Structure and composition of guanidine acrylate, guanidine methacrylate, their homopolymers, and copolymers with diallyldimethylammonium chloride

Structures and compositions of the monomers guanidine acrylate and guanidine methacrylate, their homopolymers, and copolymers with diallyldimethylammonium chloride enriched in acrylate comonomer units were determined. It was shown that ampholytic copolymers, owing to their ionic nature, contained comonomeric guanidine acrylate or methacrylate units and diallyldimethylammonium chloride units, as well as the acrylate comonomer with the diallyl counterion and polymeric acrylate and diallyl ion pairs. It follows from IR and ¹H NMR data that guanidine methacrylate has the same structure (with two hydrogen bonds) in the solid state and in solutions. Guanidine acrylate structures in the solid state and in dimethylsulfoxide are identical and analogous to guanidine methacrylate structure in this solvent. In water, the guanidine acrylate structure has another type of hydrogen bonding (with one hydrogen bond, where the proton is shifted toward the guanidine group). These features of hydrogen bonding of guanidine acrylate and guanidine methacrylate are also retained in their homopolymers and copolymers with diallyldimethylammonium chloride. It was shown that the thermal stability of the copolymers was higher than that of their homopolymers, confirming the formation of intramolecular ion pairs of oppositely charged units of ampholytic copolymers. Moreover, the thermal stability of guanidine methacrylate-diallyldimethylammonium chloride copolymers is higher than that of guanidine acrylate-diallyldimethylammonium chloride copolymers.     

On the nonuniformity of a capillary flow

It is established that the capillary rise of a liquid has an oscillatory character, in contrast to the commonly accepted opinion that a vertical capillary is filled at a monotonically varying velocity. The value of the tangential shear stress arising in an ascending liquid is evaluated for ethyl alcohol and distilled water.     

Experimental Electronuclear Setup at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics

The purpose and current construction status, at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, of an experimental electronuclear setup, combining a pulsed proton linear accelerator (36 MeV, 0.5 mA) and a subcritical blanket thermal-power assembly 100 kW, are discussed. The main equipment is already available or is being built in industry. The setup can be used to investigate the dynamics of the interaction of a linac–driver and a subcritical reactor and problems concerning the accelerator–driver and the target–blanket assembly. The proton beams and neutron fluxes will be used for applied purposes. In the future it will be possible to increase substantially the current and energy of the proton beam.     

Influence of ethyl methacrylate content on the volume‐phase transition of temperature‐sensitive poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐co‐(ethyl methacrylate)] microgels

A novel series of temperature‐sensitive poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐co‐(ethyl methacrylate)] (p(NIPAM‐co‐EMA)) microgels was prepared by the surfactant‐free radical polymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with ethyl methacrylate (EMA). The shape, size dispersity and volume‐phase transition behavior of the microgels were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The transmission electron micrographs and DLS results showed that microgels with narrow distributions were prepared. It was shown from UV–Vis, DLS and DSC measurements that the volume‐phase transition temperature (VPTT) of the p(NIPAM‐co‐EMA) microgels decreased with increasing incorporation of EMA, but the temperature‐sensitivity was impaired when more EMA was incorporated, causing the volume‐phase transition of the microgels to become more continuous. It is noteworthy that incorporation of moderate amounts of EMA could not only lower the VPTT but also enhance the temperature‐sensitivity of the microgels. The reason for this phenomenon could be attributed to changes in the complicated interactions between the various molecules. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Structure and properties of CE/CTBN/EP blends: II. Effect of EP on the mechanical properties and thermostability of the CE/CTBN system

Carboxyl‐terminated butadiene‐acrylonitrile rubber (CTBN) has often been used to improve the toughness of cyanate ester (CE) resin while sacrificing modulus and thermostability. In this paper, the addition of the appropriate amount of epoxy resin (EP) to the CE/CTBN system is shown to not only increase the modulus and thermostability of the blend, but also improve the toughness. The values of impact strength showed a maximum for the CE/CTBN/EP 100/5/5 blend. The temperature of 10 % weight loss (T₁₀) improves from 376 °C for CE/CTBN 100/5 to 407 °C for the CE/CTBN/EP 100/5/2.5 blend. It is proposed that addition of the appropriate amount of EP can decrease the mobility and increase the stability of CTBN via the reaction between the terminal carboxyl group of CTBN and the hydroxyl group of EP. But a very high EP concentration will decrease the crosslinking density of CE, consequently reducing the mechanical properties and thermostability of the blends. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Morphology and properties of poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(2′‐ethyl‐hexyloxy)‐para‐phenylene vinylene]/silica nanoparticle hybrid films

Poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(2′‐ethyl‐hexyloxy)‐para‐phenylene vinylene] (MEH‐PPV)/silica nanoparticle hybrid films were prepared and characterised. Three kinds of materials were compared: parent MEH‐PPV, MEH‐PPV/silica (hybrid A films), and MEH‐PPV/coupling agent MSMA/silica (hybrid B films), in which MSMA is 3‐(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate. It was found that the hybrid B films could significantly prevent macrophase separation, as evidenced by scanning electron and fluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, the thermal characteristics of the hybrid films were largely improved in comparison with the parent MEH‐PPV. The UV‐visible absorption spectra suggested that the incorporation of MSMA‐modified silica into MEH‐PPV could confine the polymer chain between nanoparticles and thus increase the conjugation length. The photoluminescence (PL) studies also indicated enhancement of the PL intensity and quantum efficiency by incorporating just 2 wt% of MSMA‐modified silica into MEH‐PPV. However, hybrid A films did not show such enhancement of optoelectronic properties as the hybrid B films. The present study suggests the importance of the interface between the luminescent organic polymers and the inorganic silica on morphology and optoelectronic properties. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry