Photochemical deterioration of poly(vinylbutyral) in the range of wavelengths from middle ultraviolet to the visible

Films of poly(vinylbutyral) (PVB) from two proprietary sources were tested for photochemical behavior upon exposure to UVB, UVA, BLB, and high-output “daylight” fluorescent (DLF) lamps. Discoloration and brittleness followed the buildup and subsequent decline of peroxide content. In the range of 60-89.9 °C, the onset of crosslinking and the loss of weight obeyed the Arrhenius relationship. At temperatures above the second-order-transition temperature, T_g, crosslinking predominated; at temperatures below T_g, chain breaking tended to prevail.     

Poled amorphous polymers for second-order nonlinear optics

Recent advances in poled amorphous polymers for second-order nonlinear optics are discussed with emphasis on stabilizing the frozen-in nonlinearity via chemical crosslinking under electric fields. Specific examples of a linear polymer and a crosslinked polymer, both with nitroaniline-type chromophores covalently attached as side groups, are presented and compared in their glass transition behavior, linear optical properties, poling dynamics, and stability of frozen-in nonlinearity. It is demonstrated that by employing chemical crosslinking under electric fields one can prepare highly efficient and stable poled polymers that exhibit no decay in nonlinearity at ambient conditions and no apparent tendency of decay even at 85°C as well as excellent optical properties. The historical development of organic materials for second-order nonlinear optics and recent advances in device fabrication based on poled polymers are also discussed briefly.     

•OH对聚二甲基硅氧烷乳液辐射效应的影响

通过凝胶和溶胶分析与分子量测定的方法，研究了不同体系下，^•OH对PDMS乳液γ辐射效应的影响. 结果表明，^•OH不仅可引发聚二甲基硅氧烷的分子间交联，也能促进其降解. 对于纯PDMS乳液，在所研究的剂量范围内，^•OH对其辐射交联行为影响较小. 但若体系中加入H2O2、KIO4 和 N2O这些提高^•OH生成产额的添加剂时，^•OH对PDMS的促降解作用会随着吸收剂量增加而表现更明显，导致凝胶含量与纯乳液辐照情况相比下降较多. 即使加入交联剂-三羟甲基丙烷三甲基丙烯酸酯（TMPTMA），在过量的^•OH存在下，当吸收剂量大于40 kGy以上时，TMPTMA不仅没有提高交联度，反而会与^•OH协同，使PDMS的凝胶含量下降更显著，同时产生更多的小分子聚合物，并使PDMS的平均分子量分布变窄. 这可能是由于交联剂首先与^•OH作用，形成的产物会加快PDMS的降解.     

The effects of γ-radiation on the thermal, mechanical, and segmental dynamics of a silica filled, room temperature vulcanized polysiloxane rubber

RTV-5370 is a filled polydimethylsilxoane–polymethylphenylsiloxane copolymer system originally developed by Dow Corning and now supplied by Rhone Poulenc. There is a desire to develop lifetime assessments of this material for certification programs and as a model system for understanding other filled siloxane polymer systems. We have initiated aging studies on these materials by employing accelerated aging tests with exposure to Co-60 γ-radiation. The effects of radiation exposure have been investigated by thermal (differential scanning calorimetry), mechanical (dynamic mechanical analysis), chemical (solvent swelling), and segmental dynamics (nuclear magnetic resonance) methods. The data show that RTV-5370 undergoes predominately radiation-induced crosslinking reactions over the dose range investigated. These reactions reduce the molecular weight between crosslinks, thereby hardening the composite and reducing the motional dynamics of segmental motion. DSC studies show dose dependent crystallization phenomena.     

Free radical modification of LDPE with vinyltriethoxysilane

Chemical modification of low density polyethylene (LDPE) with vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) was studied. The melt reactions were performed in a mixer and were initiated by thermal decomposition of a peroxide. The degree of functionalization was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. It was verified that the degree of functionalization increased with VTES and peroxide concentrations showing high conversion, up to 86 wt.%. No functionalization was observed in the absence of peroxide. Functionalized products showed some gel content and lower crystallinity than the parent homopolymer, affecting the stress/strain behavior. Yielding stress, elongation at break and elastic modulus decreased for the modified PE.     

NOVEL HYPERBRANCHED POLY（AMINE-ESTER） FILMS： PREPARATION,CHARACTERIZATION AND PROPERTIES

Crosslinked film of hyperbranched poly(amine-ester) (HPAE) was prepared by crosslinking its terminal hydroxyl groups with glutaraldehyde (GA). Atom force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) reveals that they have smooth surfaces, dense and homogenous matrices. It was found that the water static contact angle is smaller than 41.7°, the tensile strength is higher than 8.9 MPa, the elongation at break is higher than 5.1%, the swelling degree is higher than 42% in water, and the Bovine hemoglobin (Hb) adsorption is relatively low. These results indicate that the crosslinked HPAE films might have some potential applications in many areas.     

Stability of biomimetic ferrofluids established by a systematic study using microwave irradiation at defined wattages

An established biomimetic process for the synthesis of aqueous ferrofluids using polymers has been subjected to systematic microwave irradiation at different wattages primarily to see if the magnetization could be increased by microwave irradiation and if so how would it affect the stability of the fluid. Care has been taken to maintain ambient conditions of synthesis even after three cycles of microwave irradiation before oxidation and ten cycles after it, so as not to violate the basic principles of the process. Detailed characterization using, x-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy, fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, thermo-gravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis and vibrating sample magnetometry showed that these fluids containing iron oxide nanoparticles-poly(vinyl) alcohol nanocomposites are highly stable in the proportions established by us. Measurements at five different wattages double the saturation magnetization but the stability remains unaffected compared to the one without microwave irradiation, forcing us to believe that the incubation of the iron salt solution and the polymer in the right proportion before oxidation is what contributes to the stability and that increasing the number of cycles of microwave irradiation at this stage, perhaps, would have led to a more pronounced effect.     

The stabilization effect of radiation crosslinking on positive temperature coefficient performances of carbon black-polymer composites

In this paper, we report the results of systematic study of effect of radiation crosslinking on PTC/NTC phenomena of carbon black(CB) filled vinyl polymers. We conclude that the effect of radiation crosslinking greatly improves the PTC intensity and electrical reproductivity in thermal cycling.     

Copolymerization of a silicon-containing spiroorthoester with a phosphorus-containing diglycidyl compound: Influence on flame retardancy and shrinkage

The cationic copolymerization of spiroorthoesters with diglycidyl compounds to introduce silicon and phosphorus has been carried out with ytterbium triflate as an initiator. The curing process was studied by differential scanning calorimetry and monitored by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The thermomechanical and thermogravimetric properties were evaluated. The incorporation of phosphorus or silicon into the network increased the limiting oxygen index values, thus improving the flame retardancy of the materials. The shrinkage during the crosslinking of all mixtures was lower than that observed in conventional epoxy resins.     

Bimodal particle distribution for emulsions: The effect of interstitial functional particles

The location of hydroxyl functionality was investigated for thermosetting acrylic latexes. Large and small latex particles with and without hydroxyl functionality were synthesized and characterized. Such large and small latex particles with and without hydroxyl functionality were blended together and a melamine-formaldehyde (M-F) resin was added to crosslink the hydroxyl groups. Mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties were evaluated as function of blend ratio and functionality location. The packing of the latexes was dependent on small to large particle ratio. It was shown that the mechanical properties were also dependent on the location of the functionality. The higher concentration of hydroxyl groups in the small latex particles contributed more to the tensile properties of the latexes than the functionality of the large particles. The location of the M-F resin in the small latex particles resulted in a lowering of the volume fraction needed for a continuous network.