Electron spin resonance study of γ-irradiated poly(acrylic acid)

Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) γ-irradiated in air at room temperature and recorded at room temperature and at liquid-nitrogen temperature have been studied to identify the radiation products. The ESR spectra are composed of eight lines with hyperfine splittings of 23 ± 1 G and 11 ± 1 G. The method of least-squares total curve fitting, employing the Lorentzian line shape function, to the observed spectra enabled the assignment of the spectra. Computed spectra obtained by the superposition of a singlet and the spectra due to chain radicals are considered to give the best fits to the observed ESR spectra. The singlet is assigned to the radicals COOH, and the component 10-line spectra are assigned to the chain radicals CH₃? CH? CH₂ ～ and/or ～ CH₂? CH? CH₂ ～. The observed change in line shape with temperature of the ESR spectra is attributed to the hindered oscillations of the methyl groups about the C_α? C_β bond axis of the chain radicals. The existence of the methyl groups is confirmed by the measurement of infrared absorption.     

Electron spin resonance study on plasma-induced surface radicals of poly(ethylene naphthalate)

We have undertaken Ar plasma irradiation on poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN) powder, and the radicals formed were studied by electron spin resonance (ESR). The room temperature ESR spectrum of plasma-irradiated PEN shows a five-line spectrum separated with nonbinomial intensity distribution, indicating that the spectrum is an outline of multicomponent spectra. The systematic computer simulation of the observed ESR spectra disclosed that the spectra consist of two types of radicals in structural term: the major radicals formed were assigned to dihydronaphthalenyl-type radicals generated by a nearly random addition of a hydrogen atom to the naphthalene ring, and immobilized dangling bond sites at the surface crosslinked moiety.     

Nature of plasma-induced radicals on crosslinked methacrylic polymers studied by electron spin resonance

Plasma-induced radicals of several crosslinked methacrylic polymers such as poly(ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate) (PEDMA), poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (PHEMA) and polymethacrylamide (PMAAm) were studied by electron spin resonance (ESR). The observed ESR spectra did not exhibit a drastic difference in the spectral feature caused by the effect of crosslinking. All the spectral features can be represented by “nine-line spectra” as a major spectral component similar to those of linear methacrylic polymers such as polymethacrylic acid (PMAA). A pronounced effect of crosslinking, however, has emerged on the specific formation in the radical structure and the stability of radicals formed, especially in PEDMA. The formation of fewer kinds of radical in PEDMA is apparently caused by the high degree of crosslinking which leads to a suppression of the occurrence of depolymerization on plasma irradiation.     

Electron spin resonance of γ-irradiated poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate)

The two types of radicals trapped in γ-irradiated poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate) (PEN 2,6) have been identified by ESR as ? O? CH? CH₂? O? (radical I) and a radical located on the naphthalene ring (radical II). The relative concentrations of radicals in the gross polymer are 10–20% radical I and 80–90% radical II. Similar trapped radicals have been identified in γ-irradiated poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), a structurally related polymer which differs only in the aromatic moiety, but the relative radical concentrations are quite different. These results are discussed in relation to the radiation resistance of the two polymers.     

An electron spin resonance study on γ-irradiated poly( -lactic acid) and poly( -lactic acid)

The effect of gamma irradiation on poly( -lactic acid) ( -PLA) and poly( -lactic acid) ( -PLA), has been examined using ESR spectroscopy and through analysis of the changes in molecular weight. The G values for radical formation of both polylactic acids have been calculated at 77 and 300 K; G(R) = 2.0 at 77 K and G(R) = 1.5 at 300 K for -PLA and G(R) = 2.4 at 77 K and G(R) = 1.2 at 300 K for -PLA. The ESR spectrum at 300 K for the polymers was assigned to one radical, resulting from H atom abstraction from the quaternary carbon atom. The G values for crosslinking and scission have also been determined for the polymers at 300 K; G(S) = 2.3 and G(X) = 0.0 for -PLA, G(S) = 2.4 and G(X) = 0.28 for -PLA.     

Electron spin resonance study on chemical‐crosslinking reaction mechanisms of polyethylene using a chemical agent. VI. Effect of α‐methyl styrene dimer

The effect of α‐methyl styrene dimer (AMSD), which is used as a scorch retarder, on the reaction mechanisms of the chemical crosslinking of polyethylene (PE) with dicumyl peroxide (DCP) at high temperatures was investigated using electron spin resonance. When AMSD was added to PE containing DCP, the AMSD radical was observed; however, the PE alkyl radical or allyl radical presence was not detected. At 145 °C, crosslinking was obstructed as a result of the reaction between AMSD and alkyl radicals. As the temperature increased, AMSD fragmented to form 2‐phenyl‐2‐propyl and double bonds in PE. This generation of double bonds, however, accelerated crosslinking at 180 °C and was more effective than when AMSD was not present. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2151–2156, 2001     

Activation parameters associated with the β relaxation of poly(cyclohexyl acrylate)

The interpretation of the mechanical and dielectric β relaxations of poly(cyclohexyl acrylate) by the coupling scheme suggests that the dielectric relaxation process is more complex than the mechanical one, contrary to what occurs in the glass–rubber relaxation. The distribution of activation energies for the dielectric process, obtained from isochronal and isothermal loss curves, increases with temperature and frequencies. The determination of the distribution of the activation-free energy indicates a distribution of the activation entropy for both the mechanical and dielectric β process, suggesting that a distribution of preexponential factors in the Arrhenius equation also exists. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Electron spin resonance analysis of paramagnetic Pd(I) species in Pd(II)-exchanged H-rho zeolite

Zeolite rho was synthesized and Pd(II) exchanged into it. Pd(II) was reduced to paramagnetic Pd(1) by a thermal activation process. The interactions of Pd(I) in zeolite H-rho with oxygen, water, methanol, ammonia, carbon monoxide and ethylene have been studied by electron spin resonance (ESR) and electron spin echo modulation (ESEM) spectroscopies. The ESR spectrum of an activated sample shows the formation of one Pd(I) species. Pd(I) interacts with water vapor or molecular oxygen to form Pd(II)–O₂, indicating decomposition of water. Equilibration with methanol results in a broad isotropic ESR signal which is attributed to the formation of small palladium clusters. ESEM shows that the Pd clusters coordinate one molecule of methanol. Adsorption of ammonia produces a Pd(I) complex containing four molecules of ammonia based upon resolved nitrogen superhyperfine coupling. Adsorption of carbon monoxide results in a Pd(I) complex containing two molecules of carbon monoxide based upon resolved¹³C superhyperfine coupling. ESR and ESEM results indicate that exposure to ethylene leads to two new Pd(I) species each of which coordinates one molecule of ethylene.     

Advanced protocol for the detection of irradiated food by electron spin resonance spectroscopy

Using ESR (electron spin resonance) spectroscopy, we found various free radicals in a pepper before and after irradiation. The representative ESR spectrum of the pepper composed of a sextet centered at g=2.0, a singlet at the same g-value and a singlet at g=4.0. This reflects the evidence of three independent radicals in the pepper before irradiation. Upon gamma ray irradiation, a new pair of signals appeared. The progressive saturation behavior (PSB) at various microwave power levels indicates quite different relaxation behaviors of those signals. For the evaluation of radiation-induced radicals and irradiation effects we propose a new protocol using the PSB method. This would call for an advanced protocol for the detection of irradiated foods.     

Spin label study of phase morphology and polymer segmental motion in poly(acrylic acid)–poly(ethylene oxide) complex

The ESR lineshapes of nitroxide radical end‐labeled on poly(ethylene oxide) (SLPEO) for the pure polymer and for different weight ratio complexes with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were studied as a function of temperature. For SLPEO one spectral component was detected in the entire temperature range, indicating that the spin label was in the homogeneous phase domain. For all PAA–PEO complexes two spectral components with different rates of motion, a ‘fast’ and a ‘slow’ component, were observed, which indicates the existence of microheterogeneity at the molecular level: the more mobile the PEO‐rich microphase, the more rigid is the PAA‐rich microphase. On the other hand, the SLPEO polymer segmental motion was restricted owing to the hydrogen bond interaction between the carboxyl proton in PAA and the ether oxygen in PEO. This restriction was exacerbated with increasing the PAA content in the complex, which could be further substantiated through the calculated S and τ_c values. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The grafting of acrylamide onto poly(ε‐caprolactone) and poly(1,5‐dioxepan‐2‐one) using electron beam preirradiation. II. An in vitro degradation study on grafted poly(ε‐caprolactone)

Acrylamide was graft polymerized onto the surface of a biodegradable semicrystalline polyester, poly(ε‐caprolactone). Electron beam irradiation at a dose of 5 Mrad was used to generate initiating species in the polyester. The degradation in vitro at pH 7.4 and 37°C in a phosphate buffer solution was studied for untreated, irradiated and acrylamide‐grafted polymers. In the case of poly(ε‐caprolactone), all materials showed similar behavior in terms of weight loss. No significant decrease in weight was observed up to 40 weeks, after which the loss of weight accelerated. The main differences in degradation behavior were found for the average molecular weights, M̄_n and M̄_w. Virgin poly(ε‐caprolactone) maintained M̄_n and M̄_w up to about 40 weeks, whereas the irradiated and grafted poly(ε‐caprolactone) showed similar continuous declines in M̄_n and M̄_w throughout the degradation period. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1651–1657, 1999     

ESR imaging and FTIR study of thermally treated poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS) containing a hindered amine stabilizer: Effect of polymer morphology, and butadiene and stabilizer content

Electron spin resonance imaging (ESRI) was applied to the study of thermal degradation at 393 K of poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS) prepared by emulsion polymerization and containing 25% wt butadiene (ABS-25B). The polymer was doped with 1 or 2% wt Tinuvin 770 as the hindered amine stabilizer (HAS). The spatial distribution of the HAS-derived nitroxide radicals, obtained by 1D ESRI, was initially homogeneous, but became heterogeneous through sample depth with increasing treatment time, t. The spatial variation of ESR line shaping with sample depth was visualized by 2D spectral-spatial ESRI. ESR spectra along the sample depth, obtained by nondestructive (“virtual”) slicing of the 2D images, were used to deduce the relative intensity of nitroxide radicals present in two dynamically distinct sites; the sites were assigned to butadiene-rich (fast component) and SAN-rich domains (slow component), respectively. 1D and 2D ESRI allowed the determination of the extent of degradation within morphologically-distinct domains as a function of sample depth and treatment time. The results from the ESRI experiments were substantiated by attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-FTIR spectroscopy of the outer layer (500 μm thick) of the polymer. Both techniques indicated faster degradation of polymer samples that contained the higher HAS content, 2% wt. Comparison with the results obtained for a parallel study of ABS prepared by mass polymerization and containing 10% wt butadiene (ABS-10B) indicated clearly that the rate of degradation of the polymer prepared by emulsion polymerization (ABS-25B) is significantly reduced. This result can be explained by the formation of cross-linked “composite” networks during emulsion polymerization, which leads to greater thermal stability.     

Structural characterization of a poly(methacrylic acid)-poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymer by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) have been combined to achieve the complete microstructural characterization of a poly(methacrylic acid)-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMAA-PMMA) copolymer synthesized by nitroxide-mediated polymerization. Various PMAA-PMMA species could be identified which mainly differ in terms of terminaisons. ¹H and ¹³C NMR experiments revealed the structure of the end-groups as well as the proportion of each co-monomer in the copolymers. These end-group masses were further confirmed from m/z values of doubly charged copolymer anions detected in the single stage mass spectrum. In contrast, copolymer composition derived from MS data was not consistent with NMR results, obviously due to strong mass bias well known to occur during electrospray ionization of these polymeric species. Tandem mass spectrometry could reveal the random nature of the copolymer based on typical dissociation reactions, i.e., water elimination occurred from any two contiguous MAA units while MAA-MMA pairs gave rise to the loss of a methanol molecule. Polymer backbone cleavages were also observed to occur and gave low abundance fragment ions which allowed the structure of the initiating end-group to be confirmed.     

Dissociation behavior of poly(α‐hydroxy acrylic acid)

Dissociation behavior of poly(α‐hydroxy acrylic acid) (PHA) was investigated by potentiometric titration in the presence of NaCl and/or divalent metal chlorides. It was found that pH values of PHA aqueous solutions increased with time when the degree of dissociation, α, is high (α ≧ 0.5 for NaCl system) and decreased in the lower α region (α < 0.5 for NaCl). The increase of pH was attributed to lactone ring formation that occurs between a carboxyl group and a neighbor hydroxyl group upon protonation to the former, and the decrease of pH to an induction effect by lactone ring to −COOH group. The pH‐increasing process was analyzed by assuming it being of a first order to obtain a time constant. On the basis of time constant thus estimated and pKa values for divalent counterion systems, a correlation between counterion binding and lactone ring formation was discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1523–1531, 1999     

Direct ESR detection and spin trapping of radicals generated by reaction of oxygen radicals with sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) membranes

The stability of membranes under the strong oxidizing conditions in fuel cells is one of the major challenges in the development of fuel cells based on proton exchange membranes (PEMs). This study is centered on the determination of the susceptibility to degradation of SPEEK membranes exposed to OH radicals, using both direct ESR and spin trapping with 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-1-oxide (DMPO). In order to achieve a complete picture on SPEEK degradation, two types of experiments were performed: 1. UV irradiation at 77 K of SPEEK membranes swollen by aqueous solutions of H₂O₂; 2. UV irradiation of SPEEK membranes swollen by aqueous solutions of H₂O₂ in the presence of DMPO as a spin trap. UV irradiation without oxygen of SPEEK at 77 K in acid or basic form in the presence of H₂O₂/H₂O produced phenoxyl radicals as the predominant radicals detected by direct ESR or spin trapping methods. At pH 4, the oxygen radicals produced phenyl radicals as the predominant species detected by spin trapping methods. The hydroperoxyl radical, as DMPO/OOH adduct, was detected only when the DMPO/OH adduct was absent. The appearance of phenyl and phenoxyl radicals provides the evidence that OH radicals react with the aromatic ring of SPEEK or leading to the scission of its ether bridge.     

Molecular modeling of polymers. 10. Characterization of conformational transitions of poly(acrylic acid) and poly(methacrylic acid) using dyad structures

The conformational profiles of nearest side-chain neighbors, methylene-dyad structures, of poly(acrylic acid), PAA, and poly(methacrylic acid), PMA, were determined as a function of tacticity, extent of ionization, and presence of counterion. The dominant backbone conformer states are quite similar for both isotactic and syndiotactic diads in a common charge state. Thus, the overall dimensional properties of isotactic syndiotactic and atactic chains of PAA or PMA, based upon dyad interactions, are predicted to be alike for a given charge state. Significant deviations from precise t, g⁺, and g^? states are found for the dyad minimum energy conformations. The rod-to-coil and coil-to-rod transitions observed in PAA and PMA, respectively, as a function of increasing counterion concentration can be explained, to a large extent, by the conformational profiles of the corresponding dyad model structures. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.