Thermal degradation of poly(methyl-n-hexylsilylene)

Thermal degradation of poly(methyl-n-hexylsilane) in the solid state in absence of oxygen reveals formation of a cyclic pentamer between 150 and 250°C. Polymer is gradually degraded to an intermediate molecular weight distribution. The weight average of this new distribution is not only temperature-dependent, but is also a function of viscosity of the polymer and nature of chain ends. As no insolubles or Si? H groups are formed, the degradation mechanism is most likely a back-biting mechanism induced by active chain ends such as silyl anions or Si? Cl rather than a homolytic cleavage of the main chain. A concurrent intramolecular rearrangement reaction is also proposed. Moreover, this study proposes an explanation to the trimodal molecular weight distribution obtained by the Wurtz coupling of dichlorosilanes with molten sodium in refluxing toluene. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

声化学降解染料结晶紫的研究

采用频率为20 kHz的超声波降解阳离子染料结晶紫(CV)溶液,考察了溶液初始浓度、pH值、声能强度、时间、温度等因素对染料声化学降解过程的影响.实验结果表明,溶液初始浓度为30 mg/L、pH=8.0、声强=47.5 W/cm2、超声辐照50 m in,CV的脱色率达97.8%;CV的超声降解过程以高温热解反应为主,服从动力学一级反应;当超声/H2O2、超声/镁联合作用时,二者产生协同效应,溶液中产生大量OH自由基,强化了CV的声化学脱色和降解过程.     

Vacuum-ultraviolet spectroscopy of poly(methylphenylsilylene)

The first vacuum-ultraviolet spectrum of a polysilylene (chain-type polysilane) with aromatic substituents is presented. Assignments of the absorption bands of the model compound poly(methylphenylsilylene) are based on previous experimental data and theoretical electronic band structure calculations for poly(alkylsilylenes) and on ultraviolet spectra of phenyl-containing monomers and polymers. Although aryl orbitals mix with the sigma-conjugated orbitals located along the catenated silicon backbone, some transitions are largely localized on the phenyl groups. These assignments elucidate the nature of the bonding in polysilylenes and should be useful in understanding photodegradation mechanisms and in the design of related new optical materials.     

Synthesis of poly(γ-methoxypropylmethylsilylene) and poly(γ-methoxypropylmethylsilylene-co-di-n-hexylsilylene)

The synthesis of γ;-methoxypropylmethyldichlorosilane, and its subsequent polymerization and copolymerization with di;-n;-hexyldichlorosilane through the reductive coupling with sodium has been accomplished. The resulting polymers contain methyl ether side groups that allow further synthetic transformations on the polysilane backbone. For poly (γ;-methoxypropylmethylsilylene) these groups impart solubility characteristics different than typical alkyl and aryl substituted polysilanes. These new polymers and copolymers have been characterized by GPC and ¹H-, ¹³C-, and ²⁹Si-NMR. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Heteroatom Polysilylenes

Heteroatom polysilylenes with Cl, OR and NR₂ substituents attached to the silicon chain through the heteroatom are described. The relationship between the single crystal X-ray structures of octachlorocyclotetrasilane Si₄Cl₈ and perchloropolysilylene, (SiCl₂)_n, is discussed with reference to possible mechanisms for its phototopochemical synthesis from Si₄Cl₈. Substitution with alcohols yields the bis(alkoxy)polysilylenes, and the origin of the red-shifted UV spectra are discussed in terms of the electronic interaction between oxygen n and silicon orbitals. Substitution with secondary amines yields soluble, yellow polymers with even longer wavelength UV absorption maxima. Effects of the alkyl chain length on hydrolytic stability are considered.     

Degradation of poly(vinyl chloride) and nitrocellulose in XPS

Measurements have been made of the degradation rates for poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and nitrocellulose with cellulose acetate (NC) in x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These materials form part of earlier studies published by others to evaluate instrumental degradation factors. In the earlier studies, results showed significant scatter such that the relative rates varied significantly from instrument to instrument. It is shown here that this variation could arise from different levels of adventitious electrons in the different instruments as well as different layer thicknesses exhibiting the degradation in PVC and NC. The former depends on electrodes in the system and the neutralizing parameters, whereas the latter causes the relative degradation rates to depend on the angle of emission of the detected electrons. These will have varied from laboratory to laboratory in the earlier study. The present study leads to simple recommendations for operating conditions to reduce the degradation effects observed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Crystalline structure of poly(methyl-n-propylsilane)

The thermal behavior and physical structure of atactic poly(methyl-n-propylsilane) (PMPrS) have been investigated by complementary techniques. Temperature-dependent wide-angle X-ray scattering as well as thermal analysis clearly indicate that atactic PMPrS crystallizes below 40°C in a monoclinic lattice with PMPrS adopting an all-trans planar zigzag conformation. Above 40°C, the polymer is in the isotropic amorphous state. A restricted analysis of the structure factors of PMPrS has been performed, indicating that the zigzag planes most probably lie in (1 10) planes. The chains pack with little interpenetration, and the crystals may be considered as bundles of long, closely packed prisms. The restricted interlocking of neighboring chains results, in turn, in a poor register of the chains along the c-axis. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy reveals that the crystallized polymer adopts a lamellar microstructure, with parallel lamellae tending to form tight bundles. Both electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering indicate crystal thicknesses of about 60 Å. Finally, PMPrS was found to crystallize with a nucleation-controlled type of kinetics. Avrami exponents were calculated as n ≈ 1, suggesting a fibrillar growth geometry compatible with the absence of spherulitic superstructure. A double-melting behavior is also observed for PMPrS. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35 : 1533–1543, 1997     

Sonochemical Degradation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Aqueous Solution

Ultrasonic waves in a liquid induce the formation of cavitation bubbles. Submitted to an oscillating pressure field, cavities filled with vapor and dissolved gas pulsate, grow and implode violently when they reach a critical resonant size. According to the 慼ot spot?theory, extremely high temperature and pressure are produced during the collapse of cavitation bubbles1. Under these extreme conditions, the molecules vaporized in the bubbles as well as in the surrounding condensed layer could …     

Degradation of poly(vinyl butyral) and its stabilization by bases

This paper describes the effect of several bases, including sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, barium hydroxide and hexamine ((CH₂)₆N₄) on thermal stability of poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB). The characterization techniques used were visual colour comparison, thermogravimetric analysis (TG), infra-red spectroscopy, and UV-vis absorption spectra. Visual colour comparison and TG results showed that some acids or other substances that were easily oxidised into acids caused the degradation of PVB. However, PVB could be stabilized to different degrees by adding various bases. The infra-red spectra and UV-vis absorption spectra revealed that during the thermal degradation of PVB mixed with barium hydroxide and hexamine separately, the bases prevented the opening of the cyclic acetal ring and the production of conjugated groups which could cause the colour change.     

Degradation of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) by annealing under iodine pressure

After room temperature doping of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) by iodine, the powders are annealed at different temperatures (370, 470, and 570 K) for 24 h under vacuum or under iodine pressure. The obtained powders were studied by infrared absorption, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Annealing of pure PVK powder increases the crystallization quality of the sample. Annealing with iodine induces progressive polymer degradation. At 570 K under iodine pressure the PVK is totally destroyed. The aromatic rings and the C(SINGLEBOND)N bonds have disappeared. NH₄I crystallites have formed, embeded in a degraded, cross-linked polymer matrix. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of novel polysilylenes bearing phenol groups directly bonded to Si?Si main chains for preparing Langmuir–blodgett thin films

Polysilylenes with a phenol group directly bonded to the main chain Si atom were prepared by polymerizing dichlorosilane monomers bearing phenol groups protected by t-butyldimethylsilyl ether, followed by deprotecting the silyl ether. These amphiphilic polysilanes were applied to provide oriented thin films by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Stable monolayers were not obtained for polysilylenes having only alkyl and aryl substituents. However, all the polysilylenes with phenol moieties provided monolayers on a water surface. These polysilylene monolayers were transferred to hydrophobic substrates by applying the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Among these polysilylenes, only poly(n-butyl-3-hydroxyphenylsilylene) provided multilayers in which the Si? Si main chains oriented in the dipping direction. The orientation was determined by polarized UV absorption. The orientation ratio reached 0.45. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Degradation behavior of stereoregular cis–transoidal poly(phenylacetylene)s

The stability of poly(phenylacetylene)s in solution was systematically studied. Cis–transoidal poly(phenylacetylene) prepared with a Rh catalyst readily underwent autoxidative degradation into oligomers, whereas a W‐based polymer with a trans‐rich geometrical structure degraded slowly under similar conditions. The degradation of W‐based poly(phenylacetylene) was independent of the solvents, whereas the degradation of the cis–transoidal material strongly depended on the solvents, and very rapid degradation was observed in toluene and CHCl₃. A reduction in the degradation rate in the absence of oxygen and the appearance of carbonyl groups in an IR spectrum and aldehyde protons in a ¹H NMR spectrum of the resulting oligomers indicated the direct participation of oxygen in the degradation where light was supposed to assist the degradation by producing radicals on the main chain. The cis content of cis–transoidal poly(phenylacetylene) was unchanged during the degradation, unlike for the acid‐catalyzed decomposition, in which the cis content decreased linearly as the molecular weight decreased. Ring‐substituted poly(phenylacetylene)s degraded slowly compared with poly(phenylacetylene), regardless of the kind of substituent, which suggests that steric factors affected the degradation rate. The use of radical scavengers such as 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl and diphenylpicrylhydrazil suppressed the decomposition. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3130–3136, 2001     

Enzymatic degradation of poly(L-lactide) and poly(epsilon-caprolactone) electrospun fibers

Poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) ultrafine fibers were prepared by electrospinning. The influence of cationic and anionic surfactants on their enzymatic degradation behavior was investigated by measuring weight loss, molecular weight, crystallinity, and melting temperature of the fibers as a function of degradation time. Under the catalysis of proteinase K, the PLLA fibers containing the anionic surfactant sodium docecyl sulfate (SDS) exhibited a faster degradation rate than those containing cationic surfactant triethylbenzylammonium chloride (TEBAC), indicating that surface electric charge on the fibers is a critical factor for an enzymatic degradation. Similarly, TEBAC-containing PCL fibers exhibited a 47% weight loss within 8.5 h whereas SDS-containing PCL fibers showed little degradation in the presence of lipase PS. By analyzing the charge status of proteinase K and lipase PS under the experimental conditions, the importance of the surface charges of the fibers and their interactions with the charges on the enzymes were revealed. Consequently, a "two-step" degradation mechanism was proposed: (1) the enzyme approaches the fiber surface; (2) the enzyme initiates hydrolysis of the polymer. By means of differential scanning calorimetry and wide-angle X-ray diffraction, the crystallinity and orientation changes in the PLLA and PCL fibers during the enzymatic degradation were investigated, respectively.     

Degradation of a poly(ester urethane) elastomer. II. Kinetic modeling of the hydrolysis of a poly(butylene adipate)

In preparation for studying the kinetics of the hydrolysis of Estane® 5703, published hydrolysis data for a similar poly(butylene adipate) (herein called 63 PBA) have been modeled. Poly(ester urethanes) are known to degrade by acid‐catalyzed hydrolysis of the ester links, and the data on 63 PBA show that this degradation is reversible at low relative humidities (RHs). Previous work with these data was unable to fit them with concentration‐independent rate coefficients. It is shown herein that, with the water‐concentration model of the preceding article and the A_AC2 mechanism of reversible hydrolysis/esterification, the experimental kinetic data that vary across temperature, RH, and starting molecular weight can be fit with a single set of concentration‐independent rate coefficients. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 192–200, 2002     

Anomalous thermochromic transition of poly(di‐n‐octylsilane)

The thermochromic behavior of poly(di‐n‐octylsilane) {[Si(C₈H₁₇)₂]_n; PDOS} was studied by ultraviolet (UV) absorption, differential scanning calorimetry, and X‐ray diffraction measurements. The structure of PDOS in the low‐temperature phase strongly depended on not only the temperature but also the rate of cooling, that is, the thermal history. Temperature‐dependent UV absorption spectra were highly dependent on thermal hysteresis. Cooled rapidly (10 K/min), PDOS showed two absorption peaks at 3.32 and 3.51 eV in low‐temperature‐ordered phases, whereas a single absorption peak at 3.32 eV became predominant with slow cooling (0.3 K/min). The appearance of the two peaks at low temperatures suggested that a mixture of different conformations was introduced by rapid cooling. A fiber diffraction pattern measured at 240 K after rapid cooling also showed evidence of the existence of novel conformation. A temperature‐dependent powder X‐ray diffraction pattern changed significantly between 270 and 280 K. Rapid cooling reduced the intensity of the X‐ray diffraction peak in this temperature region. This intensity change was explained by the conformational mixture in the polymer. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 1085–1092, 2001     

Synthesis of polyethylene oxide graft polysilylenes and networks based on poly(di‐n‐pentylsilylene/n‐pentyloct‐7‐enyl) copolymers

Poly(dipentylsilylene) copolymers containing n‐pentyl‐n‐oct‐7‐enylsilane units were prepared by reductive coupling of the corresponding dichlorosilanes. Linear high molecular weight and some crosslinked polymer were obtained. The soluble products exhibited optical and thermal properties like poly(dipentylsilylene). Differential scanning calorimetry was used to investigate crystallization and to monitor thermal crosslinking. Vinyl functionalized side chains were hydrosilylated with dipentylsilane and dimethylchlorosilane and crosslinked via the side chains. Hydrosilylation with di‐n‐pentyl(trimethylsiloxypropyl)silane led to a partial hydroxy functionalization of the polysilylene and enabled anionic PEO grafting of the poly(dipentylsilylene). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2306–2318, 2000     

The thermal transformation of an aromatic poly (amide), poly (ortho-oxyamide) and poly (benzoxazole)

The thermal behaviour of three aromatic polymers, poly(3,3-dioxy-4,4-diphenylmethane) (POA), poly(2,2-m-phenylene-5,5-dibenzoxazolemethane) (PBO) and a commercial poly-(phenyleneisophthalamide) (Phenylon) was studied by thermal analysis, i.e. DSC and TG. PBO was formed by the progressive thermocyclization of POA. By transforming POA into PBO the thermal stability was increased proportionally to the degree of cyclization, due to the stiffening of the polymer chain. PBO was found to be more thermally stable than Phenylon. The activation energies of the desorption of moisture, cyclization and thermal degradation of the polymers in both nitrogen and air were determined from non-isothermal TG data.     

Degradation of poly(butyl methacrylate) model compounds studied via high‐resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

This study investigates the degradation behavior of poly(n‐butyl methacrylate) ( p(nBMA) ), poly(tert‐butyl methacrylate) ( p(tBMA) ), and poly(hexafluoro butyl methacrylate) ( p(HFBMA) ) on a molecular level under extreme environmental conditions. The polymers chosen are readily applicable in the formulation of surface coatings and were degraded under conditions which replicated the harsh Australian climate, in which surface coatings may reach temperatures of up to 95 °C and are exposed to broad‐spectrum UV radiation of up to 1 kW m^?2. The degradation profiles were mapped with high‐resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) with a LCQ quadrupole ion trap mass analyzer, with the peak assignments confirmed to within 3 ppm using ESI‐MS with a LTQ‐Orbitrap mass detector. It was found that in all the butyl ester polymers analyzed herein—regardless of their tertiary side‐chain structure—the loss of the butyl ester group and subsequent formation of acid side groups are a component of the overall degradation pathway of poly(butyl methacrylate)s under these harsh conditions. However, it is also demonstrated that the magnitude of this pathway is intimately linked to the side‐chain structure with the propensity for degradation decreasing in the order p(tBMA) > p(nBMA) > p(HFBMA) . The degradation mechanisms identified in this study, in combination with the previous end‐group degradation studies of poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(n‐butyl acrylate), have allowed a much deeper understanding of the molecular degradation behavior of poly(acrylate)s and poly(methacrylate)s in an extreme natural environment. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Degradation behaviors of monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐poly(ε‐caprolactone) nanoparticles in aqueous solution

Monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐poly(ε‐caprolactone)(MPEG‐b‐PCL) diblock copolymers were synthesized via a ring‐opening polymerization. The polymeric nanoparticles prepared by precipitation/solvent evaporation exhibit a core–shell structure, characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The hydrolytic degradation of those nanoparticles was studied by DLS, NMR, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). It was found that the molecular weight of PCL block in a copolymer significantly affects the stability of nanoparticles in aqueous solution and nanoparticles with shorter PCL block length degraded faster. The degradation behaviors could be divided into two stages with slow degradation at the interface region via swelling effect and fast degradation at inner core via caves and channels formed by cleavage of ester bonds. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.