Polymer Journal
Vol. 37, No. 9 (September, 2005)


Web Release Date: September 15, 2005
637-655 Preparation and Properties of Polymer-grafted Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers
 N. Tsubokawa
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Recent research topics on the surface grafting of polymers onto carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofiber, such as vapor grown carbon fiber (VGCF) by several methods, such as “grafting onto” and “grafting from” method are reviewed. In the grafting, aromatic ring of the graphene sheet and functional groups of the surface were used as grafting sites. The dispersibility and electric properties of polymer-grafted CNT and VGCF are discussed.

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: September 15, 2005
656-660 Synthesis and Electronic Behavior of a Net-Worked Scandium–Phenylene–Yttrium Ternary Hybrid Copolymer
 H. Matsui, T. Kawahara, M. Mishima, and M. Yoshihara
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 A networked scandium–phenylene–yttrium hybrid copolymer was synthesized by initially reacting 1,4-hydroquinone with scandium isopropoxide below −45 °C followed by a second reaction with yttrium isopropoxide at room temperature. UV–vis and ESR spectral analyses and ab-initio calculations indicate that an electron transfer takes place initially from the phenylene group to the yttrium atom at a lower energy-level and then to the scandium atom at a higher energy-level, i.e., via a two-step electron transportation.

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: September 15, 2005
661-668 Radical Chlorination of Polyethylene and Molecular Structure Characterization of Reaction Products
 A. Moradi, A. Ramazani S.A., and M. Shahrokhi
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 The radical chlorination reaction of polyethylene has been carried out in perchloroethylene solvent under atmospheric pressure. The FT-IR and H NMR spectra of samples have been recorded and interpreted. The relative percentage of methylene groups calculated from H NMR spectra have been plotted versus percentage of chlorination and discussed. Also H NMR spectra have been used for calculating the chlorine percentage of each sample and the results have been compared with data obtained from an elemental analyzing technique namely flask combustion method.

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: September 15, 2005
669-676 Preparation and Characterization of Molecularly Imprinted Uniform-sized Poly(4VP-co-EGDMA) Microgels
 K.-S. Kim, J.-H. Lee, M. H. Kim, and S.-H. Cho
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 The polymerization conditions were chosen in such a way that the formation of solution complexes between 4-vinyl pyridine and the template (N-protected amino acid) prior to polymerization would be favored. The effects of polymerization parameters such as weight ratio of the monomer/seed and diluent/monomer, the concentration of crosslinking agent on the average particle size and pore size distribution were investigated. The molecularly imprinted polymer microgels were utilized as a stationary phase in HPLC

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: September 15, 2005
677-685 Grafting of Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) onto Nano-SiO2 and Its Reactivity in Polymers
 H. J. Zhou, M. Z. Rong, M. Q. Zhang, B. Lehmann, and K. Friedrich
[Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]
 In this work, poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) was grafted onto silane pretreated nano-SiO2 by free-radical polymerization, in hopes of inducing reactive compatibilization when the treated nanoparticles are compounded with other polymers. The factors that influence the graft polymerization, including monomer concentration, initiator consumption, reaction temperature and reaction time, were carefully studied. The reactivity of the PGMA grafted on the nano-silica with 4,4'-diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS) in polypropylene (PP) or polystyrene (PS) matrices was evaluated.

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: September 15, 2005
686-693 Synthesis and Characterization of UV-Induced Interpenetrating Polymer Network (IPN) Structure of Poly(urethane acrylate) (UA Polymer)/Silica Hybrids
 T. Ogoshi, Y. Chujo, and A. Esaki
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Semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) structured poly(urethane acrylate) (UA Polymer)/silica hybrids were prepared by using ionic interaction between carboxylic acid groups of UA Polymer and amino moieties of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. The semi-IPN structured hybrids were stepwise changed to IPN structure by UV-induced cross-linking reaction of acrylate moieties of UA Polymer.

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: September 15, 2005
694-699 Static and Dynamic Swelling Properties of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Gels in the Swollen State
 S. Nosaka, K. Urayama, and T. Takigawa
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 Static and dynamic swelling properties of cylindrical poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) gels in water as well as in liquid paraffin (non-solvent for PNIPA gels) have been investigated by using a laboratory-made magnetic force-driven rheometer. The rheometer can measure the strains parallel (ε*||) and perpendicular (ε*⊥) in the stretching direction for the gels under sinusoidal forces. Phase lags of ε*|| and ε*⊥ seeing from the stress wave (δ|| and δ⊥, respectively) are independent of ω in liquid paraffin. In water, both the curves of δ|| and δ⊥ show a peak at a characteristic angular frequency around 0.01 s-1.

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: September 15, 2005
700-706 Synthesis of Block Copolymers by Transformation of Free Radical Promoted Cationic Polymerization to Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization
 M. Degirmenci and A. Toprak
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 The transformations of free radical promoted cationic polymerization to ATRP to form the block copolymers of cyclohexene oxide (CHO) with styrene (St) were performed. In the first step, bromine terminated poly(CHO)s were prepared by free radical promoted cationic polymerization of CHO monomer in the presence of bromo benzoin (B-Br) and EMP+SbF6- as the initiating system. The bromine functionalized polymers thus prepared were used as initiators in ATRP of St gave well-defined block copolymer of CHO and St. Block copolymer formations were evidenced by 1H NMR and GPC measurements.

[Note] Web Release Date: September 15, 2005
707-710 Synthesis of Optically Active Aromatic Poly(ether ketone)s via Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution Polymerization
 K. Maeyama, I. Hikiji, K. Ogura, A. Okamoto, K. Ogino, H. Saito, and N. Yonezawa
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Reaction of optically active 2,2'-dimethoxybinaphthyl (1) with 4-fluorobenzoic acid (2) in the presence of P2O5-MsOH afforded 6,6'-bis(4-fluorobenzoyl)-2,2'-dimethoxy-1,1'-binaphthyl (3) quantitatively. Reaction of optically active 6,6'-bis(4-fluorobenzoyl)-2,2'-dimethoxy-1,1'-binaphthyl (3) with aromatic diols 4 such as hydroquinone yielded the corresponding aromatic poly(ether ketone)s (5) with high molecular weights, excellent thermal resistibility, and suitable solubility to organic solvents.

Web Release Date: September 15, 2005
711-715 Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Thioester Linkages in Bacterial Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-mercaptopropionate)s by Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Depolymerase Isolated from Ralstonia pickettii T1
 B. Zhu, S. Tanaka, L. Feng, N. Ishii, K. Kasuya, Y. Doi, and Y. Inoue
[Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]
 The enzymatic hydrolysis of compositionally well-fractionated bacterial poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-mercaptopropionate)s [P(3HB-co-3MP)s] was investigated by extracellular poly(hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA) depolymerase isolated from Ralstonia pikettii T1. As the crystallinity of P(3HB-co-3MP)s varies with the 3MP unit content, their enzymatic hydrolysis rates show strong dependence on the 3MP unit content. Being different from the enzymatic hydrolysis behavior of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxypropionate)s, that of P(3HB-co-3MP)s is also quite related to the poor biodegradability of thioester linkages. It is of interest to note that it is 3HB–3MP thioester linkages but not 3MP–3MP ones that can be hydrolyzed by PHB depolymerase.