O/S Exchange Reaction in Synthesizing Sulfur-Containing Polymers.

Using carbon disulfide (CS2) and carbonyl sulfide (COS) as sulfur-containing and one-carbon feedstocks to make value-added products is paramount for both pure and applied chemistry and environmental science. One of the practical strategies is to copolymerize these bulk chemicals with epoxides to produce sulfur-containing polymers. This approach contributes to improving the sustainability of polymer manufacturing, provides highly desired functional polymer materials, and has attracted much attention. However, these copolymerizations invariably exhibit the intensely complicated chemistry of O/S exchange reaction, leading to sulfur-containing polymers with diverse architectures. As the understanding of O/S exchange continues to deepen, recent efforts have guided significant advances in the synthesis of CS2- and COS-based polymers. This review examines the O/S exchange chemistry and summarizes the recent progress in this field to promote the further advance of synthesizing sulfur-containing polymers from CS2 and COS.

Phosphine-Capped Effects Enable Full-Color Clusteroluminescence in Nonconjugated Polyesters.

Full-color luminophores have advanced applications in materials and engineering, but constructing color-tunable clusteroluminescence (CL) from nonconjugated polymers based on through-space interactions remains a huge challenge. Herein, we develop phosphine-capped nonconjugated polyesters exhibiting blue-to-red CL (400-700 nm) based on phosphine-initiated copolymerization of epoxides and cyclic anhydrides, especially P1-0.5TPP, which exhibits red CL (610 nm) with a high quantum yield of 32%. Experiments and theoretical calculations disclose that the phosphine-capped effect in polyesters brings about conformational changes and induces phosphine-ester clusters by through-space (n,π*) interactions. Moreover, CL colors and efficiencies can be easily tailored by types of phosphines, compositions and structures of polyesters, and concentration. Significantly, the role of polymer motions (group, segmental, and chain motions) on CL originating from microregions inside polyesters is revealed. Further, phosphine-capped nonconjugated polyesters are demonstrated to be nonconjugated dyes and fluorescent fibers and are also used for multicolor light-emitting diodes including white light. This work not only provides an engineering strategy based on the end-group effect to prepare full-color clusteroluminogens but also broadens the prospects for material applications.

Near-Infrared Emission Beyond 900†nm from Stable Radicals in Nonconjugated Poly(diphenylmethane).

Organic radicals with narrow energy gaps are highly sought-after for the production of near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores. However, the current repertoire of developed organic radicals is notably limited, facing challenges related to stability and low fluorescence efficiency. This study addresses these limitations by achieving stable radicals in nonconjugated poly(diphenylmethane) (PDPM). Notably, PDPM exhibits a well-balanced structural flexibility and rigidity, resulting in a robust intra-/inter-chain through-space conjugation (TSC). The stable radicals within PDPM, coupled with strong TSC, yield a remarkable full-spectrum emission spanning from blue to NIR beyond 900 nm. This extensive tunability is achieved through careful adjustments of concentration and excitation wavelength. The findings highlight the efficacy of polymerization in stabilizing radicals and introduce a novel approach for developing nonconjugated NIR emitters based on triphenylmethane subunits.

Sustainable Polymers with High Performance and Infinite Scalability.

Our society has been pursuing high-performance biodegradable polymers made from facile methods and readily available monomers. Here, we demonstrate a library of enzyme-degradable polymers with desirable properties from the first reported step polyaddition of diamines, COS, and diacrylates. The polymers contain in-chain ester and thiourethane groups, which can serve as lipase-degradation and hydrogen-bonding physical crosslinking points, respectively, resulting in possible biodegradability as well as upgraded mechanical and thermal properties. Also, the properties of the polymers are scalable due to the versatile method and the wide variety of monomers. We obtain 46 polymers with tunable performance covering high-Tm crystalline plastics, thermoplastic elastomers, and amorphous plastics by regulating polymer structure. Additionally, the polymerization method is highly efficient, atom-economical, quantitatively yield, metal- and even catalyst-free. Overall, the polymers are promising green materials given their degradability, simple and modular synthesis, remarkable and tunable properties, and readily available monomers.

Enabling nonconjugated polyesters emit full-spectrum fluorescence from blue to near-infrared.

Near-infrared luminophores have many advantages in advanced applications, especially for structures without π-conjugation aromatic rings. However, the fabrication of red clusteroluminogens from nonconjugated polymers is still a big challenge, let alone the near-infrared clusteroluminogens. Here, we develop nonconjugated luminophores with full-spectrum from blue to near-infrared light (470 ~ 780 nm), based on color phenomenon of nonconjugated polyesters synthesized from the amine-initiated copolymerization of epoxides and cyclic anhydrides. We reveal that amines act as initiators attached to polymer chain ends. The formation of various amine-ester complexes in polyesters induces red to near-infrared light, conceptually, amine-ester complexed clusteroluminescence via intra/inter-chain charge transfer. Significantly, emission colors can be easily tuned by the contents and types of amines, microstructures of polyesters, and their concentration. This work provides a low-cost, scalable platform and strategy for the production of high-efficiency, multicolor luminescent materials.

Water-Degradable Oxygen-Rich Polymers with AB/ABB Units from Fast and Selective Copolymerization.

Researchers have been chasing plastics that can automatically and fully degrade into valuable products under natural conditions. Here, we develop a series of water-degradable polymers from the first reported fast and selective cationic copolymerization of formaldehyde (B) with cyclic anhydrides (A). In addition to readily accessible monomers, the method is performed at industrially relevant temperatures (~100 °C), takes tens or even minutes, and uses common acid as the catalyst. Interestingly, such polymers possess tunable AB/ABB-type repeating units, which are considered to be thermodynamic and kinetic products, respectively, resulting in low carbon content ([O] : [C] up to 1 : 1). Notably, the polymers can completely degrade to valuable diacids within 150 days in water at ambient temperature owing to the incorporation of carboxyl terminals and acid-responsive acetal units. By washing with aqueous sodium carbonate, the polymers are relatively stable over several months.

Heteroatom-facilitated blue to near-infrared emission of nonconjugated polyesters.

Making nonconjugated polymers to emit visible light remains a formidable challenge, let alone near-infrared (NIR) light, although NIR luminophores have many advanced applications. Herein, we propose an electron-bridging strategy of using heteroatoms (O, N, and S) to achieve tunable emission from blue to NIR regions (440-800 nm) in nonconjugated polyesters. Especially, sulfur-containing polyester P4 exhibits NIR clusteroluminescence (CL) on changing either the concentration or excitation wavelength. Experimental characterization and theoretical calculation demonstrate that the introduction of heteroatoms significantly enhances the through-space interactions (TSIs) via the electron-bridging effect between heteroatoms and carbonyls. The strength of the electron-bridging effect follows the order of S > N > O, based on two synergistic effects: electronic structure and van der Waals radius of heteroatoms. This work provides a low-cost, scalable platform to produce new-generation nonconjugated luminophores with deeper insight into the photophysical mechanism.

Sugar-Derived Nanocrystalline Graphite Matrix C/C Composites with Excellent Ablative Resistance at 3000 °C.

Sugars are renewable resources essential to human life, but they are rarely used as raw materials for the industrial production of carbon-based materials, especially for the preparation of carbon fiber-reinforced carbon-matrix (C/C) composites, which are extremely useful for the semiconductor and aerospace sectors. Herein, a method utilizing sugar-derived carbon to replace petrochemicals as dense matrix to preparing C/C composites is reported. The matrix from sugar-derived C/C (S-C/C) composites has a nanocrystalline graphite structure that is highly thermally stable and effectively bonded to the carbon fibers. The mechanical properties of the S-C/C composite are comparable to those prepared from petrochemical sources; significantly, it exhibits a linear ablation rate of 0.03 mm s-1 after 200 s of ablation at 3000 °C in 10 MW m-2 heat flux. This new class of S-C/C is promising for use in a broad range of fields, ranging from semiconductor to aerospace.

Cyclic Polyesters with Closed-Loop Recyclability from A New Chemically Reversible Alternating Copolymerization.

Polyesters with both cyclic topology and chemical recyclability are attractive. Here, the alternating copolymerization of cyclic anhydride and o-phthalaldehyde to synthesize a series of cyclic and recyclable polyesters are reported for the first time. Besides readily available monomers, the copolymerization is carried out at 25 °C, uses common Lewis/Brønsted acids as catalysts, and achieves high yields within 1 h. The resulting polyesters possess well-defined alternating sequences, high-purity cyclic topology, and tunable structures using distinct two monomer sets. Of interest, the copolymerization manifests obvious chemical reversibility as revealed by kinetic and thermodynamic studies, making the unprecedented polyesters easy to recycle to their distinct two monomers in a closed loop at high temperatures. This work furnishes a facile and efficient method to synthesize cyclic polyesters with closed-loop recyclability.

Multifunctional Carbon Fiber Reinforced C/SiOC Aerogel Composites for Efficient Electromagnetic Wave Absorption, Thermal Insulation, and Flame Retardancy.

Carbon fiber composites have great application prospects as a potential electromagnetic (EM) wave-absorbing material, yet it remains extremely challenging to integrate multiple functions of EM wave absorption, mechanical strength, thermal insulation, and flame retardancy. Herein, a novel carbon fiber reinforced C/SiOC aerogel (CF/CS) composite is successfully prepared by sol-gel impregnation combined with an ambient drying process for the first time. The density of the obtained CF/CS composites can be controlled just by changing sol-gel impregnation cycles (original carbon fiber felt (S0), and samples with one (S1) and two (S2) impregnation cycles are 0.249, 0.324, and 0.402 g cm-3, respectively), allowing for efficient tuning of their properties. Remarkably, S2 displays excellent microwave absorption properties, with an optimal reflection loss of -65.45 dB, which is significantly improved than S0 (-10.90 dB). Simultaneously, compared with S0 (0.75 and 0.30 MPa in the x/y and z directions), the mechanical performance of S2 is dramatically improved with a maximum compressive strength of 10.37 and 4.93 MPa in the x/y and z directions, respectively. Moreover, CF/CS composites show superior thermal insulation capability than S0 and obtain good flame-retardant properties. This work provides valuable guidance and inspiration for the development of multifunctional EM wave absorbers.

Lightweight, Flexible, and Covalent-Bonding Phenolic Fabric Reinforced Phenolic Ablator for Thermal Insulation and Conformal Infrared Stealth.

Fiber-reinforced phenolic resin aerogel (FRPRA) composite materials are seductive candidates for high-temperature thermal protection owing to their low density, excellent thermostability, and thermal insulation. However, the intrinsic stiffness restricts their further application for high efficiency. We report a homogeneous and chemical bonding strategy for fabricating lightweight and flexible FRPRA with good ablative thermal insulation performance. The compressible (cyclic strain of 60%) and bendable (cyclic strain of 30%) abilities as well as the structural stability during ablation all benefit from the compatibility between the phenolic resin aerogel matrix and the phenolic fiber reinforcement. Additionally, low bulk density and thermal conductivity of 0.20 g cm-3 and 0.043 W m-1 K-1, respectively, endow the composite with efficient thermal insulation capability. With an 8 mm-thick coupon, the temperature of 200 °C can be decreased to 70.6 °C and the temperature around 1200 °C can be camouflaged to 78 °C through combining with the Al panel. The material also enables a conformal stealth of 600 °C based on its bendability. Hence, the composite has potential in applications of both static and dynamic thermal insulation.

A recyclable polyester library from reversible alternating copolymerization of aldehyde and cyclic anhydride.

Our society is pursuing chemically recyclable polymers to accelerate the green revolution in plastics. Here, we develop a recyclable polyester library from the alternating copolymerization of aldehyde and cyclic anhydride. Although these two monomer sets have little or no thermodynamic driving force for homopolymerization, their copolymerization demonstrates the unexpected alternating characteristics. In addition to readily available monomers, the method is performed under mild conditions, uses common Lewis/Brønsted acids as catalysts, achieves the facile tuning of polyester structure using two distinct monomer sets, and yields 60 polyesters. Interestingly, the copolymerization exhibits the chemical reversibility attributed to its relatively low enthalpy, which makes the resulting polyesters perform closed-loop recycling to monomers at high temperatures. This study provides a modular, efficient, and facile synthesis of recyclable polyesters using sustainable monomers.

Understanding the Microstructure Evolution of 8Cr4Mo4V Steel under High-Dose-Rate Ion Implantation.

In this study, the effect of microstructure under various dose rates of plasma immersion ion implantation on 8Cr4Mo4V steel has been investigated for crystallite size, lattice strain and dislocation density. The phase composition and structure parameters including crystallite size, dislocation density and lattice strain have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements and determined from Scherrer's equation and three different Williamson-Hall (W-H) methods. The obtained results reveal that a refined crystallite size, enlarged microstrain and increased dislocation density can be obtained for the 8Cr4Mo4V steel treated by different dose rates of ion implantation. Compared to the crystallite size (15.95 nm), microstrain (5.69 × 10-3) and dislocation density (8.48 × 1015) of the dose rate of 2.60 × 1017 ions/cm2·h, the finest grain size, the largest microstrain and the highest dislocation density of implanted samples can be achieved when the dose rate rises to 5.18 × 1017 ions/cm2·h, the effect of refining is 26.13%, and the increment of microstrain and dislocation density are 26.3% and 45.6%, respectively. Moreover, the Williamson-Hall plots are fitted linearly by taking ßcosθ along the y-axis and 4sinθ or 4sinθ/Yhkl or 4sinθ(2/Yhkl)1/2 along the x-axis. In all of the W-H graphs, it can be observed that some of the implanted samples present a negative and a positive slope; a negative and a positive slope in the plot indicate the presence of compressive and tensile strain in the material.

Modular Alcohol Click Chemistry Enables Facile Synthesis of Recyclable Polymers with Tunable Structure.

The facile synthesis of chemically recyclable polymers derived from sustainable feedstocks presents enormous challenges. Here, we develop a novel, modular, and efficient click reaction for connecting primary, secondary, or tertiary alcohols with activated alkenes via a bridge molecule of carbonyl sulfide (COS). The click reaction is successfully applied to synthesize a series of recyclable polymers by the step polyaddition of diols, diacrylates, and COS. Diols and diacrylates are common chemicals and can be produced from biorenewable sources, and COS is released as the industrial waste. In addition to sustainable monomers, the approach is atom-economical, wide in scope, metal-free, and performed under mild conditions, affording unprecedented polymers with nearly quantitative yields. The produced polymers also possess predesigned and widely tunable structure owing to the versatility of our method and the broad variety of monomers. The in-chain thiocarbonate and ester polar groups can play as breakpoints, allowing these polymers to be easily recycled. Overall, the polymers have broad prospects for green materials given their facile synthesis, readily available feedstocks, desirable performance, and chemical recyclability.

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Compare Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Tunnel Lengths in Adult Patients With Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Evidence is insufficient on the effect of tunnel lengths on tunneled peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) placement in adult patients with cancer. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to explore whether there is an optimal PICC tunnel length to reduce the risk of PICC-related complications. The secondary objective was to compare patients' pain and comfort levels during catheter placement with different tunnel lengths. METHODS: Two hundred patients were randomly assigned to groups based on PICC tunnel length. Data collected included baseline characteristics, catheter-related characteristics, PICC-related complications, and patients' pain and comfort levels. FINDINGS: Patients with 4 cm, 5 cm, and 6 cm PICC tunnel lengths had a longer catheter dwell time and fewer PICC-related complications. No significant differences were found among all groups regarding patients' pain and comfort levels. The results suggest that a tunneled PICC is safe and effective. A tunnel length longer than 4 cm is recommended for tunneled PICC placement.

NIR Clusteroluminescence of Non-conjugated Phenolic Resins Enabled by Through-Space Interactions.

Clusteroluminescence (CL) and through-space interactions (TSIs) of non-conjugated molecules have drawn more attention due to their unique photophysical behaviors that are different from largely conjugated luminogens. However, achieving red and even near-infrared (NIR) emission from such systems is still challenging due to the intrinsic drawbacks of non-conjugated molecules and the lack of theories for structure-property relationships. In this work, six phenolic resins are designed and synthesized based on two molecule-engineering strategies: increasing the number of TSIs units and introducing electron-donating/-withdrawing groups. All phenolic resins are verified as luminogens with CL property (CLgens), and the first example of CLgens with NIR emission (maximum emission wavelength ≥680 nm) and high absolute quantum yield (47 %) is reported. Experiments and theoretical analysis reveal that two TSIs types, through-space locally excited state and through-space charge transfer state, play essential roles in achieving CL from these non-conjugated polymers, which could be manipulated via changing structural conformation and electron density or altering electron transition behaviors. This work not only provides an approach to manipulate TSIs and CL of non-conjugated polymers but also endows commercially available phenolic resins with high practical value as luminescence materials.

Chemically Recyclable Polyethylene-like Sulfur-Containing Plastics from Sustainable Feedstocks.

The green revolution in plastics should be accelerated due to growing sustainability concerns. Here, we develop a series of chemically recyclable polymers from the first reported cascade polymerization of H2 O, COS, and diacrylates. In addition to abundant feedstocks, the method is efficient and air-tolerant, uses common organic bases as catalysts, and yields polymers with high molecular weights under mild conditions. Such polymers, structurally like polyethylene with low-density in-chain polar groups, manifest impressive toughness and ductility comparable to high-density polyethylene. The in-chain ester group acts as a breaking point, enabling these polymers to undergo chemical recycling through two loops. The structures and properties of these polymers also have an immeasurably expanded range owing to the versatility of our method. The readily available raw materials, facile synthesis, and high performance make these polymers promising prospects as sustainable materials in practice.

Identifying the impact of the Zone Insertion MethodTM (ZIMTM): A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In 2011, Dawson proposed the Zone Insertion MethodTM (ZIMTM) to identify the optimal peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) insertion site in the upper arm. However, data on the effectiveness and safety of the ZIMTM in guiding PICC placement in Chinese population is limited. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, 120 cancer patients were randomly assigned to the upper portion of the red zone (RZ), the green zone (GZ) and the lower portion of the yellow zone (YZ) groups (at a 1:1:1 ratio). The aim was to compare the degree of patient comfort and the incidence of major PICC complications among the three insertion zones based on the ZIMTM in a Chinese Cancer Center. (Clinical Trials. Gov number, ChiCTR1900024111). RESULTS: A total of 118 catheters were inserted in 118 patients (2 patients were lost to follow-up). After the 1-month follow-up, patients randomly assigned to the YZ group had a higher degree of comfort with a lower score than those assigned to the other two zone groups: 30.21±3.16 in the YZ group versus 31.65±2.51 in the RZ group and 31.59±2.92 in the GZ group (P=.046). The incidence of thrombosis (10/40, 25%) and occlusion (4/40, 10%) in the RZ, which were significantly higher than those in the other two zone groups (χ2 =7.368, P=.02; χ2 =5.778, P =.03), whereas the risk in the GZ group was similar to that in the YZ group. The incidence of contact dermatitis in the GZ group was significantly higher than that of the other two zone groups (χ2=12.873, P=.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the lower portion of YZ seems to be another suitable PICC insertion site for a higher degree of comfort and a lower risk of occlusion and thrombosis, which broadens the choice of PICC insertion sites in the upper arm for clinical practice.

Copolymerization of Carbonyl Sulfide and Propylene Oxide via a Heterogeneous Prussian Blue Analogue Catalyst with High Productivity and Selectivity.

This study demonstrates the superiority of a stable and well-defined heterogeneous cobalt hexacyanocobaltate (Co3 [Co(CN)6 ]2 ), a typical cobalt Prussian Blue Analogue (CoCo-PBA) that catalyzes the copolymerization of carbonyl sulfide (COS) and propylene oxide (PO) to produce poly(propylene monothiocarbonate)s (PPMTC). The number-average molecular weights of the PPMTC were 66.4 to 139.4 kg/mol, with a polydispersity of 2.0-3.9. The catalyst productivity reached 1040 g polymer/g catalyst (12.0 h). The oxygen-sulfur exchange reaction (O/S ER), which would generate random thiocarbonate and carbonate units, was effectively suppressed, and thus the selectivity of the monothiocarbonate over carbonate linkages was up to >99%. It was shown that no cyclic thiocarbonate byproduct was produced during the heterogeneous catalysis of COS/PO copolymerization using CoCo-PBA as the catalyst. The content of monothiocarbonate and ether units in the copolymer chain could be regulated by tuning the feeding amount of COS.

Cobalt-Catalyzed Regiodivergent Double Hydrosilylation of Arylacetylenes.

Double hydrosilylation of alkynes represents a straightforward method to synthesize bis(silane)s, yet it is challenging if α-substituted vinylsilanes act as the intermediates. Here, a cobalt-catalyzed regiodivergent double hydrosilylation of arylacetylenes is reported for the first time involving this challenge, accessing both vicinal and geminal bis(silane)s with exclusive regioselectivity. Various novel bis(silane)s containing Si-H bonds can be easily obtained. The gram-scale reactions could be performed smoothly. Preliminarily mechanistic studies demonstrated that the reactions were initiated by cobalt-catalyzed α-hydrosilylation of alkynes, followed by cobalt-catalyzed ß-hydrosilylation of the α-vinylsilanes to deliver vicinal bis(silane)s, or hydride-catalyzed α-hydrosilylation to give geminal ones. Notably, these bis(silane)s can be used for the synthesis of high-refractive-index polymers (nd up to 1.83), demonstrating great potential utility in optical materials.