Search results for "Macromolecule"

Functional end groups for polymers prepared using ring-opening metathesis polymerization.

2011

The precise placement of functional groups on the chain-ends of macromolecules is a major focus of polymer research. Most common living polymerization techniques offer specific methods of end-functionalization governed by the active propagating species and the kinetics of the polymerization reaction. Ring-opening metathesis polymerization has established itself as one of the most functional-group-tolerant living polymerization techniques known, but this tolerance has limited the number of available functionalization reactions. Metathesis chemists have therefore been required to develop a variety of end-functionalizations, adapting each of them to the reactivity scheme of the particular cata…

New perspectives for the design of molecular actuators: thermally induced collapse of single macromolecules from cylindrical brushes to spheres.

2004

Liquid-liquid phase equilibria in polymer solutions and polymer mixtures

2002

The pressure dependence of liquid-liquid equilibria in weakly interacting binary macromolecular systems (homopolymer solutions and blends) will be discussed. The common origin of the separate high-temperature/low-temperature and high-pressure/low-pressure branches of demixing curves will be demonstrated by extending the study into the region of metastable liquid states including the undercooled, overheated and stretched states (i.e. states at negative pressures). The seemingly different response of the UCST-branch of solutions and blends when pressurized (pressure induced mixing for most polymer solutions, pressure induced demixing for most blends) will be explained in terms of the location…

Melt stabilization of wet polyamide 6

2002

Abstract Melt processing of polycondensate polymers must be carried out after careful drying in order to avoid any hydrolytic chain scission caused by the presence of water or other small molecules. In this work, the effect of two different antioxidants on the processing and flow properties of a polyamide 6 sample not dried before processing operations has been studied. One of these stabilizers seems to protect the wet polymer from hydrolytic chain scission. This action has been interpreted considering that the stabilizer hydrolyses instead of the polyamide macromolecules.

Microstructured Reactors for Polymer Synthesis: A Renaissance of Continuous Flow Processes for Tailor-Made Macromolecules?

2008

Organic synthesis in microfluidic devices has attracted increasing interest in recent years. However, little efforts had been undertaken to exploit this novel technology for polymer chemistry until several recent studies demonstrated the interesting potential of microreactors for the synthesis and modification of polymers. In fact, anionic polymerizations in continuous capillary flow-tube systems were established already in 1962 in pioneering work by Szwarc. Subsequent work focused on detailed kinetic analyses in such reactors. The present article explores different current strategies developed by several research groups to realize bulk and solution polymerizations using continuous flow mic…

Synthesis and characterisation of novel chemical conjugates based on alpha, beta-polyaspartylhydrazide and beta-cyclodextrins

2006

A new family of supramolecular systems based on a synthetic polyaminoacid and cyclic oligosaccharides such as beta-cyclodextrins (beta-CDs) was synthesised. The pharmaceutical potential of these systems arises from the proper combination between the complexing properties of cyclodextrins and the particular pharmacokinetic profile that can be obtained by using macromolecular conjugates with a biocompatible backbone. Five supramolecular conjugates were synthesised by using alpha,beta-polyaspartylhydrazide (PAHy) as a polymeric component and various amounts of two P-CD derivatives. In particular, by reaction of PAHy with beta-CD monoaldehyde, samples named as A(1), A(2) and A(3), bearing, resp…

1996

Developing an artificial oxygen carrier for use in humans, we polymerize native haemoglobin and myoglobin, using bifunctional, amino group specific cross-linkers, to soluble, so-called hyperpolymers. These polymers, like other polymerized globular proteins, are members of a new class of macromolecues which consist of macromolecular base units. They all have, due to the mechanisms of the chemical reaction, broad distributions of molecular weights. Fractions of hyperpolymers of human haemoglobin were obtained by employing preparative gel-permeation (size-exclusion) chromatography. The calibration curve of analytical gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) for haemoglobin hyperpolymers was determi…

Cationic copolymers of ?,?-poly-(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-DL-aspartamide (PHEA) and ?,?-polyasparthylhydrazide (PAHy): synthesis and characterization

2000

In the present study the derivatization of two water-soluble synthetic polymers, α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-DL-aspartamide (PHEA) and α,β-polyasparthylhydrazide (PAHy), with glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTA) is described. This reaction permits the introduction of positive charges in the macromolecular chains of PHEA and PAHy in order to make easier the electrostatic interaction with DNA. Different parameters affect the reaction of derivatization, such as GTA concentration and reaction time. PHEA reacts partially and slowly with GTA; on the contrary the reaction of PAHy with GTA is more rapid and extensive. The derivatization of PHEA and PAHy with GTA is a convenient method to introdu…

A road less traveled to functional polymers: epoxide termination in living carbanionic polymer synthesis.

2010

Functional polymers possess tremendous potential both in academia and in industry. In particular, oxiranes offer manifold possibilities for the introduction of single hydroxyl or multiple orthogonal functionalities in carbanionic polymerization. Here, we present a brief overview of the fascinating possibilities arising from the employment of common as well as individually designed epoxide derivatives for the synthesis of end-functional polymers. Continuous flow techniques can be utilized for the rapid generation and screening of precisely defined hydroxyl-modified polymers. The utilization of functionalized polymers as precursors for the formation of complex macromolecular architectures (e.…

Computer simulation of macromolecular materials

1988

Computer simulation of model systems with Monte Carlo methods enables the detailed study of structure and thermodynamic properties of these systems and thus constitutes a link between analytic theory and experiment. Typical applications that are discussed include polymer blends, dynamics of local motions in polymer melts, and the adsorption of polymers on walls.