Design and use of organic nanoparticles prepared from star-shaped polymers with reactive end groups

Star-shaped poly(isobornyl acrylate) (PiBA) was prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using multifunctional initiators. The optimal ATRP conditions were determined to minimize star-star coupling and to preserve high end group functionality (>90%). Star-shaped PiBA with a narrow polydispersity index was synthesized with 4, 6, and 12 arms and of varying molecular weight (10,000 to 100,000 g x mol(-1)) using 4 equiv of a Cu(I)Br/PMDETA catalyst system in acetone. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) analysis, NMR spectroscopy, and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) confirmed their controlled synthesis. The bromine end group of each arm was then transformed to a reactive end group by a nucleophilic substitution with methacrylic acid or cinnamic acid (conversion >90%). These reactive star polymers were used to prepare PiBA nanoparticles by intramolecular polymerization of the end groups. The successful preparation of this new type of organic nanoparticles on a multigram scale was proven by NMR spectroscopy and SEC. Subsequently, they have been used as additives for linear, rubbery poly(n-butyl acrylate). Rheology measurements indicated that the viscoelastic properties of the resulting materials can be fine-tuned by changing the amount of incorporated nanoparticles (1-20 wt %), as a result of the entanglements between the nanoparticles and the linear polymers.     

Mechanism of the antioxidant action of silybin and 2,3-dehydrosilybin flavonolignans: a joint experimental and theoretical study

Flavonolignans from silymarin, the standardized plant extract obtained from thistle, exhibit various antioxidant activities, which correlate with the other biological and therapeutic properties of that extract. To highlight the mode of action of flavonolignans as free radical scavengers and antioxidants, 10 flavonolignans, selectively methylated at different positions, were tested in vitro for their capacity to scavenge radicals (DPPH and superoxide) and to inhibit the lipid peroxidation induced on microsome membranes. The results are rationalized on the basis of (i) the oxidation potentials experimentally obtained by cyclic voltammetry and (ii) the theoretical redox properties obtained by quantum-chemical calculations (using a polarizable continuum model (PCM)-density functional theory (DFT) approach) of the ionization potentials and the O-H bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) of each OH group of the 10 compounds. We clearly establish the importance of the 3-OH and 20-OH groups as H donors, in the presence of the 2,3 double bond and the catechol moiety in the E-ring, respectively. For silybin derivatives (i.e., in the absence of the 2,3 double bond), secondary mechanisms (i.e., electron transfer (ET) mechanism and adduct formation with radicals) could become more important (or predominant) as the active sites for H atom transfer (HAT) mechanism are much less effective (high BDEs).     

Structure and dynamics of a bisurea-based supramolecular polymer in n-dodecane

The structure and dynamics of a supramolecular polymer formed by a bisurea-type compound, 2,4-bis(2-ethylhexylureido)toluene (EHUT), in an apolar solvent, n-dodecane (C12), were examined in detail. The EHUT/C12 organo-gel system forms long, dynamic chain-like supramolecular polymers, which lead to an entangled network showing remarkable viscoelastic behavior with two major relaxation modes. A slow relaxation mode with an approximately constant relaxation time, tauS, was observed in a flow region and the other, fast, relaxation mode with a time tauF1 (相似文献   

Synthesis and supramolecular organization of amphiphilic diblock copolymers combining poly(N,N-dimethylamino-2-ethyl methacrylate) and poly(epsilon-caprolactone)

Well-defined poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL)/poly(N,N-dimethylamino-2-ethyl methacrylate (PDMAEMA) diblock copolymers were synthesized, and their self-assembly was investigated as micelles both in aqueous solutions and in thin solid deposits. The synthetic approach combines controlled ring opening polymerization (ROP) of epsilon-caprolactone (CL) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of N,N-dimethylamino-2-ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA). Diblock copolymers were prepared by ROP of CL initiated by (Al(OiPr)3), followed by quantitative reaction of the PCL hydroxy end-groups with bromoisobutyryl bromide. The alpha-isopropyloxy omega-2-bromoisobutyrate poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL-Br) obtained was used as a macroinitiator for the ATRP of DMAEMA. The molecular characterization of those diblock copolymers was performed by 1H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis. The self-assembly of the copolymers into micellar aggregates in aqueous media was followed with dynamic light scattering (DLS), as a function of concentration and the pH. In parallel, the morphology of the solid deposits of those micelles was examined with atomic force microscopy (AFM).     

(η6-Arene)(η4-cycloocta-1,5-diene)ruthenium(0) complexes as homogeneous hydrogenation catalysts

Ru(η⁶-arene)(η⁴-COD) complexes (COD = cycloocta-1,5-diene) have been found to be catalytic precursors for the homogeneous hydrogenation of α-olefins and cycloolefins under mild conditions (room temperature, P(H₂) 1–20 atm).     

Dynamics in physisorbed monolayers of 5-alkoxy-isophthalic acid derivatives at the liquid/solid interface investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy

Monolayers of isophthalic acid derivatives at the liquid/solid interface have been studied with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). We have investigated the dynamics related to the phenomenon of solvent co-deposition, which was previously observed by our research group when using octan-1-ol or undecan-1-ol as solvents for 5-alkoxy-isophthalic acid derivatives. This solvent co-deposition has now been visualized in real-time (two frames per second) for the first time. Dynamics of individual molecules were investigated in mixtures of semi-fluorinated molecules with video-STM. The specific contrast arising from fluorine atoms in STM images allows us to use this functionality as a probe to analyze the data obtained for the mixtures under investigation. Upon imaging the same region of a monolayer for a period of time we observed that non-fluorinated molecules progressively substitute the fluorinated molecules. These findings illustrate the metastable equilibrium that exists at the liquid/solid interface, between the physisorbed molecules and the supernatant solution.     

STM imaging of a heptanuclear ruthenium(II) dendrimer, mono-add layer on graphite

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and molecular mechanics calculations were used to investigate the long-range packing and the structure of an heptanuclear ruthenium (II) dendritic species, as a PF6- salt. STM imaging was carried out on a mono-add layer of the ruthenium dendrimer formed by physisorption from a 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene solution at the liquid-graphite interface. The packing of the molecules on the surface was visualised by the formation of ordered patterns and a distance of 27 +/- 2 A was measured between two adjacent lamellae. The comparison of this dimension with the molecular-modelling data indicates that the lamellae were formed by rows of dendrimer molecules in which the counterions (PF6-) were strongly associated with the Ru atoms. The images acquired with higher spatial resolution revealed the presence of repeating units within the lamellae. The comparison of the STM images with the modelling results allowed the attribution of the repeating units observed in the imaged pattern to the STM signature of single dendrimer molecules.     

Characterization of the interface dipole at the paraphenylenediamine-nickel interface: a joint theoretical and experimental study

In organic-based (opto)electronic devices, charge injection into conjugated materials is governed to a large extent by the metal-organic interface dipole. Controlling the injection of charges requires a better understanding of the fundamental origin of the interface dipole. In this context, photoelectron spectroscopies and density functional theory calculations are used to investigate the interaction between para-phenylenediamine (PPDA), an electron donor, and a polycrystalline nickel surface. The interface dipole formed upon chemisorption of one PPDA monolayer strongly modifies the work function of the nickel surface from 5.10 to 3.55 eV. The work function decrease of 1.55 eV is explained by the electron-donor character of PPDA and the modification of the electronic density at the metal surface. PPDA monolayers are composed of tilted molecules interacting via the nitrogen lone-pair and PPDA molecules chemisorbed parallel to the surface via their pi-electron density. Annealing the monolayer leads to dehydrogenation of PPDA activated by the nickel surface, as found for other amines.     

Restricted rotation of the olefin and amine ligands in cis-dichloro(p-toluidine)(ethyl vinyl ether)platinum(II)

cis-Dichloro(p-toluidine)(olefin)platinum(II) complexes, in which the olefin is either ethyl vinyl ether or ethylene, have been investigated by ¹H NMR spectroscopy over a range of temperatures (+50 to ?60° C) in order to study the rotation of the olefin ligand.The results give no evidence of rotation of the amine or vinyl ether ligands even at the highest temperature investigated, +50°C; only one of the two possible rotational isomers is present, and this is attributed to the presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the oxygen atom of the vinyl ether and the -NH- group of the amine.In contrast, the amine and vinyl ligands in the ethylene complex rotate freely at room temperature, coalescence being observed above ?25° C for the ethylene protons.