Identification and quantification of polycarboxylates in detergent products using off-line size exclusion chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance

The performance of many contemporary detergent products critically depends on polymers. Water-soluble polycarboxylates represent an important class of detergent polymers, and their quantitative assessment in detergent matrices stands as a considerable challenge. The presence of high levels of surfactants is a major complication, due to the strong tendency of surfactants to form micelles and to interact with the polymers. First, we addressed critical steps in the subsequent combined use of liquid extraction and off-line size exclusion chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance (SEC-NMR) for identification and quantification of polycarboxylates in detergent products. Next, the different steps in the off-line SEC-NMR procedure were optimized with respect to precision and accuracy. This resulted in recoveries of more than 80% for maleic acid/acrylic acid copolymers; in detergent products a proportional bias of 30% is achieved. The method showed good precision with a relative standard deviation of within-laboratory reproducibility between 5% and 14%.     

Novel highly soluble 3,3′-bicarbazolyl based polymers for optoelectronics

Novel family of highly soluble polymers containing 3.3′-bicarbazolyl moieties is reported. Utilizing simple and efficient chemical oxidation of carbazole and its derivatives by iron trichloride exclusively and quantitatively yields the bicarbazolyl dimmers with reactive oxirane groups. The polymers were prepared in polyaddition reaction of bicarbazolyl-containing diepoxydes with 4,4′-thiobisbenzenethiol, 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole, or 1,3-benzenedithiol in the presence of catalyst triethylamine. Obtained compounds were characterized using GPC, DSC, IR, UV, fluorescence and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The hole drift mobility reaches 10⁻⁴ cm²/Vs at high electric fields. Such processable polymers with conjugated-nonconjugated repeating units in the main chain and good charge carrier mobility are quite promising for fabrication of optoelectronic devices.     

What can polymer crystal structure tell about polymer crystallization processes?

Contrary to most or all other materials, crystallization of chiral but racemic polymers such as isotactic polypropylene is accompanied by a conformational rearrangement which leads to helical geometries: the building units of the crystal are helical stems, -20nm long, which can be either right-handed or left-handed. Helical hand cannot be reversed within the crystal structure: it is therefore a permanent marker and an indicator of molecular processes (in particular segregation/selection of helical hands) which take place during crystal growth, and more precisely during the crucial step of “efficient” helical stem deposition. The issue of proper helical hand selection during polymer crystal growth is mainly illustrated with isotactic polypropylene. Its various crystalline polymorphs (, , and smectic) display virtually all possible combinations of helical hands, azimuthal settings and even non-parallel orientation of helix axes in space. Furthermore, a specific homoepitaxy which generates a lamellar branching in the phase “quadrites” and composite structures makes it possible a) to determine the helical hand and associated azimuthal setting of every stem in the crystalline entities and b) to determine the impact on the crystal structure and morphology of “mistakes” in helical hand of the depositing stem. Analysis of these morphologies demonstrates that the crystallization of isotactic polypropylene (and by implication of other achiral, helical polymers) is a highly sequential and “substrate-determined” process, i.e. that the depositing stem probes the topography of the growth face prior to attachment. These observations appear difficult to reconcile with crystallization schemes in which molecules (helical segments) are prearranged in a kind of pseudo-crystalline bundle (and as such, are not subjected to the high constraints of crystal symmetry) before deposition as a preassembled entity on the substrate. Received: 5 May 2000     

Spin-cast, thin, glassy polymer films: Highly metastable forms of matter

Ultra thin films of glassy polymers such as polystyrene (PS) can show a) anomalously large thickness changes, b) unexpected dewetting properties, c) large shifts in the glass temperature T_g. The present discussion focusses mainly on point a). A certain cascade of metastable states is presented together with (tentative) explanations. Received 1 March 2001 and Received in final form 10 May 2001     

Three New Iron(II) Thiocyanato Coordination Polymers Based on 4,4′‐Bipyridine as Ligand and the Influence of Methanol on Their Structures

Reaction of iron(II) thiocyanate with 4,4‐bipyridine (bipy) in methanol leads to the formation of three new solvates of different composition depending on the reaction conditions: At room temperature two new ligand‐rich 1:2 (1:2 = ratio between metal and N‐donor ligand) polymorphic forms [Fe(NCS)₂(bipy)₂ · 2MeOH]_n ( 1I ) and [Fe(NCS)₂(bipy)(MeOH)₂ · (bipy)]_n ( 1II ) are obtained, whereas solvothermal conditions leads to the formation of the new ligand‐deficient 1:1 compound [{Fe(NCS)₂(bipy)(MeOH)}₂]_n ( 2 ). All crystal structures were determined by X‐ray single crystal structure analysis. In the crystal structure of modification 1I the metal atoms are coordinated by four bridging bipy ligands, which connect them into layers. The methanol molecules occupy voids in the structure. Compared to 1I in modification 1II the crystal structure contains of linear Fe–bipy–Fe chains, which are further connected by hydrogen bonds between coordinating MeOH and noncoordinated bipy ligands into layers. The ligand‐deficient 1:1 compound 2 shows a completely different coordination topology with linear Fe–bipy–Fe chains, which are connected by coordinating methanol molecules into double‐chains. In all compounds the thiocyanato anions are terminal N‐bonded to the metal atoms. Investigation of the thermal behavior of compound 1I shows a two‐step decomposition, in which ligand‐deficient intermediates are formed. Magnetic measurements on 1I reveal Curie–Weiss paramagnetism with increasing antiferromagnetic interactions on cooling.     

Novel and highly sensitive mixed-polymeric electrokinetic chromatography system for determination of contaminants and impurities of heparin samples

A mixed‐polymeric electrokinetic chromatography system has been developed for the simultaneous determination of a contaminant like oversulfated condroitin sulfate (OSCS) and impurities expressed as dermatan (Der) in heparin (Hep) samples. The EKC system consisted of 0.5% w/v polymeric β‐CD, 0.4% w/v tetronic^® 1107 and 400 mM tris‐phosphate buffer at pH 3.5. The optimized electrophoretic conditions included the use of an uncoated‐silica capillary of 50 cm of total length and 75 μm id, an applied voltage of ?7 kV, a temperature of 30°C and 200 nm UV‐detection. The highly sensitive method developed showed low values of LOD, 0.07% w/w (0.07 μg/mL) (OSCS) and 0.1% w/w (0.1 μg/mL) (Der), and values of LOQ 0.2% w/w (0.2 μg/mL) (OSCS) and 0.3% w/w (0.3 μg/mL) (Der) with a concentration level of Hep sample as low as 0.1 mg/mL. Additional parameters of validation such as specificity, linearity, accuracy, and robustness were evaluated according to international guidelines. Owing to its simplicity, high sensitivity, and reliability, the proposed method can be an advantageous alternative to the traditional methodologies for the analysis of Hep in raw material and specially in finished products because of the low amounts of Hep sample required.     

Emission properties of femtosecond (fs) laser fabricated microstructures in Polystyrene (PS)

We fabricated microstructures and micro craters in thin films and bulk of PS. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the emission from fs laser modified regions of PS when excited at 337, 400, 458, 488 and 514 nm wavelengths with different emission peaks. We systematically studied the emission in context of formation of optical centers and analyzed the spectra of irradiated PS. Change in the excitation wavelength leads to a shift in the emission peak, whereby, we infer that the emission should be due to a myriad of optical centers. Interestingly these optical centers have a similar excitation spectrum. Diphenylbutadiene (DPBD) is probably the main optical center among other optical centers thus formed in the process of fs laser irradiation of PS.     

Spectroscopic investigations of femtosecond laser irradiated polystyrene and fabrication of microstructures

We report microfabrication of structures in bulk and thin films of polystyrene (PS) using femtosecond (fs) laser pulses. For the first time to our knowledge, we report emission from the fs laser modified regions of bulk and thin films of PS when excited at 458, 488, and 514 nm. Moreover, we report the existence of peroxide type free radicals, for the first time, in fs laser irradiated bulk PS. We observed the suppression of Raman modes in case of structures fabricated at higher energies and the same effect was noticed in central portion of the structures fabricated. No appreciable broadening was observed in the case of structures fabricated at low energies. Possible applications resulting from such structures are discussed briefly.     

Polymers with spatial or topological constraints: Theoretical and computational results

In this review, we provide an organized summary of the theoretical and computational results that are available for polymers subject to spatial or topological constraints. Because of the interdisciplinary character of the topic, we provide an accessible, non-specialist introduction to the main topological concepts, polymer models, and theoretical/computational methods used to investigate dense and entangled polymer systems. The main body of our review deals with (i) the effect that spatial confinement has on the equilibrium topological entanglement of one or more polymer chains and (ii) the metric and entropic properties of polymer chains with fixed topological states. These problems have important technological applications and implications for life sciences. Both aspects, especially the latter, are amply covered. A number of selected open problems are finally highlighted.