Search

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have received great attention in environmental remediation application. In particular, one-dimensional (1D) MOF materials have excellent catalytic degradation perfor...

The mild reaction of the preorganized silsesquioxane precursor with Mn(II) acetate under ambient conditions results in a mixed-valent {MnII 6MnIII4} nanocage (SD/Mn10) which is protected by both acyclic trimer [Si3] and cyclic tetramer [Si4]. Serendipitous capture of atmospheric CO2 as a μ5-carbonate anion placed at the center supports the formation of the cluster. The magnetic analysis reveals the strong antiferromagnetic interactions between Mn ions. Moreover, the dropcasting film of SD/Mn10 shows photoelectric activity indicating its great potential as a semiconductor for photoelectric conversion applications.

A kind of functional polysiloxane containing pendent γ-chloropropyl groups, α, ω-trimethylsiloxy-poly(methylchloropropyl)siloxane (PMCPS), was synthesized. Its thermal stability and thermal degradation kinetics were studied through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in nitrogen atmosphere. The effect of the introduced γ-chloropropyl units on the thermal degradation behavior of PMCPS was discussed. The TGA revealed that PMCPS exhibited three degradation stages in the temperature range of 30–800 °C. The depolymerization of the main chain of polysiloxane was accelerated by introducing the γ-chloropropyl groups. Two isoconversional methods, the Friedman and the modified Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) by Starink, were chosen to investigate the thermal degradation kinetics of PMCPS. The average activation energies of the thermal degradation of PMCPS obtained from the two methods were compared and found to be in good agreement with each other.

A series of β-Bi2O3/BiOBr heterojunction photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by in-situ treatment of β-Bi2O3 with HBr. The as-synthesized β-Bi2O3/BiOBr composites displayed remarkably enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity for RhB degradation compared to pure β-Bi2O3 and BiOBr. The value of the apparent rate constant for the optimal sample was about 50.9 and 7.1 times higher than that of pure β-Bi2O3 and BiOBr, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to the formation of a heterojunction between β-Bi2O3 and BiOBr, which leads to an efficient separation of electron-hole pairs. The present work provides a new type of visible-light-active β-Bi2O3-based heterojunction photocatalysts that are promising for practical applications.

A series of β-Bi2O3/BiOCl heterojunction photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by in-situ treatment of β-Bi2O3 with HCl. Compared to pure β-Bi2O3, the as-synthesized β-Bi2O3/BiOCl composites displayed unexpectedly high visible-light photocatalytic activity for RhB degradation, which was even higher than that of P25 under UV light. Based on the results of transient photocurrent measurement and trapping experiments of active species, the enhanced photocatalytic activity could be ascribed to the formation of heterostructure between β-Bi2O3 and BiOCl, leading to the efficient separation of electron-hole pairs. This research may establish foundation for practical application of the new visible–light–active β-Bi2O3-based heterojunction photocatalysts.

An N-doped TiO2/MoS2 heterojunction photocatalyst constructed by two-dimension MoS2 nanosheets and N-doped TiO2 nanoparticles was successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The synthesized N-TiO2/MoS2 composites were characterized by XRD, XPS, TEM, UV–vis DRS and PL, and its visible photocatalytic activity was evaluated by degradation of methylene blue. The results showed that N-doped TiO2/MoS2 heterojunction photocatalyst achieved more enhanced photocatalytic activity compared with pure TiO2, MoS2 and N-doped TiO2 for degradation of MB. Trapping tests with different scavengers indicated that not hydroxyl radicals ( OH) but superoxide radicals ( O2−) and photogenerated holes (h+) were highly responsible for the degradation process. The reusable experiments showed that the prepared N-doped TiO2/MoS2 heterojunction photocatalyst was stable during the photodegradation of MB and will have practical applications for environmental remediation.

Tungsten oxide (WO3) nanoplate films with a relatively rough surface were successfully fabricated via a simple hydrothermal method, followed by the hybrid microwave annealing (HMA) treatment only a few minutes for the first time. The microscopic morphology and phase were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Raman spectrum and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Photoelectrochemical measurements demonstrated that the obtained WO3 film of microwave processing for 11 min exhibited the photocurrent density of 1.60 mA/cm2 at 1.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) and the IPCE value of 55% at 355 nm under an applied voltage of 1.0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), which were about 3 and 2.5 times compared with the WO3 film prepared by the conventional annealing method, respectively. Moreover, the WO3-HMA films were applied to the versatile photoanode-driven photoelectrochemical system for CO2 reduction into formic acid. The maximum formic acid generation rate and faradaic efficiency of the WO3-HMA films were 9.21 μmol h−1 cm−2 and 45.45%, respectively. This study provided a facial and rapid method to synthesize the high-performance WO3 photoanodes with better photoelectrochemical and photoelectrocatalytic activities.

N-doped TiO2 nanoparticles deposited on reduced graphene oxide sheets were successfully prepared by a photoreduction method. The synthesized N-TiO2/rGO composite was characterized by XRD, SERS, XPS, TEM, UV–vis DRS and PL, and its visible-light photocatalytic activity was evaluated by degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC). The results showed that N-TiO2/rGO composites exhibited a more enhanced photodegradation activity compared to pure TiO2 and N-doped TiO2. Trapping tests indicated that not OH and h+ but O2− was chiefly responsible for the photodegradation process. The reusable experiments showed that the prepared N-TiO2/rGO catalyst was stable during the photodegradation of TC.

A novel heat-curable silicone rubber (MCSR/Si-PAMAM) was prepared by using siloxane polyamidoamine (Si-PAMAM) dendrimers as cross-linkers and polysiloxane containing γ-chloropropyl groups as gums. The chemical cross-linking occurs through the reaction between Si-PAMAM dendrimers and polysiloxane containing γ-chloropropyl groups. The effect of various amounts of cross-linkers on mechanical properties of MCSR/Si-PAMAM was discussed in this paper. MCSR/Si-PAMAM exhibits favorable mechanical properties with a tensile strength of 10.06 MPa and a tear strength of 47.9 kN/m when the molar ratio r of [N-H]/[CH2CH2CH2Cl] is 1:1. These excellent mechanical properties can be attributed to the formation of concentrative cross-linking from Si-PAMAM dendrimers in the cross-linking networks, along with the introduction of Si–O–Si units in the internal structure of dendrimers. The introduction of Si–O–Si units reduces the steric hindrance of molecular structure, which facilitates the N–H bonds in the interior layers of dendrimers to react with γ-chloropropyl groups. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis results indicate that MCSR/Si-PAMAM is thermally stable even at high temperatures in a nitrogen atmosphere. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis reveals that the glass transition peak of MCSR/Si-PAMAM is not identified in the temperature range −150 to −30°C, only a melting endothermic peak at −40°C.

BiVO4/WO3 heterojunction film is considered as a very promising candidate for photoelectrochemical water splitting. However, the BiVO4/WO3 films prepared by a conventional method exhibit numerous grain boundaries in the BiVO4 layer and a weak contact at the heterojunction interface. In this paper, we found that BiVO4 could be formed from hydrothermal Bi2WO6 in the weak acid solution dissolving V2O5 and successfully developed an in situ transformation method to prepare BiVO4/WO3 heterojunction films. The prepared BiVO4/WO3 heterojunction films were characterized in detail and showed a high quality core/shell WO3/BiVO4 structure. The formation mechanism of the BiVO4 layer on the surface of WO3 film has been put forward. In particular, the prepared BiVO4/WO3 films were used as photoanodes and showed an excellent visible light response, a good photostability and high photoelectrochemical activity. The photocurrent density for BiVO4/WO3 photoanode was up to 2.92 mA cm−2 at 1.81 VRHE without additional electrocatalyst or doping under visible light illumination.

This article describes the synthesis of monoclinic WO3 nanostructures with highly reactive (002) facets exposed through a facile hydrothermal method using boric acid as the guiding agent. The obtained WO3 plate films exhibit an excellent photocurrent density of 1.64 mA/cm2 at 1.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) and an IPCE value of 66.7% at 355 nm at a bias of 0.8 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Furthermore, a maximum 2.8-time higher formic acid yields was obtained in a versatile photoanode-driven PEC CO2 reduction system. The pronounced enhancement in photoelectrocatalytic activity can be attributed to the reduced recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, longer electron lifetime, larger photogenerated carrier density, higher reactivity for water oxidation and more effective production of active oxygen species on exposed (002) facets, which were obtained through the capping effect of boric acid. This work provides a facile and promising approach to synthesize the specific facet-exposed photocatalysts with better photoelectrochemical performance.

Polyacrylonitrile fibers were oxidatively stabilized through 10 gradient-elevated temperature zones in sequence. The ultrasonic etching method was used for fibril separation of fibers heated at different temperatures, and the fibrillar structure development was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The voids among fibrils are the weak combination points. Under ultrasonic etching, the voids are enlarged. Subsequently, the solvent enters and spreads among fibrils, which results in the separation of fibrils. Separated fibrils with diameters of 100–400 nm appear in fibers heated at less than 235°C. Fibrils in fibers heated from 195°C to 235°C tend to adhere to each other, and the observed macrofibrils are composed of several to dozens of fibrils. For fibers heated from 195°C to 245°C, only a few fibril bundles emerge on the skin near the fiber end, and the fibrils manifest themselves as numerous protuberances on the cross section. In the ranges of 255–275°C, fibrils compactly combine with each other, which suggests insolubility and infusibility, and no separated fibrils appear. The fibrils arrange in a systematic way along the fiber axis and grooves parallel to the fiber axis on the fibers' surface. These grooves are the macro behavior of fibrils arranging on the fiber surface. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD)-based zwitterionic polymer (β-CD-PDMAPS) was synthesized via activators regenerated by electron transfer for atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET ATRP). As a clay-tolerance sacrificial agent, β-CD-PDMAPS combined with common polycarboxylate superplasticizer (CPC) can result in modified polycarboxylate superplasticizer (MPC). The dispersion and the dispersive retention of MPC in a cement system in the absence and presence of clay were investigated. The results indicated that MPC possesses excellent dispersing ability and can effectively inhibit the preferential adsorption of CPC onto the surface of clay. Compared to CPC, MPC displayed enhanced robustness toward clay. This can be attributed to the easy adsorption of the β-CD-PDMAPS onto clay and the steric hindrance derived from β-CD, which can inhibit CPC from incorporating into the lattice structure of the clay. This work provides new insight into the development of polycarboxylate superplasticizers with enhanced clay tolerance.

The immobilization of the antibacterial agent in the matrix is crucial to endow materials with excellent antibacterial activity. In this paper, a strategy was presented to prevent the antibacterial agent leaching out from the cross-linking network of silicone rubber via construction of the matrix tethering quaternary ammonium salt (QAS) groups by covalent bond. A series of hydroxyl-terminated polysiloxanes with pendent QAS groups were prepared and characterized. The polysiloxanes were subsequently used as a matrix for preparing an intrinsic antibacterial silicone rubber. SEM analysis indicated a high compatibility of the formulations of silicone rubber. The silicone rubber exhibits excellent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Most importantly, the silicone rubber exhibits prominent durability of antibacterial activity even after staying in the natural environment for 3 months. Moreover, the hydrophilicity of silicone rubber could be adjusted by the content of QAS groups.

A zwitterionic “schizophrenic” copolymer with dual-responsiveness to temperature and carbon dioxide self-assembles to undergo a reversible phase transition in a weakly alkaline borate buffer solution. It can be switched “on” and “off” when sequentially treated with carbon dioxide/nitrogen (CO2/N2) due to the protonation–deprotonation of the tertiary amine groups along the polymer skeleton.

A much simpler and broadly applicable dip-coating method using silica nanoparticles and a silane coupler for preparing hydrophobic paper is presented. Both producing surface hydrophobization without additional surface treatment and increasing the adhesive force between the paper and the coated material can be realized by an almost one-step procedure. The modified filter paper could not only selectively permeate oil from a mixture, but also exhibits superior recyclability, indicating its great potential application in the oil–water separation area.

From the point view of molecular structure design, three different kinds of amphoteric polycarboxylate superplasticizers (APC) by introducing a cationic monomer such as [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (DMC), 3-[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]dimethylammonio-propane-1-sulfonate (DMAPS) and acrylamide (AM) were synthesized by free radical polymerization. The functional groups, molecular weights and molecular weight distributions of these superplasticziers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The dispersion performance of as-prepared APC were evaluated by the fluidity of cement paste and cement mortar. The results showed that the fluidities of samples mixed with APC were higher than that of the conventional polycarboxylate ether (PCE) superplasticizers, indicating excellent dispersion performance and dispersion retention. The strengths of concrete with APC or PCE were greatly improved compared with that of the standard concrete, and the strengths of samples with APC were superior to that with PCE. By substituting cement with 1 wt% sodium bentonite, the fluidity of the cement pastes with APC was higher than that with PCE1, which can be ascribed to the enhanced clay tolerance of APC. Total organic carbon (TOC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) were conducted to study the adaptability of superplasticizers to cement and clay. Adsorption capacity measurement revealed that APC and PCE exhibit selective adsorption on cement and clay and APC exhibited better adaptability to clay than PCE. The interlayer spacing of sodium bentonite increased by 0.2 nm after the adsorption of superplasticizer, without significant difference between APC and PCE. A possible mechanism was proposed that the cationic groups can insert into the interlayer of clay by cation exchange, and the intercalation of PEO side chains was inhibited, which is different from that of PCE.

Silica has attracted much attention as a promising anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), however, the low conductivity and unstable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film limit its applications. In this paper, hollow sandwich-structured N-doped carbon-silica-carbon (CSC) nanoparticles was designed and prepared as anode materials for LIBs. The combination of polymer template approach and dopamine self-oxidation polymerization results in the conformal coatings on the surface of silica, which enhances the conductivity and stability of the composite materials. The hollow sandwich-structured material displays a high reversible capacity of 480 mA h g-1 at current density of 1.0 A g-1 and excellent rate performance, which can be attributed to the synergetic effect of the unique structure of hollow silica and N-doped carbon conformal coatings. The hollow sandwich-structured N-doped carbon-silica-carbon composite materials can be promising anode materials for LIBs.

Solvent and coating mode play crucial roles on the formation of polymeric surface patterns. Investigation by AFM revealed that a ternary hydrophilic–lipophilic–fluorophilic block copolymer can self...

Aiming at the negative effect of high clay content in concrete raw materials on traditional polycarboxylate superplasticizer, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was used to polymerize methyl acryloyloxyethyl trimethylammonium chloride (DMC) by a macroinitiator based on β-CD, and the target product of a clay inhibitor was obtained. The results of the mini-slump test indicated better dispersity and dispersion stability with the initial fluidity of 255mm and the fluidity of 285mm after 60 min. When the water/cement (w/c) ratio was 0.29, the dosage of PCE and the clay inhibitor were 0.13 wt% and 0.01 wt%, respectively. Compared with the traditional polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE) and anti-clay polycarboxylate superplasticizer (APC), the cement paste still has better dispersity and dispersion stability, showing fine anti-clay effect and certain retarded properties.

Colored asphalt pavement plays an important role in city beautification and traffic management. To avoid rutting, moisture damage, and color degradation, enhanced compatibility between colored asphalt and aggregates should be achieved. In this paper, silane coupler was applied to modify colored asphalt to improve pavement performance. The enhanced interfacial force between organic and inorganic materials and improved adhesion of colored asphalt and aggregates were realized by the “bridging effect” of silane coupler. Marshall test, immersion Marshall test, rutting test, and bending test under low temperature were conducted. The results indicate that the modified colored asphalt by silane coupler exhibits fine pavement performance.

Triple stimuli (temperature/pH/photo)-responsive amphiphilic glycopolymer, poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate-co-6-O-methacryloyl-1,2,3,4-di-O-isopropylidene-D-galactopyranose)-b-poly(4-(4-methoxyphenylazo)phenoxy methacrylate) [P(DMAEMA-co-MAIpGP)-b-PMAZO] was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization, followed by the hydrolysis of MAIpGP groups, resulting in the target product poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate-co-6-O-methacryloyl-D-galactopyranose)-b-poly(4-(4-methoxyphenylazo)phenoxy methacrylate) [P(DMAEMA-co-MAGP)-b-PMAZO]. The composition, moleculer weight, and moleculer weight distribution of the resultant polymers were characterized by 1H NMR and gel permeation chromatography. The micelles formed in aqueous solutions were simulated by various chemical and physical stimuli and characterized by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy. It was found that the glycopolymer is responsive to three different types of stimulus (light, temperature, and pH). The poly(2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) segments give thermo- and pH-responsiveness. The presence of the azobenzene moiety endows the block copolymer to exhibit light-responsiveness due to its reversible trans-cis isomerization conversion. The triple stimuli-responsive glycopolymer micelles can simulate biomacromolecues in vivo/in vitro environment and can be expected to open up new applications in various fields. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014, 52, 2131–2138

Well-defined amphiphilic triblock copolymers PMAGP-b-PLA-b-PMAGP with varied compositions and molecular weights were obtained via a four-step procedure. The hydrophilicity and water absorption increase with an increase of the PMAGP chain length. The presence of active hydroxyl groups was confirmed by a dyeing procedure.

Novel thermo-sensitive zwitterionic ABC-type triblock copolymers poly(ethylene glycol)-block-[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]dimethyl(3-sulfopropyl)-ammonium hydroxide-block-poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (MPEG-b-PSBMA-b-PDMAEMA) were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The bromide-terminated diblock copolymers poly(ethylene oxide)-block-[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]dimethyl(3-sulfopropyl)-ammonium hydroxide (MPEG-b-PSBMA-Br) were prepared by the ATRP of methacryloxyethyl sulfobetaine initiated by the macroinitiator MPEG-Br, which was obtained by the esterification of poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether (MPEG) with 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide. Then, poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) was introduced by a sequential ATRP process to obtain the triblock copolymers. These copolymers with varied compositions, molecular weights and polydispersities were characterized by 1H NMR and GPC. Variable temperature ultraviolet analysis was employed to test their stimuli-sensitive properties. These block copolymers exhibited distinct thermo-sensitivity under different molecular compositions or solution conditions. The resistance to the non-specific protein adsorption of the triblock copolymers was evaluated, and excellent antifouling property occurred. This can be attributed to surface hydration via hydrogen bonds between PEG and water molecules and the surface hydration via ionic-induction between PSBMA and water molecules. The synergistic effect resulted in an effective reduction of protein adsorption. These copolymers have potential applications as antifouling and antibacterial agents.

A facile procedure to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces based on nano calcium carbonate–polymer composites has been described. The hydrophobicity of the resulting surfaces can be tuned by varying the weight ratio of nano calcium carbonate–polymer composites. The simple and robust strategy can facilitate the fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces on general substrates.

Two novel salenAlQ-complex monomers and the corresponding copolymers are synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FT-IR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The properties of the copolymers are investigated by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), cyclic voltammetry (CV), UV–vis absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The results indicate that the copolymers exhibit appropriate molecular weight, good solubility-processability, perfect thermal stability, and improved hole-transporting performance. Particularly, since two ligands (salen and quinoline) coordinate with aluminum ions simultaneously, the copolymers exhibit exciting photoluminescence phenomenons. The solution emission is mainly salen-centered, while the solid emission is mainly quinoline-centered. In addition, the PL emission intensities, efficiencies and decay lifetimes of the copolymers are higher than those of the corresponding monomers. These results demonstrate that the incorporated NVK segments are used as multiple roles (hole-transport group, light-harvesting groups and luminescence protection) in the copolymers.

Ordered poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was successfully prepared by electrochemical polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene in lyotropic liquid crystal phase formed by chitosan in an acetic acid solution. The structure, performance, and morphology of PEDOT were characterized by infrared absorption spectra, cyclic voltammograms, polarizing optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The ordered pure PEDOT film with good electrochemical behavior exhibited obvious birefringence.

A versatile method of grafting poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) on the surface of hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSN) via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) has been presented. TEM, FT-IR, TGA, XRD, and N2 adsorption–desorption analysis were used for the characterization. The results state that the stimuli-responsive polymer has been successfully grafted onto the surface of HMSN. These hybrid nanoparticles have been proven to have a large storage capacity which can be applied in drug delivery. The external coated PDMAEMA layers act as a storage gate as well as a release switch in response to the stimuli of environment. In this paper, pH-responsive controlled release behavior was focused.

A novel copolymer containing Eu-complex moieties and N-vinylcarbazole (NVK) segments was synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, elemental analysis, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), cyclic voltammetry (CV), UV–vis absorption spectra and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The copolymer exhibits a high glass transition temperature (Tg = 203 °C), high thermal decomposition temperature (Td = 345 °C) and good hole-transporting ability (HOMO energy level: −5.38 eV). Particularly, the copolymer shows an interesting photoluminescence (PL) feature: whether in solid state or chloroform solution, the copolymer always emits the characteristic emission of Eu3+ due to the 5D0 → 7FJ (J = 0–4) transitions; besides, the copolymer solution emits the characteristic emission of carbazole and the copolymer solid emits the characteristic emission of metalloquinolate. These phenomenons indicate that the NVK segments are not only used as light-harvesting groups to absorb energy and transfer energy to ligand and then to Eu3+, but also as barrier to form a local microenvironment for Eu-complex moieties. Moreover, the microenvironment was studied by PL emission spectra and Judd-Ofelt analysis, indicating that the introduction of NVK segments increases the polarity and asymmetry of the chemical environment of the europium ion.

Poly[N-(9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)-L-phenylalanine] (PN9FPA) films with good fluorescence properties and chirality were prepared electrochemically by direct anodic oxidation of N-(9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)-L-phenylalanine (N9FPA) in boron trifluoride diethyletherate (BFEE). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurement showed that the polymerization of N9FPA occurred mainly at the C(2) and C(7) positions. The fluorescence spectra indicated that PN9FPA films were blue-light emitters. In addition, the structures and properties of the monomer and the polymers were characterized and evaluated with CV, UV, TGA and SEM.

The electropolymerization and deposition of conjugated polythiophene network films on planar indium tin oxide electrode surfaces were described. The precursor polymer, a polymethacrylate functionalized with thiophene, poly[3-(hexyl methacrylate)]thiophene (P3HMAT), was synthesized and then electropolymerized on ITO substrates in boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BFEE)/CH2Cl2 (v/v = 6:4) binary solution system, resulting in poly{poly[3-(hexyl methacrylate)]thiophene} (PP3HMAT). The possibility of inter- and intramolecular polymerization resulted in a cross-linking conjugated network microstructure. The fluorescence spectra indicated that PP3HMAT films can be used as yellow-green-light emitters even they could not be dissolved in common solvents. The thermal analyses demonstrated that PP3HMAT has good thermal stability. In addition, the molecular weight and distribution of P3HMAT were characterized by GPC, and the molecular structures of the monomer and the polymers were characterized by 1H NMR and FTIR, and optical properties of the monomer and polymers were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy.

A novel conjugated polythiophene derivative with polymethacrylate attaching to the polymer backbone via an alkyl spacer was successfully synthesized. A methacrylate-substituted thiophene monomer, 3-(hexyl methacrylate)thiophene was prepared and polymerized by free radical polymerization, followed by an electrochemical polymerization. The resulting polymer as a yellow-green-light emitter, has potential applications in photoelectronics area.

Novel amphiphilic fluorinated ABC-type triblock copolymers composed of hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) monomethyl ether (MeOPEO), hydrophobic polystyrene (PSt), and hydrophobic/lipophobic poly(perfluorohexylethyl acrylate) (PFHEA) were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using N,N,N′,N″,N″-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA)/CuBr as a catalyst system. The bromide-terminated diblock copolymers poly(ethylene oxide)-block-polystyrene (MeOPEO-b-PSt-Br) were prepared by the ATRP of styrene initiated with the macroinitiator MeOPEO-Br, which was obtained by the esterification of poly(ethylene oxide) monomethyl ether (MeOPEO) with 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide. A fluorinated block of poly(perfluorohexylethyl acrylate) (PFHEA) was then introduced into the diblock copolymer by a second ATRP process to synthesize a novel ABC-type triblock copolymer, poly(ethylene oxide)-block-polystyrene-block-poly(perfluorohexylethyl acrylate) (MeOPEO-b-PSt-b-PFHEA). These block copolymers were characterized by means of proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Water contact angle measurements revealed that the polymeric coating of the triblock copolymer (MeOPEO-b-PSt-b-PFHEA) shows more hydrophobic than that of the corresponding diblock copolymer (MeOPEO-b-PSt). Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as a model protein to evaluate the protein adsorption property and the triblock copolymer coating posseses excellent protein-resistant character prior to the corresponding diblock copolymer and polydimethylsiloxane. These amphiphilic fluoropolymers can expect to have potential applications for antifouling coatings and antifouling membranes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011

With ammonium persulfate (APS) as the initiator, the kinetics of methyl methacrylate (MMA) grafting polymerization onto flaky aluminum powder (Al) was studied. It was found that the Experimental apparent grafting polymerization rate, Rg = KC Al 0.521 x C APS 0.429 x C 0.978 MMA' was basically consistent with the theoretical result based on the theory of stable polymerization and equivalent activity, R g = KC 0.5 Al x C 0.5 APS x C MMA . The activation energy of grafting, homogenous, and total polymerization rate was calculated as 65.1, 35.4, and 37.5 kJ mol -1 , respectively. It could be validated that the relationship among these activation energies accorded with the theoretical result of parallel reactions.

A new visible-light-response photocatalyst Sm2InTaO7 with 4f-d10-d0 configuration crystallized in a cubic system with the space group Fd3m was synthesized by a solid-state reaction method. NiOx-loaded Sm2InTaO7 showed high photocatalytic activities for H2 evolution from pure water under visible light irradiation (λ>400 nm). Changes in the photocatalytic activity with the calcination temperature of Sm2InTaO7 and the amount of NiOx loaded indicated that the combination of highly crystallized Sm2InTaO7 and a high dispersion of NiOx particles led to high photocatalytic activity. The high photocatalytic performance of NiOx-loaded Sm2InTaO7 supported the existing view that the photocatalytic activity correlated with the lattice distortion. Density functional theory calculation indicated that strong dispersion from the hybridized In 5s 5p orbitals at the bottom of the conduction band was responsible for the high activity of photocatalyst Sm2InTaO7.

A new visible-light-driven photocatalyst Sm 2 InNbO 7 crystallized in a cubic system with the space group Fd3m was synthesized by a solid-state reaction method. Sm 2 InNbO 7 showed high activities for photocatalytic H 2 evolution from CH 3 OH aqueous solution and for photocatalytic O 2 evolution from AgNO 3 aqueous solution under visible-light irradiation, which was even better than that of InNbO 4 , a well-known visible-light-driven photocatalyst. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation indicated that strong dispersion from the hybridized In 5s and 5p orbitals at the bottom of the conduction band (CB) was considered to contribute to the high activity of photocatalyst Sm 2 InNbO 7 .

A new visible-light-response photocatalyst Nd2InTaO7 with pyrochlore-type structure crystallized in a cubic system with the space group Fd3m was synthesized by a solid-state reaction method. The H2 evolution was obtained from Pt/CH3OH/H2O solution and pure H2O, and O2 evolution was generated from an aqueous AgNO3 solution under visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm). The high photocatalytic performance of Nd2InTaO7 supported the existing view that the photocatalytic activity correlated with the lattice distortion.

Novel AB 2 -type amphiphilic block copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), PEG-b-(PNIPAM) 2 , were successfully synthesized through single-electron transfer living radical polymerization (SET-LRP). A difunctional macroinitiator was prepared by esterification of 2,2-dichloroacetyl chloride with poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether (PEG). The copolymers were obtained via the SET-LRP of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with CuC1/tris(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)amine (Me 6 TREN) as catalytic system and DMF/H 2 O (v/v = 3:1) mixture as solvent. The resulting copolymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography and 1 H NMR. These block copolymers show controllable molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions (PDI < 1.15). Their phase transition temperatures and the corresponding enthalpy changes in aqueous solution were measured by differential scanning calorimetry. As a result, the phase transition temperature of PEG 44 -b-(PNIPAM 55 ) 2 is similar to that in the case of PEG 44 -b-PNIPAM 110 ; however, the corresponding enthalpy change is much lower, indicating the significant influence of the macromolecular architecture on the phase transition. This is the first study into the effect of macromolecular architecture on the phase transition using AB 2 -type amphiphilic block copolymer composed of PEG and PNIPAM.