Polymer Journal
Vol. 40, No. 10 (October, 2008)

[Review Article] Web Release Date: June 4, 2008

923-941 Successive Synthesis of Well-Defined Star-Branched Polymers by Iterative Methodology Based on Living Anionic Polymerization  A. Hirao, K. Inoue, T. Higashihara, and M. Hayashi [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

The subject of this review is to introduce a novel iterative methodology based on living anionic polymerization using specially designed 1,1-diphenylethylene (DPE) derivatives recently developed for the synthesis of well-defined many armed star-branched polymers with same or chemically different arm segments. The number of arms to be linked by each stage of the iteration depends on the starting core and DPE-functionalized agents and can dramatically increase by the agent of choice.

[Short Communication] Web Release Date: August 12, 2008

942-943 Synthesis of Phenolic Polymer-Coated Gold Nanoparticles  T. Ogoshi, K. Umeda, T. Yamagishi, and Y. Nakamoto [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

Gold nanoparticles covered by phenol derivatives were prepared by reduction of tetrachloroaurate ions in the presence of phenolic polymer carrying thiol group (PMP). Particles size of the gold nanoparticles was approximately 4 nm, and the distribution was near uniformity.

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: August 6, 2008

944-952 The Synthesis of the Glycopolymers Containing Pendant D,L-Xylaric and L-Tartaric Moieties and Their Inhibition Behavior on the β-Glucuronidase Activity  A. W. Kawaguchi, T. Kaida, H. Okawa, and K. Hashimoto [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

Two glycopolymers, P(VB-D,L-XylarH-co-AAm) (12) and P(VB-L-TartaH-co-AAm) (13), were prepared by the copolymerization of new styrene derivatives having D,L-xylaric and L-tartaric moieties, respectively. The inhibition abilities of the resulting glycopolymers on β-glucuronidase were found to be much higher than that of the corresponding saccharic acids and glycomonomers. Lineweaver-Burk plot suggests that glycopolymer 13 inhibits the enzyme noncompetitively, but the inhibition behavior of 12 is more complicated.

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: August 6, 2008

953-957 Thickness Dependence of Surface Wettability Change by Photoreactive Polymer Nanosheets  S. Sultana, J. Matsui, M. Mitsuishi, and T. Miyashita [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

Wettability of surface was controlled using photoreactive polymer nanosheet. With changing the thickness of the nanosheet from 2 nm to 20 nm, water contact angle was controlled from 65° to 14° after light irradiation.

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: August 12, 2008

958-964 Hypercomplex Gel Changes to Organic/Inorganic Solid Solution by Phase Transition in an Artificial Biomineralization System  T. Iwatsubo and T. Yamaguchi [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

In an artificial biomineralization system, a hypercomplex gel changes to an organic/inorganic solid solution by means of a phase transition of an open system the border of which is permeable to both energy and mass. The hypercomplex gel represents cartilaginous material, and the organic/inorganic solid solution represents skeletal material.

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: August 22, 2008

965-970 Novel Electroluminescent PPV Copolymers Containing Si-phenyl and Difluorovinylene Units  Y. Jin, S. Song, S. H. Park, J. Kim, H. Y. Woo, K. Lee, and H. Suh [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

New electroluminescent copolymers with fluoro groups in vinylene units, to increase electroluminescence efficiencies due to high electron affinity, have been synthesized by the Gilch polymerization.

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: August 28, 2008

971-978 Morphological Evolution during Isothermal Crystallization Observed in a Crystalline-Crystalline Diblock Copolymer  T. Sakurai, Y. Ohguma, and S. Nojima [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

Morphological evolution during isothermal crystallization over a long time (∼3 d) in a crystalline-crystalline diblock copolymer, poly(ε-caprolactone)-block-polyethylene (PCL-b-PE), has been investigated at various temperatures Tc by SAXS, DSC, and FT/IR techniques. The experimental results suggest the partial melting of PE crystals facilitated by further crystallization of PCL blocks in order to compensate the space previously occupied by amorphous PCL blocks.

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: August 28, 2008

979-985 Synthesis and Characterization of Branched Sulfonated Poly(ether sulfone ketone) as Proton Exchange Membrane  D. W. Seo, H. S. Park, S. W. Choi, Y. G. Jeong, T. W. Hong, and W.-G. Kim [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

Branched sulfonated poly(ether sulfone ketone)s (Br-SPESK) were prepared with bisphenol A, 4,4′-difluorobenzophenone, 3,3′-disodiumsulfonyl-4,4′-difluorophenylsulfone, and THPE (1,1,1-tris-p-hydroxyphenylethane), at 160 °C using K2CO3 in DMAC. THPE, as a branching agent, was used with 0.4 mol % of bisphenol A to synthesize branched copolymers containing 10–50 mol % disulfonated units. The polymers were converted from the salt to acid forms with dilute HCl. FT-IR, 1H NMR, DSC, TGA and sorption experiments were performed.

[Regular Article] Web Release Date: August 28, 2008

986-991 Dynamic Mechanical Study of Block Copolymer Crystallization Confined within Spherical Nanodomains  S. Nojima, D. Inokawa, T. Kawamura, and K. Nitta [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

We have measured the thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of a crystalline-amorphous diblock copolymer, poly(ε-caprolactone)-block-polybutadiene (PCL-b-PB), in which the crystallization of PCL blocks was completely confined within spherical domains. The results showed that the crystallization within each domain occurred independently to immediately yield crystallized rigid domains.

[Special Issues --International Symposium on Polymer Crystallization 2007-- Regular Article] Web Release Date: July 16, 2008

992-995 Enhanced Crystallization of Blended Poly(ethylene terephthalate) and Poly(butylene terephthalate)  K. Ito, Y. Haraguchi, S. Hayakawa, and A. Toda [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

We have studied the crystallization of blended poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT). The effect of transesterification in the blend on crystallization has been examined by thermal analysis and optical microscopy. For the intermediate degree of transesterification, the crystallization of one of the component (PBT) was enhanced by the existence of the crystals of another component (PET). The results indicate the importance of the details of the ester-transfication at molecular scale.

[Special Issues --International Symposium on Polymer Crystallization 2007-- Regular Article] Web Release Date: August 22, 2008

996-1004 Melt Crystallization of isotactic Polybutene-1Trigonal Form: the Effect of Side Chain Entropy on Crystal Growth Kinetics  M. Yamashita and T. Takahashi [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

The growth rate of isotactic polybutene-1 (it-PB1) trigonal crystals was determined by in situ optical microscopy. It is one hundredth that of it-PB1 tetragonal crystals. The growth rate of trigonal crystals, as well as that of tetragonal crystals, shows the supercooling dependence derived from the nucleation theory. Trigonal crystals grown at 75 and 90.1 °C possessed well facetted morphology, which suggests the existence of flat growth faces required for nucleation theory between 75 and 90.1 °C.

[Special Issues --International Symposium on Polymer Crystallization 2007-- Regular Article] Web Release Date: August 28, 2008

1005-1009 Solvent Induced Cracking and Morphology in Banded Spherulite of Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)  K. Kuboyama and T. Ougizawa [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

The crack formation in the banded poly(trimethylene terephthalate) spherulite was mainly observed. It showed multiple circular cracking patterns which seemed correlating with the banded pattern. Therefore, the retardation profiles in the radial direction of the spherulites were estimated by the parallel Nicol method. As the result, it was clarified that the cracks were mainly formed at the flat-on lamellae region. Based on the results, the correlation between the cracking and the banded patterns was discussed.

[Special Issues --International Symposium on Polymer Crystallization 2007-- Regular Article] Web Release Date: October 15, 2008

1010-1016 Directional Entropy of Chain Folding Detected in Chain Folding Free Energies? Crystal Thickness Transition of isotactic Polybutene-1 Tetragonal Phase  M. Yamashita and T. Takahashi [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

Lamellar crystal thickness lc of isotactic polybutene-1 (it-PB1) has been investigated for crystallization in the melt over a wide range of crystallization temperature T from 40 to 90 °C by small angle X-ray scattering experiments and density measurements. The crystal thickness lc demonstrates two linear dependences on inverse supercooling and a transition from one dependence to the other have been observed around T=65 °C. Possible mechanisms for the transition are discussed taking account of entropy of chain folding directions.

[Special Issues --International Symposium on Polymer Crystallization 2007-- Regular Article] Web Release Date: August 12, 2008

1017-1024 Structures of Multilayered Thin Films of Long-Chain Molecules: X-ray Scattering Study  K. Tanaka, K. Ishikawa, K. Nozaki, N. Urakami, and T. Yamamoto [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

The structures of the multilayered thin films of hydrocarbon molecules, which are n-C23H48, n-C25H52, and n-ClC20H40Cl, have been investigated. The alternatively layered thin films of two hydrocarbon molecules were prepared by vacuum evaporation on the Si substrate. The multilayered structural parameters, which are the chain length in each layer, the number of molecule in a layer, the layer thickness and the total film thickness are determined from X-ray scattering profiles by using the multilayered model. The interface structure is also analyzed.

[Special Issues --International Symposium on Polymer Crystallization 2007-- Regular Article] Web Release Date: August 22, 2008

1025-1030 Kinetic Roughening Transition of isotactic Polybutene-1 Tetragonal Crystals: Disagreement between Morphology and Growth Kinetics  M. Yamashita and T. Takahashi [Full Text PDF(J-STAGE)]

The morphology and lateral growth rate of isotactic polybutene-1 (it-PB1) have been investigated for crystallization from the melt over a wide range of crystallization temperature from 50 to 110 °C. The morphology of it-PB1 crystals is rounded shape at crystallization temperatures lower than 85 °C, while lamellar single crystals possess faceted morphology at higher crystallization temperatures; the kinetic roughening transition occurs around 85 °C.