Structure and properties of the mesophase of syndiotactic polystyrene. II. Effect of stepwise extraction on the preparation of the mesophase

In this study, a novel stepwise extraction method has been examined. The guest molecules housed between the helices of the clathrate δ form of syndiotactic polystyrene can be removed completely with this method. A systematic study of the preparation of a solvent‐free mesophase (emptied clathrate) membrane, its helical and residual solvent contents, and its structural transformations has been performed. In this first attempt, an enhancement in the TTGG helical content has been observed in the extracted membrane, and a conceptual mechanism is proposed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 269–273, 2003     

Structure and properties of the mesophase of syndiotactic polystyrene. VIII. Solvent sorption behavior of syndiotactic polystyrene/p‐chlorotoluene mesophase membranes

A crystalline δ form of a syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) membrane was prepared from a solution of sPS (1 wt %) and p‐chlorotoluene (p‐CT) by a solution‐casting method. The mesophase (δ empty form) of sPS was obtained by the extraction of the guest solvent from the δ form of sPS by a stepwise solvent‐extraction method. The sPS/p‐CT mesophase membrane [p‐CT (A‐M)] was used for the sorption of 1 mol % p‐CT for different times and for the sorption of different concentrations of p‐CT, chlorobenzene (CB), p‐xylene (p‐X), toluene, and chloroform for 48 h. The presence of solvents in the sPS membrane was confirmed by IR analysis. A thermal study revealed that the sorption amount of 1 mol % p‐CT increased with increasing immersion time, and the sorption amounts of different solvents increased with increasing solvent concentration. Differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the desorption peak temperature increased as the amount of the solvent increased in the clathrated sPS membrane. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction results showed that 2θ at 8.25° was slightly shifted toward 8°, and there was no change in the peak position at 10° for p‐CT (A‐M), which was immersed in different solvents (1 mol %); however, the intensity of 2θ at 10° was not similar for all the samples. Among the solvents used for the sorption studies at 1 mol %, p‐CT (A‐M) could sorb more p‐CT and CB than p‐X, toluene, and chloroform. The solvent sorption isotherm was the Langmuir sorption mechanism. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3439–3446, 2004     

Structure and properties of the mesophase of syndiotactic polystyrene—III. Selective sorption of the mesophase of syndiotactic polystyrene

Syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) has various crystalline forms such as α, β, γ, and δ forms, and a mesophase depending on the preparation method. In this study, we focused on the mesophase with the molecular cavity of sPS, which is obtained by step‐wise extraction of the guest molecules from the sPS δ form. To prepare the mesophase containing different shapes and sizes of the cavity, two kinds of the sPS δ form membrane cast from either toluene or chloroform solution were first prepared and then the guest molecules were removed by a step‐wise extraction method using acetone and methanol. We could succeed in the preparation of two kinds of mesophase with different shapes and sizes of the molecular cavity. Either toluene or chloroform vapor sorption to the sPS mesophase membranes was examined at 25 °C. Sorption analysis indicates that the mesophase with large molecular cavities can mainly sorb large molecules; on the other hand, the mesophase with small cavities can sorb only the small molecules, and is unable to sorb a large amount of large molecule because the cavity was too small to sorb the large molecules. Therefore, the sPS mesophase membrane has sorption selectivity based on the size of the molecular cavity. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 238–245, 2004     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering from oleate-stabilized silver colloids at a liquid/liquid interface.

Oleate-stabilized silver colloids of 5-nm-diameter were adsorbed to a toluene/water interface, and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra from these colloids were measured under the total internal reflection (TIR) condition. From the observed spectra, we examined the states of oleate ions and toluene molecules on silver colloids at the liquid/liquid interfacial region. The TIR-SERS spectra of oleate ions showed stronger peaks of the carboxylate group and the ethylene group than those of alkyl chains. From these results, it was found that the oleate ions were adsorbed on the silver surface in two different ways at the liquid/liquid interface; the carboxylate group adsorbed in the organic phase side, while the ethylene group adsorbed in the aqueous phase side. The shifts of the toluene in the interfacial SERS spectra were identical to those of bulk toluene, though the relative intensities among the peaks were not same. This result suggested that the toluene was adsorbed with a weak interaction, but was significantly enhanced by the local electromagnetic field at the colloid surface.     

Cellulose dimethylphenylcarbamate-bonded carbon-clad zirconia for chiral separation in high performance liquid chromatography.

Porous zirconia particles are very robust material and have received considerable attention as a stationary phase support for HPLC. We prepared cellulose dimethylphenylcarbamate-bonded carbon-clad zirconia (CDMPCCZ) as a chiral stationary phase (CSP) for separation of enantiomers of a set of 14 racemic compounds in normal phase (NP) and reversed-phase (RP) liquid chromatography. Retention and enantioselectivity on CDMPCCZ were compared to those on CDMPC-coated zirconia (CDMPCZ) to see how the change in immobilization method of the chiral selector affects the retention and chiral selectivity. In NPLC, retention was longer and the number of resolved racemates was smaller on CDMPCCZ than on CDMPCZ. However, chiral selectivity factors for some resolved racemates were better on CDMPCCZ than on CDMPCZ. The longer retention on CDMPCCZ is likely due to strong, non-chiral discriminating interactions with the carbon layer on CDMPCZ. In RPLC only two racemates were resolved on CDMPCCZ, but retention times were shorter than, and resolutions were comparable to, those in NPLC, indicating a potential for improving chromatographic performance of the CDMPCCZ column in RPLC with optimized column preparation and separation conditions.     

Photo-Absorption and photochemical decomposition of copper and alkaline-earth ß-diketonates as source gases of high-Tc superconducting films

For low-temperature deposition of oxide films relating to Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductors, photo-absorption and -decomposition properties were examined with respect to copper and alkaline-earth ß-diketonates. It was confirmed that all ß-diketonates examined were promising as source materials for photochemical vapour deposition (photo-CVD) using a low-pressure mercury lamp, in view of their large light absorption coefficients at wavelength 254 nm. The light irradiation was effective for the formation of highly crystalline oxide films at temperatures below 600 °C. By combining two sources, Ca₂CuO₃ and SrCuO₂ films were prepared. Photo-CVD of c-axis oriented Bi₂Sr₂CuO_x film was achieved by the irradiation of ternary sources of Bi(C₆H₅)₃ and strontium and copper ß-diketonates at 500 °C.     

Thickness decrease of a grafted polyelectrolyte membrane exposed to shear flow

The effect of the shear flow on the thickness change of a polyelectrolyte membrane grafted onto a glass substrate was directly investigated with a flow cell combined with a confocal laser scanning microscope. The membrane thickness decreased proportionally to an increase in the shear stress of the flow when the shear rate exceeded a critical value of 1 s^?1. The higher the ionic strength was of the fluid, the greater the thinning effect was. The correlation between the critical shear rate and the relaxation of the polymer in the gel membrane was examined. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 2808–2815, 2003     

Structure and molecular motion of poly(ethylene oxide) chains adsorbed on a silica-tethered poly(methyl methacrylate) by the spin label method

The spin-label method was used to study the structure and molecular motion of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chains adsorbed on a silica-tethered poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Spin-labelled PEO with a narrow molecular weight distribution, having number averaged molecular weight (M _N)=6.0×10³, was adsorbed on the surface of the silica-tethered PMMA with various grafting ratios in carbon tetrachloride solution at 35?°C. ESR spectra were measured at various temperatures after the samples were completely dried. The ESR spectra are composed of two spectra arising from spin-labels attached to “train” and “tail” segments, which are strongly and weakly interacted with the silica surface, respectively. The fractional amount of the “tail” segments increases extremely with the grafting ratio of PMMA. Molecular mobility of the PEO chains estimated from the temperature dependence of the ESR spectra also decreases significantly with the grafting ratio of PMMA. Structure and molecular motion of the PMMA chains tethered on the silica were also studied using the spin-labelled PMMA. Consequently, parts of the PEO segments penetrate into the PMMA chains and is adsorbed on the silica surface (“train” segments), whereas parts of the PMMA segments protrude from the surface. The other PEO segments are entangled with the tethered PMMA chains (“tail” segments).