Effects of annealing on crystallinity and phase behaviour of PET/PC block copolymers

The effects of the annealing on the properties of PET/PC block copolymers, obtained by reactive blending in the presence of different catalysts and for different mixing times, have been studied. The annealing, performed in conditions that promote the crystallization, has been used to better understand the role of block length in determining the phase behaviour. The copolymers characterized by blocks with molecular weight larger than 8000 are able to reorganize towards more ordered domains. This rearrangement maintains the phase separation, as two crystalline phases are present before and after annealing, due to the immiscibility of long blocks. In copolymers characterized by blocks with molecular weight equal to about 2500, that is the higher limit for the miscibility in the amorphous state in PET/PC block copolymers studied in this work, the rearrangement of the chains during annealing causes a phase separation leading to two crystalline phases. Only in the copolymers with molecular weight of blocks lower than 1500, the very short block length hinders the crystallization: therefore, only in this case a phase separation does not take place after annealing.     

Novel isolation of phytochemical compositions by phase transition extraction with acetonitrile

Based on the phenomenon that hydrophilic acetonitrile can be separated from water by adding a hydrophobic solvent, a phase transition extraction (PTE) method for isolation of phytochemical compositions was developed. The isolation efficiency of the proposed method was assessed in complete grouping of the constituents in three important traditional Chinese medicine plants. Further study of the PTE for Scutellaria bacalensis Georgi found that the constituents in the organic phase are all flavonoid aglycones while the ones in the aqueous phase are all flavonoid glycosides, revealing the property of high structure selectivity for the proposed PTE process. The effect of using different modifiers on the isolation efficiency was investigated. The results obtained by using non-oxygenated hydrophobic solvents are perfect while those by inorganic salts are acceptable, but those by oxygenated hydrophobic solvents are bad. Subsequent GC analysis revealed that the solvent composition difference between the two separated phases among PTE processes using different types of modifier is responsible for the different isolation results obtained. Finally, the proposed method was proved to be insensitive to both the acetonitrile concentration and the added amount of modifier.     

Temperature-triggered phase transition in pyridazine hexafluorophosphate

The pyndazine hexafluorophosphate[C₄H₅N₂]⁺[PF₆]^-（1） undergoes a reversible phase transition around140 K,which was confirmed by the DSC measurement.Variable-temperature crystal structures determined at 293 K and 93 K show that the compound crystallizes in the same space group P2₁/c,indicating that 1 undergoes an iso-structural phase transition.As the temperature decreases,dielectric measurement of the title compound shows no significant change around the phase transition temperature.Classic hydrogen bonds are found between molecules at 293 K and 93 l< with similar packing arrangement.The most distinct difference between the low temperature and room temperature structures is the order-disorder transition of the hexafluorophosphate anion,which is probably the driving force of the phase transition.     

A MTDSC analysis of phase transition in polyurethane-organoclay nanocomposites

Modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MTDSC) was applied to investigate the phase transition behaviour of polyurethane/organoclay nanocomposites. The endotherm transitions located at 50-80 and 140 °C were re-analysed through revealed thermal features in the MTDSC reversing, non-reversing and dC_p/dT curves. It was proposed that the diffused interfacial phase exists between hard and soft phases in the polyurethane system. The assignment of endotherm at 140 °C is attributed to the hard microphase domain transition, which is similar to an order-disorder transition. The transition in the region of 50-80 °C reveals the relaxation of segments in the interface resulted by annealing. The addition of organoclay resulted in a reduction of hard domain ordering level. A simple method for quantitatively estimating the amount of polymer chains intercalated into layers of clay was introduced, and the relationship between the weight fraction (ω_p), of the polymer intercalated into layers and the weight fraction (ω_c), of clay was established.     

Tunable phase transition behaviors of pH-sensitive polyaspartamides having various cationic pendant groups

New pH-sensitive graft copolymers based on poly(2-hydroxyethyl aspartamide) (PHEA) were prepared by attaching various cationic monomers, such as 4-(aminomethyl)pyridine (PY), 1-(3-aminopropyl)imidazole (IM), and N-(3-aminopropyl)dibuthylamine (BU), as pH-sensitive units and octadecylamine (C₁₈) as a hydrophobic segment on poly(succinimide). Phase transition of each copolymer solution occurred at a vicinity of the pK _a value of the cationic groups, and their insoluble pH ranges were broadened as the feed amount of pH-sensitive moieties was increased. Depending on the cationic grafts having different pK _a values, the pH ranges where the copolymer became insoluble could be tuned. Copolymers PHEA-g-C₁₈-PY, PHEA-g-C₁₈-IM, and PHEA-g-C₁₈-BU exhibited phase separations in solutions at pH ranges of 4∼6, 6∼8, and 9∼12, respectively. These polymers have the unique feature of their pH sensitivity profiles being identified to three regimes. Under low pH conditions (below pK _a ), the polymer solution is transparent. At medium pH (around pK _a ), polymer precipitation occurred in solution. At pH > pK _a , the polymer solution is gradually dissolved again.     

X-ray diffraction study on phase transition of orthorhombic LiMnO2 in electrochemical conversions

Orthorhombic LiMnO₂ was synthesized by hydrothermal reaction. Phase transition during electrochemical process has been investigated using the high-resolution X-ray diffraction. Contrary to numerous earlier reports, phase analysis of the orthorhombic LiMnO₂ electrode cycled for three times evidences the irreversible structure transition from orthorhombic LiMnO₂ (Pmnm) to spinel LiMn₂O₄ (Fd3m) and rock salt Li_0.5Mn_0.5O (Fm \( \overline{3} \) m). Here, the spinel structure with a cell parameter a?=?8.241 (1) Å has a large cationic disorder on lithium and manganese sites, i.e., about 9% of the Li positions are occupied by Mn and vice versa. For Li_0.5Mn_0.5O, the cell parameter is a?=?4.121 (3) Å, and both Li⁺ and Mn³⁺ cations occupy the octahedral 4a sites with mole ratio 1:1. The quantity of Li_0.5Mn_0.5O phase is greatly dependent on cycling rate, namely, the higher the current density is, the larger the quantity of formed-rock salt structure is.     

Crystal structure and phase transition of 2-methoxyanilinium perchlorate-18-crown-6

A new phase transition compound,2-methoxyanilinium perchlorate-18-crown-6(1) {(oCH3OC6H4NH3)+(18-crown-6) ClO4 },has been synthesized and separated as crystals.Differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) measurements show a pair of sharp peaks at 225 K(heating) and 210 K(cooling),indicating the phase transition is first-order.Dielectric anomalies observed at 225 K(heating)and 210 K(cooling) further confirm the phase transition.The crystal structures determined at 298 K and123 K are both triclinic in P 1.The most distinct difference between room-temperature and lowtemperature structures is the order–disorder transition of the host 18-crown-6 molecule,which is the driving force of the phase transition.     

Effects of nonionic sugar surfactants on the phase transition of DPPC membranes

The influence of newly synthesized N-alkanoyl-N-methyllactitolamines (decanoyl [C₁₀MELA], lauoroyl [C₁₂MELA] and miristoyl [C₁₄MELA]) on the thermotropic phase transition of phosphatidylcholine bilayer was compared with common sugar-based surfactants N-dodecyl-β-d-glucopyranoside [C12G1] and decanoyl-N-methyl glucamide [MEGA-10]. The results indicate that C_nMELA are very active at the membrane surface and disturb the phospholipid bilayer structure less than commercially used MEGA-10 and C12G1.     

Optical characterization of Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions doped cadmium lithium alumino fluoro boro tellurite glasses

This article reports on the development and spectral results of Eu(3+) and Tb(3+) ions doped cadmium lithium alumino fluoro boro tellurite (CLiAFBT) glasses in the following composition. 40TeO2-30B2O3-10CdO-10Li2O-10AlF3 (Hostglass) (40-x)TeO2-30B2O3-10CdO-10Li2O-10AlF3-xEu2O3 (40-x)TeO2-30B2O3-10CdO-10Li2O-10AlF3-xTb4O7 where x=0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25 mol%. Glass amorphous nature and thermal properties have been studied using the XRD and DSC profiles. From the emission spectra of Eu(3+):glasses, five emission transitions have been observed at 578 nm, 592 nm, 612 nm, 653 nm, 701 nm and are assigned to the transitions (5)D(0)→(7)F(0), (7)F(1,)(7)F(2), (7)F(3) and (7)F(4), respectively, with λ(exci)=392 nm ((7)F(0)→(5)L(6)). In case of Tb(3+):glasses, four emission transitions ((5)D(4)→(7)F(6,)(7)F(5), (7)F(4) and (7)F(3)) are observed at 488 nm, 543 nm, 584 nm and 614 nm, respectively, with λ(exci)=376 nm. Decay curves and energy level diagrams have been plotted to evaluate the life times and to analyze the emission mechanism.     

X-site doping in ABX3 triggers phase transition and higher Tc of the dielectric switch in perovskite

Material stability is always the key factor for applied materials especially the working environment that requires higher temperature sensitivity or temperature fluctuation range. In which, the stimulus-response perovskite materials are just sensitive to stability to ensure the accuracy and stability of the signals, in the applied devices of batteries and memory storage devices and so on. However, it is still a tremendous challenge to improve the stability of perovskite materials, and maintain reliability in the devices. Here, a novel ABX₂X'₁ (X-site doping in an ABX₃) compound [CEMP]-[CdBr₂(SCN)] (1, CEMP = 1-(2-chloro-ethyl)-1-methyl-piperidine) with remarkable high-temperature reversible dielectric switching behavior was proposed. The strategy of [SCN]⁻doping in perovskite for improving the stability was successfully achieved. Meanwhile, the steric hindrance is increased while the energy barrier is also increased by replacing hydrogen with flexible groups, which leads to a high-temperature reversible phase transition. The new finding provides a new direction to enrich new applications and design ideas of perovskite materials. Especially the X-site strategy of doping or substitution in the ABX₃, it will promote ingenious and perfect experimental results in material synthesis and performance improvement by chemistry disciplines.     

The effect of disorder in Ba2YTaO6 on the tetragonal to cubic phase transition

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy have been used to study the structure of the complex perovskite Ba₂YTaO₆, at temperatures down to 100 K. Where the Ta and Y cations exhibit long-range rock-salt like ordering, Ba₂YTaO₆ displays a continuous phase transition from a high temperature cubic structure, described in space group Fm3?m, to a tetragonal, I4/m, structure near 260 K. This transition is inhibited if extensive disorder and/or vacancies are/is present in the sample.     

Ab initio study of phase transition and bulk modulus of NaH

The phase transition of NaH from NaCl- to CsCl-type structure is investigated by an ab initio plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory method with the norm-conserving pseudopotential scheme in the frame of the generalized gradient approximation correction; the isothermal bulk modulus and its first and second pressure derivatives of the NaCl- and CsCl-type structures under high pressure and temperature are obtained through the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The phase transition obtained from the usual condition of equal enthalpies occurs at the pressure of 32 GPa, which is consistent with the experimental and other calculated values. Through the quasi-harmonic Debye model, in which the phononic effects are considered, the dependences of cell volume V and lattice constant a on temperature T at zero pressure, the isothermal bulk modulus B₀ and its pressure derivatives B₀′and B₀″ on pressure P along isotherms 0, 300, and 600 K, are also successfully obtained.     

Effect of strontium deficiency on the critical behavior at paramagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition in La0.57Nd0.1Sr0.33MnO3 manganite oxide

The samples of manganese perovskite La_0.57Nd_0.1Sr_0.33−x_xMnO₃ (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.05) ( is the strontium deficiency) are prepared by solid-state methods, and all of them have a rhombohedral perovskite structure, revealed by X-ray diffraction. The critical properties of the samples around the paramagnetic–ferromagnetic phase transition were investigated through various techniques such as modified Arrott plot (MAP), Kouvel–Fisher (KF) method and critical isotherm (CI) analysis based on the data of static magnetic measurements recorded around the Curie temperature T_C. The experimental results have revealed that the samples exhibited the second-order magnetic phase transition and the critical exponents of β and γ for La_0.57Nd_0.1Sr_0.33MnO₃ are close to those found out by the 3D-Heisenberg model. Furthermore, the estimated critical exponents of La_0.57Nd_0.1Sr_0.33−x_xMnO₃ (x = 0.025 and 0.05) are consistent with the prediction of the 3D-Ising model. We deduced, following the Harris criterion, that the disorder in our case is relevant which can be the cause of the change in the universality class and we noted that the critical exponents β are almost similar to the value of the mean-field theory which can be explained by the existence of a long-range dipole–dipole interaction.     

A primitive tetragonal intermediate in the orthorhombic-cubic phase transition of perovskite-type strontium niobate Sr0.92NbO3

The Sr deficient perovskite Sr_0.92NbO₃ was synthesized from Sr₅Nb₄O₁₅ and Nb and its crystal structure was determined using powder neutron diffraction. At room temperature the structure is orthorhombic in space group Pnma with both in-phase and out-of-phase tilting of the NbO₆ octahedra. High temperature measurements have shown that the oxide undergoes a sequence of phase transitions with increasing temperature: Pnma→P4/mbm→Pm3¯m. The intermediate tetragonal phase has only in-phase tilts of the NbO₆ octahedra, rather than the out-of-phase tilts present in the more commonly observed I4/mcm structure, due to initial softening at the M point rather than R point. The tetragonal phase exists only over a very narrow temperature range. The importance of M-M and M-O bonding in controlling the transition temperatures in SrMO₃ perovskites is discussed.     

Structural investigation of Sr2LiReO6. Evidence for a continuous tetragonal-cubic phase transition

The presence of a continuous and reversible -I4/m phase transition in a polycrystalline sample of the ordered double perovskite Sr₂LiReO₆ is described. The transition that occurs near 300 °C is a consequence of in-phase tilting of the BO₆ octahedra. The temperature dependence of both the lattice parameters and the spontaneous strains are consistent with a second order phase transition as would be expected for a soft mode transition.     

Metal-Centered Photoluminescence of Eu3+ and Tb3+ Coordination Polymers with Dianions of Camphoric and Tetrafluoroterephthalic Acids

Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry - It was shown that coordination polymers [Ln(Camph)(NO3)(MeOH)2]n (1Ln, Ln – Eu, Tb; Camph2––camphorate dianion) and...     

Phase transition behaviour in the A-site deficient perovskite oxide La1/3NbO3

The crystal structure of the layered perovskite La_1/3NbO₃ has been studied between room temperature and 500 °C using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction methods. The structure shows ordering of the La cations at all temperatures. At room temperature La_1/3NbO₃ is orthorhombic with the NbO₆ octahedra showing out-of-phase tilting about the a-axis. This tilting diminishes as the temperature increases, so that above 200 °C the structure is tetragonal. The transition to the tetragonal structure is found to be continuous and analysis of the spontaneous strains shows it to be tricritical in nature.     

Pressure-induced phase transition and octahedral tilt system change of Ba2BiSbO6

High-resolution X-ray synchrotron powder diffraction studies under high-pressure conditions are reported for the ordered double perovskite Ba₂BiSbO₆. Near 4 GPa, the oxide undergoes a pressure-induced phase transition. The symmetry of the material changes during the phase transition from space group to space group I2/m, which is consistent with a change in the octahedral tilting distortion from an a⁻a⁻a⁻ type to a⁰b⁻b⁻ type using the Glazer notation. A fit of the volume-pressure data using the Birch-Murnagaham equation of state yielded a bulk modulus of 144(8) GPa for the rhombohedral phase.     

Synthesis,characterization, and phase transition of an inorganic-organic hybrid compound,[(3-nitroanilinium+) (18-crown-6)] [IO4-](CH3OH)

A novel inorganic-organic hybrid supramolecular compound,[(3-nitroanilinium~+)(18-crown-6)][IO_4](CH_3OH)(1),was discovered as phase-transition materials displaying dielectric anomalous behaviors.The yellow block crystal formed by N-H…O hydrogen bonding that made contact through the cavity of 18-crown-6 was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction,elemental analysis,infrared analysis,thermogravimetric analysis,differential scanning calorimetry,and potential-energy calculations.Differential scanning calorimetry measurements indicate that the compound experiences a reversible phase transition at around 220 K.Temperature-dependent dielectric measurements further confirm the phase transitions.Potential-energy calculations demonstrate that the phase transition occurs due to the molecular order-disorder rotation of CH_3OH,whereas the space grouping of the crystal remains unchanged.     

Topotactic reversible phase transition between room-temperature and a new low-temperature modification in the MCl3(THF)3 system

Both single crystals of VCl₃(THF)₃ as well as isotypic cocrystals of the composition MCl₃(THF)₃, M=Ti/V 1/3, undergo a topotactic reversible phase transition to a hitherto unknown low-temperature modification. The close relationship between this new structure and the room-temperature phase determined by Cottonet al. is discussed from the molecular and the intermolecular point of view: Both modifications are built up by conformationally very similar molecules which change their arrangement during the phase transition. Lattice energy calculations confirm that these two alternative arrangements correspond to minima of almost the same packing energy.Dedicated to Professor Dr. G. E. Herberich on the occasion of his 60th birthday.