Preparation of acrylamide‐based poly‐HIPEs with enhanced mechanical strength using PVDBM‐b‐PEG‐emulsified CO2‐in‐water emulsions

Poly(vinyl acetate‐alt‐dibutyl maleate)‐block‐poly(ethylene glycol) (PVDBM‐b‐PEG) copolymers were synthesized via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer radical polymerization and used as emulsifiers to form stable CO₂‐in‐water high internal phase emulsions (C/W HIPEs). Then, highly interconnected cellular polyacrylamide (PAM) and poly(acrylamide‐co‐N‐hydroxymethyl acrylamide) [P(AM‐co‐HMAM)] poly‐HIPEs with enhanced mechanical strength were prepared based on the stable C/W HIPEs. The porous structures of the PAM poly‐HIPEs, as well as morphology and compressive modulus, could be influenced by the surfactant concentration and the length of the CO₂‐philic tails of the surfactants. PAM poly‐HIPEs with the smallest average pore diameter (11.12 ± 0.62 μm) and the highest compressive modulus (22.65 ± 0.10 MPa) could be obtained by using the short CO₂‐philic chains of the PVDBM‐b‐PEG surfactant at a high concentration (1.0 wt %). Moreover, with the copolymerization of N‐hydroxymethyl acrylamide (HMAM) comonomers with acrylamide, the compressive modulus of the obtained P(AM‐co‐HMAM) poly‐HIPEs was three times higher than that of PAM poly‐HIPEs. Both PAM and P(AM‐co‐HMAM) poly‐HIPEs were employed as scaffolds to guide H9c2 cardiac muscle cellular growth. Fluorescence images showed that a smaller average pore size and a narrower pore‐size distribution were helpful for cell growth and proliferation on these materials. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46346.     

Synthesis of macroporous polymer foams via pickering high internal phase emulsions for highly efficient 2,4,5‐trichlorophenol removal

Macroporous polymers foams (MPFs) were prepared by W/O Pickering high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) stabilized by oleic acid (OA) modified silica nanoparticles (SPs), and then as‐prepared MPFs were applied to highly efficient adsorption of 2,4,5‐trichlorophenol (TCP). The characterization demonstrated that MPFs possessed macropore (50–150 μm) and interconnected pores (0.5–2 μm), and also had slightly hydrophobic nature (contact angle was 116°) and excellent thermal stability especially bellow 200°C. The influence of pH value, temperature, initial concentration, and contact time for the batch mode adsorption process was investigated, and the results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity and equilibrium time at 25°C were 167.7 mg g^?1 and 30 min, respectively. Moreover, the experimental data indicate that equilibrium isotherms for TCP fitted to the non‐linear Langmuir model, and both the adsorption and desorption kinetics can be represented by the pseudo‐second‐order model. The possible adsorption mechanism was considered to be the dispersion and hydrophobic interaction, simultaneously. The regeneration of the MPFs for one cycle was 94%. The results above strongly proved that this method reached the effect of highly efficient TCP removal. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41430.     

Enhanced oil recovery from high‐salinity reservoirs by cationic gemini surfactants

In order to enhance oil recovery from high‐salinity reservoirs, a series of cationic gemini surfactants with different hydrophobic tails were synthesized. The surfactants were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and ¹H‐NMR. According to the requirements of surfactants used in enhanced oil recovery technology, physicochemical properties including surface tension, critical micelle concentration (CMC), contact angle, oil/water interfacial tension, and compatibility with formation water were fully studied. All cationic gemini surfactants have significant impact on the wettability of the oil‐wet surface, and the contact angle decreased remarkably from 98° to 33° after adding the gemini surfactant BA‐14. Under the condition of solution salinity of 65,430 mg/L, the cationic gemini surfactant BA‐14 reduces the interfacial tension to 10^?3 mN/m. Other related tests, including salt tolerance, adsorption, and flooding experiments, have been done. The concentration of 0.1% BA‐14 remains transparent with 120 g/L salinity at 50 °C. The adsorption capacity of BA‐14 is 6.3–11.5 mg/g. The gemini surfactant BA‐14 can improve the oil displacement efficiency by 11.09%. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46086.     

The adsorption behaviors of the multiple stimulus‐responsive poly(ethylene glycol)‐based hydrogels for removal of RhB dye

In this article, the multiple stimulus‐responsive organic/inorganic hybrid hydrogels by combining poly(2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate‐co‐oligo (ethylene glycol) methacrylate‐co‐acrylic acid) (PMOA) hydrogel with magnetic attapulgite/Fe₃O₄ (AT‐Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles were applied to the removal of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye from wastewater. The adsorption of RhB by the hydrogels was carried out under different external environmental, such as pH, temperature and magnetic‐field. The results showed that the hydrogels still possessed temperature, pH and magnetic‐field sensitivity during the adsorption process, which indicated that the adsorption could be controlled by the hydrogels responsive. The dye adsorption had a significant increment at 30°C and the removal of RhB could reach to over 95%. Besides, the low pH values were also favorable for the RhB adsorption, the removal was over 90% at pH = 4.56. Kinetic studies showed that the pseudo‐second order kinetic model well fitted the experimental data. The rate constant of adsorption was 0.0379 g/mg min. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to the equilibrium adsorption for describing the interaction between sorbent and adsorbate. The maximum K_L and K_F were 2.23 (L/g) and 0.87 (mg/g) at 30°C, respectively. Under the external magnetic‐field, the adsorption rate significantly increased within 250 min and the hydrogels could be separated easily from wastewater. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42244.     

Use of short isobornyl methacrylate building blocks to improve the heat and oil resistance of thermoplastic elastomers via RAFT emulsion polymerization

Triblock copolymer (TCP)‐based thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) were designed via reversible addition–fragmentation chain‐transfer emulsion polymerization. Short isobornyl methacrylate (IM) building blocks in the two ends of molecular chain were incorporated to guarantee the mechanical properties of the TPEs at high temperature (i.e., heat resistance) because of the high glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of poly(isobornyl methacrylate) (PIM; ～180 °C). The microphase separation, tensile properties at different temperatures, dynamic mechanical properties, oil resistance, and thermal stability of the TPEs were extensively characterized. The TPEs had distinct microphase separation with a wide inter‐T_g interval (150–185 °C). The tensile strength and elongation at break of the TPEs decreased with increasing temperature from 25 to 100 °C because of the reduced interactions in the phase domain. Even so, the TPEs had a high elongation at break beyond 200% and little change in the tensile strength even at 100 °C together with a wide quasi‐platform stage between the T_g values in dynamic mechanical analysis; this indicated good heat resistance. Meanwhile, the TPEs had an enhanced oil resistance and a thermal stability higher than 300 °C. These TCP‐based TPEs with heat and oil resistance broaden the application potential in practical fields. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45379.     

Hydrophobic and tribological behaviors of a poly(p‐phenylene benzobisoxazole) fabric composite reinforced with nano‐TiO2

1H,1H,2H,2H‐Perfluorooctyl trichlorosilane (PFTS) was used to modify TiO₂ nanoparticles, and hydrophobic PFTS–TiO₂ nanoparticles were obtained by an ultrasonic reaction method. The PFTS–TiO₂ surface morphological and hydrophobic properties were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and contact angle (CA) testing. Then, the poly(p‐phenylene benzobisoxazole) fabric–phenolic composite filled with PFTS–TiO₂ as a lubricant additive was fabricated by a dip‐coating process. The tribological properties of the composite were investigated, and the wear surface morphology was observed by SEM. The experimental results show that the water CA of the composite filled with PFTS–TiO₂ was 158°, and the composite containing 4 wt % PFTS–TiO₂ exhibited excellent antifriction and abrasion resistance. The hydrophobic surface of the composite showed excellent durable performance with a static water CA of 126.7° after abrasion. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45077.     

Poly(4‐vinylphenol)/tetra‐n‐butylammonium iodide: Efficient organocatalytic system for synthesis of cyclic carbonates from CO2 and epoxides

An efficient polymer‐based catalytic system of poly(4‐vinylphenol) and tetra‐n‐butylammonium iodide was developed for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO₂. Owing to the synergistic effects of hydroxyl groups and iodide anions, this commercially available and metal‐free system was highly active for the reaction of various terminal epoxides under environmentally benign conditions, at 25 to 60 °C and atmospheric pressure of CO₂, without the use of any organic solvents. The catalyst system can be easily separated by adding ether, and its ability was recovered by treating it with 40% CH₃CO₂H aq. The recyclability was investigated in detail for three substrates, epichlorohydrin, 1,2‐epoxyhexane, and styrene oxide, using ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45189.     

Preparation of poly(acrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid)/silica nanocomposite microspheres and their performance as a plugging material for deep profile control

In this work, poly(acrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid)/silica [poly(AM‐co‐AA)/SiO₂] microspheres were prepared by inverse phase suspension polymerization in the presence of γ‐3‐(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (or 3‐methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane) modified SiO₂. The effects of SiO₂ nanoparticles on tuning morphology and properties of the nanocomposite microspheres were studied. Plugging ability and oil displacement performance were also systematically investigated by single‐ and double‐tube sand pack models. The results showed that SiO₂ nanoparticles can effectively adjust surface smoothness, swelling behavior, and thermal stability of the nanocomposite microspheres. Compared with pure copolymer microspheres, these nanocomposite microspheres also displayed better salt tolerance and shear resistance. Such multifunctional nanocomposite microspheres can provide effective plugging in the high‐permeability channels and can also achieve deep profile control. The highest plugging rate can be 86.11% and the oil recovery for low‐permeability tube was enhanced by 19.69%. This research will provide a candidate material for the further enhanced oil recovery (EOR) research and supply the theoretical support for profile control system in field application. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45502.     

Compressive moduli and network parameters of N‐isopropylacrylamide hydrogels copolymerized by monoesters of itaconic acid and crosslinked with tetraallylammonium bromide

The present study focuses on the mechanical properties of hydrophilically or hydrophobically modified poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogels, and all discussions on their improved mechanical strengths are based on the conformational effects of hydrophobic side chains attached to the comonomers and the structural differences between the crosslinkers. Three different types of monoalkyl itaconates, bearing octyl (Oc), cetyl (Ce), and cyclohexyl (CH) groups as comonomers, were used to prepare the copolymeric PNIPAAm hydrogels crosslinked with N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) and tetraallylammonium bromide (TAB) as neutral tetrafunctional and ionic octafunctional crosslinkers, respectively. The most striking result is the compressive E modulus of TAB‐crosslinked PNIPAAm hydrogel containing 10 mol % of mOcI. It reaches nearly 1.0 MPa and is independent of the temperature and pH of the swelling/shrinking medium. The result was discussed in terms of the inter/intramolecular interactions between hydrophobic octyl groups adopting a rod‐like conformation in the case of 25 °C/distilled deionized water (DDW) and 37 °C/DDW combinations. Further, it was observed that the electrostatic repulsive forces between the carboxylate groups on mOcI units could be suppressed even at 37 °C and pH 9 due to the rod‐like conformations of C₈H₁₇ groups. Its micrographs under bright‐field and polarized light supported the presence of an ordered anisotropic phase and multiple associations of extended, hydrophobic side chains. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45039.     

Poly(vinyl alcohol)/CaCO3‐diacid nanocomposite: Investigation of physical and wetting properties and application in heavy metal adsorption

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposite and modified CaCO₃ nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated by ultrasound agitation method with particle content altering from 3, 5, and 8 wt %. The CaCO₃ surface was successfully treated by 10 wt % of bioactive dicarboxylic acid (DA). The influences of loading modified NPs on the thermal, mechanical, adsorption, contact angle, and physical properties of the poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposite films were thoroughly studied. The results showed that incorporation of modified CaCO₃ into the PVA matrix had better performance than the pure PVA. Meanwhile, tensile strength, Young's modulus, and thermal stability are enhanced from 33.36 MPa, 1.26 GPs, and 242.918C (neat PVA) to 81.7 MPa, 4.81 GPa, and 312.95 °C (PVA/CaCO₃‐DA NC 5 wt %), respectively. Also, the adsorption capacity of the PVA/CaCO₃‐DA NCs 5 and 8 wt % revealed that the NC films could act as an appropriate absorbent for the removal of Cd(II) ions with maximum adsorption capacity of about 20.70 and 25.19 mg g^?1 for Cd(II), respectively. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45414.     

Magnetic polystyrene–palygorskite nanocomposite obtained by heterogeneous phase polymerization to apply in the treatment of oily waters

Water contaminated by oil poses challenges to the management of water resources. Magnetic nanoparticles has been issue of different potential applications including remotion oil from water. Magnetic polystyrene–palygorskite nanocomposites were prepared by a heterogeneous phase polymerization for the removal of organic contaminants from water. The organo‐Fe₃O₄‐palygorskite nanoparticles were coated with polystyrene, forming water repellent and oil absorbing surfaces to promote the removal of oil from the surfaces of nanocomposites by applying an external magnetic field. X‐ray fluorescence, X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, zeta potential and size distribution measurement, surface area determination by BET, density measurement by He pycnometry, carbon grade determination, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and evaluation of hydrophobicity by contact angle were used to characterize the nanoparticles. The magnetic nanocomposite obtained showed excellent hydrophobicity, around 78° contact angle. In addition, oil removal capability tests were also performed, according to which the preliminary results indicated removal of approximately 98% of oil in synthetic oily water samples. The oil–water separation using this magnetic nanocomposite provides a promising alternative strategy for water treatment. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46162.     

Highly efficient and reversible CO2 capture by tunable anion‐functionalized macro‐porous resins

Anion functionalized strategy has been proposed for the synthesis of macro‐porous resins [IRA‐900][An] through the neutral reaction of the basic resin [IRA‐900][OH] with the corresponding donors. Combining CO₂ adsorption results and FT‐IR, solid‐state ¹³C NMR characterization as well as quantum chemical calculations, chemical adsorption mechanism was verified and tunable capture of CO₂ was realized. Among them, the anion functionalized resin [IRA‐900][Triz] exhibits an extremely high adsorption capacity (4.02 mmol g^?1 at 25°C, 0.15 bar), outperforming many other good adsorbents. Finally, we discuss the thermostability and recycling stability of [IRA‐900][Triz], which shows a great potential in the industrial capture of CO₂. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 3008–3015, 2017     

Grafting biodegradable polyesters onto cellulose

To increase the compatibility between cellulose fibers and polyester matrix an original method for grafting hydrophobic oligoesters onto cellulose was proposed. Two kinds of cellulose substrates were employed as cellulose films and microcrystalline cellulose powder. Different oligoesters containing reactive end groups based on poly(DL ‐lactic acid) PDL‐LA, poly(ε‐caprolactone) PCL and poly(3‐hydroxyalkanoate)s PHA were first prepared and characterized by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The carboxylic end groups of the polyesters were activated using thionyl chloride (SOCl₂) to increase the esterification reaction with the hydroxyl groups of the cellulose. The esterification was realized in a heterogenous medium without any catalyst by deposition of chloride oligoesters in solution (2–100 g L⁻¹) onto cellulose film at different temperatures (25–105°C) during 1–12 h. The successful grafting on the various substrates was confirmed on the basis of FTIR spectroscopy, contact angle measurement, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In particular, it is shown that a small quantity of grafted oligoesters led to a significant increase of the hydrophobic character of the cellulose with a contact angle near 130°. The increase of hydrophobicity of cellulose is independent of the nature and length of grafting oligoesters. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Polymerized high internal phase emulsion monoliths for the chromatographic separation of engineered nanoparticles

PolyHIPEs of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and styrene/divinylbenzene were prepared by polymerization of water‐in‐oil high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) within high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns. The columns were incorporated into a HPLC system affixed to an inductively‐coupled plasma mass spectrometer, and their potential for the separation of engineered nanoparticles was investigated. Triplicate injections of 5 and 10 nm gold particles injected onto a poly(styrene‐co‐divinylbenzene) polyHIPE column produced an average difference in retention time of 135 s. On a poly(EGDMA) column, triplicate injections of dysprosium containing polystyrene particles of 52 and 155 nm produced a difference in retention time of 8 s. In both cases the smaller particles eluted from the column first. Comparison, using scanning electron microscopy, of the polyHIPE columns after the separations, against freestanding monoliths produced from the same HIPEs, revealed no apparent change in the internal porous structure of the polyHIPEs. © 2015 The Authors Journal of Applied Polymer Science Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 132, 41229.     

Effect of the sodium dodecyl sulfate/monomer ratio on the network structure of hydrophobic association hydrogels with adjustable mechanical properties

The study of gel‐network structure is not as extensive as the study of the application of hydrogels. However, the distribution of the inner structure is crucial for designing hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties to meet certain kinds of demands. In this study, a series of hydrophobic association hydrogels (HA‐gels) were synthesized by free‐radical micellar copolymerization in a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant solution. The hydrophobic monomer was palmityl alcohol poly(oxyethylene acrylate) (AEO–AC), which is an ecofriendly alternative to the traditional octyl phenol poly(oxyethylene acrylate). Interestingly, we found that the molar ratio [or ratio point (R)] of SDS to AEO–AC played a key role in tuning the mechanical properties. All series HA‐gels denominated a similar down–up–down tendency with increasing R, and the best R is 3. This result was consistent with the microscopic network structure number of the hydrophobic monomer (N_H = 21–24), and this indicated that each hydrophobic monomer associated three SDS monomers in its internal networks. The resulting AEO–AC–acrylamide gels exhibited the best mechanical strength (yield maximum broken stress = 218 kPa) and the maximum effective crosslink density. Moreover, the relationship between the network structure and the mechanical properties of the HA‐gels was investigated with various Rs. Two different interaction effects of distribution between SDS and AEO–AC are discussed in detail. The HA‐gels exhibited self‐healing properties and maintained their shape in water over 160 days. The results indicate that changing R is an effective method for tuning the mechanical properties of HA‐gels as a type of prospective biomedical material. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45196.     

Synthesis and properties of sulfonated biphenyl poly(ether sulfone) and its mixed‐matrix membranes containing carbon nanotubes for gas separation

We prepared mixed‐matrix membranes (MMMs) composed of carboxylated single‐walled carbon nanotubes (f‐SWCNTs) and a sulfonated biphenyl poly(ether sulfone) (S‐PPSU) polymer matrix. The thermal stability and properties of the pores of the S‐PPSU and f‐SWCNTs were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis and sorption isotherm curves, respectively; these showed that the surface and pore diameter decreased after the introduction of carboxyl groups to the single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), and the pore properties did not restore original values even when the f‐SWCNTs were preheated to 350 °C to remove carboxyl groups. The gas‐separation measurement showed that the MMMs comprised of the S‐PPSU and f‐SWCNTs possessed better gas‐separation properties than the ones composed of biphenyl poly(ether sulfone) and SWCNTs. The permeability for N₂, O₂, He, and CO₂ and the selectivity for O₂/N₂ and O₂/CO₂ were enhanced simultaneously because of the good dispersion of f‐SWCNTs and the improved interaction between the two phases. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44995.     

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.     

Preparation of hydrophobic polymer particles by radical polymerization and subsequent modification into magnetically doped particles

The application potential of hydrophobic polymer is numerous. Lauryl methacrylate (LMA) having long alkyl chain is a commercially available hydrophobic monomer. In this investigation, poly‐LMA (PLMA) latex particles were prepared by suspension polymerization in aqueous media using 2,2′‐azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) in presence of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as steric stabilizer. The preparation kinetics was studied in detail in terms of percentage yield and particle size variation. Low glass transition temperature (～ ?65°C) associated with high flexibility did not allow electron micrographic observation though ¹H‐NMR and particle size measurement confirmed the formation of PLMA latex. To improve the glass transition temperature, aqueous emulsion copolymerization of LMA with methyl methacrylate (MMA) was carried out. The solubility of LMA was improved by adding ethanol to the aqueous phase. Two types of polymeric stabilizers, PVA and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) were used to stabilize the colloidal particles. The nature of the stabilizer affected both morphology and final rate of polymerization. The hydrophobic P(LMA‐MMA) copolymer particles were subsequently modified by nanosized magnetic (Fe₃O₄) particles by two different methods. The in situ formation of Fe₃O₄ particles in presence of P(LMA‐MMA) was found to be suitable for the preparation of magnetic latex particles. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), FTIR, transmission electron microscope (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used for the characterization of magnetically doped particles. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Synthesis,characterization, and thermal degradation of novel poly(2‐(5‐bromo benzofuran‐2‐yl)‐2‐oxoethyl methacrylate)

A novel methacrylate monomer containing benzofuran side group, 2‐(5‐bromo benzofuran‐2‐yl)‐2‐oxoethyl methacrylate (BOEMA), was synthesized from esterification reaction of 2‐bromo‐1‐(5‐bromo benzofuran‐2‐yl) ethanone with sodium methacrylate at 85°C in the presence of 1,4‐dioxane solvent. After characterization with Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer, nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR and ¹³C‐NMR), its homopolymerization was carried out by free radical polymerization at 60°C in the presence of benzoyl peroxide initiator and 1,4‐dioxane solvent. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of the synthesized novel polymer, poly(2‐(5‐bromo benzofuran‐2‐yl)‐2‐oxoethyl methacrylate) [poly(BOEMA)], was determined to be 137°C with differential scanning calorimetry technique. Thermal degradation kinetics of poly(BOEMA) was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis method at different heating rates with 5°C/min intervals between measurements. From dynamic measurements, the analysis of each process mechanism of Coats–Redfern and Van Krevelen methods showed that the most probable model for the decomposition process of poly(BOEMA) homopolymer agrees with the random nucleation, F₁ mechanism. The apparent decomposition activation energies of poly(BOEMA) by Kissinger's and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa methods in the studied conversion range were 188.47 and 180.13 kJ/mol, respectively. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Flexible all‐aromatic polyesterimide films with high glass transition temperatures

A series all‐aromatic poly(esterimide)s with different molar ratios of N‐(3′‐hydroxyphenyl)‐trimellitimide (IM) and 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA) (IM/HBA = 0.3/0.7 and 0.7/0.3) was prepared with the aim to design flexible high T_g films. Melt‐pressed films, either from high molecular weight polymer or cured phenylethynyl precursor oligomers, exhibit T_gs in the range of 200 °C to 242 °C and are brittle. After a thermal stretching procedure, the films became remarkably flexible and very easy to handle. In addition, the thermally stretched 3‐IM/7‐HBA and 7‐IM/3‐HBA films show tensile strengths of 108 MPa and 169 MPa, respectively. Thermal treatment increased the T_g of 3‐IM/7‐HBA from 205 °C to 248 °C, whereas the T_g of 7‐IM/3‐HBA increased from 230 °C to 260 °C. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 133, 44774.