Isoselective Polymerization of 1-Vinylcyclohexene (VCH) and a Terpene Derived Monomer S-4-Isopropenyl-1-vinyl-1-cyclohexene (IVC), and Its Binary Copolymerization with Linear Terpenes.

The advancement of stereoregular polymerization techniques for linear 1,3-dienes has enabled the production of polymers with precise stereocontrol, influencing their physical and chemical properties significantly. While 1,3-butadiene and isoprene yield diverse stereoregular polymers, cyclic dienes have received less attention due to catalyst challenges and limited application in the rubber industry. However, the growing interest in bio-based monomers, particularly those derived from terpenes and terpenoids, has revitalized interest in cyclic monomers with conjugated double bonds.

Thermo- and Photoresponsive Smart Nanomaterial Based on Poly(diethyl vinyl phosphonate)-Capped Gold Nanoparticles.

A new nanodevice based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) capped with poly(diethylvinylphosphonate) (PDEVP) has been synthesized, showing interesting photophysical and thermoresponsive properties. The synthesis involves a properly designed Yttriocene catalyst coordinating the vinyl-lutidine (VL) initiator active in diethyl vinyl phosphonate polymerization. The unsaturated PDEVP chain ending was thioacetylated, deacetylated, and reacted with tetrachloroauric acid and sodium borohydride to form PDEVP-VL-capped AuNPs.

Synthesis and Characterization of β-Myrcene-Styrene and β-Ocimene-Styrene Copolymers.

The structure-properties relationships of sustainable materials derived from biomass-based monomers are investigated, focusing on hybrid styrene/terpene-based copolymers with blocky microstructures, such as β-myrcene- and β-ocimene-styrene copolymers. The samples show complex glass transition dynamics, as evidenced by the physical aging experienced by the amorphous phase in styrene-rich copolymers. The tendency of styrene- and terpene-rich sequences to give heterogeneous morphologies with correlation strength extending over 10-40 nm is outlined, through small-angle X-ray scattering analysis.

Micro(nano)plastics from synthetic oligomers persisting in Mediterranean seawater: Comprehensive NMR analysis, concerns and origins.

The presence in seawater of low-molecular-weight polyethylene (PE) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), synthetic polymers with high chemical resistance, has been demonstrated in this study for the first time by developing a novel methodology for their recovery and quantification from surface seawater. These synthetic polymer debris (SPD) with very low molecular weights and sizes in the nano- and micro-metre range have escaped conventional analytical methods. SPD have been easily recovered from water samples (2 L) through filtration with a nitrocellulose membrane filter with a pore size of 0.

[OSSO]-Type Chromium(III) Complexes for the Reaction of CO with Epoxides.

In this work, four new mononuclear Cr(III) complexes (2-5) bearing bis-thioether-diphenolate, [OSSO]-type ligands, were synthesized and characterized. These complexes in combination with bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium chloride (PPNCl) promoted the coupling of CO with epoxides. Depending on the type of substrate and the conditions, the reaction results in the selective formation of either polycarbonate or cyclic carbonate.