Search results for "Dispersion polymerization"
showing 10 items of 21 documents
Polymer Synthesis in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
2003
It is current opinion of most of the people involved in supercritical fluids (SCFs) technology that as the end of the twentieth century has been devoted to enlarge exploitation of compressed gases in separation processes the beginning of the twenty-first will be mainly aimed to improve their utilisation as solvents for reactions.
Synthesis of Liquid-Crystalline Colloids in Nonpolar Media and their Manipulation in Electric Fields
2009
The first synthesis of anisotropic liquid-crystalline colloids in silicone oil by a direct (radical) polymerization of a monomer in THF/silicone oil mixtures with the help of siloxane containing stabilizers is described. The size of the colloids is in the lower μm range and can be adjusted by varying the mixture. The resulting colloids show a bipolar director configuration if they are small (<1.5 μm) and a radial configuration if they are larger. The colloids are sterically stabilized, and, due to the nonpolarity of the solvent, the disturbing effects of migrating ions are excluded and experiments in the electric field can be conducted. Both line formation in DC fields and a periodic switch…
Inherently fluorescent polyaniline nanoparticles in a dynamic landscape
2012
Abstract In this paper we report for the first time on the emissive behavior of two polyaniline (PANI) nanoparticle systems produced via oxidative chemical polymerization in the presence of either poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) or chitosan as polymeric stabilizers in water. The emission from PANI nanoparticles is irreversibly quenched by an increase of pH of the suspending medium from acid to neutral (chitosan–PANI) or alkaline (PVA–PANI). Conversely, PANI nanorods synthesized in the same conditions of the above, but in presence of poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone), is not emissive at any pH. The role of the polymeric surfactant as a soft template is key in controlling the morphology and the properties …
A one-pot method to enhance dissolution rate of low solubility drug molecules using dispersion polymerization in supercritical carbon dioxide
2009
The surfactant assisted polymerization of 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone in supercritical carbon dioxide in the presence of Piroxicam, selected as a model of a low aqueous solubility drug, was studied in order to prepare in a single step a polymeric composite to enhance the rate of dissolution of the pharmaceutical compound. Reactive entrapping was carried out at 65 degrees C in the P range 21-38MPa. Under proper operative conditions we obtained the composite under the form of sub-micron spherical particles with relatively narrow particle size distribution. Drug loadings higher than 12% (w/w) were obtained and XRD and Raman spectroscopy suggest that the anti-inflammatory agent is dispersed in the ma…
Polymeric nanoparticles of different sizes overcome the cell membrane barrier.
2012
Abstract Polymeric nanoparticles have tremendous potential either as carriers or markers in treatment for diseases or as diagnostics in biomedical applications. Finding the optimal conditions for effective intracellular delivery of the payload to the location of interest is still a big challenge. The particles have to overcome the barrier of the cell membrane. Here, we investigated the uptake in HeLa cells of fluorescent polystyrene particles with different size and surface charge. Particles stabilized with the nonionic surfactant Lutensol AT50® (132 nm, 180 nm, 242 nm, 816 nm, 846 nm diameter) were synthesized via dispersion polymerization. Cationic particles (120 nm, 208 nm, 267 nm, 603 n…
Gamma radiation induced polymerization of vinyl monomers in dense CO2
2002
Abstract The dispersion polymerization of methyl methacrylate in dense carbon dioxide, initiated by γ-rays, utilizing different polysiloxanes as polymeric stabilizers, was investigated. The progress of the reaction, as a function of the irradiation dose, was also studied and the occurrence of a gel effect has been detected. For comparison, the dispersion polymerization has been carried out in supercritical conditions ( T =65°C and 38 MPa) in the presence of 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) as initiator. High molecular weight polymer (M w > 1000 kg/mol) with narrow molecular weight distribution has been obtained both with γ-rays and AIBN. The electron scanning micrographs show that regul…
A continuous reaction system to investigate dispersion polymerization of vinyl monomers in supercritical carbon dioxide
2006
A laboratory-scale continuous reaction system using a stirred tank reac- tor was assembled in our laboratory to study the dispersion polymerization of vinyl monomers in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). The apparatus was equipped with a suitable downstream separation section to collect solid particles entrained in the effluent stream from the reactor, whose monomer concentration could be measured online with a gas chromatograph. The dispersion polymerization of methyl methacry- late in scCO2 was selected as a model process to be investigated in the apparatus. The experiments were performed at 65 8C and 25 MPa with 2,2 0 -azobisisobutyroni- trile as the initiator and a reactive polysilox…
Polymerization of vinylidene fluoride with perfluoropolyether surfactants in supercritical carbon dioxide as a dispersing medium
2006
The heterogeneous polymerization of vinylidene fluoride (VDF) was investigated at 50 °C with supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2 ) as a dispersing medium and diethylperoxidicarbonate as an initiator in the presence of different perfluoropolyether surfactants. When FLK 7004A ammonium carboxylate salts were used at a 5% (w/w) concentration with respect to VDF, with an initial pressure of 31-45 MPa and with an olefin concentration of about 5.5 mol/L, monomer conversions up to 63% were obtained, corresponding to a final solid content higher than 200 g/L, and the polymer was collected at the end of the process in the form of a white powder completely composed of microspheres. The effects of the…
Pressure-induced formation of diblock copolymer "micelles" in supercritical fluids. A combined study by small angle scattering experiments and mean-f…
2004
We developed a simple time-dependent mean-field theory to describe the phase separation kinetics of either homopolymers or AB-diblock copolymers in supercritical (SC) fluids. The model, previously used to describe the phase behavior of AB-block copolymers under the assumption of strong solvent selectivity for just one copolymer chain, has been extended to study the kinetics of the phase separation process. Time resolved small angle x-ray scattering (TR-SAXS) measurements have been performed on different AB-diblock copolymers containing a perfluorinated chain and dissolved in SC-CO2. The data obtained over a wide range of pressure and temperature confirm our theoretical predictions. Particul…
Pressure-Induced Formation of Diblock Copolymer "Micelles" in Supercritical Fluids. A Combined Study by Small Angle Scattering Experiments and Mean-F…
2004
We developed a simple mean-field theory to describe polymer and AB diblock copolymer phase separation in supercritical (SC) fluids. The highly compressible SC fluid has been described by using a phenomenological hole theory, properly extended to consider the solvent/polymer/vacancy pseudoternary mixture. The model has been applied to describe the phase behavior of AB-diblock copolymers under the assumption of a strong solvent selectivity for just one copolymer chain. In our model the solvent selectivity is a strong function of the external pressure because in compressible fluids vacancies reduce the number of favorable solvent-polymer contacts. The combined effect of the pressure on the ave…