Synthesis and properties of novel crosslinkable second‐order nonlinear optical polymers based on 2,3,4,5,6‐pentafluorostyrene

Two crosslinkable second‐order nonlinear optical polymers were prepared by copolymerization of 2,3,4,5,6‐pentafluorostyrene, styrene (St), glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and 1‐(4‐nitrophenyl)‐2‐(4‐{[2‐(methacryloyloxy) ethyl] ethylamino}‐phenyl) diazene (DR1M) via the sealed‐tube reaction technique. These polymers were characterized using ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The crosslinkable polymers have high molecular weights, good organosolubility, excellent film‐forming properties and high glass transition (106–110 °C) and thermal decomposition temperatures (290–350 °C) after being crosslinked. Furthermore, the polymer films possess not only high values (12–16 pm V^?1) of electro‐optical coefficient (r₃₃) at 1.3 µm wavelength but also low optical loss (1.7 dB cm^?1) at 1.55 µm wavelength, which is of interest for applications in electro‐optical devices. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

In situ cyclization reactions during the preparation of high‐performance methacrylic acid/acrylonitrile/acrylamide ternary copolymer foam

A new high‐performance methacrylic acid/acrylonitrile/acrylamide ternary copolymer foam was prepared by radical bulk copolymerization, and the reaction mechanism of in situ cyclization taking place during copolymer foaming as well as the heat treatment was examined too. Then, the crucial mechanism was validated via optical microscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy (Fourier transform infrared), differential thermal analysis (differential scanning calorimetry), and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed a weak exothermic peak at 149.17°C and a strong endothermic peak at 270.85°C in differential scanning calorimetry curves of the methacrylic acid/acrylonitrile/acrylamide copolymer after the foaming and heat treatment at 160°C for 2 h and at 200°C for 2 h. The peak temperature of the differential thermogravimetry curve was 175.87°C, whereas the weight‐loss rate was less at 276.58°C in the thermogravimetry curves. In the case of the Fourier transform infrared curves, the ? OH absorption peak at 930–970 and 1480 cm^?1 weakened, and the C? N absorption peak of the imide increased. The >C?O absorption peak at 1700 cm^?1 occurred as an excursion phenomenon toward the low‐frequency field; at the same time, the second absorption peak increased. Furthermore, the ? C?N absorption peak at 2240 cm^?1 weakened, and a new ? C?N? absorption band appeared. All these data revealed that in situ cyclizations had taken place in the copolymer molecule chains, so some rigid ring structures appeared in the copolymer molecule chains, such as six‐membered imide rings and ladder polymer structures. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Synthesis and characterization of heat‐resistant N‐phenylmaleimide–styrene–maleic anhydride copolymers and application in acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene resin

The heat‐resistant copolymer of N‐phenylmaleimide (NPMI)–styrene (St)–maleic anhydride (MAH) was synthesized in xylene at 125°C with di‐tert‐butyl diperoxyterephthalate as an initiator. The characteristics of the copolymer were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H‐NMR and ¹³C‐NMR), gel permeation chromatography, and elemental analysis. The ¹³C‐NMR results show that the copolymer possessed random sequence distribution; this was also supported by the differential scanning calorimetry experiment, in which a single glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of 202.3°C was observed. The thermal stability and degradation mechanism of the copolymer were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis. Using the Kissinger equation and Ozawa equation, we proved a nucleation controlling mechanism with an apparent activation energy of 144 kJ/mol. Blends of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene with the NPMI–St–MAH copolymer with various contents were prepared with a twin‐screw extruder processes. The mechanical and thermal properties of the materials, such as the tensile and flexural strength, T_g's, and Vicat softening temperatures, were all enhanced with the addition of the modifier, whereas the melt flow index decreased. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Hyperbranched Acrylate Copolymer via Initiator‐Fragment Incorporation Radical Copolymerization of Divinylbenzene and Ethyl Acrylate: Synthesis,Characterization, Hydrolysis,Dye‐Solubilization,Ag Particle‐Stabilization,and Porous Film Formation

Summary: Soluble hyperbranched acrylate copolymers were prepared by the copolymerization of divinylbenzene (0.10 mol · L^?1) and ethyl acrylate (0.50 mol · L^?1) using dimethyl 2,2′‐azoisobutyrate of high concentrations (0.30–0.50 mol · L^?1) as initiator at 70 and 80 °C in benzene. The copolymer formed at 80 °C for 1 h showed the weight‐average molecular weight of 2.5 × 10⁵, the small radius of gyration of 10 nm, the low second virial coefficient of 5.7 × l0^?7 mL · g^?2 as shown by the MALLS measurements at 25 °C in tetrahydrofuran, and also the very low intrinsic viscosity of 0.10 dL · g^?1 at 30 °C in benzene. The hyperbranched copolymer exhibited an upper critical solution temperature (35 °C on cooling) in an acetone‐water (60:11 v/v). The copolymer showed an ability to encapsulate and transfer Rhodamine 6G as a dye probe and could stabilize Ag nanoparticles. The porous film was prepared by simply casting an acetone solution of the hyperbranched copolymer on a cover glass. The copolymer molecules radially arranged on the surface layer of the spherical pores as observed by the polarized optical microscope. The hyperbranched acrylate copolymer was hydrolyzed by KOH to yield poly(carboxylic acid).

Optical microscope image (crossed polarizers) of a porous film from copolymer solution in acetone.     

Towards enhanced electrochemical capacitance with self‐assembled synthesis of poly(pyrrole‐co‐o‐toluidine) nanoparticles

Poly(pyrrole‐co‐o‐toluidine) (PPOT) nanoparticles for electrochemical capacitors are easily and productively synthesized by a chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole (PY) and o‐toluidine (OT) in 0.5M HCl without any external additive. The polymerization yield, electrical conductivity, and size of the copolymer nanoparticles can significantly be optimized by the oxidant/monomer molar ratio and polymerization temperature. The chemical structure of the obtained copolymer is characterized by UV–vis and FTIR. The copolymer nanoparticles synthesized at 10°C are found to generally have irregular granular morphology with a diameter of 60–100 nm and a small polydispersity index of 1.06 by laser particle‐size analyzer, FE‐SEM, and TEM, and good dispersibility in water. The formation mechanism of the nanoparticles is proposed based on the powerful amphipathicity from comonomer aggregate formed by PY and OT in the monomer solution. The PPOT nanoparticles possess a specific capacitance of 310 F g^?1 at 25 mV s^?1 as well as retain 81% of the initial specific capacitance value after 1000 cycles, while its energy density and power density are found to be 40.2 and 1196 W Kg^?1 at 2 A g^?1. The enhanced electrochemical properties can be attributed to the nanostructural advantage of the PPOT. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 42995.     

Copolymerization of butadiene with styrene using a rare‐earth metal compound – dialkylmagnesium – halohydrocarbon catalytic system

Copolymerizations of butadiene (Bd) with styrene (St) were carried out with catalytic systems composed of a rare‐earth compound, Mg(n‐Bu)₂ (di‐n‐butyl magnesium) and halohydrocarbon. Of all the rare earth catalysts examined, Nd(P₅₀₇)₃–Mg(n‐Bu)₂–CHCl₃ showed a high activity in the copolymerization under certain conditions: [Bd] = [St] = 1.8 mol l^?1, [Nd] = 6.0 × 10^?3 mol l^?1, Mg/Nd = 10, Cl/Nd = 10 (molar ratio), ageing for 2 h, copolymerization at 50 °C for 6–20 h. The copolymer of butadiene and styrene obtained has a relatively high styrene content (10–30 mol%), cis‐1,4 content in butadiene unit (85–90%), and molecular weight ([η] = 0.8–1 dL g^?1). Monomer reactivity ratios were estimated to be r_Bd = 36 and r_St = 0.36 in the copolymerization. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and characterization of functional copolymer of Linalool and vinyl acetate: A kinetic study

Linalool (LIN) and vinyl acetate (VA) were copolymerized by benzoyl peroxide (BPO) in p‐xylene at 60°C for 90 min. The system follows nonideal kinetics: R_pα[I]^0.6[LIN]^1.2[VA]^1.1. It results in the formation of alternating copolymer as evidenced from reactivity ratios as r₁ (VA) = 0.01, r₂ (LIN) = 0.0015, which have been calculated by Kelen–Tudos method. The overall activation energy is 82 kJ/mol. The FTIR spectrum of the copolymer shows the presence of the band at 3425 cm^?1 due to alcoholic group of LIN and at 1641 cm^?1 due to >C?O group of VA. The ¹H‐NMR spectrum shows peaks at 7.0–7.7 δ due to hydroxy proton of LIN and at 1.0–1.4 δ due to acetoxy protons of VA. ¹³C‐NMR spectrum of copolymer shows peaks at 167 ppm due to acetoxy group and at 75–77 ppm due to C? OH group. The Alfrey–Price Q–e parameters for LIN has been calculated as Q₂ = 1.24 and e₂ = 3.11. The copolymer is highly thermally stable and has a glass transition temperature (T_g) of 85°C, evaluated from DSC studies. The mechanism of copolymerization has been elucidated. This article also reports measurement of Mark–Houwink constants in THF at 25°C by means of GPC as α = 0.8 and K = 3.0 × 10^?4 dl/g. The thermal decompositions of copolymer are established with the help of TGA technique. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 1134–1143, 2004     

Morphology and thermal properties of liquid crystal p‐PAEB/styrene copolymer

The homopolymer of unsaturated liquid crystal (LC) monomer for p‐phenylene di {4‐[2‐(allyloxy) ethoxy] benzoate} (p‐PAEB), and copolymer poly (p‐PAEB/St) of p‐PAEB with styrene (St) have been synthesized. The LC behavior and thermal properties of p‐PAEB and poly(p‐PAEB/St) have been studied by Polarizing Optical Microscopic (POM), Differential Scanning Calorimetry, X‐Ray Diffractometer (XRD), and Torsional Braid Analysis (TBA). The results demonstrate that LC phase texture and phase transition temperature of copolymers are affected by the composition of LC units in copolymers. The POM and XRD reveal that p‐PAEB has a smectic phase structure; the copolymer of p‐PAEB with styrene reveal deformed focal conics texture of smectic phase. The phase transition temperature range of p‐PAEB is 120.5–191.5°C, but the homopolymer of p‐PAEB has a broad LC temperature range from 77 to 170°C. The LC temperature range of poly(p‐PAEB/St) is broadened with increased content of p‐PAEB. The dynamic mechanical properties of LC polymer networks were investigated with TBA. The results indicate that the peak temperature of maximal mechanical loss is 114°C and is decreased with the addition of styrene © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 5731–5736, 2006     

Mid-infrared dual-rhombic air hole Ge20Sb15Se65 chalcogenide photonic crystal fiber with high birefringence and high nonlinearity

We propose a mid-infrared dual-rhombic air hole hexagonal lattice photonic crystal fiber with high birefringence and large nonlinearity based on Ge₂₀Sb₁₅Se₆₅ chalcogenide glass. The properties of birefringence, dispersion, nonlinearity, and confinement loss were investigated in the 3?µm~5?µm mid-infrared range by using the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method with perfectly matched layer (PML) absorption boundary conditions. The results indicate that for the optimized structural parameters of Λ=?2.0?µm, D=?1.932?µm, d=?0.8?µm, and H=?0.8?µm, an ultrahigh birefringence of 0.041, a very low confinement loss of 0.0013?dB/km (for x-polarization modes) and 0.0342?dB/km (for y-polarization modes), and the maximum nonlinearity coefficient of 4375 w^?1km^?1 (for x-polarization modes) and 3960 w^?1km^?1 (for y-polarization modes) were achieved, respectively. The proposed PCF has a lower confinement loss and higher birefringence than an elliptical-hole PCF with the same air-filling fraction. Thus, it will be an excellent candidate for mid-infrared optical fiber sensing, precision optical instruments and nonlinear optics.     

The terpolymer of neodymium‐catalyzed styrene,isoprene, and butadiene: Efficient synthesis of integral rubber containing atactic styrene–styrene sequences and high Cis‐1,4 polyconjugated olefins

The present study focuses on the terpolymer of styrene (St), isoprene (Ip), and butadiene (Bd) synthesized together in cyclohexane at 70°C with neodymium (Nd) compound, alkylaluminum, and chlorinating agent (Cl) rare earth cocatalyst system. The resultants possessed atactic St–St sequences and high cis‐1,4 polyconjugated olefins in macromolecular chains besides controllable composition. The composition of the St–Ip–Bd terpolymers and molecular weight (M_w), molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n) were controlled through the adjustment of Nd compound, alkylalumium, monomers feed ratio (St/Ip/Bd), and [Nd]/[monomers]. With the inventory rating of St raised from 15% to 55%, the content of St in the terpolymers got increased from 2% to 15%. And the content of the Ip segments and Bd segments in the terpolymers increased from 33% to 56% and from 28% to 54%, respectively, with the proportion of Ip/Bd varied from 1/2 to 2/1. As the [Nd]/[monomers] varied from 1.0 × 10^?3 to 5.0 × 10^?4, the molecular weight increased from 1.3 × 10⁴ to 2.7 × 10⁴. According to the proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR) and ¹³C‐NMR, it was proved that both microstructures of polybutadiene segments and polyisoprene segments were high cis‐1,4‐configuration. A single glass‐transition temperature was observed in the differential scanning calorimetry curve. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:1858–1863, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

A novel dual stimuli‐responsive thiol‐end‐capped ABC triblock copolymer: synthesis via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer technique,and investigation of its self‐assembly behavior

A novel thermo‐ and pH‐responsive thiol‐end‐capped ABC triblock copolymer, namely poly(acrylic acid)‐block ‐poly(N ‐isopropylacrylamide)‐block ‐poly(? ‐caprolactone)–SH (PAA‐b ‐PNIPAAm‐b ‐PCL‐SH), was synthesized using a combination of ring‐opening polymerization and reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization techniques. The chemical structures of all samples were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared and ¹H NMR spectroscopies. The molecular weight of each segment was investigated using both ¹H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The self‐assembly behavior of the PAA‐b ‐PNIPAAm‐b ‐PCL‐SH triblock copolymer under thermal and pH stimuli was fully investigated by means of fluorescence and UV–visible spectroscopies as well as dynamic light scattering measurements. The critical micelle concentration for the synthesized triblock copolymer was determined to be 0.0178 g L^?1 using the fluorescence probe technique. The average size of PAA‐b ‐PNIPAAm‐b ‐PCL‐SH micelles was determined to be 25 nm using transmission electron microscopy observations, and its lower critical solution temperature was determined to be 41–43 °C using UV–visible spectroscopy. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

Studies on the microstructure of vinyl/N‐phenylmaleimide copolymers by NMR and their applications

The micro‐ and stereostructures and sequence distribution of methyl methacrylate (MMA)/N‐phenylmaleimide (PMI) and styrene (St)–PMI copolymers were studied in detail with NMR spectroscopy. The MMA–PMI copolymer was in a random sequence distribution and the St–PMI copolymer was alternating in structure. Some micro‐ and stereoinformation of the MMA–PMI copolymers could be obtained from ¹H‐NMR spectra. The average number sequence length obtained from the copolymer triad by ¹³C‐NMR spectra was in agreement with that calculated from the reactivity ratios measured by an elemental analyzer. From the triad fraction of the copolymer measured by ¹³C‐NMR, the copolymer chain of MMA–PMI was proved to be a one‐order Markov chain. More suitable propagation reactions were proposed from the deviation of sequence distribution of the St–PMI copolymer. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2581–2587, 2000     

Synthesis and characterization of novel photo‐crosslinkable fluorinated poly(phthalazinone ether)s for optical waveguides

A series of novel photo‐crosslinkable fluorinated poly(phthalazinone ether)s containing 1,1‐diphenylethylene segments in the polymer main chain, used for optical waveguide materials, were synthesized by polycondensation reaction of decafluorobiphenyl with a mixture of 4‐(4‐hydroxylphenyl)(2H)‐phthalazin‐1‐one (DHPZ), 4,4‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphenol and 1,1‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)ethylene (BHPE) as co‐reactant. The feed ratio of DHPZ to total bisphenols varied from 0 to 80 mol%, while that of BHPE remained at 20 mol% for all polymers. The obtained copolymers show good solubility in some common polar organic solvents. The resulting polymers were photo‐crosslinked after UV irradiation for 10 min in the presence of a photoinitiator. The cured polymers show good chemical resistance, high thermal stability (temperatures of 1% mass loss after curing of 472–496 °C under nitrogen) and high glass transition temperatures (160–249 °C) which could be further increased by about 10 °C after photochemical crosslinking. By adjusting the copolymerizing bisphenol content, the refractive indices of transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes (at 1550 nm) of films of the polymers were exactly tuned in the range 1.5029–1.5661 and 1.4950–1.5502, respectively. The propagation losses of the cured films were measured and found to be less than 0.3 dB cm^?1 at 1550 nm, indicating the promise of these materials for passive optical waveguide devices. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Development of optical grade (TbxY1−x)3Al5O12 ceramics as Faraday rotator material

Super full dense (Tb_xY_1?x)₃Al₅O₁₂ (x=0.5‐1.0) ceramics with optical grade (pore‐free) were successfully produced by solid‐state reaction between Tb₄O₇ and Al₂O₃ raw powders. Transparent sintered bodies were obtained by sintering at 1720°C for 5 hours in vacuum furnace. By additional HIP treatment, optical scattering centers were effectively removed, and finally the optical quality of the sintered bodies was improved to optical grade. Optical loss of the obtained samples at 1064 nm was approximately 0.1%/cm, and optically inhomogeneous parts were not observed inside the materials. Gaussian mode laser beam quality was not deteriorated after passing through the sample. Transmitted wavefront distortion inspected by interferometry was as excellent as λ/12. Verdet constant increased with an increase of Tb content in the garnet composition. When x=1.0, the Verdet constant was 307, 196, and 60 rad T^?1 m^?1 for 532, 633, and 1064 nm, respectively, at each measuring wavelength. These values were about 1.5 times higher than that of the commercially available TGG (Tb₃Ga₃O₁₂) crystal. Insertion loss of the produced (Tb_0.6Y_0.4)₃Al₅O₁₂ and TAG ceramics at 1064 nm was 0.01 and 0.05 dB, respectively, and extinction ratio was 39.5 and 40.3 dB, respectively. These properties were superior to that of the commercial high‐quality TGG single crystal (insertion loss: 0.05 dB, extinction ratio: 35.0 dB).     

TPA‐PPEs – New alternating donor copolymers for potential application in photovoltaic devices

A series of phenyleneethynylene copolymers with triphenylamine units as hole‐transporting moieties (TPA‐PPEs) were synthesized by the palladium‐catalyzed cross‐coupling polycondensation of diethynyltriphenylamines and selected dihalogen comonomers, for instance substituted benzene, thiophene, benzothiadiazole, or anthracene. Incorporation of the electron‐rich amino group into the PPE backbone does not interrupt the main chain conjugation. Furthermore, it has a decreasing effect on the oxidation potential, thus makes these polymers interesting as hole‐injection/hole‐transporting materials. The chemical structure of the new alternating copolymers was confirmed by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis and gel‐permeation chromatography (GPC; THF, M_n ≈ 15,000–30,000 g/mol) was conducted. Furthermore, their optical properties were investigated by UV/vis spectroscopy. The TPA‐PPEs exhibit absorption maxima at around 400 nm (π‐π*), except anthracene containing copolymer 3f (λ_max = 514 nm in THF) and benzothiadiazole containing one 3g (λ_max = 503 nm in THF). The TPA copolymers have oxidation potentials about 1.1 V (Ag/AgCl). They are good photoconducting materials ( 3a : I_Photo = 4 × 10^?10 A at 425 nm (400 V), 3g : I_Photo = 1.3 × 10^?11 A at λ_max = 500 nm (20 V)) and show emission after excitation at around 450 nm (560 nm 3f ). Their application in nonoptimized polymer solar cells (bulk heterojunction) led to power conversion efficiencies of around 1–1.8% after illumination with 100 mW/cm² of AM1.5. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis,characterization, and thermo‐optical properties of azobenzene polyurethane containing chiral units

An optically active levoazobenzene polyurethane (PU) was synthesized and was based on the chromophore 4‐(4′‐nitrophenylazo) phenylamine, the chiral reagent L (?)‐tartaric acid, and toluene diisocyanate. The chemical structure and thermal properties were characterized by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The PU had high number‐ and weight‐average molecular weights up to 52 300, a large glass‐transition temperature of 235.7°C, and an optical rotation of ?18.06°, The optical parameters, including the refractive index (n) and thermo‐optic coefficient (dn/dT); the dielectric constant (?) and its variation with temperature; and the thermal volume expansion coefficient and its variation with temperature of PU were obtained. The dn/dT and ? values for the polymer were in the range ?4.1200 to 3.6257 × 10^?4 °C^?1 and 2.00 ± 0.11, respectively. The dn/dT values were one order of magnitude larger than those of inorganic glasses, such as zinc silicate glass (5.5 × 10^?6 °C^?1) and borosilicate glass (4.1 × 10^?6 °C^?1), and were larger than organic materials, such as polystyrene (?1.23 × 10^?4 °C^?1) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (?1.20 × 10^?4 °C^?1). The ? values were lower than that of alicyclic polyimide and semiaromatic polyimide. The obtained PU is expected to be useful for optical switching and optical waveguide areas. The conclusion has a little significance for the development of a new digital optical switch. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Vinyl‐type homo‐ and copolymerization of norbornene catalyzed by bis(phenoxyimine) titanium complex

A ternary catalytic system consisting of a bis(phenoxyimine) titanium complex, triisobutylaluminium and an organoboron compound exhibited high activity in the vinyl‐type homopolymerization of norbornene. The obtained polynorbornene showed a modest molecular weight (M _n ≈ 5 × 10⁴ g mol^?1) and broad molecular weight distribution (polydispersity index ≈ 3.5). A copolymer of norbornene with 1,3‐butadiene was prepared using a binary catalytic system consisting of bis(phenoxyimine) titanium complex and triisobutylaluminium. The norbornene units in the copolymer adopted a vinyl‐type addition structure confirmed using distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer 135 ¹³C NMR microstructure analyses. Polymerization kinetics studies showed that neither monomer feed ratio nor conversion had an effect on the composition of the copolymer backbone which was composed of 55% norbornene units and 45% 1,3‐butadiene units. The essentially constant polymer composition implied an alternating nature of chain propagation. The copolymer exhibited good thermal stability and moderate glass transition temperature (50.9–68.2 °C) with a relatively high molecular weight (M _w = 0.18 × 10–1.31 × 10⁵ g mol^?1), and excellent transparency (maximal transmittance >80%). © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis, characterization, photoluminescent, and electroluminescent properties of poly(biphenylenevinylene-alt-methoxyoctyloxyphenylenevinylene)

Poly(biphenylenevinylene-alt-2-methoxy-5-octyloxy-1,4-phenylene-vinylene) (PBPV-alt-MOPPV) has been designed and synthesized by Wittig polymerization. Structure, thermal stability, optical, and electrochemical properties of the resulting copolymer were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, elemental analysis, GPC, DSC, TGA, UV–Vis, PL, EL, and CV. The copolymer possessed excellent solubility in common organic solvents and good thermal stability. The absorption maxima of copolymer in solution and thin film were at 440 and 450 nm, the PL maxima in solution and thin film were at 510 and 550 nm. The PLED (ITO/PEDOT: PSS (40 nm)/polymer (80 nm)/Ca (30 nm)/Al (150 nm) showed a yellowgreen light emission around 530 nm. The maximum brightness and luminescence efficiency reached up to 1,450 cd m^?2, 0.12 cd A^?1, and 0.06 lm w^?1, respectively.     

Synthesis,characterization and properties of functionalized styrene–maleimide copolymers

New functionalized styrene–maleimide copolymers were prepared by free radical copolymerization of styrene (St) and N‐4‐carboxybutylmaleimide (NBMI) in chloroform, using 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator. Monomer and copolymer characterization was carried out by ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR. Copolymer composition was determined by elemental analysis and Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The glass transition temperature (from DSC) and the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the copolymers were consistent with the thermal behavior and stability observed for alternating St–maleimide copolymers. St–NBMI copolymers crosslinked with divinylbenzene (DVB) were also synthesized and their cation exchange properties evaluated in order to assess the capacity of the new copolymers to bind metallic ions. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Copolymerization of styrene and maleic anhydride in supercritical carbon dioxide

The copolymerization of styrene (St) and maleic anhydride (MA) was carried out in supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO₂). It was found that St and MA are easy to copolymerize in SC CO₂ and the conversion can reach 97%, and that very fine and dry powders are obtained. The products were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). GPC data showed that the molecular weight of the copolymer reach 3.62 × 10⁴ g mol^?1. Scanning electron microphotographs showed the minimum particle size of the product is about 200 nm. DSC measurements indicated that the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the copolymer increases with increasing the MA content in the copolymer. TGA curve showed that the copolymers were decomposed at about 350°C. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007