Research articles

A series of free-standing poly(1,12-bis(carbazolyl)dodecane-co-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (P(2Cz-D-co-EDOT)) films with crosslinking structure were synthesized electrochemically from 1,12-bis(carbazolyl)dodecane and 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene. The obtained P(2Cz-D-co-EDOT) films show good redox activity and high electrochemical stability. Compared with those of poly(1,12-bis(carbazolyl)dodecane) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), the mechanical properties, electrical conductivities, thermoelectric properties and thermal stability of as-formed copolymer films are all improved in varying degrees.

The asymmetric diblock copolymer nanoparticles show a rich variety of novel structures, such as mixtures of distorted cylinders and spherical lamellae, due to the surface-field-induced effects from the nanoparticle surfaces.

Polycarbonate/polystyrene (PC/PS) blend nanorods with various diameters were prepared by melt-wetting porous anodic aluminum oxide templates with partially miscible blend melts and the molecular composition distribution of PC/PS blends in various diameter nanopores was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared and differential scanning calorimetry. Owing to the difference in viscosity between the two polymers during the capillary flow, gradient composition distribution of polymer blends was formed in nanopores.

High-performance all-cellulose nanocomposite was made from canola straw as a low-value agricultural residue through a cheap and fast method of downsizing (grinding) followed by a short partial dissolution process (10 min) in N,N-dimethylacetamide/lithium chloride solvent.

4,4′-[Oxybis(4,1-phenylenethio)]dianiline-based novel polyimides were synthesized from various dianhydrides. Most of the polymers were easily soluble in aprotic polar solvents and in tetrahydrofuran, and they exhibited remarkable film-forming ability. The obtained PIs showed high thermal stability and a large interval between glass transition temperature and the decomposition temperature values. Some of the polyimides exhibited relatively high refractive index of ∼1.9. The highest gas permeability was found for polyimide with hexafluoroisopropylidene units. This polymer also showed relatively good separation ability toward oxygen/nitrogen gas pair.

Poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF) dissolved in organic solvents containing lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF₄) forms stable gels when the solution is cooled to room temperature. This paper describes the effects of LiBF₄ concentrations and gelation solvents on the gelation process and the structural morphology. Gel-melting temperatures (T_m^g) increased with an increase in LiBF₄ concentrations (C), indicating that PVdF gels in the presence of LiBF₄ would have increased thermal stability.

A series of polyurethanes was synthesized in which hard segments were generated from the rigid 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and the flexible 4,4-dibenzyl diisocyanate (DBDI), alone or as mixtures. Changes induced by varying the type and number of isocyanates were followed. Materials based on the single DBDI were observed to crystallize. Crystallinity was strongly reduced when DBDI was mixed with MDI. Improvement in elastomeric properties was obtained when both diisocyanates were included and reacted together in a random manner.

Chiral itaconimides bearing amino-acid esters at side chain (MRII), such as phenylglycine-, phenylalanine- and leucine-methyl ester, were polymerized with organometal-chiral ligand complexes to obtain optically active polymers. The effects of the polymerization conditions on the optical activity and structure of poly(MRII)s were investigated with gel permeation chromatography, circular dichroism, specific rotation and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance measurements.

A new beamline called the frontier soft-material beamline at BL03XU for soft materials was recently installed at SPring-8, using an in-vacuum undulator. The photon flux can reach 10¹³ photons sec⁻¹ and the energy resolution is about 10⁻⁴ at an energy of 12.4 keV. The present paper introduces details on the instrumental and some of the first scattering data measured at BL03XU, revealing its cutting-edge design and high performance.

The polysilsesquioxane containing 3-aminopropyl and phenyl groups was used as the macroinitiator for the graft polymerization of 1,3-trimethylene carbonate and L-(-)-lactide. The ring-opening polymerizations of the monomers by the use of 1-trimethylsilylimidaozle catalyst proceeded effectively to afford the grafted polysilsesquioxanes. In the obtained polysilsesquioxanes, the effects of polysiloxane main chain on the thermal properties of the grafted polymers were observed.

Two dry processings, atmospheric pressure plasma jet exposure and ultraviolet excimer light irradiation, were carried out using poly(ethylene terephthalate) film. The wettability change in the poly(ethylene terephthalate) surface was recorded by the Wilhelmy technique. After the processings, the drastic decreases in the advancing and receding contact angles of water were observed. The advancing angle increased by rinsing with water or aging in air, whereas the receding one remained almost the same. The wettability behavior obtained was discussed on the basis of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy data.

Vegetable oil-modified hyperbranched polyster was developed and used as a matrix for the preparation of nanocomposites with 0–5 wt% organically modified montmorillonite by ex situ technique, which showed the potentiality as advanced materials.

The Diels–Alder (DA) reaction of furfuryl ester-terminated butylene succinate oligomer (FBSO) with 1,1′-(methylenedi-4,1-phenylene)bismaleimide (BMI) at 60 °C afforded a polyesterimide ((P(FBSO-BMI)). The gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis of the reaction mixture of P(FBSO-BMI) at 120 °C revealed that FBSO and BMI are quantitatively recovered by the retro DA reaction. When maleimide/phenyl-substituted oligomeric silsesquioxane (MPOSS) was used instead of BMI, a partially crosslinked thermo-reversible hybrid composite (P(FBSO-MPOSS)) was obtained. The hybrid film prepared by solvent casting method of FBSO and MPOSS had much higher flexural strength than FBSO did.

Electrospun composite nanofibers containing nanoparticles were fabricated through a one-step, single-nozzle electrospinning technique. The nanoparticles were linearly packed as a string along the axes of the fibers, forming core–shell structure. Loading different drugs in core and shell provided distinct release behaviors at the same time.

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was copolymerized with 9-anthrylmethyl methacrylate (AMA) or 2-(9-carbazolyl)ethyl methacrylate (CMA) under controlled atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) conditions. It yielded well-defined luminescent copolymers, which emitted light with various wavelengths and intensities depending on their compositions.

The films of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate)s P(3HB-co-3HH)s with low 3HH unit content show the brittle nature after aging. By elongating, the cast film of neat P(3HB-co-3HH) with 7 mol% 3HH unit became white with countless lines, while the blend with 5 wt% poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) elongated without remarkable whitening. This visual change indicates that the transition of deformation mechanism was induced by blending with a small amount of PCL. As a result, the ductility was greatly improved.

The effect of solvent annealing treatment on the microdomain orientation of polyacrylonitrile-block-polyethylene glycol (PAN-b-PEG) copolymers has been investigated by atomic force microscopy. Heptane, toluene and thiophene were used as annealing solvent. The size of PEG domains grew gradually by the solvent annealing of heptane, toluene and thiophene in sequence. The different size of PEG domains by solvent annealing treatment was caused by the different affinity of the solvent to PEG segments. Thiophene exhibited the strongest affinity to PEG segment among the used annealing solvent.

We report transparent ion conductive ionic liquid-phenol resin hybrids prepared by in situ polymerization/crosslinking of phenol monomer in ionic liquid. The transparent hybrid prepared from 20 wt% monomer concentration exhibited high thermal stability and ionic conductivity (1.0 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at 30 °C), which is comparable to the pristine ionic liquid.

Nylon 6/iodine complex, which was prepared with nylon 6 (polyamide-6, PA6), shows intercalated structure composed with iodine. This work reports that this intercalated structures can be modified by ageing in swollen condition; the iodinated sample modifies the primarily 1.56-nm spacing in dry condition into 1.95 nm or more larger spacing, which revealed or vanished in moist environment. Diffusion of ions or low molecules into the iodinated nylon 6 can achieve easily even in their crystallite.

cis-1,4-Dihydro-1,4-dimethyl-1,4-diarsinine-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride was quantitatively formed from cis-1,4-dihydro-1,4-dimethyl-2,3,5,6-tetrakis(t-butoxycarbonyl)-1,4-diarsinine treated with formic acid. X-ray crystallography suggests that the six-membered ring in cis-1,4-dihydro-1,4-dimethyl-1,4-diarsinine-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride was in a boat conformation and was nearly flat, and the As–C=C bond angle of cis-1,4-dihydro-1,4-dimethyl-1,4-diarsinine-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride extended to 133°. Polymerization of cis-1,4-dihydro-1,4-dimethyl-1,4-diarsinine-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride with 1,3′-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene at 80 °C in DMAc for 12 h yielded a soluble polyimide, of which number-average and weight-average molecular weights were estimated to be 23 400 and 60 300, respectively. The polyimide was obtained even when polymerization was carried out at 60 °C for 24 h.