Ion-Transport Properties of Polydimethylsiloxane-Based Ionomers with Amidinium or Imidazolinium Alkyldithiocarbamate Pendant Groups in Low Dielectric Solvents or as Neat Liquids.

The ion transport properties of ionomers comprised of polydimethylsiloxanes with amidinium or imidazolinium attached side chains and alkyldithiocarbamate anions (where alkyl is hexyl or octadecyl) have been investigated in chloroform solutions principally and as neat liquids. The influence of modifying the molecular weights of the polydimethylsiloxanes, the frequency of their amidininium or imidazolinium side groups, and temperature on the conductivity have been explored. When a solvent more polar than chloroform, syn-tetrachloroethane, was employed, a large increase in the ionic conductivity was found despite there being an increase in the viscosity of the solution. At least in these two solvents, polarity is more important in determining the conductivity than the viscosity. When normalized for ion content, Walden plots of the ionomer solutions at different ionomer concentrations approached values found for 1 M aqueous KCl. As neat liquids, the amidinium and imidazolinium hexyldithiocarbamate ionomers exceeded the values associated with the "superionic" region of the Walden plot (i.e., above the conductivity values for 1 M aqueous KCl). As ion content and polymer molecular weight increased, larger decoupling between bulk viscosity and ionic conductivity was noted, probably as a result of changes in the dynamic fragility of the ionomers.

Effects of cyclic and acyclic amidine side-chains on the properties of polysiloxane ionomers constructed in situ from three uncharged components.

Ionomers, polysiloxanes with imidazolinium dithiocarbamate side chains, have been synthesized in situ from three uncharged components-a polysiloxane with imidazole side chains, CS2, and hexylamine or octadecylamine. Their structural and dynamic properties are compared over a temperature range of 0-50 °C with those of the analogous ionomers in which the polysiloxanes have amidinium side chains. The results, primarily from differential scanning calorimetry, powder X-ray diffraction measurements, and rheology show that the small structural (and smaller electronic) differences between the cyclic 5-membered ring imidazolinium and acyclic amidinium groups have marked effects on the bulk properties of the ionomers. These include their shear strengths and the manner in which the microcrystalline portions of the ionomers with dithiooctadecylcarbamate anions are packed. Thus, it is possible to finely tune the natures of the ionomers from one polysiloxane by changing temperature, the chain length of the alkylamine, and the nature of the base attached to the polysiloxane chain. Why these changes occur to the various properties is discussed.

Chitosan-glutaraldehyde copolymers and their sorption properties.

This study reports the preparation of chitosan-glutaraldehyde (Chi-Glu) copolymers at modified reaction conditions such as the temperature prior to gelation, pH, and reagent ratios. The chitosan copolymers were characterized using infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), CHN elemental analysis, and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Evidence of self-polymerized glutaraldehyde was supported by CHN and TGA results. The sorption properties of Chi-Glu copolymers were evaluated in aqueous solutions containing p-nitrophenol at variable pH (4.6, 6.6, and 9.0). The sorption properties of the copolymers correlated with the level of the accessibility of the sorption sites in accordance with the relative cross-linker content. The relative sorption capacity of the Chi-Glu copolymers increases as the level of cross-linking increases. Chitosan displays the lowest sorptive uptake while an optimal sorption capacity was concluded at the 4:1 glutaraldehyde:chitosan monomer mole ratio, in close agreement with the three reactive sites (i.e. OH/NH) per glucosamine monomer. The PNP dye probe was determined to bind to chitosan through an electrostatic interaction due to the increased sorption capacity of the phenolate anion, as evidenced by the change in pH from 4.6 to 9.0.

Adsorption study of an organo-arsenical with chitosan-based sorbents.

In this study, chitosan-based copolymers were prepared at various weight ratios of chitosan (C) to glutaraldehyde (G): 1:1 (CG11), 2:1 (CG21), and 3:1 (CG31). The sorption properties of these copolymers were investigated with roxarsone in simulated aquatic conditions at pH 7 in phosphate buffer, similar to that found in poultry litter leachate. The relative sorption capacity (Q(m); mmol/g) of the sorbents are listed in parentheses in descending order: CG11 (1.80)>CG31 (0.945)>CG21 (0.802)>chitosan (0.416). The sorptive properties of the copolymers are comparable to granular activated carbon (GAC), a standard carbonaceous sorbent material, where Q(m)=2.36 mmol/g. The adsorption properties of phenolic adsorbates such as o-nitrophenol, p-nitrophenol, and roxarsone with the CG copolymers and GAC were investigated at various pH and compared with phosphate and carbonate buffer systems.

The role of fcc tetrahedral subunits in the phase behavior of medium sized Lennard-Jones clusters.

The free energy of a 600-atom Lennard-Jones cluster is calculated as a function of surface and bulk crystallinity in order to study the structural transformations that occur in the core of medium sized clusters. Within the order parameter range studied, we find the existence of two free energy minima at temperatures near freezing. One minimum, at low values of both bulk and surface order, belongs to the liquid phase. The second minimum exhibits a highly ordered core with a disordered surface and is related to structures containing a single fcc-tetrahedral subunit, with an edge length of seven atoms (l=7), located in the particle core. At lower temperatures, a third minimum appears at intermediate values of the bulk order parameter which is shown to be related to the formation of multiple l=6 tetrahedra in the core of the cluster. We also use molecular dynamics simulations to follow a series of nucleation events and find that the clusters freeze to structures containing l=5, 6, 7, and 8 sized tetrahedra as well as those containing no tetrahedral units. The structural correlations between bulk and surface order with the size of the tetrahedral units in the cluster core are examined. Finally, the relationships between the formation of fcc tetrahedral subunits in the core, the phase behavior of medium sized clusters and the nucleation of noncrystalline global structures such as icosahedra and decahedra are discussed.