Evaluation of maleic acid-based copolymers containing polyoxyethylene ether as inhibitors for CaCO3 scale

Polymer scale inhibitors have been widely used to reduce the loss caused by mineral scaling in circulating cooling water systems. In this article, four maleic acid-based copolymers [hydrolyzed polymaleic anhydride (HPMA)-AEO] containing different fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (such as AEO-9, AEO-10, AEO-15, and AEO-20) are prepared by the way of free-radical copolymerization and characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ¹H NMR, and gel permeation chromatographic (GPC) techniques. The effects of HPMA-AEO on CaCO₃ scale are studied in several aspects (such as dose, Ca²⁺ concentration, temperature, inhibition time, pH, the ratio of EO:carboxyl, and the relative supersaturation of CaCO₃ solution) by static experiments. The CaCO₃ scaling process with dosing of HPMA-AEO-9 is investigated under dynamic tests. CaCO₃ deposits and precipitate in the presence of HPMA-AEO-9 are analyzed using scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the performance of HPMA-AEO against CaCO₃ scale highly depends upon the ratio of EO:carboxyl; the introduction of AEO group can significantly improve the performance of HPMA-AEO to tolerate high alkalinity, high hardness, and high temperature; the presence of HPMA-AEO-9 can obviously affect the CaCO₃ scaling process on the tube wall through interfering with nucleation process and crystal growth process and significantly alter the surface morphology and crystal form of CaCO₃ deposits. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47470     

The role of an interfacial interpenetrating polymer network formation on the adhesion of resin composite layers in immediate dentin sealing

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of chemical and physical processes at the resin-composite and composite-cement interface as a function of the resin composite's water exposure on the bond strength (BS) between these two components. The free-radical concentration was studied using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), while the chemical changes at the resin composite's surface were studied using attenuated total-reflection FTIR spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The free-radical concentration in the studied samples dropped to 10% in 24 h, indicating that prolonged BS values do not correlate with the free-radical concentration. An alternative bonding mechanism between the resin composite and the composite cement was proposed, based on the formation of an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) layer at the interface. As proven using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, changes occurred at the resin composite's surface as a consequence of water exposure, comprising the diffusion of water molecules into the resin composite. These changes reduced the diffusion rate of the composite cement's phosphorus-containing monomers into the resin composite, as shown by the linescan SEM-EDS analysis of phosphorus, thus reducing the thickness of the IPN layer at the interface and consequently reducing the BS between both components.This study reveals that the concentration of free radicals at the surface of the resin composite is only relevant immediately after the polymerisation to the bond strength between the resin composite and the composite cement. Therefore, an alternative explanation is given by applying the theory of the formation of a gradient IPN at the interface between the resin composite and the adhesive cement by changes in the rate of diffusion of the adhesive cement's monomers into the resin composite as a function of the resin composite's exposure to water.     

聚合物类反相破乳剂研究现状

根据带电性的不同,聚合物类反相破乳剂可以分为阳离子、阴离子、非离子型。本文主要针对油田含油污水处理用聚合物类反相破乳剂进行综述,分析了不同类型反相破乳剂的合成途径以及应用效果。     

Poly(2,5-Dihydroxy-1,4-Benzoquinonyl Sulfide) As an Efficient Cathode for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc–Organic Batteries

Aqueous rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have attracted considerable attention as a promising candidate for low-cost and high-safety electrochemical energy storage. However, the advancement of ZIBs is strongly hindered by the sluggish ionic diffusion and structural instability of inorganic metal oxide cathode materials during the Zn²⁺ insertion/extraction. To address these issues, a new organic host material, poly(2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinonyl sulfide) (PDBS), has been designed and applied for zinc ion storage due to its elastic structural factors (tunable space and soft lattice). The aqueous Zn-organic batteries based on the PDBS cathode show outstanding cycling stability and rate capability. The coordination moieties (O and S) display the strong electron donor character during the discharging process and can act as the coordination arms to host Zn²⁺. Also, under the electrochemical environment, the malleable polymer structure of PDBS permits the rotation and bending of polymer chains to facilitate the insertion/extraction of Zn²⁺, manifesting the superiority and uniqueness of organic electrode materials in the polyvalent cation storage. Finally, quasi-solid-state batteries based on aqueous gel electrolyte demonstrate highly stable capacity under different bending conditions.     

The crosslinking directing dynamic behavior of polymer latex under the investigation toward waterborne damping coatings

Latex polymers with precisely designed dynamic mechanical behavior are the key for waterborne damping coatings, which are widely desired in noise and vibration reduction with additional environmental benefits. In this work, we synthesized series of polymer latexes with various crosslinking agents (CA) and network distributions through the control on emulsion polymerization processes. We have revealed that the variation on crosslinking can significantly direct the latex behavior under dynamic conditions as well as its films. The variables involve the CA composition, the functionality, the crosslinking manner, the hydrophilic-hydrophobic feature as well as the feeding method. Although all the latex films showed the damping peaks locating in the range from −10 to 70°C, their damping behaviors were quite different. Suggested by the empirical parameters of LA and TA, the product from sequential monomer feeding method tended to give good extensional damping performance. Especially when the crosslinking of diacetone acrylamide (DAAM)/adipic dihydrazide was applied, there was a linear increase on LA with the increasing dosage of DAAM from 0 to 10 mmol in the final monomer addition batch. Meanwhile, good constrained layer damping is expected on the products from the power monomer feeding method with the maximum CA dosage shown below 7.5 mmol. The best TA was achieved when the CA of divinylbenzene was used in the dosage of 5 mmol. These results would be valuable to be referenced in the engineering on organic damping materials toward modern industrial and vehicles applications.     

Degradation studies of epoxy coatings on printed circuit boards after pressure cooker test

The present work focuses on the investigation of the degradation of screen-printed epoxy coatings on printed circuit boards under multiple corrosion loads realized by the pressure cooker test (PCT). Since methods like the common mechanical shear strength tests are destructive and limited in information, the authors' approach used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to study the change of their electrochemical behavior and the state of degradation. Complementarily, the Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the possible molecular change of the polymer due to the exposition. The experiments were carried out after different times of load. It could be shown that the complex conditions of the PCT initiate a controversial mechanism. The harsh corrosion load already results in a degradation of the polymer after 8 h but simultaneously the enhanced test temperature leads to ongoing curing processes consuming the remaining parts of resin and curing agents. As a result, the degradation kinetic seems to be delayed and after the test time of 96 h, the epoxy is less degraded than it was expected based on the results after a shorter time exposition.     

分子模拟技术在聚合物驱油中的应用研究进展

聚合物驱油已成为老油田必要的提高采收率方法之一,但是其聚合物在地下驱油的流动机理难以明确。区别于传统实验,分子模拟技术从微观角度上在计算机上进行建模仿真-计算机实验,不仅弥补宏观实验和理论之间的空白,还具有研发周期短、低成本和低风险的优点。该研究方法具有较高灵活度,可满足复杂地层的极端条件,抵消实验和理论上的过度简化,以接近实际储层情况进行研究,甚至开展一些无法完成的实验。由于该技术的出现,探索机理的研究方法不仅多了一种,还增添了可以佐证实验与理论的工具。本文综述了分子模拟技术在油田聚合物驱油中的应用,对在聚合物驱油剂研发和黏弹驱油机理探讨两方面分别进行了阐述,揭示该技术提高聚合物驱油采收率的辅助作用。     

Configurational Isomers Induced Significant Difference in All-Polymer Solar Cells

The design of polymer acceptors plays an essential role in the performance of all-polymer solar cells. Recently, the strategy of polymerized small molecules has achieved great success, but most polymers are synthesized from the mixed monomers, which seriously affects batch-to-batch reproducibility. Here, a method to separate γ-Br-IC or δ-Br-IC in gram scale and apply the strategy of monomer configurational control in which two isomeric polymeric acceptors (PBTIC-γ-2F2T and PBTIC-δ-2F2T) are produced is reported. As a comparison, PBTIC-m-2F2T from the mixed monomers is also synthesized. The γ-position based polymer (PBTIC-γ-2F2T) shows good solubility and achieves the best power conversion efficiency of 14.34% with a high open-circuit voltage of 0.95 V when blended with PM6, which is among the highest values recorded to date, while the δ-position based isomer (PBTIC-δ-2F2T) is insoluble and cannot be processed after parallel polymerization. The mixed-isomers based polymer, PBTIC-m-2F2T, shows better processing capability but has a low efficiency of 3.26%. Further investigation shows that precise control of configuration helps to improve the regularity of the polymer chain and reduce the π–π stacking distance. These results demonstrate that the configurational control affords a promising strategy to achieve high-performance polymer acceptors.     

Stable Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells Using Hyperbranched Polymer Electrolyte

The choice of an adequate electrolyte is a fundamental aspect in polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells (PLECs) as it provides the in situ electrochemical doping and influences the performance of these devices. In this study, a hyperbranched polymer (Hybrane DEO750 8500) blended with a Li salt is used as a novel electrolyte in state-of-the-art Super Yellow (a polyphenylenevinylene) based LECs. Due to the desirable properties of the hyperbranched polymer and the homogeneous and smooth films that it forms with the emitting polymer, PLEC with excellent electroluminescent properties are obtained using a pulsed current bias scheme. The devices are very stable, with lifetimes in excess of 2000 h with initial luminance values above 450 cd m⁻², a peak efficiency of 12.6 lm W⁻¹, and sub-minute turn-on times. The stability of the devices is also studied by measuring the photoluminescence (PL) of the semiconductor during electroluminescent operation. The findings suggest that it is possible to observe the quenching of the PL in vertically stacked devices due to the advancement of the doped fronts in the film and an immediate PL recovery when the bias is removed.     

A review on anion exchange membranes for fuel cells: Anion-exchange polyelectrolytes and synthesis strategies

The energy distribution of the world is in a critical transition from traditional fossil fuel to new clean energy. Actually, the fuel cell is favored by researchers as an efficient and clean energy conversion equipment. The anion exchange membranes (AEMs) with excellent performance and long service life will become the development trend of alkaline fuel cells in the future. Compared with proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), its advantages of affordable price, work safety, and non-precious metal participation are widely favored by researchers. This paper reviews the performance of characteristics, synthesis methods, modification methods, and alkaline stability protection of anion-exchange polyelectrolytes (AEPs), and the current research and development status of AEPs used in AEMs are summarized. The evaluation and comparison of different types of AEPs and AEMs based on different AEPs are put forward. This review is expected to further deepen the understanding of AEPs in AEMFC.