Three‐Dimensionally Ordered Macroporous Syndiotactic Polystyrene: Preparation and Characterization

Summary: Three‐dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) syndiotactic polystyrenes with pore size in the range of 71–286 nm were fabricated by means of silica templates using (dbm)₂Ti(OPh)₂/MAO catalytic system. The resulting materials were characterized by NMR, SEM, powder X‐ray diffraction, GPC and DSC. The results indicated that the 3DOM syndiotactic polystyrenes were highly syndiotactic, and the pore contraction increased when the average pore diameter decreased. Compared with bulk syndiotactic polystyrenes, 3DOM syndiotactic polystyrene possessed lower molecular weight, narrower molecular weight distribution, and lower crystallinity and melting temperature.

SEM image of 3DOM syndiotactic polystyrene, the inset shows the detail of the cavities.     

三维有序大孔杂化SiO2的制备、表征及应用

将有机-无机杂化功能材料与有序大孔材料独特的有序开孔结构相结合,在制备的三维有序大孔二氧化硅(3DOM Si O2)孔壁上可控接枝带有功能基团的聚合物链段,制备3DOM杂化材料。采用表面引发原子转移自由基(SI-ATRP)接枝技术在3DOM Si O2孔壁上可控接枝聚甲基丙烯酸缩水甘油酯(PGMA)链段,讨论了接枝条件对接枝量及接枝链段分子量的影响,并利用FTIR、SEM、TGA、GPC等对接枝过程进行了表征。PGMA接枝链段上环氧基团可进一步与亲核试剂(二乙醇胺,浓硫酸和二乙烯三胺)发生开环反应,得到一系列带有不同官能团的具有较高接枝密度的功能杂化多孔材料,同时,利用该种材料对水中的水杨酸进行了吸附实验,吸附结果表明经二乙烯三胺开环后得到的功能化多孔材料对水杨酸具有很高的吸附量。     

三维有序大孔杂化SiO2的制备、表征及应用

本研究将有机-无机杂化功能材料与有序大孔材料独特的有序开孔结构相结合,在制备的三维有序大孔二氧化硅（3DOM SiO₂）孔壁上可控接枝带有功能基团的聚合物链段,制备3DOM杂化材料。采用表面引发原子转移自由基（SI-ATRP）接枝技术在3DOM SiO₂孔壁上可控接枝聚甲基丙烯酸缩水甘油酯（PGMA）链段,讨论了接枝条件对接枝量及接枝链段分子量的影响,并利用FT-IR、SEM、TGA、GPC等对接枝过程进行了表征。PGMA接枝链段上环氧基团可进一步与亲核试剂（二乙醇胺,浓硫酸和二乙烯三胺）发生开环反应,得到一系列带有不同官能团的具有较高接枝密度的功能杂化多孔材料,同时,利用该种材料对水中的水杨酸进行了吸附实验,吸附结果表明经二乙烯三胺开环后得到的功能化多孔材料对水杨酸具有很高的吸附量。本研究对于发展新型杂化多孔材料提供了新的方法。     

Immobilization of Glucose Oxidase on Ordered Macroporous Silicas Functionalized with Amino Group

A novel glucose oxidase immobilized on three‐dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) material has been prepared by firstly preparation of hybrid 3DOM SiO₂‐NH₂ materials using colloidal crystal method, and following covalent immobilization of glucose oxidase on the pore walls of the 3DOM materials. The materials were characterized by SEM, FTIR, DSC and BET techniques. SEM observation shows that the macropores are highly ordered and are interconnected by small windows. FTIR measurement shows that there are amino and organic groups in the pore walls. The surface area of the 3DOM SiO₂‐NH₂ material is about 10.2 m²/g. The loaded amount of enzyme is increased with amino content in the materials. The immobilized enzyme has high activity, thermal stability and can be reused.     

3DOM InVO4-supported chromia with good performance for the visible-light-driven photodegradation of rhodamine B

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) monoclinic InVO₄ and its supported chromia (yCrO_x/3DOM InVO₄, y denotes as the weight percentage of Cr₂O₃, y = 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%) photocatalysts were fabricated using the ascorbic acid-assisted polymethyl methacrylate-templating and incipient wetness impregnation methods, respectively. Physicochemical properties of the materials were characterized by means of a number of analytical techniques. Photocatalytic activities of the samples were evaluated for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) in the presence of H₂O₂ under visible-light illumination. Compared to 3DOM InVO₄ and 15CrO_x/bulk InVO₄, yCrO_x/3DOM InVO₄ showed much better visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance for RhB degradation, with the 15CrO_x/3DOM InVO₄ sample performing the best. It is concluded that the CrO_x loading, higher surface area and surface oxygen vacancy density and lower bandgap energy as well as the better quality of 3DOM structure were responsible for the good photocatalytic performance of 15CrO_x/3DOM InVO₄ for the degradation of RhB.     

A new approach to prepare high molecular weight poly(p-dioxanone) by chain-extending from dihydroxyl terminated propolymers

As poly(p-dioxanone) (PPDO) with a high molecular weight (viscosity-average molecular weight (M_ν) > 100,000 g/mol) is not easy to be obtained in a short time, a new approach has been developed to produce high molecular weight poly(p-dioxanone) (HPPDO-T) by chain-extending reaction of hydroxyl-terminated PPDO (HPPDO) prepolymers using toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) as chain extender. Here HPPDO prepolymers were synthesized via ring-opening polymerization of p-dioxanone (PDO) monomer initiated by 1,4-butanediol (BD) with Stannous octoate (SnOct₂) as catalyst. The resulting polymers, having a highest M_ν of 250,000 g/mol, were characterized by ¹H NMR, TG, DSC and WXRD. HPPDO prepolymers can react with TDI more effectively than the PPDO prepolymers initiated by mono-functional initiators, and the molecular weights of resulting chain-extended products increase several decade times in an hour comparing to the prepolymers. The chain extended products HPPDO-T have better thermal stability, and higher glass transition temperatures and lower crystallization rates than PPDO homopolymer.     

光还原Pt掺杂三维有序大孔ZrO2复合材料的光降解与光解水制氢

采用胶晶模板技术结合光还原方法制备了Pt掺杂复合材料三维有序大孔Pt/ZrO2(3DOM Pt/ZrO2)。通过X-射线衍射(XRD)、X-射线光电子能谱(XPS)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、紫外–可见漫反射吸收光谱(UV–Vis/DRS)和氮气吸附–脱附等测试方法对纳米复合材料3DOM Pt/ZrO2的晶相、组成、结构、形貌以及表面物理化学性质等进行表征。结果表明,Pt掺杂复合材料3DOM Pt/ZrO2与单体ZrO2的晶相相一致,其形貌呈现三维有序大孔结构,且孔结构排列整齐有序,孔壁为介孔结构。经光还原作用后该复合材料中Pt主要以单质形式存在,并且均匀分布在三维有序复合材料表面。同时,与单体ZrO2相比,纳米复合材料3DOM Pt/ZrO2的BET比表面积显著增大,光吸收性能发生改变,在240–350 nm间呈现强吸收。另外,在多模式光降解实验中,3DOM Pt/ZrO2的光活性明显增强。同时,其光解水制氢性能差不多是P25的2.5倍。     

Amphiphilic biodegradable poly(CL-b-PEG-b-CL) triblock copolymers prepared by novel rare earth complex: Synthesis and crystallization properties

Amphiphilic biodegradable poly(CL-b-PEG-b-CL) triblock copolymers have been successfully prepared by the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone (CL) employing yttrium tris(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenolate) [Y(DBMP)₃] as catalyst and double-hydroxyl capped PEGs (DHPEG) as macro-initiator. The triblock architecture, molecular weight, thermal and crystallization properties of the copolymers were characterized by NMR spectra, SEC, DSC and WAXD analyses. The isothermal crystallization behavior of the copolymers was investigated by POM analysis in detail, which is greatly influenced by the length of PCL and PEG blocks. On the POM micrograph of PEG_10,000-(PCL₈₆₀₀)₂, a unique morphology of concentric spherulites was observed due to the sequent crystallization of the PCL and PEG blocks.     

A facile approach to preparation of long-chain-branched poly(p-dioxanone)

Long-chain-branched poly(p-dioxanone)s (LCB-PPDOs) with different branch densities were prepared via the chain-extending reaction of hydroxyl group terminated linear bi-functional PPDO (2a-PPDO) and star-like tri-functional PPDO (3a-PPDO) prepolymers, which were synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization of p-dioxanone (PDO) using 1,4-butanediol (BD) and trimethylolpropane (TMP) as multi-functional initiators, respectively. The undesirable gelation was successfully depressed by adjusting the chain length and feed ratio of prepolymers. The average molecular weight between branch points (M_b) and the average number of branch per 100,000 g/mol (B_n) of LCB-PPDOs were calculated from the ¹H NMR spectra. The average number of branch ranged from 0 to 6.72 branch points per 100,000 g/mol, and the number-average molecular weights between branch points ranged from 6900 to 20,500 g/mol. The results of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that the crystallization behavior of LCB-PPDOs was changed evidently with the branch density. Small-amplitude dynamic oscillatory rheometer was used to investigate the rheological properties of the melts of LCB-PPDO including zero-shear viscosity, storage modulus, relaxation times and loss angle, which largely depended on the branch density and length of LCB-PPDOs. Therefore, the rheological behaviors of PPDO can be well-controlled via synthesizing LCB-PPDOs with the desired architectures.     

三维有序大孔Ag/ZrO2-TiO2：制备及紫外光催化降解染料和水杨酸性能

采用聚苯乙烯(PS)微球作为模板剂,经溶胶-凝胶及煅烧后处理的方法制备了三维有序大孔(3DOM)复合材料Ag/ZrO2-TiO2。通过FTIR、XRD、XPS、N2吸附-脱附和SEM-EDS等对其进行了表征。结果显示,经PS微球作用后的复合材料Ag/ZrO2-TiO2具有锐钛矿晶型结构,其Ag以单质形式存在。该复合材料的孔结构高度有序,属三维有序大孔,平均孔直径为120 nm,孔壁由紧密堆积的Ag/ZrO2-TiO2纳米晶粒组成,孔收缩率约为40%。该复合材料表现出较好的紫外光催化降解水杨酸和甲基橙等染料性能,其活性明显高于商用光催化剂(Degussa P-25)、Ag/ZrO2-TiO2和3DOM ZrO2-TiO2,在90 min内对甲基橙的降解率达80.1%。     

三维有序大孔钙钛矿型氧化物LaFeO3的合成及甲烷化学链重整性能

采用无皂乳液聚合法制备了聚苯乙烯(PS)聚合物微球,并采用胶晶模板法制备了三维有序大孔3DOM LaFeO₃钙钛矿型氧化物.通过扫描电镜、X射线衍射和傅里叶变换红外光谱等手段对氧化物的性能进行了表征.利用程序升温还原和多次氧化还原循环反应评价了氧化物的反应性,并在固定床反应器上研究了其甲烷氧化性能.结果表明,与离心法和蒸发法相比,垂直沉积法获得的PS微球模板排列更均匀有序;前驱物溶剂及浓度对最终的三维有序大孔材料的结构有显著影响,利用乙醇为前驱物溶剂所制备的样品比利用乙烯为溶剂的样品具有更好的三维有序大孔结构,前驱物乙醇溶液浓度在1.0 mol/L为宜.甲烷氧化实验表明,3DOM-LaFeO₃钙钛矿型氧化物中存在两种氧物种:表面吸附氧和体相晶格氧.表面吸附氧主要在反应初期将甲烷完全氧化为CO₂和水蒸汽,而体相晶格氧主要将甲烷部分氧化为H₂和CO.在甲烷部分氧化反应中,三维有序大孔LaFeO₃钙钛矿型氧化物比相同质量的纳米LaFeO₃氧化物提供了更多的氧,并且可使甲烷在较宽的反应阶段生成H₂和CO摩尔比为2:1的合成气,从而更有利于后续的费托合成等工艺.     

Towards more controlled poly(n-butyl methacrylate) by atom transfer radical polymerization

The homogeneous controlled/‘living’ free radical polymerization of n-butyl methacrylate in toluene or o-xylene at 90 °C, in bulk and in solution, using the novel combination of the catalyst bis-triphenylphosphine iron(II)chloride tetrahydrate (FeCl₂ · 4H₂O(PPh₃)₂) with ethyl 2-bromoisobutyrate ((CH₃)₂CBrCO₂Et)) and α,α-dichloroacetophenone (CHCl₂COPh) as initiators has been investigated. The rate of polymerization initiated by the two initiators exhibited first-order kinetic with respect to the monomer. A linear increase of the number-average molecular weight (M_n) versus monomer conversion was observed for these systems. Among the two initiation systems, ethyl 2-bromoisobutyrate gave the fastest polymerization rate. A system with Fe³⁺ added at the beginning of the polymerization was examined and the lowest polydispersity (M_w/M_n∼1.2) was found when 10% Fe³⁺, relative to Fe²⁺ was added.     

Investigation of the degradation behaviour of poly(ethylene glycol-co-d,l-lactide) copolymer

The aim was to investigate the degradation behaviour of poly(ethylene glycol-co-d,l-lactide) (PEG-d,l-PLA) multiblock copolymer, in bulk and as microspheres, in aqueous medium. The degradation behaviour of PLA homopolymers in bulk and microspheres was evaluated as comparison.Microsphere preparation was performed by the double emulsion solvent evaporation method. Physical-chemical characterization of the raw polymers and the microspheres was performed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC). Polymer molecular weight, before and after incubation in aqueous environment, was evaluated by GPC; water uptake and mass loss were determined gravimetrically.The presence of PEG segments inside PLA chains gave a characteristic spongy structure to the microspheres. A significant increase in polymer T_g values was found for the microsphere formulations compared to polymer in bulk. After 63 days of incubation in the aqueous environment, the PEG-d,l-PLA microspheres achieved an average M_w reduction of 47% compared to 20% for PLA microspheres. The corresponding M_w decrease of the polymers in bulk was significantly higher: 72% and 41% for PEG-d,l-PLA and PLA, respectively.The data show how the degradation behaviour of polymer in bulk in an aqueous environment is significantly different from the behaviour of the corresponding microspheres. These results highlight the importance of performing a thorough physical-chemical characterization on microsphere formulations.     

A new catalytic system for the copolymerization of dicyclopentadiene with CO: PdCl2/phen/M(CF3SO3)n

A new three-component catalytic system, PdCl₂/phen/M(CF₃SO₃)_n, was studied in the copolymerization of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) with CO. It was found that the PdCl₂/phen/CF₃SO₃H catalytic system gave a very low catalytic activity, and the PdCl₂/phen/M(CF₃SO₃)_n catalytic system exhibited high activity when M(CF₃SO₃)_n was introduced instead of CF₃SO₃H. The resultant cooligomer was analyzed using various techniques such as FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, DSC and TGA. The results indicated that the copolymer was a polyspiroketal (PS) of CO and DCPD. Due to the tension of the ring of DCPD, the degree of copolymerization is low and the degree of crystallinity is also not high. The effects of ligands, M(CF₃SO₃)_n, solvents, 1,4-benzoquinone/PdCl₂ molar ratio, and temperatures on the copolymerization have been discussed in detail. The results showed that this novel catalytic system exhibited highly efficient activity, especially when 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) was used as ligand and Cu(CF₃SO₃)₂ was used as cocatalyst. The corresponding reaction rate was 49 000 g PS/molPd h when the reaction was carried out at 60 °C and 3.0 MPa of CO. The weight average molecular weight (M_w) and the number average molecular weight (M_n) of the resultant cooligomer were 1180 g/mol and 564 g/mol, respectively.     

Ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone initiated by diphenylzinc

In the present work the polymerization of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) using Ph₂Zn as initiator is reported. The effects of reaction temperature, molar ratio of monomer/initiator and reaction time on the yield and the molecular weight are investigated. The temperature is varied between 20 and 120 °C and the molar ratio of monomer to initiator between 200 and 800 mol/mol. The results indicate that the Ph₂Zn induces the polymerization of ε-CL to high conversion and produces polymer with high molecular weight at temperatures around 40-60 °C.     

Characterization of aquatic dissolved organic matter by asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation coupled to UV-Visible diode array and excitation emission matrix fluorescence

Flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF) with on-line UV/Visible diode array detector (DAD) and excitation emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence detector has been developed for the characterization of optical properties of aquatic dissolved organic matter (DOM) collected in the Otonabee River (Ontario, Canada) and Athabasca River (Alberta, Canada). The molecular weight (MW) distribution of DOM was estimated using a series of organic macromolecules ranging from 479 to 66,000 Da. Both the number-average (M_n) and weight-average (M_w) molecular weights of Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA) and Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA) determined using these macromolecular standards were comparable to those obtained using polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) standards, suggesting that organic macromolecules can be used to estimate MW of natural organic colloids. The MW of eight river DOM samples determined by this method was found to have an M_n range of 0.8–1.1 kDa, which agrees with available literature estimates. The FlFFF-DAD-EEM system provided insight into the MW components of river DOM including the optical properties by on-line absorbance and fluorescence measurement. A red-shift in emission and excitation wavelength maxima associated with lower spectral slope ratios (S_R = S_275–295:S_350–400) was related to higher MW DOM. However, DOM of different origins at similar MW also showed significant difference in optical properties. A difference of 47 and 40 nm in excitation and emission peak C maxima was found. This supports the hypothesis that river DOM is not uniform in size and optical composition.     

Synthesis, characterization and thermoreversible behaviours of poly(dimethyl siloxane)/poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) semi-interpenetrating networks

Simultaneous and sequential poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAAm)/poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) with different linear PDMS contents were prepared by free radical polymerization method. Their phase morphologies have been characterized by FTIR, DSC and SEM. The simultaneous semi-IPNs exhibited phase transition temperatures (T_pt) shifted higher temperature from glass transition temperatures (T_g) of their respective homopolymers, suggesting a heterophase morphology and only physical entanglement between the PNIPAAm network and linear PDMS with high molecular weight (Mn≈9000 g/mol). For sequential semi-IPNs, the shift of T_pts towards lower temperature suggested that the chemical interaction between the constituents of the IPNs increased with increasing PDMS content in the network. In addition, these semi-IPNs were characterized for their thermo-sensitive behaviour by equilibrium swelling studies. The results showed that incorporation of hydrophobic PDMS polymer into the thermo- and pH-sensitive PNIPAAm and P(NIPAAm-co-IA) (itaconic acid) hydrogels by semi-IPN formation decreased swelling degrees of IPNs without affecting their LCSTs whereas addition of acrylated PDMS (Tegomer V-Si 2250) as crosslinker instead of N,N^′-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) into the structures of these hydrogels changed their LCSTs along with their swelling degrees.     

Aqueous solution behavior of p(N-isopropyl acrylamide) in the presence of water-soluble macromolecular species

We report here the polymerization of N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM) via the reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) process. Two trithiocarbonates (S,S′-bis(α,α′-dimethyl-α″-acetic acid)-trithiocarbonate and 2-dodecylsulfanylthiocarbonylsulfanyl-2-methyl propionic acid) were used as the chain transfer agents in conjunction with 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid) and 2,2′azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride as the initiating species. Poly(NIPAM) is a thermo-responsive polymer that has a sharp lower critical solution temperature (LCST). Herein, we investigated the aqueous solution behaviour of well defined p(NIPAM) prepared by the RAFT process as a function of molecular weight (degree of polymerization: 50, 100 and 200) and temperature. Furthermore, we examine the influence of varying concentrations of macromolecular species (neutral polyethylene glycol (M_n - 3400 g/mol) and ionic bovine serum albumin (M_n - 63 000 g/mol)) on the LCST of p(NIPAM). The aqueous solution behaviour was assessed by spectrophotometry, dynamic light scattering and surface tensiometry. The macromolecular additives was found to have a significant effect on the coil to globular transition of the lower molecular weight p(NIPAM).     

Non-equilibrium self-assembled structures in thick PS-b-PMMA copolymer films

Phenomena associated with the order-disorder transition (ODT) of block copolymers have been studied by optical light microscopy, SAXS, SEM, TEM and DSC. Observations have been made on almost symmetric polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) samples of three molecular weights and their mixture. We observed non-equilibrium supermolecular structures several microns in diameter in the bulk of thick PS-b-PMMA films (ca. 100 μm thickness) prepared by vacuum drying of films cast from a non-selective solvent (after a short-term annealing above the T_g). Apparent LDOT (lower disorder-to-order transition) behaviour is observed for samples with non-equilibrium morphology surviving from solution as deduced from SAXS 1/I_m vs 1/T and the full width at half-maximum vs 1/T plots.The measurements point to complex behaviour near the ODT, but homogenization of samples upon long-term annealing well above the T_g temperature call into existence common stacks of lamellae observable in SEM images of microphase-separated samples. This verifies the opinion that the observed apparent LDOT behaviour of samples II, III and II + III is associated with the frozen non-equilibrium morphology surviving from solution. This is confirmed by SAXS measurement on a homogenized sample displaying the expected UDOT behaviour. It has been demonstrated that self-assembled structures prepared by vacuum drying of films cast from a non-selective solvent are non-equilibrium structures and their successive ordering is difficult due to a relative narrow temperature interval between T_g and degradation temperature. The conditions under which BCP films are prepared thus have a pronounced effect on the microstructure and microphase ordering process.     

Prediction of molecular weight and density of n-alkanes (C6-C44)

Heavy n-alkanes and their mixtures were characterized by high temperature-simulated distillation using gas chromatography with a capillary column. In this work, the atmospheric boiling point is determined by the HT-SimDis GC method. In this study, molecular weights and density of n-alkanes were evaluated with this method by using retention times and normal boiling points as input data. ASTM D2887 calibration mixture containing 17 n-alkanes in the C₆-C₄₄ range were used for qualitative analyses. Retention times (t_R) of n-alkanes were measured with this method. The other input data that normal boiling points (T_b) and molecular weight (M) had been taken in the literature. Experimental densities (at 20 °C) of n-alkanes were obtained from API Research Projects. Empirical molecular weight and density correlations were developed by using the nonlinear and multiple regressions with correlation coefficients. The results of calculations were compared with experimental data. Normal boiling point predictions were obtained as an average absolute deviation of 1.07%. Molecular weight and density results were evaluated as average absolute deviations of 0.68% and 0.21%, respectively.