One of the main issues with the use of nickel titanium alloy (NiTi) implants in cardiovascular implants (stents) is that these devices must be of very high quality in order to avoid subsequent operations due to failing stents. For small stents with diameters below ca. 2 mm, however, stent characterization is not straightforward. One of the main problems is that there are virtually no methods to characterize the interior of the NiTi tubes used for fabrication of these tiny stents. The current paper reports on a robust hybrid actuator for the characterization of NiTi tubes prior to stent fabrication. The method is based on a polymer/hydrogel/magnetic nanoparticle hybrid material and allows for the determination of the inner diameter at virtually all places in the raw NiTi tubes. Knowledge of the inner structure of the raw NiTi tubes is crucial to avoid regions that are not hollow or regions that are likely to fail due to defects inside the raw tube. The actuator enables close contact of a magnetic polymer film with the inner NiTi tube surface. The magnetic signal can be detected from outside and be used for a direct mapping of the tube interior. As a result, it is possible to detect critical regions prior to expensive and slow stent fabrication processes.

Polybutadiene, the homopolymer of 1,3-butadiene, is a synthetic rubber especially important in the production of tires. Industrially, it is polymerized using multi-site catalysts that do not offer significant control over molecular weight distribution resulting in polymers with poor mechanical properties. Single-site polymerization of 1,3-butadiene results in narrow molecular weight distribution and thus increased impact resistance and durability. Complexes of chromium and neodymium bearing bis-phosphinimine pincer ligands have been synthesized and studied for their behavior in 1,3-butadiene polymerization in combination with methylaluminoxane. The complexes that were active produced highly cis-1,4-polybutadiene with high molecular weight and narrow polydispersities. The co-polymerization of acrylonitrile and 1,3-butadiene with the bis-phosphinimine chromium (III) complexes and methylaluminoxane to produce nitrile-butadiene rubber was also explored. The insertion of 1,3-butadiene into nickel-methyl and nickel-hydride complexes bearing the bis-phosphinimine pincer ligands was examined using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and will also be discussed.

Polybutadiene, the homopolymer of 1,3-butadiene, is a synthetic rubber especially important in the production of tires. Industrially, it is polymerized using multi-site catalysts that do not offer significant control over molecular weight distribution resulting in polymers with poor mechanical properties. Single-site polymerization of 1,3-butadiene results in narrow molecular weight distribution and thus increased impact resistance and durability. Complexes of chromium and neodymium bearing bis-phosphinimine pincer ligands have been synthesized and studied for their behavior in 1,3-butadiene polymerization in combination with methylaluminoxane. The complexes that were active produced highly cis-1,4-polybutadiene with high molecular weight and narrow polydispersities. The co-polymerization of acrylonitrile and 1,3-butadiene with the bis-phosphinimine chromium (III) complexes and methylaluminoxane to produce nitrile-butadiene rubber was also explored. The insertion of 1,3-butadiene into nickel-methyl and nickel-hydride complexes bearing the bis-phosphinimine pincer ligands was examined using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and will also be discussed.

I report the attachment of polymers with pendant vinyl groups to hydrogen-terminated silicon(111) (Si(111)-H) under mild conditions. 1,2-addition polybutadiene (Mw 3200-3500) was attached to Si(111)-H at room temperature with visible light. I also report the partial functionalization, in solution, of 1,2-addition polybutadiene with various thiols using thiol-click chemistry. These compounds bind to Si(111)-H via visible light activation. The partially functionalized polybutadienes allow further functionalization at the surface through unreacted carbon-carbon double bonds. Surfaces were characterized with contact angle goniometry, spectroscopic ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM).

No description available.

Typical rubber compounds used to manufacture industrial products such as tyres, hoses, conveyor belts, acoustics, shock pads, and engine mountings contain up to eight classes of chemical additives· including curing agents, accelerators, activators, processing aids, and antidegradants. The cure systems in these articles often consists of primary and secondary accelerators, primary and secondary activators, and elemental sulphur. Recent legislation impacting upon the working environment, safety and health has imposed a considerable burden on the manufacturers of rubber compounds to meet various obligations. The selection of raw materials and manufacturing processes that do not harm the environment is of great importance. A novel technique for preparing rubber formulations using crosslinking nanofillers such as silanised precipitated silica has been developed in this research. The silica surfaces were pre-treated with bis[3-triethoxysilylpropyl-] tetrasulphane coupling agent (TESPT).· TESPT is a sulphur containing bifunctional organosilane which chemically adheres silica to rubber and also prevents silica from interfering with the reaction mechanism of sulphur-cure systems. The tetrasulphane groups of the TESPT are rubber reactive and react in the presence of accelerator at elevated temperatures, i.e.140 -260°C, with or without elemental sulphur being present, to form crossIinks in rubbers containing chemically active double bonds for example styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and polybutadiene rubber (BR) .. SBR and BR rubber compounds containing 60 phr of TESPT pre-treated silica nanofiller were prepared. The silica particles were fully dispersed in the rubber, which was cured primarily by using sulphur in TESPT. The reaction between the tetrasulphane groups of TESPT and the rubbers was optimised by incorporating different accelerators and activators in the rubber. The mechanical properties of the rubber vulcanisates such as hardness, tear strength, tensile strength, elongation at break, stored' energy density at break, abrasion resistance, modulus and cyclic fatigue life were increased significantly when the treated silica filler was added. The need for the accelerator and activator was dependent on the composition of the rubber. Interestingly, the rubbers were fully cured without the use of elemental sulphur, secondary accelerator and secondary activator. As a result, a substantial reduction in the use of the curing chemicals was achieved without compromising the important properties of rubber compounds which are essential for maintaining long life and good performance of industrial rubber products in service. This approach has also helped to improve health and safety within the workplace and minimise harm to the enviromnent.Furthermore, a significant cost saving was achieved after reducing the number of curing chemicals in the rubber.

Ce travail de thèse porte sur la synthèse et la caractérisation d’élastomères réticulés réversiblement à base de polyisoprène et polybutadiène en vue de leur possible recyclage. Pour se faire, de longues chaines de polydiènes 1,4-cis ont été dégradées de manière contrôlée afin d’obtenir des polymères à faible viscosité. Dans un second temps, ces polydiènes ont ensuite été modifiés chimiquement soit le long ou soit aux extrémités des chaines afin d’obtenir des fonctions réactives de type alcool. Ces fonctions hydroxyles ont ensuite servi de point d’ancrage pour le greffage de fonctions furanes. L’addition d’un composé de type bis-maléimide au polymère liquide a alors conduit à la formation d’élastomère réticulé thermo-réversiblement grâce à la réaction de Diels-Alder entre les groupements furanes et maléimides. Les matériaux ainsi obtenus se comportement comme un élastomère réticulé stable dans une large gamme de température (- 80 °C à + 130 °C). Les propriétés mécaniques de ces élastomères (module de Young, contrainte/élongation à la rupture, module caoutchoutique) peuvent être facilement modulées en modifiant plusieurs paramètres comme la longueur des chaines, la densité de réticulation ou le lieu de réticulation (bout des chaines ou le long des chaines. La recyclabilité des matériaux a ensuite été montrée, aucune perte de propriétés n’a été observée même après 5 cycles de recyclage. Enfin, en changeant le type de liens réversibles par des groupements ureidopyrimidinones (UPy), nous avons observé que le matériel réticulé réversiblement par liaisons hydrogène obtenu possédait une organisation supramoléculaire particulière, induite par l’assemblage des groupements UPy. / This work focuses on the synthesis and characterization of reversibly crosslinked polyisoprene and polybutadiene and their potential recyclability. To this end, long chains of 1,4-cis polydienes have been degraded in a controlled manner in order to obtain telechelic polymers with low viscosity. In a second step, these low molar mass polydienes were chemically modified either along the backbone or at the chain-end of the polymer in order to obtain reactive functions. The thus obtained hydroxyl functions have been used as an anchor point for the grafting of furan functions. The addition of a bis-maleimide compound to the liquid polymer led to the formation of thermo-reversibly crosslinked elastomer thanks to the Diels-Alder reaction between the furan and the maleimide groups. The obtained materials have the behavior of a crosslinked elastomer, stable in a wide temperature range (-80 °C to + 130 °C). The mechanical properties of these elastomers (Young's modulus, strain / elongation at break, rubber modulus) can be easily modulated by modifying several parameters such as chain length, crosslinking density or crosslinking site along the chains. The recyclability of the materials was shown as no properties loss was observed even after 5 cycles of recycling. Finally, by changing the furan groups by ureidopyrimidinone groups (UPy), the reversibly crosslinked material obtained through hydrogen bonds possessed a totally different behavior with a particular supramolecular organization, induced by the assembly of the UPy groups.

In the first part of this work, the structural and thermal characteristics of polyacrylonitrile, polyacrylonitrile films treated under the electrolysis conditions in the absence of thiophene, polythiophene and the mechanical mixture and a conducting copolymer of polyacrylonitrile/polythiophene have been studied by pyrolysis mass spectrometry technique. The thermal degradation of polyacrylonitrile occurs in three steps / evolution of HCN, monomer, low molecular weight oligomers due to random chain cleavages are followed by cyclization and dehydrogenation reactions yielding crosslinked and unsaturated segments. Pyrolysis of the treated polyacrylonitrile films indicated decrease in the yields of monomer and oligomers, and increase in the amount of products stabilized by cyclization reactions were detected. Polythiophene degrades in two steps / the loss of the dopant and degradation of polymer backbone. The evolution profiles of polythiophene based products from polythiophene/polyacrylonitrile showed nearly identical trends with those recorded during the pyrolysis of pure polythiophene. However, evolution of HCN and the degradation products due to the homolytic cleavages of the polymer backbone continued through out the pyrolysis indicating a significant increase in their production. Furthermore, the yield of thermal degradation products associated with decomposition of the unsaturated cyclic imine segments decreased. A careful analysis of the data pointed out presence of mixed dimers confirming copolymer formation. In the second part of this work, a poly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene) sample involving monomer units having quite similar molecular weights have been analyzed to investigate the limits of the pyrolysis mass spectrometry technique. Pyrolysis of aged poly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene) indicated oxidative degradation of the sample. Keywords: conducting copolymer, polyacrylonitrile, polythiophene, polybutadiene, direct pyrolysis mass spectrometry

Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Nesta Dissertação foi realizado um estudo sobre a tenacificação do poliestireno com diferentes tipos de polibutadieno (alto cis, baixo cis e copolímeros dibloco e tribloco de estireno e butadieno). Esses materiais (poliestireno de alto impacto HIPS) foram produzidos por processo de mistura física no estado fundido. Foi realizado um estudo sobre a interação entre a fase rígida do poliestireno (PS) e a fase elastomérica do polibutadieno baixo ou alto cis (PBb ou PBa) das misturas poliméricas, bem como, o grau de interação dos copolímeros em bloco de estireno butadiêno (SB ou SBS) quando a elas são adicionados, em uma percentagem de 2,5%, como agente compatibilizante. As misturas foram analisadas em microscópio eletrônico de varredura (SEM), microscópio eletrônico de transmissão (TEM) e microscópio de força atômica (AFM). As propriedades mecânicas determinadas foram: dureza Shore D, resistência ao impacto (método Izod) e resistência à tração. As propriedades térmicas foram avaliadas por calorimetria diferencial de varredura (DSC), termogravimetria (TG) e análise termodinâmico-mecânica (DMTA). A espectroscopia de ressonância magnética nuclear (NMR) de baixo campo também foi empregada para determinação dos tempos de relaxação de próton (T1) a fim de identificar a formação de domínios do material a nível molecular. Os resultados mostraram que todas as misturas apresentaram um comportamento pseudoplástico. As análises morfológicas indicaram uma morfologia bifásica com domínios de polibutadieno em torno de 1 m de diâmetro, distribuídos aleatoriamente na matriz do poliestireno. Os resultados obtidos nas análises mecânicas mostraram uma melhoria nas propriedades das misturas processadas com polibutadieno alto cis e compatibilizadas com 2,5% do copolímero dibloco de estireno-butadieno (SB). O resultado obtido na análise termogravimétrica revelou uma melhoria da estabilidade térmica dos materiais. Os resultados das análises de DMTA mostraram duas transições distintas. Um aumento significativo da Tg foi observado quando foi utilizado o PBa, indicando uma interação entre as fases. O resultado da análise de NMR mostra uma organização molecular similar nas misturas (PS/PB) e indica que o melhor agente compatibilizante é o copolímero dibloco (SB). / This Dissertation describes a study about the toughening of polystyrene with different types of polybutadiene (high-cis, low-cis and styrene - butadiene diblock or triblock copolymers). These materials (High Impact of PolyStyrene HIPS) were performed by melt blending. The mechanical properties (hardness, tensile strength and impact strength); morphology and the rheological behavior of these blends were evaluated. A study about the interaction between the rigid phase of the polystyrene (PS) and the elastomeric phase of the low or high cis polybutadiene (PBl or PBh ) of the polymeric blends was carried out. It was also studied the interaction degree of the block copolymers (SB or SBS) when they were incorporated in the blend using a percentage of 2.5% (mass fraction), as compatibilizer agent. The morphological analyses of the materials were performed in a scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The mechanical properties were determined by penetration of an indenter (Shore-Durometer Hardness Type D), by tensile test using a universal testing machine and by impact test using a instrumental impact testing machine. The thermal properties were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG) and by dynamic-mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was applied to determine the proton relaxation time in order to identify the heterogeneity (domain formation) of the material at the molecular level. The results showed that all polymer blends presented pseudoplastic behavior. The morphological analysis showed biphasic morphology with domains of polybutadiene dispersed heterogeneously on the PS matrix, with domains diameter around 1μm. The results obtained by the mechanical analysis showed an improvement on the blends processed with high cis polybutadiene and compatibilized with 2.5% of styrene-butadine diblock copolymer (SB). Thermogravimetry showed an improvement on the thermal stability of the blends. It was also observed by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis two distinct transitions. An increase on the Tg was observed when was used PBh, indicating interaction between the phases. The low field NMR results of the blends (PS/PB) presented a similar molecular organization and showed that the best compatibilizer agent was the diblock copolymer (SB).

Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Nesta Dissertação foi realizado um estudo sobre a tenacificação do poliestireno com diferentes tipos de polibutadieno (alto cis, baixo cis e copolímeros dibloco e tribloco de estireno e butadieno). Esses materiais (poliestireno de alto impacto HIPS) foram produzidos por processo de mistura física no estado fundido. Foi realizado um estudo sobre a interação entre a fase rígida do poliestireno (PS) e a fase elastomérica do polibutadieno baixo ou alto cis (PBb ou PBa) das misturas poliméricas, bem como, o grau de interação dos copolímeros em bloco de estireno butadiêno (SB ou SBS) quando a elas são adicionados, em uma percentagem de 2,5%, como agente compatibilizante. As misturas foram analisadas em microscópio eletrônico de varredura (SEM), microscópio eletrônico de transmissão (TEM) e microscópio de força atômica (AFM). As propriedades mecânicas determinadas foram: dureza Shore D, resistência ao impacto (método Izod) e resistência à tração. As propriedades térmicas foram avaliadas por calorimetria diferencial de varredura (DSC), termogravimetria (TG) e análise termodinâmico-mecânica (DMTA). A espectroscopia de ressonância magnética nuclear (NMR) de baixo campo também foi empregada para determinação dos tempos de relaxação de próton (T1) a fim de identificar a formação de domínios do material a nível molecular. Os resultados mostraram que todas as misturas apresentaram um comportamento pseudoplástico. As análises morfológicas indicaram uma morfologia bifásica com domínios de polibutadieno em torno de 1 m de diâmetro, distribuídos aleatoriamente na matriz do poliestireno. Os resultados obtidos nas análises mecânicas mostraram uma melhoria nas propriedades das misturas processadas com polibutadieno alto cis e compatibilizadas com 2,5% do copolímero dibloco de estireno-butadieno (SB). O resultado obtido na análise termogravimétrica revelou uma melhoria da estabilidade térmica dos materiais. Os resultados das análises de DMTA mostraram duas transições distintas. Um aumento significativo da Tg foi observado quando foi utilizado o PBa, indicando uma interação entre as fases. O resultado da análise de NMR mostra uma organização molecular similar nas misturas (PS/PB) e indica que o melhor agente compatibilizante é o copolímero dibloco (SB). / This Dissertation describes a study about the toughening of polystyrene with different types of polybutadiene (high-cis, low-cis and styrene - butadiene diblock or triblock copolymers). These materials (High Impact of PolyStyrene HIPS) were performed by melt blending. The mechanical properties (hardness, tensile strength and impact strength); morphology and the rheological behavior of these blends were evaluated. A study about the interaction between the rigid phase of the polystyrene (PS) and the elastomeric phase of the low or high cis polybutadiene (PBl or PBh ) of the polymeric blends was carried out. It was also studied the interaction degree of the block copolymers (SB or SBS) when they were incorporated in the blend using a percentage of 2.5% (mass fraction), as compatibilizer agent. The morphological analyses of the materials were performed in a scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The mechanical properties were determined by penetration of an indenter (Shore-Durometer Hardness Type D), by tensile test using a universal testing machine and by impact test using a instrumental impact testing machine. The thermal properties were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG) and by dynamic-mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was applied to determine the proton relaxation time in order to identify the heterogeneity (domain formation) of the material at the molecular level. The results showed that all polymer blends presented pseudoplastic behavior. The morphological analysis showed biphasic morphology with domains of polybutadiene dispersed heterogeneously on the PS matrix, with domains diameter around 1μm. The results obtained by the mechanical analysis showed an improvement on the blends processed with high cis polybutadiene and compatibilized with 2.5% of styrene-butadine diblock copolymer (SB). Thermogravimetry showed an improvement on the thermal stability of the blends. It was also observed by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis two distinct transitions. An increase on the Tg was observed when was used PBh, indicating interaction between the phases. The low field NMR results of the blends (PS/PB) presented a similar molecular organization and showed that the best compatibilizer agent was the diblock copolymer (SB).