Liusheng Chen

Morphology evolution and location of ethylene-propylene copolymer in annealed polyethylene/polypropylene blends

Binary blends of linear low density polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), and ternary blends of PE, PP, and EP copolymer (EPR) were prepared in a finely mixed state. In all blends the ratio of PP to PE was 85/15. In some of the blends, the PE component was labeled with a fluorescent dye; in other blends, the EPR component was labeled. These blends were investigated by laser scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy [LCFM] as a function of annealing time as well as EPR compatibilizer content. In this way we were able to follow the evolution of sample morphology and the location of the EPR in the blends. The presence of EPR in the blends retards the growth of droplets of the dispersed PE phase. When EPR was added in amounts up to 5 wt %, it tended to cover the PE droplets in patches rather than form a true core-shell structure. In the LCFM images, the EPR/PP interface appeared sharper than the EPR/PE interface.

Novel sintering behavior of polystyrene nano-latex particles in filming process

Filming process of polystyrene nano-latex (NPS) particles was studied by a combination of various methods. For a constant annealing time of 1 h, the AFM images showed that the deformation and sintering temperatures for NPS particles were ca. 90°C and 100°C respectively. In spin-lattice relaxation measurements of solid state NMR, it is found that T1L, T1S and I1I/I0 increased significantly after annealing at 90°C and above. DSC results showed that there was an exothermic peak near Tg after annealing for 1 h at the selected temperatures below 95°C; otherwise, the exothermic peak disappeared after annealing at 100°C or above. The apparent density of NPS increased suddenly in the temperature range. The results implied that the macromolecules in NPS particles are in a confined state with higher conformational energy and less cohensional interactions which are the drive force for the sintering at a lower temperature compared with the multichain PS particles and the bulk polymer.

Quenching Platinum Octaethylporphine Phosphorescence in Solution by Poly(ferrocenylsilane)

Abstract We describe experiments that determine the quenching kinetics by poly(ferrocenylsilane) (PFS) for platinum octaethylporphine (PtOEP) phosphorescence in toluene solution. The phosphorescence quenching process was interpreted in terms of diffusion-controlled kinetics. Pulsed-gradient spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance (PGSE NMR) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to characterize the diffusion behavior of PFS and PtOEP in toluene solution. We found that the ferrocene group present in the repeat unit of polymer backbone is a good quencher for PtOEP phosphorescence. Quenching by the polymer involves the entire PFS polymer chain instead of individual ferrocene groups. The intrinsic quenching ability of PFS was found to be higher than that of a model compound, Bu-FS, that contains a single ferrocene group.

Thermal decomposition of amide and imide derivatives of maleated polyethylene

The thermal decomposition behavior of six derivatives of maleated polyethylene was investigated by high-resolution pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The results revealed that substituents attached to maleated polyethylene as amides formed from secondary amines were significantly less stable than imides formed from primary amines. Morpholine amide and N-methylaniline amide derivatives of maleated polyethylene underwent significant decomposition at 160 °C and substantial decomposition at 200 °C. In contrast, the imide derivatives of maleated polyethylene were stable for long periods of time at elevated temperatures. Following 2 min of heating, the first traces of decomposition were detected at 200 °C for the 2-aminoanthrancene imide derivative, at 255 °C for the 2-phenethylamine imide, and at 280 °C for the 9-aminomethylphenanthrene imide. With the exception of the 9-aminomethylphenanthrene imide, all other derivatives decomposed to form the corresponding amine as the single most significant volatile product. The most likely explanation for this result is that the polymer contained small amounts of succinamic acid that did not close to form the imide. We concluded that the imide was stable even to 315 °C and that the amine was lost from β-carboxyamide groups present in the sample. In the 9-aminomethylphenanthrene imide derivative, we observed no loss of amine. Instead, we observed an alternative fragmentation process yielding 9-methyl phenanthrene. The dependence of the thermal stability of these various derivatives of maleated polyethylene has important implications for the design of reactive-blending strategies for polyolefins with other functional polymers.

Thermal decomposition behavior of naphthalene-labeled polyethylene

Pyrolysis–GC/mass spectrometry experiments reveal that naphthalene groups attached to maleated polyethylene as the 1-naphthylethyl ester are stable for relatively long periods of time at 170°C. Decomposition can be detected for samples heated for 2.0 min at 200°C, but even at that temperature, the extent of decomposition is very small. At higher temperatures, two of the decomposition products from the labeled polymer are readily understood: 1-vinylnaphthalene and 1-naphthylethanol can form by reactions that are well-precedented in the organic chemistry literature. At 200°C, only naphthalene is formed, which requires scission of the bond between the naphthyl ring and the C1 carbon of the ethyl group. We suggest two possible pathways for this reaction.