Reactive adsorption of PS-PMMA block copolymers on concave alumina surfaces.

The influence of pore size, relative block size, and solvent quality on the extent of diblock copolymer adsorption on alumina surfaces was determined. To this end, the block copolymer that was chosen was poly(styrene)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA), in which the PMMA block strongly chemisorbs to the surface and the PS block weakly physisorbs. Several architectures (i.

Evidence for Complex Molecular Architectures for Solvent-Extracted Lignins.

Lignin, an abundant, naturally occurring biopolymer, is often considered "waste" and used as a simple fuel source in the paper-making process. However, lignin has emerged as a promising renewable resource for engineering materials, such as carbon fibers. Unfortunately, the molecular architecture of lignin (in vivo and extracted) is still elusive, with numerous conflicting reports in the literature, and knowledge of this structure is extremely important, not only for materials technologies, but also for production of biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol due to biomass recalcitrance.

Bulk and surface assembly of branched amphiphilic polyhedral oligomer silsesquioxane compounds.

This study probes the behavior of two series of organic-functionalized core-shell silsesquioxane (POSS-M)p-(x/y) derivatives with various hydrophobic-hydrophilic terminal group compositions in the bulk state and within mono- and multilayered films at the air-water interface and on solid surface. POSS-M refers to mixed silsesquioxane cores, in contrast to the geometrically specific POSS compounds. It is composed of polyhedra, incompletely condensed polyhedra, ladder-type structures, linear structures, and all the possible combinations thereof and attracts great interest because of its facile preparation, low polydispersity, high yield, and low cost.