Mujie Yang

In this study, glycidyl methacrylate was copolymerized with poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate to obtain a copolymer {poly[glycidyl methacrylate–poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate] [P(GMA–PEGMA)]}, which was crosslinked with α,ω‐diamino poly(propylene oxide) (Jeffamine) at various weight ratios and molecular weights to form novel gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs). The crosslinked copolymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis. The crosslinked polymers were amorphous in the pristine state and became crystallized after they were doped with lithium electrolyte. Furthermore, the crosslinking degree of the crosslinked polymers increased with increasing weight ratio of Jeffamine, and both the swelling properties and mechanical behaviors of the crosslinked polymers were heavily affected by the weight ratio and molecular weight of Jeffamine. The ionic conductivity (σ) of the GPEs from the crosslinked copolymers was determined by alternating‐current impedance spectroscopy. A higher molecular weight and increased weight ratio of Jeffamine resulted in a higher σ. The GPE based on P(GMA–PEGMA) crosslinked with an equal weight of Jeffamine D2000 exhibited the highest σ of 8.29 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm at 25°C and had a moderate mechanical strength. These crosslinked copolymers could be potential candidates for the construction of rechargeable lithium batteries. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011

Novel electron-acceptor materials based on poly(thienylene ethynylene) derivatives (PTE-BT and PTE-DCNTB) were synthesized and characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. Their thermal, electrochemical and optical properties were investigated. The π-conjugated polymers are soluble in common organic solvents. The maximum UV-Vis absorptions of PTE-BT and PTE-DCNTB in solution are observed at 460 and 390 nm, respectively. The electrochemical band gap was found to be 1.89 eV for PTE-BT and 2.01 eV for PTE-DCNTB. Both polymers are promising as electron-acceptor materials for photovoltaic applications.

The application of Friedel‐Crafts (FC) alkylation reaction to the in situ compatibilization between polystyrene‐grafted nano‐sized TiO₂ (PS‐grafted TiO₂) and polypropylene (PP) was assessed. The PS‐grafted TiO₂ was first prepared via dispersion polymerization of styrene (St) using 3‐(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate treated nano‐sized TiO₂ (MPS‐treated TiO₂) as cores, and then dispersed within PP by melt blending with different contents of FC catalyst, AlCl₃/St, to give PP/PS‐grafted TiO₂ nanocomposites. The dispersion of PS‐grafted TiO₂ in PP and interfacial adhesion of PP/PS‐grafted TiO₂ nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The results indicated that the dispersion of PS‐grafted TiO₂ in PP could be improved, with an enhancement of interfacial adhesion between TiO₂ and PP, by introducing FC catalyst with adequate concentration, which led to a better thermal stability and resistance to ultraviolet (UV) aging of PP/PS‐grafted TiO₂ nanocomposites. The effect of FC catalyst on the compatibilization between the PS‐grafted TiO₂ and PP was discussed based on FC alkylation reaction mechanism. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009

A novel calixarene‐containing hyperbranched aliphatic polyester incorporated with pendant europium complexes (H20‐Cal‐Eu) was synthesized and characterized by FTIR, UV, and element analysis. The polymer H20‐Cal‐Eu shows a glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of 127°C, and a deposition temperature in the range of 280–600°C, as revealed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. The investigation on its photoluminescence (PL) properties revealed that the polymer emitted a remarkably strong red luminescence. Furthermore, its half spectral bandwidth of the polymer film is only about 10 nm as determined from luminescence spectra, suggesting that the light is nearly monochromatic. It is proposed that the hyperbranched polymer (HBP) containing rare earth element exhibits great potential as a red light emitting material. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.