@article{StrehmelSarkerLahtietal.2005, author = {Strehmel, Veronika and Sarker, A. M. and Lahti, P. M. and Karasz, F. E. and Heydenreich, Matthias and Wetzel, Hendrik and Haebel, Sophie and Strehmel, Bernd}, title = {One- and two-photon photochemistry and photophysics of poly(arylenevinylene)s containing a biphenyl moiety}, issn = {1439-4235}, year = {2005}, abstract = {Photochemical and photophysical properties were investigated for poly(arylenevinylene)s containing a flexible biphenyl "hinge" unit by applying one-photon (OP) and two-photon (TP) excitation to explore excited-state properties. The poly(arylenevinylene)s were poly[(2,5-dihexyloxy-p-phenylenevinylene)-alt-(4,4'-dihexyloxy-3,3'-biph enylenevinylene)] (1), poly[(2,5-dihexyloxy-p-phenylenevinylene)-alt-(2,2'-dihexyloxy-3,3'-biph enylenevinylene)] (2), and poly[(2,5-dihexyloxy-p-phenylenevinylene)-alt-(2,2'-biphenylene-vinylene )] (3). Effective emission quantum yields and related photonic properties were evaluated on a realistic per-chromophore basis using effective conjugation lengths based on the Strickler-Berg relationship. intramolecular photocyclization was deduced to occur in the one case where the biphenyl molecular connectivity permitted the reaction, based on matrix- assisted loser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF), heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence (HMQC)-NMR, and gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) results. The various photoprocesses could be induced by either OP or TP excitation, though the first excited singlet state is the photoactive state. The higher excitation energy 1 of the TP excited state favors indirect population of the S, state by electronic coupling between the TP and OP excited states [lambda(max)(TPE) (nm): 726; delta (GM)([9]): 1 = 229, 2 = 215, 3 = 109). Photochemical processes occurring from the lowest OP excited state (S-1) could therefore also be indirectly induced by TP excitation}, language = {en} } @article{StrehmelSarkerLahtietal.2004, author = {Strehmel, Veronika and Sarker, A. M. and Lahti, P. M. and Karasz, F. E. and Strehmel, Bernd}, title = {One and two-photon optical properties of ionic block copolymers with phenylenediethylenebispyridinium- chromophores}, issn = {0065-7727}, year = {2004}, language = {en} } @article{StrehmelWishartPolyanskyetal.2009, author = {Strehmel, Veronika and Wishart, James F. and Polyansky, Dmitry E. and Strehmel, Bernd}, title = {Recombination of photogenerated lophyl radicals in imidazolium-based ionic liquids}, issn = {1439-4235}, doi = {10.1002/cphc.200900594}, year = {2009}, abstract = {Laser flash photolysis is applied to study the recombination reaction of lophyl radicals in ionic liquids in comparison with dimethylsulfoxide as an example of a traditional organic solvent. The latter exhibits a similar micropolarity as the ionic liquids. The ionic liquids investigated are 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (1), 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (2), and 1-butyl-3- methylimidazolium tetafluoroborate (3). The recombination of the photolytic generated lophyl radicals occur significantly faster in the ionic liquids than expected from their macroscopic viscosities and is a specific effect of these ionic liquids. On the other hand, this reaction can be compared with the macroscopic viscosity in the case of dimethylsulfoxide. Activation parameters obtained for lophyl radical recombination suggest different, anion-dependent mechanistic effects. Quantum chemical calculations based on density functional theory provide a deeper insight of the molecular properties of the lophyl radical and its precursor. Thus, excitation energies, spin densities, molar volumes, and partial charges are calculated. Calculations show a spread of spin density over the three carbon atoms of the imidazolyl moiety, while only low spin density is calculated for the nitrogens.}, language = {en} } @article{StrehmelBerdzinskiStrauchetal.2014, author = {Strehmel, Veronika and Berdzinski, Stefan and Strauch, Peter and Hoffmann-Jacobsen, Kerstin and Strehmel, Bernd}, title = {Investigation of molecular solvents and ionic liquids with a dual probe}, series = {Zeitschrift f{\"u}r physikalische Chemie : international journal of research in physical chemistry and chemical physics}, volume = {228}, journal = {Zeitschrift f{\"u}r physikalische Chemie : international journal of research in physical chemistry and chemical physics}, number = {2-3}, publisher = {De Gruyter}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {0942-9352}, doi = {10.1515/zpch-2014-0453}, pages = {155 -- 169}, year = {2014}, abstract = {A dual probe was investigated by UV-Vis, fluorescence, and ESR spectroscopy. It comprises the pyrene chromophore and the paramagnetic 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-N-oxyl radical that are covalently linked together via an ester bridge. The dual probe was used to investigate molecular solvents of different polarity as well as ionic liquids bearing either imidazolium or pyrrolidinium cations and various anions, such as bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, tetrafluoroborate, tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate, or dicyanamide. The dual probe does not show solvatochromism that is typical for some pyrenes. Furthermore, the dual probe is considerable less mobile compared to 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-N-oxyl (TEMPO) without additional substituent as detected by ESR spectroscopy. This is caused by the bulky pyrenyl substituent bound at the dual probe resulting in a reduced mobility of the dual probe.}, language = {en} } @article{StrehmelLaschewskyWetzel2006, author = {Strehmel, Veronika and Laschewsky, Andr{\´e} and Wetzel, Hendrik}, title = {Homopolymerization of a highly polar zwitterionic methacrylate in ionic liquids and its copolymerization with a non-polar methacrylate}, year = {2006}, abstract = {Free radical homo- and copolymerization of the highly polar 3-(N-[2-methacryloyloxyethyl]-N,N-dimethylammonio) propane sulfonate with the nonpolar n-butylmethacrylate was investigated in the ionic liquids 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluoro phosphate, and compared to analogous polymerizations in standard solvents. Higher molar masses are obtained for the zwitterionic homopolymer when the polymerization is carried out in an ionic liquid compared to the classical reaction in water. Although homopolymerization of the sulfobetain monomer as well as of n-butylmethacrylate results in phase separation during the polymerization process, copolymerization of a stoichiometric ratio of the two monomers in the ionic liquids produced transparent gels indicating that no macrophase separation occurs. The use of ionic liquids as reaction medium improved the copolymerization behavior of the two methacrylates significantly. Whereas only minor amounts of n-butyl methacrylate were incorporated in the copolymer when synthesized in acetonitrile, the content of the non-polar monomer units in the zwitterionic copolymer approached increasingly its content in the polymerization mixture when ionic liquids were employed as solvents}, language = {en} } @article{TejedorOriolPinoletal.2005, author = {Tejedor, R. M. and Oriol, L. and Pinol, M. and Serrano, J. L. and Strehmel, Veronika and Stiller, Burkhard and Stumpe, Joachim}, title = {Photoreactive main-chain liquid-crystalline polyesters : Synthesis, characterization, and photochemistry}, issn = {0887-624X}, year = {2005}, abstract = {Three series of semiflexible and rigid main-chain polyesters containing photoreactive mesogenic units derived from p-phenylenediacrylic acid (PDA) and cinnamic acid have been synthesized by high-temperature polycondensation. The thermal and mesomorphic properties of the polymers have been determined. The photochemical behavior of polymer P-[1]-T, which contains a PDA unit, has been studied both in solution and in films. In solution, [2+2] photocycloaddition, E/Z photoisomerization, and photo-Fries rearrangement can take place. In contrast, the dominant process in spin-coated films is the [2+2] photocycloaddition reaction, which causes crosslinking of the polymer. In films, the photochemistry and induction of anisotropy are strongly influenced by the aggregation of the PDA phenylester unit. A dichroism of about 0.2 has been induced in films by irradiation with linearly polarized UV light, and thus the capability of these films to induce optical anisotropy and align liquid crystals has been demonstrated. Liquid-crystalline cells have been made with polarized irradiated films of P[1]-T as aligning layers. A commercial liquid-crystalline mixture has been used for this study, and a similar liquid-crystalline order determined by polarized Fourier transform infrared to a commercial cell with rubbed polyimide as an aligning layer has been detected. Because of crosslinking of the irradiated P[1]-T photoaligning layer, the photoinduced anisotropy is stable at high temperatures, and the liquid-crystalline molecules are insoluble in the irradiated polymer. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc}, language = {en} } @article{StrehmelKraudeltWetzeletal.2004, author = {Strehmel, Veronika and Kraudelt, Heide and Wetzel, Hendrik and Gornitz, Eckhard and Laschewsky, Andr{\´e}}, title = {Free radical polymerization of methacrylates in ionic liquids}, issn = {0065-7727}, year = {2004}, language = {en} } @article{JyotishkumarKoetzTierschetal.2009, author = {Jyotishkumar, P. and Koetz, Joachim and Tiersch, Brigitte and Strehmel, Veronika and oezdilek, Ceren and Moldenaers, Paula and H{\"a}ssler, R{\"u}diger and Thomas, Sabu}, title = {Complex phase separation in poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene)-modified epoxy/4,4 '-diaminodiphenyl sulfone blends : generation of new micro- and nanosubstructures}, issn = {1520-6106}, doi = {10.1021/Jp8094566}, year = {2009}, abstract = {The epoxy system containing diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A and 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl sulfone is modified with poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS) to explore the effects of the ABS content on the phase morphology, mechanism of phase separation, and viscoelastic properties. The amount of ABS in the blends was 5, 10, 15, and 20 parts per hundred of epoxy resin (phr). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to investigate the final morphology of ABS-modified epoxy blends. Scanning electron microscopic studies of 15 phr ABS-modified epoxy blends reveal a bicontinuous structure in which both epoxy and ABS are continuous, with substructures of the ABS phase dispersed in the continuous epoxy phase and substructures of the epoxy phase dispersed in the continuous ABS phase. TEM micrographs of 15 phr ABS-modified epoxy blends confirm the results observed by SEM. TEM micrographs reveal the existence of nanosubstructures of ABS in 20 phr ABS-modified epoxy blends. To the best of our knowledge, to date, nanosubstructures have never been reported in any epoxy/thermoplastic blends. The influence of the concentration of the thermoplastic on the generated morphology as analyzed by SEM and TEM was explained in detail. The evolution and mechanism of phase separation was investigated in detail by optical microscopy (OM) and small-angle laser light scattering (SALLS). At concentrations lower than 10 phr the system phase separates through nucleation and growth (NG). However, at higher concentrations, 15 and 20 phr, the blends phase separate through both NG and spinodal decomposition mechanisms. On the basis of OM and SALLS, we conclude that the phenomenon of complex substructure formation in dynamic asymmetric blends is due to the combined effect of hydrodynamics and viscoelasticity. Additionally, dynamic mechanical analysis was carried out to evaluate the viscoelastic behavior of the cross-linked epoxy/ABS blends. Finally, apparent weight fractions of epoxy and ABS components in epoxy- and ABS-rich phases were evaluated from T-g analysis.}, language = {en} } @article{StrehmelLaschewskyWetzeletal.2006, author = {Strehmel, Veronika and Laschewsky, Andr{\´e} and Wetzel, Hendrik and Gornitz, Eckhard}, title = {Free radical polymerization of n-butyl methacrylate in ionic liquids}, doi = {10.1021/Ma0516945}, year = {2006}, abstract = {Ionic liquids based on imidazolium, pyridinium, and alkylammonium salts were investigated as solvents in free radical polymerization of the model monomer n-butyl methacrylate. The properties of the ionic liquids were systematically varied by changing the length of the alkyl substituents on the cations, and by employing different anions such as tetrafluoroborate, hexafluorophosphate, tosylate, triflate, alkyl sulfates and dimethyl phosphate. Results were compared to analogous polymerizations in toluene and in bulk. The solvents have no detectable influence on polymer tacticity. However, the molar masses obtained and the degree of polymerization, respectively, are very sensitive to the choice of the solvent. The degrees of polymerization are significantly higher when polymerizations were carried out in ionic liquids compared to polymerization in toluene, and can even exceed the values obtained by bulk polymerization. Imidazolium salts unsubstituted at C-2 result in an increase in the degree of polymerization of the poly(butyl methacrylate) with increasing viscosity of these ionic liquids. Methyl substitution at C-2 of the imidazolium ion results in an increase in the viscosity of the ionic liquid and in a viscosity independent degree of polymerization of the poly(butyl methacrylate). Ionic liquids based on imidazolium salts seem preferable over pyridinium and alkylammonium salts because of the higher degree of polymerization of the poly(butyl methacrylate)s obtained in the imidazolium salts. The glass transition temperatures and thermal stabilities are higher for poly(butyl methacrylate)s synthesized in the ionic liquids compared to the polymer made in toluene}, language = {en} } @article{StrehmelLungwitzRexhausenetal.2010, author = {Strehmel, Veronika and Lungwitz, Ralf and Rexhausen, Hans and Spange, Stefan}, title = {Relationship between hyperfine coupling constants of spin probes and empirical polarity parameters of some ionic liquids}, issn = {1144-0546}, doi = {10.1039/C0nj00253d}, year = {2010}, abstract = {The polarity of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids containing hexafluorophosphate, tetrafluoroborate, dicyanoimide, or bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide as anions and a variation of the alkyl-chain length of the cation are investigated by both solvatochromic dyes and spin probes. Two different polarity scales are used for discussion of the polarity of these ionic liquids. These polarity scales are the empirical Kamlet-Taft parameters alpha, beta, and pi* and the hyperfine coupling constants A(iso)(N-14) obtained for spin probes substituted either with an ammonio or a sulfate group at 4-position. The results show that both polarity scales are valid for description of the ionic liquid polarity although differences are found between the two polarity scales. The most clear trend is found in all ionic liquids investigated for the hydrogen-bond accepting ability (beta) and the hyperfine- coupling constant of the anionic spin probe, where both parameters increase for all ionic liquids investigated until an alkyl chain length of eight carbon atoms and keep constant at longer alkyl chains.}, language = {en} }