One‐stage synthesis of narrowly dispersed polymeric core‐shell microspheres

A method of one‐stage soap‐free emulsion polymerization to synthesize narrowly dispersed core‐shell microspheres is proposed. Following this method, core‐shell microspheres of poly(styrene‐co‐4‐vinylpyridine), poly(styrene‐co‐methyl acrylic acid), and poly[styrene‐co‐2‐(acetoacetoxy)ethyl methacrylate‐co‐methyl acrylic acid] are synthesized by one‐stage soap‐free emulsion polymerization of a mixture of one or two hydrophobic monomers and a suitable hydrophilic monomer in water. The effect of the molar ratio of the hydrophobic monomer to the hydrophilic one on the size, the core thickness, and the shell thickness of the core‐shell microspheres is discussed. The molar ratio of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers and the hydrophilicity of the resultant oligomers of the hydrophilic monomer are optimized to synthesize narrowly dispersed core‐shell microspheres. A possible mechanism of one‐stage soap‐free emulsion polymerization to synthesize core‐shell microspheres is suggested and coagglutination of the oligomers of the hydrophilic monomers on the hydrophobic core is considered to be the key to form core‐shell microspheres. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 1192–1202, 2008     

Enhanced dielectric properties of polymer composite films induced by encapsulated MWCNTs with a one core‐two shell structure

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) can endow high dielectric constant to polymer‐based composites. However, the accompanying poor dispersion of MWCNTs and high dielectric loss for composites severely limit their application in dielectric field. Herein, a modified acid‐treated MWCNTs encapsulated by the polyaniline/poly(sodium 4‐styrenesulfonate) layers (aMWCNTs@PANI‐PSS) with a one core‐two shell structure was fabricated by in situ polymerization followed by electrostatic self‐assembly technique. Furthermore, the composite films based on aMWCNTs@PANI‐PSS/poly(vinylidenefluoride‐hexaflouropropylene) (PVDF‐HFP) were fabricated by a solution‐casting method. An ultrathin insulating PSS shell is wrapped onto aMWCNTs@PANI, resulting in the improvement of dispersibility for aMWCNTs@PANI and the decrease of dielectric loss for composite films. When the content of aMWCNTs@PANI‐PSS is 5.0 wt %, the dielectric constant of aMWCNTs@PANI‐PSS/PVDF‐HFP reaches 430 (100 Hz), which is about 55 times of pure PVDF‐HFP and 1.7 times of aMWCNTs@PANI/PVDF‐HFP (247). Besides, the responding dielectric loss of aMWCNTs@PANI‐PSS/PVDF‐HFP composite film is only 0.67, much lower than that of aMWCNTs@PANI/PVDF‐HFP (25) and aMWCNTs/PVDF‐HFP (3185). © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 948–956     

Preparation of magnetic Fe3O4/P (GMA‐DVB)‐PEI/Pd highly efficient catalyst with core‐shell structure

In this paper, a simple route for palladium (Pd) nanoparticles attached to the surface of hollow magnetic Fe₃O₄/P (GMA‐DVB)‐polyethyleneimine (PEI) microspheres was established. Due to the large amount of imidogen groups and tertiary amine groups presenting in the PEI, Pd²⁺ ions could be anchored to the support by complexation with a polyfunctional organic ligand. Thereafter, a magnetic Pd catalyst having a high loading amount and good dispersibility was obtained by reducing Pd²⁺ ions. Afterwards, the prepared catalyst was characterized by TEM, SEM, FTIR, XRD, TGA, VSM, and UV–vis in detail. Ultimately, their catalytic activity was evaluated using the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol (4‐NP). Research showed that the Fe₃O₄/P (GMA‐DVB)‐PEI/Pd catalyst possessed high catalytic performances for the reduction of 4‐NP with a conversion rate of 98.43% within 540 s. Furthermore, the catalyst could be easily recovered and reused at least for nine successive cycles.     

Synthesis,characterization and catalytic performance of core‐shell structure magnetic Fe3O4/P(GMA‐EGDMA)‐NH2/HPG‐COOH‐Pd catalyst

A strategy has been developed for the synthesis, characterization and catalysis of magnetic Fe₃O₄/P(GMA‐EGDMA)‐NH₂/HPG‐COOH‐Pd core‐shell structure supported catalyst. The P(GMA‐EGDMA) polymer layer was coated on the surface of hollow magnetic Fe₃O₄ microspheres through the effect of KH570. The core‐shell magnetic Fe₃O₄/P(GMA‐EGDMA) modified by ‐NH₂ could be grafted with HPG. Then, the hyperbranched glycidyl (HPG) with terminal ‐OH were modified by ‐COOH and adsorbed Pd nanoparticles. The hyperbranched polymer layer not only protected the Fe₃O₄ magnetic core from acid–base substrate corrosion, but also provided a number of functional groups as binding sites for Pd nanoparticles. The prepared catalyst was characterized by UV–vis, TEM, SEM, FTIR, TGA, ICP‐OES, BET, XRD, DLS and VSM. The catalytic tests showed that the magnetic Fe₃O₄/P(GMA‐EGDMA)‐NH₂/HPG‐COOH‐Pd catalyst had excellent catalytic performance and retained 86% catalytic efficiency after 8 consecutive cycles.     

One‐pot synthesis of polymeric nanoparticle by ring‐opening metathesis polymerization

Shell‐functionalized polymeric nanoparticle was prepared through the method of polymerization‐induced self‐assembly of block copolymers [poly(2,3‐bis(2‐bromoisobutyryloxymethyl)‐5‐norbornene)‐block‐poly(7‐oxanorborn‐5‐ene‐exo‐exo‐2,3‐dicarboxylic acid dimethyl ester), PBNBE‐b‐PONBDM] via one‐pot ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of 2,3‐bis(2‐bromoisobutyryloxymethyl)‐5‐norbornene (BNBE) and 7‐oxanorborn‐5‐ene‐exo‐exo‐2,3‐dicarboxylic acid dimethyl ester (ONBDM) in a selective solvent. The compositions and the molecular weights of the copolymers were estimated by ¹H‐NMR and gel permeation chromatography. The micelles were characterized by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron micrograph, and atomic force microscopy. The results indicated that the spherical micelles constructed with bromine‐bearing PBNBE shell and PONBDM core were stable and reproducible in toluene. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

ER suspensions of composite core‐shell microspheres with improved sedimentation stability

Electrorheological (ER) fluids are usually suspensions of solid polarizable particles in nonpolar carrier liquids. Such systems are particularly sensitive to the presence of electric fields, which transform them reversibly into solid‐like bodies. Fast (within milliseconds) and fully reversible reaction of ER fluids to electric field is a subject of great interest because of many possible applications in tunable vibration dampers, clutches, valves, or brakes. A novel type of ER fluids with composite microspheres composed of polymer electrolyte shell with defined shell thickness and inorganic hollow cores has been synthesized and tested in the presence of an electric field. It has been found that suspensions with composite grains possessed more stable ER response with temperature and lower power consumption in comparison to their polymer‐based counterparts. ER effect of the prepared fluids was measured and related to the applied electric field and solid phase properties. It has been also shown that suspensions of composite materials exhibited improved long‐term sedimentation stability in comparison to polymer‐based suspensions due to the formation of weak microstructure which suppressed the sedimentation of solid phase in off‐field state. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation and characterization of Fe3O4@SiO2/APTPOSS core–shell composite nanomagnetics as a novel family of reusable catalysts and their application in the one‐pot synthesis of 1,3‐thiazolidin‐4‐one derivatives

Octakis[3‐(3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane)propyl]octasilsesquioxane (APTPOSS) as a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane derivative was prepared and used as a pioneer reagent to obtain a novel core–shell composite using magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles as the core and the inorganic–organic hybrid polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane as the shell. Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/APTPOSS were confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, X‐ray diffraction and vibrating sample magnetometry. The inorganic–organic hybrid polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane magnetic nanoparticles were used as an efficient new heterogeneous catalyst for the one‐pot three‐component synthesis of 1,3‐thiazolidin‐4‐ones under solvent‐free conditions. Moreover, these nanoparticles could be easily separated using an external magnet and then reused several times without significant loss of catalytic activity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tb(III)‐modified properties of thermosensitive core–shell microspheres

A novel functional complex with the thermosensitive, magnetic, and fluorescent properties of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐grafted poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐styrene) (PNNS) microspheres and Tb(III), PNNS–Tb(III), has been synthesized and characterized with different techniques. When PNNS with a core–shell structure interacts with Tb(III), Tb(III) mainly bonds to oxygen of the carbonyl groups of PNNS, forming the novel PNNS–Tb(III) complex. PNNS shows antiferromagnetic behavior, whereas the PNNS–Tb(III) complex exhibits paramagnetic behavior. The saturation magnetization is approximately 50 times higher than that of PNNS. The fluorescence intensity of the PNNS–Tb(III)complex at 545 nm is enhanced as much as 223 times in comparison with that of pure Tb(III). The novel magnetic and fluorescent properties of the PNNS–Tb(III) complex may be useful in biomedicine and fluorescence systems. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3121–3127, 2006     

Polypyrrole/Fe3O4/CNT as a recyclable and highly efficient catalyst for one‐pot three‐component synthesis of pyran derivatives

Polypyrrole (PPY)/Fe₃O₄/CNT has been synthesized and characterized by FT‐IR, TEM and SEM techniques and its catalytic activity has been evaluated in the synthesis of several series of pyran derivatives. Tetrahydrobenzo[b]pyranes, 4H‐pyran‐3‐carboxylates, 4H,5H‐pyrano[3,2‐c]chromenes and dihydropyrano[2,3‐c]pyrazoles have been successfully prepared from one‐pot three‐component condensation of aldehyde, malononitrile and active methylene‐containing compounds (dimedone /ethyl acetoacetate/4‐hydroxycoumarin/3‐methyl‐2‐pyrazoline‐5‐one) using PPY/Fe₃O₄/CNT as a new and reusable heterogeneous catalyst. The present method offer several advantages such as; high yields of products, short reaction times, easy work‐up procedure and easy separation of the catalyst from the reaction mixture due to its magnetic character. Furthermore, chemoselective synthesis of bis‐benzo[b]pyran from terephthalaldehyde can be achieved by this method.     

A One‐pot Green Synthesis of Alkylidenesuccinimides

A mild and facile Wittig reaction between N‐substituted maleimides and aldehydes has been developed. Various synthetically valuable alkylidenesuccinimides were obtained from this one‐pot reaction in high yields (up to 99%). The product was obtained by simple filtration and no extra purification was necessary. Ethanol, an environment‐benign solvent, was found to be a suitable reaction medium.     

Tandem One‐pot Synthesis of Polysubstituted 1,3‐Thiazine Derivatives

A tandem one‐pot synthesis of polysubstituted 1,3‐thiazines has been developed by reacting with cyanoacetamide and isothiocyanate derivatives to give rise to 2‐cyano‐3‐mercaptoacrylamides, which are trapped in situ by various aldehydes or diversely substituted ketones through intermolecular cyclization, providing polysubstituted 1,3‐thiazine derivatives in short reaction times with good to excellent yields. The salient features of this novel protocol are operational simplicity, accessing the desired products from the readily available starting materials and easy of product isolation and may find wide spread applications in medicinal chemistry.     

Microstructure and viscoelasticity of electrorheological suspensions with hybrid core‐shell microspheres

A novel type of electrorheological (ER) fluids with hybrid microspheres as dispersed phases was prepared and their rheological properties in dynamic and oscillatory modes in the presence of electric field were studied. Hybrid microspheres are new types of inorganic‐organic composites consisting of inorganic hollow cores covered with a thin layer of conjugated polymer poly (3‐octylthiophene)—P₃OT, followed by a polyurethane electrolyte shell of defined thicknesses and controlled (electronic and ionic) conductivities. It has been found that the rate of ER response for the applied electric field of the order of few kV/mm, as well as the recovery time after high shear loads of the novel ER fluids, was significantly improved in comparison to the typical solid electrolyte‐based materials. It has been shown that upon the application of an electric field the suspensions of hybrid microspheres form a gel‐like network structure at low strain region with reasonable rigidity characterized by the domination of G′ moduli over G″ and broad linear viscoelastic range. It was shown that at electric fields as high as 3 kV/mm, the investigated ER materials exhibited predominantly elastic behavior and were able to endure strains up to 3% without significant deformation of the material microstructure. Moreover, the novel ER materials exhibited much faster microstructure recovery after high shear loads in comparison to ER fluids comprising core‐shell composites without poly (3‐octylthiophene) interlayer, which makes them more suitable for the applications requiring immediate response to an external electric field.     

One‐pot synthesis of block copolymers by ring‐opening polymerization and ultraviolet light‐induced ATRP at ambient temperature

We successfully synthesized poly(l ‐lactide)‐b‐poly (methyl methacrylate) diblock copolymers at ambient temperature by combining ultraviolet light‐induced copper‐catalyzed ATRP and organo‐catalyzed ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) in one‐pot. The polymerization processes were carried out by three routes: one‐pot simultaneous ATRP and ROP, one‐pot sequential ATRP followed by ROP, and one‐pot sequential ROP followed by ATRP. The structure of the block copolymers is confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance and gel permeation chromatography, which suggests that the polymerization method is facile and attractive for preparing block copolymers. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 699–704     

Synthesis,characterization, and catalytic application of Fe3O4‐Si‐[CH2]3‐N=CH‐aryl for the efficient synthesis of novel poly‐substituted pyridines

Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were functionalized by aminopropylsilane and reacted with aromatic aldehyde, and Fe₃O₄‐Si‐[CH₂]₃‐N=CH‐Aryl and Fe₃O₄‐Si‐(CH₂)₃‐NH‐CH₂‐Aryl MNPs were prepared as novel magnetic nanocatalysts. Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) were used to identify the MNPs. The catalytic activity of the MNPs was evaluated in the one‐pot synthesis of some novel poly‐substituted pyridine derivatives.     

Synthesis and mechanical strength of a novel double network nanocomposite hydrogel with core‐shell structure

A novel poly[(dimethylimino)(2‐hydroxy‐1,3‐propanedily)chloride]/Laponite/polyacrylic acid (PDMIHPC/Clay/PAA) hydrogel was synthesized by two‐step solution polymerization combining the strategies of both nanocomposite (NC) gels and double network (DN) gels. The chemical composition and core‐shell structure of the hydrogels were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mechanical strength was examined by varying the reaction temperature, PDMIHPC/Clay composite dose, N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide (MBAM) dose and water content. When the reaction temperature was 35°C, PDMIHPC/Clay composite/AA is 1:10 and MBAM dose was 0.050 wt% (based on the weight of AA), the novel hydrogel achieved a best compressive strength of 100.05 KPa with a water content of 98.8%. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

One‐pot synthesis of 3,4‐dihydropyridin‐2‐ones via tandem reaction of Blaise reaction intermediate and acrylic ester

An efficient method for the synthesis 3,4‐dihydropyridin‐2‐ones has been developed via tandem one‐pot Michael‐type addition and cyclization of the Blaise reaction intermediate and acrylic ester. A series of readily available nitriles, bromoacetic esters and acrylic esters have been employed to examine the scope of substrates for this method. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(methyl methacrylate)/casein nanoparticles with a well‐defined core‐shell structure

Well‐defined, core‐shell poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/casein nanoparticles, ranging from 80 to 130 nm in diameter, were prepared via a direct graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) from casein. The polymerization was induced by a small amount of alkyl hydroperoxide (ROOH) in water at 80 °C. Free radicals on the amino groups of casein and alkoxy radicals were generated concurrently, which initiated the graft copolymerization and homopolymerization of MMA, respectively. The presence of casein micelles promoted the emulsion polymerization of the monomer and provided particle stability. The conversion and grafting efficiency of the monomer strongly depended on the type of radical initiator, ROOH concentration, casein to MMA ratio, and reaction temperature. The graft copolymers and homopolymer of PMMA were isolated and characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The molecular weight determination of both the grafted and homopolymer of PMMA suggested that the graft copolymerization and homopolymerization of MMA proceeded at a similar rate. The transmission electron microscopic image of the nanoparticles clearly showed a well‐defined core‐shell morphology, where PMMA cores were coated with casein shells. The casein shells were further confirmed with a zeta‐potential measurement. Finally, this synthetic method allowed us to prepare PMMA/casein nanoparticles with a solid content of up to 31%. Thus, our new process is commercially viable. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3346–3353, 2003     

PMMA‐based core‐shell nanoparticles with various PTFE cores

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) latices with spherical and rod‐like particles in the submicrometer size range, were employed as seeds in the emulsifier‐free methylmethacrylate (MMA) emulsion polymerization to obtain PTFE‐polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) core‐shell nanoparticles. Stable latices were generally obtained. No residual PTFE was found at the end of the reaction. By appropriately choosing the ratio between MMA and PTFE in the reaction mixture, particles with predetermined size and monodisperse or narrow size distribution were prepared. The high structural regularity of the core‐shell samples allows the preparation of film with a periodic distribution of the cores thus ultimately leading to a well structured 2D colloidal crystal. A very peculiar crystallization behavior was observed because of the PTFE compartmentalization in the composite. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 2928–2937, 2009     

Preparation and mechanism of Fe_3O_4/Au core/shell super-paramagnetic microspheres

In the presence of Fe3O4 nano-particles, a new type of super-paramagnetic Fe3O4/Au microspheres with core/shell structures was prepared by reduction of Au3+ with hydroxylamine. The formation mechanism of the core/shell microspheres was studied in some detail. It was shown that the formation of the complex microspheres can be divided into two periods, that is, surface reaction-controlled process and diffusion-controlled process. The relative time lasted by either process depends upon the amount of Fe3O4 added and the initial concentration of Au3+. XPS analysis revealed that along with increasing in coating amount, the strength of the characteristic peaks of Au increased, and the Auger peaks of Fe weakened and even disappeared. Size distribution analysis showed that the core/shell microspheres are of an average diameter of 180 nm, a little bit larger than those before coating.     

An Efficient One‐pot Synthesis of Aryl‐substituted 1‐(Thiazol‐2‐yl)‐1H‐pyrazole‐3‐carboxylates via a Hantzsch Synthesis‐Knorr Reaction Sequence

The treatment of α‐bromoalkyl aryl ketones and 2‐(propan‐2‐ylidene)hydrazine carbothioamide afforded 4‐aryl‐2‐(2‐(propan‐2‐ylidene)hydrazinyl)thiazoles via a Hantzsch‐thiazole synthesis, which reacted with 4‐aryl‐2,4‐diketoesters via a sequential Knorr‐pyrazole reaction to deliver a variety of aryl‐substituted ethyl 1‐(thiazol‐2‐yl)‐1H‐pyrazole‐3‐carboxylates in a one‐pot fashion with moderate to high yields. The key intermediates 4‐aryl‐2,4‐diketoesters, existing as its enolic lithium salt, were synthesized in situ by a high‐yield tert‐BuOLi‐mediated Claisen condensation of alkylphenones and diethyl oxalate. This class of elegant molecule comprises aryl groups on the two different heterocyclic cores, and the configurations of two representative molecules were determined by single crystal X‐ray crystallography.