Pyrazole‐based dithiocarbamates are versatile reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agents that provide molar mass and dispersity ( Đ ) control over the radical polymerization of both more and less activated monomers (MAMs and LAMs). In this paper we report on theoretical and experimental findings demonstrating that their activity as RAFT agents can be significantly enhanced by introducing electron‐withdrawing substituents to the pyrazole ring. This enhancement is most noticeable in methyl methacrylate polymerization where product molar masses are more accurately predicted by the RAFT agent concentration, and significantly lower Đ values, with respect to those seen with the parent RAFT agent under similar conditions, are observed. Thus, use of 4‐chloro‐3,5‐dimethyl‐1 H ‐pyrazole‐1‐carbodithioate provides a poly(methyl methacrylate) with the anticipated molar mass and Đ as low as 1.3 at high monomer conversion. Good control is retained for monosubstituted MAMs, styrene, methyl acrylate and N , N ‐dimethylacrylamide. Low dispersities and less molar mass control are also achieved for homo‐ and copolymerizations with the LAM vinyl acetate, albeit with some retardation. © 2017 The Authors. Polymer International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Demonstrated synthesis of 5-(chloromethyl)furfural (CMF) from both solid sugars and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) using continuous flow processing.

Thin-film composite (TFC) membranes have been widely used in forward osmosis for desalination and water treatment. Nonetheless, the dilemma between selectivity and permeability and serious internal concentration polarization (ICP) still limits the filtration efficiency of TFC-FO membranes. Herein, a high-efficiency TFC-FO membrane was synthesized by embedding a polysulfone (PSf)/polyaniline (PANI) coblend membrane as the substrate. Impacts of PANI on both the substrate and the TFC-FO membrane were investigated by optimizing the concentration of PANI in substrates. The results indicated that the addition of PANI can adjust the properties of substrates, producing substrates with better hydrophilicity and improved porosity. This further mitigated the interfacial polymerization process and reduced the polyamide layer thickness. Compared to the pristine PSf-based TFC-FO membrane and the commercial FO membrane, the PSf/PANI-based TFC-FO membrane with 0.6 wt% PANI loading exhibited significantly enhanced water flux (209%) and decreased specific salt flux (40%). Moreover, the addition of PANI into substrates effectively mitigated the ICP phenomenon of the PSf/PANI-based TFC-FO membrane, with a 290% lower structure parameter (S) than that of the pristine TFC-FO membrane. This work offers an effective strategy to enhance the filtration capabilities of TFC-FO membranes by tuning substrate properties.

Machine-learning assisted optimisation of a continuous photodegradation reaction, using a TiO₂ coated catalytic static mixer successfully accounting for catalyst degradation.