A novel laser light-scattering study of enzymatic biodegradation of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) nanoparticles

A successful micronization of water-insoluble poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) into narrowly distributed nanoparticles stable in water has not only enabled us to study the enzymatic biodegradation of PCL in water at 25 degrees C by a combination of static and dynamic laser light scattering (LLS), but also to shorten the biodegradation time by a factor of more than 10(3) compared with using a thin PCL film, i.e. a 1 week conventional experiment becomes a 4 min one. The time-average scattering intensity decreased linearly. It was interesting to find that the decrease of the scattering intensity was not accompanied by a decrease of the average size of the PCL nanoparticles, indicating that the enzyme, Lipase Pseudomonas (PS), ''eats'' the PCL nanoparticles one-by-one, so that the biodegradation rate is determined mainly by the: enzyme concentration. Moreover, we found that using anionic sodium lauryl sulphate instead of cationic hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide as surfactant in the micronization can prevent the biodegradation, suggesting that the biodegradation involves two essential steps: the adsorption of slightly negatively charged Lipase PS onto the PCL nanoparticles and the interaction between Lipase PS and PCL. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compatibilization of blends of polystyrene and zinc salt of sulfonated polystyrene by poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) diblock copolymer

The compatibilizing effect and mechanism of poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) diblock copolymer, P(S-b-4VPy), on the immiscible blend of polystyrene (PS)/zinc salt of sulphonated polystyrene (Zn-SPS) were studied. SEM results show that the domains of the dispersed phase in the blend become finer. DSC experiments reveal that the difference between the two T-g's corresponding to the phases in the blends becomes larger on addition of P(S-b-4VPy), mainly resulting from dissolving of the poly(4-vinylpyridine (P4VPy) block in the Zn-SPS phase. FTIR analysis shows that compatibility of P4VPy and Zn-SPS arises from the stoichiometric coordination of the zinc ions of Zn-SPS and pyridine nitrogens of P4VPy. SAXS analysis indicates the effect of the P(S-b-4VPy) content on the structure of the compatibilized blends. When the content of the block copolymer is lower than 4.1 wt%, the number of ion pairs in an aggregate in the Zn-SPS becomes smaller, and aggregates in ionomer in the blend become less organized with increasing P(S-b-4VPy). When the P(S-b-4VPy) content in the blend is up to 7.4 wt%, a fraction of P(S-b-4VPy) form a separate domain in the blend. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and characterization of thermotropic liquid crystalline poly(ester imide)s

Two closely series of poly(ester imide)s had been synthesized by solution polycondensation of p-phenylenebis(trimellitate) dianhydride with aliphatic diamines. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) traces of the most poly(ester imide)s exhibited two endotherms representing the solid state to anisotropic phase transition (T-m1) and the anisotropic to isotropic melt transition (T-m2), respectively. Observation under polarizing microscope and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) measurements suggested that the anisotropic phase formed above the melting paints (T-m1) had a smectic character. The thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) revealed that the thermal stabilities of the poly(ester imide)s were up to 350 degrees C. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Isothermal crystallization kinetics and melting behavior of poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate)/poly(vinyl acetate) blends

The overall isothermal crystallization kinetics and melting behavior of poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) blends were studied by using differential scanning calorimetry(DSC). The Avrami analysis indicates that the addition of PVAc into PHB results in the decrease in the overall crystallization rate of the PHB phase, but does not affect PHB's nucleation mechanism and geometry of crystal growth. The activation energy of the overall process of crystallization increases with the increasing PVAc content in the blends. The phenomenon of multiple melting endotherms is observed, which is caused by melting and recrystallization during the DSC heating run. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect and mechanism in compatibilization of poly(styrene-b-2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) diblock copolymer in poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) poly(ethylene-ran-acrylic acid) blends

The compatibilization effect of poly(styrene-b-2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) diblock copolymer, P(S-b-EOx), on immiscible blends of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) and poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) (EAA) is examined in terms of phase structure and thermal, rheological and mechanical properties, and its compatibilizing mechanism is investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The block copolymer, synthesized by a mechanism transformation copolymerization, is used in solution blending of PPO/EAA. Scanning electron micrographs show that the blends exhibit a more regular and finer dispersion on addition of a small amount of P(S-b-EOx). Thermal analysis indicates that the grass transition of PPO and the lower endothermic peal; of EAA components become closer on adding P(S-b-EOx), and the added diblock copolymer is mainly located at the interface between the PPO and EAA phases. The interfacial tension estimated by theological measurement is significantly reduced on addition of a small amount of P(S-b-EOx). The tensile strength and elongation at break increase with the addition of the diblock copolymer for PPO-rich blends, whereas the tensile strength increases but the elongation at break decreases for EAA-rich blends. This effect is interpreted in terms of interfacial activity and the reinforcing effect of the diblock copolymer, and it is concluded that the diblock copolymer plays a role as an effective compatibilizer for PPO/EAA blends. The specific interaction between EAA and polar parts of P(S-b-EOx) is mainly hydrogen bonding. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Crystallization kinetics of poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) from its metastable melt

After isothermal crystallization of the amorphous poly(ether ether ketone), double endothermic behaviour can be found through differential scanning calorimetry experiments. During the heating scan of semicrystalline PEEK, a metastable melt, which comes from the melt of the thinner lamellar crystal populations, can be obtained between these two endotherms. The metastable melt can recrystallize immediately just above the lower melting temperature and form slightly thicker lamellae than the original ones. The thickness and the perfection depend upon the crystallization time and the crystallization temperature. By comparing the TEM morphological observations of the samples before and after partial melting, it can be shown that lamellar crystals, having different thermodynamic stability, form during isothermal crystallization. After partial melting, only the type of lamellar crystal exhibiting the higher thermodynamic stability remains. Wide angle X-ray diffraction measurements shows a slightly change in the crystallinity of the samples before and after the partial melting. Small angle X-ray scattering results exhibit a change in the long period of the lamellar crystals before and after the partial melting process. The crystallization kinetics of the metastable melt can be determined by means of differential scanning calorimetry. The kinetic analysis showed that the isothermal crystallization of the metastable PEEK melt proceeds with an Avrami exponent of n = 1.0 similar to 1.4, reflecting that probably one-dimensional or an irregular line growth of the crystal occurred between the existing main lamellae with heterogeneous nucleation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compatibilizing effect of polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) for poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenyleneoxide) chlorinated polyethylene blends

The compatibilizing effect and mechanism of compatibilization of the diblock copolymer polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) P(S-b-4VPy) on immiscible blends of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO)/chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), mechanical properties and FTIR measurements. The block copolymer was synthesized by sequential anionic polymerization and melt-blended with PPO and CPE. The results show that the P(S-b-4VPy) added acts as an effective compatibilizer, located at the interface between the PPO and the CPE phase, reducing the interfacial tension, and improving the interfacial adhesion. The tensile strength and modulus of all blends increase with P(S-b-4VPy) content, whereas the elongation at break increases for PPO-rich blends, but decreases for CPE-rich blends. The polystyrene block of the diblock copolymer is compatible with PPO, and the poly(4-vinylpyridine) block and CPE are partially miscible.

The characterization of the interfacial reaction in polyamide 1010 poly(propylene)-graft-(glycidylmethacrylate) blends

Binary blends of polyamide 1010/poly(propylene) and polyamide 1010 (PA1010)/poly(propylene)-graft-(glycidyl methacrylate) (PP-g-GMA) were prepared. The epoxy groups in PP-g-GMA react with the amino end-groups in PA1010, thus a PA1010-graft-PP copolymer is formed and acts as a compatibilizer between PA1010 and PP-g-GMA. The reaction was confirmed by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and attenuated total reflection (ATR)-FTIR spectroscopic analysis, and also evaluated by the stability of the suspension obtained by dissolving the blends in formic acid and by the morphologies of the blends.

Studies on uniaxially drawn poly(vinylidene fluoride) films

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), under certain conditions, shows a crystal transition between the alpha (TGT (G) over bar) and beta (TTT) forms, where T, G, and (G) over bar, respectively, denote trans, gauche, and minus gauche. We investigated the mechanism of this crystal transition by FT-TR and X-ray diffraction, which yielded consistent results. We also carried out differential scanning calorimeter experiments.

Isothermal and nonisothermal melt crystallization kinetic behavior of poly(aryl ether biphenyl ether ketone ketone): PEDEKK

Isothermal and nonisothermal melt crystallization kinetics of a novel poly(aryl ether ketone), PEDEKK, were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. Several kinetic analyses were used to describe the crystallization behavior. The activation energies were determined as 425 and 176 KJ/mol for isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization, respectively. The equilibrium melting point T-m(o) was estimated to be 444 degrees C by using the Hoffman-Weeks approach. The observed crystallization characteristics of PEDEKK were compared with those of the other members of the poly(arpl ether ketone) family.

Molecular dynamics simulation of polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate)

Molecular dynamics is applied to the system of polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate). The simulation shows that for the block copolymer system, a layered structure, which reflects microphase separation, is obtained and this structure is stable. In order to elucidate that the formation of the layered structure is reasonable, some static properties such as the radial distribution function and the dipole moment are analyzed in some detail.

Poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(butyl acrylate). II. Characterization and properties

Poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(butyl acrylate) synthesized by radical polymerization in a one-step procedure were characterized by gel permeation chromatography, infrared, IH-NMR spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The crystalline property, emulsifying property, and phase transfer catalytic effect in the Williamson reaction were studied. It was found that the crystallinity of the copolymer increased with an increase in both the content and molecular weight of poly( ethylene oxide) (PEO) sequences. DSC curves showed two distinct crystallization temperature due to the heterogeneous nucleation and homogeneous nucleation crystallization. The casting solvent significantly affected the morphology and crystallinity of the solvent cast films. Both the emulsifying volume and the phase transfer catalytic efficiency in the Williamson reaction increased with the amount and PEO content of the block copolymers used, but decreased with an increase in the molecular weight of PEO sequences. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Miscibility and crystallization of poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate)/poly(vinyl acetate-co-vinyl alcohol) blends

Poly(vinyl acetate-co-vinyl alcohol) copolymers (P(VAc-co-VA)) were synthesized by hydrolysis-alcoholysis of PVAc. The miscibility, crystallization, and morphology of poly(P-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and P(VAc-co-VA) blends were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, optical microscopy (OM), and SAXS. It is found that the P(VAc-co-VA)s with vinyl alcohol content of 9, 15, and 22 mol % will form a miscible phase with the amorphous part of PHB in the solution-cast samples. The melting-quenched samples of PHB/P(VAc-co-VA) blends with different vinyl alcohol content show different phase behavior. PHB and P(VAc-co-VA9) with low vinyl alcohol content (9% mel) will form a miscible blend in the melt state. PHB and P(VAc-co-VA15) with 15 mol % vinyl alcohol will not form miscible blends while PHB/P(VAc-co-VA15) blend with 20/80 composition will form a partially miscible blend in the melt state. PHB and P(VAc-co-VA22) with 22 mol % vinyl alcohol are not miscible in the whole composition range. The single glass transition temperature of the blends within the whole composition range suggests that PHB and P(VAc-co-VA9) are totally miscible in the melt. The crystallization kinetics was studied from the whole crystallization and spherulite growth for the miscible blends. The equilibrium melting point of PHB in the PHB/P(VAc-co-VA9) blends, which was obtained from DSC results using the Hoffman-Weeks equation, decreases with the increase in P(VAc-co-VA9) content. The negative value of the interaction parameter determined from the equilibrium melting point depression supports the miscibility between the components. The kinetics of spherulitic crystallization of PHB in the blends was analyzed according to nucleation theory in the temperature range studied in this work. The best fit of the data to the kinetic theory is obtained by employing WLF parameters and the equilibrium melting points obtained by DSC. The addition of P(VAc-co-VA) did not affect the crystalline structure of PHB, as shown by the WAXD results. The long periods of blends obtained from SAXS increase with the increase in P(VAc-co-VA) content. It indicates that the amorphous P(VAc-co-VA) was rejected to interlamellar phase corporating with the amorphous part of PHB.

Efficient green electroluminescent cells using a poly(p-phenylene vinylene) multiblock copolymer sandwiched between carrier-transporting layers

With a newly synthesized poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) multiblock copolymer used in a triple-layer structure, efficient green light-emitting diodes with low driving voltage have been fabricated. The devices are turned on at 2.5 V, the brightness at 5 V is above 100 cd/m(2) and at 7 V is about 1650 cd/m(2), with an external quantum efficiency of about 1%. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Physical aging and crystallization of amorphous poly(aryl ether ether ketone ketone)

Physical aging of poly(aryl ether ether ketone ketone) (PEEKK) was investigated. Heat flow responses were measured after annealing the amorphous samples that were obtained by quenching the melt into an ice-water bath at just below the glass transition temperature. Isothermal cold crystallization of the aged samples was carried out. The Avrami equation was used to determine the kinetic parameters, and the Avrami constant it is about 2. An Arrhenius form was used to evaluate the relaxation activation energy of physical aging and the transport activation energy of isothermal crystallization. The activation energy of physical aging was similar in magnitude to that observed for the temperature dependence of crystallization under conditions of transportation control. Results obtained were interpreted as purely kinetic effects associated with the glass formation process. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.