A protective polydopamine (PDA) coating is applied to core-shell microcapsule surfaces by the polymerization of dopamine monomers. A neutral aqueous solution and the addition of an oxidant (i.e., ammonium persulfate) are crucial for microcapsule survival and the initiation of PDA polymerization, respectively. The resulting PDA coating is a dense and uniform layer approximately 50 nm thick. The ...

Azobenzene-functionalized ABA triblock copolymers with controlled molecular weights are prepared first via a sequential ring-opening metathesis polymerization and acyclic diene metathesis polymerization in one-pot, which are readily converted, by a facile esterification, to the modified ABA triblock copolymers. Then, these reactive triblock copolymers can spontaneously self-assemble in a select...

The differences between unidirectional and bidirectional polymerization are considered. The unidirectional case is discussed in the framework of the RNA world. Similar to earlier models of this type, where polymerization was assumed to proceed in a bidirectional fashion (presumed to be relevant to peptide nucleic acids), leftand right-handed monomers are produced via an autocatalysis from an ac...

Polymer nanocomposites of core–shell structure were prepared by grafting poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) from TiO2 nanoparticle via the surface-initiated polymerization (SIP) strategy. A bifunctional polymerization initiator inspired by L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), a key constituent of mussel adhesive proteins (MAPs), was designed and synthesized for use in SIP from oxide surfaces. The...

Acoustical measurements, electron spin resonance, and Raman spectroscopy have been employed to probe sulfur over the temperature range 80-180 degrees C, which includes the polymerization transition and the supercooled liquid state. Acoustical properties (sound velocity, absorption, and impedance) have been studied with both longitudinal and transverse waves at frequencies between 500 kHz and 22...

This experimental and theoretical study deals with the thermal spontaneous polymerization of n-butyl acrylate (n-BA). The polymerization was carried out in solution (n-heptane as the solvent) at 200 and 220 ◦C without adding any conventional initiators. It was studied with the five different n-BA/n-heptane volume ratios: 50/50, 70/30, 80/20, 90/10, and 100/0. Extensive experimental data present...

Organic–inorganic hybrid materials have attracted much interest because of their novel and specific characteristics. One method to obtain these materials is in situ polymerization through free-radical polymerization. In this study, styrene monomers were covalently linked to silica (SiO2) using the suspension polymerization technique. In the reaction process, benzoyl peroxide was used as an init...

An alkali-hydrolysable surfactant, (1-tetradecyloxycarbonylmethyl)trimethylammonium chloride, was used as an emulsifier for emulsion polymerization of styrene in water. The polymerization yielded a high molecular-weight polymer almost quantitatively. Addition of a small amount of NaOH to the resulting latex solution precipitated the polymer immediately. Analysis of the centrifuged solid indicat...

Two types of facile approaches toward ultrafine Ag/polymer hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) within 10 nm are introduced. Template and in-situ formation method are developed by photoreduction based on inverse microemulsion (IME) polymerization of N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA). The template method refers to the usage of size-varied polymeric PDMAA NPs as templates for the preparation of Ag/PDMAA hybrid...

We employ Monte Carlo computer simulations to investigate the simultaneous controlled radical polymerization in solution and from a flat surface. The bulk polymers grow at faster rates and possess narrower molecular weight distribution than polymers initiated from flat, impenetrable surfaces. The rate of surface-initiated polymerization depends on the density of initiator sites. Our results pro...