Acetoacetate based thermosets prepared by dual-Michael addition reactions

A novel set of dual-curable multiacetoacetate-multiacrylate-divinyl sulfone ternary materials with versatile and manipulable properties are presented. In contrast to common dual-curing systems, the first stage polymer herein consists of a densely crosslinked, high Tg network as a result of base-catalyzed multiacetoacetate-divinyl sulfone Michael addition. A more flexible secondary network forms after base-catalyzed Michael addition of remaining multiacetoacetate to multiacrylate. Curing is truly sequential as the rates of the two Michael additions are significantly different. Curing kinetics were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR). The materials at each curing stage were characterized using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and SEM. Although some phase separation was observed in certain formulations, the incompatibilities were minimized when the molar percentage of the acetoacetate-divinyl sulfone polymer network was above 75%. Furthermore, the environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) images of these materials show that the more flexible acetoacetate-acrylate phase is dispersed in the form of polymeric spheres within the rigid acetoacetate-divinyl sulfone matrix. This unique dual microstructure can potentially render these materials highly resilient in applications requiring densely crosslinked polymer architectures with enhanced toughnesPostprint (published version

Ion exchange membranes based upon crosslinked sulfonated polyethersulfone for electrochemical applications

Synthesis and characterization of new ion exchange membranes made from chlorosulfonated polyethersul- fone (SO2Cl-PES) crosslinked by polyaminated crosslinking reagents have been performed. Two examples are described: one crosslinked by hexane diamine, the other by amino-polyethersulfone (NH2-PES). Sulfonated polyether sulfone (S-PES) and NH2-PES have similar chemical structures that allow compatibility. Surpris- ingly enough, better results were obtained using amino-polyethersulfone. The best results have been obtained using SO2Cl-PES with 1.3 SO2Cl group per monomer unit crosslinked by 0.2 equivalent of NH2-PES. The membranes, less brittle than pristine SPES and insoluble in solvents such as DMAc, were characterized by TGA, DMA, DSC, ionic conductivity, transport numbers, and water swelling. The results showed that these membranes presented very promising performances for use in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Can acyclic conformational control be achieved via a sulfur-fluorine gauche effect?

The gauche conformation of the 1,2-difluoroethane motif is known to involve stabilising hyperconjugative interactions between donor (bonding, σC-H) and acceptor (antibonding, σ*C-F) orbitals. This model rationalises the generic conformational preference of F-Cβ-Cα-X systems (φFCCX ≈ 60°), where X is an electron deficient substituent containing a Period 2 atom. Little is known about the corresponding Period 3 systems, such as sulfur and phosphorus, where multiple oxidation states are possible. Conformational analyses of β-fluorosulfides, -sulfoxides and -sulfones are disclosed here, thus extending the scope of the fluorine gauche effect to the 3rd Period (F-C-C-S(O) n ; φFCCS ≈ 60°). Synergy between experiment and computation has revealed that the gauche effect is only pronounced in structures bearing an electropositive vicinal sulfur atom (S+-O-, SO2)

Enantiomeric oxidation of organic sulfides by the filamentous fungi Botrytis cinerea, Eutypa lata and Trichoderma viride

The biotransformations of a series of substituted sulfides were carried out with the filamentous fungi Botrytis cinerea, Eutypa lata and Trichoderma viride. Several products underwent microbial oxidation of sulfide to sulfoxide with medium to high enantiomeric purity. With regard to sulfoxide enantioselectivity, the (R)-enantiomer was favoured in biotransformations by T. viride and E. lata while the (S)-enantiomer was favoured in those by B. cinerea. A minor amount of sulfone product was also obtained

Process for preparing solvent resistant, thermoplastic aromatic poly(imidesulfone)

A process for preparing a thermoplastic poly(midesulfone) is disclosed. This resulting material has thermoplastic properties which are generally associated with polysulfones but not polyimides, and solvent resistant which is generally associated with polyimides but not polysulfones. This system is processable in the 250 to 350 C range for molding, adhesive and laminating applications. This unique thermoplastic poly(imidesulfone) is obtained by incorporating an aromatic sulfone moiety into the backbone of an aromatic linear polyimide by dissolving a quantity of a 3,3',4,4'-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) in a solution of 3,3'-diaminodiphenylsulfone and bis(2-methoxyethyl)ether, precipitating the reactant product in water, filtering and drying the recovered poly(amide-acid sulfone) and converting it to the poly(imidesulfone) by heating

Solvent resistant thermoplastic aromatic poly(imidesulfone) and process for preparing same

A process for preparing a thermoplastic poly(imidesulfone) is disclosed. This resulting material has thermoplastic properties which are generally associated with polysulfones but not polyimides, and solvent resistance which is generally associated with polyimides but not polysulfones. This system is processable in the 250 to 350 C range for molding, adhesive and laminating applications. This unique thermoplastic poly(imidesulfone) is obtained by incorporating an aromatic sulfone moiety into the backbone of an aromatic linear polyimide by dissolving a quantity of a 3,3',4,4'-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) in a solution of 3,3'-diaminodiphenylsulfone and bis(2-methoxyethyl)ether, precipitating the reactant product in water, filtering and drying the recovered poly(amide-acid sulfone) and converting it to the poly(imidesulfone) by heating

Aluminum ion-containing polyimide adhesives

A meta-oriented aromatic diamine is reacted with an aromatic dianhydride and an aluminum compound in the presence of a water or lower alkanol miscible ether solvent to produce an intermediate polyamic acid. The polyamic acid is then converted to the thermally stable, metal ion-filled polyimide by heating in the temperature range of 300 C to produce a flexible, high temperature adhesive

Conformational modulation of sequence recognition in synthetic macromolecules

The different triplet sequences in high molecular weight aromatic copolyimides comprising pyromellitimide units ("I") flanked by either ether-ketone ("K") or ether-sulfone residues ("S") show different binding strengths for pyrene-based tweezer-molecules. Such molecules bind primarily to the diimide unit through complementary π-π-stacking and hydrogen bonding. However, as shown by the magnitudes of 1H NMR complexation shifts and tweezer-polymer binding constants, the triplet "SIS" binds tweezer-molecules more strongly than "KIS" which in turn bind such molecules more strongly than "KIK". Computational models for tweezer-polymer binding, together with single-crystal X-ray analyses of tweezer-complexes with macrocyclic ether-imides, reveal that the variations in binding strength between the different triplet sequences arise from the different conformational preferences of aromatic rings at diarylketone and diarylsulfone linkages. These preferences determine whether or not chain-folding and secondary π−π-stacking occurs between the arms of the tweezermolecule and the 4,4'-biphenylene units which flank the central diimide residue

Acetylene terminated aspartimides and resins therefrom

Acetylene terminated aspartimides are prepared using two methods. In the first, an amino-substituted aromatic acetylene is reacted with an aromatic bismaleimide in a solvent of glacial acetic acid and/or m-cresol. In the second method, an aromatic diamine is reacted with an ethynyl containing maleimide, such an N-(3-ethynyl phenyl) maleimide, in a solvent of glacial acetic acid and/or m-cresol. In addition, acetylene terminated aspartimides are blended with various acetylene terminated oligomers and polymers to yield composite materials exhibiting improved mechanical properties

In vitro and in vivo studies of the trypanocidal properties of WRR-483 against Trypanosoma cruzi.

BackgroundCruzain, the major cysteine protease of Trypanosoma cruzi, is an essential enzyme for the parasite life cycle and has been validated as a viable target to treat Chagas' disease. As a proof-of-concept, K11777, a potent inhibitor of cruzain, was found to effectively eliminate T. cruzi infection and is currently a clinical candidate for treatment of Chagas' disease.Methodology/principal findingsWRR-483, an analog of K11777, was synthesized and evaluated as an inhibitor of cruzain and against T. cruzi proliferation in cell culture. This compound demonstrates good potency against cruzain with sensitivity to pH conditions and high efficacy in the cell culture assay. Furthermore, WRR-483 also eradicates parasite infection in a mouse model of acute Chagas' disease. To determine the atomic-level details of the inhibitor interacting with cruzain, a 1.5 A crystal structure of the protease in complex with WRR-483 was solved. The structure illustrates that WRR-483 binds covalently to the active site cysteine of the protease in a similar manner as other vinyl sulfone-based inhibitors. Details of the critical interactions within the specificity binding pocket are also reported.ConclusionsWe demonstrate that WRR-483 is an effective cysteine protease inhibitor with trypanocidal activity in cell culture and animal model with comparable efficacy to K11777. Crystallographic evidence confirms that the mode of action is by targeting the active site of cruzain. Taken together, these results suggest that WRR-483 has potential to be developed as a treatment for Chagas' disease