Self-Assembled Multistable Scattering Mode for Versatile Energy-Saving Smart Windows

Smart windows are crucial to dynamic control over light transmission to fulfill various demands in energy saving, privacy, and information display; however, most present technologies still perform a single function (often tint or haze adjustment) and require continuous electricity for operation. In this study, novel self-assembled ionic liquid crystals (ILCs) doped with negative cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) to offer electrically switchable and stable scattering-mode light modulators are presented. The novel smectic A phase based on the ILCs exhibits high solubility in the adopted nematics, enhancing the LC device's performance in several ways, including improved homogeneity, stable alignment quality, prolonged stability, and simplified fabrication. The LC device can potentially offer a dynamically rapid switching function between stable transparent (imperfect fingerprint textures) states and stable scattering (focal conic textures with small domains) states by using external stimuli and highly maintained multistable states for prolonged periods, even when the external stimuli are removed. The LC device also offers polarization-independent scattering and transparent-mode LC light modulators, low operating voltage, excellent contrast, and broad viewing angles. Its versatility and outstanding field-off stability make it ideal for various applications such as smart lighting, building climate control, energy-saving displays, and augmented reality (AR) glasses.     

Discovery of Terminal Oxazole-Bearing Natural Products by a Targeted Metabologenomic Approach

A targeted metabologenomic method was developed to selectively discover terminal oxazole-bearing natural products from bacteria. For this, genes encoding oxazole cyclase, a key enzyme in terminal oxazole biosynthesis, were chosen as the genomic signature to screen bacterial strains that may produce oxazole-bearing compounds. Sixteen strains were identified from the screening of a bacterial DNA library (1,000 strains) using oxazole cyclase gene-targeting polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers. The PCR amplicon sequences were subjected to phylogenetic analysis and classified into nine clades. ¹H−¹³C coupled-HSQC NMR spectra obtained from the culture extracts of the hit strains enabled the unequivocal detection of the target compounds, including five new oxazole compounds, based on the unique ¹J_CH values and chemical shifts of oxazole: lenzioxazole ( 1 ) possessing an unprecedented cyclopentane, permafroxazole ( 2 ) bearing a tetraene conjugated with carboxylic acid, tenebriazine ( 3 ) incorporating two modified amino acids, and methyl-oxazolomycins A and B ( 4 and 5 ). Tenebriazine displayed inhibitory activity against pathogenic fungi, whereas methyl-oxazolomycins A and B ( 4 and 5 ) selectively showed anti-proliferative activity against estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells. This metabologenomic method enables the logical and efficient discovery of new microbial natural products with a target structural motif without the need for isotopic labeling.     

Syntheses and biological activities of α-methoxy-exo-3,6-epoxy-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthaloyl-5-fluorouracil and its polymers

The new monomer, α-methoxy-exo-3,6-epoxy-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthaloyl-5-fluorouracil (METFU), was synthesized by the reaction of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and exo-3,6-epoxy-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthalic anhydride (ETA) in order to prepare polymers containing 5-FU moiety. Poly(α-methoxy-exo-3,6-epoxy-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthaloyl-5-fluorouracil) [poly(METFU)], poly(α-methoxy-exo-3,6-epoxy-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthaloyl-5-fluorouraci-co-acrylic acid) [poly(METFU-co-AA)], and poly(α-methoxy-exo-3,6-epoxy-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthaloyl-5-fluorouracil-co-vinyl acetate) [poly(METFU-co- VAc)] were synthesized by photopolymerizations using 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (DMP) as an initiator. The synthesized METFU and the polymers were identified by FTIR and ¹H-NMR spectroscopies. The contents of METFU in poly(METFU-co-AA) and poly(METFU-co-VAc) determined by elemental analysis were 52 and 60 mol %, respectively. The average molecular weights and polydispersity indices determined with GPC were as follows: M n = 9,400, M w = 11,400 M w/M n = 1.21 for poly(METFU), M n = 14,400, M w = 26,800, M w/M n = 1.86 for poly(METFU-co-AA), and M n = 23,100, M w = 33,000, M w/M n = 1.43 for poly(METFU-co-VAc). The in vitro cytotoxicities of samples were evaluated with mouse mammary carcinoma (FM3A), mouse leukemia (P388), and human histiocytic lymphoma (U937) as cancer cell lines, and mouse liver cells (AC2F) as a normal cell line. The in vivo antitumor activities of synthesized polymers against mice bearing the sarcoma 180 tumor cell line were greater than those of 5-FU at concentrations of 0.8 and 80 mg/kg. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. A Polym. Chem. 36: 2177–2184, 1998     

A second-order splitting combined with orthogonal cubic spline collocation method for the Rosenau equation

A second-order splitting method is applied to a KdV-like Rosenau equation in one space variable. Then an orthogonal cubic spline collocation procedure is employed to approximate the resulting system. This semidiscrete method yields a system of differential algebraic equations (DAEs) of index 1. Error estimates in L² and L^∞ norms have been obtained for the semidiscrete approximations. For the temporal discretization, the time integrator RADAU5 is used for the resulting system. Some numerical experiments have been conducted to validate the theoretical results and to confirm the qualitative behaviors of the Rosenau equation. Finally, orthogonal cubic spline collocation method is directly applied to BBM (Benjamin–Bona–Mahony) and BBMB (Benjamin–Bona–Mahony–Burgers) equations and the well-known decay estimates are demonstrated for the computed solution. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 14: 695–716, 1998     

Ternary fluoro-containing polyimide blends and fluoro-containing polyimide/polyester blends

Two ternary miscible fluoro-polyimide blends have been identified. They are 6FDA-3,3′-6F-diamine/6FDA-4,4′- F - diamine/BTDA - 4,4′ - 6FDA blend and 6FDA - 3,3′ - 6F - diamine/6FDA - 4,4′ - 6F - diamine/ODPA - PMDA - 4,4′-6F-diamine blend (6FDA is 2,2′-bis(3,4′-dicarboxy- phenyl)hexafluoro propane dianhydride, 6F-diamine is 2,2′-bis(3-aminophenyl) hexafluoro propane). Their miscibility probably arises from the fact that their diamine parts have hexafluoro isopropylidene groups, their dianhydride parts have similar bond angle, space, rigidity and length. Several 6FDA-polyimides and PCTG 5445 (glycol-modified polycyclohexanedimethanolterephthalate) form- ing miscible blends have also been discovered. These surprising results suggest that hexafluoro-isopropylidene-group containing polyimides are quite intermolecular active and the 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol component in PCTG 5445 may also offer unique miscibility capability. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of PP graft copolymers via anionic living graft-from reactions of polypropylene containing reactive p-methylstyrene units

In this article, we discuss a new chemical route for preparing polypropylene (PP) graft copolymers containing a PP backbone and several (polar and nonpolar) polymer side chains, including polybutadiene, polystyrene, poly(p-methylstyrene), poly(methyl methacrylate), and polyacrylonitrile. The new PP graft copolymers had a controlled molecular structure and a known PP molecular weight, graft density, graft length, and narrow molecular weight distribution of the side chains. The chemistry involves an intermediate poly(propylene-co-p-methylstyrene) copolymer containing few p-methylstyrene (p-MS) units. The methyl group in a p-MS unit could be lithiated selectively by alkylithium to form a stable benzylic anion. Because of the insolubility of the PP copolymer at room temperature, the excess alkylithium could be removed completely from the lithiated polymer. By the addition of the anionically polymerizable monomers, including polar and nonpolar monomers, the stable benzylic anions in PP initiated a living anionic graft-from polymerization at ambient temperature to produce PP graft copolymers without any significant side reactions. The side-chain length was basically proportional to the reaction time and monomer concentration. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 4176–4183, 1999     

Synthesis and characterization of new cardo polyimides prepared from 5,5-Bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]-4,7-methanohexahydroindane

A new cardo diamine monomer, 5,5-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]-4,7-methanohexahydroindane (II), was prepared in two steps with high yield. The monomer was reacted with six different aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) to obtain the corresponding cardo polyimides via the poly(amic acid) precursors and thermal or chemical imidization. All the poly(amic acid)s could be cast from their DMAc solutions and thermally converted into transparent, flexible, and tough polyimide films which were further characterized by x-ray and mechanical analysis. All of the polymers were amorphous and the polyimide films had a tensile strength range of 89–123 MPa, an elongation at break range of 6–10%, and a tensile modulus range of 1.9–2.5 GPa. Polymers V_c, V_e, and V_f exhibited good solubility in a variety of solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), DMAc, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), pyridine, γ-butyrolactone, and even in tetrahydrofuran and chloroform. These polyimides showed glass-transition temperatures between 274 and 299°C and decomposition temperatures at 10% mass loss temperatures ranging from 490 to 521°C and 499 to 532°C in nitrogen and air atmospheres, respectively. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2815–2821, 1999     

Electro-optic applications of soluble polypyrrole

The optical transmittance of the film spin-cast from the polypyrrole(PPy) solution in chloroform depended on the thickness of the film. The film with 80% transmittance showed a surface resistivity of 23kΩ/□. A TN-LCD cell with rubbed PPy films as the LC alignment layers responded properly to an applied potential of 3.0V. Reflective mode cholesteric LCD cells made with black PPy film electrodes responded to AC fields to switch between the planar and focal conic states. PPy with imine structures introduced by deprotonation of doped PPy with NaOH solution was used as a diode material to exhibit a photo-current on exposing to light.