Influence of comb-like copolymer dispersants with different molecular structures on the performance of CaCO3 suspension in organic system

A series of comb-like copolymer poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)-graft-poly(ε-caprolactone) (SMA-g-PCL, SP) with variation in PCL side chain length and side chain density were synthesized and employed as an efficient dispersant for CaCO₃ suspension in organic solvent. The effects of molecular structures of comb-like copolymer on adsorption, rheological behavior, and suspension stability were investigated systemically to elucidate the governing dispersing mechanism. The molecular structures of comb-like copolymer not only significantly influenced the adsorption behavior but also the rheological behavior and suspension stability. Calculations based on the scaling law and Flory theory made a profound understanding of the impact of the molecular structure of comb-like copolymer on dispersion property. The results revealed that the steric repulsive force was enhanced by increasing of side chain length or density. However, the surface area for one molecule on CaCO₃ surface was also increased for its larger radius of the hemispheres of comb-like copolymer. This led to the worse activity of adsorption. The dispersion of CaCO₃ was due to the synergistic effects of adsorption and steric hindrance effect, which resulted that the comb-like copolymer with moderate length and density of side chain presented the best dispersability.     

两亲性共聚物的分子设计与合成及其共混膜性能

从分子结构设计出发,采用自由基聚合、醚化、酯化、原子转移自由基聚合(ATRP)、可逆加成断裂链转移自由基聚合(RAFT)等方法合成了一系列具有不同分子结构(包括接枝、嵌段、交替、超支化等)和链形态(包括直链、梳状、哑铃状、链球状等)的两亲性共聚物,并对这些聚合物进行了谱学表征和性能测试.将这些两亲性共聚物与聚合物膜材料(包括聚偏氟乙烯、聚氯乙烯、聚砜、聚醚砜、聚醚砜酮等)进行溶液共混,通过相转化法制备共混膜,在成膜热力学和动力学分析的基础上,对共混膜的结构和性能进行调控.研究发现,两亲性共聚物在成膜过程中自发地向膜表面迁移富集,并进行自组装,在膜表面形成两亲性共聚物包膜,显著改善了聚合物多孔膜的亲水性和抗污染性能.此外,两亲性共聚物中的功能基团还可赋予共混膜某些功能特性,如生物相容性、环境响应性(pH、温度敏感性)、酶活性等.     

Synthesis of New Amphiphilic Comb-Like Copolymers Based on Maleic Anhydride and α-Olefins

Summary: Novel amphiphilic comb-like poly(α-olefin-co-maleic anhydride) with a controlled ratio of hydrophilic (polyoxyethylene) and hydrophobic (polymethylene) side chains have been synthesized and characterized. The comb-like copolymers are soluble in organic and aqueous media and form micelles whose behaviour could be correlated to the chemical structure of polymers. We foresee that amphiphilic properties of the novel comb-like polymers are obviously the basis of new architectures in solution which could be used in a broad range of applications. Using micelles from these copolymers, silver nanoparticles with a narrow particle size distribution have been obtained as stable dispersion in both polar and non-polar media.     

Modification of porous poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane using amphiphilic polymers with different structures in phase inversion process

Three kinds of amphiphilic polymers, including the tri-block copolymer of (polyethylene oxide)–(polypropylene oxide)–(polyethylene oxide) (I, EPTBP), the comb-like copolymer of polysiloxane with polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide side chains (II, ACPS) and the hyperbranched star copolymer of polyester-g-methoxyl polyethylene glycol (III, HPE-g-MPEG), were blended with PVDF to fabricate porous membranes via a phase inversion process, respectively, and the effects of the different structures of the amphiphilic polymers on the properties of the blend membranes were compared. The membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, mercury porosimetry, water contact angle measurements, etc. The anti-fouling properties of the prepared membranes were evaluated by static and dynamic bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorptions. Specially, the stabilities of these amphiphilic polymers in the final membranes were estimated by continuous leaching tests. At the same time, the properties of the membranes using the amphiphilic polymers as modifiers were compared with those of the membrane using poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as modifier.     

Phase behavior of amphiphilic polymers: A dissipative particles dynamics study

Dissipative particle dynamics is a mesoscopic simulation method which allows one to predict the self-assembly of amphiphilic polymers and surfactants. It was possible to reproduce the formation of microemulsions of the oil/water (o/w), water/oil (w/o), and L₃-type of C10E4 in water and n-decane with excellent accuracy. We are able to predict the experimentally not investigated emulsion formation of a poly(ethylene butylene)–poly(ethylene oxide) in water and methylcyclohexane.     

A Phytic Acid Induced Super‐Amphiphilic Multifunctional 3D Graphene‐Based Foam

Surfaces with super‐amphiphilicity have attracted tremendous interest for fundamental and applied research owing to their special affinity to both oil and water. It is generally believed that 3D graphenes are monoliths with strongly hydrophobic surfaces. Herein, we demonstrate the preparation of a 3D super‐amphiphilic (that is, highly hydrophilic and oleophilic) graphene‐based assembly in a single‐step using phytic acid acting as both a gelator and as a dopant. The product shows both hydrophilic and oleophilic intelligence, and this overcomes the drawbacks of presently known hydrophobic 3D graphene assemblies. It can absorb water and oils alike. The utility of the new material was demonstrated by designing a heterogeneous catalytic system through incorporation of a zeolite into its amphiphilic 3D scaffold. The resulting bulk network was shown to enable efficient epoxidation of alkenes without prior addition of a co‐solvent or stirring. This catalyst also can be recovered and re‐used, thereby providing a clean catalytic process with simplified work‐up.     

Study of Winsor I to Winsor II transitions in a lattice model

Experiments show that with increasing temperature, microemulsion systems undergo Winsor transitions. The transitions occur from Winsor I (oil droplets in water media) to Winsor II (water droplets in oil media) via Winsor III (bicontinuous phase) with an increase in the temperature. In this paper, it has been shown, for the first time, how one can study the qualitative effects of temperature, head, tail, and oil chain lengths, on these transitions. Simple cubic lattice with excluded volume and periodic boundary conditions is used to mimic the box of the simulation as a bulk of solution. The simulations have been done using the standard traditional Metropolis algorithm in the canonical ensemble (N, V, T). Configurational bias Monte Carlo and reptation moves are used with an equal probability to relax the systems. A very simple interaction model, i.e., the repulsions of water (or heads of surfactants) with oil (or tails of surfactants), is used due to the main characteristic of oil-water mixtures or amphiphilic molecule that is the hydrophobicity. The interfacial tension between oil and water (gammaow) is related to the averaged total energy of the lattice. The model shows that the Winsor III has a minimum interfacial tension (gammaow) similar to experimental results. Changing the phase structure from Winsor III to Winsor I (or Winsor II), increases the interfacial tension which is in agreement with experiments. To relate interfacial tension with the interaction parameter, the simple theory of Bragg-Williams has been used. All of the results such as the effects of oil chain length, head and tail beads number are all similar to the experimental results. Using the Davies method for calculating hydrophilic-lypophilic Balance (HLB), similar to the experimental results, Winsor III phase is formed at HLB value nearly to 10.     

Impact of molecular size of SMA-g-MPEG comb-like polymer on the dispersion of CaCO3 suspensions

Poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)-g-methoxypolyethylene glycols comb-like polymer was employed as the dispersant of CaCO₃ suspensions in this paper. The comb-like polymer had much better dispersability than traditional linear polyelectrolyte. By changing the length of side chains to alter the molecular size, the dispersion of CaCO₃ suspensions was greatly influenced. The absolute value of zeta potential and the adsorption density decreased with increasing the length of side chains, while the rheological and dispersion properties had a best value when using polymers with moderate length of side chain. Calculations were performed based on the scaling law and Flory theory. It was known from the calculations that by increasing the length of side chains, the molecular size and the steric repulsion were both increased. But due to the worse activity of adsorption, the comb-like polymers with longer side chains had lower adsorption amount. The dispersability was due to the cooperation of steric repulsion and adsorption, which resulted that comb-like polymers with moderate length of side chain presented the best dispersability in actual application.     

New amphiphilic polyacrylamides: Synthesis and characterisation of pseudo-micellar organisation in aqueous media

In order to offer new tools for developing structure-property relationships for intramolecular associative polymers (polysoaps), the synthesis of three families of comb-like amphiphilic cationic polymers with great structure variability is described. These polymers with amphiphilic repeating units are polyacryl or methacrylamides laterally substituted by a group containing a quaternary ammonium site and a hydrophobic alkyl side chain with 10-16 carbon atoms. Two complementary synthesis methods were developed successfully. In the first method, the tertiary amine groups of neutral polymer precursors were quaternised with various n-alkyl bromides. Five polymers were obtained in this way. On the contrary, the second method consisted of synthesizing first amphiphilic cationic acryl or methacrylamide monomers. The 11 monomers thus obtained were then polymerised by conventional free radical polymerisation in solution. The polymers obtained by both methods only differed in their molecular weights, the second method leading to much higher molecular weights (up to 2 × 10⁶ g/mol). A preliminary investigation of the properties of a few of these polymers in solution showed interesting amphiphilic behaviour. The variation of the reduced viscosity of hydro-methanolic polymer solutions with polymer concentration revealed a strong intramolecular macromolecular folding. The microdomains corresponding to the intramolecular association of the hydrophobic alkyl side chains were eventually characterised by pyrene fluorescence spectroscopy. The local polarity of the pyrene probe was considerably lowered with respect to that of the surrounding aqueous phase and was dependent upon the macromolecular structure of the amphiphilic cationic polymers.     

Removal of oil spills by novel amphiphilic Chitosan-g-Octanal Schiff base polymer developed by click grafting technique

Novel Chitosan-g-Octanal Schiff base amphiphilic polymer has been developed by click grafting technique and evaluated successfully in removing different types of oils spills. The chemical structure and the morphological changes of the developed Chitosan-g-Octanal Schiff base amphiphilic polymer have been followed using FT-IR spectroscopy and SEM. The amphiphilic character of the developed Chitosan-g-Octanal Schiff base polymer has been controlled through variations of the Octanal grafting percentages from 38% to 82%. Dramatic changes of the Chitosan-g-Octanal Schiff base polymer solubility have been founded. The ion exchange capacity and water uptake have been affected in the same manner. The oils adsorption capacity was founded in direct relation to the Octanal grafting percentages and followed the order: mineral < kerosene < diesel < light crude oil (LCO) < heavy crude oil (HCO). Operational conditions such as oil amount, adsorption time, adsorbent dose, and agitation speed have been studied. The oil adsorption capacity of the Chitosan-g-Octanal Schiff base polymer for light and heavy crude oil has been increased by 167% and 110% over Chitosan ones. Finally, the removal process is optimized using response surface methodology (RSM).     

3D continuous water nanosheet as a gyroid minimal surface formed by bicontinuous cubic liquid-crystalline zwitterions

Co-organization of amphiphilic zwitterions and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide led to the formation of bicontinuous cubic liquid-crystalline structures having 3D continuous hydrophilic gyroid minimal surface. The gyroid surface, incorporating a small amount of water, provided extremely thin but macroscopically continuous water nanosheet with a thickness of approximately 5 ?. The water nanosheet functioned as alignment free proton conduction pathway.     

An amphiphilic supramolecular polymer: Construction,self-assembly and pH-responsive behavior in water

A novel amphiphilic supramolecular polymer (ASP) with rigid linear main chain has been constructed by the co-assembly of a rigid amphiphilic monomer and cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) in water, driven by CB[8]-based host-guest interactions. The ASP could further self-assemble into well-defined architectures including nanotubes and 2D films, depending on its concentration. Moreover, pH-responsive behavior of the ASP was also observed.     

Amphiphilic crescent-moon-shaped microparticles formed by selective adsorption of colloids

We use a microfluidic device to prepare monodisperse amphiphilic particles in the shape of a crescent-moon and use these particles to stabilize oil droplets in water. The microfluidic device is comprised of a tapered capillary in a theta (θ) shape that injects two oil phases into water in a single receiving capillary. One oil is a fluorocarbon, while the second is a photocurable monomer, which partially wets the first oil drop; silica colloids in the monomer migrate and adsorb to the interface with water but do not protrude into the oil interface. Upon UV-induced polymerization, solid particles with the shape of a crescent moon are formed; removal of fluorocarbon oil yields amphiphilic particles due to the selective adsorption of silica colloids. The resultant amphiphilic microparticles can be used to stabilize oil drops in a mixture of water and ethanol; if they are packed to sufficient surface density on the interface of the oil drop, they become immobilized, preventing direct contact between neighboring drops, thereby providing the stability.     

聚苯乙烯-g-聚乙二醇的制备及其表面改性作用

通过沉淀聚合方法,利用自由基共聚制备了苯乙烯-顺丁烯二酸酐共聚物(SMA),利用SOCl2的酰氯反应,在SMA大分子链上接枝聚乙二醇侧链,制备了聚苯乙烯-g-聚乙二醇(PEG-g-PS)的大分子表面改性剂。利用大分子表面改性剂在聚苯乙烯基体中具有选择性迁移扩散的特性,实现了对聚苯乙烯薄膜表面极性的改善作用。采用衰减全反射傅立叶变换红外光谱仪和表面静态接触角法检测了聚苯乙烯的表面极性。结果发现,PEG-g-PS上的聚醚链段可以有效的富集在聚合物表面,明显改善PS的表面极性和亲水性,表面极性可提高3倍,达到11.6mN/m。同时,大分子表面改性剂和聚苯乙烯基体间有一定的相容性,有效地克服了小分子表面改性剂容易流失,改性寿命较短的重要缺陷,使表面改性的持久性充分增加,实现对聚合物表面改性效果终生化的目的。而且大分子表面改性剂在极性溶剂的诱导作用下,可以实现进一步的迁移扩散,充分提高了聚苯乙烯的表面极性。     

Conformational behavior of comb-like polyelectrolytes in selective solvent: computer simulation study

In this work, we present molecular dynamics simulations of comb-like polyelectrolytes in selective solvent. The studied polymers have a neutral backbone and polyelectrolyte side chains. The solvent is poor for the backbone and the theta solvent for the side chains. The polymers are modeled on a coarse-grained level with implicit solvent. The simulations show that the comb-like polyelectrolytes tend to form intramolecular self-organized structures of the pearl necklace type. This type of conformational behavior has been predicted by Borisov and Zhulina (Borisov, O. V.; Zhulina, E. B. Macromolecules 2005, 38, 2506) for neutral comb-like copolymers in selective solvent. The present study shows that comb-like polyelectrolytes in selective solvent exhibit the same type of behavior; however, it can be controlled by one additional parameter, the degree of dissociation of the grafts. The local conformational characteristics are studied using the ensemble-averaged bond angle cosines as functions of monomer position in the chain, which reveal structural details invisible by other means.     

Elastic behavior of comb-like polymer chains

<正>Three-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations of comb-like polymer chains with various backbone lengths N_b,arm lengths N_a and arm densities m are carried out to study the elastic behavior of comb-like polymer chains.The radius of gyration,the shape factors and bond length in different cases during elastic process are calculated,and it is found that the comb-like polymer molecules with longer backbone or shorter arm are more close to linear chains.But the arm density m affects the chain conformation non-monotonously.Some thermodynamic properties are also studied.Average Helmholtz free energy and elastic force f all increase with elongation ratioλfor all chains.     

Probing the association behavior of poly(ethylene glycol)-based amphiphilic comb-like polymer in NaCl solution

The effect of salt on the associative behavior of intramolecular aggregates obtained from poly(ethylene glycol)-based amphiphilic comb-like polymers in aqueous medium at pH 6.2 has been investigated by surface tension, fluorescence probe, dynamic light-scattering, and viscometry techniques. Results reveal that the addition of salt screens the electrostatic repulsion between the charges along the polymer backbone in the aggregates and consequently (1) reduces the surface activity at the air/water interface, (2) leads to the contraction of the polymer backbone, and (3) reduces the hydrodynamic sizes of the aggregates. In contrast, the hydrophobicity of the aggregates remains unperturbed.     

Amphiphilic Comb‐Like Poly(oxyethylene) and Its Complexes with LiClO4: Synthesis and Mesomorphic Behavior

Summary: We prepared an amphiphilic, comb‐like poly(oxyethylene) containing decyl‐tri(oxyethylene) amphiphiles in the side chain using a polymer analogous reaction to obtain a novel nonionic amphiphilic polymeric system with high molecular weight. The amphiphilic comb‐like poly(oxyethylene) itself only showed a side‐chain crystalline phase below its melting temperature of −31 °C. When the polymer was mixed with lithium perchlorate, a smectic liquid‐crystalline phase appeared. The ordered phases of the polymer and the polymer mixture were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, and X‐ray diffraction.

POM image (200 X) of D3OTP1 at room temperature.     

Synthesis of amphiphilic diblock copolymers poly[2-(<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>-poly(stearyl methacrylate) and their self-assembly in mixed solvent

Amphiphilic diblock copolymers consisting of 2-(N, N-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA, abbreviated as DMA) and stearyl methacrylate (SMA) with different degrees of polymerization and compositions were prepared by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) copolymerization. The composition and chemical structures of (co)polymers were confirmed by the measurements of ¹H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The self-aggregating structures of amphiphilic diblock copolymers with the concentration of 0.1~0.3 wt.% in THF/water mixed solvent was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). It was found that both the morphologies and aggregating particle size resulted from the amphiphilic diblock copolymers depended on the variation of pH values, the lengths of the hydrophobic PSMA chains, and the weight ratio of THF/water mixed solvent.     

Conformation of an Amphiphilic Comb-like Copolymer in a Selective Solvent

Chinese Journal of Polymer Science - We study the conformation of an amphiphilic comb-like copolymer in a selective solvent by using Brownian dynamics simulations. Our results demonstrate that,...