Bent-core liquid crystal-functionalised flexible polymer substrates for liquid crystal alignment

ABSTRACT

A transparent flexible polymer film is chemically functionalised with a bent-core liquid crystal (BCLC) compound for effective alignment of the bulk BCLC sample at the substrate–LC interface. The surface attachment was achieved via a simple procedure which involved pre-treatment of the polymer film (commercial name: over head projector film) using piranha solution followed by chemically attaching the BCLC compound through silane condensation reaction. Surface characterisation of the unmodified and BC-modified flexible films was carried out through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, contact angle (CA) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The BC-modified flexible substrates are analysed for their efficiency to orient the bulk LC sample. Remarkably, the chemically modified polymer substrates are highly efficient in vertically aligning both the BC and rod-like LC samples at the substrate–LC interface, in comparison to their unmodified counterparts. The described method is simple, reproducible, surface modified substrates are highly stable and more importantly reusable. The demonstrated method for the alignment of BCLCs advances a step forward towards the realisation of applications proposed for these fascinating compounds.     

Regulating Gelation Time and Kinetics Analysis Based on the ARGET ATRP Mechanism

A novel activators regenerated by electron transfer (ARGET) atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiation system composing of an initiator sodium chloroacetate, a catalyst ferric chloride, and a reducing agent ascorbic acid was developed to improve the gelation time of the in situ crosslinked polymer system. The kinetics of polymerization of acrylamide showed features of a living/controlled process in which the concentrations of the growing radicals [P·] are kept constant throughout the polymerization process. Compared with conventional potassium persulfate initiators, the gelation time of the in situ crosslinked polymer system can be improved to 40 h or even longer using the ARGET ATRP initiation system at 80 °C due to the low radical concentration and slow polymerization reaction. Core flooding test showed that the ARGET ATRP initiating system developed could initiate the polymerization reaction of the in situ crosslinked polymer system in the core. However, the gelation time was extended in comparison to that of the result obtained in the bottle, resulting from the dilution and adsorption of ARGET ATRP components during the injection process. The research expands the application field of the ARGET ATRP principle and has a promising prospect on controlling the gelation time of the in situ crosslinked polymer system. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 58, 519–527     

An overview of synthetic modification of nitrile group in polymers and applications

The physicochemical properties of polymers are mainly dependent on the nature of polymer backbone and/or pendant groups linked to the main chain. Therefore, synthetic modification of these functional groups via post functionalization is an important approach for obtaining novel polymeric systems with improved properties and targeted applications. In this context, the synthetic modifications of nitrile group in polymers into various useful functionalities have received considerable attention and several interesting applications of the resulting polymers have been identified. The majority of the studies are based on Polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and some isolated examples of nitrile functionalization in copolymers such as Poly (Styrene-co-Acrylonitrile) (SAN), Poly (Acrylonitrile-co-Butadiene-co-Styrene (ABS) and Nitrile Rubber (NBR) are available. These synthetic modifications are mainly accomplished by the reactions such as Nucleophilic addition, cycloaddition, reduction, and hydrolysis using various reagents. These studies describing the post-polymerization modifications of nitrile group in polymers reported during the last three decades are covered in this review.     

Tapered copolymers of styrene and 4-vinylbenzocyclobutene via carbanionic polymerization for crosslinkable polymer films

Well-defined polystyrene homopolymers with surface-adhesive triethoxysilyl end group were synthesized via living carbanionic polymerization, epoxide end-functionalization and subsequent hydrosilylation with triethoxysilane. Grafting-to performance of polymers with various molecular weight (M_n = 3000–14,000 g mol⁻¹) to a silicon surface was examined in dependence of reaction time, polymer concentration, solvent and number of alkoxysilyl end groups. Crosslinkable polymers for surface modification were synthesized by statistical carbanionic copolymerization of 4-vinylbenzocyclobutene (4-VBCB) and styrene, followed by epoxide end-functionalization and triethoxysilane modification (M_n = 4000–14,000 g mol⁻¹). The copolymers were characterized by ¹H-NMR, THF-SEC, and matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In situ ¹H-NMR kinetic studies in cyclohexane-d₁₂ provided information regarding the monomer gradient in the polymer chains, with styrene being the more reactive monomer (r_s = 2.75, r_4-VBCB = 0.23). Thin polymer films on silicon wafers were prepared by grafting-to surface modification under conditions derived for the polystyrene homopolymer. The traceless, thermally induced crosslinking reaction of the benzocyclobutene units was studied by DSC in bulk as well as in 3–6 nm thick polymer films. Crosslinked films were analyzed by atomic force microscopy, ellipsometry, and nanoindentation, showing smooth polymer films with an increased modulus. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 58, 181–192     

The Effect of α-Branched Side Chains on the Structural and Opto-Electronic Properties of Poly(Diketopyrrolopyrrole-alt-Terthiophene)

Introducing solubilizing α-branched alkyl chains on a poly(diketopyrrolopyrrole-alt-terthiophene) results in a dramatic change of the structural, optical, and electronic properties compared to the isomeric polymer carrying β-branched alkyl side chains. When branched at the α-position the alkyl substituent creates a steric hindrance that reduces the tendency of the polymer to π–π stack and endows the material with a much higher solubility in common organic solvents. The wider π–π stacking and reduced tendency to crystallize, evidenced from grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering, result in a wider optical band gap in the solid state. In solar cells with a fullerene acceptor, the α-branched isomer affords a higher open-circuit voltage, but an overall lower power conversion efficiency as a result of a too well-mixed nanomorphology. Due its reduced π–π stacking, the α-branched isomer fluoresces and affords near-infrared light-emitting diodes emitting at 820 nm.     

由醚氧桥联羧酸配体构筑的铜(Ⅱ)、锌(Ⅱ)和锰(Ⅱ)配位聚合物的合成、晶体结构、荧光及光催化性质

采用水热方法,用醚氧桥联的三羧酸配体（H₃dpna）和四羧酸配体（H₄deta）为主配体,2,2''-联吡啶（2,2''-bipy）和菲咯啉（phen）为辅助配体,分别与CuCl₂·H₂O、ZnCl₂和MnCl₂·4H₂O反应,合成了2个二维配位聚合物{[Cu₃（μ₄-dpna）₂（2,2''-bipy）₂]·4H₂O}_n（1）和{[Zn₃（μ₄-dpna）₂（2,2''-bipy）₂（H₂O）₂]·6H₂O}_n（2）以及2个一维配位聚合物{[M₂（μ₄-deta）（phen）₂（H₂O）]·3H₂O}_n（M=Mn（3）,Zn（4））,并对其结构、荧光和光催化性质进行了研究。结构分析结果表明配合物1和2属于单斜晶系,P2₁/c和C2/c空间群。由于采用了不同的金属离子,配合物1和2呈现不同的二维层结构。配合物3和4为异质同心结构,均属于单斜晶系,P2₁/n空间群。配合物3和4都具有一维链结构。另外,研究了这些配合物的荧光和对有机染料亚甲基蓝的光催化降解性能,结果表明配合物2和4可以高效地降解亚甲基蓝。     

对苯二胺缩对苯二甲醛席夫碱及其配合物的制备和电化学性能

以对苯二胺和对苯二甲醛为原料缩合制备出对苯二胺缩对苯二甲醛席夫碱聚合物（PT）,研究了采用不同物质的量之比的单体所制备的聚合物的电化学性能。利用席夫碱聚合物中N原子上的孤对电子与不同金属离子配位形成席夫碱配位聚合物（PT-M）,并对所形成聚合物的电化学性能进行了研究。采用X射线衍射（XRD）、红外（IR）、热重-差示扫描量热法（TG-DSC）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和能谱（EDS）对产物进行了表征,PT-M的XRD峰强度相比于PT明显降低,表明金属离子配位进入分子链骨架中引起的空间位阻减少了分子链排列的有序性。采用循环伏安、恒电流充放电和交流阻抗评价了所制备的配位聚合物材料的电化学性能。研究发现,聚席夫碱铝配合物（PT-Al）表现出较优的电化学性能,在0.5 A·g^-1的电流密度下其电容值为649.6 F·g^-1,并且具有较好的循环稳定性,在8 A·g^-1的电流密度下循环1 000次后仍有80.9%的电容保持率。     

功能高分子材料综合实验设计:荧光稀土液晶高分子防伪膜的制备

设计了一个综合性实验,将荧光稀土液晶高分子防伪膜的制备和现代分析测试技术应用于高分子专业的教学实验中,以提高学生的综合实践能力。实验包括荧光稀土液晶高分子的制备、表征、防伪性能评价3大部分。采用FTIR、荧光光谱仪、POM、XRD、TG表征荧光稀土液晶高分子的结构与性能;制备荧光稀土液晶高分子防伪膜对其防伪性能进行评价,给整个实验增添趣味性与实用性。通过开设该实验,可让学生了解功能高分子的前沿知识及现代分析测试技术的基本原理和用途,掌握专业的实验操作与数据处理方法,提高学生的综合实践能力和专业素质。学生实验证明该综合实验适用于本科实验教学。     

碱性膜燃料电池阳极碳酸化模型研究

碱性聚电解质燃料电池（APEFC）近年来取得了可观的进展,但是在使用空气作为氧化剂工作时仍然面临着性能损失. 文献中已有多个理论试图解释性能损失的来源,但是缺乏定量化的分析. 本文根据实验发现和热力学及阳极反应的动力学分析,提出了分层的阳极碳酸化模型和方程组.模型的定量化模拟结果进一步和实验结果进行验证,提出了电池性能损失的可能原因.     

Needle-free electrospinning of nanofibrillated cellulose and graphene nanoplatelets based sustainable poly (butylene succinate) nanofibers

Sustainable materials have slowly overtaken the nanofiber research field while the tailoring of their properties and the upscaling for industrial production are some of the major challenges. We report preparation of nanofibers that are bio-based and biodegradable prepared from poly (butylene succinate) (PBS) with the incorporation of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and graphene nanoplatelets (GN). NFC and GN were combined as hybrid filler, which led to the improved morphological structure for electrospun nanofibers. A needleless approach was used for solution electrospinning fabrication of nanofiber mesh structures to promote application scalability. The polymer crystallization process was examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the thermal stability was evaluated by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), while the extensive investigation of the nanofibers structure was carried out with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). NFC and GN loadings were 0.5 and 1.0 wt %; while poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) was employed as a compatibilizer to enhance fillers’ interaction within the polymer matrix. The interactions in the interface of the fillers and matrix components were studied by FTIR and Raman spectroscopies. The hybrid filler approach proved to be most suitable for consistent and high-quality nanofiber production. The obtained dense mesh-based structures could have foreseeable potential application in biomedical field like scaffolds for the tissue and bone recovery, while other applications could focus on filtration technologies and smart sensors.