In this paper, three new compounds were synthesized by introduction of benzyloxy group to phenylethyl phenylacetate ( PPA ) and shorting the flexible ester linker. NMR spectra and mass spectra are achieved to confirm the structure of the compounds. The solid-liquid and liquid-solid phase change behaviors of PPA and these three compounds were explored by direct observation and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. It was found that all four compounds would form supercooled liquids during a heating-cooling cycle. The supercooling degree is as large as 44 °C or above. The effects of benzyloxy group and the flexible linker on the phase transition processes as well as the supercooling degrees were discussed in detail with the computational optimized geometry of isolated molecules. It was revealed that the dihedral angles between adjacent phenyl rings play a significant role in tuning their phase transition temperatures. This work also discovers the high enthalpies of PPA derivatives and analogues in both solid-liquid and liquid-solid phase transition processes, making them great potentials for the thermal energy control of appropriate working temperature regions.
Spirobichroman-based polymers with high gas permeability and selectivity are promising for their applications as membranes in gas separation. In this study, three spirobichroman-based polyimides (PIs; 6FDA-FH, 6FDA-DH, and 6FDA-MH) were synthesised by the polyreaction between diamines containing different substituents (benzene ring, pyridine ring, and methyl group) and 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)-diphthalic anhydride (6FDA). The physical properties, gas transport behaviour, d-spacing, dihedral angle of molecules, and fractional free volume of the PIs were investigated through experiments and molecular simulations. The PIs exhibited excellent thermal stability and good solubility in common organic solvents. The gas permeability of the PIs was investigated; the results highlighted the critical role of the substituents in the enhancement of the gas separation performance of polymer membranes. Detailed analysis of the PIs showed that 6FDA-FH exhibits the highest gas permeability. This can be ascribed to the loose packing of the polymer chain owing to the increased dihedral angle between the two planes. However, the methyl substituent in 6FDA-MH disrupts the polymer chain packing rather than changing the dihedral angle between the two planes, thus enhancing the gas permeability of 6FDA-MH. Furthermore, 6FDA-DH exhibited the highest CO2/CH4 selectivity, which is attributed to the CO2 affinity of the polymer containing the pyridine unit.
The performance of triboelectric polymers relies on their molecular structure. Therefore, investigating how to construct high-performance molecular structures of triboelectric polymers becomes imperative, yet the relationship between microscopic structural parameters and triboelectric performance remains unclear. In this study, the relationship is studied between dihedral angles of adjacent conjugated planes and triboelectric performance. Various polyimide monomers are synthesized to manipulate the conjugated dihedral angles within the molecular chains. Introducing larger dihedral angles in polyimides (PIs) reduces the conjugation between molecular chains, suppressing the formation of charge transfer complexes (CTCs), and widening the energy gap between molecular orbitals. With the increase in dihedral angles, the output performance improved by 100%. The surface charge density of 335 µC·m −2 is achieved through the synergistic effect of the high charge retention capability of the PI film and the high triboelectric properties of the corona-polarized fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP). A large dihedral angle can form numerous deep traps and effectively prevent charge escaping while ensuring stable output. This study provides a feasible strategy for investigating the construction of high triboelectric performance molecular structures, enriching the understanding of how molecular structures influence the triboelectric properties of polymer materials and promote high-performance fluorine-free and environmentally friendly polymers.
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