In‐line monitoring of UV photopolymerization with a quartz crystal resonator

An in‐line monitoring device using a quartz crystal resonator for thin film polymerization was proposed, and its performance has been evaluated by implementing in the UV polymerization of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate with a photoinitiator of 1‐chloroanthraquinone. Because the variation of resonant resistance of the resonator is proportional to the square root of viscosity change that is closely related to the polymerization degree, the resistance can be used as a measure of the polymerization degree. The resistance measurements were compared with the outcome of instrumental analyses of polymerization degree using an FTIR spectrometer and a gel permeation chromatograph. The experimental results showed that the resistance measurements were consistent with the experimental outcome of the instrumental analyses, and this indicates the effectiveness of the proposed device. Owing to the simplicity and availability of the resonator system, its wide utilization in the monitoring of a variety of film polymerization processes, including photoresistor application, is expected. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2428–2439, 2006     

Weak noncovalent Si···F?C interactions stabilized fluoroalkylated rod-like polysilanes as ultrasensitive chemosensors

Noncovalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, metal coordination, and π-π stacking, are increasingly being utilized to develop well-ordered and self-organized supramolecular materials. Recently, new types of nonclassical weak interactions, such as C H···π, C H···F C, and C H···O, have been exploited in stabilizing the specific conformations of molecules and molecular assemblies in the solid state. These noncovalent interactions play an important role in materials comprised of polymer chains, because cooperative effects from a large number of weak interactions can lead to drastic changes in its conformation, several properties, and functionalities. The programmed design of synthetic helical polymer with well-defined molecular conformation has been the main subject in modern polymer science and engineering. Silicon-catenated polysilane is an ideal helical silicon quantum wire and polymers with unique photophysical properties. The present review highlights the spectroscopic evidences for through-space weak Si···F C interaction in poly(methyl-3,3,3-trifluoropropylsilane) ( 1 ) in noncoordinating and coordinating solvents by means of NMR (²⁹Si and ¹⁹F) and IR spectroscopies, and viscometric measurement. It was found that 1 is applicable for chemosensors with an extremely high sensitivity and selectivity toward fluoride ions in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and with high sensitivity for nitroaromatic compounds, detected by a decrease in the photoluminescence intensity in THF and in thin solid film. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5060–5075, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of novel perfluorinated polyimides with 3D‐controlled structures for photonic applications

We have designed and synthesized novel perfluorinated polyimides with 3D controlled structure. At first, we successfully developed the new synthetic routes to diamines with pendant bulky perfluorinated aromatic units in a multi‐step synthetic procedure. Novel perfluorinated polyimides were prepared in a two‐step reaction in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP) solution: The first step was for the synthesis of polyamic acids (PAAs) and the second reaction was for the imidization of PAA. The polymer yield was over 89% and the inherent viscosity of PAAs was in the range of 0.24–0.36 dL/g. The thin films were prepared by spin‐coating the PAA solution in NMP onto various substrates such as a Si wafer or a KBr pellet, dried at 80 °C and further cured at 230 °C. The resultant polyimides are thermally stable over 400 °C. The refractive index and birefringence of the resultant polyimides are 1.5858–1.6452 and 0.01–0.005, respectively. The refractive index of polyimide decreases with increasing the fluorine content. The copolymerization and the ether linkages into the backbone reduce the birefringence of polyimides. Surprisingly, the pendant ether linkage is not a crucial factor in reducing the polyimide birefringence. Their birefringence is comparatively very low, compared with that of previous polyimides. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1326–1342, 2006     

Synthesis and luminescence characteristics of conjugated dendrimers with 2,4,6‐triaryl‐1,3,5‐triazine periphery

We have synthesized conjugated dendrimer with triazine peripheries, and their luminescence properties were investigated. The dendrimers consist of dendritic triazine wedges for electron transport, distyrylbenzene core as an emitting moiety, and t‐butyl peripheral groups for good processing properties. The dendrimers have LUMO values of about ?2.7 eV possibly because of the triazine moiety with high electron affinity. Photoluminescence study indicates that energy transfer occurs from the triazine wedges to the stilbene bridge, and finally to the core chromophore units due to a cascade decrease of bandgap from the peripheral wedge to core moiety. Therefore, the emission wavelength was determined by the structure of the core unit. The energy transfer efficiency of distyrylbenzene‐cored dendrimers was about 75 and 55% for Trz‐1GD‐DSB and Trz‐2GD‐DSB, respectively. A preliminary electroluminescence property also was investigated. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 254–263, 2006     

Synthesis and cationic photopolymerization of new fluorinated,polyfunctional propenyl ether oligomers

New fluorinated, polyfunctional propenyl ether functionalized resins were synthesized, and their behavior in cationic photopolymerization was investigated. The photopolymerization proceeded efficiently with a high double‐bond conversion (>90%), giving rise to UV‐cured coatings characterized by low glass‐transition temperatures (?33 °C ≤ glass‐transition temperature ≤ ?15 °C) and hydrophobic surface properties. A fluorinated additive was also employed as a reactive additive in the cationic photopolymerization of trimethylolpropane tripropenyl ether, increasing the double‐bond conversion, polymer network flexibility, thermal stability, and surface hydrophobicity. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6943–6951, 2006     

Preparation and characterization of rigid poly(vinyl chloride)/MMT nanocomposites. II. XRD,morphological and mechanical characteristics

A Haake torque rheometer equipped with an internal mixer is used to study the influence of the amount of sodium montmorillonite (Na⁺‐MMT) and organically modified MMT (O‐MMT) on X‐ray diffraction (XRD), morphology, and mechanical characteristics of rigid poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC)/Na⁺‐MMT and PVC/O‐MMT nanocomposites, respectively. Results of XRD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicate that MMT is partially encapsulated and intercalated in the rigid PVC/Na⁺‐MMT nanocomposites. However, results of XRD and TEM show MMT is partially intercalated and exfoliated in the rigid PVC/O‐MMT nanocomposites. Tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation at break of the rigid PVC/MMT nanocomposites were improved simultaneously with adding 1–3 wt % Na⁺‐MMT or O‐MMT with respect to that of pristine PVC. However, the addition of Na⁺‐MMT or O‐MMT should be kept as not more than 3 wt % to optimize the mechanical properties and the processing stability of the rigid PVC/MMT nanocomposites. SEM micrographs of the fractured surfaces of the rigid PVC/Na⁺‐MMT and PVC/O‐MMT nanocomposites both before and after tensile tests were also illustrated and compared. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2145–2154, 2006     

Encapsulation of ZnS:Mn2+ nanocrystals with diblock copolymers

The encapsulation of the nanocrystalline manganese‐doped zinc sulfide (ZnS:Mn) in poly(styrene‐b‐2vinylpyridine) (PS‐PVP) diblock copolymers is reported. Below the critical micelle concentration in the absence of nanocrystals (NCs), inverse micelles of PS‐PVP were induced by adding ZnS:Mn NCs, the presence of which was confirmed by scanning force microscope and dynamic light scattering. In toluene, a PS‐selective solvent, the less‐soluble PVP blocks preferentially surround the ligand‐coated ZnS:Mn NCs. For PS‐PVP encapsulated ZnS:Mn NCs, the ratio of blue emission to orange emission of ZnS:Mn NCs is dependent on both the concentration of PS‐PVP and the solvent quality. The pyridine of PVP blocks form complexes with the Zn atoms via the nitrogen lone pair and thus the sulfur vacancies are passivated. As a result, the defect‐related blue emission is selectively quenched even when the micelles are not formed. As the concentration of PS‐PVP encapsulating the ZnS:Mn NCs increases, the intensity of blue emission decreases. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3227–3233, 2006     

Local chemical distribution and electronic structure of Ge1−xTx DMS single crystals (T=Cr,Mn, Fe)

The spatial concentration distribution and local electronic structure of ferromagnetic Ge_1−xT_x (T=Cr, Mn, Fe) DMS single crystals have been investigated by using scanning photoelectron microscopy (SPEM), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and photoemission spectroscopy (PES). It is found that doped T ions in Ge_1−xT_x crystals are chemically phase-separated, suggesting that the observed ferromagnetism arises from the phase-separated T-rich phases in Ge_1−xT_x.     

Locally symmetric positively curved Finsler spaces

We showed that any compact locally symmetric Finsler metric with positive flag curvature must be Riemannian. Dedicated to Professor Karsten Grove on the occassion of his sixtieth birthday Received: 8 May 2006