Effect of precursor chain‐length on the formation and stability of poly(ethylene glycol)‐based supramolecular star polymers

A homologous series of guanosine end‐functionalized poly(ethylene glycol)s have been prepared, and their assembly–disassembly behavior in the presence of potassium cations has been systematically examined upon changing the concentration, temperature, nature of solvent, amount of cation, and type of anion using ¹H‐NMR, UV/Vis, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The results revealed a strong dependence of the assembly formation, and the stability of the formed supramolecular ensemble on the chain‐length of the assembly precursor. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Phase structures and transition behaviors in polymers containing rigid rodlike backbones with flexible side chains. V. Methylene side‐chain effects on structure and molecular motion in a series of polyimides

A series of organo‐soluble hairy‐rod polyimides was recently synthesized from 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and di[n‐alkyl]‐4,4′‐diamino‐6,6′‐dibromo‐2,2′‐biphenyldicarboxylate with side chains of varying lengths (the numbers of methylene units), BACBP(n). Dynamic mechanical (DM) results reveal two cooperative relaxation processes for BACBPs(n > 10), which correspond to the two (low‐ and high‐) transition temperatures observed in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). For BACBPs(n < 10), although two DM relaxation processes can be observed, the low‐temperature relaxation peak shifts into a medium temperature region that is difficult to observe in DSC experiments. Measurements indicate that the density of BACBP(n)s decreases with increasing numbers of methylene units. A discontinuity in the rate of density change can be seen at BACBP(10). Variable temperature solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments were also carried out to determine the molecular origins of each of the observed DM relaxation processes. The low‐ [for BACBPs(n > 10)] and possibly the medium‐ [for BACBPs(n < 10)] temperature relaxations are associated with the onset of motion in the side chains, and the high‐temperature relaxation is associated with motion in the backbones. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction analysis indicates that the lateral packing periodicity of the backbones in the unoriented polyimides changes its relationship with the side‐chain length at around 10 methylene units. In the oriented films of these polyimides, furthermore, those having the long side chains [BACBPs(n > 10)] adopt monoclinic unit cells, whereas those having the short side chains [BACBPs(n ≤ 10)] possess hexagonal unit cells. The drastic temperature difference between the low‐ and medium‐relaxation processes observed in DM experiments may be explained because of a change in the lateral packing arising from the variation of the side‐chain length. The limited mobility afforded the BACBPs(n ≤ 10) is a result of their more ordered conformation and interdigitation between the neighboring side chains. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1633–1646, 1999     

Crazes in amorphous polymers I. Variety of the structure of crazes and classification of different types of crazes

In investigating 0.5- to 5 m-thick deformed samples in a 1000 kV high-voltage electron microscope, the formation and structure of crazes were studied in different amorphous polymers (PS, SAN, PVC, and the highly radiation-sensitive polymers PMMA and PC). Different craze types were found and classified. There are some types of true crazes with a fibrillar structure or rather a homogeneous structure, which have to be distinguished from only craze-like deformation zones. A peculiarity was found in PMMA which produces a craze type different in structure from the well-known fibrillated crazes typical of PS.     

Controlling aggregate formation in conjugated polymers by spin‐coating below the critical temperature of the disorder–order transition

Aggregates – that is short‐ranged ordered moieties in the solid‐state of π‐conjugated polymers – play an important role in the photophysics and performance of various optoelectronic devices. We have previously shown that many polymers change from a disordered to a more ordered conformation when cooling a solution below a characteristic critical temperature . Using in situ time‐resolved absorption spectroscopy on the prototypical semiconducting polymers P3HT, PFO, PCPDTBT, and PCE11 (PffBT4T‐2OD), we show that spin‐coating at a temperature below can enhance the formation of aggregates with strong intra‐chain coupling. An analysis of their time‐resolved spectra indicates that the formation of nuclei in the initial stages of film formation for substrates held below seems responsible for this. We observe that the growth rate of the aggregates is thermally activated with an energy of 310 meV, which is much more than that of the solvent viscosity (100 meV). From this we conclude that the rate controlling step is the planarization of a chain that is associated with its attachment to a nucleation center. The success of our approach for the rather dynamic deposition method of spin‐coating holds promise for other solution‐based deposition methods. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018 , 56, 532–542     

Theoretical study of the gas-phase structures of sodiated and cesiated leucine and isoleucine: zwitterionic structure disfavored in kinetic method experiments

The most stable charge-solvated (CS) and zwitterionic (ZW) structures of sodiated and cesiated leucine and isoleucine were studied by density functional theory methods. According to the Boltzmann distribution in gas phase, both forms of LeuNa+ and IleNa+ exist, but in LeuCs+ and IleCs+, the ZW forms are dominant. Results for the sodiated compounds are consistent with the relationship found between decrease in relative stability of CS versus ZW form and aliphatic amino acid side chain length. The observed degeneracy in energy for IleNa+ conformers is at odds with kinetic method results. Additional calculations showed that kinetic method structural determinations for IleNa+ do not reflect relative order of populations in the lowest energy conformers. Since complexation of cationized amino acids into ion-bound dimers disfavors ZW structure by approximately 8 kJ mol(-1), it is suggested that for energy close conformers of sodium-cationized amino acids, the kinetic method may not be reliable for structural determinations.     

Phase formation in the Dy2O3-HfO2-MoO3 system. Crystal structure of the new binary molybdate Dy2Hf2(MoO4)7

Phase relations have been studied for the subsolidus region of the Dy₂O₃-HfO₂-MoO₃ system; binary molybdates, Dy₂Hf(MoO₄)₅ and Dy₂Hf₂(MoO₄)₇, were found to form. The crystal structure of the latter has been solved (a = 20.661(3) , b = 9.816(1) , c = 13.796(3) , = 113.47(1)°, Z = 4, space group C2/c, R = 0.023) and found to be a new type of structure. In the structure, MoO₄ tetrahedra are linked by their vertices with HfO₆ octahedra and DyO₈ tetragonal antiprisms to form a 3D open-work, in which one can isolate double-row tetrahedral and octahedral chains extended down the c axis.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by S. F. Solodovnikov, B. G. Bazarov, E. Yu. Badmaeva, Yu. L. Tushinova, E. S. Zolotova, and Zh. G. BazarovaTranslated from Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 45, No. 4, pp. 692–697, July–August, 2004.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with a corrected cover date.