Factors affecting the synthesis of polymeric nanostructures from template assisted admicellar polymerization

Template assisted admicellar polymerization (TAAP) utilizes a surfactant layer adsorbed on a surface to localize a monomer to the surface prior to polymerization of the monomer. Nanostructures are formed by restricting adsorption to the uncovered sites of an already-templated surface, in this case, to the interstitial sites between adsorbed latex spheres. This work studies the factors affecting the synthesis of polymeric nanostructures from TAAP for three different monomers, aniline, pyrrole, and methyl methacrylate, and three different surfaces, highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), gold, and SiO2. Among the parameters discussed are the effects of monomer and surfactant concentration, surfactant chain length, polymerization time and temperature, and solution ionic strength. Control of the aforementioned parameters allows some control over the nanostructure morphology. Polymer nanopillars, nanorings, honeycombs, and "honeytubes" have been synthesized. Important conclusions regarding the conditions favoring admicellar polymerization relative to polymerization in solution are drawn from the experimental results as well. Sample characterization includes scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and alternating current (ac) impedance measurements.     

Mesoporous metal oxides by vapor infiltration and atomic layer deposition on ordered surfactant polymer films

Catalysis, chemical separations, and energy conversion devices often depend on well-defined mesoporous materials as supports or active component elements. Herein, we show that ordered assembled organic surfactant films can directly template porous inorganic solids with surface area exceeding 1000 m(2)/g by infusing the polymers with reactive inorganic vapors, followed by anneal. The specific surface area, pore size, chemical composition, and overall shape of the product material are tuned by choice of the polymer and precursor materials as well as the influsion and postinfusion treatment conditions. X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and electron microscopy show that vapor infusion changes both the physical and chemical structure of the starting ordered polymer films, consistent with quantified trends in specific surface area and pore size distribution measured by nitrogen adsorption after film annealing. This method yields porous TiO(2) films, for example, that function as an anode layer in a dye-sensitized solar cell.     

Self-extinguishing cotton fabric with minimal phosphorus deposition

The phosphorus-containing acrylate monomer, 2-acryloyloxyethyl diethyl phosphate (ADEP), was synthesized and applied to cotton fabric by using the admicellar polymerization technique. A cationic surfactant (cetylpyridinium chloride, CPC) was used as the surfactant for admicellar polymerization. Results from FTIR-ATR and SEM showed that PADEP polymer film was successfully formed on the cotton fabric surface. TGA and DTG analyses showed that the phosphorus-containing PADEP lowered the decomposition temperature of the treated fabric resulting in a higher char yield than in the case of untreated cotton. The flammability tests showed that PADEP-coated cotton with the phosphorus content 4.18 mg/g cotton was self-extinguishing, with the flame extinguishing right after the removal of the ignition source leaving a small area of char formation.     

Polypyrrole-coated natural rubber latex by admicellar polymerization

Admicellar polymerization has been used for the preparation of an electrically conductive polypyrrole coating on latex particles. An anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), was adsorbed onto natural rubber (NR) latex particles to form the surfactant bilayers after adjusting the pH below the point of zero charge of the latex surface. Adsorption of SDS and pyrrole adsolubilization were determined as a function of pyrrole and sodium chloride concentrations. Pyrrole caused a decrease in SDS adsorption at equilibrium. Sodium chloride increased the surfactant adsorption and the pyrrole adsolubilization. Thermogravimetric results showed the presence of polypyrrole. The conductivity of the polypyrrole-coated NR latex film prepared by admicellar polymerization without salt was the lowest; however, with salt addition, the conductivity of the film improved significantly. The oxidative polymerization technique resulted in a relatively higher conductivity than oxidative admicellar polymerization.     

Effect of Soxhlet Extraction and Surfactant System on Morphology and Properties of Poly(DVB)PolyHIPE

Poly(Divinylbenzene)PolyHIPE (Poly(DVB)PolyHIPE) was successfully prepared by using two different systems of three-component surfactants (S20M and S80M) and toluene as porogenic solvent. Phase morphology, mechanical properties and surface area measurements of the obtained Poly(DVB)Poly HIPE were investigated. After polymerization of continuous phase followed by extraction process, the porous materials (open cellular structure with interconnections) were obtained. The cell size and surface area were found to be improved: this is due to the ability of porogenic solvent and mixture of the surfactants to prevent the Ostwald ripening (coalescence) of the emulsion droplet system. Moreover, the surface area and mechanical properties of the resulting materials were found to be depended on the Soxhlet extraction time. It was demonstrated that the usage of Soxhlet extraction technique for Poly(DVB)PolyHIPE improved surface area of the obtained materials by 107% as compared with the unextracted PolyHIPE. However, when the extraction time was longer than 12 hours, the properties of the obtained materials became poor. It was concluded that the suitable Soxhlet extraction time for Poly(DVB)PolyHIPE was 6–12 hours and at this condition, high surface area with the highest mechanical properties of the porous material were obtained.     

Synthesis of nanometer-scale polymeric structures on surfaces from template assisted admicellar polymerization: a comparative study with protein adsorption

A novel method for the formation of nanometer-scale polymer structures via template assisted admicellar polymerization (TAAP) is described. Admicellar polymerization uses a surfactant layer adsorbed on a surface to localize monomer to the surface prior to polymerization of the monomer. Nanostructures are formed by restricting adsorption to the uncovered sites of an already-templated surface, in this case to the interstitial sites between adsorbed latex spheres. Unlike most other process that form polymer nanostructures, polymer dimensions can be significantly smaller than the interstitial size because of sphere-surfactant interactions. Protein adsorption in the interstitial sites of colloidal arrays was also studied for three different proteins, and the results were compared with those obtained via admicellar polymerization.     

Rubber products prepared from silica modified by radiation-induced admicellar polymerization

Unmodified silica, silica modified with Si69, silica modified by thermal admicellar polymerization and silica modified by radiation-induced admicellar polymerization were applied as rubber reinforcement. Mechanical properties of these different rubber formulae were subsequently tested. The results revealed that the mechanical properties of rubber reinforced with silica modified by admicellar polymerization were superior to those reinforced with unmodified silica or silica modified with Si69. As for the silica modified by admicellar polymerization, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) proved to be the most effective surfactant, compared to dodecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) and tetradecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (TTAB).     

In Situ and Post Reaction Cobalt-Incorporation into Periodic Mesoporous Ethanesilica Materials

Cobalt incorporated periodic mesoporous organosilica materials were synthesized in situ by condensation of 1,2-bistrimethoxysilylethane (BTME) in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and cobalt nitrate and by incipient wetness addition of Co to BTME mesoporous silica. BET and pore measurements as well as DTA and TGA analysis of the materials revealed that the mesoporous structure is retained under the synthetic conditions used, after solvent extraction and importantly to temperatures of ca. 400°C under N₂. Raman spectroscopy also revealed the presence of the ethane moiety in the Co materials and that the surfactant was removed by solvent extraction. BET and pore measurement studies revealed that the surface area and pore volume of the materials decreased with increasing cobalt loading. The studies indicate that the new Co materials have potential as Fischer-Tropsch catalysts.     

Grafting polymer nanoshell onto the exterior surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticles via surface reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) functionalities were anchored to the exterior surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) without changing the mesoporous structure, RAFT polymerization of styrene was subsequently conducted to graft polystyrene (PSt) onto the exterior surface of MSNs, forming a novel core-shell nanostructure with a mesoporous core and a polymer nanoshell. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize the produced mesoporous core-shell nanostructure, the results showed that the thickness of the nanoshell increased with the increasing time of polymerization.     

Surface characterization of cotton coated by a thin film of polystyrene with and without a cross-linking agent

Thin polystyrene film coated on cotton was successfully formed by admicellar polymerization. Divinylbenzene (DVB) was used as a cross-linking agent to form networked polystyrene to improve film coverage. A wettability test and XPS analysis were used to characterize the coated surface. The optimum amount of DVB was around 1%. At this amount, the film coverage was most complete, as judged by the reduction of the O1s signal in XPS analysis.     

吸附胶团和吸附胶团催化

介绍了吸附胶团的结构特点、影响吸附胶团催化的一些因素和在固体表面上的固定化表面活性剂体系的催化作用。吸附胶团是表面活性剂在固-液界面形成的缔合结构,它可以是吸附单层、双层、半球形、球形等。吸附胶团和利用接枝等技术在固体表面形成的不溶性表面活性剂体系,在一定条件下,可对某些反应起催化作用,有利于提高反应产率并使反应产物分离变得容易,这将使胶团催化的实际应用成为可能。     

阳离子可聚合表面活性剂的研究进展

可聚合表面活性剂含有可聚合基团,以牢固的共价键键合到聚合物粒子上,成为聚合物的一部分,有效避免了表面活性剂的解吸及其在乳胶膜中的迁移,减少了乳胶膜表面的亲水基团,可以克服传统表面活性剂的许多弊端。阳离子可聚合表面活性剂主要为季铵盐,其容易吸附于一般固体表面,其水溶液一般有优异的杀菌性。本文综述阳离子可聚合表面活性剂,根据不同方式对其进行分类,分别介绍聚合基团不同的阳离子可聚合表面活性剂的合成和应用现状,并对其应用前景作了展望。     

Composite Material that Comprised Metal–Organic Nanotubes and a Sponge as a High‐Performance Adsorbent for the Extraction of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products from Environmental Water Samples

A composite material that comprised metal–organic nanotubes (MONTs) and a sponge, Cu?MONTs?sponge, was synthesized by using a rapid and convenient surfactant‐assisted dip‐coating method and used as a high‐performance adsorbent for the solid‐phase extraction of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP) from environmental water samples. By adjusting the surfactant concentration, a composite material that contained metal–organic nanotubes and a macroporous 3D porous sponge was constructed. This modified sponge achieved outstanding reproducibility as an adsorbent, with the adsorption of trace or ultratrace amounts of contaminants. Moreover, this composite material was conveniently recycled and its extraction efficiency only decreased by 6.3–12.1 % after 30 adsorption/desorption cycles. The resulting composite exhibited excellent adsorption capacity for PPCPs, which was attributed to its unique porous structure, natural hydrophobicity, and electrostatic interactions between the metal–organic nanotubes and analyte molecules. This Cu?MONTs?sponge material is an ideal adsorbent for the extraction of trace amounts of PPCPs from environmental water samples.     

Characterisation of organoclays and adsorption of p-nitrophenol: environmental application

Organoclays were synthesised through ion exchange of a single surfactant for sodium ions, and characterised by a range of method including X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The change in surface properties of montmorillonite and organoclays intercalated with the surfactant, tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TDTMA) were determined using XRD through the change in basal spacing and the expansion occurred by the adsorbed p-nitrophenol. The changes of interlayer spacing were observed in TEM. In addition, the surface measurement such as specific surface area and pore volume was measured and calculated using BET method, this suggested the loaded surfactant is highly important to determine the sorption mechanism onto organoclays. The collected results of XPS provided the chemical composition of montmorillonite and organoclays, and the high-resolution XPS spectra offered the chemical states of prepared organoclays with binding energy. Using TGA and FT-IR, the confirmation of intercalated surfactant was investigated. The collected data from various techniques enable an understanding of the changes in structure and surface properties. This study is of importance to provide mechanisms for the adsorption of organic molecules, especially in contaminated environmental sites and polluted waters.     

Synthesis of star-shaped polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) fluorinated acrylates for hydrophobic honeycomb porous film application

Two different eight-arm star-shaped polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) fluorinated acrylates were synthesized through atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and applied for hydrophobic honeycomb-patterned porous films through the breath figure (BF) method. The structure of polymers was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and surface analysis was featured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Depending on the influences of polymer architectures, solvents utilized, and solution concentrations, honeycomb-patterned porous films were obtained. It could be found that the introduction of fluorine components was a favorable condition for BF formation and chloroform (CHCl₃) utilized as solvent with an appropriate concentration of 30 mg/mL was the best condition for these hydrophobic honeycomb-patterned porous films. Meanwhile, the obtained honeycomb films could be retained after long-time preservation in an acid-base condition, which shows a great potential in filtration, cell culture, tissue engineering, and marine antifouling applications.     

Structure–Property Relationship of Thin Plasma Deposited Poly(allyl alcohol) Films

Poly(allyl alcohol) films with a thickness of about 150 nm were deposited by pulse plasma polymerization onto different substrates (inorganic and organic). The structure/property relationships of these samples were studied in dependence on the duty cycle (DC) of the plasma by a broad combination of different techniques and probes. For the first time volume sensitive methods (FTIR and dielectric spectroscopy) are combined with surface analytics by employing XPS for that system. FTIR spectroscopy gives qualitatively the same dependence of the concentration of the OH groups on DC like XPS. The observed differences are discussed considering the different analytical depths of both the methods. The dielectric measurements show that the plasma deposited films are not thermally stable but undergo a post plasma chemical reaction during heating. The results obtained by dielectric spectroscopy are discussed in detail with the data from FTIR and XPS measurements.     

Book Reviews

Room temperature glass containing copper nitrate was produced using the microemulsion-gel method. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction spectra were used to demonstrate the presence of copper nitrate in the gel samples. The samples were examined using optical microscopy, with and without polarized filters, and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray analysis, before and after the extraction of the surfactant with an organic solvent. The results indicated that copper nitrate was present throughout the silicate network formed and was associated with the microemulsion components, i.e., the interstitial liquid, remaining in the bulk material.     

Preparation of functionalized polystyrene latexes by radiation-induced miniemulsion polymerization using a Y-type polymerizable surfactant as sole stabilizers

Functionalized polystyrene latexes were prepared by miniemulsion polymerization using a Y-type polymerizable surfactant bearing a carboxylic acid group as sole stabilizers. Kinetics analysis showed that there was no constant rate stage, which coincided with the kinetics mechanism of the typical miniemulsion polymerization. The latexes obtained were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. It was found that the latexes prepared by miniemulsion polymerization initiated by gamma-ray had more narrowly particle size distribution compared with by potassium persulfate. XPS and FTIR results indicated that the carboxyl group was present on the surface of the polymer particles.     

Tuning size and catalytic activity of nano-clusters of cobalt oxide

Cobalt oxides were prepared by three different methods: (1) by reacting cobalt nitrate with oxalic acid, (2) co-precipitating cobalt nitrate with sodium carbonate, and (3) using sodium dodecyl sulphate as organic surfactant. All three samples were characterized before and after calcination by solvent extraction and the resulting products examined by IR spectroscopy. In the case of method 3, the removal of surfactant was followed by TGA studies. Products from all three methods were identified by XRD. Peaks in low angle XRD indicate the porous nature of the oxides. The morphology of the pores was studied by transmission electron microscopy. Some irregular pore structures were obtained for samples from methods 1 and 2, with an average size of 4–6 nm. Only the product from method 3 using SDS as template showed ordered structure and optimum size, and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller surface areas of the as-prepared, as well as the treated samples, exhibited H3 type hysteresis. The samples from the three methods were used as catalysts in the oxidation reaction of cyclohexane under mild conditions and the catalytic efficiency of the cobalt oxide was comparable with mesoporous cobalt oxides.     

氰化金浸取液萃取机理研究

本文利用Fourier变换红外光谱 (FTIR)、放射性同位素示踪、激光光散射的实验等方法研究了有机相的溶液结构 ,初步提出季胺盐萃取金有机相中氰化金阴离子参与形成超分子结构 ,并且随着有机相中金浓度的增加 ,萃合物形成聚集体