Comparison of thermal,thermomechanical, and rheological properties of blends of divinylbenzene-based hyperbranched and linear functionalized polymers

A range of polymer blends were prepared via a solvent-based film casting process using highly/hyperbranched (HB) polydivinylbenzenes (PDVB) polymers of two different molecular weights, linear functionalized (LF), hydrogenated hyperbranched (H-HB2) PDVB, and linear polystyrene (LP). The thermal, thermomechanical, and rheological properties of the pure polymers and blends were then investigated and the results related to the concentration of “branched” polymer in the blend and the level of branching/polymer end groups present in the “branched” polymers used. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis revealed an increase of the glass transition temperature (T_g) for the blends containing the nonhydrogenated HBs (~108 °C compared to ~102 °C for LP), which was attributed to crosslinking via the unsaturated reactive chain end/pendant groups in the HB ( CHCH₂). In contrast at the blends, containing the hydrogenated polymers H-HB2, exhibited the same T_g as LP (~102°C) due to absence of crosslinking from the (H-HB2) polymer. As the unsaturated HBs were found to be thermally curable, curing temperature rheology measurements were carried out employing a temperature ramp. No specific T_gel (the temperature at which HB gets crosslinked) was identified for LP-HB1 and LP-HB2 blends, which might be suggested to be due to the fact that both chain entanglement from linear polystyrene. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48547.     

A high temperature polymer of phthalonitrile‐substituted phosphazene with low melting point and good thermal stability

A phthalonitrile‐substituted phosphonitrilic monomer has been synthesized from phosphonitrilic chloride trimer and then polymerized with addition of 4‐(hydroxylphenoxy)phthalonitrile (HPPN). The chemical structures of the phosphonitrilic monomer and polymer were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) and proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR). Curing behaviors and thermal stabilities of the polymer were investigated through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Analysis showed that the monomer has large processing temperature window and good thermal stability. Apparent activation energy, initial curing temperature (T_i), curing temperature (T_p), and termination curing temperature (T_f) of the phosphonitrilic polymer were explored. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), glass transition temperature (T_g) were studied, and limiting oxygen index (LOI) were estimated from the van Krevelen equation, which indicates the polymer process high modulus and good flame retardance. Micro‐scale combustion calorimetry (MCC) was also used for evaluating the flammability of the polymers. Postcuring effects were explored, showing excellent thermal and mechanical properties with postcuring. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42606.     

Structural and mechanical properties of polybutadiene-containing polyurethanes

A series of segmented polyurethanes based on hydroxylterminated polybutadienes (HTPBD) and their hydrogenated derivatives (HYPBD) has been synthesized. Thermal, mechanical, and spectroscopic studies were carried out over a wide temperature range to elucidate the structure-property relationships existing in these polymers. Both thermal and dynamic mechanical response showed a soft segment T_g at ?74°C for the unsaturated polyurethanes and at ?69°C for the hydrogenated samples. In addition, two hard segment transitions are observed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at 40 and 75°C and a softening region by thermal mechanical analysis (TMA) at 190°C. The low T_g, very close to that of the free HTPBD and HYPBD and independent of hard segment content, indicated that these polymers were well phase separated. Results of infrared analysis revealed that at room temperature, 90-95 percent of the urethane N-H groups formed hydrogen bonds. Since hydrogen bonding resides only within the hard segment domain in these butadiene-containing polyurethanes the extent of H-bonding served as additional evidence for nearly complete phase segregation. From dynamic mechanical studies, the plateau modulus above the soft segment T_g and stress-strain behavior depended upon the concentration of hard segments. A slight increase in the modulus, a moderate increase in stress (σ_b), and decrease in elongation accompanied a higher hard segment content. The thermal and mechanical response of these polyurethanes appears to be consistent with behavior observed for other phase segregated systems. Variations in behavior resulting from hydrogenation of the precursor prepolymer are discussed.     

Homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of natural rubber using RhCl(PPh3)3

Hydrogenation is an important method of chemical modification, which improves the physical, chemical, and thermal properties of diene elastomers. It is also a useful method for preparation of polymers with unusual monomer sequences. Natural rubber (NR) could be quantitatively hydrogenated to a strictly alternating ethylene-propylene copolymer using a homogeneous RhCl(PPh₃)₃ catalyst. The effect of concentration of rubber, catalyst and triphenyl phosphine, temperature, pressure, and solvent on the course of hydrogenation were evaluated. The thermal properties of the hydrogenated NR are compared with NR. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Appl Polym Sci 66: 1647–1652, 1997     

Preparation and electro‐optic properties of novel Y‐type polyimides with highly enhanced thermal stability of second harmonic generation

BACKGROUND: In the development of nonlinear optical (NLO) polymers for electro‐optic device applications, stabilization of electrically induced dipole alignment is one of the important criteria. Polyimides for NLO applications have attracted attention because of their high T_g values and high thermal stability. In this work we designed and synthesized a new type of NLO polyimide, in which the pendant NLO chromophores are parts of the polymer backbone. These mid‐type NLO polymers are expected to have the merits of both main‐chain and side‐chain NLO polymers: stabilization of dipole alignment and good solubility. RESULTS: 3,4‐Bis‐(3,4‐dicarboxyphenylcarboxyethoxy)‐4′‐nitrostilbene dianhydride was prepared and reacted with the corresponding aromatic diamine to yield unprecedented Y‐type polyimides containing 3,4‐dioxynitrostilbenyl groups as NLO chromophores, which constituted parts of the polymer backbones. The resulting polyimides are soluble in polar solvents such as dimethylformamide and dimethylsulfoxide. These polymers showed a thermal stability up to 320 °C in thermogravimetric thermograms with T_g values obtained from differential scanning calorimetry thermograms in the range 143–164 °C. The second harmonic generation (SHG) coefficients (d₃₃) of poled polymer films at the 1064 nm^?1 fundamental wavelength were around 9.45 × 10^?18 C. CONCLUSION: The dipole alignment exhibited exceptionally high thermal stability even at 30 °C higher than T_g. There was no SHG decay below 180–190 °C because of the partial main‐chain character of the polymer structure, which is acceptable for NLO device applications. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and properties of hydrogenated natural rubber

A series of hydrogenated natural rubbers, HNRs, were prepared by homogenous hydrogenation using H₂ gas with a rhodium catalyst (chlorotris(triphenylphosphine)rhodium) in toluene. The HNRs were linear polymers with molecular weights greater than 800,000. These rubbers were vulcanized using sulfur and peroxide compounds. Vulcanized 100% HNR has a low glass transition temperature (T_g = ?43°C) and excellent abrasion resistance, and is resistant to oxidation and ozonolysis ageing. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 3957–3963, 2007     

Synthesis of branched benzoxazine monomers with high molecular mass,wide processing window,and properties of corresponding polybenzoxazines

Four cyclotriphosphazene‐based benzoxazine monomers (I, II, III, and IV) with relatively high molecular weight were synthesized by a nucleophilic substitution reaction, and their chemical structures were confirmed by ¹H‐NMR and ³¹P‐NMR. A new term, oxazine value (OV, similar to epoxy value), was first proposed to explain the structure–property relationship of the cured polymers. The polymerization behaviors of the four monomers were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The maximum exothermic peaks of the four monomers are in the range 244–248 °C. All monomers possess a wide processing window despite their high molecular weight. The thermal stability, glass‐transition temperature (T_g), and mechanical properties of each cured polymer were studied by thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The char yield at 850 °C, T_g, and storage moduli of PIV (polybenzoxazine obtained from monomer IV) are 60.0%, 218 °C, and 9.0 GPa, respectively. The surface property and humidity absorption character of the cured polybenzoxazines were also studied. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44453.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel poly(phenylene sulfide) containing a chromophore in the main chain

A kind of novel poly(phenylene sulfide)s (PPSs) containing a chromophore group were synthesized by the reaction of dihalogenated monomer and sodium sulfide (Na₂S.xH₂O) via nucleophilic substitution polymerization under high pressure. The polymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, XRD, DSC, TGA, mechanical testing and dissolvability experiments. The intrinsic viscosity of the polymers obtained with optimum synthesis conditions was 0.22 ? 0.38 dl g^?1 (measured in 1‐chloronaphthalene at 208 °C). These polymers were found to have good thermal performance with a glass transition temperature (T_g) of 90.5 ? 94.6 °C and initial degradation temperature (T_d) of 475–489 °C, showing improved thermal properties compared with homo‐PPS. At the same time the resultant resins had a high tensile strength of 67.5 ? 74.1 MPa and compressive strength of 70.7 ? 85.4 MPa. Additionally, these polymers exhibited a weak UV ? visible reflectivity minimum at 450–570 nm, and the fluorescence spectra of the polymers showed maximum emission around nearly 370 nm. Also they showed excellent chemical resistance and another special property ? bright shiny colors changed into different colors in acid solution. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis of poly(2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene) and its hydrogenation using a metallocene/n-butyllithium catalyst system

Poly(2,3-Dimethyl-1,3-butadiene) (PDMB) with varying contents of 1,4-and 1,2-structures has been anionically synthesized using either n-butyllithium or sec-butyllithium as an initiator. The addition of tetrahydrofuran could enhance the rate of synthesis and effect the microstructure. The T_m was higher for PDMB with a lower content of 1,2-structure, and the T_g was lower. This PDMB was then hydrogenated with a nickelocene/n-butyllithium catalyst system leading to the formation of HPDMB. The trans 1,4-structure unit was more difficult to hydrogenate due to its steric hindrance. Repetitive hydrogenation was necessary in order to achieve a high degree of hydrogenation. The hydrogenated PDMB is an amorphous elastomeric material. The T_g’s were found to decrease with an increase in the degree of hydrogenation, concurrent with a gradual disappearance of the T_m’s. Since a HPDMS with a low content of 1,2-structure resembles a head-to-head polypropylene, our data suggest that the T_g of an atactic head-to-head polypropylene lie between −30 and −35 °C.     

Nucleophilic Displacement Polymerlzation of N,N'-BIS(p-Chlorobenzylidine)-4, 4'-Diaminodiphenyl Ether with Sodium Sulfide

A novel poly(Schiff-base sulfide) polymer was synthesized by nucle-ophilic displacement polymerization of N,N'-bis(p-chlorobenzylidine)-4, 4'-diaminodiphenyl ether with sodium sulfide in anhydrous condition. The resulting polymer was soluble in some aprotic solvents having inherent viscosity of 0.18 dL/g in dimethylacetamide at 30°C. The monomer and the polymer were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared, and ¹H NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy. The thermal characteristics of the polymer were also studied by thermo-gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The temperature of 10% weight loss, glass transition temperature (T _g). and crystalline melting point (T _m) of the polymer were found to be 420, 91.89, and 38575°C respectively.     

Green analogs of polybutadienes from carbon dioxide and epoxy-based feedstocks

Polybutadiene has widespread use as a commodity as well as a specialty polymer, but currently, it is prepared from non-renewable feedstocks. Herein, we report the synthesis of rubbery unsaturated polycarbonates (RUPCs) as green alternatives for polybutadiene. We prepared two RUPCs (respectively, denoted as RUPC1 and RUPC2) via the copolymerization of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and a mixture of saturated and unsaturated long-chain epoxides using a Co(III) catalyst. The RUPCs were reacted with a styrene monomer via free-radical polymerization to prepare RUPC-graft-Polystyrene. All of the prepared polymers were characterized by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. For RUPC, the number average molecular weight (M_n) increased by three-fold after the grafting reaction. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis confirmed that the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the RUPCs were low (~ −40°C) and approached those of polybutadienes. After polystyrene chains had been grafted onto the RUPC backbone, the T_g increased to 81°C. These green RUPCs have the potential to replace non-renewable polybutadiene in some applications such as high impact materials.     

High-quality N-substituted maleimide for heat-resistant methacrylic resin

A preparation procedure for colorless, transparent N-substituted maleimide of high quality which can provide heat-resistant transparent methacryl resins was developed. N-Alkylmaleimide, the alkyl substituent of which was composed of 2 to 4 carbons, is employed, giving a polymer with enhanced heat distortion temperature (HDT) because of the higher T_g. The advantages of relatively low melting points and high vapor pressure of N-alkylmaleimide can be used for the preparation of a high-quality product with purification of the monomer by distillation. N-Isopropylmaleimide (IPMI), which fulfills these requirements, is especially useful as a monomer for transparent resins. IPMI was synthesized in a high-yield using a mixture of orthophosphoric acid and orthophosphoric acid-isopropylamine salt as catalyst. IPMI, the purity of which is 99.9 wt % or above, contains 100–200 ppm of N-isopropylmaleamic acid, maleic anhydride, dimethylmaleic anhydride, solvent, and water. IPMI, which solidifies at 25.8°C, is obtained as a colorless liquid and is freely soluble in common monomers such as methyl methacrylate (MMA), styrene (St), and acrylonitrile (AN). The obtained IPMI showed excellent thermal stability, and no quality change was observed after heating for 100 h at 50°C. The copolymer of MMA and IPMI exhibited the same YI value as a measure of coloration, and almost the same transparency as the homopolymer of MMA. An increase in IPMI content in the copolymer by 1 mol % increased the polymer T_g by 0.8°C. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 63: 1055–1062, 1997     

Thermoplastic elastomeric hydrogenated styrene-butadiene elastomer: Optimization of reaction conditions,thermodynamics, and kinetics

Thermoplastic elastomeric hydrogenated styrene—butadiene (HSBR) elastomer was prepared by diimide reduction of styrene-butadiene rubber in the latex stage. The products were characterized by infrared, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The standard free energy change, ΔG⁰ at 298°K is −44.7 × 10⁴ kJ/mol, indicating that the formation of HSBR is thermodynamically feasible. The value of heat change of the reaction at constant volume, ΔU_T is −41.6 × 10⁴ kJ/mol. The effect of different reaction parameters on the level of hydrogenation, calculated from nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, was also investigated. The degree of hydrogenation increases with the increase in reaction time, temperature, the concentration of reactants and catalyst. A maximum of 94% hydrogenation was obtained under the following conditions: time, 4 h; temperature, 45 ± 2°C; pH, 9.36; cupric sulphate (CuSO₄ · 5H₂O) catalyst concentration, 0.0064 mmol; hydrazine concentration, 0.20 mol; and hydrogen peroxide concentration, 0.26 mol. The diimide reduction of SBR is first-order with respect to olefinic substrate, and the apparent activation energy is 9.5 kJ/mol. The glass transition temperature increases with the increase in saturation level due to development of crystalline segments. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 66: 1151–1162, 1997     

Properties of films obtained by UV-curing 4,4'-hexafluoroisopropylidenediphenoldihydroxyethylether diacrylate and its mixtures with the hydrogenated homologue

A new ultraviolet (UV)-curable acrylic monomer, 4,4'-hexafluoroisopropylidene-diphenoldihydroxyethylether diacrylate, was synthesized: it was cured as a film and its properties compared with those of its fully hydrogenated homologue. The introduction of two CF₃groups into the monomer did not change its reactivity in the UV-curing reaction, but increased the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the cured polymeric film, decreased its refractive index (n), and lowered its surface tension. The fluorinated and the hydrogenated monomers were completely miscible and give homogeneous films: the T_g and n values were found linearly dependent on the fluorinated monomer content. The surface properties were deeply influenced by the presence of fluorine; a surface enrichment of the fluorinated monomer was evidenced by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses on the surfaces of the films obtained from mixtures of the two monomers. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 63: 979–983, 1997     

Accelerant‐promoted free radical polymerization of methacrylates by stabilized nitroxide unimolecular initiators: synthesis and characterization

BACKGROUND: This investigation evaluates the effectiveness of initiator adducts for living and controlled polymerization of methacrylates, crosslinking of dimethacrylates and thermal stabilities of the resulting polymers. Adducts of 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyloxy with benzoyl peroxide and with azobisisobutyronitrile were prepared and evaluated as stabilized unimolecular initiators for the free radical polymerization of methacrylate monomers using sulfuric acid as catalyst. The monomers used were methyl methacrylate, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) and ethoxylated bisphenol A dimethacrylate (EBPADMA). RESULTS: Successful polymerization was achieved at 70 and 130 °C with reaction times ranging from 45 min to 120 h. The dispersity (D) of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was 1.09–1.28. The livingness and extent of control over polymerization were confirmed with plots of M_n evolution as a function of monomer conversion and of the first‐order kinetics. The glass transition temperature (T_g) for PMMA was 123–128 °C. The degradation temperature (T_d) for PMMA was 350–410 °C. T_d for poly(TEGMA) was 250–310 °C and for poly(EBPADMA) was 320–390 °C. CONCLUSION: The initiators are suitable for free radical living and controlled polymerization of methacrylates and dimethacrylates under mild thermal and acid‐catalyzed conditions, yielding medium to high molecular weight polymers with low dispersity, high crosslinking and good thermal stability. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Reaction and thermal behavior of vitrimer-like polyhydroxy esters based on polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether

Vitrimers-like polyhydroxy esters networks were thermally synthesized from mixtures of the diepoxide monomer diglycidyl ether polyethyleneglycol (DGEPEG), citric (CA), and sebacic acids (SA), using zinc acetate in proportions of 1 to –5 mol%. as catalyst for bond exchange reactions. Reaction of DGEPEG with the acids is exothermic with enthalpy up to 326 J/g and takes place even without any catalyst. The progress of the reaction is reduced as the content of SA is increased in the formulations, but reaction enthalpy in mixtures containing 1% of Zn catalyst is higher than those with 5%mol Zn. These polyhydroxy esters networks are rubber-like materials with T_g varying from −24 to −43°C, with formulations containing SA showing the lowest T_g values. The presence of ester and hydroxyl groups and Zn catalyst in the polymers give rise to exchange reactions similar to those shown by vitrimers. However, the increase in Zn concentration from 1% to 5%, arouses a loss of thermal stability of these materials.     

Dienes and diamondoids: poly(2-[1-adamantyl]-1,3-butadiene) and random copolymers with isoprene via redox-emulsion polymerization and their hydrogenation

A novel route to adamantane substituted diene copolymers is demonstrated using emulsion polymerization, with an improved monomer synthesis. Heterogenous dehydration of 2-(1-adamantyl)-3-buten-2-ol using Amberlyst®-15 cationic exchange resin at ambient temperature gave 2-(1-adamantyl)-1,3-butadiene ( 1 ) in excellent yield and presents an attractive alternative monomer synthesis route. Emulsion polymerization of 1 and mixtures of 1 and isoprene was carried out at room temperature using redox pair, hydroperoxide initiator. All poly( 1 ) and poly( 1 -ran-isoprene) samples were soluble in common organic solvents and exhibited high 1,4-microstructure. A continuous increase in glass transition temperature from −63 to 172°C was observed by increasing the ratio of 1 in the comonomer feed of poly( 1 -ran-isoprene), and T_g values were in good agreement with the Fox equation. After complete hydrogenation to poly(1-vinyladamantane-alt-ethylene-ran-propylene-alt-ethylene), a continuous increase in T_g was observed from −55 to 152°C. The high solubility and improved access to 2-(1-adamantyl)-1,3-butadiene opens the door to exploration of diene polymers with enhanced high temperature properties.     

Additive group contributions to density and glass transition temperature in polyurethanes

The method of additive properties was applied to the density and glass transition temperature, T_g, of linear amorphous polyurethanes. This method assumes that certain polymer properties result from the additive effects of unique constituent group properties and that these group properties are independent of their environment. To determine the component properties, 14 model polyurethanes were synthesized. The polymers contained only the following four groups: urethane, phenylene, methylene, and ether oxygen. The densities and T_g's of these polymers were measured. Using these measured values, the known composition of each polymer, and an appropriate additive from, the molar component properties were calculated using a matrix least-squares simultaneous fit algorithm. An error analysis confirmed that the component values were determined with greater accuracy than literature results. The densities ranged from 1.0 to 1.2 g/cm³ and measured versus predicted densities agreed to within 0.3% on the average. T_g's ranged from ?70°C to 70°C and measured versus predicted T_g's agreed to within 1.3% on the average.     

New soybean oil–styrene–divinylbenzene thermosetting copolymers. I. Synthesis and characterization

The cationic copolymerization of regular soybean oil, low‐saturation soybean oil (LoSatSoy oil), or conjugated LoSatSoy oil with styrene and divinylbenzene initiated by boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BF₃·OEt₂) or related modified initiators provides viable polymers ranging from soft rubbers to hard, tough, or brittle plastics. The gelation time of the reaction varies from 1 × 10² to 2 × 10⁵ s at room temperature. The yields of bulk polymers are essentially quantitative. The amount of crosslinked polymer remaining after Soxhlet extraction ranges from 80 to 92%, depending on the stoichiometry and the type of oil used. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and Soxhlet extraction data indicate that the structure of the resulting bulk polymer is a crosslinked polymer network interpenetrated with some linear or less‐crosslinked triglyceride oil–styrene–divinylbenzene copolymers, a small amount of low molecular weight free oil, and minor amounts of initiator fragments. The bulk polymers possess glass‐transition temperatures ranging from approximately 0 to 105°C, which are comparable to those of commercially available rubbery materials and conventional plastics. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicates that these copolymers are thermally stable under 200°C, with temperatures at 10% weight loss in air (T₁₀) ranging from 312 to 434°C, and temperatures at 50% weight loss in air (T₅₀) ranging from 445 to 480°C. Of the various polymeric materials, the conjugated LoSatSoy oil polymers have the highest glass‐transition temperatures (T_g) and thermal stabilities (T₁₀). The preceding properties that suggest that these soybean oil polymers may prove useful where petroleum‐based polymeric materials have found widespread utility. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 80: 658–670, 2001     

A new addition to the family of polyesters—Synthesis and characterization of novel (alternating) poly(ether ester)s, poly(butylene 3-/4-hydoxy benzoate)s

Novel, predominantly alternating poly(ether ester)s, poly(butylene-3/4-hydroxy benzoate)s (PBHB)s were synthesized by the hydrogenation of the corresponding unsaturated polymers obtained by forming ether and ester linkages under one pot conditions. The ether substitution caused a reduction in glass transition temperature, T_g. The melting transition was also lowered by more than 100°C compared to poly(butylene terephthalate) as studied by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Crystallization was observed during heating as well as cooling in the DSC studies. Wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXRD) analysis also indicated that PB-4-HB was semi-crystalline in nature. The thermal stability of hydrogenated polymer was better than that of the unsaturated polymer.