Redesigned Nylon 6 Variants with Enhanced Recyclability, Ductility, and Transparency

Geminal (gem-) disubstitution in heterocyclic monomers is an effective strategy to enhance polymer chemical recyclability by lowering their ceiling temperatures. However, the effects of specific substitution patterns on the monomer's reactivity and the resulting polymer's properties are largely unexplored. Here we show that, by systematically installing gem-dimethyl groups onto ϵ-caprolactam (monomer of nylon 6) from the α to ϵ positions, both the redesigned lactam monomer's reactivity and the resulting gem-nylon 6's properties are highly sensitive to the substitution position, with the monomers ranging from non-polymerizable to polymerizable and the gem-nylon properties ranging from inferior to far superior to the parent nylon 6. Remarkably, the nylon 6 with the gem-dimethyls substituted at the γ position is amorphous and optically transparent, with a higher Tg (by 30 °C), yield stress (by 1.5 MPa), ductility (by 3×), and lower depolymerization temperature (by 60 °C) than conventional nylon 6.

Optical and Flame-Retardant Properties of a Series of Polyimides Containing Side Chained Bulky Phosphaphenanthrene Units

Among the multitude of polymers with carbon-based macromolecular architectures that easily ignite in certain applications where short circuits may occur, polyimide has evolved as a class of polymers with high thermal stability while exhibiting intrinsic flame retardancy at elevated temperatures via a char-forming mechanism. However, high amounts of aromatic rings in the macromolecular backbone are required for these results, which may affect other properties such as film-forming capacity or mechanical properties; thus, much work has been done to structurally derivatize or make hybrid polyimide systems. In this respect, flexible polyimide films (PI(1–4)) containing bulky 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) units have been developed starting from commercial dianhydrides and an aromatic diamine containing two side chain bulky DOPO groups. The chemical structure of PI(1–4)) was characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and 31P NMR spectroscopy. The optical properties, including absorption and luminescence spectra of these polymers, were analyzed. All polyimides containing DOPO derivatives emitted blue light with an emission maxima in the range of 340–445 nm, in solvents such as N,N-dimethylformamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, chloroform, and N,N-dimethylacetamide, while green light emission (λem = 487 nm for PI-4) was evidenced in a thin-film state. The thermal decomposition mechanism and flame-retardant behavior of the resulting materials were investigated by pyrolysis-gas-chromatography spectrometry (Py-GC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EDX maps and FTIR spectroscopy. The residues resulting from the TGA experiments were examined by SEM microscopy images and FTIR spectra to understand the pyrolysis mechanism.

The preparation of novel poly(ether-amide)s based on spiro[fluorene-9,9′-xanthene] and a polyamide/polymer-coated ZnO nanocomposite: thermal, optical, biological, and methylene blue dye adsorption attributes

Novel thermostable, photoactive, and solvable polyamides containing fluorene and xanthene groups were synthesized, as was a ZnO-based composite. These compounds were used as antibacterial and anticancer agents and as absorbents to remove MB dye.

Aromatic polyamide nonporous membranes for gas separation application

Polymer membrane-based gas separation is a superior economical and energy-efficient separation technique over other conventional separation methods. Over the years, different classes of polymers are investigated for their membrane-based applications. The need to search for new polymers for membrane-based applications has been a continuous research challenge. Aromatic polyamides (PAs), a type of high-performance materials, are known for their high thermal and mechanical stability and excellent film-forming ability. However, their insolubility and processing difficulty impede their growth in membrane-based applications. In this review, we will focus on the PAs that are investigated for membrane-based gas separations applications. We will also address the polymer design principal and its effects on the polymer solubility and its gas separation properties. Accordingly, some of the aromatic PAs developed in the authors’ laboratory that showed significant improvement in the gas separation efficiency and placed them in the 2008 Robeson upper bound are also included in this review. This review will serve as a guide to the future design of PA membranes for gas separations.

Novel soluble and heat-resistant polyamides derived from 4-(4-diphenylphosphino) phenyl-2,6-bis(4-aminophenyl)pyridine and various aromatic dicarboxylic acids

New diamine, 4-(4-diphenylphosphino)phenyl-2,6-bis(4-aminophenyl)pyridine, was prepared, and the related polyamides (PAs) bearing 2,6-diphenylpyridyl units and pendant diphenylphosphinophenyl groups were synthesized by direct polycondensation of this diamine and various aromatic diacids in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. The resulting PAs with inherent viscosities of 0.78–1.06 dL g−1 are readily soluble in polar aprotic solvents such as NMP, N, N-dimethylacetamide, and dimethylsulfoxide as well as less polar solvents such as m-cresol and pyridine. All the PAs are amorphous and could be solution-cast into transparent, flexible, and tough films, which have tensile strengths of 68.2–88.8 MPa, tensile moduli of 1.9–2.4 GPa, and elongations at break of 5.4–10.3%. These polymer films also exhibit high optical transparence with the UV cutoff wavelength in the 361–412 nm range. These PAs display glass transition temperatures of 316–332°C, 10% mass loss temperatures of 524–553°C, and more than 48% residues at 800°C in nitrogen, respectively. Their high char yields and good limited oxygen index values ranging from 39 to 44 indicate the prepared PAs show good thermal stability and flame-retardant property.

High optical transparency, low dielectric constant, and light color of organosoluble polyamides based on 10,10-bis[4-(4- amino-3-trifluoromethylphenoxy)phenyl]- 9(10H)-anthrone

A new aromatic diamine, 10,10-bis[4-(4-amino-3-trifluoromethylphenoxy)phenyl]-9( 10H)-anthrone (BATFPA), has been synthesized from anthrone via three-step procedure. Low-temperature polycondensation of BATFPA with various aromatic dicarboxylic acid chlorides produced novel fluorinated polyamides with moderate to high inherent viscosities of 0.75–1.03 dL/g while the weight-average molecular weight and number-average molecular weight were in the range of 66,000–74,000 and 37,000–41,000, respectively. Nearly, all the polymers were readily soluble in polar solvents, such as N,N-dimethyl acetamide (DMAc), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone, pyridine, and tetrahydrofuran, and afforded transparent, light-colored, and flexible films upon casting from DMAc solvent. These polymers had glass transition temperatures of 249–309°C, 10% weight loss temperatures of 486–517°C, and char yields of 53–61% at 800°C under nitrogen. All polymers were amorphous and their films exhibited tensile strengths of 64–86 MPa, tensile moduli of 1.8–2.2 GPa, and elongation at break of 10–18%. These polymers had dielectric constants ranging from 3.25 to 3.76 (100 Hz), low moisture uptake in the range of 0.72–1.18%, and high transparency with an ultraviolet–visible absorption cutoff wavelength in the 360–378 nm range.

Synthesis and gas transport properties of novel poly(ether ether ketone)s containing fluorene group

Two novel gas separation membranes (Phenyl(Ph)-poly(ether ether ketone)s (PEEKs) and PEEKs) based on PEEKs with a high fractional free volume were designed and synthesized. The structure and thermodynamic stability of the membranes were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The two membranes, which were determined to be high-molecular weight polymers by gel permeation chromatography, showed good solubility in a weakly polar solvent. The gas transport properties of the Ph-PEEK membranes were investigated for different gases (CO2, O2, CH4, and N2) at 25°C and 1 atm. The Ph-PEEK-3 membrane with the largest free volume had the largest gas permeability coefficient and maintained good selectivity. The effect of operating temperature on the gas permeation of the Ph-PEEK-3 membrane was also investigated, and the maximum permeability of the four single gases was reached at 55°C and 1 atm.

Polyimides Containing Phosphaphenanthrene Skeleton: Gas-Transport Properties and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

A series of new semifluorinated polyimide (PI) films with phosphaphenanthrene skeleton were prepared by thermal imidization of poly(amic acid)s derived from a diamine monomer: 1,1-bis[2'-trifluoromethyl-4'-(4″-aminophenyl)phenoxy]-1-(6-oxido-6H-dibenz⟨c,e⟩⟨1,2⟩oxaphosphorin-6-yl)ethane on reaction with four structurally different aromatic dianhydrides. The chemical structures of the polymers were established by Fourier transform infrared and 1H NMR spectroscopy techniques. The polymers showed a good combination of thermal and mechanical properties (T d10 up to 416 °C under synthetic air and tensile strength up to 91 MPa), low dielectric constant (2.10-2.55 at 1 MHz), and T g values as high as 261 °C. Gas permeabilities of these films were investigated for four different gases CO2, O2, N2, and CH4. The PI films showed high gas permeability (P CO2 up to 175 and P O2 up to 64 barrer) with high permselectivity (P CO2 /P CH4 up to 51 and P O2 /P N2 up to 7.1), and the values are better than those of many other similar polymers reported earlier. For the O2/N2 gas pair, the PIs (PI A) surpassed the present upper boundary limit drawn by Robeson. A detailed molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study has been conducted to understand better the gas-transport properties. The effect of phosphaphenanthrene skeleton, its spatial arrangement, and size distribution function of the free volume were studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and the results are correlated with the experimental data.