Improving Environmental Stress Cracking Resistance of High-Density Polyethylene Grades by Comonomer Addition and Nanocomposite Approach.

The aim is to determine the effect of polymer density, correlated to the comonomer content, and nanosilica addition on the mechanical and Environmental Stress Cracking Resistance (ESCR) characteristics of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). In this regard, five HDPE samples with similar Melt Flow Index (MFI) and molar mass but various densities were acquired from a petrochemical plant. Two polymerization reactors work in series and differ only in the amount of 1-buene comonomer fed to the second reactor. To ascertain the microstructure of the studied samples, GPC and SSA (successive self-nucleation and annealing) analyses were accomplished. All samples resulted having similar characteristics but slightly various SCB/1000C=7.26-9.74 (SCB=Short Chain Branching). Consequently, meanwhile studied HDPEs reveal similar notched impact and stress at yield values, the tensile modulus, stress-at-break, and elongation-at-break tend to demonstrate different results with the SCB content. More significantly, ESCR characteristic varied considerably with SCB/1000C extent, so that higher amount of SCB acknowledged advanced ESCR. Notably, blending HDPE sample containing higher amount of SCB/1000C, with 3 wt.% of chemically modified nanosilica enhanced ESCR characteristic by 40%. DFT (Density Functional Theory) calculations unveiled the role of the comonomer, quantitatively by binding energies and qualitatively by Non Covalent Interaction (NCI) plots.

In-situ photo-crosslinkable elastomer based on polyalphaolefin/halloysite nanohybrid.

In this research, new injectable and in situ photocurable elastomeric nanohybrids have been fabricated from polyalphaolefin (PAO) resins and halloysite nanofiller. In this regard, the co-oligomerization of long α-olefin monomers (C6, C8 and C10) with alkenol counterparts was carried out via a simple cationic route to provide OH-functionalized PAOs. The newly formed PAO type copolymer resins as well as halloysite nanoclay were then equipped with photocurable CC bonds containing an acrylate moiety. After the characterization of the final chemical substances and also of the intermediate structures, experimentally and computationally by means of Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, the neat treated PAO and PAO/halloysite nanohybrids were subjected to a curing process by visible light irradiation (λ âˆ¼ 475 nm, blue light). The crosslinking efficiency of the neat resins and the formed nanohybrid was evaluated using shrinkage strain-time curves and equilibrium swelling method. The suggested nanohybrid is not only biocompatible (96 % in the MTT assay), and hydrophilic (with a water contact angle of 61°), but also exhibits an easy, fast and robust curing process with great potential for coating and sealing technologies for medical devices.

%VBur index and steric maps: from predictive catalysis to machine learning.

Steric indices are parameters used in chemistry to describe the spatial arrangement of atoms or groups of atoms in molecules. They are important in determining the reactivity, stability, and physical properties of chemical compounds. One commonly used steric index is the steric hindrance, which refers to the obstruction or hindrance of movement in a molecule caused by bulky substituents or functional groups. Steric hindrance can affect the reactivity of a molecule by altering the accessibility of its reactive sites and influencing the geometry of its transition states. Notably, the Tolman cone angle and %VBur are prominent among these indices. Actually, steric effects can also be described using the concept of steric bulk, which refers to the space occupied by a molecule or functional group. Steric bulk can affect the solubility, melting point, boiling point, and viscosity of a substance. Even though electronic indices are more widely used, they have certain drawbacks that might shift preferences towards others. They present a higher computational cost, and often, the weight of electronics in correlation with chemical properties, e.g. binding energies, falls short in comparison to %VBur. However, it is worth noting that this may be because the steric index inherently captures part of the electronic content. Overall, steric indices play an important role in understanding the behaviour of chemical compounds and can be used to predict their reactivity, stability, and physical properties. Predictive chemistry is an approach to chemical research that uses computational methods to anticipate the properties and behaviour of these compounds and reactions, facilitating the design of new compounds and reactivities. Within this domain, predictive catalysis specifically targets the prediction of the performance and behaviour of catalysts. Ultimately, the goal is to identify new catalysts with optimal properties, leading to chemical processes that are both more efficient and sustainable. In this framework, %VBur can be a key metric for deepening our understanding of catalysis, emphasizing predictive catalysis and sustainability. Those latter concepts are needed to direct our efforts toward identifying the optimal catalyst for any reaction, minimizing waste, and reducing experimental efforts while maximizing the efficacy of the computational methods.

H-Bonding leading to latent initiators for olefin metathesis polymerization.

Ruthenium-NHC based catalysts, with a chelated iminium ligand trans to the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand, that polymerize dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) at different temperatures are monitored using Density Functional Theory calculations to unveil the reaction mechanism, and subsequently how important are the geometrical and electronic features vs. the non-covalent interactions in between. The balance is very fragile and H-bonds are fundamental to explain the different behaviour of latent catalysts. This computational study aims to facilitate future studies of new generations of latent initiators for olefin metathesis polymerization, with the 3D and mainly the 2D Non-Covalent Interaction plots the characterization tool for H-bonds.

Chain Walking in the AlCl3 Catalyzed Cationic Polymerization of α-Olefins.

Continuing efforts aimed at performing the 1-decene polymerization to low viscosity polyalphaolefins (PAO)s using a less hazardous AlCl3 catalyst than boron-based analogs, the basic mechanisms of this system were revealed in this research. In this aspect, neat AlCl3 and AlCl3 /toluene were carried out to perform 1-decene polymerizations. Microstructure analyses of the as-synthesized oils revealed low molecular weight (708 vs. 1529 g/mol), kinematic viscosity (KV100 =6.4 vs. 22.2 cSt), and long chain branching (82.1 vs. 84.7) of PAO from the system containing toluene solvent. Furthermore, NMR analysis confirmed various types of short chain branch (SCB) with the inclusion of toluene ring in the structure of final PAO chains. Then, to shed light on the basic mechanisms of cationic polymerization of 1-decene including: i) chain initiation, ii) chain transfer to the monomer, iii) isomerization of the carbocation via a chain walking mechanism (causes different SCB length), and iv) binding of toluene ring to the propagating PAO chain (to yield aromatic containing oligomers), molecular modeling at the DFT level was employed. The energies obtained confirmed the ease of carbocation isomerization and chain transfer mechanisms in toluene medium, which well confirms the highly branched structure experimentally obtained for related PAO.

Influence of the Ethanol Content of Adduct on the Comonomer Incorporation of Related Ziegler-Natta Catalysts in Propylene (Co)polymerizations.

The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of the ethanol content of adducts on the catalytic behavior of related Ziegler-Natta (ZN) catalysts in propylene homo- and copolymerizations (with 1-hexene comonomer) in terms of activity, isotacticity, H2 response, and comonomer incorporation. For this purpose, three MgCl2.nEtOH adducts with n values of 0.7, 1.2, and 2.8 were synthesized and used in the synthesis of related ZN catalysts. The catalysts were thoroughly characterized using XRD, BET, SEM, EDX, N2 adsorption-desorption, and DFT techniques. Additionally, the microstructure of the synthesized (co)polymers was distinguished via DSC, SSA, and TREF techniques. Their activity was found to enhance with the adduct's ethanol content in both homo- and copolymerization experiments, and the increase was more pronounced in homopolymerization reactions in the absence of H2. Furthermore, the catalyst with the highest ethanol content provided a copolymer with a lower isotacticity index, a shorter meso sequence length, and a more uniform distribution of comonomer within the chains. These results were attributed to the higher total surface area and Ti content of the corresponding catalyst, as well as its lower average pore diameter, a larger proportion of large pores compared to the other two catalysts, and its spherical open bud morphology. It affirms the importance of catalyst/support ethanol-content control during the preparation process. Then, molecular simulation was employed to shed light on the iso-specificity of the polypropylene produced via synthesized catalysts.

Efficient hydro-finishing of polyalfaolefin based lubricants under mild reaction condition using Pd on ligands decorated halloysite.

To achieve efficient hydrofinishing of polyalfaolefin based lubricants under mild reaction condition, a novel catalyst is designed and fabricated through supporting Pd nanoparticles on ligand functionalized halloysite clay. In this line, first, using DFT calculations a scan of a library of 36 diamines was performed to find the most proper ligand that can provide the best interactions with Pd nanoparticles, improve Pd anchoring and supress Pd leaching. Characterization of the rather strong covalent and ionic interactions by a Mayer Bond Order analysis, and the non-covalent interactions by NCI plots as well, unveiled the preference for a particular system. The perfect in silico candidate was then studied on an experimental level, and also by studying its reaction profile for the hydrogenation of ethylene by calculations. In the experimental section, halloysite was functionalized with the selected ligand in simulation part and employed for the hydrofinishing of polyalfaolefin type lubricants. Characterization results revealed successful synthesis of the nano catalyst containing tiny Pd nanoparticles with a mean diameter in the range of 2.37 ± 0.5 nm, which homogeneously dispersed on the functionalized halloysite. The synthesized catalyst exhibited excellent activity (98% hydrogenation yield after 6 h) under mild reaction condition (T = 130 °C and PH2 = 6 bar). Furthermore, the catalyst can be recycled for several times with insignificant Pd leaching and loss of its activity.

Pd immobilized on dendrimer decorated halloysite clay: Computational and experimental study on the effect of dendrimer generation, Pd valance and incorporation of terminal functionality on the catalytic activity.

Dendrimer (PAMAM) decorated halloysite nanoclay (Hal) was prepared and applied for immobilization of Pd catalytic species to develop an efficient catalyst for copper and ligand-free CC coupling reactions. The effect of dendrimer generation, Pd valance and incorporation of anthranilamide as terminal functionality of dendrimer on the catalytic activity of the hybrid catalyst was studied experimentally and theoretically. The results of DFT computational studies on the effect of Pd valence showed that Pd(0) has much higher binding energy (-44.3 kcal/mol) on the modified halloysite surface, exposing PAMAM group, than Pd(OAc)2 with the binding energy of only -14.3 kcal/mol. Hence, Pd(0) was selected for experimental investigations. Again, computational studies on the two dendrimer generations, I and II, revealed higher stability of Pd(0) impregnated on Hal-PAMAM in generation I (G1) than it in G2. These results were experimentally confirmed by the synthesis of both Pd@Hal-PAMAM-G1 and Pd@Hal-PAMAM-G2 and comparing their catalytic activities for promoting the model coupling reactions. Additionally, the effect of terminal groups of dendrimer periphery was studied by comparing the catalytic activity of the catalysts with amine and anthranilamide terminated dendrimer, Pd@Hal-PAMAM-G1-ISA and Pd@Hal-PAMAM-G1. Interestingly, the experimental results were in good agreement with the theoretical findings and established Pd@Hal-PAMAM-G1-ISA as the catalyst of the choice. It was found that Pd@Hal-PAMAM-G1-ISA could promote both Sonogashira and Heck C-C coupling reactions efficiently in aqueous media (1:1 mixture of H2O and EtOH) and could be successfully recovered and reused for 10 reaction times with slight loss of the catalytic activity and Pd leaching.

Effective removal of toxic metal ions from aqueous solutions: 2-Bifunctional magnetic nanocomposite base on novel reactive PGMA-MAn copolymer@Fe3O4 nanoparticles.

In this study, effective novel magnetic nanocomposite particles (MNCPs) were prepared based on iminodiacetic acid grafted poly (glycidylmethacrylate-maleicanhydride) (PGMA-MAn) copolymer. For this purpose, firstly Fe3O4 nanoparticles reacted with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane for the production of magnetite nanoparticles containing amine groups (MNPs-NH2). Then iminodiacetic acid reacted with PGMA-MAn copolymer to produce iminodiacetic acid grafted PGMA-MAn copolymer (ID-g-PGMA-MAn). Finally, the MNPs-NH2 reacted with the ID-g-PGMA-MAn and the reaction was completed by propylenediamine (PDA) to produce MNCPs. Structure, magnetic property, size, and porosity of the prepared magnetic nanocomposite were investigated by FT-IR, XRD, VSM, EDX, SEM and BET analyses. The ability of these MNCPs for removing Pb(II) and Cd(II) from water and wastewater was studied, and the effects of different parameters (pH, adsorbent dosage, metal ion concentration, contact time and agitation) on the adsorption process were investigated. The isotherm models were used to describe adsorption equilibrium. The results showed that the best fit was achieved with the Langmuir isotherm equation, yielding maximum adsorption capacities of 53.33 and 48.53mg/g for Pb(II) and Cd(II), respectively. The kinetics equations were used for modeling of adsorption data and it was shown that pseudo-second-order kinetic equation could best describe the adsorption kinetics. Furthermore, phenol pollutant can be removed effectively by metal ions of the nanocomposite-metal complex; therefore, the synthesized adsorbent was useful not only in recovering toxic metal ions but also in the treating phenol pollutants in wastewater.

In-situ photocrosslinkable nanohybrid elastomer based on polybutadiene/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane.

Hydroxyl functionalized nano-sized POSS or ethyleneglycol as diol monomers was incorporated to hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPBD) chain in the presence of fumaryl chloride as extender. Blue light photocrosslinking system based on camphorquinone (photoinitiator) and dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (accelerator) was applied to cure these two synthesized fumarate based macromers. Self-crosslinkability of unsaturated macromers and also crosslinking in presence of a reactive diluent were investigated in absence and presence of 1,4-butanediol dimethacrylate, respectively. Finally, photocured samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, equilibrium swelling study, TGA, DMTA, AFM and cell culture. The results showed that incorporation of POSS nanoparticle into the polymer matrix with a perfect distribution and dispersion can enhance thermal stability, mechanical and biocompatibility properties which can prove a good potential of this in-situ photocrosslinkable nanohybrid in medical applications.

Exploring the mechanism of Grignard metathesis polymerization of 3-alkylthiophenes.

In this study we have investigated computationally the mechanism of polymerization of 2,5-dibromo 3-butylthiophene via the GRIM method, with the focus on the origin of the head to tail (HT) selectivity. To this end, first the Grignard reagent underwent oxidative addition to the monomer to afford the 2-bromo-5-chloromagnesio-3-butylthiophene (intermediate I1) or the 2-chloromagnesio 5-bromo-3-butylthiophene (intermediate I2) regioisomers. Then intermediates I1 and I2 were polymerized catalytically to a series of regiospecific poly-3-butylthiophenes using the commonly used Ni(dppp)Cl2 [dppp: 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino) propane] and Pd(dppp)Cl2 catalysts. Due to the asymmetric nature of I1 and I2 that act as the active monomeric species, 6 coupling modes may occur. The whole energy profile of all modes has been studied by considering a three-stage mechanism, including coordination, transmetalation, and reductive elimination, to compare quantitatively the ability of so-called catalysts in selective coupling of desired isomers to produce regioregular poly-3-butylthiophene. Finally, to quantify the steric role of the dppp in regioselectivity, analysis of the buried volume in terms of steric maps was performed.

Rationalizing current strategies to protect N-heterocyclic carbene-based ruthenium catalysts active in olefin metathesis from C-H (de)activation.

Defending second generation Ru-catalysts in olefin metathesis from C-H (de)activation reactions requires precise catalyst design strategies. Computer simulations are used here to rationalize precisely the role of the currently used catalyst structural modifications, and the way these modifications cooperate.

The intriguing modeling of cis-trans selectivity in ruthenium-catalyzed olefin metathesis.

In this study we have investigated computationally the origin of the cis-trans selectivity in the Ru-catalyzed cross metathesis (CM) of a prototype monosubstituted olefin, i.e., propene. Our calculations suggest that the origin of the preferential formation of trans-olefins is in the product release step, which prevents the initially formed cis-olefin from escaping the metal, and returns it to the reaction pool until the trans-olefin is formed.