A multiple aromatic ether linked phthalonitrile was synthesized and characterized. The oligomeric phthalonitrile monomer was prepared from the reaction of an excess amount of bisphenol A with 4,4′‐difluorobenzophenone in the presence of K2CO3 as the base in an N,N‐dimethylformamide/toluene solvent mixture, followed by end capping with 4‐nitrophthalonitrile in a two‐step, one‐pot reaction. The monomer properties were compared to those of the known resin 2,2‐bis[4‐(3,4‐dicyanophenoxy)phenyl]propane after being cured in the presence of bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]sulfone. Rheometric measurements and thermogravimetric analysis showed that the oligomeric phthalonitrile resin maintained good structural integrity upon heating to elevated temperatures and exhibited excellent thermal properties along with long‐term oxidative stability. The ether‐linked phthalonitrile resin absorbed less than 2.5% water by weight after exposure to an aqueous environment for extended periods. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4136–4143, 2005

Zirconium hydroxide was evaluated for the ability to detoxify chemical warfare agents GD, HD, and VX. Observed half-lives were 8.7 min, 2.3 h, and 1 min, respectively. Owing to its extremely fast reaction rate, the mechanism for VX was further characterized. Zirconium hydroxide samples were calcined at temperatures ranging from 150 to 900 °C to investigate the effect of surface speciation on VX hydrolysis rates. NMR, TGA/DSC, TEM, and potentiometric tritration reveal the importance of the acidic, bridging OH groups of Zr(OH)4 which are proposed to protonate and catalytically hydrolyze VX in a manner similar to autocatalysis by EMPA in solution.

An improved synthetic method has been developed for oligomeric aromatic ether ketone‐based phthalonitrile (PN) resins. A new curing additive was studied that lowers the cure temperature of the PN resin to around 150 °C and compared to the traditional high‐temperature aromatic diamine. Mechanical and thermo‐oxidative analyses of polymeric samples from both systems were determined and compared under various curing conditions. The PN polymer exhibited low water absorption regardless of the chosen cure system. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014, 52, 1662–1668

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In this paper we demonstrate high-quality, uniform dry transfer of graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition on copper foil to polystyrene. The dry transfer exploits an azide linker molecule to establish a covalent bond to graphene and to generate greater graphene-polymer adhesion compared to that of the graphene-metal foil. Thus, this transfer approach provides a novel alternative route for graphene transfer, which allows for the metal foils to be reused.

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An alkyne-containing multiple aromatic ether-linked phthalonitrile has been synthesized and characterized. The oligomeric phthalonitrile monomer was prepared from the reaction of an excess amount of bisphenol A with 4,4 0 -dibromotolane in the presence of K 2 CO 3 in a N,N-dimethylformamide/toluene solvent mixture, followed by end-capping with 4-nitrophthalonitrile in a two-step, one-pot reaction. After being cured in the presence of bis(4-[4-aminophenoxy]phenyl)sulfone, the polymeric properties of the alkyne-and non-alkynecontaining oligomeric phthalonitrile resins were compared.Rheometric measurements and thermogravimetric analysis showed that the alkyne-containing oligomeric phthalonitrile resin had better mechanical properties than an analogous nonalkyne-containing resin cured under identical conditions and exhibited excellent thermal and oxidative properties. V C 2013

A versatile synthetic method has been developed for oligomeric aliphatic–aromatic ether containing phthalonitrile (PN) resins and applied to the preparation of three unique resin systems. The oligomeric PN monomers were prepared from the reaction of an excess amount of bisphenol A with a dihalo‐aliphatic containing compound in the presence of K2CO3 in dimethylsulfoxide, followed by end‐capping with 4‐nitrophthalonitrile in a two‐step, one‐pot reaction. These PN resin systems exhibited excellent viscosities for molding various shaped articles after thermal curing to yield crosslinked polymers. These polymers offered more mechanical flexibility, when compared with an all aromatic backbone, while still maintaining good thermal stability, dielectric properties, and low water absorption. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015, 53, 2186–2191