Poly(ethylene terephthalate) waste materials were depolymerized by ethylene glycol (EG), diethylene glycol (DEG), and propylene glycol (PG) in the presence of a novel catalytic system: titanium (IV)‐phosphate. The new catalyst was synthesized through a reaction of TiCl4 with triethyl phosphate (C2H5O)3P(O). It was found that the depolymerization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fiber proceeds faster in the presence of titanium (IV)‐phosphate compared with compounds traditionally used in this process like Zn(OOCCH3)2. The oligomer distribution in the glycolysis products was studied by size‐exclusion chromatography. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 1148–1152, 2003

The original article to which this Erratum refers was published in . No abstract.

A new approach to control the supramolecular organization of conjugated polymers is proposed, based on stereocomplex formation. It is illustrated by mixing polymer solutions of block copolymers, i.e., poly(3-hexylthiophene)-b-poly(L-lactide) and poly(3-hexylthiophene)-b-poly(D-lactide). The block copolymers were successfully synthesized via a three-step procedure including the use of metalfree organic catalysts in the ring-opening polymerization of L-and D-lactide. The thermal properties and microscopic morphology of sterecomplexed diblock copolymers show that the stereocomplexation of the polylactide blocks is able to prevent the crystallization of the regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) block into long-range ordered parallel fibrillar structures. Stereocomplexation is also observed when mixing poly-(D-lactide) homopolymer and poly(3-hexylthiophene)-b-poly(L-lactide) block copolymer.

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We report on a new route for the facile preparation of pH-responsive tethered brushes on metallic surfaces, starting from poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) containing a disulfide (S-S) bond (PAA-S-S-PAA). First, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of 1-ethoxyethyl acrylate (EEA) with a disulfide containing initiator was performed to obtain the poly(EEA) precursor polymer (PEEA-S-S-PEEA). Deprotection of PEEA by a heating step resulted in the desired PAA-chains without any further purification. The brushes, obtained by the 'grafting to' of PAA-S-S-PAA onto gold, were then characterized by atomic force microscopy in water at various pH values. The results evidence a large collapsing/swelling capacity.

Multifunctional micelles based on two co-assembled block copolymers are proven to effectively accumulate and deliver curcumin in mitochondria, thus, inducing a much higher proapoptotic activity than single copolymer micelles.

This article describes a new approach for the recycling of microporous polyurethane elastomers by Tris(1-methyl-2-chloroethyl) phosphate-induced degradation. The phosphorus-containing degradation products formed are transformed into reactive intermediates by reaction with propylene oxide and are used for the preparation of rigid polyurethane foams. These new phosphorus-containing materials have higher density and better mechanical properties compared to the standard rigid polyurethane foams.

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