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The generation of nanoscale primary poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) particles by rapid expansion of supercritical solutions (RESS) is reported. The experimental results show that RESS enables the formation of PVDF particles with median particle diameters ranging from 56 to 226 nm and that the size of PVDF particles can be influenced by polymer properties. The particle size can be decreased either by increasing molar mass, in case of identical polymer end groups, or by increasing the degree of crystallinity, in case of similar molar mass and different end groups.
A set of structures encompassing 1-(9-acridinyl)thiosemicarbazide and its 2-methyl derivative together with their various tautomeric structures; the 5-membered ring 1,3-thiazolidin-4-one products resulting from the reaction of 1- (9-acridinyl)thiosemicarbazide and its 2-methyl derivative with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) together with the alternative 6-membered ring isomeric reaction products as well as other potential isomeric structures; and the 6- membered ring 1,3-thiazin-4-one product resulting from the reaction of 2-methyl-1-(9-acridinyl)thiosemicarbazide with methyl propiolate (MP) together with the alternative 5-membered ring isomeric reaction product were all extensively studied by molecular modeling calculations using DFT at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. The ring-chain tautomerism of the thiosemicarbazides, the regio- and stereoselectivity of the reactions, the adopted conformations and E/Z configurations of the products, the prototropic tautomerism of all the compounds, and the reasons for the predominance of the s-cis conformation of the Z configuration of the 1,3-thiazolidin-4-one product in particular were all extensively analyzed. Comparison of the modeled structures were also made to the 1,3-thiazolidin-4-one and 1,3-thiazin-4-one structures of the methyl derivative as well as 1-(9-acridinyl)thiosemicarbazide available from X-ray crystallographic analysis. Tactics utilizing spectroscopic methods {1R frequencies (nu) and NMR chemical shifts (delta), scalar coupling constants (J), and NOEs (eta)} in conjunction with molecular modeling calculations of the spectral parameters (frequency calculations (v) and NMR 6 using the GIAO method and J by calculation of the Fermi contact term) were evaluated in terms of proving 5- or 6-membered ring formation.
Six new bifunctional bis(trithiocarbonate)s were explored as RAFT agents for synthesizing amphiphilic triblock copolymers ABA and BAB, with hydrophilic "A" blocks made from N-isopropylacrylamide and hydrophobic "B" blocks made from styrene. Whereas the extension of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) by styrene was not effective, polystyrene macroRAFT agents provided the block copolymers efficiently. End group analysis by H-1 NMR spectroscopy supported molar mass analysis and revealed an unexpected side reaction for certain bis(trithiocarbonate)s, namely a fragmentation to simple trithiocarbonates while extruding ethylene-trithiocarbonate. The amphiphilic block copolymers with short polystyrene blocks are directly soluble in water and self-organize into thermo-responsive micellar aggregates.
The influence of the reaction medium (organic solvents, water, ionic liquids, supercritical CO2) on the propagation rate in radical polymerizations has very different causes, e.g., hindered rotational modes, hydrogen bonding or electron pair donor/acceptor interactions. Depending on the origin of the solvent influence propagation rate coefficients, k(P), may be enhanced by up to an order of magnitude associated with changes in the pre-exponential or the activation energy of k(P). In contrast, non-specific interactions, size and steric effects lead to rather small changes in the vicinity of the radical chain end and are reflected by modest variations in k(P).
An efficient route from myo- to neo-inositol is described. The key steps of the sequence are oxidation of the hydroxy group at C-5 to the corresponding ketone, followed by a highly (dr = 7.8:1) stereoselective reduction. The route includes nine steps with an overall yield of 51% and is therefore superior to all hitherto reported methods for the preparation of neo-inositol.
Polymer libraries offer straightforward opportunities for the investigation of structure property relationships and for a more thorough understanding of certain research problems. Furthermore, if combined with high-throughput methods for their preparation as well as screening, they offer the additional advantage of time savings and/or the reduction of experimental efforts. Thus, the herein discussed methods of polymer library preparation and selected literature examples of polymer libraries describe efficient and state-of-the-art methods to tackle difficult research challenges in polymer and materials science.
Swelling and switching kinetics of gold coated end-capped poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) thin films
(2010)
Thin thermoresponsive hydrogel films of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) end-capped with n-butyltrithiocarbonate(nbc- PNIPAM) oil si I icon supports with a gold layer on top, causing an asymmetric confinement, are investigated. For two different gold layer thicknesses (nominally 0.4 and 5 rim), the swelling and switching kinetics are probed with in situ neutron reflectivity. With a temperature jump from 23 to 40 degrees C the film is switched from a swollen into a collapsed state. For the thin gold layer this switching is faster as compared to the thick gold layer. The switching is a two-step process of water release and a subsequent structural relaxation. fit swelling and deswelling cycles, aging of the films is probed. After five cycles, the film exhibits enhanced water storage capacity. Grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) shows that these gold coated nbc-PNIPAM films do not age with respect to the inner structure but slightly roughen at the gold surface. As revealed by atomic force microscopy, the morphology of the gold layer is changed by the water uptake and release.
The surface of carbon black (CB) nanoparticles was functionalized with poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) either by trapping of macroradicals or by cycloaddition. PVDF with two iodine end groups (I-PVDF-I) obtained from iodine transfer polymerization in supercritical CO2 was heated in the presence of CB and the C-I bond was cleaved resulting in a reaction between the macroradical and the CB surface. To allow for cycloaddition of PVDF to the CB surface for a number of polymers, the iodine end groups were replaced by azide end groups. In addition, microwave irradiation was applied to the functionalization. The influence of temperature, time, polymer concentration, and polymer molar mass on the functionalization reaction was examined.
Recently, we introduced a thermoresponsive copolymer that consists of oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA) and 2-(2- methoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate (MEO(2)MA). The polymer exhibited an LCST at 35 degrees C in PBS buffer and was anchored onto gold substrates using disulfide polymerisation initiators. It allows the noninvasive detachment of adherent cells from their substrate. As the mechanisms that determine the interaction of cells with such polymers are not well understood, we employed Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy in order to monitor the detachment process of cells of two different types. We identified contact area and average cell-substrate distance as crucial parameters for the evaluation of the detachment process. The sensitivity of TIRF microscopy allowed us to correlate the specific adhesion pattern of MCF-7 breast cancer cells with the morphology of cell deposits that may serve as fingerprints for a nondestructive characterisation of live cells.
Thiol-ene additions of methyl 10-undecenoate, a castor oil derived renewable platform chemical, were studied with the goal of preparing a set of renewable monomers. Good to excellent yields were obtained for these solvent and initiator free thiol-ene additions. The resulting monomers were then polymerized using TBD as a catalyst, to linear as well as hyperbranched polyesters that also contain thio-ether linkages. All thus prepared polymers were fully characterized (NMR, GPC, DSC, and TGA) and the results of these investigations will be discussed within this contribution. The thermal analysis of these polymers revealed melting points in the range from 50 to 71 degrees C. Moreover, no significant weight loss was observed below 300 degrees C.
Gelatin is a non-immunogenic and degradable biopolymer, which is widely applied in the biomedical field e. g. for drug capsules or as absorbable hemostats. However, gelatin materials present limited and hardly reproducible mechanical properties especially in aqueous systems, particularly caused by the uncontrollable partial renaturation of collagen-like triple helices. Therefore, mechanically demanding applications for gelatin-based materials, such as vascular patches, i.e. hydrogel films that seal large incisions in vessel walls, and for induced autoregeneration, are basically excluded if this challenge is not addressed. Through the synthesis of a defined chemical network of gelatin with hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) in DMSO, the self-organization of gelatin chains could be hindered and amorphous gelatin films were successfully prepared having Young's moduli of 60-530 kPa. Transferring the crosslinking reaction with HDI and, alternatively, ethyl lysine diisocyanate (LDI), to water as reaction medium allowed the tailoring of swelling behaviour and mechanical properties by variation of crosslinker content while suppressing the formation of helices. The hydrogels had Young's moduli of 70-740 kPa, compressive moduli of 16-48 kPa, and degrees of swelling of 300-800 vol%. Test reactions investigated by ESI mass spectrometry allowed the identification and quantification of reaction products of the crosslinking reaction. The HDI crosslinked networks were stabilized by direct covalent crosslinks (ca. 10 mol%), supported by grafting (50 mol%) and blending of hydrophobic oligomeric chains. For the LDI- based networks, less crosslinked (3 mol%) and grafted species (5 mol%) and much higher amounts of oligomers were observed. The adjustable hydrogel system enables the application of gelatin-based materials in physiological environments.
We present a systematic study of the influence of energy and phase relaxation on dynamic polarizability simulations in the linear response regime. The nonperturbative approach is based on explicit electron dynamics using short laser pulses of low intensities. To include environmental effects on the property calculation, we use the time- dependent configuration-interaction method in its reduced density matrix formulation. Both energy dissipation and nonlocal pure dephasing are included. The explicit treatment of time-resolved electron dynamics gives access to the phase shift between the electric field and the induced dipole moment, which can be used to define a useful uncertainty measure for the dynamic polarizability. The nonperturbative treatment is compared to perturbation theory expressions, as applied to a simple model system, the rigid H-2 molecule. It is shown that both approaches are equivalent for low field intensities, but the time-dependent treatment provides complementary information on the phase of the induced dipole moment, which allows for the definition of an uncertainty associated with the computation of the dynamic polarizability in the linear response regime.
Zeolites NaY and ZSM-5 were used as hosts for styrene polymerization after ion-exchange with europium ions. The parent and hybrid, polystyrene coated Eu-NaY (Eu-NaY/PS) and Eu-ZSM-5 (Eu-ZSM-5/PS) zeolites were investigated by using thermal analysis, SEM, PXRD, FT-IR, DR-UV/Vis, steady state and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. FT-IR spectra evidenced for the interaction between the zeolitic hosts and polystyrene while the PXRD spectra supported for the presence of the polymer inside the channels/pores of Eu-NaY/PS and Eu-ZSM-5/PS materials. The optical properties of Eu-NaY/PS and Eu-ZSM-5/PS were significantly changed relative to those of the parent zeolites, giving further evidence for the presence of polymer inside zeolites. An interesting case is presented by NaY zeolite: following styrene polymerization, the polymer interacted selectively with one of the two main species co-existing inside zeolite while for ZSM-5 a similar effect was not observed.
Two different types of mesoporous silicon-phosphate supports using different surfactants (a mixture of (CH3)(3)C13H27NBr with an organophosphorus coupling molecule (HO-PO(i-C3H7)(2)) and with a co-surfactant ((C2H5)(3)(C6H5)PCl), respectively) were synthesized. Trivalent europium (Eu) ions were immobilized via ion-exchange on these supports. The resulting materials were characterized using nitrogen adsorption isotherms at -196 degrees C, thermogravimetric analysis, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, PXRD, CP/MAS. (HSi)-H-1-Si-29 and P-31 NMR, DR-UV-vis as well as steady- state and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results evidenced that the co-polymerization of silicon and phosphorous yielded a unique morphology in these materials. Following calcination at 450 and 900 degrees C europium- exchanged silicon-phosphates with great surface area (BET=600-705 m(2) g(-1)) and 3.4 nm sized mesopores were obtained. The differences among the optical properties of the non-calcined europium materials such as the emission lifetimes, local environment at the europium sites or the relative contribution of the upper excited levels to the total photoluminescence were assigned to the surfactants used in the synthesis. Calcination of the silicon-phosphates at higher temperatures than 450 degrees C did not induce major changes in the structural properties: in contrast, photoluminescence properties of europium were markedly improved in terms of intensity and average lifetime.
The stable 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-yloxyl and its derivatives with hydrogen-bond-forming (-OH, -OSO3H), anionic (-OSO3- bearing K+ or [K(18-crown-6)](+) as counter ion), or cationic (-N+-(CH3)(3) bearing I-, BF4-, PF6- or N- (SO2CF3)(2) as counter ion) substituents are investigated in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide over a wide temperature range. The temperature dependence of the viscosity of the ionic liquid is well described by the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann equation. Interestingly, the temperature dependence of the rotational correlation time of the spin probes substituted with either a hydrogen-bond-forming group or an ionic substituent can be described using the Stokes-Einstein equation. In contrast, the temperature dependence of the rotational correlation time of the spin probe without an additional substituent at the 4-position to the nitroxyl group does not follow this trend. The activation energy for the mobility of the unsubstituted spin probe, determined from an Arrhenius plot of the spin-probe mobility in the ionic liquid above the melting temperature, is comparable with the activation energy for the viscous flow of the ionic liquid, but is higher for spin probes bearing an additional substituent at the 4-position. Quantum chemical calculations of the spin probes using the 6-31G+d method give information about the rotational volume of the spin probes and the spin density at the nitrogen atom of the radical structure as a function of the substituent at the spin probes in the presence and absence of a counter ion. The results of these calculations help in understanding the effect of the additional substituent on the experimentally determined isotropic hyperfine coupling constant.
The influence of the alkyl chain length in 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonylimide)s is studied to explore the rotation of piperidine-1-yloxyl derivatives substituted with either hydrogen bonding hydroxy group or ionic substituents, such as the cationic trimethylammonium or the anionic sulfate group placed at the 4 position. Structural variation of the ionic liquids results in differences of their viscosity influencing the rotation of the spin probes. The size of the average rotational correlation times of the spin probes dissolved in the ionic liquids depends further on the additional substituent in 4-position at these spin probes. The rotational correlation time exhibits a linear dependence on the ionic liquid viscosity in the case of the spin probe forming hydrogen bonding with the ionic liquids. In contrast to this, a deviation from the Stokes-Einstein behavior is found in the case of rotation of the charged spin probes in the 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis( trifluoromethylsulfonylimide) s substituted with a longer alkyl chain. This effect may be explained by phase separation on a molecular level between the charged part of the ionic liquid and the longer alkyl chains bound at the imidazolium ion. Although the neutral and the cationic spin probes show only a slight dependence between ionic liquid structure variation and the hyperfine coupling constants, structural effects cause changes in the hyperfine coupling constants in the case of the anionic spin probes. These probes strongly interact with the imidazolium ion.
New spin probes bearing the 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-yloxyl covalently bound to the imidazolium ion via a methylene spacer and an amide group are synthesized. If the anion is bis(trifluoromethylsulfonylimide) instead of iodide, the new spin probe has a similar structure as that of an ionic liquid. Nevertheless, the new spin probes are useful tools to investigate ionic liquids.
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.
Linear amphiphilic diblock and ternary triblock copolymers were synthesized by the RAFT method in three Successive Steps, using oligo(ethylene oxide) monomethyl ether acrylate, butyl or 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, and 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyl acrylate. The diblock and the triblock copolymers, which consist of a hydrophilic, a lipophilic, and a fluorophilic block, self-assemble in water into spherical micellar aggregates. Imaging by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) revealed that the cores of the micellar aggregates made from these "triphilic" copolymers undergo local phase separation to form various ultrastructures, which depend sensitivity on the given block sequence. While the sequence hydrophilic-lipophilic-fluorophilic resulted in multicompartment cores with core-shell-corona morphology, the sequence lipophilic-hydrophilic-fluorophilic provided new "patched double micelle" and larger "soccer ball" structures.
Individual rate coefficients for 1H,1H,2H,2H-tridecafluorooctyl methacrylate radical polymerizations
(2010)
Kinetic data for radical polymerizations of 1H,1H,2H,2H-tridecafluorooctyl methacrylate (TDFOMA) in bulk is reported. Pulsed laser initiated polymerizations yield propagation rate coefficients, k(p), which are by a factor of 1.9 higher than methyl methacrylate k(p). The activation energy of TDFOMA k(p) is not significantly different from that of alkyl methacrylates. Chain-length averaged termination rate coefficients were estimated from chemically initiated polymerizations with in-line FT-NIR spectroscopic monitoring of monomer conversion. Up to 30% of monomer conversion TDFOMA termination rate coefficients are only slightly below MMA low conversion values. The result is suggested to be due to less interactions between the macroradicals compared to nonfluorinated systems.