Effects of the architecture and environment on polymeric molecular assemblies of novel amphiphilic diblock copolynorbornenes with narrow polydispersity via living ring‐opening metathesis polymerization

Diblock copolymers of 5‐(methylphthalimide)bicyclo[2.2.1]hept‐2‐ene (NBMPI) and 1,5‐cyclooctadiene were synthesized by living ring‐opening metathesis polymerization with a well‐defined catalyst {RuCl₂(CHPh)[P(C₆H₁₁)₃]₂}. Unhydrogenated diblock copolymers showed two glass transitions due to poly(NBMPI) and polybutadiene segments, such as two glass‐transition temperatures at ?86.5 and 115.3 °C for poly 1a and ?87.2 and 115.3 °C for poly 1b . However, only one melting temperature could be observed for hydrogenated copolymers, such as 119.8 °C for poly 2a and 121.7 °C for poly 2b . The unhydrogenated diblock copolymer with the longer poly(NBMPI) chain (poly 1a ; temperature at 10% mass loss = 400 °C) exhibited better thermal stability than the one with the shorter poly(NBMPI) chain (poly 1b ; temperature at 10% mass loss = 385 °C). Two kinds of hydrogenated diblock copolymers, poly 2a and poly 2b , exhibited relatively poor solubility but better thermal stability than unhydrogenated diblock copolymers because of the polyethylene segments. Poly[(hydrochloride quaternized 2‐norbornene‐5‐methyleneamine)‐b‐butadiene]‐1 (poly 3a ) was obtained after the hydrolysis and quaternization of poly 1a . Dynamic light scattering measurements indicated that the hydrodynamic diameters of the cationic copolymer (poly 3a ) in water (hydrodynamic diameter = 1580 nm without salt), methanol/water (4/96 v/v; hydrodynamic diameter = 1500 nm without salt), and tetrahydrofuran/water (4/96 v/v; hydrodynamic diameter = 1200 nm without salt) decreased with increasing salt (NaCl) concentration. The effect of temperature on the hydrodynamic diameter of hydrophobically modified poly 3a was also studied. The inflection point of the hydrodynamic diameter of poly 3a was observed at various polymer concentrations around 30 °C. The critical micelle concentration of hydrophobically modified poly 3a was observed at 0.018 g dL^?1. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2901–2911, 2006     

Meshless simulation of equilibrium swelling/deswelling of pH‐sensitive hydrogels

Hydrogels have been widely used in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and Bio‐MEMS devices. In this article, the equilibrium swelling/deswelling of the pH‐stimulus cylindrical hydrogel in the microchannel is studied and simulated by the meshless method. The multi‐field coupling model, called multi‐effect‐coupling pH‐stimulus (MECpH) model, is presented and used to describe the chemical field, electric field, and the mechanical field involved in the problem. The partial differential equations (PDEs) describing these three fields are either nonlinear or coupled together. This multi‐field coupling and high nonlinear characteristics produce difficulties for the conventional numerical methods (e.g., the finite element method or the finite difference method), so an alternative—meshless method is developed to discretize the PDEs, and the efficient iteration technique is adopted to solve the nonlinear problem. The computational results for the swelling/deswelling diameter of the hydrogel under the different pH values are firstly compared with experimental results, and they have a good agreement. The influences of other parameters on the mechanical properties of the hydrogel are also investigated in detail. It is shown that the multi‐field coupling model and the developed meshless method are efficient, stable, and accurate for simulation of the properties of the stimuli‐sensitive hydrogel. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 326–337, 2006     

The response of microstructure to processing in a series of poly(siloxaneimide) copolymers

Poly(siloxaneimide) (PSI) segmented copolymers exhibit organized microdomains if the blocks are sufficiently incompatible. As with neat diblock and triblock copolymers, the processing route employed to prepare films of PSI materials is expected to influence the dimensions and/or morphology of the resultant microstructure. In this work, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is utilized to characterize the disordered microstructure found in films of a series of PSI copolymers which are subjected to solvent casting and various thermal treatments. Microstructural dimensions such as the periodicity and correlation length are deduced from the Teubner-Strey (TS) model for disordered microemulsions. The scattering intensity of each copolymer up to q = 5.0 nm^?1, where q is the scattering vector, is found to scale as q^?2.8+?0.1. Results indicate that processing the materials as cast films or as melt-pressed films allowed to cool slowly has a small, but discernible, effect on microstructural characteristics. SANS profiles of films quenched from elevated temperatures reveal a clear transition in microdomain periodicity, which correlates well with the glass transition temperature of the imide microphase in these and other materials of similar chemical structure. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Partial molal heat capacities of aqueous tetraalkylammonium bromides as functions of temperature

Enthalpies of solution have been measured from 5 to 85°C for aqueous tetraethyl- and tetrapropylammonium bromides, and the integral heat method is employed to evaluate for these electrolytes over a wide temperature range. Data taken from the literature have been used to evaluate for aqueous Bu₄NBr over a similar temperature range. These data, along with similar data for Me₄NBr, previously reported, have been used to evaluate absolute ionic heat capacities. While the absolute values agree only qualitatively with two other methods of division, the temperature dependences of the three methods essentially agree up to 65°C. Heat capacities due to structural effects on the solvent, obtained by subtracting the inherent heat capacities of the ions, are extraordinarily positive for all four tetraalkylammonium ions and have negative temperature coefficients, indicating that all four ions, including the tetramethylammonium ion, are structure-making ions.     

Zircon SHRIMP age of Mesoarchaean meta-argilloarenaceous rock in the Anshan area and its geological significance

In order to better understand the early continental evolution of the Anshan area, one ofthe typical Precambrian distribution areas of the North China Craton, the geochronology and REEcomposition of the zircons from the meta-argillo-arenaceous rock occurred as enclave in 3.1 GaLishan trondhjemite are studied by using SHRIMP ll ion microprobe. It is indicated that the Pa-leoarchaean is a very important continental formation period in the Anshan area and 3.2 Ga can beregarded as the boundary between the Paleoarchaean and Mesoarchaean.     

Photochemical properties and structures ofN-amino andN-azomethine derivatives of 2,4,6-triphenylpyridinium perchlorates

The molecular structures of the initial compounds and the products of photocyclization involving amino and azomethine groups in perchlorates ofN-amino (1) andN-azomethine (2) derivatives of 2,4,6-triphenylpyridinium cations were studied. Cations1 and2 have an essentially non-coplanar arrangement of the -Ph rings, and the product of photocyclization of2, cation3, is characterized by a flattened structure. It was found that the orientation of the lone electron pair of the N atom with respect to one of the planes of the -Ph rings in molecule1 is more favorable for monocyclization involving the amino group. The structure of molecule2 allows two routes of the photoreaction,viz., O N proton transfer and monocyclization with an -Ph ring. However, the structural features of molecule2 are more favorable for photocyclization.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 296–301, February, 1995.     

Thermodynamic properties of organic compounds in aqueous solution. II. Apparent molal heat capacities of piperidines,morpholines, and piperazines

Apparent molal heat capacities of some piperidine, morpholine, and piperazine derivatives in aqueous solution have been determined by adiabatic calorimetry in the temperature range 20–55°C and in the molality range 0.2–1m. Comparison of experimental values with those calculated through group contributions, found for monofunctional compounds, indicates strong interactions between the hydrophilic centers. An interpretation is given of the possible mechanism of this interaction. Also, values of ΔC _p for the addition reaction of proton to nitrogen centers of mono- and bifunctional organic compounds are examined.     

The convergence properties of direct methods of energy minimization with respect to linear coefficients in the LCAO-MO-SCF approach

It is shown that in the LCAO-MO-SCF problem, if the molecular orbital orthonormality constraints are introduced in the manner first suggested by Fletcher, then the Hessian of the problem is singular. It is suggested that this singularity may well account for the slow convergence observed using direct energy minimization methods to solve the SCF problem. Ways of avoiding the consequences of this singularity are discussed.     

Determination of enthalpies of formation of organic free radicals from bond dissociation energies 2. Halosubstituted radicals

The enthalpies of formation (ΔH _f ^o) for 23 halosubstituted radicals were determined from the published data on bond dissociation energies. The ΔH _f ^o values of the corresponding molecules necessary for the calculation of ΔH _f ^o of the radicals were taken from handbooks or calculated by the additive-group method. The conjugation energies of the radicals are calculated, and the effect of substituents at the π-system on these values was shown. Errors of determination of the ΔH _f ^o values of the radicals were estimated. For Part 1, see Ref. 1. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 643–646, April, 1998.