Preparation of biodegradable poly(lactic acid-co-aspartic acid) by copolymerization processes

Poly(lactic acid-co-aspartic acid) was obtained by copolymerizing DL-lactic acid and L-aspartic acid. The structure of poly(lactic acid-co-aspartic acid) was characterized by IR, ¹H NMR. The characters of poly(lactic acid-co-aspartic acid) were determined by hydrolytic degradable experiments, which indicate that the degradation rate of poly(lactic acid-co-aspartic acid) was accelerated by aspartic acid synthesized in the polymers.     

Morphology and conductivity of electrolytes based on poly(ethylene oxide) - Eu(ClO4)3 films

Solid polymer electrolytes based on a poly(ethylene oxide), (PEO), host have been prepared using the solvent casting method and characterized by conductivity measurements and thermal analysis. The observed ionic conductivity of the novel system based on PEO and europium perchlorate was similar to that of other electrolytes based on the same polymer host with a different trivalent guest species [1]. The presence of the perchlorate anion widened the composition range of amorphous behaviour but limited the thermal stability of the electrolytes produced. Paper presented at the 4th Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Renvyle, Galway, Ireland, Sept. 13–19, 1997     

Preparation of biodegradable magnetic microspheres with poly(lactic acid)-coated magnetite

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-coated magnetic nanoparticles were made using uncapped PLA with free carboxylate groups. The physical properties of these particles were compared to those of oleate-coated or oleate/sulphonate bilayer (W40) coated magnetic particles. Magnetic microspheres (MMS) with the matrix material poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) or PLA were then formed by the emulsion solvent extraction method with encapsulation efficiencies of 40%, 83% and 96% for oleate, PLA and oleate/sulfonate-coated magnetic particles, respectively. MMS made from PLA-coated magnetite were hemocompatible and produced no hemolysis, whereas the other MMS were hemolytic above 0.3 mg/mL of blood.     

Measurement of speed of sound in poly(lactic acid)-clay composite

We measured longitudinal speed of sound for matrix[poly(lactic acid)]-additive(clay particles) composite rectangular-solid specimen prepared by injection molding. It was found that the speed of sound measured in the direction along the longer side of the specimen was the highest at the middle of the specimen. This trend corresponded with that for crystallinity determined through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). A cross section view of the specimen parallel to its longer side showed that there was a transverse flow trace of resin in the vicinity of the injection gate while the flow trace along the direction of the longer side spread wider as getting far from the gate toward the middle of the specimen. The high crystallinity appeared in the middle of the specimen was inferred to come from the promotion of crystallization by molecular orientation induced with the above flow trace parallel to the direction along the longer side of the specimen.     

Properties of acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends and their foams

Abstract

Thermoplastic elastomers and their foams were prepared by blending elastomeric acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) and rigid poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with various PLA compositions ranging between 0 and 40%. The thermal and mechanical properties and the morphologies of the blends with various PLA contents were investigated through universal testing machine, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscope analysis. The rheological properties during gel formation were in situ monitored through the evolution of torque with curing time. Furthermore, the microcellular structures and physical properties of the NBR/PLA foams prepared using organic blowing agents were studied. The NBR/PLA blends showed a two-phase morphology made of a continuous NBR matrix and micron or submicron nodules and the tensile strength and modulus; also, hardness of the NBR/PLA blends increased with the increase of the added PLA content. While the foamed samples exhibited a similar cell structure and foaming ratio to that of the pure NBR, the cell formation was considerably reduced as the added PLA content exceeded 30%. We conclude that the mechanical properties of NBR thermoplastic elastomer as well as its foams can be controlled by a judicious introduction of rigid and biodegradable PLA.     

ESR studies of electrochemically prepared poly(3-methylthienylene) films

ESR measurements have been performed on samples of poly(3-methylthienylene, poly(3-methylthienylene) perchlorate, and poly(3-methylthienylene) iodide. The ESR lines observed are concluded to come from defects in the π-conjugated system. It is deduced that the current carriers in the doped film are spinless and the role of bipolarons in the conduction mechanism is suggested.     

Proton-conducting properties of the membranes based on poly(vinyl phosphonic acid) grafted poly(glycidyl methacrylate)

Proton-conducting properties of the graft copolymer electrolytes were examined throughout this work. The homopolymers poly(glycidyl methacrylate), PGMA and poly(vinyl phosphonic acid), PVPA were synthesized by free-radical polymerizations of the monomers glycidyl methacrylate, GMA, and vinyl phosphonic acid, VPA, respectively. The graft copolymers were produced by grafting of PVPA onto PGMA via ring opening of ethylene oxide groups. To examine the influence of the concentration of VPA on the proton conductivity, several graft copolymers were produced at various stoichiometric ratios with respect to monomer repeat units. The materials were characterized by FT-IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy and the thermal properties were studied by thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The TGA results demonstrated that the samples are thermally stable up to at least 150 °C. The proton conductivities of humidified and dry samples were studied via impedance spectroscopy. In the anhydrous state, the proton conductivity of P(GMA)-graft-P(VPA)₁₀ was 5 × 10^? 5 S/cm at 150 °C. The proton conductivity of the same material increased with the humidity content and reached to 0.03 S/cm at 80 °C under 50% of RH, which approached to that of Nafion^® at the same humidification level.     

Toughening poly(lactic acid) (PLA) through in situ reactive blending with liquid polybutadiene rubber (LPB)

Abstract

Liquid polybutadiene rubber (LPB) was blended with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) through reactive and non-reactive routes to enhance the toughness of the PLA. The reactively blended PLA (PBR10) was prepared by melt blending the PLA with the LPB in the presence of dicumyl peroxide (DCP), a radical initiator, while the PB10 was just melt blended without the DCP. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) patterns were used to study the molecular structure of the blends. Properties were investigated through universal testing machine (UTM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, and rheological measurements. The results indicated that the radical crosslinking by the DCP could increase the compatibility between the PLA and LPB and disperse the rubber particles at the nanoscale in the PLA matrix. As a result, the toughness and melt viscosity of the PLA was significantly enhanced through the reactive blending, which is promising for the practical application of the modified PLA in the area of packaging.     

Sono-respond on thermosensitive polymer microgels based on cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid)

Ultrasound (US) exposure strongly influenced thermosensitivity of microgels attracted with both N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and acrylic acid (AA) segments, due to that hydrogen bonds of carboxylic acid segments in microgels were broken by US and then the hydration with water occurred. US induced critical effects on the volume phase transition temperature of the swelled NIPAM gel (PNAM). It was observed after the US exposure that the particle size was increased and the phase transition of the microgels shifted toward larger temperature regions of the hydrodynamic diameter. FT-IR spectroscopic data of the swelled microgel showed that the free OH stretching band intensity of the COOH segments was enhanced by the exposure, but the band intensity returned to its original level without the US exposure. This meant that the US stimulus broke hydrogen bonding of the microgel and induced hydration of water in the hydrogel environment. Finally, regeneration of the hydrogen bonds in the microgel was occurred after the US exposure.     

High-photosensitivity polymer thin-film transistors based on poly（3-hexylthiophene）

Polymer thin-film transistors(PTFTs) based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) are fabricated by the spin-coating process,and their photo-sensing characteristics are investigated under steady-state visible-light illumination.The photosensitivity of the device is strongly modulated by gate voltage under various illuminations.When the device is in the subthreshold operating mode,a significant increase in its drain current is observed with a maximum photosensitivity of 1.7×10 3 at an illumination intensity of 1200 lx,and even with a relatively high photosensitivity of 611 at a low illumination intensity of 100 lx.However,when the device is in the on-state operating mode,the photosensitivity is very low:only 1.88 at an illumination intensity of 1200 lx for a gate voltage of-20 V and a drain voltage of -20 V.The results indicate that the devices could be used as photo-detectors or sensors in the range of visible light.The modulation mechanism of the photosensitivity in the PTFT is discussed in detail.     

低工作电压聚噻吩薄膜晶体管

以高掺杂Si单晶片作为衬底且充当栅电极,采用磁控溅射法在硅片上沉积HfTiO薄膜作为栅介质层,聚三己基噻吩(P3HT)薄膜作为半导体活性层,金属Au作为源、漏电极,并采用十八烷基三氯硅烷(OTS)对栅介质层表面修饰,在空气环境下成功地制备出聚合物薄膜晶体管(PTFT).PTFT器件测试结果表明,该晶体管在低的驱动电压(<-1 V)下仍呈现出良好的饱和行为,其阈值电压和有效场效应迁移率分别为0.4 V和2.2×10^-2 cm²/V ·s.通过对金属-聚合物-氧化物 关键词： 聚合物薄膜晶体管 聚三己基噻吩 场效应迁移率 k栅介质')" href="#">高k栅介质     

Environmentally friendly surface modification of silk fiber: Chitosan grafting and dyeing

In this paper, the surface modification of silk fiber using anhydrides to graft the polysaccharide chitosan and dyeing ability of the grafted silk were studied. Silk fiber was degummed and acylated with two anhydrides, succinic anhydride (SA) and phthalic anhydride (PA), in different solvents (dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF)). The effects of anhydrides, solvents, anhydride concentration, liquor ratio (L:R) and reaction time on acylation of silk were studied. The polysaccharide chitosan was grafted to the acylated silk fiber and dyed by acid dye (Acid Black NB.B). The effects of pH, chitosan concentration, and reaction time on chitosan grafting of acylated silk were investigated. The physical properties show sensible changes regardless of weight gain. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed the presence of foreign materials firmly attached to the surface of silk. FTIR spectroscopy provided evidence that chitosan was grafted onto the acylated silk through the formation of new covalent bonds. The dyeing of the chitosan grafted-acylated silk fiber indicated the higher dye ability in comparison to the acylated and degummed silk samples. The mechanism of chitosan grafting over degummed silk through anhydride linkage was proposed. The findings of this research support the potential production of new environmentally friendly textile fibers. It is worthwhile to mention that the grafted samples have antibacterial potential due to the antibacterial property of chitosan molecules.     

Ionic conduction and thermal properties of poly(ethylene oxide) - Er (CF3SO3)3 films

Measurements of electrical conductivity and thermal behaviour have been carried out on polymer electrolyte films obtained by the addition of erbium triflate to poly(ethylene oxide), PEO. Homogeneous electrolyte samples were prepared by using solvent casting and hot-pressing techniques to produce films with a composition defined by the general formula (EO)_nEr(CF₃SO₃)₃, where n lies between 3 and 150. This electrolyte system was found to behave in a manner broadly similar to other trivalent salt containing polymer electrolytes, however, in contrast to previously studied lanthanide systems, a salt - polymer complex crystallized after prolonged annealing of salt rich compositions at room temperature. Paper presented at the 2nd Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, Sept. 10 – 16, 1995     

Spectral studies of thin films based on poly(N-vinylcarzole) and red dopant

Organic light-emitting diodes were fabricated with a structure of indium-tin-oxide (ITO)/poly(N-vinylcarzole)(PVK):4-(dicyanom-ethylene)-2-t-butyl-6-(1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl)-4H-pyran (DCJTB)/8-tris-hydroxyquinoline aluminum (Alq₃)/lithium fluoride (LiF)/Al. The energy transfer from PVK to Alq₃ then to DCJTB and the charge trapping processes were investigated by employing the photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) spectra. With increasing thickness of the Alq₃ layer, the PL and EL emission from PVK were decreased gradually, which indicated that the effective energy transfer occurred from PVK to Alq₃ and then from Alq₃ to DCJTB. At the same time, we found that the exciton recombination zone could be adjusted by controlling the Alq₃ layer thickness and the applied voltages. The effects of different DCJTB concentrations on the optical and electrical characteristics of the devices were investigated, and an obvious red-shift was observed with the DCJTB dopant concentrations increasing in the PL and EL spectra.     

Preparation of conductive nanocomposites based on poly (aniline-co- butyl 3-aminobenzoate) and poly (aniline-co-ethyl 3-aminobenzoate) by solution blending method

The polyaniline (PANI) is a widely studied conducting polymer due to its application in several devices such as biosensor, gas sensor etc. Known methods to produce PANI composites may be essentially reduced to two distinct groups: synthetic methods based on aniline polymerization in the presence of or inside a matrix polymer, and blending methods to mix a previously prepared PANI with a matrix polymer. Poly (aniline-co-butyl 3-aminobenzoate) (ANI-co-BAB) and poly (aniline-co-ethyl 3-aminobenzoate) (ANI-co-EAB) are prepared as conducting copolymers in nanoscale by chemical oxidation method under ultrasonic irradiation. The different molar ratio of aniline to butyl 3-aminobenzoate and ethyl 3-aminobenzoate are used in the preparation of copolymers. Conductive nanocomposites based on ANI-co-BAB or ANI-co-EAB with poly (styrene-alt-maleic acid) (PSMAC), and polystyrene are prepared by solution blending method. The obtained conductive composites formed films with good homogeneity and flexibility. The conductivity of the obtained nanocomposites is measured with a four-probe method. The electrical conductivity of the composites (ANI-co-EAB)/PSMAC/PS and (ANI-co-BAB)/PSMAC/PS are 24?×?10^?5?S?cm^?1 and 31?×?10^?5?S?cm, respectively. Our results show that the (ANI-co-BAB)/PSMAC/PS composite has more conductivity than (ANI-co-EAB)/PSMAC/PS composite. The copolymers and composites in nanoscale are characterized by FT-IR and ¹H NMR spectral data. The surface morphology was studied using SEM analysis. Also, their grain size is measured using XRD studies.     

Sudan IV dye based poly(alkyloxymethacrylate) films for optical data storage

The polymer poly{1-[2′-methyl-4′-(2″-methylphenylazo) phenylazo]-2-(m-methacryloyloxyoctyloxy}naphthalene, where m = 6, 8, 10, is synthesized by free radical addition polymerization method for holographic optical data storage. Characterization of the polymers is done by formation of the holographic grating. A study of the dependence of diffraction efficiency of the grating formed on various parameters is presented. Surface relief gratings on these polymer films are created upon exposure to argon ion laser beams at 514.5 nm without any subsequent processing steps. The surface structure of the relief gratings has been investigated by atomic force microscopy. The depth of surface relief in a typical case is found to be around 40 nm.     

Hall mobility and characteristics of gas-phase polymerized poly(3-iodothiophene) thin films

The semi-conductive poly(3-iodothiophene)(P3IT) films were fabricated by gas-phase polymerization through a chemical vapor deposition process. The P3IT nanoscale films have a high crystalline morphologies, and possessed a high Hall mobility up to 10 cm²/Vs. The degree of crystalline and the mobility values measured through Scanning Electron Microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with structural analysis. These conductive thin films, possessing polycrystalline structures, have a very high mobility and are capable of being applied to organic electronic layers for electrical devices such as the thin film transistors and organic photovoltaic cells.     

Collagen fibril formation in poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) films

The formation of collagen fibrils in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and in poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) was investigated using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The water solutions of PVA and PVP containing 1%, 3% and 5% of collagen were cast onto glass plate. After slow solvent evaporation thin polymeric films were obtained. AFM images showed the fibril formation in both, PVA and PVP films containing collagen. The amount of collagen in PVA and PVP matrix has an important effect on the structure and size of collagen fibril formed. The diameter of collagen fibrils in PVA films is bigger than the diameter of collagen fibrils formed in PVP films.