A new sequence isomer of AB‐polybenzimidazole for high‐temperature PEM fuel cells

A new sequence isomer of AB‐polybenzimidazole (AB‐PBI) was developed as a candidate for high‐temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. A diacid monomer, 2,2′‐bisbenzimidazole‐5,5′‐dicarboxylic acid, was synthesized and polymerized with 3,3′,4,4′‐tetraaminobiphenyl to prepare a polymer that was composed of repeating 2,5‐benzimidazole units. In contrast to previously prepared AB‐PBI, which contains only head‐to‐tail benzimidazole sequences, the new polymer also contains head‐to‐head and tail‐to‐tail benzimidazole sequences. The polymer was prepared in polyphosphoric acid (PPA) and cast into membranes using the sol–gel PPA process. Membranes formed from the new AB‐PBI were found to be mechanically stronger, possessed higher acid doping levels, and showed improved fuel cell performance, when compared to the previously known AB‐PBI. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Miscible blends of nitro‐substituted polybenzimidazole and polyetherimide

A novel blend system was prepared by blending organosoluble nitro‐substituted polybenzimidazole (NO₂‐PBI) and polyetherimide (PEI) in a cosolvent at a moderate condition. It was shown that the NO₂‐PBI/PEI blends not only possess tractable processability owing to the enhanced solubility of NO₂‐PBI but also retain the desirable features of unmodified PBI/PEI blends. Apparent miscibility in the blends was observed and attributed to hydrogen‐bonding interactions between N? H groups in NO₂‐PBI and carbonyl groups in PEI. It was revealed that the NO₂‐PBI/PEI blends phase‐separate upon heating above the glass‐transition temperatures. The observed mixing of NO₂‐PBI and PEI in a molecular level, although sustainable only in the glassy region, was shown to lend synergy effects to the physical properties of the blends. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 1778–1783, 2001     

Investigation of sequence isomer effects in AB‐polybenzimidazole polymers

In the present work, a unique series of random polybenzimidazole (PBI) copolymers consisting of the recently reported novel isomeric AB‐PBI (i‐AB‐PBI) and the well known AB‐PBI were synthesized. The i‐AB‐PBI incorporates additional linkages (2,2 and 5,5) in the benzimidazole sequence when compared with AB‐PBI. Random copolymers, varying in composition at 10 mol % increments, were synthesized to evaluate the effects of sequence isomerism in the polymer main chain without altering the fundamental chemical composition or functionality of a polymer chain consisting of 2,5‐benzimidazole units. Polymer solutions were prepared in polyphosphoric acid (PPA) and cast into membranes using the sol–gel PPA process. The resulting polymers were found to have high inherent viscosities (>2.0 dL/g) and showed elevated membrane proton conductivities (～0.2 S/cm) under anhydrous conditions at 180 °C. Fuel cell performance evaluations were conducted, and an average output voltage ranging from 0.5 to 0.60 V at 0.2 A/cm² was observed for hydrogen/air at an operational temperature of 180 °C without applied backpressure or humidification. Herein, we report for the first time glass transition (T_g) temperatures for AB‐PBI, i‐AB‐PBI, and an anomalous T_g effect for the series of randomized PBIs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 619–628     

Effect of the reaction state on the polymerization of p-xylenesulfonium salts

1,4-Phenylenebis(methylene) sulfonium salts were polymerized under different conditions to yield p-xylylene sulfonium salt polyelectrolytes in a broad range of molecular weights. The aqueous reaction mixture formed a reversible gel at initial monomer concentrations higher than 1.0M, but at lower concentrations it remained as an emulsion until reaction completion. The effect of reaction time on intrinsic viscosities and polymer yields for both the emulsion and the gel state is discussed. The higher yields obtained when the reaction was carried out in the presence of a water-immiscible organic solvent were apparently due to the effect of this solvent on increasing the concentration of the reactive intermediate that led to the polyelectrolyte. Both the addition of an organic solvent and the variation of the initial monomer concentrations allowed some control over the molecular weight of the polyelectrolyte formed.     

Modification of polybenzimidazole: Synthesis and thermal stability of poly(N1-methylbenzimidazole) and poly(N1,N3-dimethylbenzimidazolium) salt

Poly(N₁,N₃-dimethylbenzimidazolium) (PDMBI) salt and poly(N₁-methylbenzimidazole) (PMMBI) were synthesized by methylation of commercial polybenzimidazole [poly-2,2′-(m-phenylene)-5,5′-bibenzimidazole (PBI)]. First, the N-lithium salt of polybenzimidazole was formed by treating polybenzimidazole solution of 1-methyl-2-pyrolidinone (NMP) with lithium hydride at 80°C for 18 h. Ninety percent substitution of PMMBI was obtained by treating the N-lithium salt of PBI with equimolar ratio of iodomethane at room temperature. Upon addition of excess iodomethane to the lithium salt of PBI at 80°C, a polymer was formed that showed 100% substitution on the N₁ nitrogen and about 30% substitution of the methyl group on the N₃ nitrogen in the form of N₁,N₃-dimethylbenzimidazolium iodide salt [PDMBI (30%)]. The content of the benzimidazolium iodide salt was increased to about 90% by dissolving PDMBI (30%) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and re-treating with excess iodomethane at 80°C overnight. The modified PBI polymers were characterized by NMR and FTIR. The modified PBI differed in solubility from PBI. PMMBI could be easily dissolved in NMP and PDMBI in DMSO at room temperature. The solution of PDMBI could be mixed with water in all proportions without precipitation. PDMBI could be also dissolved directly in a mixture of DMSO and water (1 : 1). Typical polyelectrolyte behavior of viscosity was found in solution of PDMBI (30%) and PDMBI (90%) when DMSO and a mixture of DMSO and water were used as solvents. A salt effect on viscosity was also found in the mixed solvent solution. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the methyl group on the imidazole ring was unstable above 180°C under nitrogen. When PDMBI was heated under nitrogen, one of the methyl groups was lost with the counterion to result in a neutral PMMBI. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Solution polymerization of vinyl monomers in the presence of poly(N-acetyliminoethylene) macroazoinitiators

New block copolymers with poly(N-acetyliminoethylene) and vinyl sequences were obtained by a two-step synthetic approach. In the first stage macroinitiators of poly(N-acetyliminoethylene) type, with azo groups inserted in the main chain, were prepared. They were latter used in the radical polymerization of some vinyl monomers [styrene, methacrylic acid, methyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, β-(N-carbazolyl)ethyl acrylate, β-(methacryloyfoxy)ethyl 3,5-dinitrobenzoate]. The resulting block copolymers were characterized by spectral methods, elemental analysis, gel permeation chromatography, and electron microscopy. The kinetic study of the thermal and photochemical decomposition of the synthesized macroazoinitiators, as well as the polymerization data, suggest a dependence of their initiating efficiency on the length of the poly(N-acetyliminoethylene) segments. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Poly(N‐vinyl imidazole) grafted silica nanofillers: Synthesis by RAFT polymerization and nanocomposites with polybenzimidazole

In this report, we synthesized poly(N‐vinyl imidazole) (PNVI) grafted silica nanoparticles (SiNP) by using RAFT polymerization through grafting‐from approach to demonstrate that the self‐assembled structure of SiNP is the key diving force in improving physical properties of SiNP based nanocomposites. In a multistep synthetic process, well‐defined PNVI chains with tunable molecular weights and surface chain densities were grown from the RAFT agent anchored SiNP surface using N‐vinyl imidazole (NVI) as a monomer. Spectroscopic and thermal analysis confirmed surface grafting of PNVI on SiNP surface and the amount of grafted PNVI chins were also quantified. The mean diameter of the PNVI grafted SiNP (PNVI‐g‐SiNP) particles altered between 50 and 100 nm with the variation of PNVI chain lengths. The present approach is metal‐catalyst free, straight forward, and provides PNVI functionalized SiNP in a simple manner in comparison to the reported methods. Further, these PNVI‐g‐SiNP particles were used as a nanofiller to prepare nanocomposites with Poly(4,4′‐diphenylether‐5,5′‐bibenzimidazole) (OPBI). These nanocomposites displayed significantly higher mechanical, proton conductivity and less acid leaching properties than the pristine OPBI. The anisotropic self‐assembled ordered structure formation of nanofillers in the nanocomposites believed to be the driving force for the enhanced physical properties. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 365–375     

溶液法星型聚乳酸的合成与表征

探讨了采用辛酸亚锡为催化剂,多元醇及多元酸为引发剂,以溶液法制备星型聚乳酸的可行性,研究了不同引发剂对产物分子量的影响.采用核磁共振及DSC对产物进行了表征,结果表明:以溶液法合成星型聚乳酸是可行的,但与丙交酯开环聚合制备星型聚乳酸的方法相比,溶液法在产物结构和分子量控制上并不十分有效,由于反应受到多官能团核引发剂空间位阻和反应概率的影响,聚乳酸产物的结构除星型结构外也同时存在大量的线型结构.     

Synthesis and characterization of block copolymers from 2‐vinylnaphthalene by anionic polymerization

The anionic polymerization of 2‐vinylnaphthalene (2VN) has been studied in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at ?78 °C and in toluene at 40 °C. 2VN polymerization in THF, toluene, or toluene/THF (99:1 v/v) initiated by sec‐butyllithium (sBuLi) indicates living characteristics, affording polymers with predefined molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions. Block copolymers of 2VN with methyl methacrylate (MMA) and tert‐butyl acrylate (tBA) have been synthesized successfully by sequential monomer addition in THF at ?78 °C initiated by an adduct of sBuLi–LiCl. The crossover propagation from poly(2‐vinylnaphthyllithium) (P2VN) macroanions to MMA and tBA appears to be living, the molecular weight and composition can be predicted, and the molecular weight distribution of the resulting block copolymer is narrow (weight‐average molecular/number‐average molecular weight < 1.3). Block copolymers with different chain lengths for the P2VN segment can easily be prepared by variations in the monomer ratios. The block copolymerization of 2VN with hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane also results in a block copolymer of P2VN and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) contaminated with a significant amount of homo‐PDMS. Poly(2VN‐b‐nBA) (where nBA is n‐butyl acrylate) has also been prepared by the transesterification reaction of the poly(2VN‐b‐tBA) block copolymer. Size exclusion chromatography, Fourier transform infrared, and ¹H NMR measurements indicate that the resulting polymers have the required architecture. The corresponding amphiphilic block copolymer of poly(2VN‐b‐AA) (where AA is acrylic acid) has been synthesized by acidic hydrolysis of the ester group of tert‐butyl from the poly(2VN‐b‐tBA) copolymer. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 4387–4397, 2002     

Effect of pH on Poly(acrylic acid) Solution Polymerization

The free-radical redox-initiated aqueous solution polymerization of fully and partially neutralized acrylic acid was carried out at room temperature under full exposure to air. The effect of neutralization degree on the polymerization rate and product properties was studied. Increasing neutralization of the reaction mixture with sodium hydroxide resulted in greater conversion of acrylic acid to sodium acrylate. The rate of polymerization, determined from a gravimetric off-line water removal technique, was shown to decrease significantly with decreasing degree of neutralization. Molecular weight also decreased with decreasing degree of neutralization. The glass transition temperature and hydrophilicity of the polymer product decreased with increasing degree of neutralization. In-line infrared monitoring was also used to monitor the reaction progress and was shown to be an effective tool for this purpose.     

Synthesis and characterization of high molecular weight hexafluoroisopropylidene‐containing polybenzimidazole for high‐temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

A high molecular weight, thermally and chemical stable hexafluoroisopropylidene containing polybenzimidazole (6F‐PBI) was synthesized from 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine (TAB) and 2,2‐bis(4‐carboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane (6F‐diacid) using polyphosphoric acid (PPA) as both the polycondensation agent and the polymerization solvent. Investigation of polymerization conditions to achieve high molecular weight polymers was explored via stepwise temperature control, monomer concentration in PPA, and final polymerization temperature. The polymer characterization included inherent viscosity (I.V.) measurement and GPC as a determination of polymer molecular weight, thermal and chemical stability assessment via thermo gravimetric analysis and Fenton test, respectively. The resulting high molecular weight polymer showed excellent thermal and chemical stability. Phosphoric acid doped 6F‐PBI membranes were prepared using the PPA process. The physiochemical properties of phosphoric acid doped membranes were characterized by measuring the phosphoric acid doping level, mechanical properties, and proton conductivity. These membranes showed higher phosphoric acid doping levels and higher proton conductivities than the membranes prepared by the conventional membrane fabrication processes. These membranes had sufficient mechanical properties to be easily fabricated into membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) and the prepared MEAs were tested in single cell fuel cells under various conditions, with a focus on the high temperature performance and fuel impurity tolerance. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4064–4073, 2009     

Synthesis of well‐defined rod‐coil block copolymers containing trifluoromethylated poly(phenylene oxide)s by chain‐growth condensation polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization

Well‐defined trifluoromethylated poly(phenylene oxide)s were synthesized via nucleophilic aromatic substitution (S_NAr) reaction by a chain‐growth polymerization manner. Polymerization of potassium 4‐fluoro‐3‐(trifluoromethyl)phenolate in the presence of an appropriate initiator yielded polymers with molecular weights of ～4000 and polydispersity indices of <1.2, which were characterized by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. Initiating sites for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) were introduced at the either side of chain ends of the poly(phenylene oxide), and used for ATRP of styrene and methyl methacrylate, yielding well‐defined rod‐coil block copolymers. Differential scanning calorimetry study indicated that the well‐defined trifluoromethylated poly(phenylene oxide)s showed high crystallinity and were immiscible with polystyrene. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1049–1057, 2010     

Coupling selectivity in the radical‐controlled oxidative polymerization of 4‐phenoxyphenol catalyzed by (1,4,7‐triisopropyl‐1,4,7‐triazacyclononane)copper(II) complex

Various effects on the coupling selectivity of the oxidative polymerization of 4‐phenoxyphenol catalyzed by (1,4,7‐triisopropyl‐1,4,7‐triazacyclononane)copper(II) halogeno complex [Cu(tacn)X₂] are described. With respect to the amount of the catalyst and the nature of the halide ion (X) of Cu(tacn)X₂, the coupling selectivity hardly changed. The Cu(tacn) catalyst possessed a turnover number greater than 1860. As the temperature of the reaction and the polarity of the reaction solvent were elevated, the C O coupling at the o‐position increased, but the C C coupling was not involved. For the polymerization in toluene at 80 °C, poly(1,4‐phenylene oxide), obtained as a methanol‐insoluble part, showed the highest number‐average molecular weight of 4000 with a melting point (T_m) of 195 °C. Only a slight change in the coupling selectivity was observed in the presence or absence of hindered amines as the base. Surprisingly, however, the C O selectivity decreased from 100 to 24% with less hindered amines, indicating that the selectivity drastically changed from a preference for C O coupling to a preference for C C coupling. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4792–4804, 2000     

Synthesis of amphiphilic tadpole‐shaped copolymers by combination of glaser coupling with living anionic polymerization and ring‐opening polymerization

The tadpole‐shaped copolymers polystyrene (PS)‐b‐[cyclic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)] [PS‐b‐(c‐PEO)] contained linear tail chains of PS and cyclic head chains of PEO were synthesized by combination of Glaser coupling with living anionic polymerization (LAP) and ring‐opening polymerization (ROP). First, the functionalized polystyrene‐glycerol (PS‐Gly) with two active hydroxyl groups at ω end was synthesized by LAP of St and the subsequent capping with 1‐ethoxyethyl glycidyl ether and then deprotection of protected hydroxyl group in acid condition. Then, using PS‐Gly as macroinitiator, the ROP of EO was performed using diphenylmethylpotassium as cocatalyst for AB₂ star‐shaped copolymers PS‐b‐(PEO‐OH)₂, and the alkyne group was introduced onto PEO arm end for PS‐b‐(PEO‐Alkyne)₂. Finally, the intramolecular cyclization was performed by Glaser coupling reaction in pyridine/Cu(I)Br/N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine system under room temperature, and tadpole‐shaped PS‐b‐(c‐PEO) was formed. The target copolymers and their intermediates were well characterized by size‐exclusion chromatography, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in details. The thermal properties was also determined and compared to investigate the influence of architecture on properties. The results showed that tadpole‐shaped copolymers had lower T_m, T_c, and X_c than that of their precursors of AB₂ star‐shaped copolymers. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Synthesis and characterization of pH‐sensitive PAMPS/PVP nanogels in aqueous media

A novel method for preparing poly (2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropane sulfonic acid) (PAMPS) and poly (vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) complex nanogels in PVP aqueous solution is discussed in this paper. The PAMPS/PVP complex nanogels were prepared via polymerization of 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) monomer in the presence of PVP nanoparticles which formed in water/acetone cosolvent in presence of N, N′‐methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker, N, N, N′, N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) and potassium peroxydisulfate (KPS) as redox initiator system. The results of FTIR and ¹H NMR spectra indicated that the compositions of PAMPS/PVP are consistent with the designed structure. TEM micrographs proved that PAMPS/PVP nanogels possess the spherical morphology before and after swelling. These PAMPS/PVP nanogels exhibited pH‐induced phase transition due to protonation of PAMPS chains. The properties of PAMPS/PVP nanogels indicate that PAMPS/PVP nanogels can be developed into a pH‐controlled drug delivery system. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solid-state polymerization of hexaphenylcyclotrisiloxane

The anionic solid-state polymerization of triclinic crystals of hexaphenylcyclotrisiloxane (HPhTS) initiated by KOH and potassium oligo(methylphenylsiloxane) has been studied. It was found that this reaction can yield high molecular weight poly(diphenylsiloxane) (PDPhS) with a specific viscosity up to 5 (1 wt % diphenyloxide solution at 145°C). The main features of the process are as follows: (a) this is a heterogeneous reaction that proceeds inward from the surface of HPhTS crystals; (b) the crystalline polymer is obtained from the crystalline trimer; (c) OPhTS simultaneously forms along with the polymer; (d) the specific viscosity of the resulting polymer remains constant or decreases with polymerization time and, consequently, with the conversion of HPhTS; and (e) the crystallinity of polymerized PDPhS samples depends inversely on its specific viscosity. Together, these features suggest that polymerization and crystallization proceed successively. The morphologies of the resulting PDPhS phase revealed by means of scanning electron microscopy are consistent with this mechanism. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 1973–1984, 1997     

Well‐defined polyoxazoline‐based alkoxyamines as efficient macroinitiators in nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization of styrene

The synthesis of two well‐defined 2,2,5‐trimethyl‐4‐phenyl‐3‐azahexane‐3‐nitroxide‐terminated poly(2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline) with narrow dispersity (M_w/M_n = 1.1) has been achieved for the first time. The insertion of the alkoxyamine end groups at one or both ends of poly(2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline) (PMEOX) chains has been successfully done using a method based on “terminating reagent method.” These macroinitiators have molecular weights ranging from 6.3 × 10³ to 9.4 × 10³ g mol^?1. In contrast, attempt to introduce the alkoxyamine group at one end of PMEOX chain through the “initiator method” has furnished a mixture of alkoxyamine‐graft polyoxazolines because of rearrangement of alkoxyamine occurring during the synthesis of PMEOX. The macroinitiators obtained by terminating reagent method have been used successfully for polymerization of styrene by nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization (NMP), which exhibited all the expected features of a controlled system. The control of NMP has been proved by a good agreement between theoretical and experimental molecular weights and by narrow dispersity (M_w/M_n < 1.2). Different types of well‐defined multiblock copolymers have been prepared: diblock copolymers poly[(2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline)‐b‐(styrene)] (PMEOX‐b‐PS) and, for the first time, triblock copolymers poly[(styrene)‐b‐(2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline)‐b‐(styrene)] (PS‐b‐PMEOX‐b‐PS). © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011.     

Synthesis of new thermosetting poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide)s containing epoxide pendant groups

A new class of thermosetting poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide)s containing pendant epoxide groups were synthesized and characterized. These new epoxy polymers were prepared through the bromination of poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) in halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons followed by a Wittig reaction to yield vinyl‐substituted polymer derivatives. The treatment of the vinyl‐substituted polymers with m‐chloroperbenzoic acid led to the formation of epoxidized poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) with variable pendant ratios, and the structures and properties were studied with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and gel permeation chromatography. The ratios of pendant functional groups were tailored for the polymer properties, and the results showed that the glass‐transition temperatures increased as the benzylic protons were replaced by bromo‐, vinyl‐, or epoxide‐functional groups, whereas the thermal stability decreased in comparison with the original polymer. Within a molar fraction of 20–50%, the degree of functionalization had little effect on the glass‐transition temperature; however, it correlated inversely with the thermal stability of each functionalized polymer. The thermal curing behavior of the epoxide‐functionalized polymer was enhanced by the increment of the pendant functionality, which resulted in a significant increase in the glass‐transition temperature as well as the thermal stability after the curing reaction. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5875–5886, 2006     

Evidence and mechanisms of filling polymerization by plasma-induced graft polymerization

Using a plasma-induced graft polymerization technique, which is well known as a surface modification method, the grafted polymer was formed in pores of the porous material. This study examined the filling mechanism. Five thin porous films were sandwiched together, and employed as the substrate. The substrate was treated by plasma, and the change in surface tension and radical formation was measured for each sheet after the sheet was separated. The only surface on which surface-tension change was detected, was that of the sheet directly exposed to the plasma. Although plasma treatment made polymer radicals primarily on the outer surface of the sheet, the treatment also formed a few radicals inside the sheets. The radicals inside the sheets reacted with methylacrylate and grafted polymer formed in the pores. The location of grafted polymer depended on the balance between monomer diffusivity and reactivity. The grafting rate depended on which monomer solvent was used for the polymerization. Thus, the grafted membrane morphology could be controlled by varying the grating solvent composition. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.