High-temperature polymers, metal

It is claimed that the cured materials may be used continuously in air up to 300°C and in oxygen-free environments to 400°C. The materials are of interest as heat- and corrosion-resistant coatings, for example in geothermal wells, high-temperature sodium and lithium batteries and high-temperature polymer- and metal-processing equipment. 

It is common to compare the behavior of polymers with the behavior of metals and to use similar types of experiments to evaluate their performance under mechanical deformation. It is, therefore, important to highlight any qualitatively significant differences between their behavior and the fundamental physical reasons for these differences. In metals, creep is neither linearly viscoelastic nor recoverable, since (unlike polymer chains) metals do not have entanglements. Furthermore, creep is significant only at very high temperatures in metals. 

Materials classes that were tested included ceramics, nickel-based and cobalt-based alloys, refractory metals and alloys, reactive metals and alloys, noble metals and alloys, and high-temperature polymers, a total of 26 materials. Test periods varied between 37.5 and 47.5 hours. None of the materials was found to be suitable for all test conditions, and most exhibited moderate (equivalent to between 10 and 200 mil per year) to severe (>2()0 mil per year) corrosion. Titanium and titanium alloys (Nb/Ti and Ti-21S) exhibited the best performance, showing only slight corrosion in the presence of excess sodium hydroxide. Under acidic conditions, titanium showed increased rates of corrosion, apparently from attack by sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid. Both localized pitting and wall thinning were observed. 

Metal Diffusion During Metallization of High-Temperature Polymers... 

Metallized high-temperature polymers such as polyimides are nowadays widely used in microelectronics and other fields. At elcvaied lemperatures, usually encountered during processing, diffusion of the metal not only at the polymer surface but also into the bulk of the polymer may play an important role in d nnining interface formation and structure as well as the dielectric properties of the polymer after metallization . 

The volume is divided into three parts Part I. Metallization Techniques and Properties of Metal Deposits, Part II, Investigation of Interfacial Interactions," and Part III, "Plastic Surface Modification and Adhesion Aspects of Metallized Plastics. The topics covered include various metallization techniques for a variety of plastic substrates various properties of metal deposits metal diffusion during metallization of high-temperature polymers investigation of metal/polymer inlerfacial interactions using a variety of techniques, viz., ESCA, SIMS, HREELS, UV photoemission theoretical studies of metal/polymer interfaces computer simulation of dielectric relaxation at metal/insulalor interfaces surface modification of plastics by a host of techniques including wet chemical, plasma, ion bombardment and its influence on adhesion adhesion aspects of metallized plastics including the use of blister test to study dynamic fracture mechanism of thin metallized plastics. 

A further application using microdroplets is the rapid prototyping of three-dimensional industrial objects making use of the ejection of high-temperature liquid metals, ceramic suspensions or hardenable polymers. 

In addition to its use in phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFC) and more recently in phosphoric acid-based high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFC), phosphoric acid is a widely used compound in the chemical industry. Phosphoric acid is the second most important mineral acid in terms of volume and value, being exceeded only by sulfuric acid. It is mainly used for the production of fertilizers and industrial phosphates, metal surface treatment, and the acidulation of beverages [1]. 

As an outlook to further improvements of catalyst kinetics and durability in low-and high-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells, several possibilities are currently under investigation [73] (1) extended large-scale Pt and Pt-alloy surfaces [70] (2) extended nanostructured Pt and Pt-aUoy films [74] (3) de-alloyed Pt-alloy nanoparticles [75] (4) precious metal free catalyst as described by Lefevre et al. [76], e.g., Fe/N/C catalysts and (5) additives to the electrolyte which modify both adsorption properties of anions and spectator species and also the solubility of oxygen [77]. The latter approach is specific to fuel cells using phosphoric acid as electrolyte. 

The field of step-growth polymers encompasses many polymer structures and polymerization reaction types. This chapter attempts to cover topics in step-growth polymerization outside of the areas reviewed in the other introductory chapters in this book, i.e., poly(aryl ethers), dendritic polymers, high-temperature polymers and transition-metal catalyzed polymerizations. Polyamides, polyesters, polycarbonates, poly(phenylene sulfides) and other important polymer systems are addressed. The chapter is not a comprehensive review but rather an overview of some of the more interesting recent research results reported for these step-growth polymers, including new polymerization chemistries and mechanistic studies. 

Polyacetaldehyde, a mbbery polymer with an acetal stmcture, was first discovered in 1936 (49,50). More recentiy, it has been shown that a white, nontacky, and highly elastic polymer can be formed by cationic polymerization using BF in Hquid ethylene (51). At temperatures below —75° C using anionic initiators, such as metal alkyls in a hydrocarbon solvent, a crystalline, isotactic polymer is obtained (52). This polymer also has an acetal [poly(oxymethylene)] stmcture. Molecular weights in the range of 800,000—3,000,000 have been reported. Polyacetaldehyde is unstable and depolymerizes in a few days to acetaldehyde. The methods used for stabilizing polyformaldehyde have not been successful with poly acetaldehyde and the polymer has no practical significance (see Acetalresins). 

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