ESCA surface study of polystyrene photodegradation accelerated by 2-(2-methoxy-5-methylphenyl)-2H-benzotriazole

The accelerated ageing of polystyrene by means of 2-(2-methoxy-5-methylphenyl)-2H-benzotriazole, under conditions reproducing the outdoor environment, was studied. The results show that this benzotriazole derivative appreciably accelerates the rate of photodegradation at the surface of polystyrene.     

C2‐Symmetric Zirconocenes in the Polymerization of Conjugated Diolefins

C₂‐symmetric zirconocenes activated by methylaluminoxane were utilized as catalysts in the polymerization of 1,3‐diolefins. The results indicate that the most crowded catalytic precursor rac[CH₂(3‐tert‐butyl‐1‐indenyl)₂]ZrCl₂ ( 1 ) is also the most active one, giving 1,4‐polymerization of 1,3‐butadiene and (Z)‐1,3‐pentadiene and 1,2‐polymerization of (E)‐1,3‐pentadiene and 4‐methyl‐1,3‐pentadiene. Probably, the different behavior of 1 with respect to other C₂‐symmetric zirconocenes utilized is due to the different stability of the bond between the last inserted monomer unit and the metal, as well as to the coordination of incoming monomer.     

New Ni(II) based catalysts active in the polymerization of olefins

Polymerization of ethylene in the presence of Cp₂Ni (Cp: cyclopentadienyl) and methylaluminoxane affords polyethylene of high molecular weight and with high melting point. The same catalyst is active in the polymerization of styrene and 1,3-butadiene to give partially isotactic polystyrene and 1,4-cis-polybutadiene, respectively.     

Field Effect Devices Based on SrTiO3 Gate Dielectrics for the Investigation of Charge Carrier Mobility in Macromolecular Films

Field effect devices (FET) allow an exhaustive investigation of the electronic transport properties of innovative semiconductors of interest for new applications in modern electronics. In this contribution, we report on the fabrication and characterization of FET devices where SrTiO₃ (STO) single crystals and organic macromolecular compounds, such as doped and undoped polythiophenes, or poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK), are used as insulating and semiconducting layers, respectively. STO, with ε_r of about 300, offers the possibility to strongly modulate the charge carrier density in the organic films, thus overcoming the limitations related to the use of more conventional oxides.