Characterization of mechanically sheared ethylene–propylene copolymers by high resolution NMR

We report high-resolution solution-state NMR experiments on chain ends generated in ethylene–propylene copolymers by mechanical shearing in an extruder. The use of the higher resolution of the ¹³C-NMR spectrum, in a two-dimensional ¹H-¹³C chemical shift correlation experiment, has allowed the complete resolution and assignment of the olefinic chain-end region of the ¹H-NMR spectrum. Simultaneously, the assignments of the ¹³C olefinic resonances, previously identified [A. C. Kolbert, J. G. Didier, and L. Xu, Macromolecules, 29 , 8591 (1996)] are confirmed. An iterative method for calculating the average molecular weight, based on quantitative measurements of the olefinic ¹H-NMR peak intensities is introduced and these results are compared with measurements from ¹³C-NMR and size exclusion chromatography and correlated to reduced viscosities. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35: 1955–1961, 1997     

丙烯/1-丁烯和丙烯/乙烯无规共聚物的表征及性能研究

采用摩尔含量接近的两个单体乙烯和1-丁烯分别无规共聚聚丙烯样品,用三氯苯进行室温可溶物和不溶物的分离,采用凝胶渗透色谱、13C核磁共振波谱及热分析等方法对两种共聚聚合物及其分离物进行表征,探讨了乙烯和1-丁烯作为共聚单体对聚丙烯树脂结构和性能的影响.结果表明,与乙烯相比,1-丁烯更趋向于共聚在较长的聚丙烯分子链上,其结果导致丙烯/1-丁烯无规共聚聚丙烯的可溶物含量更低.同时,对两种无规共聚物结晶性能的差异以及对光学性能和动态力学性能的影响研究表明,如果共聚单体含量接近,丙烯/1-丁烯无规共聚物结晶度更高;透明制品雾度相同时,丙烯/1-丁烯无规共聚物的刚性更高.     

Coisotactic shift contributions in 13C NMR spectra of propylene/butene-1 copolymers

Coisotactic shift contributions caused by sterically crowded isotactic side-chain alkyl groups are proposed for peak assignments of isotactic propylene/butene-1 copolymers. Previously disputed analyses of methine triads and PB tetrads of backbone methylene carbons (α,α′-CH₂) have been verified using first-order Markovian distribution theory. Coisotactic shift contributions also account for the reverse order of the propylene-centered triads from that predicted by the Grant-Paul equation.     

Synthesis and characterization of sulphonated PEES copolymers by NMR spectroscopy

Two sulphonated PEES copolymers were synthesized by reacting 75 or 60 mol% silylated hydroquinone sulphonic acid and 25 or 40 mol% of hydroquinone with 4,4′-difluorodiphenyl sulphone. The number average molecular weights determined by GPC were 13.250 and 12.050 g/mol. In the FTIR spectra, in addition to the characteristic absorption bands due to aromatic skeleton, absorption bands associated with sulphonic acid groups were observed at ∼3500, 1172, 1080, 1026, and 706 cm⁻¹. In ¹H NMR, the aromatic proton resonance signals were observed between δ = 6.99 and 7.96 ppm. ¹³C{¹H} NMR spectra of these copolymers were complex and in order to resolve this, two-dimensional (2D) NMR techniques were utilized. Heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC), total correlated spectroscopy (TOCSY), and heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC) were used for assigning the structure of the copolymers.     

Alternating copolymers of propylene and alkyl acrylates

High-molecular-weight alternating and acrylate-rich copolymers of propylene and ethyl acrylate were prepared by using boron trifluoride to complex the acrylate ester. The polymerizations were run at room temperature and autogeneous pressures with free-radical initiation. The polymers were characterized by their nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and infrared (IR) spectra, differential scanning calorimetry, and gel permeation chromatography. The proton and ¹³C NMR spectra show that the equimolar copolymers are alternating to a high degree.     

Two-dimensional NMR studies of cyperene

Combined utilization of ¹H? ¹H homonuclear and ¹H? ¹³C heteronuclear NMR chemical shift correlations, two-dimensional J-resolved ¹H NMR measurements and homonuclear ¹H double resonance experiments allowed specific assignments for both ¹H and ¹³C NMR frequencies to be made for the tricyclic sesquiterpene cyperene. The results also provided information on the conformation of the six-membered ring of this natural product, which was recognized as a distorted chair.     

Two-dimensional photovoltaic copolymers with spatial D-A-D structures: synthesis,characterization and hetero-atom effect

A series of two-dimensional(2D)conjugated copolymers with spatial D-A-D structures(PTNBTB,PTCBTB,and PTSBTB)consisting of hetero-atom-bridged dithiophene and phenylvinyl-substituted benzothiadiazole blocks in the main chain have been designed,synthesized,and characterized.The structure-property relationships of the resulting copolymers were systematically investigated.The effects of the bridging atoms(N,C,and Si)on their thermal,optical,electrochemical and chargetransporting properties were also studied.PTNBTB exhibits a smaller band gap with red-shifted absorption,whereas PTSBTB possesses deeper HOMO level and higher hole mobility than PTCBTB or PTSBTB.Bulk heterojunction(BHJ)solar cells were fabricated and characterized with the conventional configuration of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/copolymer:PC71BM(1:1)/Ca/Al.As expected,PTSBTB devices showed the highest PCE,up to 4.01%,which was due to the lower HOMO level,higher carrier mobility,and stronger optical response as well as the finer nanoscale phase separation of the pristine polymer and/or the corresponding blending active layer with PC71BM.The primary results offer useful insights in designing 2D copolymers with spatial D-A-D backbone and different hetero-atom bridged donor units to finely tune the absorptions,electronic energy levels,carrier mobilities and the photovoltaic properties.     

青蒿素的二维核磁共振研究

报导了采用二维核磁共振技术研究青蒿素的核磁氢谱和碳谱的谱线归属,以今后为^1^3C中间体的生物转化产物提供鉴定的基础.     

2H NMR spin relaxation study of the soft segment motion in alternating ethylene–propylene copolymers

We synthesized three partially deuterated polymer samples, namely a poly(ethylene‐alt‐propylene) (EP) alternating copolymer, a poly(styrene‐b‐EP) diblock copolymer (SEP) and a poly(styrene‐b‐EP‐b‐styrene) triblock copolymer (SEPS). The ²H spin–lattice relaxation time, T₁, of EP soft segments above their glass transition temperature was measured by solid‐state ²H NMR spectroscopy. It was found that the block copolymers had a fast and a slow T₁ component whereas EP copolymer had only a fast component. The fast T₁ components for SEP and SEPS are similar to the T₁ value of EP above ca 20°C. The slow T₁ component for SEP and SEPS exhibited a minimum at 60°C and approached the value of the fast component near the T_g of polystyrene. The motional behavior of the EP units for SEP is similar to that of SEPS over the entire range of temperature. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structure-properties relationships in some random copolymers of propylene

Correlations have been investigated between the content of short isotactic segments and thermal properties in some propylene/olefin random copolymers. Polypropylene copolymers modified by ethylene show variations different from those for copolymers modified by ethylene and butene. However, in both cases, the weldability temperature decreases on increasing the comonomer concentration.     

Two-dimensional liquid chromatography of PDMS-PS block copolymers

In this study, liquid chromatography at critical conditions of polystyrene (PS) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is used as the first dimension for the two-dimensional analysis of polydimethylsiloxane-block-polystyrene copolymers. Comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography with size exclusion chromatography as the second dimension reveals information about the molar mass distributions of all separated fractions from the first dimension. Furthermore, fractions eluting at the critical conditions were collected and subjected to analysis in the second dimension at the critical adsorption point of the other block. These fractions were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to determine their chemical compositions. The combination of the above approaches and the calibration of the evaporative light scattering detector for the first-dimension analysis yield deep insights into the molecular heterogeneity of the block copolymer samples. The composition of the samples and the chemical composition of the real block copolymer are also calculated by combining the results obtained at both critical conditions.     

Flow-induced crystallization of propylene/ethylene random copolymers

The influence of the co-monomer content and processing conditions on the crystallization kinetics of propylene/ethylene (P/E) random copolymers is studied using DSC and rheometry. The presence of ethylene lowers the melting and crystallization temperature compared to pure polypropylene, and the quiescent crystallization rate, [(X)\dot], \dot{X}, increases at equal nominal undercooling, because both the crystal growth rate, G, and number of nuclei, N, increases. The effect of flow on the kinetics of crystallization decreases with the ethylene content. Still, different regimes of flow-induced crystallization are observed, but their size and the position of the transitions between them depend on the ethylene content, and can be expressed in terms of the level of molecular orientation, molecular stretch, and crystallization capacity of the system.     

Two-dimensional zero-field NMR and NQR

Corrlalations between quadrupolar frequencies in a spin I = 1 system are determined through a two-dimensional version of the zero-field NMR experiment. Results presented on a selectively deuterated polycrystalline solid illustrate this for the quadrupolar lines corresponding to inequivalent deuterium sites.     

Analysis of fractionation of ethylene–propylene copolymers

Analysis of the solution fractionation of ethylene–propylene copolymers was carried out by assuming a bivariate normal distribution function for the distribution of molecular weight and chemical composition. It was found that the variation of the molecular weight and composition distributions in fractions was complicated, because two distribution characteristics of the original copolymer affect fractionation to differing extents. The hypothetical cumulative weight distribution curves thus obtained agreed essentially with those obtained experimentally.     

WAXS studies on block copolymers of ethylene and propylene

Wide-angle X-ray scattering from presumed block copolymers of polypropylene (PP) and ethylene-propylene copolymer (EPR), i.e., PP-EPR and PP-EPR-PP, synthesized by sequential polymerization with δ-TiCl₃? Et₂AlCl, was examined and compared with WAXS of mechanical blends and chain-transfer mixtures of PP and EPR with comparable compositions. The peak at 2θ = 20° for both the copolymers and the mixtures was attributed to the γ modification of PP in EPR. A strong variation in the ratio of diffraction intensities I₀₄₀/I₁₁₀ of PP in block copolymers and mixtures was explained in terms of crystallite growth in different directions. Analysis of the patterns and calculation of crystallinity, crystallite size, and lattice parameters led to the conclusion that block structure existed in the prepared copolymers.     

An NMR study of the structure and molecular characteristics of polyether block copolymers based on propylene oxide and ethylene oxide

The structure of propylene oxide-ethylene oxide block copolymers prepared with the use of glycerol as an initiator and potassium monoglycerate as a catalyst was studied by NMR spectroscopy. The relative amounts of oxypropylene and oxyethylene monomer units, the functionality-type distribution, the number-average molecular mass, and the ratio between primary and secondary terminal hydroxyl groups were determined. The applicability of ¹H and ¹³C NMR techniques to characterization of these copolymers is discussed. The obtained NMR data are compared with results obtained by other techniques.     

Spectroscopy of irradiated vinyl chloride–propylene copolymers

Spectra of vinyl chloride—propylene copolymers irradiated at low temperature in vacuum have been obtained at selected temperatures in the range 130–335°K. Copolymers and PVC homopolymer pass through identical intermediate states of dehydrochlorination in which alkyl, allyl, and polyenyl radicals are observed. Substantial spectral differences between copolymers and PVC appearing in the final states of dehydrochlorination after warming above room temperature are consistent with shorter average polyene lengths in the copolymers. This probably results from termination of polyene growth by propylene comonomer. Spectral differences at long wavelength between copolymers with varying amounts of propylene are minor compared to the basic changes between copolymer and homopolymer.     

Preparation of telechelic oligomers by thermal degradation of propylene copolymers

The reactive end groups of nonvolatile oligomers obtained by controlled thermal degradation of poly(propylene-ran-ethylene) and poly(propylene-ran-1-butene) were determined by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The molar ratio of unsaturated to saturated end groups was found to be about 9:1. The average number of unsaturated end groups per molecule was between 1.6 and 1.8, indicating that 60–80 mol% of the oligomer molecules were telechelic, having two terminal unsaturated end groups. These oligomers had a lower polydispersity than the raw material, despite their lower molecular weight and melting temperature. Although the end groups resulting from each monomer unit could be detected by ¹³C NMR, the end group composition differed from that of the main chains of the raw materials. The end group composition was satisfactorily explained by the differences in bond dissociation energy and activation energy of elementary reactions that occurred during thermal degradation, based on the monomer composition of the raw materials.     

Kinetic modelling of radiochemical ageing of ethylene–propylene copolymers

A non-empirical kinetic model has been built for describing the general trends of radiooxidation kinetics of ethylene–propylene copolymers (EPR) at low γ dose rate and low temperature. It is derived from a radical chain oxidation mechanism composed of 30 elementary reactions: 19 relative to oxidation of methylene and methyne units plus 11 relative to their eventual cooxidation. The validity of this model has been already checked successfully elsewhere for one homopolymer: polyethylene (PE) (Khelidj et al., 2006a, Khelidj et al., 2006b; Colin et al., 2007). In the present study, it is now checked for polypropylene (PP) and a series of three EPR differing essentially by their mole fraction of ethylene (37%, 73% and 86%) and their crystallinity degree (0%, 5% and 26%). Predicted values of radiation-chemical yields are in good agreement with experimental ones published in the last half past century.     

Insertion/isomerization polymerization of 1,5-hexadiene: synthesis of functional propylene copolymers and block copolymers

Polymerization of 1,5-hexadiene with a bis(phenoxyimine) titanium catalyst system is reported. The microstructure of the polymer contains the expected methylene-1,3-cyclopentane units as well as the unexpected 3-vinyl tetramethylene units. A mechanism for formation of this polymer is proposed. This unusual reaction is also employed in the synthesis of vinyl-functional polypropylene copolymers and block copolymers with low polydispersity indices.