Non‐isocyanate synthesis and application of telechelic polyurethanes via polycondensation of diurethanes obtained from ethylene carbonate and diamines

Aliphatic polyurethanes could be obtained in high yield via a non‐isocyanate method based on the self‐polycondensation of dihydroxyurethanes obtained by the reaction of diamines and ethylene carbonate. The polycondensation under a N₂ atmosphere yielded [6,2]polyurethane with a M_n value of 5300 in 87% yield. Two‐step polycondensation, consisting of the polycondensation under a N₂ atmosphere followed by that under reduced pressure, was effective to improve the yield and the molecular weight up to 90% and 10,000, respectively. Although the second polycondensation step at 180 °C was accompanied by formation of urea groups, this side reaction was relatively suppressed at 150 °C. The resulting polyurethane having hydroxyl groups at both of the end groups was converted to polyurethane methacrylate via a reaction with glycidyl methacrylate, and the polyurethane methacrylate served as a crosslinker for radical polymerization of methyl acrylate. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Double metal cyanide catalyst prepared using H3Co(CN)6 for high carbonate fraction and molecular weight control in carbon dioxide/propylene oxide copolymerization

Simple mixing of H₃Co(CN)₆ and ZnCl₂ in methanol resulted in precipitates of [ZnCl]⁺₂[HCo(CN)₆]^2?, constituting a new type of double metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst exhibiting a high performance in carbon dioxide (CO₂)/propylene oxide (PO) copolymerization. High‐molecular‐weight poly(propylene carbonate‐co‐propylene oxide)s [poly(PC‐co‐PO)s] (M_n～40,000) were consistently obtained with high carbonate fractions (～60 mol %) and a high selectivity (>95%) with the new type of DMC catalyst. Conventional preparation of the DMC catalyst using K₃Co(CN)₆ and ZnCl₂ required removing KCl through thorough washing and resulted in lower carbonate fractions (10–40 mol %), which depended on the washing conditions. Feeding hydrophobic diols such as 1,10‐decanediol as chain transfer agent preserved the high carbonate fraction (～60%) and enabled precise control of the molecular weight, including preparation of a low‐molecular‐weight poly(PC‐co‐PO)‐diol (M_n ～2000), which was a flowing viscous liquid with a low T_g (?30 °C) suitable for polyurethane applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4811–4818     

Morphology of PU/PMMA hybrid particles from miniemulsion polymerization: Thermodynamic considerations

The morphology of PU/PMMA hybrid particles prepared by miniemulsion polymerization was predicted through the consideration of their Gibbs free energy changes. Five morphological states of PU/PMMA hybrid particles were proposed and their Gibbs free energy changes were calculated. Before the formation of hybrid particles, the initial state included a monomer mixture of PU prepolymer, MMA, a chain extender, TMP, and an initiator, which was in droplets suspended in water containing SDS. Two assumptions were made. First, the densities of all states were the same. Secondly, secondary nucleation of particles was negligible. Thus the size of initial droplet and final particle was unchanged through miniemulsion polymerization. The interfacial tensions were measured by a pendant drop method and were used for calculation. The preferred morphology of PU/PMMA hybrid particle had the minimum value of ΔG_phase. Different NCO/OH ratios of PU and initiators of MMA were used to study the morphological change of PU/PMMA hybrid particles. When BD was used as the chain extender of PU, the hybrid particles showed the PU‐rich phase as the shell and PMMA‐rich as the core. When incorporating bisphenol A into PU polymer, the homogeneous structure of hybrid particle was preferred. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3359–3369, 2007     

The stability of aliphatic azo linkages influences the controlled scission of degradable polyurethanes

A better understanding of polymer degradation and post-degradation processes are essential for the development of novel degradable polymers. Herein, we present the synthesis of a new aliphatic azo-containing polyurethane and its degradation behavior toward external stimuli like heat and UV light. A relatively stable radical forming azo-monomer present in the current polyurethane is readily undergoing thermal degradation, whereas the azo-group is less susceptible to optical degradation. A comparison of the stimuli-responsive properties of the new azo-polymer with a previously known, relatively active radical forming monomer incorporated azo-polymer reveals the dependencies of the monomer and radical stability in the controlled degradation process. Our results point toward the importance of radical activity in azo-containing polymers.     

Rigid diol bearing 6‐6‐6 fused ring system derived from naturally occurring myo‐inositol and its polyaddition with diisocyanates

Naturally occurring myo‐inositol was developed into a highly rigid diol by converting its 3,4‐ and 1,6‐vicinal diols in trans configuration into the corresponding butane‐2,3‐diacetals. The resulting diol bearing 6‐6‐6 fused ring system, in which conformational change is strictly suppressed, was combined with diisocyanates to perform polyadditions. The resulting polyurethanes were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry, and it was found that their glass transition temperatures were much higher than those of the previously reported myo‐inositol‐derived polyurethanes, which were synthesized from a myo‐inositol‐derived diol bearing 5‐6‐5 fused ring system. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 3798–3803     

Effect of Symmetry and H‐bond Strength of Hard Segments on the Structure‐Property Relationships of Segmented,Nonchain Extended Polyurethanes and Polyureas

Segmented, nonchain extended polyurethanes and polyureas based on PTMO soft segments (SS) and hard segments (HSs) based on only single molecules of a diisocyanate were synthesized. Type and nature of the diisocyanate was systematically varied in order to analyze the effect of HS symmetry and type of linkage between the HS and SS on the structure‐property relationship of these segmented copolymers. Results showed that the increased symmetry of the diisocyanates allows a more efficient packing of the HSs which leads to a microphase‐separated structure with the crystalline hard ribbon or thread‐like domains percolated throughout the SS matrix, even with a low HS content (ca. 13 wt.%). The service window of these segmented copolymers was significantly influenced by the symmetry and type of linkage between the HS and SS. Most copolymers also showed evidence of strain hardening accented by the strain induced crystallization of the PTMO SS.     

Hydrolytic degradation of polyisobutylene and poly‐L‐lactide–based multiblock copolymers

The hydrolytic degradation of a series of poly‐L ‐lactide (PLLA)‐polyisobutylene (PIB) multiblock copolymers was studied in phosphate buffer solution (pH = 7.4) at 37 °C. The multiblock copolymers were synthesized by chain extension of PLLA‐b‐PIB‐b‐PLLA triblock copolymers, which were obtained by ring‐opening polymerization of L ‐lactide initiated by hydroxyallyl telechelic PIB. The degradation strongly depended on the PLLA segment length. At constant PIB segment length, the multiblock copolymer with the shortest PLLA segment length (DPn = 10), showed significant weight loss after 8 weeks, whereas weight loss for DPn = 36 was only observed after 24 weeks. The gel‐permeation chromatographic analysis showed a similar decrease in the number‐average molecular weight (M_n) with time further supporting the weight loss data. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed a decrease in ultimate stress and modulus with time. The crystallinity of multiblock copolymers changed significantly with degradation time as indicated from differential scanning calorimetric analysis. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3767–3774, 2010     

Possible transition from space-charge-limited to injection-limited conduction in poly(3-hexylthiophene) thin films

Two-terminal thin films of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) with a wide electrode separation (150 m) has been studied using current-voltage characteristics at different temperatures. Space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) with high injection barriers (1.3 eV) has been observed at all temperatures in the low electric field regime. A possible transition from SCLC to injection-limited conduction (ILC) is reported. The experimental results have been compared with the disorder-controlled injection model proposed by Arkhipov et al. [V.I. Arkhipov, H. von Seggern, E.V. Emilianova, Appl. Phys. Lett. 83 (2003) 5074; V.I. Arkhipov, E.V. Emilianova, Y.-H. Tak, H. Bässler, J. Appl. Phys. 84 (1998) 848; V.I. Arkhipov, U. Wolf, H. Bässler, Phys. Rev. B 59 (1999) 7514].