SAXS investigations on chiral liquid crystalline polymers: antiferroelectric and ferrielectric structures?

The structure and phase behavior of liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) having a common chiral side chain mesogen but different main chain structures have been investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). While the low molecular weight chiral side chain mesogen by itself exhibits ferroelectricity, the SAXS data of the side chain LCP with a flexible polyacrylate backbone contains a bilayered superstructure peak that is indicative of antiferroelectric order. The combined LCP with a nonpolar main chain mesogen also has a bilayered superstructure, but has a different structural organization in the proposed antiferroelectric phase compared to the side chain LCP. Further changes in the phase behavior and structural organization occur when a polar group is introduced into the main chain mesogen. A ferrielectric phase has been proposed to explain the observation of a trilayered superstructure in the corresponding SAXS data. The influence of the chemical structure and connectivity on the phase behavior and superstructure formation in the chiral LCPs is discussed.     

Polychloroprene rubbers used for adhesives: a small angle X-ray scattering preliminary investigation under stretching

Summary Three types of polychloroprene rubbers (Du Pont de Nemours Co. Neoprenes AD, WHV and W) used for adhesives and having different crystallization rates have been investigated.The mechanical properties of the Neoprenes samples were determined and the films were examined under stretching by SAXS for a preliminary investigation on their different superreticular order.

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Zusammenfassung Drei Typen von Polychloropren-Kautschuk mit verschiedener Kristallisationsgeschwindigkeit (Neoprene AD, WHV und W von Du Pont de Nemours), die als Klebemittel dienen, wurden als gedehnte Filme mechanisch und röntgenographisch (SAXS) untersucht. Sie zeigen Unterschiede in der Überstruktur.

     

Sulfide Gels and Films: Products of Non-Oxide Gelation

The preparation of concentrated sols and transparent stiff gels of II-VI semiconductors nanocrystals is reported. A two-step process for the production of cadmium sulfide is reported. Sol stabilization and gelation control are achieved through successive passivation and depassivation of the surface of the nanocrystals which are complexed with thiols. The mechanisms driving the aggregation and the gelation are explained on the basis of NMR and SAXS experiments. Thin films as well as monoliths can be produced. The general principles of the method presented are not restricted to chalcogenide systems and thus enlarge the domain of application of the inorganic sol-gel process.     

Polyurethane anionomers synthesised with aromatic, aliphatic or cycloaliphatic diisocyanates, polyoxyethylene glycol and 2,2-bis-(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid. Part II. Supermolecular structure. Thermal properties

Small angle X-ray scattering and differential scanning calorimetry methods were employed to characterise the internal order of structural phases present in polyurethane coatings obtained as a result of water evaporation from anionomer dispersions. Those anionomers were produced in the reaction of aromatic, cycloaliphatic and aliphatic diisocyanates with polyoxyethylene glycol, 2,2-bis-(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid and 1,6-hexamethylenediamine. The decisive effects were found from ionic and polar structures within the rigid urethane and urea segments on the ordered arrangement degree of the supermolecular structures in the obtained anionomers. That becomes apparent in differential scanning calorimetry thermograms and contributes to improved thermal stability of the produced polyurethane coatings.     

Special Mixing Behavior of Chelate-based Ionic Liquid with Methanol

Compared to the general ionic liquids (ILs), a significant deviation of the binary mixtures of 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium tri(hexafluoroacetylaceto)-copper(II) ([C₁₀mim][Cu(hfacac)₃]) with methanol was found, indicating the way methanol interacts with ILs might be governed by the special structure of the chelating anion. IR results showed that the (C2-H) of 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluoroacetylacetonate ([C₁₀mim][hfacac]) blue-shifted more significantly than that of [C₁₀mim][Cu(hfacac)₃], meanwhile the (C=O) red-shifted in [C₁₀mim][Cu(hfacac)₃], which is contrast with that in [C₁₀mim][hfacac]. Two-dimensional correlation analysis of the FTIR spectra indicated that the chelating cavity has little effect on the sequence of the ILs sites that interact with methanol. Combined with small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) results, the picture of mixing processes in these two systems were proposed. Methanol interacts directly with the anion followed by the cation in [C₁₀mim][hfacac], while methanol preferentially enters the chelating cavity and enhances the packing effect in the [C₁₀mim][Cu(hfacac)₃] system.     

Phase morphology of hydrolysable polyurethanes derived from aqueous dispersions

Biodegradable polyurethanes are an interesting alternative to many applications that involve plastics since they can minimize environmental problems caused by the low rates of natural degradation of synthetic polymers. In addition, since waterborne polyurethanes are based on aqueous dispersions, they restrict the use of organic solvents during processing and application of the polymer, thus contributing furthermore to reduce environmental damage. In this work, aqueous anionic polyurethane dispersions (PUD) with tailorable susceptibility for hydrolysis were synthesized by progressively replacing polypropylene glycol (PPG) with a biodegradable polycaprolactone diol (PCL) as soft segments. The hard segments were formed by extending isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) with hydrazine (HZ). Dimethylol propionic acid (DMPA) was used as ionic center and triethyl amine (TEA) as neutralizer. The degree of phase separation was evaluated mainly by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The results indicated that phase separation between hard and soft segments of poly(ester-urethane) is more significant than that of poly(ether-urethane). Data obtained from SAXS experiments indicated that phase separation within soft domains can also be present in samples containing both polyester and polyether soft segments. Hydrolytic degradation of the polymers in buffer solution of pH 7.4 and alkaline solution was performed as an initial test. The results showed that the fraction of polyester soft segments in the polyurethanes can be used to tailor the susceptibility of the materials to hydrolytic attack. Polyurethanes having higher contents of polyester were more promptly hydrolytically degraded than polyurethanes containing only polyether segments.     

Synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticle/kaolinite composites

Ag nanoparticles were synthetized in the interlamellar space of a layered kaolinite clay mineral. Disaggregation of the lamellae of non-swelling kaolinite was achieved by intercalation of dimethyl sulfoxide. The kaolinite was suspended in aqueous AgNO₃ solution and, after adsorption of Ag⁺, the ions were reduced with NaBH₄. The interlamellar space limits particle growth (d_ave=3.8–4.2 nm); however, larger silver particles may be formed on the exterior surface of kaolinite with d_ave=5.6–10.5 nm diameter. The diameter of the particles prepared in this way is depending on the initial AgNO₃ concentration. The silver nanoparticles prepared were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM).     

Interaction of blockcopolymer micelles as probed by small-angle neutron and by small-angle X-ray scattering

 The analysis of the interaction of micelles formed by a blockcopolymer is given by means of small-angle X-ray (SAXS) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The blockcopolymer consists of poly(styrene) and poly(ethylene oxide) (molecular weight of each block: 1000 g/mol) and forms well-defined micelles (weight-association number: 400, weight-average diameter: 15.4 nm) in water. The internal structure has been studied previously (Macromolecules 29:4006 (1996)) by SAXS. There it has been shown that the micelles are spherical objects. The structure factor S(q) as a function of the scattering vector q (q=(4π/λ) sin (θ/2); λ: wavelength of the radiation in the medium; θ: scattering angle) can be extracted from both sets of small-angle scattering data (SANS: q≤0.4 nm^-1; SAXS: q≤0.6 nm^-1). It is shown that particle interaction in the present system can be described by assuming soft interaction which is modeled by a square-step potential. Received: 12 May 1997 Accepted: 9 July 1997     

Effect of interacting nanoparticles on the ordered morphology of block copolymer/nanoparticle mixtures

We investigated the effect of hard additives, that is, magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) and metal NPs, on the ordered morphology of block copolymers by varying the NP concentration. To characterize the structural changes of a block copolymer associated with different NP loadings, small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy were performed. Monodisperse maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) NPs (7 nm in diameter) and silver (Ag) NPs (6 nm in diameter) with surfaces modified with oleic acids were synthesized, and a cylinder-forming poly(styrene-block-isoprene) diblock copolymer was used as a structure-directing matrix for the NPs. As the NP concentration increased, domains of NP aggregates were observed for both magnetic and metal NPs. In the case of mixtures of cylinder-forming poly(styrene-block-isoprene) and Ag NPs with weak particle–particle interactions, random aggregates of Ag NPs were observed, and the ordered morphology of the block copolymer lost its long-range order with an increase in the NP concentration. However, regular, latticelike aggregates obtained with γ-Fe₂O₃ NPs, because of the strong interparticle interactions, induced an intriguing morphological transformation from hexagonal cylinders to body-centered-cubic spheres via undulated cylinders, whereas the neat block copolymer did not show such a morphological transition over a wide range of temperatures. The interplay between magnetic NPs and the block copolymer was also tested with magnetic NPs of different sizes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3571–3579, 2006     

Small-angle X-ray study of air-dried elastoidin using three- and one- dimensional correlation functions obtained from slit-smeared intensity

In the present paper an isotropic sample of air-dried elastoidin has been studied considering it to be a non-ideal two-phase densely packed system after the theories by Vonk [1]. The relevant important physical parameters obtained for the sample areE, the width of the transition layer,D, the average periodicity transverse to the layers, S/V, the specific inner surface ₁ and ₂, the volume fraction of two phases, i. e. matter and void,l ₁ andl ₂ the transversal lengths,l _r, the range of inhomogeneity,l _c, the length of coherence and 2E/D, the volume fraction of the transition layer. The values ofE obtained by two approches as given by Vonk [1] and Ruland [2] show but a small difference indicating the correctness of the analysis.