Synthesis and Properties of SEPS-g-PEO Copolymers with Varying Branch Lengths

Poly（ethylene oxide） （PEO） was controllably grafted from styrene-b-（ethylene-co-propylene）-b-styrene （SEPS） backbones by combining lithiation of styrenic units and living monomer-activated anionic ring-opening polymerization of ethylene oxide （EO） monomers with the aid of co-initiators triisobutyl aluminum. The as-synthesized SEPS-g-PEO copolymers were characterized by SEC, 1H-NMR, FTIR, SAXS, AFM and DSC. When the branch length is relatively small, increase of PEO fraction leads to the increase of the correlation length between neighboring hard domains, but the degree of correlation reduces. When the branch length is relatively large, the phase-separated structures become random both in terms of size and spatial correlation, and macro-phase separated structures appear. The crystallization behavior of the PEO branches can be effectively inhibited in SEPS-g-PEO, so no significant crystallization takes place until the fraction of PEO branches is 20.1 wt%, which greatly promotes the rapid delivery of hydrophilic drugs in the hot-melting pressure- sensitive adhesives （HMPSAs） based on SEPS-g-PEO. Their cumulative release amount of a model drug could achieve 80%, more than twice the value in the HMPSAs based on linear PEO-containing styrenic block copolymers.

Research on the Marine Antifouling Ability and Mechanism of Acrylate Copolymers and Marine Coatings Based on a Synergistic Effect

Marine biofouling is an urgent global problem in the process of ocean exploitation and utilization.In our work,a series of zinc-based acrylate copolymers(ACZn-x)were designed and synthesized using benzoic acid,zinc oxide(ZnO)and a random quaternion copolymer consisting of ethyl acrylate(EA),butyl acrylate(BA),acrylic acid(AA)and methacrylic acid(MAA)by free radical polymerization and dehydration condensation.The ACZn-x with a zinc benzoate side chain is able to hydrolyze in natural seawater under static conditions,resulting in the formation of a smooth surface.We investigated and confirmed the antifouling(AF)behavior of ACZn-x in the laboratory and revealed that they have better antibacterial(86%for S.aureus and 72%for E.coli)and anti-algal(≥60.1%for N.closterium and≥67.5%for P.subcordiformis)activities.We also assessed the marine AF properties of ACZn-x and corresponding coatings in Qingdao,China;the ACZn-x exhibited ideal AF properties with little silt and biological mucosa adhered to the ACZn-x surface after 6 months,and corresponding coatings exhibited little biofouling after 16 months in the ocean.Importantly,possible AF mechanisms were further proposed at the cellular level.These results could be helpful for the development and application of effective AF coatings.

Highly efficient organic solar cells with improved stability enabled by ternary copolymers with antioxidant side chains

The stability of organic solar cells(OSCs)remains a major concern for their ultimate industrialization due to the photo,oxygen,and water susceptibility of organic photoactive materials.Usually,antioxidant additives are blended as radical scavengers into the active layer.However,it will induce the intrinsic morphology instability and adversely affect the efficiency and long-term stability.Herein,the antioxidant dibutylhydroxytoluene(BHT)group has been covalently linked onto the side chain of benzothiadiazole(BT)unit,and a series of ternary copolymers D18-Cl-BTBHTx(x=0,0.05,0.1,0.2)with varied ratio of BHT-containing side chains have been synthesized.It was found that the introduction of BHT side chains would have a negligible effect on the photophysical properties and electronic levels,and the D18-Cl-BTBHT0.05:Y6-based OSC achieved the highest power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 17.6%,which is higher than those based active layer blended with BHT additives.More importantly,the unencapsulated device based on D18-Cl-BTBHTx(x=0.05,0.1,0.2)retained approximately 50%of the initial PCE over 30 hours operation under ambient conditions,significantly outperforming the control device based on D18-Cl(90%degradation in PCE after 30 h).This work provides a new structural design strategy of copolymers for OSCs with simultaneously improved efficiency and stability.

Rapid synthesis of biodegradable poly(epsilon-caprolactone-co-p-dioxanone) random copolymers under microwave irradiation

Biodegradable poly(epsilon-caprolactone-co-p-dioxanone)(PCDO) random copolymers have been synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone(CL) and p-dioxanone(PDO) under microwave irradiation.The effects of irradiation time and different CL/PDO molar feed ratios on the microwave-assisted ring-opening polymerization(MROP) of PCDO have been discussed.The resultant products were characterized by ~1H NMR,GPC and DSC.It was found that the polymerization was completed within 20 min at 140℃.In th...

Synthesis and Properties of a New Kind of High Performance Composite Resin Matrix-Poly (Aryl Ether Ketones)/Poly (Ether Sulfone) Block Copolymers

A new kind of high performance composite resin matrix PEEK/PES, PEEKK/PES block copolymers have been prepared from the corresponding oligomers via a nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction. The different properties of the copolymers are investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (d. s. c), thermogravimetric analysis (t. g. a) and dynamic mechanical analysis (d. m. a). The results show that the relationship between Tg and the compositions of the copolymers approximately follows the formula 1/Tg=W1/Tg1 +W2/Tg2 for PEEKK/PES block copolymers, and Tg=Tg1W1 +Tg2W2 for PEEK/PES block copolymers. The PES content and the segment length of the copolymers have a significant influence on their melting point. The thermal properties and dynamic mechanical behaviour of the copolymers are also studied. The introduction of PES segment into the molecular main chain increases the glass transition temperature of poly aryl ether ketones and decreases their melting temperature, that is to say it decreases their melting processing temperature. The block copolymers keep the high temperature stability and solvent resistance of poly aryl ether ketones. They are expected to be a new kind of high performance composite resin matrix.

IMPACT PROPERTIES OF METALLOCENE - CATALYZED ETHYLENE-α-OLEFIN COPOLYMERS

The impact properties of two selected metallocene-catalyzed ethylene-butene copolymers and one conventionalcopolymer were evaluated using Izod impact test. It is found that the metallocene-catalyzed copolymer shows superior impactproperties. This result was explained on the basis of the more homogeneous inter-molecular composition distribution andnarrower molecular weight distribution, which leads to more homogeneous morphology with fewer defects. Stepwisecrystallization improves the impact properties, especially in the crack propagation process, to a large extent. This is due to thedecrease of entanglements by stepwise crystallization, which is advantageous for the chain slip and shear. The polymer withheterogeneous intra-molecular composition distribution exhibits a more evident improvement of impact properties understepwise crystallization.

SYNTHETIC STUDIES ON BLOOD COMPATIBLE BIOMATERIALSⅡ. SYNTHESIS OF POLY(ETHYLENEGLYCOL MONOMETHYLLTHER ) METHACRYLATE AND ANTITHROMBOGENICITY OF ITS COPOLYMERS

Poly （ethyleneglycol monomethylether） methacrylate （PEGMM）was synthesized by means of the reaction of methacrylyl chloride with sodium monomethylpolyethyleneglycoxide and was characterized by FTIR,;H-NMR,and ultraviolet spectrometries. A series of poly （vinyl alcohol）-graft-PEGMM （PVA-g-PEGMM ）and methyl methacrylate-PEGMM copolymer （PMMA-PEGMM） were prepared and tested for antithrombogenicity in vitro. The results indicate that the antithrombogenicity of the copolymers basically increases with the increasing of the DP of polyoxyethylene （POE） chain and tends to a plateau after the DP around 114,i.e. the long chain structure of POE is favourable to the antithrombogenicityof its copolymers ;moreover, the extent of the improvement ofantithrombogenicity also relates to the PEGMM content of the copolymers and the kind of the matrix that the POE chains are located on. These results are consistent with the anticipation of the hypothesis of maintaining proteins normal conformations for blood compatible bioraaterials.

Synthesis and Characterization of Degraded Gelatin Grafted Poly(ε-caprolactone) Copolymers

Hydrophilic degraded gelatin was modified with hydrophobic poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) via a chemical grafting route.Firstly,PCL with one hydroxyl end group was prepared by the ring-opening polymerization of εcaprolactone (ε-CL) with tin (Ⅱ) 2-ethylhexanoate as catalyst and n-butyl alcohol as initiator.Secondly,the PCL reacted with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) to prepare PCL with isocyanate functional group (PCL-NCO).Hydroxylamine was used to degrade gelatin by the cleavage between asparagine and glycine residues of gelatin.PCL-NCO reacted with the hydroxyl/amino groups of degraded gelatin in a homogeneous system and yielded the PCL modified gelatin copolymers.The gelatin grafted PCL copolymers were measured by means of XRD,FTIR,DSC and 1 H NMR.The results confirmed the conjugation of PCL onto gelatin chains.The PCL modified gelatin can be used as biomaterials owing to their biocompatibility and biodegradation.

SYNTHESIS OF TRIBLOCK COPOLYMERS OF STYRENE AND ISOPRENE BY A NITROXIDE-MEDIATED LIVING FREE RADICAL POLYMERIZATION

The controlled free radical polymerization of styrene and isoprene initiated with benzoyl peroxide (BPO) in the presence of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl piperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO) at 125 'C were performed. The obtained polyisoprene and polystyrene homopolymers served as macroinitiators for block copolymerization of isoprene and styrene to synthesize poly- (styrene-b-isoprene) and poly(isoprene-b-styrene) diblock copolymers. Diblock copolymers with well-defined structures as well as controlled and narrow molecular weight distribution were obtained from the lower-mass polystyrene and polyisoprene homopolymers. These copolymers were found to be active as macroinitiators in the synthesis of the poly(styrene-b-isoprene-b-styrene) and poly(isoprene-b-styrene-b-isoprene) triblock copolymers. 1H-NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) were used for the investigation of polymer structure, molecular weight and polydispersity (PD).

Synthesis of polystyrene-styrene/butadiene diblock copolymers via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer miniemulsion polymerization

Polystyrene-styrene/butadiene diblock copolymers were synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer （RAFT） miniemulsion polymerization.During the polymerization process,the molecular weight distribution was narrow and the numerical molecular weight of the copolymers increased with increasing conversion of monomers,which was close to the theoretical.FT-IR and ^1H NMR results indicated that the microstructure of the polymer was mainly 1,4-trans-butadiene with small amount of 1,2-units,and composition in the copolymers was obtained.

AMPHIPHILIC STAR-BLOCK COPOLYMERS BY IODIDE-MEDIATED RADICAL POLYMERIZATION

Amphiphilic star-block copolymers composed of polystyrene and poly（acrylic acid） were synthesized by iodide- mediated radical polymerization. Firstly, free radical polymerization of styrene was carried out with AIBN as initiator and 1,1,1-trimethyolpropane tri（2-iodoisobutyrate） as chain transfer agent, giving iodine atom ended star-shaped polystyrene with three arm chains, R（polystyrene）3. Secondly, tert-butyl acrylate was polymerization using polystyrene obtained as macro-chain transfer agent, and star-block copolymer, R（polystyrene-b-poly（tert-butyl acrylate））3 with controlled molecular weight was obtained. Finally, amphiphilic star-block copolymer, R（polystyrene-b-poly（acrylic acid））3 was obtained by hydrolysis of R（polystyrene-b-poly（tert-butyl acrylate））3 under acidic condition.

Poly(L-lactide)-Poly(ethylene glycol) Multiblock Copolymers: Synthesis and Properties

Poly (L-lactide)-poly(ethylene glycol) multiblock copolymers with predetermined block lengths were synthesized by polycondensation of PLA diols and PEG diacids. These copolymers presented special properties, such as better miscibility between the two components, low crystallinity and better hydrophilicity, which can be modulated by adjusting the block lengths of the two components.

Synthesis and characterization of H-type amphiphilic liquid crystalline block copolymers by ATRP

H-type amphiphilic liquid crystalline block copolymers containing azobenzene were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization （ATRP）. Macroinitiators prepared by the esterification between poly（ethylene oxide） （PEG） and 2,2-dichloroacetyl chloride were utilized to initiate the polymerization of 6-[4-（4-ethoxyphenylazo）phenoxy]hexyl rnethacrylate （M6C）. The resulting macroinitiators and block copolymers were characterized by ^1H NMR, gel permeation chromatography （GPC）. Polarizing optical microscopy （POM） and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） preliminarily revealed the liquid crystalline property of these block copolymers. This series of liquid crystalline block copolymers are promising in some areas, such as optical data storage, optical switch, and molecular devices.

Weavability of β-Hydroxybutyrate and β-Hydroxyvalerate Copolymers( PHBV ) /PLA Used in Artificial Blood Vessels

The β-hydroxybutyrate and β-hydroxyvalerate copolymers( PHBV) /polylactic acid( PLA) is a new biocompatible material,which is developed through bacterial fermentation in vivo systems.The PHBV / PLA material could be used to make continuous filaments.However,features of artificial blood vessels,especially small diameter vascular grafts made of PHVB / PLA materials are not known.This research are to evaluate and improve weavability of the PHBV / PLA material, and to explore feasibility of using it in artificial blood vessels.Preliminary results showed that weavability of PHBV / PLV was not good,but its weavability could be improved by using methods of weak chemical,such as sizing.In this research,scanning electron microscope( SEM) was adopted to evaluate weavability of PHBV / PLV after sizing and observe surfaces of yarns and fabrics.Also,in order to set proper parameters in heat settings,differential scanning calorimetry( DSC) was used to identify glass transition temperature.

Effect of spacer length on the liquid crystalline property of azobenzene-containing ABA-type triblock copolymers via ATRP

The effect of flexible spacer length on the liquid crystalline property of ABA-type triblock copolymers containing azobenzene groups was investigated. For the study, the monomers, n-[4-(4-ethoxyphenylazo)phenoxy]alkyl methacrylates with varying methylene groups (n = 0, 2, 6) were used to synthesize a series of azobenzene-containing amphiphilic triblock copolymers PAnC–PEG–PAnC by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM), and one-dimensional X-ray diffraction (1D WAXD) have shown that the glass transition temperatures of these copolymers decreased with increasing n, PA0C–PEG–PA0C has no mesophase, while both PA2C–PEG–PA2C and PA6C–PEG–PA6C have a nematic mesophase. These differences derive from the length of spacer groups between the polymer backbone and side-chain LC monomers.

SIMULTANEOUS SAXS/WAXS/DSC STUDIES ON MICROSTRUCTURE OF CONVENTIONAL AND METALLOCENE-BASED ETHYLENE-BUTENE COPOLYMERS

The fractions of one metallocene-based (mPE) and one conventional (znPE) ethylene-butene copolymer eluted at from temperature rising elution fractionation were selected for DSC and time-resolved small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) characterization. The DSC and WAXS results show that two crystal structures exist in both mPE and znPE: structure A with higher melting temperature and structure B with lower melting temperature. It was found that original znPE (s-znPE) contains more highly ordered structure A than original mPE (s-mPE) in spite of the higher comonomer content of znPE. Another structure C is also identified because of higher crystallinity measured by WAXS than by DSC and is attributed to the interfacial region. The SAXS data were analyzed with correlation function and two maxima were observed in s-mPE and s-znPE, in agreement with the conclusion of two crystal populations drawn from DSC and WAXS results. These two crystal populations have close long periods in s-mPE, but very different long periods in s-znPE. In contrast, freshly crystallized mPE and znPE (f-mPE and f-znPE) contain only a single crystal population with a broader distribution of long period

Synthesis and properties of polyfluorene copolymers bearing thiophene and porphyrin

To search for more wider absorption and higher charge carriers mobilities materials of polymer solar cell, a series of soluble alternating polyfluorene copolymers were synthesized by palladium-catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction. Their structures were determined by 1H NMR, IR and UV-vis. And their UV-vis absorption spectra indicated that they had strong absorption over 600 nm spectral range and nearly cover 400-700 nm visible region. The band gaps of copolymers calculated according to cyclic voltammetry （CV） were between 1.96 and 2.03 eV. Polymer：TiO2 bulk-heterojunction films were made from mixtures of polymer and titanium isopropoxide, a precursor for TiO2, via hydrolysis in air overnight. The photoluminescence at 380-800 nm of the blend film of PT-TPP20 （5 mg/mL）：Ti（OC3H7）4 （80 μL/mL） （20% volume fraction） was significantly quenched in the 50% Ti（OC3H7）4 blend film, indicating that rapid and efficient separation of photoinduced electron-hole pairs.

"LIVING" FREE RADICAL SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL RODCOIL DIBLOCK COPOLYMERS WITH POLYSTYRENE AND MESOGEN-JACKETED LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYMER SEGMENTS

The synthesis of rod-coil diblock copolymers was achieved for the first time by TEMPO-mediated 'living' free radical polymerization of styrene and 2,5-bis [(4-methoxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl] styrene(MPCS). The block architecture of the two diblock copolymers thus prepared, MPCS-b-St(5400/2400) and MPCS-b-St(10800/8700), was confirmed by GPC, DSC studies and the formation of multimolecular micelles. (Author abstract) 10 Refs.

CHARACTERISTICS OF STRUCTURE OF IMPACT COPOLYMERS OF POLYPROPYLENE WITH LOW ETHYLENE CONTENTS

In the present work, the structure and impact properties of copolymers of polypropylenewith low ethylene contents have been investigated. Based on the results of ^(13)C--NMR, FTIR,WAXD, DSC, PLM and SEM, the relationship between impact properties and morphology of thecopolymers has been discussed. The high impact properties of copolymer ICP2 may attribute tothe relatively higher ethylene content and homogeneous ethylene unit distribution. The size andits distribution of spherulite in the copolymers and cycloid cavities dispersed in polypropylenecontinue phase may also be two important factors which affect the impact properties of these materials.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POLY(AMINO ACID-UREA)S COMPRISING NOVEL TRIBLOCK COPOLYMERS OF POLY(TETRAHYDROFURAN)AND POLY(γ-BENZYL L-GLUTAMATE)S

A kind of novel triblock copolymers of poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate)-b-poly(tetrahydrofuran)-b-poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate)s(PBLG-b-PTHF-b-PBLG)was synthesized by using bis(3-aminopropyl)terminated polytetrahydrofuran to initiate the ring-opening polymerization ofγ-benzyl L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride(BLG-NCA).The corresponding multiblock poly(amino acid-urea)s were prepared in one-pot protocol from the chain extension of PBLG-b-PTHF-b-PBLG with MDI.The resulting triblock and multiblock copolymers were characterized by FTIR,~1H-NMR,^(13)C-NMR and GPC techniques.It is demonstrated that the chain extension has taken place to give rise to the copolymers with the well-defined block composition and narrow molecular weight distribution.A distinct T_g arising from the hard-segments was observed in all the copolymers.Their mechanical properties showed an increasing trend with the molecular weight enhancement of the prepolymers.