Effect of polymer architecture on self‐diffusion of LC polymers

Two LC side‐group poly(methacrylates) were synthesized, and their melt dynamics were compared with each other and a third, main‐chain side‐group combined LC polymer. A new route was developed for the synthesis of the poly(methacrylate) polymers which readily converts relatively inexpensive perdeuteromethyl methacrylate to other methacrylate monomers. Self‐diffusion data was obtained through the use of forward recoil spectrometry, while modulus and viscosity data were measured using rotational rheometers in oscillatory shear. Diffusion coefficients and complex viscosity were compared to previous experiments on liquid crystal polymers of similar architecture to determine the effect of side‐group interdigitation and chain packing on center of mass movement. The decyl terminated LC side‐group polymer possessed an interdigitated smectic phase and a sharp discontinuity in the self‐diffusion behavior at the clearing transition. In contrast, the self‐diffusion behavior of the methyl terminated LC side‐group polymer, which possessed head‐to‐head side‐group packing, was seemingly unaffected by the smectic–nematic and nematic–isotropic phase transitions. The self‐diffusion coefficients of both polymers were relatively insensitive to the apparent glass transition. The presence of moderately fast sub‐T_g chain motion was supported by rheological measurements that provided further evidence of considerable molecular motion below T_g. The complex phase behavior of the combined main‐chain side‐group polymer heavily influenced both the self‐diffusion and rheological behavior. Differences between the self‐diffusion and viscosity data of the main‐chain side‐group polymer could be interpreted in terms of the defect structure. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 405–414, 1999     

Atomic force microscopy imaging of novel macromolecular species,nanosponges, and their clusters

Atactic polystyrene of M = 330,000 Da and M_w/M_n = 1.04 was subjected to a complete chloromethylation. By heating the chloromethyl polystyrene with SnCl₄ in a very dilute solution in ethylene dichloride, the polymeric coils were converted into intramolecularly hypercrosslinked macromolecules, called “nanosponges.” These species have a molecular weight of about 370,000 Da and a diameter of about 17 nm. When in solution, the nanosponges display a tendency to reversibly self‐assemble into regular clusters. Preparative size‐exclusion chromatography isolates a fraction consisting predominantly of spherical clusters that are composed of 13 subunits and acquire a molecular weight of approximately 5.0 × 10⁶ Da and a diameter of 45 nm. Scanning atomic force microscopy (AFM) provides images of individual nanosponges, N = 13 clusters, as well as higher spherical clusters. The regular spherical species most probably belong to the cluster series N = 1 + ∑(10n² + 2), where n is the number of shells around the central nanosponge. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1451–1455, 1999     

Methane Decomposition in a Barium Titanate Packed-Bed Nonthermal Plasma Reactor

The behavior of lattice oxygen species of the ferroelectric material during methane oxidation was investigated using a nonthermal plasma reactor packed with BaTiO ₃ pellets. Lattice oxygen species in BaTiO ₃ play an important role in the formation of N ₂ O and the oxidation of CH ₄ . The oxidation products such as CO and CO ₂ were formed from independent reaction pathways. Lattice oxygen species were able to preferentially oxidize the carbon species deposited on the pellet surface into CO. Also, N ₂ O and NO _x were independently formed in the N ₂–O ₂ reaction, suggesting that different oxygen species give N ₂ O and NO _x. N ₂ O was produced by the oxidation of molecular nitrogen with lattice oxygen species.     

Why Aren't There Any Trioxygenyl or Ozonium Salts? Or,Why Does Our Reaction of O3 and PtF6 Give O2PtF6?

The reaction of ozone and gaseous platinum hexafluoride led to O₂PtF₆(s) and not the desired O₃PtF₆(s). Suggestions as to why the synthesis of O₃PtF₆(s) failed are made in terms of the known chemistry of the gaseous O ₃ ⁺ cation with O ₊ ⁵ proposed as an intermediate.     

Calculations of concentration dependences of chemical shifts for acrylamide in water—DMSO mixed solvent

The lattice model of associated solutions was used to calculate the concentration dependences of the chemical shifts of¹³C magnetic nuclei in the acrylamide molecule in water—DMSO solvent. Each pair of bonds between the acrylamide group containing a magnetic nucleus and the neighboring solvent molecule was assumed to additively contribute to the change in the chemical shift of the nucleus in question. The new approach affords the same accuracy in describing the experimental data at any ratios of the solution components. It was shown that the chemical shifts and the excess heat of mixing of the water—DMSO binary solution can be simultaneously described using the same set of energy parameters of the model. The model makes it possible to employ experimental data on chemical shifts for studying intermolecular interactions in solutions. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 1983–1987, October, 1998.     

晶格能的键参数拓扑指数关联

拓扑指数或分子连通性指数法在研究有机化合物结构与性能关系方面,已作了大量工作,并得到了广泛的应用。拓扑指数只与分子的几何结构有关,而不考虑原子的性质;键参数法虽然研究无机化合物结构与性能方面已获得了巨大的成功,但键参数法只考虑原子的性质,而不考虑分子的几何结构,使它们的应用受到了一定的限制。Berysz,张宏光和辛厚文等在将键参数和拓扑指数结合起来方面和了有益的尝试。本文提出了一种将分子的几何结构与组成分子的原子性质较好结合起来的键参数拓扑指数。     

Coexistence of Spin–Lattice Relaxation and Phonon-Bottleneck Processes in GdIII–Phthlocyaninato Triple-Decker Complexes under Highly Diluted Conditions

Gd³⁺ complexes have been shown to undergo unusual slow magnetic relaxation processes similar to those of single-molecule magnets (SMMs), even though Gd³⁺ does not exhibit strong magnetic anisotropy. To reveal the origin of the slow magnetic relaxation of Gd³⁺ complexes, we have investigated the magnetic properties and heat capacities of two Gd³⁺-phthalocyaninato triple-decker complexes, one of which has intramolecular Gd³⁺–Gd³⁺ interactions and the other does not. It was found that the Gd³⁺–Gd³⁺ interactions accelerate the magnetic relaxation processes. In addition, magnetically diluted samples, prepared by doping a small amount of the Gd³⁺ complexes into a large amount of diamagnetic Y³⁺ complexes, underwent dual magnetic relaxation processes. A detailed dynamic magnetic analysis revealed that the coexistence of spin–lattice relaxation and phonon-bottleneck processes is the origin of the dual magnetic relaxation processes.