Polymer 4D printing: Advanced shape-change and beyond

4D printing is an exciting branch of additive manufacturing. It relies on established 3D printing techniques to fabricate objects in much the same way. However, structures which fall into the 4D printed category have the ability to change with time, hence the “extra dimension.” The common perception of 4D printed objects is that of macroscopic single-material structures limited to point-to-point shape change only, in response to either heat or water. However, in the area of polymer 4D printing, recent advancements challenge this understanding. A host of new polymeric materials have been designed which display a variety of wonderful effects brought about by unconventional stimuli, and advanced additive manufacturing techniques have been developed to accommodate them. As a result, the horizons of polymer 4D printing have been broadened beyond what was initially thought possible. In this review, we showcase the many studies which evolve the very definition of polymer 4D printing, and reveal emerging areas of research integral to its advancement.     

Effect of pressure on the low-temperature reaction of ethylene with N2O4

Calorimetric monitoring of the autoclave reaction N₂O₄ + C₂H₄ at –85 to +10 °C under argon pressure 10–30 bar revealed that the exothermic chemical reaction started at temperatures above –52 °C at 10 bar, whereas an intensive exothermic reaction started at –85 °C and pressure of 30 bar. IR study showed that oligo/polynitroethylene was formed at 30 bar, while carbonyl and hydroxy compound as well as nitrate R–ONO₂ formation occurred upon processing at 10 bar.     

坚硬顶板爆破切顶在沿空留巷中的应用研究

当煤层上方为坚硬顶板时,在工作面回采期间容易出现大面积悬顶,导致巷旁充填体出现大变形破坏,极大威胁采煤安全.为解决这一问题,以某矿1205工作面沿空留巷为工程背景,分析了爆炸围岩裂隙范围和坚硬顶板破断特征,建立了切顶卸压围岩结构力学模型,研究表明,相邻炮孔爆炸后,炮孔间裂隙互相贯穿,降低了顶板强度,同时当切顶角为15°时,巷道稳定性较好.工程实践结果表明:采用爆破切顶技术后,顶板下沉量减小了62.3%,较好地保证了围岩稳定性.     

One-pot,one-step,and selective terpolymerization of ethylene oxide,propylene oxide,and COS to copoly(thioether)s with tunable thermal properties

Facile construction of sulfur-rich polymers using readily available raw chemicals is an area aggressively pursued but challenging. Herein we use common feedstocks of ethylene oxide (EO), propylene oxide (PO), and carbonyl sulfide (COS) to synthesize copoly(thioether)s which are traditionally produced from unpleasant and difficult to store episulfides. In this protocol, the EO/COS coupling selectively generates a pure poly(ethylene sulfide) (PES) with melting temperature (T_m) values up to 172°C and high yields up to 98%. The EO/PO/COS terpolymerization leads to the incorporation of soft poly(propylene sulfide) (PPS) and hard PES segments together, affording a random PES-co-PPS copoly(thioether) with the complete consumption of EO and PO. Additionally, by simply varying the EO/PO feeding ratio, the obtained copoly(thioether)s possess tunable thermal properties, T_m values in the range of 76–144°C, and excellent solubility. These copolymerizations are conducted in one-pot/one-step at industrially favored reaction temperatures of 100–120°C using catalysts of common organic bases, suggesting a facile and practical manner. Especially, the copoly(thioether) exhibits high refractive indices up to 1.68 owing to its high sulfur content, suggesting a broad application prospect in optical materials.     

Calcium-based coordination polymers from a solvothermal synthesis of HKUST-1 in 3D printed autoclaves

A mixed-metal 1D coordination polymer [CaCu(HBTC)₂(H2O)₈]_n (where H₃BTC – benzene-1,3,5-tric arboxylic acid) was obtained in a solvothermal synthesis of a well-known copper-containing metal–organic framework [Cu₃(BTC)₂(H₂O)₃]_n (HKUST-1) in autoclaves 3D-printed from commercial polypropylene. This material was a source of calcium ions, apparently, leaking from a colorant (calcium carbonate) promoted by glacial acetic acid as a modulator used to produce large single crystals of HKUST-1. This finding was confirmed by elemental analysis and a model experiment that resulted in a new calcium-based 1D coordination polymer [Ca(H₂BTC)₂(H₂O)₅]_n under the same solvothermal conditions with no copper or calcium salts put into a 3D-printed autoclave.     

Synthesis of nano-polycrystalline diamond from glassy carbon at pressures up to 25 GPa

ABSTRACT

Nano-polycrystalline diamond (NPD) with various grain sizes has been synthesized from glassy carbon at pressures 15–25?GPa and temperatures 1700–2300°C using multianvil apparatus. The minimum temperature for the synthesis of pure NPD, below which a small amount of compressed graphite was formed, significantly increased with pressure from ～1700°C at 15?GPa to ～1900°C at 25?GPa. The NPD having grain sizes less than ～50?nm was synthesized at temperatures below ～2000°C at 15?GPa and ～2300°C at 25?GPa, above which significant grain growth was observed. The grain size of NPD decreases with increasing pressure and decreasing temperature, and the pure NPD with grain sizes less than 10?nm is obtained in a limited temperature range around 1800–2000°C, depending on pressure. The pure NPD from glassy carbon is highly transparent and exhibits a granular nano-texture, whose grain size is tunable by selecting adequate pressure and temperature conditions.     

An Update on Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Design through a Computational Approach to Produce Molecular Recognition Material with Enhanced Analytical Performance

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) computational design is expected to become a routine technique prior to synthesis to produce polymers with high affinity and selectivity towards target molecules. Furthermore, using these simulations reduces the cost of optimizing polymerization composition. There are several computational methods used in MIP fabrication and each requires a comprehensive study in order to select a process with results that are most similar to properties exhibited by polymers synthesized through laboratory experiments. Until now, no review has linked computational strategies with experimental results, which are needed to determine the method that is most appropriate for use in designing MIP with high molecular recognition. This review will present an update of the computational approaches started from 2016 until now on quantum mechanics, molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics that have been widely used. It will also discuss the linear correlation between computational results and the polymer performance tests through laboratory experiments to examine to what extent these methods can be relied upon to obtain polymers with high molecular recognition. Based on the literature search, density functional theory (DFT) with various hybrid functions and basis sets is most often used as a theoretical method to provide a shorter MIP manufacturing process as well as good analytical performance as recognition material.     

Buffering effects on the solution behavior and hydrolytic degradation of poly(β-amino ester)s

With a vast, synthetically accessible compositional space and highly tunable hydrolysis rates, poly(β-amino ester)s (PBAEs) are an attractive degradable polymer platform. Leveraging PBAEs in a wide range of applications hinges on the ability to program degradation, which, thus far, has been frustrated by multiple confounding phenomena contributing to the degradation of these charged polyesters. Basic conditions accelerate hydrolysis, yet reduce solubility, limiting water access to amines and esters. Further, the high buffering capacity of PBAEs can render buffers ineffective at controlling solution pH. To unify understanding of PBAE degradation and solution properties, this study examines PBAE hydrolysis as a function of pH and buffer concentration as well as polymer hydrophobicity. At low buffer concentrations, the PBAE amines and the acid produced during hydrolysis control solution pH. Meanwhile, at high buffer concentrations that afford relatively constant pH, hydrolysis rate increases with pH, despite the reduced PBAE solubility. Increasing the hydrophobic content of PBAEs eventually hinders the capacity of the polymer to accept protons from solution, limiting the pH increase and slowing hydrolysis. These studies showcase the role of buffering on the pH-dependent degradation and solution properties of PBAEs, providing guidance for programming degradation in applications ranging from drug delivery to thermosets.     

A molecular fluorophore in citric acid/ethylenediamine carbon dots identified and quantified by multinuclear solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance

The composition of fluorescent polymer nanoparticles, commonly referred to as carbon dots, synthesized by microwave-assisted reaction of citric acid and ethylenediamine was investigated by ¹³C, ¹³C{¹H}, ¹H─¹³C, ¹³C{¹⁴N}, and ¹⁵N solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. ¹³C NMR with spectral editing provided no evidence for significant condensed aromatic or diamondoid carbon phases. ¹⁵N NMR showed that the nanoparticle matrix has been polymerized by amide and some imide formation. Five small, resolved ¹³C NMR peaks, including an unusual ═CH signal at 84 ppm (¹H chemical shift of 5.8 ppm) and ═CN₂ at 155 ppm, and two distinctive ¹⁵N NMR resonances near 80 and 160 ppm proved the presence of 5-oxo-1,2,3,5-tetrahydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-7-carboxylic acid (IPCA) or its derivatives. This molecular fluorophore with conjugated double bonds, formed by a double cyclization reaction of citric acid and ethylenediamine as first shown by Y. Song, B. Yang, and coworkers in 2015, accounts for the fluorescence of the carbon dots. Cross-peaks in a ¹H─¹³C HETCOR spectrum with brief ¹H spin diffusion proved that IPCA is finely dispersed in the polyamide matrix. From quantitative ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR spectra, a high concentration (18 ± 2 wt%) of IPCA in the carbon dots was determined. A pronounced gradient in ¹³C chemical-shift perturbations and peak widths, with the broadest lines near the COO group of IPCA, indicated at least partial transformation of the carboxylic acid of IPCA by amide or ester formation.     

Formation of porous polymer morphology by microsyneresis during divinylbenzene polymerization

This article describes the investigation of the importance of various reaction conditions on microsyneretic pore formation during polymerization of divinylbenzene (DVB) under so‐called “solvothermal” conditions. To induce microsyneretic pore formation, the most important parameter is an unusually high dilution of monomers with a “good” porogen solvating the polymer chains. High dilution and solvation of the growing poly(DVB) chains promote the prolongation of the polymer chains rather than their interconnection by crosslinking. Consequently, when the polymer gel density reaches the point where syneresis starts, the polymer network is geometrically too extensive to be broken up into precipitating entities and, instead, porogen droplets are formed within the continuous polymer gel. The pore geometry created by microsyneresis offers high surface area in wide mesopores and hence, high capacity for supporting functional groups or reactions with much better accessibility than narrow pores between polymer microspheres produced by macrosyneresis in conventional styrenic polymer supports. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 774–781