Mechano-optical behavior in poly (ethylene terephthalate)/poly (ether imide) blends

Mechano-optical behavior and related structural evolution during uniaxial stretching of melt miscible poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/poly (ether imide) (PEI) blends were studied near their glass transition temperature using an instrumented machine that measures true stress, true strain and spectral birefringence simultaneously. Stretching from amorphous state, two distinct stress-optical regimes were observed at temperatures between T_g and T_cc (cold crystallization). Near T_g, a typical photoelastic behavior persists until a critical temperature above which temperature independent initial stress optical behavior is observed. At those temperatures above T_g, where glassy behavior is observed, decreasing stretching rate was also found to eliminate this glassy photo elastic regime leading to the observation of a linear initial stress optical behavior that becomes temperature independent as expected from linear stress optical rule. Increasing PEI concentration in the blends suppresses crystallizability and increases temperature at which initial elastic region disappears giving way to pure liquid behavior where linear stress optical behavior is observed. This is attributed to the increase and broadening of the glass transition temperature with the addition of noncrystallizable PEI. In PET/PEI blends, the stress-optical coefficient (SOC), determined in a linear stress optical regime, was found to increase linearly with the increase in PEI concentration.     

On the Orthogonality of Two Thiol‐Based Modular Ligations

The chemoselectivity of two thiol‐based modular ligations operating under mild conditions is assessed. For this purpose, a macromolecular scaffold possessing allyl and pentafluorophenyl groups in two distinct parts is employed, which enables facile characterization by NMR spectroscopy (¹H and ¹⁹F) and size‐exclusion chromatography. By using appropriate triggers (introduction of a base or light irradiation), it is possible to direct thiols to an arbitrarily chosen part of the scaffold, without any change to the other part and with no involvement of protecting group chemistry. Dual functionalization experiments are achieved by applying these triggers consecutively with no consideration of the reaction sequence order, evidencing full bidirectionality. A set of one‐pot, purification‐free procedures that enable near‐quantitative to full dual functionalization in (very) short reaction times (17–180 min) is also presented.     

Effect of carbon nanotubes on phase transitions of nematic liquid crystals

Phase diagrams of multi‐wall carbon nanotube (MWNT)/nematic liquid crystal (E7) and buckminsterfullerene (C₆₀‐I _h)/nematic liquid crystal (E7) binary systems have been investigated by means of polarizing optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that the isotropic–nematic phase transition temperature (T _NI) of the liquid crystal component was enhanced by the incorporation of MWNT within a small composition gap. A chimney‐type phase diagram can be identified in the MWNT/E7 mixture over a narrow range of ～0.1–0.2% MWNT concentration. Upon substituting the nanotubes with isotropic fillers such as fullerene, the (C₆₀‐I _h)/E7 blend showed no discernible change of T _NI in the same concentration range of the chimney of the MWNT/E7 mixture, suggesting a significant contribution of anisotropy (or the aspect ratio) of the nanotubes to the entropy of the system containing liquid crystal molecules. This enhanced T _NI phenomenon may be attributed to anisotropic alignment of liquid crystal molecules along the carbon nanotube bundles.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and AC Conductivity of Polyaniline/Selenium Composites

This study reports structural and thermal properties and temperature-dependent alternating current (AC) conductivity of polyaniline/selenium (PANI/Se) composites in emeraldine salt form prepared by a chemical polymerization method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the doping process significantly affected the N-H bond in PANI chain. The free energy change, which was calculated from the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, showed that Se was electrostatically adsorbed on PANI molecules. From the scanning electron microscopy images it was determined that morphological changes caused by the doping process on PANI surface could affect conductivity. Thermal analysis, which was performed with differential scanning calorimetry, showed that the addition of Se increased the degradation temperature of PANI. Depending on the doping level, significant increase was observed in the AC conductivity of PANI, approximately 11, 13, and 17 times for 300, 350, and 400 K temperatures respectively.     

Calculated valence electronic structure of 3d metals for use in the X-ray intensity ratio studies

3d occupation numbers of the transition elements corresponding to various types of atomic configurations are calculated by means of the linear muffin-tin orbital (LMTO) method. This data is used with the multiconfiguration Dirac–Fock (MCDF) X-ray intensity ratios to estimate the electron populations of the 3d metals in alloys.     

Copper(II)-pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylate Coordination Polymer with Monoethanolamine, [Cu(μ<Subscript>3</Subscript>-pzdc)(mea)]<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis></Subscript>

Abstract  

A novel Cu(II)-pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylate complex with monoethanolamine ligand (mea), [Cu(μ₃-pzdc)(mea)]_n (1), has been synthesized and characterized by elemental, spectral (IR and UV–Vis.) and thermal analyses. The molecular structure of polynuclear complex has been determined by the single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. The pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylate dianion exhibits tetradentate-μ₃ bridging ligand through three carboxylate oxygens and one nitrogen atom. The complex contains two copper(II) ions that exhibit two different coordination environments with two mea, two pzdc ligands, respectively. The Cu1(II) ion is coordinated by two carboxylate oxygen atoms, two N atoms and two O atoms of symmetry related carboxylate group, forming a distorted octahedral geometry, while Cu2(II) ion is coordinated by two bidentate mea ligands and remaining two coordination sites of distorted octahedral geometry are occupied by two carboxylate oxygen atoms of neighboring Cu1 molecule. Thermal analysis property and thermal decomposition mechanism of complex have been investigated by using thermal analyses techniques (TG, DTG and DTA).     

On the complexation kinetics for metallization of organic layers: palladium onto a pyridine-terminated araliphatic thiol film

Palladium nanoparticles have been deposited electrochemically onto self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 4-(4-(4-pyridyl)phenyl)phenylmethanethiol. A pronounced correlation between the kinetics of the complexation between pyridine nitrogens and Pd cations and the sample potential has been observed. The amount of the Pd deposit significantly increases by adjusting the sample potential during the complexation step to values below the point of zero charge. The size of the spherical shaped Pd nanoparticles varies within a certain limit according to the amount of Pd(2+) ions initially coordinated on top of the SAM. The metallic state of these particles was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy. Moreover, CO adsorption on the clean Pd deposit revealed further information about the crystallographic orientation of the nanoparticles.     

Isolation,characterization, and NMR spectroscopic data of indole and oxindole alkaloids from Mitragyna speciosa

A new indole alkaloid, 7β-hydroxy-7H-mitraciliatine (1) and a new oxindole alkaloid, isospeciofoleine (2) together with nine known alkaloids were isolated from Mitragyna speciosa and characterized by NMR, CD, and MS spectroscopic data analyses. The ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic data of isospeciofoline (3), isorotundifoline (4), paynantheine (5), and 3-isopaynantheine (6) were also reported for the first time.     

Reading Polymers: Sequencing of Natural and Synthetic Macromolecules

The sequencing of biopolymers such as proteins and DNA is among the most significant scientific achievements of the 20th century. Indeed, modern chemical methods for sequence analysis allow reading and understanding the codes of life. Thus, sequencing methods currently play a major role in applications as diverse as genomics, gene therapy, biotechnology, and data storage. However, in terms of fundamental science, sequencing is not really a question of molecular biology but rather a more general topic in macromolecular chemistry. Broadly speaking, it can be defined as the analysis of comonomer sequences in copolymers. However, relatively different approaches have been used in the past to study monomer sequences in biological and manmade polymers. Yet, these “cultural” differences are slowly fading away with the recent development of synthetic sequence‐controlled polymers. In this context, the aim of this Minireview is to present an overview of the tools that are currently available for sequence analysis in macromolecular science.     

Preparation of Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Materials Using Agregates of Poly{2-methyl-N-[2-(phenylthio)phenyl] Acrylamide-co-2-(Trimethylsyloxy)Ethyl Methacrylate} as Precursor and Vibrational Investigation of the Polymerization

Acrylamide based monomer, 2-methyl-N-[2-(phenylthio)phenyl]acrylamide (MPPA) was synthesized by reacting 2-(phenylthio) aniline with methacryloylchloride. The copolymerization of MPPA, with 2-(trimethylsyloxy)ethyl methacrylate(TSEM) was carried out with different monomer-to-monomer ratios in the feed. All the compounds were characterized by IR, Raman and ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR techniques and SEM analysis. The elemental analysis of the copolymer composition led to the determination of reactivity ratios employing Fineman-Ross, Kelen-Tüdös and Extended Kelen-Tüdös linearization methods. These parameters were also estimated using a non-linear computational fitting procedure, known as reactivity ratio errors in variable model. The molecular weights and polydispersity index of polymers was determined by gel permeation chromatography. Thermal stability of the copolymers were found to increase with increasing mole fraction of MPPA from thermogravimetric analysis. The vibrational analysis of MPPA and poly(MPPA) were also performed to explain the vibrational spectra and to confirm the polymerization on the basis of a theoretical and experimental aproach.