The effect of macromolecular architecture of ethylene copolymers with multi-alkenylsilsesquioxane on morphological, rheological and dynamic mechanical behavior

Abstract The influence of the degree and the way of incorporation of multi-alkenylsilsesquioxane into the polymer chain on morphological, rheological and dynamic mechanical parameters were determined. It was found that POSS incorporated into the polymer chain was located outside the crystalline structure of lamella in amorphous phase. The incorporation of POSS-6-2 as a pendant group resulted in significant increase of separation of macromolecules. The key factor in rheological and dynamic mechanical behavior of copolymers turned out to be the way of POSS incorporation into the polymer chain. The incorporation of POSS into the polymer chain as a pendant group resulted in decreased relaxation…

Study and evaluation of dispersion of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane and silica filler in polypropylene composites

Various methods were used for evaluation of homogeneity of polypropylene (PP) matrix composites with octakis([n‐octyl]dimethylsiloxy)octasilsesquioxane, octakis([n‐octadecyl]dimethylsiloxy)octasilsesquioxane, and silica (SiO2) fillers. The filler dispersion was determined on the basis of the results from the wide‐angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS) analysis, from the tests of selected mechanical properties, from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and from the decomposable entropic descriptor method. The use of different methods allowed to evaluate homogeneity of PP composites on various levels and with different precisions. The dispersion degree was found…

Ethylene/POSS copolymerization behavior of postmetallocene catalysts and copolymer characteristics

Copolymerization of ethylene with iso-butyl substituted monoalkenyl(siloxy)- or monoalkenylsilsesquioxane (POSS) comonomers over bis(phenoxy-imine) and salen-type titanium and zirconium catalysts was studied. It was found that the polyreaction performance was significantly depended by the kind of the catalyst and by the structure and concentration of POSS in the feed. The POSS comonomer was efficiently incorporated into the polymer chain at up to 0.2 mol %. The differences in the copolymer compositions as the functions of the catalyst kind and the POSS comonomer were observed, including the varied number-average sequence length of ethylene and unsaturated end groups, as determined by 1H NMR…

High crystallinity polyethylene obtained in biphasic polymerization using pyridinium chloroaluminate ionic liquid

A series of N-n-alkylpyridinium chloroaluminate ionic liquids [C n -py][AlCl4] (where n-alkyl = n-butyl, n-hexyl, and n-octyl) was applied as a medium of the Cp2TiCl2 catalyst, activated by AlEtCl2 or AlEt2Cl, to evaluate the influence of the studied ionic liquids on the performance of the biphasic ionic liquid/hexane ethylene polymerization and the properties of the produced polyethylene (PE). The best results were obtained using N-n-butylpyridinium chloroaluminate. The polyethylene obtained in the biphasic polymerization have the high crystallinity, which was confirmed by DSC, WAXS and PALS methods, as well as the bulk density comparable to commercial HDPE. These unique properties results…

Ecotheology in the service of religion and science

The aim of the text is to assess the ecumenical potential of various contemporary approaches to ecotheology, which try to take into account the achievements of natural and social sciences. It outlines the effects of the ecumenical interest of the Churches in ecology, understood as a certain style of thinking and acting, taking into account the good of the natural environment. The results of ecological interest in the Churches are discussed by numerous authors. For example, two complementary concepts from Western and Eastern Christianity are presented: Thomas Berry's Interdisciplinary Ecotheology and John Zizioulas' Ethically Oriented Ecotheology.
  
  

Ekumeniczny liturgista z pogranicza polsko-czesko-słowackiego

Functionalized siloxane‐silsesquioxane resins and polypropylene‐based composites: Morphological, structural, thermal, and mechanical properties

Non‐functionalized and n‐alkyl‐functionalized siloxane‐silsesquioxane resins (S4SQ) were synthesized and characterized to confirm their structure and properties. Polypropylene (PP) composites with S4SQ resins as fillers were prepared by the melt blending. The influence of the kinds and amounts of fillers on the structural, morphological and thermal properties as well as mechanical characteristics and processability was determined. High compatibility of composites with functionalized resins resulted in more homogenous dispersion of filler particles in comparison with the composites which contained a non‐functionalized resin. Moreover, the introduction of S4SQ resins into PP strongly affected…

Study of polyethylene nanocomposites with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane nanofillers—from structural characteristics to mechanical properties and processability

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) nanocomposites filled with octakis({alkyl}dimethylsiloxy)octasilsesquioxanes (POSS) were prepared by the melt blending method. The effects of the structure and the content of POSS nanofillers on free-volume properties and structural characteristics of nanocomposites were investigated by the positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and X-ray diffraction methods: wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Incorporation of POSS nanofillers into polyethylene matrices modified the arrangement of the polymer chains and affected the size and number of free-volume holes in nanocomposites.…