Electrochemical preparation of a soluble conducting aniline-thiophene copolymer

A new of soluble sulfonated conductive copolymer has been synthesized by electrochemical oxidation in the presence of anhydrous FSO₃H. The sulphur-to-nitrogen ratios indicated that copolymers were formed in addition to the incorporation of groups into polymeric backbone. The sulfonated copolymer films have better solubility in DMSO and KOH. The conductivity of the copolymer films increases with the increase in the number of thiophene rings in the polymeric backbone. Copolymer films synthesized were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, UV-visible, FT-IR and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy, dry conductivity and intrinsic viscosity measurements, elemental analysis and SEM pictures.     

Electrochemical synthesis of soluble sulfonated poly(3-methyl thiophene)

Electrochemical polymerization of poly(3-methyl thiophene) films (3-MTy) which are self-doped with SO₃⁻ was investigated. The sulfonated poly(3-methyl thiophene) films synthesized from the solution which contained different amounts of HSO₃F. The sulfonated polymer films were found to be soluble in DMF and KOH. The solubility values increased and the conductivity values decreased with the increase in sulfonation ratio. The resulting polymers were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, UV-Vis, FT-IR, elemental analysis, dry conductivity measurements and SEM techniques.     

A pyrolysis mass spectrometry study of polythiophene copolymers

The thermal behaviour of copolymers of thiophene with decanedioic acid bis-(2-thiophen-3-yl-ethyl)ester (DATE) and terephthalic acid bis-(2-thiophen-3-yl-ethyl)ester (TATE) prepared by potentiostatic polymerization was studied via pyrolysis mass spectrometry. It was determined that the electrolytic films correspond to the related homopolymers. The increase in thermal stability of ester linkages, and evolution of characteristic degradation products of TATE and DATE together with thiophene based products above 400 °C confirmed copolymer formation.     

Sulfonated poly(fluorenyl ether ketone) membrane prepared via direct polymerization for PEM fuel cell application

Sulfonated poly(fluorenyl ether ketone)s with inherent viscosity ranging from 0.68 to 0.93 dL/g were directly synthesized by aromatic nucleophilic polycondensation of bisphenol fluorene with various ratios of sulfonated difluorobenzophenone to difluorobenzophenone. The synthesized polymers were characterized by ¹H NMR method and elemental analysis. The polymers were tested to be soluble in dipolar aprotic solvents such as DMAc, DMF and DMSO and can be readily cast into tough films. These films showed highly thermal degradation temperature, glass transition temperature and excellent water affinity as well as excellent proton conductivity. The polymers showed a promising proton membrane material for PEM fuel cell application.     

聚丁基噻吩的电化学合成及性能研究

丁基噻吩在硝基苯溶液中以六氟磷酸四丁基季铵盐为支持电解质，在恒电流条件下进行电化学氧化聚合，通过电导率的测量及可见──紫外光谱分析，讨论了单体浓度、电解质浓度、电流密度、聚合温度对聚合物膜的导电性能的影响。扫描电镜图表明，随着聚合的进行．膜的表面呈“菜花”状结构。循环伏安图表明聚了基噻吩与聚噻吩具有相近的氧化峰位。     

Surface properties and abhesion of undecyl oxazoline block and homopolymers

The surface properties of three undecyl oxazoline homopolymers and two phenyl/undecyl oxazoline block copolymers (as comparison) were studied. After coating on glass slides and annealing, all films had a low critical surface energy of 21 dynes/cm. Water contact angles were higher than 107° for the most hydrophobic films. The deduction that the polymer surfaces contained close-packed methyl groups was further confirmed by electron spectroscopy chemical analysis (ESCA) angle profiling on an annealed undecyl oxazoline homopolymer film. A model was developed for the variation of elemental ratios as a function of photoelectron take-off angle. This verified that the polymer films had the polymer backbones parallel to the surface with the undecyl tails oriented toward the surface. When these block and homopolymers were coated on copy paper and glass slides, the peel strengths of pressure-sensitive adhesives with these surfaces were very low for short dwell times at room temperature. At long dwell times or at elevated temperatures, the peel strengths remained low for the homopolymers but increased greatly for the block copolymers to values higher than those in the tape on glass. After 24 h at 70°C, ESCA analysis showed that the adhesive diffused into the phenyl block domains of the diblock copolymer, generating high peel strength and cohesive failure. However, under the same annealing conditions, the triblock copolymer showed adhesive failure while peel strength increased. ESCA analysis showed very litle diffusion of the adhesive into the triblock copolymer. The homopolymers were stable toward vinyl acetate type adhesives even at elevated temperature; they were abhesive up to 100°C with no interdiffusion.     

Electrochemical synthesis and characterization of poly(pyrrole-co-tetrahydrofuran) conducting copolymer

The direct electrochemical copolymerization of pyrrole and tetrahydrofuran in various monomer ratios was carried out by potentiostatic methods in nitromethane solution. The copolymer has been characterized using FT-IR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetrical analysis (TGA), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and elemental analysis. The results showed that the electrochemical oxidation of pyrrole and tetrahydrofuran comonomers generated true copolymers rather than blends of the two homopolymers. The copolymer showed a better flexibility than pure polypyrrole. The electrical conductivity of the copolymers increases with the amount of polypyrrole in the copolymer between the value of 1.69 S/cm and 0.71 S/cm.     

两种不对称草酰胺桥联双核铜(Ⅱ)配合物的合成及电化学性质

合成了两种新型草酰胺桥联双核铜配合物 ,并以元素分析、红外光谱、电子光谱、摩尔电导、热重分析和室温磁矩对所合成铜配合物进行表征 ,推定新合成的双核铜配合物具有草酰胺桥联结构 .采用循环伏安法测定了双核配合物的氧化还原电位 ,表明两种配合物均显示一个单电子还原过程 .     

Conducting graft copolymers of pyrrole and thiophene with random copolymers of methyl methacrylate and 3-methylthienyl methacrylate

Random copolymers of 3-methyl thienylmethacrylate and methyl methacrylate were synthesized via free radical polymerization. Electro-copolymerizations of random copolymers with thiophene and/or pyrrole were carried out in acetonitrile-tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TBAFB), water-p-toluene sulfonic acid (PTSA) solvent-electrolyte couples. Oxidative polymerization of thiophene functionalized random copolymer was also achieved by constant current electrolysis and chemical polymerization. The characterizations were done by conductivity measurements, cyclic voltammetry (CV), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM).     

两种[对苯乙炔-2,5-二(十二烷氧基)对苯乙炔]共聚物的合成及性能研究

用含氯前聚物路线和Ｈｅｃｋ反应分别合成［对苯乙炔－２，５－二（十二烷氧基）对苯乙炔］无规共聚物及交替共聚物．由元素分析、凝胶渗透色谱、吸收光谱及ＤＳＣ对其进行表征，研究了共聚物的组成与导电率、溶解性及发光性能的关系．比较了无规共聚物与交替共聚物在性能上的差别．     

Synthesis, characterization, and thermoelectric properties of a conducting copolymer of 1,12-bis(carbazolyl)dodecane and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene

Poly(1,12-bis(carbazolyl)dodecane-co-thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) (P(2Cz-D-co-TT)), a conducting copolymer was synthesized electrochemically by direct anodic oxidation of 1,12-bis(carbazolyl)dodecane (2Cz-D) and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (TT) in boron trifluoride diethyl ethrate containing 30% (vol) dichloromethane. As-formed copolymers exhibited high redox activity and reversibility and good conductive properties. The emitting property of as-formed copolymer was different from those of respective homopolymers, and could be tuned by changing the initiate monomer feed ratios. Thermoelectric investigations revealed that the electrical conductivities of as-obtained copolymer films were between 0.1 and 0.3 S cm⁻¹ at ambient temperature, lower than that of polythieno[3,2-b]thiophene (PTT) (0.42 S cm⁻¹) but two orders of magnitude higher than that of poly(1,12-bis(carbazolyl)dodecane) (P2Cz-D) (10⁻³ S cm⁻¹). The Seebeck coefficients and the power factors of the copolymers were improved with different degrees compared with those of PTT and P2Cz-D. As expected, the thermoelectric performance of PTT and P2Cz-D were both improved through copolymerization, which may be beneficial to the exploration and investigation of novel organic thermoelectric materials.     

Synthesis and characterization of sulfonated polyimide membranes for direct methanol fuel cell

The sulfonated polyimide (SPI) membranes for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) were synthesized with 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA), 2,2′-benzidinedisulfonic acid (BDSA), 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA) through classical two-step methods: (1) preparation of sulfonated poly(amic acid) (SPAA) precursors with different sulfonation levels by controlling the molar ratio of BDSA to ODA, and (2) thermal imidization of the SPAA films. The chemical structure and the imidization from SPAA membranes were characterized by FT-IR with temperature, and the sulfonation levels were determined by elemental analysis. The thermal stability of the membranes was also characterized by TGA. From water uptake and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments for different sulfonation levels, it was found that the number of water clusters in SPI membranes increased as the water uptake of membranes increased, but the size of water cluster was not changed with the sulfonation levels. The proton conductivity and the methanol permeability of SPI membrane showed a sudden leap like a percolation phenomenon around 35 mol% of sulfonation level. The SPI membranes exhibited relatively high proton conductivity and extremely low methanol permeability, and showed the feasibility of suitable polymer electrolyte membranes (PEM) for DMFC.     

ELECTROCHEMICAL COPOLYMERIZATION OF 3-（4-FLUOROPHENYL）THIOPHENE AND 3-METHYLTHIOPHENE IN BORON TRIFLUORIDE DIETHYL ETHERATE

The copolymer poly（3-（4-fluorophenyl）thiophene-co-3-methylthiophene） was successfully prepared from mixtures of 3-（4-fluorophenyl）thiophene （FPT） and 3-methylthiophene （MET） via electrochemical oxidation in boron trifluoride diethyl etherate （BFEE） and its mixed electrolytes with acetonitrile （ACN）. The influence of monomer concentration ratios on the copolymerization was investigated by using linear sweep voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry. The structure and morphology of these copolymer films were elucidated by UV-Vis, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, thermal analysis and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, respectively. The results showed that the molar ratio of FPT and MeT units, when copolymer was electrodeposited from feed ratio of FPT：MeT = 1：2, was about 1.08：1. In addition, the introduction of ACN into BFEE has little effect on the properties of as-formed copolymers.     

SYNTHESIS AND PROPERTIES OF SULFONATED POLY（ARYLENE ETHER） CONTAINING TRIPHENYL METHANE MOIETIES FROM ISOCYNATE MASKED BISPHENOL

A novel sulfonated poly（arylene ether） containing triphenylmethane moieties was synthesized by the sulfonation of a designed parent polymer using chlorosulfonic acid as sulfonation agent. The sulfonation took place at the para position of the pendant phenyl rings because of the specially designed parent polymer. The position and degree of sulfonation were characterized by ^1H-NMR and elemental analysis. The sulfonated polymers are highly soluble in common organic solvents, such as dimethylsulfoxide, N,N＇-dimethylacetamide, dimethylformamide, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, and can be readily cast into tough and smooth films from solutions. The films showed good thermal and hydrolysis stabilities. Moreover, Fenton＇s reagent test revealed that the films exhibited superior stability to oxidation. The proton conductivities of the films were comparable with Nation 117 under same conditions. The membrane electrode assembly （MEA） prepared with the asmade film （706 EW, 100 μm dry thickness） shows better cell performance than Nation 115-MEA in the whole current density range.     

Photodegradation of Heterophasic Ethylene-Propylene Copolymers in the Solid State

The photodegradations of various heterophasic ethylene-propylene (E-P) copolymer films were studied at 30 and 55°C in air for varying time intervals. The photochemical behavior of E-P copolymers is quite different from amorphous polypropylene and polyethylene homopolymers but resembles that of isotactic polypropylene. The nonvolatile products in photooxidized copolymer films have been quantitatively identified by infrared analysis. The kinetics and general oxidation mechanism scheme for E-P copolymer are presented. The identification of γ-lactone is an indication of the importance of an intramolecular back-biting process. The overall functional group distribution is found to differ from that in polyethylene and E-P copolymers.     

Peculiarities of Steady-State and Unsteady-State Mass Transfers through Pervaporation Membranes Based on Sulfonated Aromatic Polyamides

Permeability and selectivity of pervaporation membranes based on homopolymers of sulfonated aromatic amides and their random copolymer are studied. It is shown that slight differences in macromolecular configuration of homopolymers caused by the introduction of benzene rings into polymer chain in meta or para positions substantially change the membrane transport properties with respect to water–organic solutions. During an unsteady-state process, in the course of film swelling, the polymers undergo structural transformations that intensify nonlinear relaxation processes. In particular, periodic selectivity inversions are observed in these highly hydrophilic systems. The nonlinear character of the set of the processes accompanying mass transfer can cause different membranes taken from the same batch of films to demonstrate selective permeability with respect to both water and an organic component in the steady-state regime of the pervaporation unit operation.     

Synthesis and characterization of sulfonated naphthalenic polyimides based on 4,4′-diaminodiphenylether-2,2′-disulfonic acid and bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenylhexafluoropropane] for fuel cell applications

The paper describes the synthesis and characterization of sulfonated polyimides based on 1,4,5,8-naphthalene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (NTDA), 4,4′-diaminodiphenylether-2,2′-disulfonic acid (ODADS) and (bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenylhexafluoropropane] (BDAF)). Several copolymer samples were prepared by varying the molar ratio of ODADS: BDAF (0.5:1.50, 0.75:1.25, 1:1 and 1.50: 0.5) in the initial monomer feed. Structural characterization of the copolymers was done using FT-IR and ¹H NMR. ¹H NMR was also used to calculate the copolymer composition. Thermal characterization was done using thermogravimertry and dynamic mechanical analysis. Polymer films were prepared by solution casting using m-cresol as solvent. The membranes thus prepared were characterized for water uptake, water stability, methanol permeability and proton conductivity. The obtained sulfonated polyimides (SPI’s) had proton conductivities in the range of 0.137-3.94 mS/cm. SPI’s with 50% degree of sulfonation had proton conductivity comparable to that of Nafion with methanol permeability lower than that of Nafion. It was found that the degree of sulfonation of polyimide had a large effect on the thermal stability, water uptake, ion-exchange capacity and proton conductivity.     

The effect of crosslinked networks with poly(ethylene glycol) on sulfonated polyimide for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

To investigate the effect of crosslinking by a hydrophilic group on a sulfonated polyimide electrolyte membrane, sulfonated polyimide end‐capped with maleic anhydride was synthesized using 1,4,5,8‐naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride, 4,4′‐diaminobiphenyl, 2,2′‐disulfonic acid, 2‐bis [4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl] hexafluropropane and maleic anhydride. The sulfonated polyimides end‐capped with maleic anhydride were self‐crosslinked or crosslinked with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate. A series of the crosslinked sulfonated polyimides having various ratios of sulfonated polyimide and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate were prepared and compared with uncrosslinked and self‐crosslinked sulfonated polyimides. The synthesized sulfonated polyimide films were characterized for FTIR spectrum, thermal stability, ion exchange capacity, water uptake, hydrolytic stability, morphological structure, and proton conductivity. The formation of sulfonated polyimide was confirmed in FTIR spectrum. Thermal stability was good for all the sulfonated polyimides that exhibited a three‐step degradation pattern. Ion exchange capacity was the same for both the uncrosslinked and the self‐crosslinked sulfonated polyimides (1.30 mEq/g). When the crosslinked sulfonated polyimides with poly(ethylene glycol) were compared, the ion exchange capacity was decreased as 1.27 > 1.25 > 1.23 mEq/g and water uptake was increased as 23.8 < 24.0 < 24.3% with the increase in poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate content. All the crosslinked sulfonated polyimides with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate were stable for over 200 h at 80 °C in deionized water. Morphological structure and mean intermolecular distance were obtained by WAXD. Proton conductivities were measured at 30, 50, 70, and 90 °C. The proton conductivity of the crosslinked sulfonated polyimides with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate increased with the increase in poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate content despite the fact that the ion exchange capacity was decreased. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 1455–1464, 2005     

REDOX ACTIVE,MULTI-CHROMOPHORE RU(II) POLYPYRIDYL-CARBAZOLE COPOLYMERS: SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION

A novel diimine ligand, 2-(2-pyridyl) 4-carboxyquinoline (pcq) and its corresponding polypyridyl Ru(II) complex were synthesized, characterized, and covalently attached to a carbazole based copolymer via post polymer modification. The resulting modified electroactive and multi-chromophoric polymer was readily characterized by UV-visible, FT-IR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and elemental and electrochemical analysis. Results from cyclic voltammetry and FT-IR analysis both confirmed the covalent attachment of redox active Ru(II) center into the polymer. The emission spectrum of the copolymer, in comparison to that of Ru(II) complex, demonstrated that the excited-state properties of the metal complex is maintained, in contrast to the electronic absorption spectrum, which is sensitive to the hydrophobic polymeric chain surrounding the redox sites. The thermal analysis suggested that this metallopolymer also possesses high thermal stability. The ruthenium content was also found to be 7%, which corresponds to 80% of the maximum loading, by elemental analysis.     

Novel anhydrous proton conducting copolymers of 1‐vinyl‐1,2,4‐triazole and diisopropyl‐p‐vinylbenzyl phosphonate

Phosphonic acid functional polymers are currently of interest because of their high proton conductivity in humidified and anhydrous systems. In addition, heterocyclic compounds are used in anhydrous proton conducting polymer membranes. In that study, a new copolymer based on 1‐vinyl‐1,2,4‐triazole (VTri) and diisopropyl‐p‐vinylbenzyl phosphonate (VBP) was synthesized, and their thermal, chemical, and proton conducting properties were investigated. The copolymers were synthesized by free radical copolymerization of the corresponding monomers at several monomer feed ratios to obtain P(VTri‐co‐VBP) copolymers. The copolymer samples were then hydrolyzed to produce poly(vinyl triazole‐co‐vinyl phosphonic acid) copolymers. The composition of the copolymers was determined by elemental analysis. The copolymerization and hydrolysis reactions were verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ion exchange capacity measurements. Thermogravimetry analysis indicates that the copolymers are thermally stable up to 300°C. In order to increase the proton conductivity, the copolymers were doped with H₃PO₄ at several stoichometric ratios. The proton conductivity increases with triazole and phosphoric acid content. In the absence of humidity, the copolymer electrolyte, P(VTri‐co‐VBPA)1:0.5 X = 2, showed a proton conductivity of 0.005 S/cm at 150°C. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.