QSPR Study on the Glass Transition Temperature of Polyacrylates

Structural parameters of 22 polyacrylic compounds were computed at two levels using Hartree-Fock and DFT methods. Based on the experimental data of glass transition temperature （Tg）, four-parameter （energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital （ELoMO）, the highest positive charge （Qmax^＋）, dipole moments（μ） and the next highest occupied molecular orbital （ENLOMO）） dependent equations were developed using structural parameters as theoretical descriptors. Especially, Tg dependent equation calculated at the HF/6-31G（d） level is more advantageous than others in view of their correlation and predictive abilities. This dependent equation was validated by variance inflation factors （VIF） and t-test methods.

POLYMER CHAIN DIFFUSION AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW ITS BULK GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE

In this study, it was examined whether the dynamics of polymer chains at a surface is different from that in thebulk, and if so, to what extent they differ in terms of surface glass transition temperature and diffusion coefficient. Obtainedresults clearly indicate that surface chains can travel for a relatively large distance in comparison with the characteristiclength scale of usual segmental motion even at a temperature below its bulk glass transition temperature, T_g^b. This isconsistent with our previous results that the surface glass transition temperature is much lower than the corresponding T_g^b.Also, it was experimentally revealed that there was a gradient of molecular motion in the surface region.

Effects of C60 on the Glass Transition Temperature of Carbazole-based Photorefractive Polyphosphazenes

The bi-functional carbazole-based photorefractive polyphosphazenes with different content of C_（60）-doped were fabricated. The glass transition temperature（T_g） of these polymer composite materials was determined using a differential scanning calorimetric（DSC） method. According to the DSC measurement results with different heating rates, the variation of T_g and the active energy of glass transition（E_g） were analyzed in detail. The analysis results indicate that the transition region shifts to higher temperatures with increasing heating rate, and C_（60） content（below 1.0 wt%） can influence the T_g of photorefractive polyphosphazenes. The T_g first increases and then decreases with the C_（60） content（below 1.0 wt%）. The probable causes of the influence of C_（60） on T_g was proposed.

Creep performance of PVC aged at temperature relatively close to glass transition temperature

In order to predict the mechanical performance of the polyvinyl chloride （PVC） at a high operating temperature, a series of short-term tensile creep tests （one- tenth of the physical aging time） of the PVC are carried out at 63 ℃ with a small constant stress by a dynamic mechanical analyzer （DMA）. The Struik-Kohlrausch （SK） formula and Struik shifting methods are used to describe these creep data for various physical aging time. A new phenomenological model based on the multiple relaxation mechanisms of an amorphous polymer is developed to quantitatively characterize the SK parameters （the initial creep compliance, the characteristic retardation time, and the shape factor） determined by the aging time. It is shown that the momentary creep compliance curve of the PVC at 63℃ can be very well fitted by the SK formula for each aging time. However, the SK parameters for the creep curves are not constant during the aging process at the elevated temperatures, and the evolution of these parameters and the creep rate versus aging time curves at the double logarithmic coordinafes have shown a nonlinear phenomenon. Moreover, the creep master curves obtained by the superposition with the Struik shifting methods are unsatisfactory in such a case. Finally, the predicted results calculated from the present model incorporating with the SK formula are in excellent agreement with the creep experimental data for the PVC isothermally aged at the temperature relatively close to the glass transition temperature.

Prediction of Glass Transition Temperatures of Polyarylates Using a Support Vector Machine Model

A three-descriptor quantitative structure-property relationship （QSPR） model, based on the support vector machine （SVM） algorithm, was constructed to predict the glass transition temperatures （Tgs） ofpolyarylates with complex structures. A total of 50 polyarylates were randomly divided into three sets, viz., the training set （30 polymers）, validation set （10 polymers） and prediction set （10 polymers）. By adjusting various parameters by trial and error, the final optimum SVM model based on Austin Model 1 （AM1） calculation is a polynomial kernel with the parameters C of 100, ε of 1.00E-05 and d of 2. The root-mean-square （RMS） errors obtained from the training set, validation set and prediction set are 19.4, 12.8 and 15.5 K, respectively. Research results show that the proposed SVM model has better statistical quality than the previous models. Thus, applying the SVM algorithm to predict Tgs of polymers is feasible.

A NEURAL NETWORK STUDY ON GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE OF POLYMERS

In this paper, an artificial neural network model is adopted to study the glass transition temperature of polymers. In our artificial neural networks, the input nodes are the characteristic ratio C-infinity, the average molecular weight M-e between entanglement points and the molecular weight M-mon of repeating unit. The output node is the glass transition temperature T-g, and the number of the hidden layer is 6. We found that the artificial neural network simulations are accurate in predicting the outcome for polymers for which it is not trained. The maximum relative error for predicting of the glass transition temperature is 3.47%, and the overall average error is only 2.27%. Artificial neural networks may provide some new ideas to investigate other properties of the polymers.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of the Glass Transition Temperature of Fullerene Filled Cis-1,4-polybutadiene Nanocomposites

In this work, the effect of the fullerene（C_（60）） weight fraction and PB-C_（60） interaction on the glass transition temperature（T_g） of polymer chains has been systemically investigated by adopting the united atom model of cis-1,4-poly（butadiene）（cis-PB）. Various chain dynamics properties, such as atom translational mobility, bond/segment reorientation dynamics, torsional dynamics, conformational transition rate and dynamic heterogeneity of the cis-PB chains, are analyzed in detail. It is found that T_g could be affected by the C_（60） weight fraction due to its inhibition effect on the mobility of the cis-PB chains. However, T_g is different, which depends on different dynamics scales. Among the chain dynamics properties, T_g is the lowest from atom translational mobility, while it is the highest from the dynamic heterogeneity. In addition, T_g can be more clearly distinguished from the dynamic heterogeneity; however, the conformational transition rate seems to be not very sensitive to the C_（60） weight fraction compared with others. For pure cis-PB chains, T_g and the activation energy in this work can be compared with those of other polymers. In addition, the temperature dependence of the dynamic properties has different Arrhenius behaviors above and below T_g. The activation energy below T_g is lower than that above T_g. This work can help to understand the effect of the C_（60） on the dynamic properties and glass transition temperature of the cis-PB chains from different scales.

High temperature strain glass in Ti–Au and Ti–Pt based shape memory alloys

Strain glass is a frozen short-range strain ordered state found in shape memory alloys recently, which exhibits novel properties around the ideal glass transition temperature T_(0). However, the T_(0) of current strain glass systems is still very low, limiting their potential applications and experimental studies. In this paper, we reported two new strain glass systems with relatively high T_(0). In Ti_(50)Au_(50-x)Cr_(x) alloys, the strain glass appears at x = 25, and exhibits a T_(0) of 251 K, while in Ti_(50)Pt_(50-y)Fey alloys, the strain glass takes place at y = 30, and shows a T_(0) of 272 K. Both of them are comparable with the highest T_(0) value reported so far. Moreover, the phase diagrams of main strain glass systems in Ti-based alloys were summarized. It is found that the influence of the martensitic transformation temperature of the host alloy on the T_(0) of the strain glass is limited. This work may help to design new strain glass systems with higher T_(0) above ambient temperature.

Understanding the alkyl effect of geminal dinitropropyl ester energetic plasticizers on hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene(HTPB):Simultaneous tuning on low temperature behavior and processability

Geminal dinitropropyl ester plasticizers(DNPEPs) possess excellent energetic performances which provide good potentials as insensitive plasticizer. In this study, we design and synthesize DNPEPs with different alkane chain parts, and systematically investigate their structure-property relationships.Results show that DNPEPs have impact sensitivities all higher than 25.2 J, thermal decomposition temperatures all higher than 254 ℃, and glass transition temperatures(T_(g)) lower than-90 ℃.Furthermore, the effects of DNPEPs as plasticizer are studied on hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene(HTPB) in detail, including the viscosity, glass transition temperatures and others. It is noteworthy that 2,2-dinitropropyl nonanoate(DNPNc) among these DNPEPs exhibits the most expected simultaneous tuning effects on both viscosity and T_(g) of HTPB systems, providing favorable potentials to replace the conventional plastizers as dioctyl sebacate(DOS) in the HTPB based propellants and explosives.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Glass Transition Behavior of Polyimide Ensemble

The effect of chromophores to the glass transition temperature of polyimide ensemble has been investigated by means of molecular dynamics simulation in conjunction with barrier analysis. Simulated Tg results indicated a good agreement with experimental value. This study showed the MD simulation could estimate the effect of chromophores to the Tg of polyimide ensemble conveniently and an estimation approach method had a surprising deviation of Tg from experiment. At the same time, a polyimide structure with higher barrier energy was designed and validated by MD simulation.

Formation and thermal stability of Cu-Zr-Al-Er bulk metallic glasses with high glass-forming ability

The formation and thermal stabilities of Cu46.25Zr46.25xAl7.5Erx (x=0 to 8) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) were investigated. The addition of a small amount of Er (2at%) for replacing Zr effectively improves the glass-forming ability of Cu46.25Zr46.25Al7.5 alloy, and the glassy rod with a diameter of at least 12 mm can be formed. The glass transition temperature (Tg), temperature interval of su- percooled liquid region △Tx (=Tx-Tg), and reduced glass transition temperature Trg (=Tg/Tl) of Cu46.25Zr44.25Al7.5Er2 glassy alloy are 699 K, 62 K and 0.607, respectively.

Multi-scale Studies of Glass Transition and Uniaxial Tensile Properties of a Commercially Available Epoxy Adhesive Using Experimental Measurements and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

In this study, the glass transition and uniaxial tensile properties of a commercially available epoxy adhesive were investigated using experimental measurements and molecular dynamics （MD） simulation. Differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） was used to study the change of glass transition temperature （Tg） with cross-link density （CLD）. Uniaxial tensile test was performed to measure the Young＇s modulus （E）, Poisson＇s ratio （v） and yielding strength （tyv）. In MD simulation, the complicated epoxy system was simplified as the mixture of two kinds of simple molecules, with the key information well preserved and the less important details omitted. The molecular model of the cross-linked epoxy network was constructed and its mechanical properties were calculated using MD simulation. Overall, the MD simulation results agreed with experimental ones, which proved the validity of the molecular model and justified the simplification method of the industry- level epoxy system.

Synthesis of Bio-Plasticizer from Soybean Oil and Its Application in Poly(Vinyl Chloride) Films

Herein,epoxidized soybean oil methyl ester(ESOM)plasticizer was synthesized for the preparation of plasticized poly(vinyl chloride)(PVC)films by the alcoholysis and epoxidation.The chemical structure of ESOM was investigated by infrared spectrum and 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance.The effect of content of ESOM and petroleum based plasticizer di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate(DEHP)on the performance of plasticized PVC films was studied.The result showed that substituting DEHP with ESOM can improve the thermal stability of plasticized PVC films.When the weight ratio of ESOM and PVC is fixed at 1:2,plasticized PVC film presents higher elongation at break(350.8%vs.345.1%)and lower tensile strength(14.21 MPa vs.15.8 MPa)compared with PVC plasticized with DEHP.ESOM showed less weight loss than DEHP in all solvents.The excellent migration resistance of ESOM is helpful to improve stability of plasticized PVC films.In all,the obtained bio-based plasticizer will be potential to replace petroleum based plasticizer DEHP in flexible PVC materials.

Properties of Water Blown Rigid Polyurethane Foams with Different Funetionality

Water blown rigid polyurethane foams with different functionality were prepared. The physical properties of rigid foams were measured with rotational viscometer （NDJ-1 ）, universal testing machine （Instron3365）, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and differential scanning calorimeter （DSC）. The results show that the viscosity of polyether polyol increases exponentially from 62 mPa s to 6 000 mPa s with the increase of functionality from 2 to 5.6, respectively. The overall density of foam increases slightly from 31.7 kg/m^3 to 37.4 kg/m^3 with increasing functionality while core density exhibited little difference. Compressive strength of foam shows the similar behavior with density except for 2-functional sample. At the same time, dimensional stability becomes better with increasing functionality except for 5.6-functional foam that has worse stability than 4.8-functional foam. From the SEM results, the functionality is not an important factor in determining distribution of cell size of foam. According to the results of thermal analysis, the glass transition temperature （T） shifts to a higher temperature from 128.9 ℃ to 166.3 ℃ for the 2 to 5.6 functional foam, respectively.

PHASE STRUCTURE AND COMPATIBILITY OF LADDERLIKE POLYPHENYLSILSESQUIOXANE (PPSQ)/POLYCARBONATE (PC) BLENDS PREPARED BY SOLUTION CASTING

Blends of PC and PPSQ (A) with high M-w and good ladderlike regularity or PPSQ(B) with low M-w and more defective Si-atoms in its structure have been prepared by solution casting. The dispersed spheres (PPSQ(A)-rich) are unevenly dispersed in the continuous PC-rich phase and there is no phase-inversion as PPSQ(A) content increases when the percentage of PPSQ(A) is not more than 70%. PPSQ(B)-rich spheres are evenly dispersed in the continuous phase (PC-rich) and phase-inversion occurs when PPSQ(B) percentage is up to 70%. T-g of PPSQ(A)/PC or PPSQ(B)/PC at some compositions are lower than that of pure PC due to the enlarged free-volume of PC-rich phase because some spheres of rigid PPSQ chains are included in the PC-rich phase. PC and PPSQ(A) or PPSQ(B) are partially compatible. The compatibility of PC and PPSQ(B) is better than that of PC and PPSQ(A) with high M-w and good ladderlike regularity. Heat history has some influence on the T(g)s and compatibility of PPSQ(A)/PC and PPSQ(B)/PC blends.

A Study on the Properties of Resin Transfer Molding Cyanate Ester and Its T800 Grade Carbon Fiber Composites

The properties of resin transfer molding(RTM)cyanate ester and its T800 grade carbon fiber composites were studied with the rheometer,differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),FT-IR,dynamic mechanical analyzer(DMA),thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA),mechanical property testing,and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The results showed that the temperature of cyanate ester suitable for RTM process was 70℃.Curing process of the resin was 130℃/2 h+160℃/2 h+200℃/2 h+220℃/4 h.Glass transition temperature and heat decomposition temperature of the cured resin are 289℃and 415℃,respectively.Mechanical properties of T800/RTM cyanate composites are 13.5%higher than that of T700/RTM cyanate composites and equal to that of T800/Prepreg cyanate composites.Tg of T800/RTM cyanate composites was proved to be 291℃.Fracture pattern of the composites was flat,which proved excellent interface properties between fiber and resin in this composite.

Synthesis and Characteristics of Hole-transporting Materials Based on Biphenyl Diamine Derivatives with Carbazole Groups

Two hole-transporting materials containing carbazole moieties with TPD- and NPB-like structures, 4,4′-bis [ N- （4-carbazolylphenyl） -N-phenylamino ] biphenyl （ CPB ） and 4,4′-bis [ N- （ 4-carbazolylphenyl ） -N- （ 1-naphthyl ） amino] biphenyl（ CNB）, were synthesized via a modified Ullmann reaction. The resulting compounds were thermally stable with high glass transition temperatures ranging from 145 to 147 ℃ and possessed a good electrochemical reversibility and hole-transporting properties. Typical double-layer device evaluation with the structure ITO/CPB（40 nm）/ Alq3 （60 nm）/LiF/Al demonstrated that they were promising hole-transporting materials with a current efficiency of 5.25 cd/A and a power efficiency of 2.00 lm/W.

Effect of Rare Earth and Transition Metal Elements on the Glass Forming Ability of Mechanical Alloyed Al–TM–RE Based Amorphous Alloys

The present work aims to compare the amorphous phase forming ability of ternary and quaternary Al based alloys （Al86Ni8Y6, Al86GNi6Y6Co2, Al86NigLa6 and Al86Ni8Y45La15） synthesized via mechanical alloying by varying the composition, i.e. fully or partially replacing rare earth （RE） and transition metal （TM） elements based on similar atomic radii and coordination number. X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy study revealed that the amorphization process occurred through formation of various intermetallic phases and nanocrystalline FCC Al. Fully amorphous phase was obtained for the alloys not containing lanthanum, whereas the other alloys containing La showed partial amorphization with reappearance of intermetallic phases attributed to mechanical crystallization. Differential scanning calorimetry study confirmed better thermal stability with wider transformation temperature for the alloys without La.

Influence of Steric Hindrance Between Hydrogen Atoms of Linkage Groups and Adjacent Phenyls on Properties of Polyimide

A diamine monomer 4,4′-methylenedianiline（MDA） was introduced to modify the polyimide of pyromellitic dianhydride（PMDA） and 4,4′-oxydianiline（ODA） by polycondensation. A series of polyamic acids was synthesized from MDA and ODA of different molar ratios with PMDA of sum mole of moles of MDA and ODA, and polyimide films were obtained by thermal imidization. Polyimide（PI） films were characterized by tensile testing, dynamic mechanical analysis（DMA）, thermal gravimetry analysis（TGA）, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）, wide X-ray diffraction（WAXD） and molecular simulation. With the increase of MDA content, the tensile strength and thermal decomposition temperature remained generally stable compared with those of PMDA/ODA polyimide. Unexpectedly, the glass transition temperature（Tg） and Young＇s modulus increased from 388.7 °C and 2.37 GPa to 408.3 °C and 5.74 GPa, respectively. The results of WAXD and molecular simulation indicate the steric hindrance among hydrogen atoms of the linkage groups and adjacent phenyls enhanced the properties of the polyimide modified with MDA.