| POLYMERS Vol.68 No.7 |
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COVER STORY
Bringing more to Polymers by Inorganic Components |
| COVER STORY: Highlight Reviews |
| Development of Clay-Organic Polymer Gas Barrier Film “Claist®” | Takeo EBINA |
| <Abstract> Gas barrier films made from clay nanofillers and organic polymers have been widely studied and used. There are various types of clay nanofillers, therefore it is important to select properly according to the application and the type of organic polymer. We are conducting research on development and practical application of “Claist®”, a gas barrier film with increased amount of clay loading. Here, recent research on the gas barrier film is introduced and a forecast is made. Keywords: Clay / Gas Barrier / Water Vapor Barrier / Nanocomposite |
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| Creation of Novel Conjugated Polymer Based on Functional Inorganic Element-Blocks | Masayuki GON, Kazuo TANAKA, Yoshiki CHUJO |
| <Abstract> Main scaffolds of conventional conjugated polymers are constructed mainly by carbon atoms. By employing “inorganic elements”, not only tuning of their functions but also induction of new properties can be expected. From this stand point, we have proposed that the concept of “element-blocks”, which are structural functional units consisting of various groups of element, is valid for creating functional polymers. On the basis of this concept, a large number of unique and high-performance conjugated polymers based on the function of the inorganic elements have been discovered. In this article, we will introduce recent progress and examples of the conjugated polymers including various types of “element-blocks”. Keywords: Conjugated Polymer / Element-Block / Inorganic Element / Boron / Photoluminescence / Sensor |
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| COVER STORY: Topics and Products |
| Functionalization of Polymer Gels with Liquid Crystalline Inorganic Nanosheets | Nobuyoshi MIYAMOTO |
| <Abstract> In this article, recent works on liquid crystalline (LC) nanosheets/polymer composite gels are briefly reviewed. Inorganic nanosheets obtained by exfoliation of layered crystals have various functions and they form intriguing liquid crystal (LC) phases. The LC nanosheets are immobilized in polymer gels by various techniques with controlled macroscopic orientation. Furthermore, cationic functional molecules are eaisly immobilized on the nanosheets embedded in the gel sheets, resulting in functions such as photothermally-induced anormalous deformation of the gel. Anisotropic diffusion of molecules in the LC nanosheet/polymer composite gel is also highlighted as another important aspect. Keywords: Inorganic Nanosheets / Liquid Crystal / Polymer Gel / Nanocomposite Gel / BZ-Reaction / Anisotropy / Gel Actuator |
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| Functionalization of Polymers with Morphologically Controlled Calcium Carbonate or Calcium Phosphate | Satoshi KAJIYAMA |
| <Abstract> Interactions with organic polymers highly affect crystallization of calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate, which are well known as the inorganic components of biominerals, e.g. nacre of sea shell, bone and teeth. Crystallization control on surfaces of organic polymers are important for the development of hierarchically ordered organic/inorganic compoites. This paper shows examples of hierarchically ordered composites composed of calcium carbonate or calcium phophate. Crystallization control techniques enabled construction of similar composite structures, for example assemblies of spherulitic thin films and liquid-crystalline nanorods, in both cases of calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate. Improvement and optimaization of crystallization techniques would lead to the development of functional organic/inorganic composites which consist of inorganic components that cannot be found in nature, as well as understanding of formation mehcanism of biominerals in nature. Keywords: Calcium Caronbate / Calcium Phosphate / Organic / Inorganic Hybrids / Polymer Template / Biomineralization |
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| Recent Developments on Structural Control of Silsesquioxanes | Yoshiro KANEKO |
| <Abstract> This article describes the recent developments in silsesquioxane focusing on fundamental structural control research. Soluble ladder-like polysilsesquioxanes were prepared by hydrolytic polycondensation of trifunctional organoalkoxysilanes containing functional groups convertible to ionic substituents during the reaction. Furthermore, a soluble polysilsesquioxane containing a macrocyclic structure in the side chains was also prepared. Meanwhile, it was found that there was a correlation between POSS size (octamer and decamer) and the kinds of reaction solvents. Recently, POSSs with controlled disposition of heterogeneous substituents have been developed. Keywords: Silsesquioxane / POSS / Organoalkoxysilane / Hydrolytic Condensation / Sol-Gel Reaction / Structural Control |
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| Creation of Light Conversion Materials by Porous Organic Crystals | Toshikazu ONO |
| <Abstract> Three-, four-, and five-component host/guest crystals with multi-color and white light emission are described. The strategy is based on the confinement of aromatic molecules (guest) in supramolecular hosts. The supramolecular hosts (NDI-TPFB) were composed of naphthalene diimide derivative (NDI) with two tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (TPFB) linked by boron-nitrogen bonds as Lewis acid-base pairs, which spontaneously formed upon mixing the components. The crystals showed guest-dependent color-tunable emissions such as deep blue-to-orange when a benzene moiety is replaced with other π-conjugated systems. Notably, flexible color tuning, including white light emission, was realized by tuning the guest ratio and the combinations. These results suggests that a rational solution of multicomponent crystals could be potentially useful for obtaining novel photofunctional solid-state systems. Keywords: Multicomponent Crystals / Charge-Transfer Interactions / Boron-Nitrogen Bonds / Solid-State Emission / Fluorescence / Supramolecular Chemistry / Crystal Engineering |
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| Ceramic Coating on Polymer Surface by Aerosol Deposition Method | Takeshi FUKUDA, Jun AKEDO |
| <Abstract> Aerosol Deposition (AD) method is one of the forming inorganic layer method using Room Temperature Impact Consolidation (RTIC). The ceramic layer is formed by ceramic particles accelerated by gas flow up impacted onto a substrate at room temperature. However, the polymer material is softer than the inorganic material, and it is difficult to form the ceramic coating layer due to the etching of the polymer material. We have found that the ceramic coating layer by the AD method can be formed by using the substrate as a specific organic-inorganic hybrid material or by using a specific organic-inorganic hybrid layer on the substrate as an anchor layer. We confirmed that the obtained coating sample was excellent in abrasion resistance, abrasion resistance and heat resistance. Keywords: Aerosol Deposition Method / Ceramic Coating / Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Material Silsesquioxane / Thiol-Ene Reaction |
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| Polymer Science and I: A Personal Account |
| Becoming an “Expert” of Synthetic Polymer Chemistry | Ryo TANAKA |
| <Abstract> The author was involved in synthetic chemistry, in a broad sense, over decades. The molecular weight of the target molecules in his research history covers everything from 2 to 6 digits, from C1 molecule to polymers. Here, the author introduces the transition of his thoughts along the research topic changes. |
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| Front-Line Polymer Science |
| Structural Control of Polymer Particles by Self-Organization | Hiroshi YABU |
| <Abstract> In this review, structural control of polymer microparticles based on the phase separation of polymer blends and block copolymers is discussed. Polymer blended particles show Janus and core-shell type phase separation due to the macroscale phase separation of blended polymers. On the other hand, microphase separated structures are found in block copolymer particles. Alignment of microphase separated structures of block copolymers in the particles changed by relationship of dispersion media and polymers. Futhermore, three-dimensional confinement effects on phase separated structures are found in small size particles. These particles can be used as platforms for assembling functional nanomaterials and applied to various practical applications. Keywords: Polymer Particles / Phase Sepration / Self-Organization / Polymer Blends / Block Copolymers |
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