The critical current density and inhomogeneity in Nb3Sn superconducting composites

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Polyimide foams derived from a high Tg polyimide with grafted poly(α-methylstyrene)

A new route to high-Tg, thermally stable polyimide foams has been developed. Foams were prepared by casting microphase-separated graft copolymers comprising a thermally stable main chain, polyimide, and a thermally labile graft, poly(α-methylstyrene). The copolymer compositions were designed so that the thermally labile block would be the dispersed phase. This can unzip to its monomer upon heating, and the decomposition product diffuses out of the film, leaving pores embedded in a matrix of the thermally stable component. The copolymers were synthesized through either the poly(amic acid) precursor, followed by chemical cyclodehydration to the imide form, or the poly(amic alkyl ester) precursor followed by thermal imidization. The decomposition of the α-methylstyrene in the block copolymer was studied by thermogravimetric, dynamic mechanical and thermomechanical analyses. Mild decomposition conditions were required to avoid rapid depolymerization of the α-methylstyrene and excessive plasticization of the polyimide matrix. The foams showed pore sizes with diameters ranging from less than 20 nm to over 1 µm, depending upon the synthetic route employed, and the reduction in the mass density was generally consistent with the starting composition

Water-soluble, unimolecular containers based on amphiphilic multiarm star block copolymers

A new class of water-soluble, amphiphilic star block copolymers with a large number of arms was prepared by sequential atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of n-butyl methacrylate (BMA) and poly( ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA). As the macroinitiator for the ATRP, a 2-bromoisobutyric acid functionalized fourth-generation hyperbranched polyester (Boltorn H40) was used, which allowed the preparation of star polymers that contained on average 20 diblock copolymer arms. The synthetic concept was validated by AFM experiments, which allowed direct visualization of single molecules of the multiarm star block copolymers. DSC and SAXS experiments on bulk samples suggested a microphase-separated structure, in agreement with the core-shell architecture of the polymers. SAXS experiments on aqueous solutions indicated that the star block copolymers can be regarded as unimolecular micelles composed of a PBMA core and a diffuse PPEGMA corona. The ability of the polymers to encapsulate and release hydrophobic guests was evaluated using H-1 NMR spectroscopy. In dilute aqueous solution, these polymers act as unimolecular containers that can be loaded with up to 27 wt % hydrophobic guest molecules