Microfluidics and electrochemistry: an emerging tandem for next-generation analytical microsystems

Microfluidic and electrochemical technologies have been at the forefront of the development of emerging analytical microsystems. Microfluidics and electrochemistry show a synergistic relationship, empowering their inherent features. Thus, integration of microfluidics and electrochemical (bio)sensors is envisioned as a powerful tandem for boosting the next generation of lab-on-a-chip platforms, including point-of-care and point-of-need systems. In this review, a general overview of the advantages, drawbacks, and gaps as well as remaining challenges and future trends of coupling microfluidics and electrochemical cells is presented. Special attention is given to the manufacturing and scale-up of the integrated devices and all those aspects that can push on the development of true lab-on-a-chip platforms for reaching the industrial domain and actual commercialization.     

Studies of Intermolecular Heterogeneity Distribution in Ethylene/1-hexene Copolymers Using DSC Method

The investigation of the intermolecular composition distribution of an ethylene/1-hexene copolymers using DSC method has been carried out. The known methods: step crystallization (SC) and successive self-nucleation/annealing (SSA) have been adapted for this purpose, and particularly, the optimal condition of the process have been chosen to enable the best fractional crystallization of the copolymer. The method has been applied for fractionation of two ethylene/1-hexenecopolymers synthesized with supported vanadium and zirconocene catalysts and having similar concentrations of 1-hexene. Although metallocene catalysts are known from their more homogeneous structure of active sites in comparison to multi-site Ziegler–Natta catalysts, the copolymers obtained over both catalytic systems gave DSC curves resolved into several peaks but with different melting points. Using the Thomson–Gibbs equation, comparable average lamellar thickness of the separated peaks has been calculated. The amounts of copolymer fraction with defined lamellar thickness have been determined. It was obtained that the copolymer produced from the metallocene system contains a thinner and more homogeneous lamella thickness than that obtained with Ziegler–Natta vanadium catalyst supported on the same carrier. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

基团转移聚合合成PMMA—PEA—PAN嵌段共聚物的研究

丙烯酸系橡胶的综合性能仅次于氟橡胶,成本较低,若制成可重复加工的热塑性弹性体则更有价值。前人曾用阴离子聚合法进行过合成试验,均因副反应太多等原因而未能获得满意的结果。基团转移聚合(GTP)是八十年代建立的合成高分子新方法,在室温下进行“活性聚合”是其重要特征。本文利用GTP方法、单官能团引发剂,仅通过适当控制加料次序和时机就合成了软段居中的三元共聚物,为合成全丙烯酸系热塑弹性体奠定了基础。     

Phase behavior and surface tensions of amphiphilic fluorinated random copolymer aqueous solutions

Phase behavior and surface tension of aqueous solutions of fluorinated random copolymers [perfluoroalkylacrylate]–[poly(ethyleneoxide)methacrylate], [C_mRf-acrylate]-[EO_n-methacrylate] with fluroalkyl carbon number m = 8, 6, 4, 2 and number of ethyleneoxide unit, n = 9 and 4.5 were investigated as a function of composition and different combinations of m and n. Isotropic solutions are formed at lower temperatures over wide concentration range of copolymer but at higher temperature phase separation occurs. The cloud point of copolymer decreases with decreasing n as well as m, and also with decreasing the number of poly(ethyleneoxide)methacrylate chain per perfluorinatedalkylacrylate chain, suggesting that the copolymers become more hydrophobic on decreasing m and n. Equilibrium and dynamic surface tension measurements show that copolymers become increasingly surface active as m as well as n decrease but the adsorption at the air–water interface is very slow due to bulkiness of the molecules. No clear evidence of the formation of micellar aggregates could be obtained from surface tension–composition curves.     

Synthesis and characterization of well‐defined ABC‐type triblock copolymers via atom transfer radical polymerization and stable free‐radical polymerization

An asymmetric difunctional initiator 2‐phenyl‐2‐[(2,2,6,6 tetramethylpiperidino)oxy] ethyl 2‐bromo propanoate ( 1 ) was used for the synthesis of ABC‐type methyl methacrylate (MMA)‐tert‐butylacrylate (tBA)‐styrene (St) triblock copolymers via a combination of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and stable free‐radical polymerization (SFRP). The ATRP‐ATRP‐SFRP or SFRP‐ATRP‐ATRP route led to ABC‐type triblock copolymers with controlled molecular weight and moderate polydispersity (M_w/M_n < 1.35). The block copolymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography and ¹H NMR. The retaining chain‐end functionality and the applying halide exchange afforded high blocking efficiency as well as maintained control over entire routes. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2025–2032, 2002     

Aqueous solution behavior of alkali-soluble polyethylene periodic polyelectrolyte, poly(ethylene- per-ethylene-per-acrylic acid)

A sequence-ordered, periodic copolymer of ethylene, ethylene, and acrylic acid, poly (ethylene-per-ethylene-per-acrylic acid) (PEEA), with M _w=1.44×10⁵ has been synthesized by alternating copolymerization of 1,3-butadiene and methyl acrylate, followed by hydrogenation and hydrolysis. Aqueous solution and dissociation properties of the alkali-soluble PEEA were explored by potentiometric titration and intrinsic viscosity at 25 °C. The pH values of PEEA were almost constant (pH = 6.48 ∼ 6.55) with an increasing degree of dissociation (α) from 0.3 to 0.8 at C _s=50 mN NaCl. Correspondingly, the plots of negative logarithm of apparent dissociation constant (pK _a) against α showed a reversed S-shape curve over the whole α, indicating an extensive precipitation and subsequent tran-sition from compact to coiled conformation. The intrinsic viscosity steeply increased with α above 0.4 up to 9.97 dl/g at α = 1.0. Good agreement between the observed electrostatic potential and that calculated from the rod model with a smeared charge density was observed in the region of α higher than 0.9. The dissociation and dissolution processes of PEEA with neutralization in water were described. Received: 14 April 1998 Accepted: 3 June 1998     

NUCLEATION MECHANISM OF PEO BLOCK IN DOUBLE-CRYSTALLINE POLY（ETHYLENE-co-BUTENE）-b-POLY（ETHYLENE OXIDE） BLOCK COPOLYMERS

In this paper, we proposed a method to determine the nucleation effect of pre-existing crystals on crystallization of the second block in double crystalline block copolymers, which is usually covered by the suppression effect. The nucleation mechanism of poly（ethylene oxide） （PEO） block from the pre-crystallized polyethylene （PE） block in poly（ethylene-cobutene）-b-poly（ethylene glycol） （EmEOn） diblock copolymers was investigated under variable crystallization environments. The crystallization environment for the PEO block was altered by cooling at different cooling rates or successive selfnucleation （SSN） to the PE block. It was found that the presence of nucleation effect is strongly dependent on composition of the block copolymers. The crystallization temperature （Tc） of PEO block in E174EO90 increases as cooling rate applied to the PE block decreases, indicating that PE block can nucleate the crystallization of PEO block and more perfect PE crystals have stronger nucleation effect. In E182EO41 crystallization of the PEO block is confined, shown by the disappearance of selfnucleation domain, and the PE block has no nucleation effect on the crystallization of PEO block. Double crystallization peaks are observed for the PEO block in E182EO41 and the intensity of the crystallization peak at higher temperature increases as the PE crystals become more perfect. After exclusion of homogeneous nucleation mechanism, the higher temperature crystallization peak of the PEO block in E182EO41 is tentatively ascribed to surface nucleation.     

聚氧化乙烯-聚苯乙烯-聚氧化乙烯三嵌段共聚物/聚苯醚共混物的相容性和结晶行为

本工作对聚氧化乙烯-聚苯乙烯-聚氧化乙烯(PEO-PS-PEO)三嵌段共聚物与聚苯醚(PPO)均聚物共混物的相容性及结晶行为进行了研究。结果表明,共混体系的相容性与嵌段共聚物中苯乙烯段的含量有关,PS含量越高,PPO与共聚物PS段的相容性越好。共混体系的结晶行为也明显不同于一般均聚物共混体系。在DSC降温结晶过程中最多可出现三个结晶峰。     

烯烃序贯聚合中嵌段物的形成证明

烯烃序贯聚合中嵌段物的形成证明王益龙（大连理工大学化工学院高分子材料系大连１１６０１２）庞德仁黄葆同（中国科学院长春应用化学研究所长春１３００２２）关键词乙丙共聚物，嵌段，聚合，络合催化利用络合催化聚合方法能否合成出乙丙嵌段共聚物是一个有争议的问题...     

Synthesis of cross linked platinum metal containing polyyne polymers

Reaction of Pt(PⁿBu₃)₂Cl₂ (1) or Pt(AsⁿBu₃₂Cl₂ (2) with stoichiometric amounts of 1,3,5-triethynylbenzene, [1,3,5-(H? C?C? )₃C₆H₃] (3)yields monomeric, [1,3,5-Cl(PⁿBu₃)₂(Pt? C? C? )₃C₆H₃] (4), [1,3,5-(C1)(AsⁿBu₃)₂Pt? C? C? ₃C₆H₃] (5) or polymeric, {1,3,5-[(PⁿBu₃)₂Pt? C?C? ]₃C₆H₃? )ⁿ (6), {1,3,5-[(AsⁿBu₃)₂Pt? C? C? ]₃C₆H₃? }ⁿ (7) complexes. Treatment of (1) with (3) and 2,5-diethynyl-p-xylene,H? C? C? C₆H₂(CH₃)₂? C? C? H (8) in varying molar ratios yields a series of high molecular weight cross linked platinum metal containing polyyne copolymers.