IN-SITU AFM OF POLYMER CRYSTALLIZATION

Atomic force microscopy images taken during the crystallization of polyethylene both from processed andquiescent melts are presented. Crystallization from processed melts provides further evidence of a region in front of agrowing lamella that is influenced by the crystallization process, but extending only 40 nm into the melt. High-resolutionimages of the growing crystal tip, taken during crystallization, show no direct evidence of the existence of intermediatephases. The growing tip is shown to be slightly rounded. In-filling crystallization, occurring after the initial flush of growth,is imaged in polyethylene for the first time, and shown to continue to a temperature 8℃ below the initial crystallizationtemperature.

Chain Flexibility and Connectivity:The Uniqueness of Polymer Crystallization

Theory of polymer crystallization is listed as one of the top ten current challenges in polymer community.Clarifying the uniqueness of polymer crystallization should be the first step to search for the roadmap for targeting this challenge.Chain flexibility and connectivity are two peculiar characteristics of polymers,which differentiate their dynamics and structures from that of small molecules.The uniqueness of polymer crystallization must also stem from these two peculiar characteristics,which,however,has not been attracted significant attention.A local structure order may be essential in assisting the transformation of flexible chain to rigid segment with conformational ordering.The entanglement pressure and entanglement free energy may help to understand how entanglement affect nucleation in polymer network and why the interlamellar amorphous layer always accompany the formation of crystal layer.Some recommendations will be given for future study.

Insights from polymer crystallization： Chirality, recognition and competition

Crystallization of flexible polymer chains reveals distinct characters compared to small molecules, which provides a platform to study molecular self-assembly and morphogenesis. In this review, some examples, e.g., twisting chirality of polymer lamellar crystals, recognition of different chain units and competitive nucleation of different polymorphs and different lamellar thicknesses are briefly discussed. It is shown that the polymer crystallization process far from equilibrium is in practically minimization of the system free energy in local space and finite time, leading to formation of twisted crystals, metastable polymorphism and lamellar crystals with finite thickness. Though each molecule is blind to others, the peculiar ordered configurations with stronger long-range interactions are chosen from the enormous random trials. At the end, we list some remaining questions and outlook the perspectives.

Crystallization of polymer chains induced by graphene: Molecular dynamics study

The present work is devoted to a study of the molecular mechanisms of the crystallization of polymer chains induced by graphene by using molecular dynamics （MD） simulations. From the atomic configuration translation, the number distri- bution of the atoms, and the order parameter S, the crystallization process can be summarized in two steps, the adsorption and the orientation. By analyzing the diffusion properties of the polymer chains, we find that a graphene substrate has a great adsorption for the polymer molecules and the polymer molecules need more time to adjust their configurations. Therefore, the adsorption step and the orientation step are highly cooperative.

Recent progresses of polymer crystallization studied by AFM

The crystallization of polymers has been one of the major topics in polymer physics. Spherulites are common crystalline structures observed in semi-crystalline polymers. Many studies[1-5] have been performed to investigate the detailed structures and formation mechanisms. It is generally accepted that the three-dimensional geometry of spherulites develops from a stack of lamellae. During the growth process, the stacked lamellae splay apart continually and branch occasionally[6.7]. However, there are many unanswered questions. For example, what is a pri-

Simulation of secondary nucleation of polymer crystallization via a model of microscopic kinetics

We present simulations of the mechanism of secondary nucleation of polymer crystallization,based on a new model accounting for the microscopic kinetics of attaching and detaching.As the key feature of the model,we introduced multibody-interaction parameters that establish correlations between the attaching and detaching rate constants and the resulting thickness and width of the crystalline lamella.Using MATLAB and Monte Carlo method,we followed the evolution of the secondary nuclei as a function of various multibody-interaction parameters.We identified three different growth progressions of the crystal：（i） Widening,（ii） thickening and（iii） simultaneously thickening and widening of lamellar crystals,controlled by the corresponding kinetic parameters.

A Modified Phase-Field Model for Polymer Crystal Growth

The irrationality of existing phase field model is analyzed and a modified phase-field model is proposed for polymer crystal growth, in which the parameters are obtained from real materials and very simple to use, and most importantly, no paradoxical parameters appeared in the model. Moreover, it can simulate different microstructure patterns owing to the use of a new different free energy function for the simulation of morphologies of polymer. The new free energy function considers both the cases of T〈Tm and T≥Tm, which is more reasonable than that in published literatures that all ignored the T≥Tm case. In order to show the validity of the modified model, the finite difference method is used to solve the model and different crystallization morphologies during the solidification process of isotactic polystyrene are obtained under different conditions. Numerical results show that the growth rate of the initial secondary arms is obviously increased as the anisotropy strength increases. But the anisotropy strength seems to have no apparent effect on the global growth rate. The whole growth process of the dendrite depends mainly upon the latent heat and the latent heat has a direct effect on the tip radius and tip velocity of side branches.

Self-assembly and UV-curing Property of Polymerized Lyotropic Liquid Crystal Monomer of Sodium 3,4,5-tris（ll-acryloxyundecyloxy）benzoate

A polymerized lyotropic liquid crystal monomer of sodium 3,4,5-tris（11-acryloxyundecyloxy）- benzoate was synthesized by a convenient route starting from 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid via esterification followed by etherification, acylation and finally neutralization. The chemi- cal structure was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared （FT-IR） and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectral analysis. The self-organization behavior of the monomer with deionized water in methanol at room temperature was also demonstrated. The assemblies were char- acterized by polarized optical microscope and X-ray diffraction. The results show that a solution containing 80：20 of the monomer to water was found to be able to self-organize into Lamellar （La） phase and 92：8 with inverted hexagonal （H]I） phase, which was in ac- cordance with the theoretical calculation of critical packing parameter. It suggests that the concentration of the monomer was the key factor to influence assembly structure. Addi- tionally, the acrylate conversion with different photoinitiators and nanostructure retention after polymerization were investigated. The research shows that the acrylate conversion of the monomer with Darocur2959 could reach up to 78% when irradiated by 30 mW/cm2 UV light of 365 nm for 30 min characterized by Real-time FT-IR as well as the sol-gel method. Meanwhile, the La and HII phase nanostructures were both retained after polymerization.

Quasi-solid-state polymer plastic crystal electrolyte for subzero lithium-ion batteries

Succinonitrile(SN)-based polymer plastic crystal electrolytes(PPCEs)have attracted considerable attention as solid-state electrolytes owing to their high ionic conductivities similar to those of liquid electrolytes,excellent contacts with the electrodes,and good mechanic properties.As a crucial property of a solid-state electrolyte,the ionic conductivity of the PPCE directly depends on the interactions between the constituent parts including the polymer,lithium salt,and SN.A few studies have focused on the effects of polymer–lithium–salt and polymer–SN interactions on the PPCE ionic conductivity.Nevertheless,the impact of the lithium–salt–SN combination on the PPCE ionic conductivity has not been analyzed.In particular,tuning of the lithium-salt–SN interaction to fabricate a subzero PPCE with a high low-temperature ionic conductivity has not been reported.In this study,we design and fabricate five PPCE membranes with different weight ratios of Li N(SO2 CF3)2(Li TFSI)and SN to investigate the effect of the Li TFSI–SN interaction on the PPCE ionic conductivity.The ionic conductivities of the five PPCEs are investigated in the temperature range of–20 to 60°C by electro-chemical impedance spectroscopy.The interaction is analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy,Raman spectroscopy,and differential scanning calorimetry.The Li TFSI–SN interaction significantly influences the melting point of the PPCE,dissociation of the Li TFSI salt,and thus the PPCE ionic conductivity.By tuning the Li TFSI–SN interaction,a subzero workable PPCE membrane having an excellent low-temperature ionic conductivity(6×10-4 S cm–1 at 0°C)is obtained.The electro-chemical performance of the optimal PPCE is evaluated by using a Li Co O2/PPCE/Li4 Ti5 O12 cell,which confirms the application feasibility of the proposed quasisolid-state electrolyte in subzero workable lithium-ion batteries.

"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.

A Three-dimensional Zn^(Ⅱ) Based Coordination Polymer with 2-Fold Interpenetrated Topology Displaying Luminescent Property

A new coordination polymer, [Zn2（m-bix）（p-bdc）2] （1）, was synthesized under hydrothermal conditions by a reaction of 1,3-bis（imidazol-l-ylmethyl）benzene （m-bix）, 1,3-benzene- dicarboxylic acid （H2p-bdc） and Zn（NO3）2. The colorless block crystals of complex 1 （C30H22N408Zn2） belong to the triclinic system, space group P1 with a = 10.213（2）, b = 12.052（2）, c = 12.392（3） A, a = 82.97（3）, β = 76.04（3）, y = 78.02（3）°, V= 1443.8（5） A3, Z = 2, Dc = 1.604 g/cm3, Mr = 697.26, F（000） = 708, R = 0.0403 and wR = 0.0907 for 4886 observed reflections （1 〉 2σ（I））. In 1, the tetrahedral Zn11 cations are linked by [p-bdc]2- anions into 2D sql networks, which are further connected by bix ligands forming an interesting 2-fold 4,4-connected mog-type 3D network with a point symbol of {4·6^4·8}^2{4^2·6^2·8^2}. Complex 1 was characterized by elemental, IR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffractions and thermalgravimetric analysis. In addition, complex 1 exhibits coordination induced photoluminescent property.

Electrically tunable holographic polymer templated blue phase liquid crystal grating

In this paper, we demonstrate an alternative approach to fabricating an electrically tunable holographic polymer tem- plated blue phase liquid crystal grating. This grating is obtained by preforming a polymer template comprised of periodic fringes, and then refilling it with a blue phase liquid crystal. Compared with conventional holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal gratings, our grating can remarkably reduce its switching voltage from 200 V to 43 V while maintaining a sub-millisecond response time. The holographic polymer templated blue phase liquid crystal （HPTBPLC） grating is free from electrode patterning, thus leading to a lower cost and more flexible applications.

Ionothermal Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Photocatalytic Property of a New Cobalt Coordination Polymer

The reaction of flexible bis（imidazole） ligand and 1,2-bis（imidazol-l＇-yl）methane （bimm） with Co（Ⅱ） salt under ionothermal method resulted in the formation of a new coordination polymer {[Co（bimm）3]·（PF6）2}n （1）. X-ray single-crystal diffraction determination reveals that 1 crystallizes in the triclinic Pi space group, with α = 8.647（6）, b = 12.092（9）, c = 14.967（1 l） A, α = 88.912（8）, β = 81.199（8）, ）, = 89.395（8）°, V= 1546 （2） A3, Z = 2, Mr = 793.39, Dc= 1.704 Mg/m3,μ = 0.768 mm-1 F（000） = 798, the final R = 0.0626 and wR = 0.1634 for 4319 observed reflections with I〉 2σ（I）. In compound 1, the Co（lI） ion is connected to another Co（ll） by two bimm ligands to form 1D double chains which are further linked by bimm ligands to form a 2D wavelike layer. Topologically, the structure of 1 represents a uninodal 2D 4-connected sq1/Shubnikov tetragonal plane net. Moreover, thermogravimetric analyses and photocatalytic property for 1 have also been investigated.

A New Luminescent Cd(Ⅱ) Coordination Polymer Constructed by Mixed 1,4-Naphthalenedicarboxylate and N-donor Chelating Ligand

In this work, we synthesized a new two-dimensional Cd（Ⅱ） coordination polymer, [Cd（1,4-NDC）（L）]（1）, by using mixed 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid（1,4-H2NDC） and typical chelating N-donor ligands 2-（2-chloro-6-fluorophenyl）-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline ligand（L）. Compound 1 crystallizes in monoclinic, space group P21/n with a = 12.936（5）, b = 15.245（5）, c = 13.499（5） ？, β = 105.456（5）o, V = 2565.9（16） A^3, Z = 4, C（31）H（16）CdClFN4O4, Mr = 675.33, Dc = 1.748 g/cm^3, F（000） = 1344, μ（MoKa） = 1.011 mm^-1, R = 0.0350 and wR = 0.0926. In 1, each 1,4-NDC anion bridges three adjacent Cd（Ⅱ） atoms to give a two-dimensional layer structure. The L ligands are attached on both sides of the layer in chelating coordination modes. In addition, the N–H···O hydrogen bond between L and 1,4-NDC further stabilizes the layer structure of 1. Moreover, the solid state luminescent property of 1 was also investigated at room temperature.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Electrochemical Properties of a One-dimensional Chain Coordination Polymer [Mn(phen)(2,4,6-TMBA)_2(H_2O)]_n

A one-dimensional chain-like coordination polymer [Mn（phen）（2,4,6-TMBA）2（H2O）]n has been synthesized from 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoic acid, 1,10-phenanthroline and anhydrous manganese（Ⅱ ） sulfate and then characterized. Crystal data for this complex： tetragonal, space group I41, a = 2.05643（16）, b = 2.05643（16）, c = 1.3939（2） nm, V = 5.8946（11） nm^3, Mr = 579.54, Z = 8, Dc = 1.306 g/cm^3, μ（MoKα） = 0.490 mm^-1, F（000） = 2424, S = 0.985, the final R = 0.0411 and wR = 0.0950. The Flack factor is -0.01（2）. The crystal structure shows that two neighboring man- ganese（Ⅱ ） ions are linked together by one bridge-chelating 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoic group, forming a one-dimensional chain structure. The manganese（Ⅱ ） ion is coordinated with two nitrogen atoms of one 1,10-phenanthroline, three oxygen atoms from three 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoic acids and one water oxygen atom, giving a distorted octahedral coordination geometry. The cyclic voltametric behavior of the complex was also investigated.

Kinetics investigations for holographic Bragg grating based on polymer dispersed liquid crystal

This paper investigates the monomer kinetics of polymer dispersed liquid crystal （PDLC） grating. Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectra are used in the studies of photoreaction kinetics. The results indicate that there is a relative stable stage arises after a very short initial stage. Based on FTIR studies, the monomer diffusion equation is deduced and necessary numerical simulations are carried out to analyse the monomer conversion which is an important point to improve phase separation structure of PDLC grating. Some simulation results have a good agreement with experimental data. In addition, the effects induced by monomer diffusion constant D and diffusion-polymerization-ratio rate R are discussed. Results show that monomer conversion can be improved by increasing value of D. Besides, a good equilibrium state （R = 1） is more beneficial to the diffusion of monomer which is important in the process of phase separation.

STUDY ON LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYMERS WITH TWO-DIMENSIONAL MESOGENIC UNITS

A series of liquid crystalline polymers with two-dimensional mesogenic units were synthesized by solution polycondensation at low temperature. All the polymers were liquid crystalline. The melting temperature T;（except that with substituent of methoxy） and the clearing temperature T;of the polymers change regularly with varying of the length of the alkyl substituent groups.

Photonic Bandgap Properties of Atom-lattice Photonic Crystals in Polymer

The present paper covers the various photonic crystals（PhCs） structures mimicking real atom-lattice structures in electronic crystals by using the femtosecond laser-induced two-photon photopolymerization of SU-8 resin. The bandgap properties were investigated by varying the crystal orientations in 〈111 〉, 〈110〉 and 〈100〉 of diamond-lattice PhCs. The photonic stop gaps were present at λ=3.88 um in 〈111〉 direction, λ=4.01 um in 〈110〉 direction and λ=5.30 um in 〈100〉 direction, respectively. In addition, defects were introduced in graphite-lattice PhCs and the strong localization of photons in this structure with defects at λ=5 um was achieved. All the above work shows the powerful capability of femtosecond laser fabrication in manufacturing various complicated threedimensional photonic crystals and of controlling photons by inducing defects in the PhCs samples.

SYNTHESIS OF A NOVEL "MESOGEN-JACKETED LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYMER" BASED ON VINYLTEREPHTHALIC ACID

Poly{2,5-bis[(p-methoxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl]styrene}was successfully synthesized.This new polymer has a structure characteristic of mesogen-jacketed liquid cyrstalline polymers(MJLCPs)and does form a liquid crystal phase above its glass transition.It thus became the starting member of a new series of MJLCPs.The synthesis of the polymer as well as the liquid crystalline properties of the polymer and its monomer was discussed.A brief comparison of the new monomer and polymer with some previously reported counterparts was also included.

Cellulose-based Polymeric Liquid Crystals as a Biomimetic Modifier for Suppressing Protein Adsorption

A novel biomimetic protein-resistant modifier based on cellulose-based polymeric liquid crystals was described（PLCs）. Two types of PLCs of propyl hydroxypropyl cellulose ester（PPC） and octyl hydroxypropyl cellulose ester（OPC） were prepared by esterification from hydroxypropyl cellulose, and then were mixed with polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane to obtain composite films by solution casting, respectively. The surface morphology of PLCs and their composite films were characterized by polarized optical microscopy（POM） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, suggesting the existence of microdomain separation with fingerprint texture in PLC composite films. Water contact angle measurement results indicated that hydrophilicity of PLC/polymer composite films was dependent on the type and content of PLC as well as the type of matrix due to their interaction. Using bovine serum albumin（BSA） as a model protein, protein adsorption results revealed that PLCs with protein-resistant property can obviously suppress protein adsorption on their composite films, probably due to their flexible LC state. Moreover, all PLCs and their composites exhibited non-toxicity by MTT assay, suggesting their safety for biomedical applications.