Concurrent Covalent and Supramolecular Polymerization

Covalent and supramolecular polymerizations, both of which offer their own unique advantages, have emerged as popular strategies for making artificial materials. Herein, we describe a concurrent covalent and supramolecular polymerization strategy—namely, one which utilizes 1) a bis‐azide‐functionalized diazaperopyrenium dication that undergoes polymeriation covalently with a bis‐alkyne‐functionalized biphenyl derivative in one dimension as a result of a rapid and efficient β‐cyclodextrin(CD)‐accelerated, cucurbit[6]uril(CB)‐templated azide–alkyne cycloaddition, while 2) the aromatic core of the dication is able to dimerize in a criss‐cross fashion by dint of π–π interactions, enabling simultaneous supramolecular assembly, resulting in an extended polymer network in an orthogonal dimension.     

Poling and crosslinking processes in NLO polymers

A series of photocrosslinkable polymers bearing hyperpolarizable side chain chromophores was synthesized, poled and evaluated on the basis of the thermal stability of Second Harmonic Generation (SHG). Photoinitiation allowed for control of the onset of curing. Crosslinking was monitored by infrared spectroscopy and optimal conversion was achieved by applying a slow temperature ramp during exposure. The ultimate stability of the poled polymers was directly related to the number of crosslinking substituents that were attached to the chromophore pendant group. With two reactive groups per chromophore significant SHG was retained at temperatures above the initial polymer glass transition temperature. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2769–2775     

The Structural Fate of Individual Multicomponent Metal‐Oxide Nanoparticles in Polymer Nanoreactors

Multicomponent nanoparticles can be synthesized with either homogeneous or phase‐segregated architectures depending on the synthesis conditions and elements incorporated. To understand the parameters that determine their structural fate, multicomponent metal‐oxide nanoparticles consisting of combinations of Co, Ni, and Cu were synthesized by using scanning probe block copolymer lithography and characterized using correlated electron microscopy. These studies revealed that the miscibility, ratio of the metallic components, and the synthesis temperature determine the crystal structure and architecture of the nanoparticles. A Co‐Ni‐O system forms a rock salt structure largely owing to the miscibility of CoO and NiO, while Cu‐Ni‐O, which has large miscibility gaps, forms either homogeneous oxides, heterojunctions, or alloys depending on the annealing temperature and composition. Moreover, a higher‐ordered structure, Co‐Ni‐Cu‐O, was found to follow the behavior of lower ordered systems.     

Synthesis of 4‐Substituted‐ and 1,4‐Disubstituted‐4‐Hydroxypyrrolidin‐2‐ones

This report describes the synthesis of 4‐substituted‐ and 1,4‐disubstituted‐4‐hydroxypyrrolidin‐2‐ones by cyclization of intermediate γ‐aminoesters prepared from alkylbenzylamines, α‐bromoketones, and lithio ethyl acetate.     

Asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation and excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy combined with parallel factor analyses of riverine dissolved organic matter isolated by tangential flow ultrafiltration

Asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) with sequential on-line UV/visible and fluorescence detectors was used to investigate the composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in permeate and retentate fractions isolated by tangential flow ultrafiltration (TFF) at various concentration factors (i.e. ratio of initial volume to the retentate volume; CF). The permeation coefficient model, which defines the log-log relationship between DOM in the permeate fractions and CFs, described the permeation behaviour of DOM with regression coefficients r ² > 0.99. The dominance of higher-molecular weight retentate chromophoric DOM (CDOM) observed in TFF was consistent with the results of AF4. The weight-averaged molecular weights (M _w) of the integral permeate and retentate at CF = 20 were determined to be 1160 and 2320 by AF4, respectively, while their molecular weight distributions (MWD) were centered at 1120 and 1600 Da. M _w, MWD, and aromaticity (i.e. ratio of absorbance at 250 and 365 nm; E2/E3) in permeate fractions were altered significantly during the early stages of TFF (CF < 9). These changes, however, were not evident in excitation-emission matrix fluorescence properties as determined using the parallel factor analysis model. The application of AF4 to TFF fractions suggests that the choice of CF may have an important impact on the size distribution and aromaticity of permeate fractions, whereas fluorescence properties appear insensitive to concentration factor. These results suggest that the choice of CF is crucial only in the study of the permeate fraction where similar CF (i.e. > 9) should be used to obtain meaningful comparison among samples.     

Langmuir Analysis of Nanoparticle Polyvalency in DNA‐Mediated Adsorption

Many nanoparticle adsorption processes are dictated by the collective interactions of surface‐bound ligands. These adsorption processes define how nanoparticles interact with biological systems and enable the assembly of nanoparticle‐based materials and devices. Herein, we present an approach for quantifying nanoparticle adsorption thermodynamics in a manner that satisfies the assumptions of the Langmuir model. Using this approach, we study the DNA‐mediated adsorption of polyvalent anisotropic nanoparticles on surfaces and explore how deviations from model assumptions influence adsorption thermodynamics. Importantly, when combined with a solution‐based van’t Hoff analysis, we find that polyvalency plays a more important role as the individual interactions become weaker. Furthermore, we find that the free energy of anisotropic nanoparticle adsorption is consistent across multiple shapes and sizes of nanoparticles based on the surface area of the interacting facet.     

Dependence of electrical performance on structural organization in polymer field effect transistors

Organic semiconductors (OSCs) are strong contenders for use in printed, flexible electronics. Although organic electronic materials have been studied for many years, the physics of charge transport is still under investigation. This is in part due to variability resulting from the large variety of molecules that can be synthesized and inconsistency in electrical characterization due to device and processing conditions. Molecular ordering in OSCs is known to alter the charge transport characteristics and attention to long range and short range ordering provides clues as to the nature of transport pathways. Here, we study ordered regioregular poly(3‐hexylthiophene‐2,5‐diyl) films carefully prepared to obtain a set of three samples with incrementally increasing order on identical transistor architectures. Ordering was characterized using a variety of short and long range techniques to probe the coherence and number of crystallites formed during processing, and the correlation between these different measures of order are quantified. We observe three changes in transistor behavior that show a shift from non‐ideal to more textbook‐like characteristics with increasing order: reduction of the contact resistance, shift to field‐independent mobility, and a shift from a diode‐like (S‐shaped) to linear response at low lateral fields. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1063–1074