Influence of moisture on the viscoelastic relaxations in long aliphatic chain contained semiaromatic polyamide, (PA9‐T) fiber

The effect of moisture on the mechanical relaxation processes of semiaromatic semicrystalline polyamides synthesized by a long‐chain aliphatic diamine and terephthalic acid was investigated by dynamic viscoelastic analysis (DVA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Moreover, the implication of moisture with the amorphous and crystalline domains was also examined by temperature‐dependent wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectra. The characteristics of the relaxations such as α, β, γ, and the pronounced peak shoulder appeared at 25–100 °C in DVA tan δ curves were found to be strongly susceptible to the presence of moisture. With moisture evaporation, the peak shoulder of 25–100 °C and the β‐relaxation disappeared. The former is anticipated to originate from to the side group motion of hydrogen‐bonded water, whereas the later one is from the motions of the amide–water complex units. With the disappearance of the β‐relaxation, the γ‐relaxation appeared simultaneously in much lower temperatures and ultimately coupled with the δ‐relaxation. The γ‐relaxation is attributed to be associated with the molecular motion of the amide group and δ‐relaxation with for the motion of the methylene units. The existence of two types of water was identified in the polymer, namely, tightly bound and loosely bound. The tightly bound water is believed to be directly connected by hydrogen bonding with the strong polar groups and the loosely bound water weakly links with those connected water making hydrogen bridges. The moisture acts as a plasticizer in the polymer matrix, which causes quite a large depression in its glass transition temperature (T_g). WAXD and FTIR studies corroborated the existence of water solely in amorphous regions, i.e., no rapport of water with the crystalline parts. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 2878–2891, 2003     

Permeability,permselectivity, and penetrant‐induced plasticization in fluorinated polyimides studied by positron lifetime measurements

The ortho‐positronium (o‐Ps) lifetime τ₃ and its intensity I₃ in various fluorinated polyimides were determined by the positron annihilation technique and were studied with the spin–lattice relaxation time T₁ and the propylene permeability, solubility, diffusivity, and permselectivity for propylene/propane in them. τ₃, I₃, and the distribution of τ₃ changed when the bulky moieties in the polyimides were changed. The polyimides, having both large τ₃ and I₃ values, exhibited a short T₁ and a high permeability with a low permselectivity. The propylene permeability and diffusivity were exponentially correlated with the product of I₃ and the average free‐volume hole size estimated from τ₃. In highly plasticized states induced by the sorption of propylene, the permeability increased with the propylene pressure in excellent agreement with the change in the free‐volume hole properties probed by o‐Ps. The large and broad distribution of the free‐volume holes and increased local chain mobility for the 2,2‐bis(3,4‐decarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride‐based polyimides are thought to be important physical properties for promoting penetrant‐induced plasticization. These results suggest that o‐Ps is a powerful probe of not only the free‐volume holes but also the corresponding permeation mechanism and penetrant‐induced plasticization phenomenon. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 308–318, 2003     

Synthesis and characterization of norbornene–ethylene–styrene terpolymers with a substituted ansa‐fluorenylamidodimethyltitanium‐based catalyst

This article reports a synthetic method for a norbornene–ethylene–styrene (N‐E‐S) terpolymer, which has not been well investigated so far, via incorporation of styrene (S) into vinyl‐type norbornene–ethylene (N‐E) copolymers catalyzed by a substituted ansa‐fluorenylamidodimethyltitanium [Me₂Si(3,6‐tBu₂Flu)(tBuN)]TiMe₂ catalyst ( I ) activated with a [Ph₃C][B(C₆F₅)₄]/Al(iBu)₃ cocatalyst at room temperature in toluene. The resulting terpolymerization product contained the targeted N‐E‐S terpolymer and the contaminated homopolymers, which were then able to be completely removed by solvent fractionation techniques. While homopolystyrene was easily extracted by fractionation with methylethylketone as a soluble part, homopolyethylene and a trace amount of homopolynorbornene could be perfectly separated by fractionation with chloroform as insoluble parts. The detail characterizations of a chloroform‐soluble polymer with gel permeation chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and differential scanning calorimetry analyses proved that it contained a true N‐E‐S terpolymer with long N‐E sequences incorporated with isolated or short styrene sequences. The homogeneity of the morphology together with a single glass transition temperature that proportionally decreased with the increase of the styrene contents indicated that the N‐E‐S terpolymer obtained in this work is a random polymer with an amorphous structure. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2765–2773, 2007     

Alternating copolymerization of isoprene and butadiene with acrylonitrile

Copolymerizations of acrylonitrile and isoprene or butadiene were carried out in the presence of a new catalytic system containing Cr(O-tert-Bu)₄ and AlEtCl₂. It was found that the copolymer compositions have a highly alternating structure, even with varying feed ratios of monomer. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the copolymers obtained with this catalytic system were observed and are discussed in terms of the alternation.     

3-Aroylmethyl derivatives of 2(1H)quinoxalinone and 2H-l,4-benzoxazin-2-ones existing in the enamine form

Seventeen derivatives of 2(1H)quinoxalinone and 2H-l,4-benzoxazin-2-one have been synthesized for structural study. All of the compounds having a substituted phenacyl, isonicotinoylmethyl, or 2-furoylmethyl side chain are shown to exist in the enamine form with an internal chelation both in the crystalline and solution states as evidenced by the ir and pmr spectra, respectively. In the gas phase, however, o-hydroxyphenacyl derivatives can exist in another type of intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded form which is supported by their mass spectra.     

Mechanism of plasma-initiated polymerization: Concerning the nature of solvent effects on the lifelike polymerization of water-soluble vinyl monomers

To provide a satisfactory basic understanding of the solvent effect of plasma-initiated polymerization, we have carried out several kinds of polymerizations of various water-soluble vinyl monomers. It has been shown that aqueous solution of such vinyl monomers underwent the polymerizations induced by methyl isobutyrate (MIB) plasma-exposed glass surface. The invisible ultrathin polymer film trapping an active radical species deposited on the plasma-exposed glass surface apparently induced the polymerizations. The efficiency, however, was largely dependent on the solvent used: the solvent can be considered to act as “an initiation-activator” for the lifelike postpolymerization. The nature of the solvent effect was ascribed to the physicomechanical property such as swelling ability and/or solubility toward the ultrathin film formed on the glass surface. Thus it has been suggested that the choice of good-balanced combination between the structural feature of the plasma-induced ultrathin polymer film and the solvent as an initiation-activator is important to achieve activity of a desired solution polymerization.     

Synthesis and structures of niobium(V) complexes stabilized by linear-linked aryloxide trimers

The preparation and characterization of a series of niobium(V) complexes that incorporate the linear-linked aryloxide trimers 2,6-bis(4,6-dimethylsalicyl)-4-tert-butylphenol [H3(Me-L)] and 2,6-bis(4-methyl-6-tert-butylsalicyl)-4-tert-butylphenol [H3(tBu-L)] are described. The chloride complex [Nb(Me-L)Cl2]2 (1) was prepared in high yield by reaction of NbCl5 with H3(Me-L) in toluene. In contrast, the analogous reaction with H3(tBu-L) gave a mixture of [Nb(tBu-L)Cl2]2 (2) and [Nb(de-tBu-L)Cl2]2 (3a). During the formation of 3a, one of tert-butyl groups at the ortho position in the tBu-L ligand was lost. When the NbCl5/H3(tBu-L) reaction was carried out in acetonitrile, Nb[H(tBu-L)]Cl3(NCMe) (4) was obtained. Heating a solution of 4 in toluene generated 2 and 3a. The isolated complex 4 underwent ligand redistribution in acetonitrile to produce Nb[H(tBu-L)]2Cl(NCMe) (5). Treatment of NbCl5 with Li3(tBu-L) in toluene afforded 2. The chloride ligands in 1 and 2 smoothly reacted with 4 equiv of MeMgI and LiStBu, resulting in [Nb(R-L)Me2]2 [R = Me (6), tBu (7)] and Nb(Me-L)(StBu)2 (8), respectively. A number of the above complexes have been characterized by X-ray crystallography. In the structures of 1, 2, and 6, the R-L ligand is bound to the metal center with a U-coordination mode, while an alternative S-conformation is adopted for 3a and 8. Complexes 4 and 5 contain a bidentate H(tBu-L) diphenoxide-monophenol ligand.     

Prodrugs of 2',3'-dideoxyinosine (DDI): improved oral bioavailability via hydrophobic esters.

Five ester prodrugs of 2'3'-dideoxyinosine (DDI) were synthesized for the purpose of improving oral bioavailability. The prodrugs, acetate (C2-DDI), octanoate (C8-DDI), stearate (C18-DDI), benzoate (Bz-DDI), and hemisuccinate (Suc-DDI) were proved to quantitatively regenerate their parent drug by enzymatic hydrolysis. Though the chemical stability of the prodrugs under acidic conditions was not improved, their solubility in water was significantly decreased by esterification, except for Suc-DDI. Bioavailability was evaluated by oral administration to rats. Two hydrophobic prodrugs (C8-DDI and Bz-DDI) showed higher absolute bioavailability (23.5% and 31.0%, respectively) than did DDI (15.2%), though that of C2-DDI (11.5%) and Suc-DDI (4.5%) was poor.     

Immobilization of yeast and the function of immobilized yeast.

Hansenula anomala, which catalyzes an asymmetric reduction, was immobilized in bulk or spherical crosslinked polymers. The catalytic activity of the yeast for enantio-selective reduction of 3,8-dioxo-4-methoxycarbonyl-9-methyl-delta 4(10)-octalin (lab) was severely affected by the immobilization conditions, such as the crosslink density, and by hydrophobicity of polymers and other components used for immobilization, oxygen concentration in the medium, etc. In some immobilized systems, the ratio of resulting enantiomers was inverted from that in a free yeast system.