Iridium(III) Complexes with PEO and PS Polymer Macroligands and Light‐Emitting Properties: Synthesis and Characterization

Summary: On the basis of terpyridine functionalized poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(styrene) (PS), a series of light‐emitting iridium(III) compounds was effectively synthesized. The respective iridium(III) target compounds were prepared by grafting chloro‐bridged precursor complexes [Ir(ppy)₂‐μ‐Cl]₂ (ppy = phenylpyridine) and [Ir(ppy‐CHO)₂‐μ‐Cl]₂ (ppy‐CHO = 4‐(2‐pyridyl)benzaldehyde) onto terpyridine functionalized PEO and PS tails. 1D and 2D NMR characterization was performed revealing the expected resonances. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) proved the stability and purity of the targeted materials. Preliminary investigations of the light‐emitting properties were carried out by standard methods such as UV‐vis and steady‐state luminescence spectroscopy. The morphology and the quality of films of these iridium(III) compounds were furthermore investigated using AFM. Improved stability on the electrode surface was illustrated using cyclic voltammetry. One of the polymer materials was compared to the neat complex, which showed quick degradation.

Green and orange light‐emitting iridium(III) complexes with two cyclometalating ligands and one terpyridine ligand with PS tails.     

“One‐pot” Synthesis of 1‐Vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone with Protic Functional Groups in 3‐Position

A synthetic route that allows modification of 1‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone with an alcohol or thiol group in its 3‐position in a one‐pot reaction without using protecting groups is described. The strategy used to achieve this goal is the reaction of the carboxamide anion of 1‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone with cyclic precursors of these functionalities. It is furthermore shown that VP‐monomers functionalized with OH groups are suitable for the preparation of the corresponding copolymers with pure VP. As a second application of the new compounds, we also describe the synthesis of the first asymmetric crosslinker based on VP.

     

Peroxide‐Grafted PDMS: Hydrosilylation Reaction and Thiol‐Ene Chemistry as an Alternative Pathway

Peroxide‐containing PDMS was synthesized according to a new pathway. Although hydrosilylation is one of the main reactions carried out in silicone chemistry, the catalysts used are very sensitive to the chemical nature of the reactants and remained inefficient to graft allylic peroxide. Radical catalyzed thiol‐ene chemistry was involved for the first time to yield an initiator group containing polymer. The peroxide‐grafted polysiloxane structure and decomposition were characterized using ¹H, ¹³C and ²⁹Si NMR, FT‐IR and Raman spectroscopies, SEC and DSC. These macroinitiators can be used to obtain polysiloxane able to undergo crosslinking.

     

A Scalable Route to Highly Functionalized Multi‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes on a Large Scale

A scalable and solvent‐free chemical process to obtain highly functionalized and dispersible multi‐walled carbon nanotubes is reported. Highly functionalized multi‐walled carbon nanotubes have been prepared using in situ generated aryl diazonium salts in the presence of ammonium persulfate and 2,2′‐azoisobutyronitrile by solvent‐free techniques. In the Raman spectra of the resulting materials, characteristic peaks, the D‐ and G‐bands, are shifted by about 10 cm^?1 to lower frequencies. At the same time, the relative intensity ratios between the D‐ and G‐bands increase in comparison to that in the spectrum of the purified product. Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy reveals the presence of the functional groups on the surface. Transmission electron microscopy images directly confirm the significant build‐up of sidewall organic moieties on the treated materials. The weight loss of various functional moieties determined by thermogravimetry–differential scanning calorimetry analysis is about 18–33%. The dispersibility of the functionalized materials in solvents, such as chloroform, tetrahydrofuran, and water, is obviously improved.

     

Synthesis of Propylene/1‐Butene Copolymers with Ziegler‐Natta Catalyst in Gas‐Phase Copolymerizations, 1

Summary: The appropriate choice of comonomers can be used to create a wide range of polymer properties, leading to considerable improvement of product performance. Experimental runs were performed to evaluate the effect of 1‐butene on the crystallinity, the melt temperature and the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of the final propylene/1‐butene copolymer resins. According to the results obtained, the melt temperature of the copolymer material can be reduced significantly compared to that of the polypropylene homopolymer. The incorporation of 1‐butene into the copolymer chain leads to a decrease of the sealing initiation temperatures of propylene polymer resins. GPC analyses of copolymer samples showed that 1‐butene concentration does not seem to significantly influence either the shape of the MWD or the polydispersity indexes for a given set of reaction conditions. Therefore, a family of propylene/1‐butene random copolymers grades can be successfully developed for gas phase processes for packaging and film applications.

     

Cyclodextrins in Polymer Synthesis: Free Radical Polymerization of β‐Cyclodextrin Complexes of Photosensitive Mesoionic 6‐Oxo‐1,6‐dihydropyrimidin‐3‐ium‐4‐olates in Aqueous Medium

Solid mesoionic 2‐[2‐(isopropenylcarbonyloxy)ethylthio]‐1‐methyl‐6‐oxo‐3‐phenyl‐5‐propyl‐1,6‐dihydropyrimidin‐3‐ium‐4‐olate was complexed in water using β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) and randomly methylated β‐CD, which resulted in polymerizable complexes with 2:1 stoichiometry. The β‐CD complex was characterized using ¹H NMR, ROESY NMR and UV spectroscopy. Polymerization of the complex prepared from methylated β‐CD led to a photosensitive polymer, which precipitated during polymerization and was nearly free of CD. Polymerization was carried out with a water‐soluble redox initiator. In addition, a copolymer with methyl methacrylate was prepared from the complexes, which showed a different mass‐dependent distribution in the incorporation in comparison to a copolymer prepared without CD in organic solvents.

     

Light‐Tunable Thermosensitivity of Polymer‐Coated Gold Nanoparticles Achieved by Light‐Controlled Molecular Recognition

Thermo‐ and photosensitive gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) coated with an azobenzene‐contained P(DMA‐PAPA‐MAEL) copolymer are prepared by ligand exchange reactions. The photoisomerization of azobenzene moiety on the surface of P(DMA‐PAPA‐MAEL)‐coated AuNPs is detected by means of UV‐Vis spectroscopy with the presence or absence of free α‐cyclodextrin. When subjected to visible and UV light irradiation alternately, P(DMA‐PAPA‐MAEL)‐coated AuNPs in the presence of free α‐CD display a light‐tunable lower critical solution temperature through light‐controlled molecular recognition between the azobenzene moiety on the surface of AuNPs and free α‐CD.

     

Two‐Dimensional ATR FT‐IR Spectroscopic Study on Glycol Diffusion in a Cured Epoxy Membrane

Summary: A novel experimental approach, that is, two‐dimensional (2D) correlation analysis based on time‐resolved attenuated total reflection (ATR) FT‐IR spectroscopy, has been used to study the diffusion behavior of ethylene glycol molecules into EP and EPB (novolac epoxy resins cured with novolac resin or novolac butyrate resin, respectively). The diffusion behavior of ethylene glycol into these systems is discussed and compared with that of water. Ethylene glycol absorbed in EP can be classified into two types (free and bound types), while in EPB a third type (referred to as “specific” type) is also observed, which differs from water sorption behavior. In particular, it is interesting to find that the hydrogen bonding of specific ethylene glycol involves two hydroxyl groups rather than one hydroxyl group and polar group in epoxy networks (carbonyl group), a similar example of which has not been previously observed. In addition, in both EP and EPB, bound ethylene glycol molecules diffuse faster than any other types.

Asynchronous 2D correlation spectra of ethylene glycol in the two resins studied here. Positive peaks are unshaded, whereas negative peaks are shaded.     

Novel Light Emitting Diode Using Organic Electroluminescence Microcapsules

Novel light emitting diodes (LEDs) were prepared using electroluminescence (EL) material/polymer microcapsules (ELC). N‐vinylcarbazole as a hole‐transporting component and methyl methacrylate (MMA) were copolymerized for producing the seed particles using dispersion polymerization. An oxadiazole derivative, synthesized as a electron‐transporting component, and tris(8‐hydroxyquinolinato) aluminium(III) (Alq₃) were incorporated into the polymer particles by using the solute co‐diffusion method (SCM). The LEDs for the EL characterization were fabricated in a thin sandwich configuration: Al anode/ELC/ITO cathode. The surface imaging of the LED prepared using ELC was performed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The EL characteristics of the ELC were investigated by UV, photoelectron and luminescence spectroscopy, and the current‐voltage and the light‐voltage characteristics for the LED were determined.

Encapsulation procedure using solute co‐diffusion method (SCM).     

Morphology and Phase Characteristics of High‐Density Polyethylene Probed by NMR Spin Diffusion and Second Moment Analysis

Summary: A dipolar filter pulse sequence combined with cross‐polarization‐MAS is applied to characterize the phase distribution, morphology, and spin diffusion within a high‐density polyethylene sample. A new method to obtain quantitative ¹³C NMR by combining cross‐polarization‐MAS and spin diffusion NMR is presented. The derived crystallinity is consistent with the corresponding crystallinity obtained by ¹H NMR.

Illustration of the pulse sequence(s) applied in the present work.     

Dual Tuning of Emission Color and Electron Injection Properties Through in‐situ Chemical Reaction in a Conjugated Polymer Containing 9,10‐Phenanthrenequinone

Three new polymers were obtained through an in situ chemical reaction of the matrix conjugated polymer ( PPQF ) with ortho‐amine compounds. By controlling the conjugation degree of diamine compounds, the emission of PPQF was tuned from weak blue to bright blue, green, and orange for PFBQ , PFBP and PFNP , respectively. The photoluminescence efficiencies were also improved in the same tendency, and the LUMO levels were gradually decreased from ?2.76 and ?3.12 to ?3.40 eV, which was beneficial for electron injection and transport in electronic devices. Thus, a dual tuning for the emission color and electron injection properties were realized through an in situ chemical reaction, which is a novel strategy to design and construct new valuable polymers from one reactive matrix polymer.

     

Structural Reasons for Restricted Backbone Motion in Poly(n‐alkyl methacrylates): Degree of Polymerization,Tacticity and Side‐Chain Length

Summary: The complex dynamics of poly(n‐alkyl methacrylates) is studied by advanced ¹³C NMR spectroscopy as well as mechanical and dielectric relaxation. Extended backbone conformations are identified as the molecular units involved in structural relaxation. From the variation in the degree of polymerization and a comparison with the presence of stereoregular sequences in the sample, the length of the extended units is determined to involve about five, at most ten monomeric units. Syndiotactic and isotactic sequences behave similarly. These findings are indicative of locally structured polymer melts.

     

The Effect of PEG Crystallization on the Morphology of PEG/Peptide Block Copolymers Containing Amyloid β‐Peptide Fragments

Ordered nanostructures are observed in the melt and solid state for a series of three peptide/PEG conjugates containing fragments of amyloid β‐peptides. These are conjugated to PEG with = 3 300 g · mol^?1 and a melting temperature T_m = 45–50 °C. The morphology at room temperature is examined by AFM and POM. This shows spherulite formation for the weakly fibrillizing KLVFF‐PEG sample but fibril formation for FFKLVFF‐PEG. The fibrillization tendency of the latter is enhanced by multiple phenylalanine residues. Simultaneous SAXS and WAXS was used to investigate the morphology as a function of temperature. The secondary structure is probed by FTIR.

     

Backbone‐Thermoresponsive Hyperbranched Polyglycerol by Random Copolymerization of Glycidol and 3‐Methyl‐3‐(hydroxymethyl)oxetane

The hyperbranched polyglycerol analog, hyperbranched poly[glycerol‐co‐3‐methyl‐3‐(hydroxymethyl)oxetane] [HP(G‐co‐M)], was synthesized in one‐step by random copolymerization of glycidol and 3‐methyl‐3‐(hydroxymethyl)oxetane (MHO). The obtained polymer exhibited a thermoresponsive behavior in an aqueous solution, and the corresponding lower critical solution temperature (LCST) could be readily adjusted by changing the feed ratio of glycidol to MHO. The MTT assay against COS‐7 cells demonstrated that HP(G‐co‐M) had low cytotoxicity. Moreover, the existence of numerous hydroxyl terminals of HP(G‐co‐M) facilitated their further modification and functionalization. All of these characteristics suggest that this novel backbone‐thermoresponsive hyperbranched polyglycerol is a promising functional material for biomedical applications.

     

Synthesis and self‐assembly of polymers containing dicarboximide groups by living ring‐opening metathesis polymerization

Polymers with narrow molecular weight distributions and controlled architectures were generated by living ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of exo‐7‐oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept‐5‐ene‐2,3‐dicarboximide. The dicarboximide units have been previously shown to exhibit biological activity, can selectively bind to the nucleic acid base adenine by hydrogen‐bonding, and are readily functionalizable. Block copolymers containing these moieties were generated, and underwent self‐assembly into nanoscale spherical aggregates, with surface localized molecular recognition motifs.

     

Phase Behaviour of New Side‐Chain Liquid Crystalline Polyoxetanes

Summary: The synthesis and thermal behaviour of two new polyoxetanes with side chains having a dimer structure mesogen‐spacer‐mesogen and a long terminal alkyl group are reported. The two polymers differ in the chemical structure of the central spacer. The polyoxetanes have been obtained by cationic ring‐opening polymerisation of an appropriately substituted oxetane ring. Both polyoxetanes studied exhibit liquid crystalline properties showing a similar sequence of phases. DSC and synchrotron experiments indicate that a highly ordered phase with a probable orthorhombic packing is observed at low temperature. On heating, this phase melts into a mesophase with hexagonal order within the smectic layers, which, on further heating, is transformed into a disordered smectic mesophase.

Synchrotron X‐ray diffraction patterns of one of the poyoxetanes in a heating experiment.     

Control of the radical polymerization by 2,2,15,15‐tetramethyl‐1‐aza‐4,7,10,13‐tetraoxacyclopentadecan‐1‐oxyl and its sodium salt

The control of the radical polymerization of styrene by 2,2,15,15‐tetramethyl‐1‐aza‐4,7,10,13‐tetraoxacyclopentadecan‐1‐oxyl is reported here in bulk at 90 °C, 120 °C and in miniemulsion. Similarly, the control by its sodium complex is reported in bulk at 90 °C.

M _n vs. conversion for 3 , 3Na , and TEMPO.     

Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis of Poly(L‐lactic acid) via Direct Melt Polycondensation Using Solid Super‐Acids

A microwave‐assisted method of synthesizing high‐molecular‐weight PLA using SSA as green catalyst was developed. Yellowish PLA with above 2.0 × 10⁴ g · mol^?1 was obtained when the reaction was run at 260 °C within 60 min under microwave irradiation with 0.4 wt.‐% SSA. This method used only 10% of the energy consumption necessary for conventional heating, and the catalyst could be used five times without losing catalytic activity. The improvement in and the decrease in the energy consumption under microwave irradiation suggested that selective heating and hot spots effects played a crucial role. The method was shown to be a time‐saving, green and a promising way to lower the cost and spread the application of PLA.

     

Fluorene‐Based Single‐Chain Copolymers for Color‐Stable White Light‐Emitting Diodes

Fluorene‐based single‐chain copolymers with a white light emitter consisting of a blue and an orange chromophore have been synthesized and their photophysical and electroluminescent properties are investigated. The experimental results suggest that only a relatively small fraction of the orange‐emitting units incorporated into the fluorene is needed to achieve efficient white light emission by controlled incomplete energy transfer. A device from a copolymer with 0.02% DDQ content showed the highest external quantum efficiency of 2.64% with a luminance efficiency of 4.06 cd · A^?1 with CIE coordinates (0.28, 0.24). The EL emissions are extremely stable over a wide range of current densities.

     

Polyethylenes Having Well‐Defined Bimodal Molecular Weight Distributions Formed with Bis(phenoxy‐imine) Zr Complexes

Summary: Bis(phenoxy‐imine) Zr complexes with MAO activation can produce polyethylenes with well‐defined bimodal molecular weight distributions. Polymerization behavior indicates that minor changes in the ligand structures can have a significant effect on the modality of the resulting polyethylenes. Although there is no direct relationship between the bimodal catalytic behavior and the structure of a precatalyst complex in solution, a precatalyst complex having a methyl or methoxy group para to the phenoxy‐oxygen inclined to exhibit bimodal behavior whereas that with a pentafluorophenyl group on the imine‐nitrogen displayed unimodal behavior. Polymerization results suggest that bimodal behavior is linked to the presence of two kinds of cationic active species, which arise from different modes of ligand coordination. A qualitative correlation was found between the calculated amounts of possible cationic active species and the uni‐ and bimodal catalytic behavior. Based on the results obtained, we concluded that the bimodal polyethylenes are produced by two kinds of cationic active species having two available cis‐located sites with cis‐N, trans‐O and cis‐N, cis‐O arrangements. The results introduced herein are rare examples of the production of well‐defined bimodal polyethylenes using a single precatalyst.

Bis(phenoxy imine) Zr complexes can produce well‐defined bimodal polyethylenes.