High modulus ratio shape‐memory polymers achieved by combining hydrogen bonding with controlled crosslinking

A new type of poly(methyl acrylate)‐co‐(acrylic acid) (PMA‐AA) networks obtained by combining hydrogen bonding with controlled crosslinking exhibit full and rapid shape‐memory recovery. The structure, thermal properties, dynamical mechanical properties and shape‐memory effects of these networks were presented. High modulus ratios were achieved for the series of PMA‐AA networks based on intense self‐complementary hydrogen bonding in poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) segments. This lead to excellent shape‐memory effects with strain‐recovery ratio above 99%. Meanwhile, faster recovery speed was achieved by the synergistic effect of hydrogen bonding and controlled crosslinking compared to the linear PMA‐AA copolymers. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 49: 1241–1245, 2011     

DNA-inspired hierarchical polymer design: electrostatics and hydrogen bonding in concert

Nucleic acids and proteins, two of nature's biopolymers, assemble into complex structures to achieve desired biological functions and inspire the design of synthetic macromolecules containing a wide variety of noncovalent interactions including electrostatics and hydrogen bonding. Researchers have incorporated DNA nucleobases into a wide variety of synthetic monomers/polymers achieving stimuli-responsive materials, supramolecular assemblies, and well-controlled macromolecules. Recently, scientists utilized both electrostatics and complementary hydrogen bonding to orthogonally functionalize a polymer backbone through supramolecular assembly. Diverse macromolecules with noncovalent interactions will create materials with properties necessary for biomedical applications.     

Thermoplastic elastomers by hydrogen bonding 1. Rheological properties of modified polybutadiene

Polybutadiene of narrow molecular weight distribution was modified using 4-phenyl-1, 2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione. The degree of modification was 1% and 2% with respect to the repeating units. Hydrogen bonding between the highly polar urazole groups thus incorporated into the polymer gives rise to the formation of a thermoreversible elastomeric network. Dynamic mechanical measurements in the temperature range between 220 and 330 K support the picture of the thermoreversible hydrogen bond interaction. The rubber elastic plateau is shifted to higher temperatures and lower frequencies. The increase in the plateau modulus cannot be attributed solely to the contribution of the network structure but is mainly a consequence of the broadening of the relaxation time spectrum in the modified samples. From the temperature dependence of the shift factors log(a _T ) it is concluded that the general WLF approach fails. The strong temperature dependence of the apparent activation energy of flow is a consequence of the temperature dependence of the hydrogen bond interaction.     

Borderline of hydrogen bonding of silanols

Two new silanols bearing very bulky silyl groups, (i-Pr₃ Si)₃SiOH and (t − BuMe₂Si)₃SiOH were prepared by peracidoxidation of their respective silanes. The X − ray crystallographic analysis revealed that (t − BuMe₂Si)₃ SiOH forms a dimeric structure with hydrogen bonding, while (i − Pr₃ Si)₃ SiOH exists as a monomer in the crystal. The effects of the size of the substituents as well as the reactivity of these silanols are discussed.     

Statistical theory for hydrogen bonding fluid system of A_aD_d type(II):Properties of hydrogen bonding networks

Making use of the invariant property of the equilibrium size distribution of the hydrogen bonding clus- ters formed in hydrogen bonding system of AaDd type,the analytical expressions of the free energy in pregel and postgel regimes are obtained.Then the gel free energy and the scaling behavior of the number of hydrogen bonds in gel phase near the critical point are investigated to give the corre- sponding scaling exponents and scaling law.Meanwhile,some properties of intermolecular and in- tramolecular hydrogen bonds in the system,sol and gel phases are discussed.As a result,the explicit relationship between the number of intramolecular hydrogen bonds and hydrogen bonding degree is obtained.     

Statistical theory for hydrogen bonding fluid system of AaDd type (Ⅱ): Properties of hydrogen bonding networks

Making use of the invariant property of the equilibrium size distribution of the hydrogen bonding clusters formed in hydrogen bonding system of AaDd type, the analytical expressions of the free energy in pregel and postgel regimes are obtained. Then the gel free energy and the scaling behavior of the number of hydrogen bonds in gel phase near the critical point are investigated to give the corresponding scaling exponents and scaling law. Meanwhile, some properties of intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the system, sol and gel phases are discussed. As a result, the explicit relationship between the number of intramolecular hydrogen bonds and hydrogen bonding degree is obtained.     

Comparative study on the nonadditivity of methyl group in lithium bonding and hydrogen bonding

Quantum chemical calculations at the second‐order Moeller–Plesset (MP2) level with 6‐311++G(d,p) basis set have been performed on the lithium‐bonded and hydrogen‐bonded systems. The interaction energy, binding distance, bond length, and stretch frequency in these systems have been analyzed to study the nonadditivity of methyl group in the lithium bonding and hydrogen bonding. In the complexes involving with NH₃, the introduction of one methyl group into NH₃ molecule results in an increase of the strength of lithium bonding and hydrogen bonding. The insertion of two methyl groups into NH₃ molecule also leads to an increase of the hydrogen bonding strength but a decrease of the lithium bonding strength relative to that of the first methyl group. The addition of three methyl groups into NH₃ molecule causes the strongest hydrogen bonding and the weakest lithium bonding. Although the presence of methyl group has a different influence on the lithium bonding and hydrogen bonding, a negative nonadditivity of methyl group is found in both interactions. The effect of methyl group on the lithium bonding and hydrogen bonding has also been investigated with the natural bond orbital and atoms in molecule analyses. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

Electrochemical measurement of switchable hydrogen bonding in an anthraquinone-based anion receptor

The electrochemistry of a novel anion receptor is presented. The receptor 1,3-diphenylcarboxamidoanthraquinone (AAR) in the absence of an appropriate anion behaves as an anthraquinone system in the presence of a strong hydrogen bond donor. In this case, the electrochemical evidence supports the suggestion that the hydrogen bonding with the anthraquinone occurs at least partially through intra- or intermolecular interactions. It is suggested that these interactions stabilise both the semiquinone and dianion species resulting from reduction of AAR. However, in the presence of a suitable competitive anion (specifically F⁻), the hydrogen-bond donor groups bind to the anion rather than the quinone oxygen atoms. This removes the hydrogen bonding interaction to the redox-active quinone centre and hence alters the electrochemistry significantly. In the presence of F⁻, two one-electron quasireversible electrochemical processes are observed.     

The influence of hydrogen bonding on the preparation and mechanical properties of PS-diblock copolymer blends

In this article, the preparation of nanosized core-shell particles to induce ductility in polystyrene (PS) is described. FTIR spectroscopy, solid-state NMR spectroscopy, and DSC were used to examine the extent of miscibility of PS and poly(butylacrylate)-b-polyolefin diblock copolymers in a blend in which PS was chemically modified by copolymerization with 0.5–5 mol % of p-(hexafluoro-2-hydroxy isopropyl) styrene (HFS). Hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl-groups and the carbonyl-groups of polybutylacrylate enhanced the miscibility and lead to randomly distributed polyolefin particles surrounded by a homogeneous PBA/PS matrix. Morphological parameters such as the size of the dispersed phase or extent of interpenetration between the components are controllable simply by changing the amount of interacting groups in the blend. The mechanical properties of the prepared blends were also studied. The intrinsic deformation behavior was investigated by compression tests, whereas the microscopic mode of deformation was studied by time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering. It was shown that the macroscopic strain at break depends to a large extent on the diblock copolymer content and the degree of demixing between the rubber shell and PS matrix. Brittle behavior was observed for PS blends that contain more than 3 mol % HFS and show complete miscibility between the PS matrix and acrylate shell. For the blends showing partial miscibility, the compression tests demonstrated a pronounced decrease in strain softening with increasing diblock copolymer concentration. Furthermore, it was illustrated that dependent on the degree of demixing the microscopic deformation mode changes from crazing to cavitation induced shear yielding. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2137–2160, 2004     

Simultaneous hydrogen bonding and π-stacking interactions between flavin/porphyrin host-guest systems

In this Letter, we describe the formation of complexes between flavin and diamidopyridine functionalized porphyrin systems via hydrogen bonding and π-stacking interactions.     

Intra and intermolecular hydrogen bonding in formohydroxamic acid

The presence of hydrogen bonding interactions in several tautomeric forms of formohydroxamic acid (FHA) and 1:1 association among the tautomeric forms and water‐coordinated tautomeric forms of FHA is explored theoretically. Out of the seven equilibrium structures, four tautomeric forms have been selected for aggregation with single water molecule and dimer formation. Fifteen aggregates of FHA with H₂O have been optimized at MP2/AUG‐cc‐PVDZ level and analyzed for intramolecular and intermolecular H‐bond interactions. Twenty‐seven dimers of the four tautomeric forms have been obtained at MP2/6‐31+G* level. The stabilization energies associated with dimerization and adduct formation with water are the result of H‐bond interactions and range from very weak to medium. The atomic charges and NBO analysis indicate that the electrostatic and the charge transfer are the important components favoring H‐bond formation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008     

Intermolecular-medium and intramolecular-weak hydrogen bonding chains in the crystals of chiral trifluoromethylated amino alcohols

A structural feature of hydrogen bonding chains found in the crystals of trifluoromethylated amino alcohols is reported. Hydrogen bondings of 3-(N,N-dialkylamino)-1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanols construct chiral spiral hydrogen bonding chains. Lone pairs on the nitrogen atoms of the amino alcohols participate in two hydrogen bondings. Detailed structural analysis of the hydrogen bonds of the 3-(N,N-dimethylamino)-1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanol suggested that the chain built up with alternating intermolecular-medium and intramolecular-weak hydrogen bonds. The medium intermolecular hydrogen bond, which transfers a proton from the hydroxy group to the amino nitrogen, would make a tentative zwitterionic form of the molecule. Then, electrostatic attraction between the charges in the zwitterion centers induced a weak intramolecular hydrogen bond.     

Heat-resistant polyimides with low CTE and water absorption through hydrogen bonding interactions

A novel diamine, 1H,1′H-(2,2′-bibenzimidazole)-5,5′-diamine (DPABZ), containing bisbenzimidazole unit was successfully synthesized, and used to prepare a series of copolyimides BPDA:(ODAm/DPABZn) by polycondensation with 4,4-diaminodiphenyl ether (ODA) and 4,4-biphthalic anhydride (BPDA). For comparison, a series of copolyimides BPDA:(ODAm/PABZn) based on another benzimidazole diamine 5-amino-2-(4-aminobenzene)-benzimidazole (PABZ) was also prepared. As a result, with the increase of PABZ or DPABZ content, the heat resistance (T_g and T_d) and mechanical properties (σ and E) of the resulting polyimide (PI) films increased, while the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) decreased. Overall, the DPABZ-based PIs showed higher T_g values and much lower CTE values than PABZ. As the content of PABZ increased, the water absorption of PABZ-based PIs increased obviously, but no significant change in DPABZ-based PIs. The intramolecular hydrogen bonding in DPABZ-based PIs caused by the diamine DPABZ was believed to be the reason for the aforementioned differences. The BPDA: DPABZ film with low-water adsorption of 2.1%, high-T_g value of 436°C and low-CTE value of 5.4 ppm/°C could be a promising new generation of flexible display substrates.     

Cyclic Naphthalene Diimide with a Ferrocene Moiety as a Redox-Active Tetraplex-DNA Ligand

Cyclic naphthalene diimides (cNDIs), with a ferrocene moiety (cFNDs) and different linker lengths between the ferrocene and cNDI moieties, were designed and synthesized as redox-active, tetraplex-DNA ligands. Intramolecular stacking was observed between ferrocene and the NDI planes, which could affect the binding properties for G-quadruplexes. Interestingly, the circular dichroism spectrum of one of these compounds clearly shows new Cotton effects around 320–380 and 240 nm, which can be considered a direct evidence of intramolecular stacking of ferrocene and the NDI. Regarding recognition of hybrid G-quadruplexes, the less rigid structures (longer linkers) show higher binding affinity (10⁶ m ⁻¹ order of magnitude). All new compounds show higher selectivity for G4 during electrochemical detection than noncyclic FND derivatives, which further identifies the redox-active potentiality of the cFNDs. Two of the three compounds tested even show preferential inhibition of cell growth in cancer cells over normal cells in a low concentration range, highlighting the potential for bioapplications of these cFNDs.     

Supramolecular polymers fabricated by orthogonal self-assembly based on multiple hydrogen bonding and macrocyclic host–guest interactions

Supramolecular polymers constructed by orthogonal self-assembly based on multiple hydrogen bonding and macrocyclic host-guest interactions have received increasing attention due to their elegant structures,outstanding properties,and potential applications.Hydrogen bonding endows these supramolecular polymers with good adaptability and reversibility,while macrocyclic host-guest interactions give them good selectivity and versatile stimuli-responsiveness.Therefore,functional supramolecular polymers fabricated by these two highly specific,noninterfering interactions in an orthogonal way have shown wide applications in the fields of molecular machines,electronics,soft materials,etc.In this review,we discuss the recent advances of functional supramolecular polymers fabricated by orthogonal self-assembly based on multiple hydroge n bonding and host-guest interactions.In particular,we focus on crown ether-and pillar[n]arene-based supramolecular polymers due to their compatibility with multiple hydrogen bonds in organic solution.The fabrication strategies,interesting properties,and potential applications of these advanced supramolecular materials are mainly concerned.     

Influence of intrachain hydrogen bonding on the cyclization of a polystyrene chain

Cyclization of a polystyrene chain (M_n = 10,600; M_w/M_n = 1.09) both ends labeled with 4-(1-pyrenyl)butanoamide groups was studied in cyclohexane between 25 and 95°C. The amide groups (peptide bonds) at both ends can form an intrachain hydrogen bond between the amide hydrogen at one chain end and the carbonyl oxygen at the other. The presence of two sets of conformers, random coils, and chains cyclized through hydrogen bonding, complicates the data analysis. The pyrene excimer kinetics of this polymer is well described by a model composed of two monomers (hydrogen bonded and nonbonded chains) and one excimer, in equilibrium. The cyclization rate constant for hydrogen-bonded chains is larger than the one for nonhydrogen-bonded chains. The pyrene excimer binding energy (ca. 1.6 kcal/mol) is lower than the published value for nonhydrogen-bonded chains (～ 9 kcal/mol), suggesting that intrachain hydrogen bonding hinders the stabilization of the excimer. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.