A polythiophene derivative with dioctyloxyltriphenylamine‐vinylene conjugated side chain: Synthesis,hole mobility,and photovoltaic property

A new polythiophene derivative with dioctyloxyl triphenylamine‐vinylene ( DOTPAV ) conjugated side‐chain, DOTPAV‐PT , was synthesized by the Stille coupling method and characterized by ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, elemental analysis, gel permeation chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The polymer DOTPAV‐PT is soluble in common organic solvents and possesses good thermal stability with 5% weight loss temperature of 310°C. The weight‐average molecular weight of DOTPAV‐PT is 8.0 K with a polydispersity index of 1.24. The hole mobility of the polymer determined from space‐charge‐limited current model was 1.25 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1. The bulk heterojunction polymer solar cell with the configuration of ITO/PEDOT : PSS/polymer : PCBM (1 : 1)/Ca/Al was fabricated, and the power conversion efficiency of the device was 0.16% under the illumination of AM1.5, 100 mW cm^?2. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Dioctylfluorene‐thiophene based conjugated copolymers for bulk heterojunction solar cells and enhanced power conversion efficiency via methanol treatment

Sensible design and synthesis of conjugating polymers is important to the development of polymer solar cells (PSCs). In this work, we synthesized and characterized two dioctylfluorene‐thiophene based conjugated copolymers, PFTDPP and PFTpBT, having different acceptor groups on the backbone. The photovoltaic properties of the copolymers blended with 6,6‐phenyl‐C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC₆₁BM) as an electron acceptor were obtained. The PSC based on a conventional device configuration ITO/PEDOT:PSS/ Polymer:PC₆₁BM/LiF/Al showed power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 2.42% and 3.02% for PFTDPP and PFTpBT, respectively. Methanol treatment was introduced to further optimize device performance, and the solvent treatment gave a dramatic increase in PCE. The best PCEs could reach 4.25% and 4.20% after methanol treatment under AM 1.5G illumination with an intensity of 100 mW cm^?2 from a solar simulator. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

New low bandgap conjugated polymer derived from 2, 7‐carbazole and 5, 6‐bis(octyloxy)‐4, 7‐di(thiophen‐2‐yl) benzothiadiazole: Synthesis and photovoltaic properties

To develop conjugated polymers with low bandgap, deep HOMO level, and good solubility, a new conjugated alternating copolymer PC‐DODTBT based on N‐9′‐heptadecanyl‐2,7‐carbazole and 5, 6‐bis(octyloxy)‐4,7‐di(thiophen‐2‐yl)benzothiadiazole was synthesized by Suzuki cross‐coupling polymerization reaction. The polymer reveals excellent solubility and thermal stability with the decomposition temperature (5% weight loss) of 327°C. The HOMO level of PC‐DODTBT is ‐5.11 eV, indicating that the polymer has relatively deep HOMO level. The hole mobility of PC‐DODTBT as deduced from SCLC method was found to be 2.03 × 10^?4 cm²/Versus Polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on the blends of PC‐DODTBT and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₇₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁BM) with a weight ratio of 1:2.5 were fabricated. Under AM 1.5 (AM, air mass), 100 mW/cm^?2 illumination, the devices were found to exhibit an open‐circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.73 V, short‐circuit current density (J_sc) of 5.63 mA/cm^?2, and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.44%. This photovoltaic performance indicates that the copolymer is promising for polymer solar cells applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Synthesis and electroluminescent properties of a novel copolymer with short alternating conjugated and non‐conjugated blocks

A new electroluminescent copolymer [poly(1,5‐di(3,5‐dimethyloxystyrylene)naphthalene‐block‐tri(ethylene oxide)) (DSN–TEO)], containing alternating rigid, conjugated light‐emitting units and flexible tri(ethylene oxide) ionic conductive units, was synthesized via the Wittig reaction. The polymer has fairly good solubility in chloroform, tetrahydrofuran, toluene, etc, and excellent film‐forming ability. The decomposition temperature and the glass transition temperature were 409 °C and 42.2 °C, respectively. A light‐emitting diode (LED) device with configuration ITO/PEDOT–PSS/DSN–TEO/Ca(Al) and light‐emitting electrochemical cell (LEC) device with ITO/DSN–TEO + PEO (LiTf)/Al were prepared, and the photoluminescence and electroluminescence (EL) properties were investigated. Efficient blue‐green light emission (EL maximum emissive wavelength at 508 nm) was found with onset voltage at 6 V. The maximum light efficiency was 0.107 cd A^?1 at 20 V for LED, and the onset voltage 2.5 V and the maximum light efficiency was 4.2 cd A^?1 at 2.8 V for LEC, respectively. The response time of the LEC was less than 5 s. The EL efficiency of LEC device was improved by 44 as compared with the relative LED device. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Modification of a nicotinic acid functionalized water‐soluble acrylamide sulfonate copolymer for chemically enhanced oil recovery

N,N‐Diallyl nicotinamide (DANA) and acrylic acid (AA) were used to react with acrylamide (AM) and synthesize a novel nicotinic acid functionalized water‐soluble copolymer AM/AA/DANA by redox free‐radical polymerization. Then, the acrylamide/sodium acrylamido methanesulfonate/acrylic acid/N,N‐diallyl nicotinamide (AM/AMS/AA/DANA) was obtained by the introduction of the ? SO₃^? group into AM/AA/DANA after sulfomethylation. The optimal reaction conditions, such as the monomer ratio, initiator concentration, reaction temperature, and pH of the copolymerization or sulfomethylation, were investigated. Both AM/AA/DANA and AM/AMS/AA/DANA were characterized by IR spectroscopy, ¹H‐NMR, scanning electron microscopy, and intrinsic viscosity testing. We found that the AM/AMS/AA/DANA had a remarkable temperature tolerance (120°C, viscosity retention rate = 39.8%), shear tolerance (1000 s^?1, viscosity retention rate = 23.3%), and salt tolerance (10 g/L NaCl, 1.5 g/L MgCl₂, 1.5 g/L CaCl₂, viscosity retention rates = 37.4, 27.5, and 21.6%). In addition, the result of the core flood test showed that the about 13.1% oil recovery could be enhanced by 2.0 g/L AM/AMS/AA/DANA at 70°C. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40165.     

Development of an amperometric biosensor based on a redox‐mediator‐doped polypyrrole film

An amperometric biosensor was developed for the quantitative estimation of phenolic compounds in aqueous media. The enzyme tyrosinase [poly(phenol oxidase) (PPO)] was adsorbed onto a hexacyanoferrate(II)‐ion‐doped conducting polypyrrole (PPY) film deposited on an indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass‐plate support. The PPO activity in the PPO/Fe²⁺‐PPY/ITO film was assayed as a function of the concentration of phenolic compounds. Cyclic voltammetric studies were carried out on this enzyme electrode, and the surface morphology of the enzyme‐immobilized polymer film was studied with scanning electron microscopy. The results of the amperometric response of the PPO/Fe²⁺‐PPY/ITO film showed sensitivities of 0.14, 0.21, and 0.36 A M^?1cm^?2 and linear response ranges of 9.9–84.7, 6.7–72.6, and 3.9–48.8 μM for phenol, catechol, and p‐chlorophenol, respectively. The PPO/Fe²⁺‐PPY/ITO electrode exhibited a response time of about 50 s and was stable for about 12 weeks at 4°C. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 927–933, 2004     

Blue fluorescent conductive poly(9,10‐di(1‐naphthalenyl)‐2‐vinylanthracene) homopolymer and its highly soluble copolymers with styrene or 9‐vinylcarbazole

A new blue fluorescent monomer, 9,10‐di(1‐naphthalenyl)‐2‐vinylanthracene, was designed and synthesized in good yield. Its homopolymer poly(9,10‐di(1‐naphthalenyl)‐2‐vinylanthracene) (P(ADN)) and soluble conductive vinyl copolymers poly[(9,10‐di(1‐naphthalenyl)‐2‐vinylanthracene)‐co‐styrene] (P(ADN‐co‐S)) and poly[(9,10‐di(1‐naphthalenyl)‐2‐vinylanthracene)‐co‐(9‐vinylcarbazole)] (P(ADN‐co‐VK)) were synthesized using free radical solution polymerization. All the polymers showed high glass transition mid‐point temperatures (203 to 237 °C) and good thermal stabilities. The photoluminescence emission of the copolymers was similar to that of P(ADN) (with two maxima at 423 and 442 nm). The lifetimes of P(ADN‐co‐S) (6.82 to 7.91 ns) were all slightly less than that of P(ADN) (8.40 ns). The lifetime of P(ADN‐co‐VK) increased from 7.8 to 8.8 ns with an increase in VK content. The fluorescence quantum yields of P(ADN‐co‐S) showed an overall increasing tendency from 0.42 to 0.58. The quantum efficiencies of P(ADN‐co‐VK) decreased from 0.36 to 0.19 with an increase of VK fraction. With increasing S/VK content, the highest occupied molecular orbital of P(ADN‐co‐S)/P(ADN‐co‐VK) ranged from ?5.58 to ?5.73 eV, which was similar to that of P(ADN) (?5.71 eV). The band gaps of P(ADN‐co‐S) and P(ADN‐co‐VK) were about 2.97 eV, which were equal to that of P(ADN), and smaller than that of 2‐methyl‐9,10‐di(1‐naphthalenyl)anthracene (MADN) (3.04 eV) and poly(9‐vinylcarbazole) (3.54 eV). Preliminary electroluminescence results were obtained for a homojunction device with the configuration ITO/MoO₃ (20 nm)/P(ADN)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (100 nm), which achieved only 30–50 cd m^?2, due to P(ADN) having a low mobility of 4.7 × 10^?8 cm² V^?1 s^?1 compared to that of its model compound MADN of 6.5 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Using water‐soluble nickel acetate as hole collection layer for stable polymer solar cells

We report polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on poly(3‐hexylthiophene (P3HT) and [6,6]‐phenyl‐C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) using water‐soluble nickel acetate (Ni(CH₃COO)₂, NiAc) instead of acidic poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) : poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT : PSS) as hole collection layer (HCL) between the indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode and photoactive layer. The NiAc layer can effectively decrease R_s and increase R_p and shows effective hole collection property. Under the illumination of AM1.5G, 100 mW/cm², the short‐circuit current density (J_sc) of the NiAc based device (ITO/NiAc/P3HT : PCBM/Ca/Al) reach 11.36 mA/cm², which is increased by 11% in comparison with that (10.19 mA/cm²) of PEDOT : PSS based device (ITO/PEDOT : PSS/P3HT : PCBM/Ca/Al). The power conversion efficiency of the NiAc based devices reach 3.76%, which is comparable to that (3.77%) of the device with PEDOT : PSS HCL under the same experimental conditions. Moreover, NiAc based PSCs show superior long‐term stability than PEDOT : PSS based PSCs. Our work gives a new option for HCL selection in designing more stable PSCs. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Polylactide‐perylene derivative for blue biodegradable organic light‐emitting diodes

In this work we demonstrate, for the first time, the use of polylactic acid (PLA) as a biodegradable host matrix for the construction of the active emissive layer of organic light‐emitting diode (OLED) devices for potential use in bioelectronics. In this preliminary study, we report a robust synthesis of two fluorescent PLA derivatives, pyrene‐PLA ( AH10 ) and perylene‐PLA ( AH11 ). These materials were prepared by the ring opening polymerisation of l ‐lactide with hydroxyalkyl‐pyrene and hydroxyalkyl‐perylene derivatives using 1,8‐diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec‐7‐ene as catalyst. OLEDs were fabricated from these materials using a simple device architecture involving a solution‐processed single‐emitting layer in the configuration ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PVK:OXD‐7 (35%): AH10 or AH11 (20%)/TPBi/LiF/Al (ITO, indium tin oxide; PEDOT:PSS, poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrenesulfonic acid); PVK, poly(vinylcarbazole); OXD‐7, (1,3‐phenylene)‐bis‐[5‐(4‐tert‐butylphenyl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole]; TPBi, 2,2′,2″‐(1,3,5‐benzenetriyl)tris(1‐phenyl‐1H‐benzimidazole)). The turn‐on voltage for the perylene OLED at 10 cd m^–2 was around 6 V with a maximum brightness of 1200 cd m^–2 at 13 V. The corresponding external quantum efficiency and device current efficiency were 1.5% and 2.8 cd A^–1 respectively. In summary, this study provides proof of principle that OLEDs can be constructed from PLA, a readily available and renewable bio‐source. © 2020 The Authors. Polymer International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Industrial Chemistry.     

New light‐emitting poly{(9,9‐di‐n‐octylfluorenediyl vinylene)‐alt‐[1,5‐(2,6‐dioctyloxy)naphthalene vinylene]}

A new conjugated light‐emitting AB copolymer containing alternating fluorene and naphthalene units, poly{(9,9‐di‐n‐octylfluorenediyl vinylene)‐alt‐[1,5‐(2,6‐dioctyloxy)naphthalene vinylene]} (PFV‐alt‐PNV), was synthesized via Horner‐Emmons polymerization. The polymer is completely soluble in common organic solvents and exhibits good thermal stability up to 400 °C. UV‐visible, fluorescence and photoluminescence measurements of the copolymer show peak maxima at 427, 500 and 526 nm, respectively. A light‐emitting device containing the new polymer was fabricated using a simple indium tin oxide configuration: (ITO)/PEDOT:PSS/PFV‐alt‐PNV/Al. Measurements of current versus electric field were carried out, with an onset of light emission occurring at 2.5 V. The electroluminescence brightness was observed to reach a maximum of 5000 cd m^?2. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis,photo‐, and electroluminescent properties of the soluble poly[(2,5‐diphenylene‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole)‐ 4,4′‐vinylene]

A novel soluble conjugated polymer, poly[(2,5‐diphenylene‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole)‐4,4′‐vinylene] (O‐PPV), containing an electron‐transporting group on the main chain of PPV, was synthesized according to HORNER mechanism. The oligo‐polymer with M_w = 1000 and T_d = 270°C is soluble in chloroform and tetrahydrofuran. The photoluminescent (PL) properties were investigated using different concentrations of solid‐state O‐PPV/PEO blends absorption and selective excitation measurements. The results show that PL arises from interchain charge‐transfer states in solid‐state O‐PPV. Compared with the analogous single‐layer device constructed with PPV (ITO/PPV/Al), which emits two peaks at λ = 520 nm and 550 nm (shoulder), the electroluminescence (EL) spectrum of the device [ITO/O‐PPV (80 nm)/Al] is a broad peak at λ_max = 509 nm. The quantum efficiency (0.13%) of the device ITO/O‐PPV/Al is much higher than that of the device ITO/PPV/Al, due to the introduction of the electron‐transporting group–oxadiazole units in the main chain of PPV. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 3535–3540, 1999     

Synthesis and photovoltaic properties of two side‐chain polymeric metal complexes containing 8‐hydroxyquinoline and fluorene units with Zn(II) and Cd(II)

Two novel side‐chain polymeric metal complexes (PF1 and PF2) containing 8‐hydroxyquinoline and fluorene units with Zn(II) and Cd(II) having donor‐acceptor π‐conjugated structure have been synthesized and characterized using Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR, UV‐visible and photoluminescence spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, elemental analysis and cyclic voltammetry. Dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on PF1 and PF2 as the dye sensitizers exhibit good device performance with solar‐to‐electricity conversion efficiency up to 0.32% (J_sc = 0.83 mA cm^?2, V_oc = 0.62 mV and FF = 0.62) and 0.24% (J_sc = 0.69 mA cm^?2, V_oc = 0.59 mV and FF = 0.60), respectively, under simulated AM 1.5 G solar irradiation (100 mW cm^?2). The data show that these novel polymeric metal complexes are suitable for DSSCs. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Pyrrole‐based narrow‐band‐gap copolymers for red light‐emitting diodes and bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells

A series of narrow‐band‐gap conjugated copolymers (PFO‐DPT) derived from pyrrole, benzothiadiazole, and 9,9‐dioctylfluorene (DOF) is prepared by the palladium‐catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction with the molar feed ratio of 4,7‐bis(N‐methylpyrrol‐2‐yl)‐2,1,3‐benzothiadiazole (DPT) around 1, 5, 15, 30, and 50%. The obtained polymers are readily soluble in common organic solvents. The solutions and the thin solid films of the copolymers absorb light from 300 nm to 600 nm with two absorbance peaks at around 380 nm and 505 nm. The PL emission consists mainly of DPT unit emission at around 624–686 nm depending on the DPT content in solid film. The EL emission peaks are red‐shifted from 630 nm for PFO‐DPT1 to 660 nm for PFO‐DPT50. Bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells fabricated from composite films of copolymer and [6,6]‐phenyl C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as electron donor and electron acceptor, respectively, in device configuration: ITO/PEDOT : PSS/PFO‐DPT : PCBM/Ba/Al shows power conversion efficiencies 0.15% with open‐circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.60 V and short‐circuit current density (J_sc) of 0.73 mA/cm² under AM1.5 solar simulator (100 mW/cm²). © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Arsenic adsorption from contaminated water on Fe(III)‐coordinated amino‐functionalized poly(glycidylmethacrylate)‐grafted TiO2‐densified cellulose

BACKGROUND: The main aim of this study is to determine the sorptive potential of a novel anion exchanger, Fe(III)‐coordinated amino‐functionalized poly(glycidylmethacrylate)‐grafted TiO₂‐densified cellulose (AM‐Fe‐PGDC) for arsenic(V) removal from aqueous solutions by batch technique. RESULTS: The adsorbent was characterized using infrared spectroscopy, powder X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetry and potentiometric titrations. The effective pH for removal was 6.0. The adsorption rate was influenced by initial metal ion concentration and contact time. The equilibrium was achieved within 1.5 h and follows a pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model. The adsorption capacity for As(V) calculated using the Langmuir isotherm equation was 105.47 mg g^?1. The AM‐Fe‐PGDC developed was used to remove As(V) from simulated groundwater. Regeneration experiments were attempted for four cycles using 0.1 mol L^?1 NaCl solution. CONCLUSION: It was found that AM‐Fe‐PGDC is very efficient for the removal of As(V) from aqueous solutions. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis,characterization, and flocculation performance of anionic polyacrylamide P (AM‐AA‐AMPS)

In this study, a kind of anionic polyacrylamide (P(AM‐AA‐AMPS)) was synthesized using acrylamide (AM), acrylic acid (AA), and 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The conditions of the polymerization reaction such as monomer mass ratio, solution pH value, EDTA concentration and urea concentration were investigated by using the single factor approach and an L₁₆ (4⁵) orthogonal array. The structure and morphologies of the copolymer were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer (NMR), infrared spectrometer (IR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show P(AM‐AA‐AMPS) with the intrinsic viscosity of 1.5 × 10³ mL g^?1 was synthesized at optimal conditions: mass ratio, m(AM) : m(AA) : m(AMPS) of 70 : 10 : 10, pH value of 9.0, EDTA concentration of 0.10% and urea concentration of 0.20%. In addition, P(AM‐AA‐AMPS) had better flocculation efficiency than commercial PAM in sludge dewatering experiment; the minimum filter cake moisture content could be reduced to 65.1%. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Counterion‐Switched Reversibly Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic TiO2‐Incorporated Layer‐By‐Layer Self‐Assembled Membrane for Nanofiltration

The manipulation of surface wettability has been regarded as an efficient strategy to improve the membrane performances. Herein, the counterion‐switched reversibly hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface of TiO₂‐loaded polyelectrolyte membrane are prepared by layer‐by‐layer assembly of poly(sodium 4‐styrene sulfonate) (PSS) and poly(diallydimethyl‐ammoniumchloride (PDDA) containing TiO₂@PDDA nanoparticles (NPs) on the hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile (PAN) substrate membrane. The obtained polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) membranes [PEM‐TiO₂]_4.5⁺X^? (X^? = Cl^?, PFO^? [perfluorooctanoate] etc.) show different hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity with various counterions. The integration of TiO₂ NPs obviously improves the wettability and nanofiltration (NF) performance of PEM membrane for (non)aqueous system of dyes (crystal violet, eriochrome black T) with a high recyclability. The highly hydrophilic [PEM‐TiO₂]_4.5⁺Cl^? (water contact angle [WCA]: 13.2 ± 1.8°) and hydrophobic [PEM‐TiO₂]_4.5⁺PFO^? (WCA: 115.4 ± 2.3°) can be reversibly switched via counterion exchange between Cl^? and PFO^?, verifying the surface with a reversible hydrophilic–hydrophobic transformation. For such membranes, the morphology, wettability, and NF performance rely on the loading of TiO₂@PDDA NPs and surface counterion. Meanwhile, the motion and interaction of water or ethanol in the hydrophilic or hydrophobic membrane are revealed by low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance. This work provides a facile and rapid approach to fabricate smart and tunable wetting surface for potential utilization in (non)aqueous NF separation.     

Synthesis and characterization of a water‐soluble sulfonates copolymer of acrylamide and N‐allylbenzamide as enhanced oil recovery chemical

A novel water‐soluble polymer was prepared by copolymerization and sulfomethylation using acrylamide (AM) and N‐allylbenzamide (NABI) as raw materials under mild conditions. The effects of ratio of AM to NABI, initiator concentration, reaction temperature, pH, and monomer concentration on the copolymerization were studied. The sulfonates copolymer was characterized by infrared (IR) spectroscopy, ¹H NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that the sulfonates copolymer could achieve up to 25%, 30% retention rate of the viscosity at a high temperature (120°C) and a vigorous shear condition (1000 s^?1). It was also found that the sulfonates copolymer had moderate salt tolerance (NaCl, CaCl₂, and MgCl₂·6H₂O) and its viscosity could be restored to the original value when the shear rate changed from 170 to 510 s^?1 and 510 to 170 s^?1. At last, the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) of the sulfonates copolymer was tested by core flood, and with up to 10.6% EOR was afforded in presence of 5000 mg/L NaCl brine at 60°C. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Fabrication of speedy and super‐water‐absorbing non‐woven cloth with hierarchical three‐dimensional network structure

A novel speedy and super‐water‐absorbing non‐woven cloth with hierarchical three‐dimensional network (3D‐SS‐PET) was fabricated through the induction of UV copolymerization on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers followed by a volume phase transition. The macroscopic three‐dimensional network implied that the PET non‐woven substrates are complicated three‐dimensional fibrous materials including oriented fibers in preferential or random directions. The microscopic three‐dimensional network is poly(acrylic acid‐co‐acrylamide) (poly(AA‐co‐AM)) crosslinked copolymer layers on the fiber surface. The rapid volume phase transition was achieved by immersing the swelled non‐woven poly(AA‐co‐AM) modified PET (PET‐g‐AA‐co‐AM) in ethanol. The above process was an essential step to prepare the copolymer chain; after that the fiber surface was extended to form abundant capillary channels and plenty of space between fibers. The water contact angle decreased remarkably from 130° to 0°, while the absorbing capacity of the saturated water and the average water‐absorbing rate experienced an increasing trend, rising from 300 to 324.6 g g^?1 in 24 h and 18.6 and 222 g (g min)^?1 in 40 s, respectively. It was concluded that surface hydrophilicity and capillaries of the hydrophilic modified macroscopic fibrous structure enhanced the water‐absorbing rate and the swelling process contributed to the higher water absorption capacity. This speedy and super‐water‐absorbing material exhibits great potentiality in diapers, sanitary napkins, wound dressings, surgical pads, and hygroscopic and sweat‐free underwear in extremely cold areas. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

A new cation‐modified Al‐polyacrylamide flocculant for solid–liquid separation in waste drilling fluid

A new cation‐modified Al‐polyacrylamide (CAPAM) flocculant was prepared by the in situ polymerization of acrylamide (AM) and (2‐methacryloyloxyethyl) trimethyl ammonium chloride (DMC) with Al(OH)₃ sol. The optimum preparation conditions were obtained by a one‐factor experimental design: as the amount of AlCl₃ was fixed at 0.025 mol, the polymerization time, polymerization temperature, n(AM) : n(AlCl₃), n(DMC) : n(AlCl₃), and n(K₂S₂O₈) : n(AM) were 4 h, 70°C, 8, 0.9, and 1.82 × 10^?3, respectively. The CAPAM was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The solid–liquid separation performance of the CAPAM was evaluated in terms of water content. The CAPAM showed better flocculation performance than cationic polyacrylamide and polyaluminum sulfate at a fixed concentration of 0.3% in waste drilling fluid and tended to perform well in alkaline solution. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41641.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel poly(arylene ether)s based on 9,10‐bis‐(4‐fluoro‐3‐trifluoromethylphenyl) anthracene and 2,7‐bis‐(4‐fluoro‐3‐trifluoromethylphenyl) fluorene

Two new bisfluoro monomers 9,10‐bis‐(4‐fluoro‐3‐trifluoromethylphenyl) anthracene and 2,7‐bis‐(4‐fluoro‐3‐trifluoromethylphenyl) fluorene have been synthesized by the cross‐coupling reaction of 2‐fluoro‐3‐trifluoromethyl phenyl boronic acid with 9,10‐dibromo anthracene and 2,7‐dibromo fluorine, respectively. These two bisfluoro compounds were used to prepare several poly(arylene ether)s by aromatic nucleophilic displacement of fluorine with various bisphenols; such as bisphenol‐A, bisphenol‐6F, bishydroxy biphenyl, and 9,9‐bis‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐fluorene. The products obtained by displacement of the fluorine atoms exhibits weight‐average molar masses up to 1.5 ×10⁵ g mol^?1 and number average molecular weight up to 6.8 × 10⁴ g mol^?1 in GPC. These poly(arylene ether)s show very high thermal stability even up to 490°C for 5% weight loss occurring at this temperature in TGA in synthetic air and showed glass transition temperature observed up to 310°C. All the polymers are soluble in a wide range of organic solvents, e.g., CHCl₃, THF, NMP, and DMF. Films cast from DMF solution are brittle in nature. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007