Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) belongs to the family of thermal analysis methods. In general thermal analysis is the determination of substance properties in dependence on temperature. Thermodynamic data (heat capacity, phase transition, enthalpy) and kinetic data can be determined by methods of thermal analysis. The greatest advantage of thermal analysis is the easy handling and the o...

We report the first synthesis of a fused germaindacenodithiophene monomer and its polymerisation with 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole by Suzuki polycondensation. The resulting polymer, PGeTPTBT, is semicrystalline, despite the presence of four bulky 2-ethylhexyl groups. Blends with P(70)CBM afford solar cells with efficiencies of 5.02%.

A thin-film transistor: An n-type polymer semiconductor, poly(2,3-bis(perfluorohexyl)thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine), was synthesized through a Pd-catalyzed polycondensation employing a perfluorinated multiphase solvent system. This is the first example of an n-type polymer semiconductor with exclusive solubility in fluorinated solvents. The fabrication of organic field effect transistors containing thi...

Micropatterns of silica were generated under biocompatible conditions by a combination of microcontact printing (muCP), layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly, and biomimetic silicification. Quaternary amine-containing poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) induced polycondensation of silicic acid, resulting in spatioselective formation of silica micropatterns. Scale bar: 10 microm.

Large macrocycles containing imine and borasiloxane links are obtained in polycondensation reactions of 4-formylbenzeneboronic acid, t-Bu(2)Si(OH)(2), and diamines. The multicomponent reactions can be performed in solution or--advantageously--by mechanochemical syntheses in a ball mill.

Fully aromatic polyimides are synthesized via solid-state polymerization of the corresponding monomer salts. The crystal structure of salts shows strong hydrogen bonding of the reactive groups and thereby paves the way for solid-state transformations. The polycondensation yields copies of the initial salt crystallite habits, accompanied by the development of a porosity especially suited for CO2.