Equilibrium Swelling and Solute Diffusion Characteristics of Poly (Methacrylic Acid co-Poloxamer) Hydrogels

Poly(methacrylic acid co-poloxamer) hydrogel networks were synthesized by free radical solution polymerization and their equilibrium swelling and solute permeation properties were characterized. These gels exhibited pH dependant swelling and solute diffusivity due to the formation or disruption of hydrogen bonded complexation between methacrylic acid (MAA) and etheric (EO). In neutral and basic conditions (above the swelling transition pH), the copolymer swelling was greatly higher than acid condition. In complexed hydrogels, the diffusion coefficients of vitamin B12 (VB12) were in the range of 10-10 to 10-7 cm2s-1; While in uncomplexed hydrogels, the values were about 210-6 cm2s-1. The comonomer composition and synthesis conditions have great effect on the structure, and thereby, swelling and solute diffusion characteristics of the resultant hydrogels. For the copolymers with composition of less than or more than 1:1 MAA/EO molar ratio, the plot of lnD vs 1/H-1 followed two different linear equations of 慺ree volume theory? respectively.

Influence of Ca/P ratio on the catalytic performance of hydroxyapatite for decarboxylation of itaconic acid to methacrylic acid

Methacrylic acid,an important organic chemical,is commercially manufactured starting from fossil feedstock.The decarboxylation of itaconic acid derived for biomass is a green route to the synthesis of methacrylic acid.In view of the problems existing in the researches on this route such as use of noble metal catalyst,harsh reaction conditions and low desired-product yield,we prepared a series of hydroxyapatite catalysts with different Ca/P molar ratios and evaluated their catalytic performance.The results showed that the hydroxyapatite catalyst with a Ca/P molar ratio of 1.58 had the best catalytic activity.The highest yield of MAA up to 61.2%was achieved with basically complete conversion of itaconic acid under the suitable reaction conditions of 1 equivalent of NaOH,2 MPa of N_(2),250℃,and 2 h.On this basis,a reaction network for the decarboxylation of itaconic acid to methacrylic acid catalyzed by hydroxyapatite was established.With the aid of catalyst characterization using X-ray powder diffraction,NH3/CO2 temperature-programmed desorption,N_(2)physisorption,inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry,and scanning electron microscopy,we found that the distribution of surface acid sites and basic sites,crystal growth orientation,texture properties and morphology of hydroxyapatite varied with the Ca/P molar ratio.Furthermore,the change of the crystal growth orientation and its influence on the surface acidity and alkalinity were clarified.

CONFORMATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF POLY(ACRYLIC ACID) AND POLY(METHACRYLIC ACID)

A full-relaxation optimization of molecule and the Dreiding force field are employed to obtain the geometry parameters and the conformational energy surfaces of meso or racemic dyad of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA). Three different carbonyl-bond orientations of side-groups resulted in the differences in depth of potential wells in their energetic contours for a meso or a racemic dyad. These discrepancies are interpreted as a result of various fine structures corresponding to grid search conformations as well as thereby different interactions. The analysis on the most stable conformations of PMAA confirmed that the ester groups are nearly perpendicular to the plane defined by the two adjacent skeletal bonds but may possibly change their relative orientations to meet the requirement of lower energy during the conformational state transition. For each polymer, two global energy maps of a meso and a racemic dyad were finally constructed from the superposition of energy data for the three kinds of side-group orientations by the Boltzmann factors. From an ensemble average, the proposed scheme with three rotational isomeric states (RIS) allowed us to access the experimentally unperturbed dimensions of PAA chain via the configurational statistical mechanics. Although the calculation was based on the short-range, local interactions, it was interested to note that the experimental characteristic ratios just fell within the range calculated for atactic chains.

PROPERTIES AND SYNTHESIS OF NEW SUPPORTS FOR IMMOBILIZATION OF ENZYMES BY COPOLYMERIZATION OF VINYLENE CARBONATE AND METHACRYLIC ACID

Methacrylic acid first was neutralized with an aqueous solution of NaOH to pH = 6.0 similar to 7.0, vinylene carbonate (VCA) was added to the solution, then monomers were copolymerized in paraffin oil by means of reverse-phase suspension polymerization and hydrophilic copolymeric supports were prepared. The properties of the supports were determined using trypsin and results show that the amount of enzymes coupled to the supports and the specific activity of immobilized trypsin are related to the content of VCA structure units, reaction time and concentration of enzyme solution, etc.

Highly efficient Rod-shape Poly(methacrylic acid-co-styrene-codivinylbenzene)High-performance Liquid Chromatographic Column

A highly efficient copolymer (methacrylic acid - co - styrene - divinylbenzene) in situ making high-performance liquid chromatographic column was prepared and evaluated. The column efficiency calculated in terms of height equivalent to a theoretical plate was 25 mu m and rapid separations of small molecules such as substituted aromatic hydrocarbons and aromatic acids were achieved within five minutes.

Swelling and Drug Release Characteristics of Poly （methacrylic acid-co-poloxamer） hydrogels

Poly (methacrylic acid-co-poloxamer) hydrogel networks were synthesized byfree-radical solution polymerization, and the dynamic swelling and in vitro release properties ofmodel drugs, dextromethorphan hydrobromide (DMP) and vitamin B_(12) (VB_(12)) were studied. Thesegels exhibited pH-dependant swelling and sustained drug release properties, and the water uptakerate and drug release rate in neutral or basic media were higher than that in acidic media. Theresults showed that the water uptake followed non-Fickian or zero order process in neutral or basicmedia, and the release of model drugs from hydrogels of appropriate composition was of zero orderkinetics over a period of several hours.

A NEW METHOD FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF METHACRYLIC ACID FROM ISOBUTYRALDEHYDE

Isobutyraldehyde was used as starting material via three steps: oxidation, chlorination and dehydro-chlorination to yield methacrylic acid. The total yield of methacrylic acid is 49.7%.

SOLID PHASE GRAFT COPOLYMERIZATION OF POLYPROPYLENE AND METHACRYLIC ACID

The solid phase graft copolymerization of polypropylene (PP) andmethacrylic acid (MAA) was investigated. benzoyl peroxide(BPO) wasused as initia- tor. The influence of the reactive time,concentration of initiator and monomer on degree of graft and meltflow index of graft copolymer(PP-MAA) was discussed. The effect ofgraft copolymer on mechanical properties of The glass fibre (GF)reinforced PP composites was also Studied. It is proved that graftcopolymer could obviously Increase the interfacial adhesive strengthbetween PP and GF.

Development of Uric Acid Sensor Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymetl^acrylic Acid-Modified Hanging Mercury Drop Electrode

Development of uric acid sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymer （MIP） was studi ed. The sensor was developed by coating the imprinted polymethacrylic acid on the surface of a hanging mercury drop ele, ctrode （HMDE） at -1 V （vs. Ag/AgCI） during 60 s. Uric acid was accumulated on the modified electrode at -1 V （vs. Ag/AgC1） during 60 s in acetate buffer pH = 5 and stripped at scan rate of 59 mV/s. Oxidation of uric acid on the surface of modified electrode is irreversible through the diffusion controlled process and polymethacrylic acid is a non-electrical conducting polymer. The current signal obtained from Ehe analysis of uric acid by using HMDE is higher than that of the HMD-palymethacrylic acid （polyMAA）, HMD-MIP and HMD-non imprinted polymer （NIP） electrode. The HMD-MIP has demonstrated its performance as a sensitive voltammetric sensor for uric acid. The modified electrode has been tested for the determination of uric acid in the serum sample with recovery percentage of 95.7% （n = 2）. The limit of detection obtained was 6.0 x 10-10 M.

On-Line Pyrolysis-Liquid Chromatography of （Meth-） Acrylic Acid in Waterborne Polymers Using Cryogenic Injection

Pyrolysis gas chromatography is not a comprehensive analysis method for the determination of acrylics. Polar acrylic monomers show low abundance by gas chromatography. Because of this, a home-made pyrolysis liquid chromatographic injector by means of cryogenic-focussing is developed to determine the presence and concentration of hydroxyl and carboxyl functional monomers present in water- and solvent-borne acrylics. We have shown the prove-of-principle of using cryogenic-focussing for UPLC （pyrolysis-ultra-performance liquid chromatography） injection.

Influence of Carboxyl Groups on the Particle Size and Rheological Properties of Polyacrylate Latices

The PAL was synthesized with BA,MMA and some monomers containing carboxyl groups（for example,acrylic acid（AA） and methacrylic acid（MAA）） as co-monomers by semi-continuous seeded emulsion polymerization technique.The influences of alkalinization temperature,the feeding manner of AA or MAA on the particles size,rheological properties and carboxyl distribution of the latex were discussed,and the rheological mechanism was analyzed.The experimental results show that the PAL system has preferable viscosity and particle size when the alkalinization temperature is 50 ℃.Different distribution of carboxyl group in the particles and different resultant rheological properties are obtained by different feeding manner of AA or MAA into the system.The TEM images show that the particle is a smooth globe with carboxyl group concentrating on the surface and stabilized with electric double layer and nonionic adsorbed layer.The concentration of carboxyl functional group on the surface of particles can be achieved by the specific polymerization technique.The rheologyical properties are determined by accretion of particle volume and variation of the two phase volume ratio resulted from the carboxyl group spreading layer.

Effects of Cs-substitution and partial reduction on catalytic performance of Keggin-type phosphomolybdic polyoxometalates for selective oxidation of isobutane

The catalytic performance of Cs-substituted phosphomolybdic salts was studied for selective oxidation of isobutane. The results of activity tests revealed that 360 °C was the optimal reaction temperature. It was demonstrated that oxidizing sites not only took dominating part in the activation of isobutane, but also influenced the product distribution. Besides, appropriate Cs addition led to moderate acidity of catalysts, favoring the selectivity to desired products. Furthermore, to obtain partially reduced catalysts, different calcination atmospheres were investigated and certain proportion of Mo^（5＋） produced during calcination was crucial for the redox reaction. The catalyst calcined in N2 showed the highest yield of MAA（7.0%）. Fe-substitution enhanced the activity of catalysts by rapid reoxidation of Mo^（5＋）.

Selective Oxidation of Isobutene over CsFeCoBiMnMoO_x Mixed Oxide Catalyst

Mixed oxide catalyst Cs0.1Fe2Co6BiMnMo12Ox was prepared by the coprecipitation method. Selective oxidation of isobutene was carried out in a fixed-bed reactor over Cs0.1Fe2Co6BiMnMo12Ox. The results showed that the catalyst had high catalytic activity. Under the optimum reaction conditions (n(i-C4=):n(O2)=1:2-1:4, space velocity=180 h-1, T=360℃), the yields of methacrolein and methacrylic acid can reach 80% and 8%, respectively. The total yield of liquid products (methacrolein, methacrylic acid and acetic acid) can reach about 90%.

Mechanisms of Cup-Shaped Vesicle Formation Using Amphiphilic Diblock Copolymer

A cup shape is a dynamic morphology of cells and organelles. With the aim of elucidating the formation of the biotic cup-shaped morphology, this study investigated cup-shaped vesicles consisting of an amphiphilic diblock copolymer from the aspect of synthetic polymer chemistry. Cup-shaped vesicles were obtained by the polymerization-induced self-assembly of poly(methacrylic acid)-block-poly(n-butyl methacrylate-random-methacrylic acid), PMAA-b-P(BMA-r-MAA), in an aqueous methanol solution using the photo nitroxide-mediated controlled/living radical polymerization technique. Field emission scanning electron microscopic observations demonstrated that the cup-shaped vesicles were suddenly formed during the late stage of the polymerization due to the extension of the hydrophobic P(BMA-r-MAA) block chain. During the early stage, the polymerization produced spherical vesicles rather than a cup shape. As the hydrophobic block chain was extended by the polymerization progress, the spherical vesicles reduced the size and were accompanied by the generation of small particles that were attached to the vesicles. The vesicles continued to reduce the size due to further extension of the hydrophobic chain;however, they suddenly grew into cup-shaped vesicles. This growth was accounted for by a change in the critical packing shape of the copolymer due to the hydrophobic chain extension. These findings are helpful for a better understanding of the biotic cup-shaped vesicle formation.

Glycidyl methacrylate-compatibilized poly(lactic acid)/hemp hurd biocomposites： Processing, crystallization, and thermo-mechanical response

Poly（lactic acid）-based biocomposites were developed with hemp hurd （Cannabis sativa L.） with grafting-based interfacial compatibilization. Poly（lactic acid） was extruded with hemp hurd and glycidyl methacrylate as the polymer/hurd interfacial compatibilizer, and injection molded. Interfacial compatibility between poly（lactic acid） and hemp hurd increased with grafted glycidyl methacrylate in comparison to the non-compatibilized control, as corroborated by scanning electron microscopy fractog- raphy and mechanical analysis, which showed increases in the glycidyl methacrylate-grafted 20% （w/w） hemp hurd/poly（lactic acid） biocomposite, retaining 94% of the neat polymer strength, with increases in crystallinity, and showing a range of thermo-mechanical properties desirable for rigid biocomposite aoolications.

Effect of Monomer Feeding Mode on the Preparation of Hollow Latexes with High MAA Content in the Core Latex Preparation

In order to prepare hollow latex particles with optimum morphology based on osmotic swelling principle, three- layer core/shell latex particles with 40 wt% MAA in the core were first prepared via multistep seeded emulsion copolymerization, in which monomers were added by a semi-continuous process with monomer addition under two different forms： pure monomers＇ mixture （monomer addition）, and pre-emulsified monomers （pre-emulsion addition）. Then, the hollow latex particles with different morphologies were obtained after alkali post-treatment. Influences of the monomer feeding mode on the emulsion polymerization and the particle morphology were investigated. Results showed that the pre- emulsion addition could significantly improve the polymerization stability in each step, and greatly enhance the uniformity of shell encapsulation. The sizes of the core and core/shell latex particles obtained by the pre-emulsion addition were smaller and more uniform than those synthesized by the monomer addition, and the hollow latex particles with intact morphology were generated by alkali post-treating of the core/shell latexes prepared from the pre-emulsion addition. As the core size increased, the morphology of the post-treated particles underwent evolution from hollow to collapse. Moreover, the mechanism of the particle morphological evolution was proposed.

Partition of Initiators in Quasi-static Precipitation Polymerization of AAm/MAc

In order to investigate the partition of initiators for quasi-static precipitation polymerization of acrylamide （AAm） and methacrylic acid （MAc） in ethanol, azo-initiators were employed with various functional groups such as --COOCH3 （V- 601, dimethyl 2,2＇-azobis（isobutyrate））, --CN （V-65, 2,2＇-Azobis（2,4-diemthylvaleronitrile））, --COOH （V-501, 4,4＇-azobis（4-cyanovaleric acid）） and --NH-（VA-061, 2,2＇-azobis[2-（2-imidazolin-2-yl）propane]）, respectively. Particle size, induction time and kinetics of polymerization were investigated by the scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and gravimetry. It was observed that the polymerization parameters, such as the particle size, induction time and polymerization rate, were considerably affected by the functional groups of initiators. Besides, the monomer concentration also played important roles in the particle formation. By using V-601, the polymerization rate was strongly correlated with the total surface area of particles and the concentration of initiators. However, by using V-50 l, the polymerization rate was strongly related to WoQo, where W0 is the initial concentration of monomers and Ci,0, the initial concentration of initiators. The results indicated that the different functional groups determined the different partition types of initiators between the minimonomer droplets and the continuous phase due to the molecular interactions of initiator and monomers. V-601 was all partitioned in the continuous phase, but a part of V-65 was partitioned in the minimonomer droplets. Besides the V-501 dissolved in the continuous phase, a part of V-501 was adsorbed on the surface of minimonomer droplets. VA-061 destroyed the stability of minimonomer droplets by the formation of zwitterions with MAA.