Thickness-dependent molecular chain and lamellar crystal orientation in ultrathin poly(di-n-hexylsilane) films

The molecular chain and lamellar crystal orientation in ultrathin films (thickness < 100 nm) of poly-(di-n-hexylsilane) (PDHS) on silicon wafer substrates have been investigated by using transmission electronic microscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and UV absorption spectroscopy. PDHS showed a film thickness-dependent molecular chain and lamellar crystal orientation. Lamellar crystals grew preferentially in flat-on orientation in the monolayer ultrathin films of PDHS, i.e., the silicon backbones were oriented along the surface-normal direction. By contrast, the orientation of lamellar crystals was preferentially edge-on in ultrathin films thicker than ca. 13 nm, i.e., the silicon backbones were oriented parallel to the substrate surface. We interpret the different orientations of molecular chain and lamellar crystal as due to the reduction of the entropy of the polymer chain near the substrate surface and the particularity of the crystallographic (001) plane of flat-on lamellae, respectively. A remarkable influence of the orientations of the silicon backbone on the UV absorption of these PDHS ultrathin films was observed due to the one-dimensional nature of sigma-electrons delocalized along the silicon backbone. With the silicon backbones perpendicular or parallel to the surface of the substrate, the UV absorbance increased or decreased with an increase of the angle between the incident UV beam direction and direction normal to the thin film, respectively.     

Control of the interchain pi-pi interaction and electron density distribution at the surface of conjugated poly(3-hexylthiophene) thin films

Interchain interaction, i.e., pi-pi stacking, can benefit the carrier transport in conjugated regio-regular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) thin films. However, the existence of the insulating side hexyl chains in the surface region may be detrimental to the charge transfer between the polymer backbone and overlayer molecules. The control of the molecular orientation in the surface region is expected to alter the distribution of the pi electron density at the surface to solve such problems, which can be achieved by controlling the solvent removal rate during solidification. The evidence that the pi-electron density distribution at the outermost surface can be controlled is demonstrated by the investigation using the powerful combination of near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and the most surface-sensitive technique: Penning ionization electron spectroscopy. From the spectroscopic studies, it can be deduced that the slower removal rate of the solvent makes the polymer chains even at the surface have sufficient time to adopt a more nearly equilibrium structure with edge-on conformation. Thus, the side hexyl chains extend outside the surface, which buries the pi-electron density contributed from the polymer backbone. Contrarily, the quench of obtaining a thermo-equilibrium structure in the surface region due to the faster removal of the solvent residual can lead to the surface chain conformation without persisting to the strong bulk orientation preference. Therefore, the face-on conformation of the polymer chain at the surface of thin films coated with high spin coating speed facilitate the electron density of the polymer backbone exposed outside the surface. Finally, thickness dependence of the surface electronic structure of P3HT thin films is also discussed.     

具有双螺旋链的新型二维无机-有机骨架晶体材料Ni(PDC)(H2O)2的合成与结构

本文报道由H2PDC合成的新型维层状无机-有机骨架晶体Ni(PDC)(H2O)2(H2PDC=吡啶-2,5-二羧酸), 该化合物的一层是由右手螺旋Ni—O—C链与左手螺旋Ni-pdc链组成, 而邻近的一层则是由左手螺旋Ni—O—C链与右手螺旋Ni-pdc链组成, 层与层之间通过氢键作用形成了三维超分子结构. 用ICP、TG、IR和X射线单晶衍射分析等手段对其结构进行表征.     

Measuring molecular order in poly(3-alkylthiophene) thin films with polarizing spectroscopies

We measured the molecular order of poly(3-alkylthiophene) chains in thin films before and after melting through the combination of several polarized photon spectroscopies: infrared (IR) absorption, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS). The data from the various techniques can be uniformly treated in the context of the dielectric constant tensor epsilon for the film. The combined spectroscopies allow determination of the orientation distribution of the main-chain axis (SE and IR), the conjugated pi system normal (NEXAFS), and the side-chain axis (IR). We find significant improvement in the backbone order of the films after recrystallization of the material at temperatures just below the melting temperature. Less aggressive thermal treatments are less effective. IR studies show that the changes in backbone structure occur without significant alteration of the structure of the alkyl side chains. The data indicate that the side chains exhibit significant disorder for all films regardless of the thermal history of the sample.     

Synthesis and study of self-organization of organo-inorganic nanostructures based on cationic poly(meth)acrylates and molybdenum disulfide single layers

Poly(meth)acrylates of three types, namely, regular homopolymers containing side-chain tetraalkylammonium ionic groups with alkyl radicals of various lengths (C₆ and C₁₆), a copolymer with statistically distributed ionic and long-chain (C₁₈) alkyl groups, and a block copolymer of the same composition in which alkylammonium and alkyl groups are located in separate blocks, are synthesized with the use of controlled radical polymerization processes. The interaction of the polymers with molybdenum disulfide singlelayer dispersions yields self-organized organic-inorganic nanocomposites containing up to 40% polymer. As evidenced by powder X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy structural studies of the composites, they possess a crystalline layered structure with interlayer distances depending on the composition and structure of the polymer. Structures with the most regular alternation of organic and inorganic layers are formed in the case of homopolymers. The orientation of their alkylammonium fragments relative to MoS₂ layers depends on the length of the alkyl radical and corresponds to their parallel (C₆) or perpendicular (C₁₆) arrangement.     

Structural effects in poly(3-alkylthiophene)s on the exposition to poor solvent

The exposure to pentane vapour of poly(3-alkylthiophene)s with different alkyl chains produces a modification in the optical properties of the thin films. The treatment induces a red-shift of the electronic absorption maximum and the appearance of vibronic structure in the UV spectra. We have followed these changes with IR and Raman spectroscopies to monitor the modification of the backbone conjugation, and with X-ray diffraction to evidence the structural order of the chains.     

Direct probing of sorbent-solvent interactions for amylose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) using infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, solid-state NMR, and DFT modeling

The sorbent-solvent interactions for amylose tris(3, 5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) (ADMPC) with five commonly used solvents, hexane, methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol (IPA), and acetonitrile (ACN), are studied using attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) of thin sorbent films, X-ray diffraction (XRD) of thin films, (13)C cross polarization/magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) and MAS solid state NMR of polymer-coated silica beads (commercially termed "Chiralpak AD"), and DFT modeling. The ADMPC-polymer-coated silica beads are used commercially for analytical and preparative scale separations of chiral enantiomers. The polymer forms helical rods with intra- and inter-rod hydrogen bonds (H-bonds). There are various nm-sized cavities formed between the polymer side-chains and rods. The changes in the H-bonding states of the C=O and NH groups of the polymer upon absorption of each of the five solvents at 25 degrees C are determined with ATR-IR. The IR wavenumbers, the H-bonding interaction energies, and the H-bonding distances of the polymer side-chains with each of the solvent molecules are predicted using the DFT/B3LYP/6-311+g(d,p) level of theory. The changes in the polymer crystallinity upon absorption of each solvent are characterized with XRD. The changes in the polymer crystallinity and the H-bonding states of C=O groups are also probed with (13)C CP/MAS solid-state NMR. The changes in the polymer side-chain mobility are detected using (13)C MAS solid-state NMR. The H-bonding states of the polymer change upon absorption of each polar solvent and usually result in an increase in the polymer crystallinity and the side-chain mobility. The polymer rods are reorganized upon solvent absorption, and the distance between the rods increases with the increase in the solvent molecular size. These results have implications for understanding the role of the solvent in modifying the structure and behavior of the polymer sorbents.     

Effect of spacer length on the liquid crystalline property of azobenzene-containing ABA-type triblock copolymers via ATRP

The effect of flexible spacer length on the liquid crystalline property of ABA-type triblock copolymers containing azobenzene groups was investigated.For the study,the monomers,n-[4-(4-ethoxyphenylazo)phenoxy]alkyl methacrylates with varying methylene groups(n=0,2,6)were used to synthesize a series of azobenzene-containing amphiphilic triblock copolymers PAnC-PEG-PAnC by atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP).Differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),polarizing optical microscopy(POM),and one-dimensional X-ray diffraction(1D WAXD)have shown that the glass transition temperatures of these copolymers decreased with increasing n,PAOC-PEG-PAOC has no mesophase,while both PA2C-PEG-PA2C and PA6C-PEG- PA6C have a nematic mesophase.These differences derive from the length of spacer groups between the polymer backbone and side-chain LC monomers.     

Surfactant mediated control of pore size and morphology for molecularly ordered ethylene-bridged periodic mesoporous organosilica

A series of ethylene-containing mesoporous organosilica materials were fabricated via surfactant-mediated assembly of 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethylene (BTEE) organosilica precursor using alkyltrimethylammonium bromide (CnTAB) surfactants with different alkyl chain length (n=12, 14, 16, 18) as supramolecular templates. The presence of molecularly ordered ethylene groups in the resulting periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) materials was confirmed by XRD data along with 29Si and 13C MAS NMR analysis. Additional characterization techniques, namely nitrogen sorption, TEM, and TGA, confirmed the structural ordering and thermal stability of the molecularly ordered ethylene-bridged PMOs. The PMOs exhibit molecular-scale ordering (with a periodicity of 5.6 A) within the organosilica framework and tunable pore size, which depending on the alkyl chain length of the surfactant templates, varied in the range 23-41 A. Furthermore, depending on the alkyl chain length of the templates, the particle morphology of the PMOs gradually changed from monodisperse spheres (for C12TAB) to rod or cakelike particles (for C14TAB) and elongated ropelike particles for longer chain surfactants. Variations in the surfactant chain length therefore allowed control of both the pore size and particle morphology without compromising molecular-scale or structural ordering. The reactivity of ethylene groups was probed by bromination, which demonstrated the potential for further functionalization of the PMOs.     

The tunability of the electronic structures for poly(carbosilylsilanes): a theoretical study

To tune purposefully the electronic structures of poly(carbosilylsilanes), a theory study has been investigated using the density functional theory combined with AM1 method. Attentions were paid to the dependence of molecular geometries and absorption spectra on the backbone conformation and the various substituting groups. The strong electronegative substituents can more effectively tune the geometries and spectra of the polysilanes than the alkyl ones. Their main-chain substitutions can induce the great red-shift of the absorption spectra, and the side-chain substitutions can induce the blue-shift. The length of methylene chain in the carbosilyl groups exerts the small effect on the absorption spectra, but with the lengthening of side chain, poly(carbosilylsilanes) have a preference for the all-trans conformation with the loose helix backbone. Different from the alkyl side chain in poly(alkylsilanes), the lengthening of carbosilyl chain leads to the decrease of the positive charges of silicon backbone.     

N-烷基化聚对苯二甲酰对苯二胺梳状高分子中烷基侧链对刚性主链堆积行为的影响

基于聚对苯二甲酰对苯二胺(PPTA), 采用N-烷基化方法制备了系列PPTACns(烷基侧链碳原子数n=8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18)刚性主链梳状高分子, 利用DSC, XRD和FTIR等方法研究了其主链堆积行为、 分子链构象及热性能等与烷基侧链长度及结晶特性之间的关系. XRD和DSC结果表明, 当烷基侧链碳原子数达到14时, 烷基侧链发生结晶. XRD结果显示, PPTACns具有层状结构, 烷基侧链长度对主链层间距影响显著. FTIR研究发现, 烷基侧链的聚集状态对PPTACns分子链的构象产生较大影响, 伴随着烷基侧链结晶的熔融, PPTACns的分子链构象发生显著改变. 烷基侧链处于熔融状态的PPTACns的ν_C=O和γ_C-H谱带峰位与烷基侧链不结晶的PPTACn接近.     

Revisiting the crystallization of poly(2‐alkyl‐2‐oxazoline)s

Poly(2‐alkyl‐2‐oxazoline)s (PAOx) exhibit different crystallization behavior depending on the length of the alkyl side chain. PAOx having methyl, ethyl, or propyl side chains do not show any bulk crystallization. Crystallization in the heating cycle, that is, cold crystallization, is observed for PAOx with butyl and pentyl side chains. For PAOx with longer alkyl side chains crystallization occurs in the cooling cycle. The different crystallization behavior is attributed to the different polymer chain mobility in line with the glass transition temperature (T_g) dependency on alkyl side chain length. The decrease in chain mobility with decreasing alkyl side chain length hinders the relaxation of the polymer backbone to the thermodynamic equilibrium crystalline structure. Double melting behavior is observed for PButOx and PiPropOx which is explained by the melt‐recrystallization mechanism. Isothermal crystallization experiments of PButOx between 60 and 90 °C and PiPropOx between 90 and 150 °C show that PAOx can crystallize in bulk when enough time is given. The decrease of T_g and the corresponding increase in chain mobility at T > T_g with increasing alkyl side chain length can be attributed to an increasing distance between the polymer backbones and thus decreasing average strength of amide dipole interactions. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 721–729     

Whiskers of poly(3-alkylthiophene)s

It is shown that poly(3-alkylthiophene)s may readily crystallize from poor solvents in the form of whiskers. The experimental conditions required for the formation of whiskers were found to depend upon the alkyl side-chain length, solvent quality, and temperature. In all cases studied for alkyl side-chain lengths of 3-12 carbon atoms, the widths of the whiskers were of the order of 15nm, while their lengths often exceeded tens of microns. The thickness of the whiskers formed under the experimental conditions employed was found to scale with side-chain length, and was approximately 2 or 3 times the a/2 lattice dimension of the polymer unit cell. Packing of the macromolecules within the whiskers was such that the polymer backbones were normal to the whisker length; that is, the b-axis was oriented parallel to the long axis of the whiskers. These results are thought to be relevant to known thermochromism phenomena associated with poly(3-alkylthiophene)s. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Direct observation of the main-chain conformation of a combined liquid-crystal polymer

The conformation of the main-chain (backbone) of a combined main-chain/side-chain liquid crystalline polymer has been qualitatively determined by small angle neutron scattering in the oriented nematic, the smectic A and the smectic C phases. The polymer backbone presents only a weak anisotropy, of prolate shape, in the nematic and the smectic C phases. A stronger reorientation of the backbones in the direction of the applied magnetic field is measured for the S_A phase. However, this anisotropy remains small compared to the stretching of a main-chain liquid crystal polymer and the smectic structure results apparently from side-chain ordering. On the other hand, hydrodynamic measurements show that the combined polymer, in solvent, is as flexible as a polystyrene chain. This result is compatible with an explanation for the weak observed anisotropy.     

Mesomorphic and structural properties of liquid crystalline side-chain polymethacrylates: from smectic C* to columnar phases

The chiral methacrylate monomers with photosensitive azobenzene group possessing the orthogonal smectic A* and tilted smectic C* (Sm-C*) phases have been synthesised and characterised. The monomers have been used as functional side chains for the design of corresponding polymethacrylates. X-ray diffraction has been applied to elucidate the structure and phase behaviour of liquid-crystalline side-chain polymethacrylates with azobenzene-containing central core, chiral fragments and aliphatic spacers and tails of different length. X-ray patterns of polymethacrylates oriented fibres impose the tilted Sm-C* order as a basic structure of these materials. This is complemented by a regular pattern of small-angle diffuse spots, which implies complex positional order on the local scale and serves as a precursor for the formation of a columnar phase. The increase of the total length of the aliphatic tail and spacer of the side-chain fragments leads to formation of the tilted columnar phase (Col_tilt*) with two-dimensional monoclinic lattice. For the polymer containing 10 methylene units in both, spacer and aliphatic tail, the Col_tilt* precedes the formation of the Sm-C* phase. The observed structural changes are explained as due to coupling between the smectic ordering of the mesogenic side groups and the polymer backbone conformation.     

烷基化程度对N-十八烷基化聚乙烯亚胺梳状高分子结构的影响

利用烷基化方法制备了烷基化取代程度(DS)介于47%～17.6%的N-十八烷基聚乙烯亚胺(PEI18C)梳状高分子.通过红外光谱、差示扫描量热法(DSC)、X-射线衍射和热失重分析等方法研究了PEI18C梳状高分子的结构、结晶行为和热稳定性,探讨了侧链烷基DS对C18侧链结晶及临界结晶行为的影响.结果发现,随DS的降低,PEI18C梳状高分子的结晶度由54.0%降至20.3%,可结晶碳原子数目由11.4个降到4.3个.受限于PEI骨架上C18烷基侧链的堆积排列模式并没有发生根本变化,仍以六方晶胞的形式进行排列.结果表明,侧链烷基DS或沿主链的侧链烷基分布密度对梳状高分子的结晶行为和临界结晶能力有明显的影响.从侧链结晶的角度,分析了侧链烷基取代度对梳状高分子结晶及热稳定性的影响.     

Stacking of main chain-crown ether polymers in thin films

Thin films (9-70 nm) of a series of polymers containing in the main chain dibenzo-18-crown-6 ether unit (DB18C6) linked to an aliphatic spacer of different length (10C and 14C) and nature have been prepared, from chloroform solutions, by spin coating on a silicon substrate. The quality and homogeneity of the polymer coatings was revealed by their reflectivity spectra and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) patterns show an out-of-plane structure correlation (interference maximum near the horizon) of scale size related to the polymer repeating unit length. Above this Bragg reflection, the shape of the scattering observed, in the GISAXS pattern, reveals an orientation of the stacked molecular columns in the coated polymer. A thermal treatment of the samples improves the nanostructure by increasing the lamellar coherence size (in y-direction) as well as the vertical orientation of the molecular columns.     

2-烷基-苯并咪唑在硝酸银亚相上的Langmuir膜及LB膜

对不同链长的2-烷基-苯并咪唑衍生物（BzCn,烷基链长从C5到C15）在硝酸银亚相上的成膜行为及形成的LB膜的结构进行了研究.表面压－面积曲线的结果表明，短链(C5～C9)的2-烷基-苯并咪唑可在银离子亚相上形成稳定的单分子膜，而长链(C13和C15)衍生物则形成多层膜.利用LB技术可将上述Langmuir膜转移到固体基板上形成LB膜，其吸收光谱的结果说明了苯并咪唑和银离子配位.利用AFM、XRD及FT-IR等技术研究了烷基链长对LB膜结构的影响.实验结果表明,除了BzC15，其余的衍生物都可形成规整的层状结构.短链衍生物的单层LB膜具有均一、平整的形貌；而对于BzC15，观察到多层结构.     

Multilayered films fabricated from plasmid DNA and a side-chain functionalized poly(beta-amino ester): surface-type erosion and sequential release of multiple plasmid constructs from surfaces

Hydrolytically degradable polyamines can be used to fabricate multilayered polyelectrolyte films that erode and release DNA in aqueous environments. Past studies have investigated films fabricated from poly(beta-amino ester) 1 and the influence of polymer backbone structure on film erosion and the release of anionic polyelectrolytes. This investigation sought to characterize the influence of polymer side-chain structure on the stability of multilayered films in physiologically relevant media. Here, we report on the fabrication and characterization of multilayered films approximately 150 nm thick assembled from plasmid DNA and side-chain functionalized polymer 2. We observed large differences in the behavior of films fabricated from polymer 2 as compared to films fabricated from polymer 1. Whereas films fabricated from polymer 1 erode and release DNA over approximately 2 days when incubated in phosphate-buffered saline, films fabricated from polymer 2 erode and release DNA over approximately 2 weeks. In addition, whereas films fabricated from polymer 1 undergo complex nanometer-scale physical transformations in aqueous media, characterization of the surfaces of films fabricated from polymer 2 by atomic force microscopy (AFM) demonstrates that the surfaces of these materials remain smooth and uniform during erosion. The apparent surface-type erosion of these materials permits the fabrication of ultrathin films with architectures that provide control over the timing and the order in which two different DNA constructs are released from surfaces. For example, the order in which two different DNA constructs are released from films and expressed by cells can be controlled to measurable extents by the relative order in which they are deposited during fabrication. These results suggest approaches to the localized and sequential release of multiple different DNA constructs to cells or tissues from the surfaces of tissue engineering scaffolds or implantable devices coated with multilayered films.     

热处理对聚己二酸丁二醋多晶结构和降解行为的影响

通过熔融结晶并结合退火处理方法得到多晶结构的聚己二酸丁二酯(PBA)及具有不同热历史的热力学稳定的a晶型,采用广角X射线衍射仪(WAXD)、原子力显微镜(AFM)和差示扫描量热仪(DSC)研究了PBA的多晶结构、晶体尺寸和结晶形貌,跟踪了退火处理PBA的生物降解行为.结果表明,分子链在相同晶格排列中围绕c轴空间取向的不...