions is considered. Mechanical, physicochemical, and physical characteristics of fullerene-containing polymers that show promise for modern technologies are described. The reasons for improving the performance of fullerene-containing polymers are analyzed.     

Poly(N-acylethylenimine) copolymers containing pendant pentamethyldisiloxanyl groups. II. Thermal behavior and x-ray diffraction study

Two series of random copolymers of 10-(pentamethyl disiloxanyl) decyl oxazoline ( Si ) with undecyl ( U ) (four copolymer compositions) and nonyl ( N ) (eight copolymer compositions) oxazolines over the whole composition range, with a total degree of polymerization of about 100, were studied by DSC and wide angle X-ray diffraction. All the polymers are crystalline. For the N/Si copolymers, the melting points, normalized ΔH and ΔS of fusion are almost constant in a broad range of copolymer composition from 10 to 65 mol % of Si . The rationale for this behavior is that the copolymers crystallize two dimensionally, with the crystalline polymethylene plates separated by the bulky flexible pentamethyl disiloxanyl ( P ) groups. In this range, increasing Si only increases the distance between the plates. With more than 65 mol % Si , the bulky P groups interfere with the packing of the alkyl chains and change the crystallization behavior; the polymers show disordered packing as demonstrated by their X-ray patterns and extremely low ΔH. In the U/Si copolymers, since the undecyl side chain has one more carbon than the decyl group to which the P group is attached, the P groups interfere much more strongly with the packing of the side chains than in the N/Si polymers. The copolymer melting points uniformly decrease as the concentration of Si increases. The plateau on the plot of normalized ΔH versus polymer composition is only from 10 to 50 mol % of Si . The average long spacings of the annealed polymers increase linearly from 24 Å ( N/Si polymers) or 28 Å ( U/Si polymers) to 34.1 Å with the increase of Si up to 50%. With more than 50% Si , the polymers have an identical lamellar thicknesses of 34 Å, within the experimental error. Copolymers with less than 75 mol % of Si can crystallize from hexadecane solutions forming gels down to polymer concentrations of 2-3 wt %. The long spacings of the gels are almost identical with those of the pure crystalline polymers and independent of the polymer/solvent ratios. When hexamethyl disiloxane is added to the solutions, it can intercalate and the resulting crystalline gels have long spacings larger than those found in the absence of siloxane.     

A new technique for the measurement of multicomponent gas transport through polymeric films

An apparatus to measure mixed gas permeation through polymer films is described. The system, based on a combination of manometric and gas chromatography techniques, allows straightforward determination of film permeabilities and selectivities over a wide range of feed pressures and compositions. This approach eliminates the need to use a downstream sweep gas and can be implemented by simple modification of pure gas permeation cells. Pure and mixed gas permeation data in polycarhonate films are reported for carbon dioxide and methane to illustrate the use of the equipment. The deviations between the pure and mixed gas results tend to be small and can he explained in terms of current theories of gas transport in glassy polymers.     

Acrylation of biomass: A review of synthesis process: Know-how and future application directions

Over the years, eco-friendly raw biomass is being investigated to develop novel green monomer and oligomer components for sustainable polymer materials synthesis. The use of naturally obtained biomass can reduce the dependence on petrochemical suppliers and the impact of petroleum prices. Polymer materials obtained from biomass are a competitive alternative comparing with those made from petrochemicals. Domestically and industrially used vegetable oil derivatives are considered widely available, while cellulose derivatives are the most abundant natural polymers. Biobased acrylic polymers developed from vegetable oils and cellulose are very popular nowadays. Using acrylic derivatives of vegetable oils and cellulose as naturally obtained materials leads to long-lasting biopolymers with a wide range of high exploitation properties and applications. The characteristics of vegetable oil- and cellulose-based acrylate resins of high-biorenewable carbon content are suitable for industrial application, while their role is still underestimated. A brief analysis of biomass-derived biopolymer resin compositions, properties, and applications is critically outlined herein.     

Surfactant and Electrolyte Effects on Latex Depletion Flocculation by Thickeners

Summary: Polymer thickeners can induce good dispersion, bridging, or depletion flocculation of latexes depending on the polymer structure and concentration. Unlike non-associative polymers, associative polymers have the ability to create a good latex dispersion. However, when the associative interactions are destroyed, depletion flocculation of the latex can result. This happens when an excess of ionic surfactant is added to the system. In addition, the surfactant may associate with the thickener backbone, thus modifying the molecular volume of the polymer thickener. This paper explores the effect of anionic surfactant and electrolyte on the molecular volume of both associative and non-associative thickeners. Both HEUR and HASE structures are included. For HEUR thickeners, formation of a pseudo-polyelectrolyte through the association of anionic surfactant with the polyethylene oxide backbone is confirmed. Further, the ability of the thickener to depletion flocculate latexes as a function of surfactant and electrolyte is explored. Experimental critical flocculation concentrations (CFC) are compared to values expected based on molecular volume and potential energy calculations. A good correlation is found between molecular volume and CFC for a wide range of thickener compositions.     

A Review of Synthetic Polymer Characterization by Pyrolysis–GC–MS

Pyrolysis–GC with mass spectrometry detection (Py–GC–MSD) study of the thermal degradation products of synthetic polymers is reviewed. Due to the high heating speed, accurate temperature reproducibility and a wide temperature range, Py–GC–MSD has been applied successfully for polymer characterization. Introduction of samples using the pyrolysis carrier gas through the split injection port, followed by sub-ambient cryofocusing of the pyrolysis products, has shown to give reproducible chromatograms (pyrograms). One of the advantages of this method is that all compositions of the polymers and additives can be investigated without any pretreatment, providing important compositional and structural information in a simple way. The method is a convenient method for compositional analysis of complex polymer materials. The aim of this review is to describe the kinds of applications for which Py–GC–MSD has been found to be suitable; to present guidelines for method optimization; to survey innovations that have recently been developed or are currently being researched; to point to problems in our understanding of the pyrograms; and to suggest areas in which research efforts might be most effective in realizing the full potential of this technique.     

Prospects and challenges of reactive processing

Chemical reactions during polymer melt processing afford a wide range of highly diversified polymers derived from well-known polymers. This technology, especially functionalization, grafting, in-situ formation of copolymers, segmented polymers, and compatibilizers, plays a key role in the development of novel thermoplastics including blends, composites, and polymers from renewable resources. Oxazolines are useful highly reactive and selective intermediates for polymer melt modification.     

Biodegradable poly(alkylene succinate) blends: Thermal behavior and miscibility study

New binary blends composed of poly(ethylene succinate) and poly(propylene succinate) or poly(ethylene succinate) and poly(butylene succinate) were prepared. Both PESu/PPSu and PESu/PBSu systems belong to semicrystalline/semicrystalline pairs. The miscibility and crystallization behavior was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), and polarizing light microscopy (PLM). Blends of PESu and PPSu exhibited a single composition dependent glass transition temperature over the entire range of composition, indicating that the system is miscible. The melting point depression of the high melting temperature component, PESu, was analyzed according to the Nishi‐Wang equation. A negative polymer–polymer interaction parameter was obtained, indicating that the blends are thermodynamically miscible in the melt. The two components crystallized sequentially when the blends were cooled rapidly to a low temperature. DSC traces of PESu/PBSu blends after quenching showed two distinct composition dependent glass transition temperatures between those of the neat polymers, showing that the polymers are partially miscible. The amorphous PESu/PBSu blends in the intermediate compositions showed three cold‐crystallization peaks, indicating the influence of mixing. The crystallization rates of PBSu were reduced and those of PESu were increased. WAXD showed reduced crystallinity and peak broadening in the patterns of the blends of intermediate compositions, while no spherulites could be detected by PLM. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 584–597, 2006     

“Enabling Technology” Polymers

Abstract

An area of polymer science that is of current and growing industrial importance is where the polymer is the enabling technology that makes a component, system, or process work. Without the special polymer, the technology simply does not operate in a useful manner.

The characteristics of this arena are very different from high volume commodity or engineering polymers. Performance is the overwhelming concern and the material is likely to be highly specialized to achieve optimum performance. Cost is of minor concern because the material is used in small quantities and the value it adds to the end use is exceedingly high. Supply is an issue because even at ultra-high prices the sales dollars generated are too small to be of interest to a large polymer producer. In addition, these polymers are often developed by an end-user company which is not in the business of producing polymers and not eager to share the end-use value with a partner.

One of the industrially important examples of polymers as enabling technology, is photoresists used in semiconductor chip manufacture. Within Raychem examples include: acrylic backbone polymers with crystallizable side chains; conductive, crystalline polymer composites; polymer-dispersed liquid crystal compositions; crosslinked fluorinated aromatic polymides or polyethers which will be discussed in detail.     

Etude de la poly(vinyl-2 pyridine) dans des melanges de solvants: relation entre la solvatation preferentielle du polymere et sa masse moleculaire

This paper contains values of the preferential solvation coefficient λ for poly(2-vinyl pyridine) in solvent mixtures of various compositions (ethanol-benzene, ethanol-cyclohexane, chloroform-benzene, benzene-cyclohexane and THF-cyclohexane). Results have been obtained for linear polymers (molecular weight ranging from 3500 to 200,000) and for a branched polymer. They show that, when there is a possibility of hydrogen bond formation between solvent and polymer, λ does not depend on the molecular weight of the polymer. On the contrary, when there are only weak interactions, λ is a function of molecular weight and obeys the relation already verified for non-polar polymers.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of a thermoset polymer, poly(benzoxazine), by pyrolysis-gas chromatography

The chemical composition of a poly(benzoxazine) thermoset polymer (a copolymer of bisphenol-A benzoxazine and tert.-butylphenol benzoxazine) has been studied by pyrolysis-gas chromatography (Py-GC). Major pyrolysates have been identified and the possible degradation pathways have been investigated. A specific pyrolysate was identified for quantitative analysis after carefully proving the linear relationship between the pyrolysate signal intensity and monomer concentration over a wide range of compositions. A method to determine the concentration of the monomer that potentially acts as a cross-linking unit has been developed. In this study, Py-GC was shown to be an excellent analytical technique for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of thermoset polymers.     

Specificity of the application of disperse and fibrous fillers in heterophase polymer materials

The mechanism of the reinforcing effect of fillers in polymer composition is studied and the relation between the properties and structure of materials is established. It is shown that, upon the addition of even a small amount of filler, properties of polymers change markedly due to intermolecular interactions. Variations in the composition of filled polymers and conditions of their preparation make it possibly to regulate properties of polymers within noticeably wide ranges. Specific features of polymer compositions filled with polymer fibers, the effect of fiber length, and the degree of orientation on the strength of composition are considered. For crosslinked epoxy urethane polymers, the effect of glass and polycaproamide (capron) fibers on the mechanical properties of polymer clutches in glassy and rubbery states is studied. The possibility to realize the shape memory effect for shrinkable filled polymer clutches is demonstrated.     

蛋白质分子印迹聚合物研究

分子识别现象在生命过程中扮演着极其重要的角色,对此进行研究和探索是化学和生物学领域的核心课题,制备具有分子识别能力的人工受体是对该领域科学工作者的一个持久挑战．为此,相关研究人员进行了多方努力,创造性地发展了许多崭新的方法和手段,其中的分子印迹聚合物制备技术就是这些方法和手段中的一种.     

The influence of chain structure on the equilibrium melting temperature of poly(vinylidene fluoride)

Three poly(vinylidene fluoride) whole polymers were fractionated according to their head-to-head concentrations. Their melting temperatures and fusion properties were studied. Although small but significant differences were found among the fractions obtained from a given parent polymer, a wide range in chain compositions was not obtained. The equilibrium melting temperatures were determined by extrapolating the dependence of the observed melting temperature on the crystallization temperature. A critical analysis is given of this extrapolation method as applied to poly(vinylidene fluoride) and the results are compared with literature reports. The problems involved in explaining the dependence of the equilibrium melting temperatures on the structural irregularities of the chain are given. Possible reasons for the relatively high level of crystallinity that is observed, for what is essentially a copolymer, are also discussed.