The structure and chromatographic properties of poly(ethylene glycol) 20M layer on the surface of a diatomaceous earth type support

Summary The properties of poly(ethylene glycol) 20M (PEG 20M) coated on the hydroxylated surface of Chromaton N AW were investigated by inverse gas chromatography. It was found that the solid form of PEG 20M exhibits partition as the retention mechanism even below its melting range. The contribution of adsorption to the specific retention volume was also determined. It was demonstrated that inverse gas chromatography establishes the existence of a polymer surface layer but precise determination of its thickness is difficult. The limitation of the applicability of inverse gas chromatography results from the structure of the investigated surface layer which is thin and not coherent so that solute molecules can penetrate it.     

Analysis of citrates and benzoates used in poly(vinyl chloride) by supercritical fluid extraction and gas chromatography

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) has been demonstrated to be a useful tool in the determination of additives in polymeric materials. This paper describes the determination of some citrates and benzoates in poly(vinyl chloride) blended with 33–34% of plasticizer using off-line SFE followed by gas chromatography. Experimental factors affecting SFE have been studied by gravimetric analysis, followed by analysis of the extracts using a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector. The extraction process is governed by the solubility of the plasticizers in the supercritical fluid or by their diffusion through the polymer matrix, which depend on the pressure and temperature used. Maximum extraction (>99%) is obtained at pressures and temperatures higher than 40 MPa and 80 °C, respectively. Due to purge losses, the collection efficiency of plasticizers into a liquid solvent ranges from 85 to 90%. The applicability of the SFE method is demonstrated using real samples and comparing the results with those obtained by conventional Soxhlet extraction.     

Composition effects on ethylene/propylene copolymers studied by GPC-MALS and GPC-IR

Copolymer composition and comonomer distribution along the polymer chains are important to determine the properties and the final usefulness of the polymer. There are several ways to study directly or not directly such comonomer distribution because it has a big effect on different kind of properties. GPC-MALS (multi-angle light scattering coupled to size exclusion chromatography), GPC-IR (size exclusion chromatography with an IR detector), CRYSTAF-TREF (crystallization analysis fractionation-temperature rising elution fractionation) or NMR are very common used techniques to obtain such kind of knowledge.In this work several ethylene/propylene copolymers in the whole composition range are characterized using NMR, GPC-IR and GPC-MALS. Average copolymer composition was obtained by ¹³C-NMR and by IR, and a linear correspondence between both results was found. GPC-IR allows to study the percentage of ethylene for each M_w and to check that incorporation of ethylene is done uniformly over the entire range of molecular weights, while the incorporation of propylene presents heterogeneity in the incorporation. GPC-MALS characterization allows the q shape parameter determination and quantification of the effect that the second monomer introduces as impediment to adopt the random coil distribution.     

Nanostructured poly(urethane)s and poly(urethane-urea)s from reactive solutions of poly[styrene-b-butadiene-b-(methyl methacrylate)]-triblock copolymers

Poly[Styrene-b-Butadiene-b-(Methyl Methacrylate)], SBM triblock copolymers have been incorporated in different polyurethane, PU formulations in order to prepare nanostructured materials. Macrodiols used for PU synthesis were based on a central bis-phenol A, BPA unit with two hydroxyl-terminated oligo(oxypropylene), BPA-PO_x or oligo(oxyethylene), BPA-EO chains with varying lengths. The initial solubility of the three blocks and the rheological behavior of the solutions in macrodiols and also in two diisocyanates, isophorone diisocyanate, IPDI, and 1,3-xylylene diisocyanate, XDI have been first characterized. The PMMA block is the most soluble and its role during the reaction is to stabilize the initial nanostructure or to control the reaction-induced microphase separation.Block copolymers can be dissolved first in the macrodiol, or preferably in the diisocyanate. With BPA-PO_x and low SBM content (<10 wt%), transparent linear or crosslinked PU with well dispersed triblock nanoparticles have been prepared, depending on the molar mass of the macrodiol and on the concentration of diblock SB impurities present in the triblock. For high SBM concentrations (>50 wt%), a twin screw extruder had to be used for the blending. Under well-defined conditions, transparent linear PUs and linear segmented polyurethane-ureas have been prepared.This study confirms that for designing a nanostructured material from a reactive mixture with a triblock additive, one block, called “the nanostructuring block” has to remain soluble up to the end of the reaction.     

Influence of the presence of small gas molecules in the structure of comblike polyacrylates: a Monte Carlo study

A theoretical strategy has been developed to study the motion of small molecules through ordered polymeric systems. The strategy, which has been incorporated into a computer program denoted MCDP/2, is especially useful to study comblike polymers organized in biphasic arrangements. This is because it is based on a configurational bias Monte Carlo algorithm, which is more efficient than conventional methods to study dense systems. The MCDP/2 program has been used to investigate the influence of CH(4) and CO(2) gas molecules in the structure of isotactic poly(octadecyl acrylate), a typical comblike polymer. For this purpose, the pure polymer and different molecular systems constituted by several gas molecules dissolved in the polymer matrix have been simulated. Results indicated that the structural relaxation of the polymer is not coupled to the motion of gas molecules. The importance of these results in the field of molecular modeling of transport properties in comblike polymers is discussed.     

COMPARED PROPERTIES OF FLUORINATED HETEROCYCLIC COPOLYIMIDES

Various new fluorinated heterocyclic copolyimides have been synthesized by a polycondensation reaction of a diacid chloride containing imide, hexafluoroisopropylidene and methylene groups with aromatic or heteroaromatic diamines containing preformed phenylquinoxaline or 1,3,4-oxadiazole rings. Other fluorinated heterocyclic copolyimides have been prepared by a polycondensation reaction of the same diacid chloride with aromatic dihydrazides, bis(o-hydroxy-amine)s or a bis(o-carboxy-amine), resulting in intermediate polyhydrazides, poly(o-hydroxy-amide)s or poly(o-carboxy-amide), respectively, which were futher cyclodehydrated to the corresponding polyoxadia zole-imide, polybenzoxazole-imide or polybenzoxazinone-imide structure. These polymers showed good solubility in polar amidic solvents, such as N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP) and dimethylformamide (DMF), and even in less polar liquids, like tetrahydrofurane or pyridine, except for those compounds containing benzoxazole rings which were less soluble, only on heating in NMP or DMF. The weight average molecular weight measured for tetrahydrofurane-fully-soluble polymers are in the range of 12800–26700 and the polydispersity is in the range of 2–5. All these polymers exhibited good thermal stability, with decomposition temperature being above 350°C, although somewhat lower than that of related polymers prepared by using fully aromatic diacid chlorides instead of the present ones containing methylene units. The glass transition temperature is in the range of 200–300°C. The dielectric constant measured for polymer films is in the range of 3.3–3.7. Tensile strength is in the range of 35–70 MPa, elongation to break between 30–40% and tensile modulus in the range of 170–330 MPa. A study of the relation between conformational parameters and properties of some of these polymers has been carried out by using the Monte Carlo method with an allowance for hindered rotation, and the values were compared with the experimental data and discussed in relation with the rigidity of the chains. The present polymers are potential candidates for use as high performance materials.     

Solubility and Flory Huggins parameters of SBES, poly(styrene-b-butene/ethylene-b-styrene) triblock copolymer, determined by intrinsic viscosity

Solubility parameter and Flory Huggins interaction parameter of a triblock SBES have been obtained from intrinsic viscosity measurements. The solubility of the block copolymer in all solvents (methyl-cyclohexane, cyclohexane, cyclopentane, toluene and benzene) was found good except in the case of n-hexane. The results obtained are similar to other found in literature for SBR and SBS rubbers, and indicate that cyclohexane and cyclopentane and methylcyclohexane are the most compatible solvents for this kind of polymer.     

新型聚(甲基)丙烯酸酯/盐透明材料的制备及其性能

聚(甲基)丙烯酸酯具有优异的透光性、耐光性和耐候性,广泛用作光学塑料.研制高折射率、高耐热性、低吸湿性的透明高分子材料是近年来光学塑料研究和开发的重点之一.本文介绍了新型聚(甲基)丙烯酸酯/盐透明高分子材料的主要制备方法,即新型单体合成-聚合法、共聚法、共混-聚合法和有机-无机纳米杂化法,并系统地总结了各方法的特点以及所制备的材料的性能,展示了目前应用最为广泛的新型单体合成-聚合法和有机-无机纳米杂化法的潜在的应用前景.     

The utilization of TG/GC/MS in the establishment of the mechanism of poly(styrene) degradation

General purpose poly(styrene) is a large volume commodity polymer used in a variety of applications. It is widely used in food packaging, particularly for baked goods. In this application, the presence of styrene monomer, which has a distinctive taste and aroma, cannot be tolerated. Processing of the polymer and forming of the food container at an unacceptably high temperature leads to the formation of styrene monomer and finished articles with unacceptable aroma characteristics. An examination of the thermal degradation of poly(styrene) has revealed the origin of monomer formation. The thermal decomposition of poly(styrene) has been widely studied. However, most studies have been carried out at high temperature (>300°C) where many processes are occurring simultaneously. Degradation at lower temperature, 280°C, occurs in two well-defined steps. The first is thermolysis of a head-to-head bond present in the mainchain as a consequence of polymerization termination by radical coupling. This generates macroradicals which smoothly depolymerize to expel styrene monomer. The nature of the degradation is readily apparent from kinetic analysis of the isothermal thermogravimetry (TG) data and the identity of the single volatile product may be readily established by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the effluent from the TG analysis.     

SEBS triblock copolymer-solvent interaction parameters from inverse gas chromatography measurements

Solubility parameter and Flory-Huggins polymer-solvent interaction parameter of an SEBS (poly(styrene-b-butene/ethylene-b-styrene) triblock copolymer) rubber, were measured by inverse gas chromatography (IGC) technique. The values obtained indicate that cyclohexane, n-pentane and cyclopentane are the most compatible solvents for this kind of polymers. Results were compared with previous data obtained from intrinsic viscosity measurements; also, an estimation using UNIFAC-FV model was performed showing differences less than 35% in terms of infinite dilution activity coefficient of solvents.     

A new class of aromatic poly(ether-ketone benzoxazole) copolymers by nucleophilic polycondensation: Synthesis and properties

A number of difluorophenyl benzoxazole (DB) monomers and 4,4′-difluorobenzophenone (DFB) were subjected to fluoro-displacement with two different phenoxides in a polar aprotic solvent. A series of novel poly(ether-ketone benzoxazole) copolymers (PAEKBOs) were more readily prepared, in which the generation of aryl-ether linkages was the copolymer forming reaction. The effects of monomer structure and polymerization conditions on the polymerization results and polymer solubility were analyzed. Copolymers 1, 2-X, 4 and 6 were obtained with high molecular weight. Copolymers 2-X and 4 showed organic solubility, especially the copolymers 2-X could dissolve in many usual organic solvents at the solid concentration of up to 20 wt%. TGA and DSC measurements confirmed that the copolymers 2-X, 4 and 6 were thermally stable up to 500 °C, and showed single enhanced T_gs and an amorphous morphology. The copolymers behaved in many respects as engineering thermoplastics. The properties and the processability of several members of the PAEKBOs offer the prospect of being candidates to substitute poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) using in a wider usage temperature range and being high performance materials for many applications as films, coatings for optical and electronic devices and gas separation membranes.     

Gas separation properties of aromatic poly(amide-imide) membranes

Aromatic poly(amide-imide)s were synthesized using direct 2,2-bis[N-(4-carboxyphenyl)-phthalimidyl] hexafluoropropane (6FDIA) polycondensation with various diamines containing flexible ether groups and bulky substituents. The oxygen and nitrogen gas transport in the poly(amide-imide) membranes was investigate at 35 °C with the pressure between the interval at 2-10 atm. The proposed method is expected to promote the gas permeability of the poly(amide-imide) membrane and maintain the gas selectivity. It was found that both gas permeability and selectivity of poly(amide-imide) membranes increased with increasing fractional free volume and d-spacing. The gas permeability had good correlation with the γ-transition temperature. The bulky pendent group introduced into diamine moiety of poly(amide-imide) could efficiently promote the gas permeability. For the behaviors of gas separation, the gas diffusivity coefficient and solubility selectivity controlled the gas permeability and selectivity, respectively. The sorption behavior of the aromatic poly(amide-imide) membranes can be well explained using the dual mode sorption model. The Langmuir capacity constant and Henry’s law constant increase with FFV increasing. 6F-TBAPS has the best O₂/N₂ separation performance among the poly(amide-imide) membranes.     

Synthesis of new environmentally friendly poly(urethane-imide)s as an adsorbent including β-cyclodextrin cavities and attached to iron nanoparticles for removal of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria from water samples

The presence of pathogenic bacteria in water is one of the important health concerns in the world. Herein, we report a new high-performance environmentally friendly poly (urethane-imide) (PUIm) containing β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) in its backbone to adsorb bacteria from water samples with significant heat resistance. New PUIm was prepared by bonding a diisocyanate as a new cross linking agent to β-CD and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The effects of concentrations of bare polymer and polymer bounded to iron nanoparticles and contact times on the adsorption of staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were considered at physiological pH. The adsorption capacity of this polymer is increased by binding it to MNPs and in addition it is possible to separate the polymer from aqueous sample with external magnetic field. A filter was also provided from polymer attached to iron nanoparticles and high percentages of bacteria were removed after filtering the real wastewater.     

On-line preferential solvation studies of polymers by coupled chromatographic-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic flow-cell technique

Qualitative and quantitative comparison between liquid chromatography (LC) and LC coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (LC-FTIR) to evaluate preferential solvation phenomenon of polymers in a mixed solvent has been performed. These studies show that LC-FTIR technique leads to detailed structural information without the requirement for determination of additional parameters for quantitative analysis except calibration. Appropriate experimental conditions for preferential solvation study have been established by variation of polymer concentration, molar mass and eluent content.     

Permethylated β-cyclodextrin in liquid poly(oxyethylene) as a stationary phase for capillary gas chromatography

This paper reports the study of poly(oxyethylene) as a solvent for heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin (PM-β-CD) and the potential of these mixtures for constructing enantioselective gas chromatography columns. Enantioseparations of volatile racemic mixtures using capillaries coated with 10–50% PM-β-CD diluted in Carbowax 20M were evaluated. The influence of the polymer type on retention, separation and reproducibility over a period of time is critically discussed. The poly(oxyethylene)-based columns were also compared to columns prepared by dilution of PM-β-CD in two polysiloxanes, SE-30 and SE-54, at several temperatures. Finally, we evaluated a new stationary phase prepared by crosslinking the chiral selector to the poly(oxyethylene) matrix.     

一种耐高温憎水聚芳醚的合成与性能初步研究

以双酚芴单体和全氟联苯为原料,通过亲核取代反应,在较低温度(120℃)下直接聚合,得到了一种高分子量的含芴部分含氟的聚芳醚,并用1H-NMR进行表征.合成的聚合物具有好的热稳定性,玻璃化温度达到271℃,5%的热失重为420℃.这些聚合物能溶于四氢呋喃、二氯甲烷、氯仿和DMAC等常见的有机溶剂,通过溶液浇注的方法制备出光滑、柔韧的膜,并利用表面接触角(CA)对膜材料的表面性能进行了表征.用氯仿制备膜的接触角为102°,而用四氢呋喃制备膜的接触角为107°,接触角接近聚四氟乙烯(112°),具有较好的憎水性.     

Investigation of the detection limit for the determination,by pyrolysis-capillary GC,of the thickness of ultra thin PMMA layers coated on to PET film

The determination of nanometer thick layers of poly(methyl methacrylate) coated on to the surface of poly(ethylene terephthalate) film has been investigated by high resolution pyrolysis gas chromatography without sample pretreatment or modification of the instrumentation used. A good linear relationship was observed between the quantity of the characteristic pyrolysate and the thickness of the poly(methyl methacrylate) layer; the detection limit was sufficient to enable the quantitation of poly(methyl methacrylate)-to-poly(ethylene terephthalate) film thickness ratios of 1:20000 in composite materials.     

Thermal degradation during melt processing of poly(ethylene oxide), poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) and their blends in the presence of additives, for conducting applications

In this paper, the thermal degradation during compounding of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) and their immiscible blends was investigated. Infrared spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, dynamic rheology, thermogravimetric analysis, and coupled gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy were used. Most of the identified degradation products or substances are glycols, formates, lactones, ethers or even acids for long processing times. The mechanisms for the production of these chemical compounds were already reported in previous publications. Additionally, the influence of carbon black and LiV₃O₈ additives, currently used for enhancing the conductive properties, was studied. Addition of carbon black causes an increase in the PEO stability, whereas addition of LiV₃O₈ has an opposite and dramatic effect. PVDF-HFP is found to be less susceptible to degradation because of the inherent stability of fluorine-containing polymers. However, melt processing provides additional contributions to degradation because of the high viscosities.     

新型碳纳米管色谱固定相制备的研究进展

碳纳米管（CNTs）作为一种新型的功能材料,具有优异的物理、化学和机械性能,已经在分析化学领域得到了广泛的关注和应用。通过填充法或原位化学气相沉积法,可制备CNTs气相色谱固定相;将CNTs沉积在硅胶微球或有机聚合物基质微球表面,可制备填充式CNTs液相色谱固定相;通过包埋共聚法将CNTs嵌入聚合物整体柱内,可制备毛细管CNTs液相色谱整体柱。本文主要综述了近年来CNTs（单壁碳纳米管和多壁碳纳米管）用于色谱固定相制备的研究现状,包括气相色谱及液相色谱,并对该领域今后的发展进行展望。     

Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable aliphatic copolyesters with poly(ethylene oxide) soft segments

A series of multiblock poly(ether-ester)s based on poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) as the hard segments and hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as the soft segments was synthesized with the aim of developing degradable polymers which could combine the mechanical properties of high performance elastomers with those of flexible plastics. The aliphatic poly(ether-ester)s were synthesized by the catalyzed two-step transesterification reaction of dimethyl succinate, 1,4-butanediol and α,ω-hydroxyl terminated poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO, = 1000 g/mol) in bulk. The content of soft PEO segments in the polymer chains was varied from about 10 to 50 mass%. The effect of the introduction of the soft PEO segments on the structure, thermal and physical properties, as well as on the biodegradation properties was investigated. The composition and structure of these aliphatic segmented copolyesters were determined by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The molecular weights of the polyesters were verified by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), as well as by viscometry of dilute solutions and polymer melts. The thermal properties were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The degree of crystallinity was determined by means of DSC and wide-angle X-ray scattering. A depression of melting temperature and a reduction of crystallinity of the hard segments with increasing content of PEO segments were observed. Biodegradation of the synthesized copolyesters, estimated in enzymatic degradation tests in phosphate buffer solution with Candida rugosa lipase at 37 °C was compared with hydrolytic degradation in the buffer solution. The weight losses of the samples were in the range from 2 to 10 mass%. GPC analysis confirmed that there were significant changes in molecular weight of copolyesters with higher content of PEO segments, up to 40% of initial values. This leads to conclusion that degradation mechanism of the poly(ether-ester)s based on PEO segments occurs through bulk degradation in addition to surface erosion.