TY - JOUR A1 - Linberg, Kevin A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Michalchuk, Adam T1 - The Origin of Delayed Polymorphism in Molecular Crystals Under Mechanochemical Conditions N2 - We show that mechanochemically driven polymorphic transformations can require extremely long induction periods, which can be tuned from hours to days by changing ball milling energy. The robust design and interpretation of ball milling experiments must account for this unexpected kinetics that arises from energetic phenomena unique to the solid state. Detailed thermal analysis, combined with DFT simulations, indicates that these marked induction periods are associated with processes of mechanical activation. Correspondingly, we show that the pre‐activation of reagents can also lead to marked changes in the length of induction periods. Our findings demonstrate a new dimension for exerting control over polymorphic transformations in organic crystals. We expect mechanical activation to have a much broader implication across organic solid‐state mechanochemistry. KW - General Chemistry KW - Catalysis KW - Organic Chemistry PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-589219 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202302150 SN - 0947-6539 SP - e202302150 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-58921 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krause, Christina A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Lohstroh, W. A1 - Juranyi, F. A1 - Zamponi, M. A1 - Frick, B. A1 - Al-Sabbagh, Dominik A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Zorn, R. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Complex molecular dynamics of symmetric model discotic liquid crystals: Comparison of Hexakis(hepta-alkanoyloxy)triphenylene (HOT6) with Hexakis(hexa-alkyloxy)triphenylene (HAT6) N2 - This study investigates the complex molecular dynamics of discotic liquid crystals (DLCs) by comparing two structurally similar compounds: Hexakis(hepta-alkanoyloxy)triphenylene (HOT6) and Hexakis(hexa-alkyloxy)triphenylene (HAT6) having the same triphenyl core and the same length of the alkyl side chain. The difference of both materials is that the alkyl chain is linked by an oxygen bridge to the triphenylene core for HAT6 and by a ester group for HOT6. Using a combination of broadband dielectric spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray scattering, and neutron scattering techniques, the research explores the glass transition phenomena and relaxation processes in these materials. HOT6, featuring ester linkages, exhibits distinct dynamic behavior compared to HAT6, including two separate glass transitions indicated by the 1- and 2-relaxation found by dielectric spectroscopy which are assigned to the glassy dynamics of the alkyl side chain in the intercolumnar space and that of the columns, respectively. The study reveals that the ester group in HOT6 leads to increased molecular rigidity and altered packing in the intercolumnar space, as evidenced by X-ray scattering and the vibrational density of states. Neutron scattering confirms localized methyl group rotations and a further relaxation process which relates to the -relaxation revealed by dielectric spectroscopy. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of glassy dynamics in partially ordered systems and highlight the influence of molecular architecture on relaxation behavior in DLCs. KW - Discotic Liquid Crystals PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-655171 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sm01247c SN - 1744-6848 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-65517 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fahmy, A. A1 - Saeed, A. A1 - Dawood, U. A1 - Abdelbary, H. A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Nano-MnO2/xanthan gum composite films for NO2 gas sensing N2 - Nowadays, sensors based on polymers/nanostructured metal oxide composites have been investigated exten-sively because of their sensitivity to NO2 gas at ambient temperature. In this work, nanocomposite membranes of xanthan gum (XG) with different contents of MnO2 nanoparticles were prepared as a potential NO2 gas sensor operating at room temperature by a simple one-step oxidation-reduction reaction. The structural, morphological, thermal, and electrical properties of the composite membrane were investigated. The FT-IR results confirm the successful preparation of MnO2 through the oxidation of XG by KMnO4 and reveal further the structural changes of the XG/MnO2 nanocomposite upon its exposure to NO2 gas. The capping of the synthesized MnO2 nano-particles by XG, the surface composition of the XG/MnO2 nanocomposite membranes, and the effect of NO2 gas on the surface composition was investigated using the XPS technique. The DC conductivity and dielectric loss of nanocomposites were higher than for neat XG. The conductivities of the nanocomposites XG/MO-4, XG/MO-4/ low NO2, and XG/MO-4/high NO2 composites are half, one, and three orders of magnitude higher than that for pure XG revealing a transition from insulating to conductive properties. The results demonstrated that XG/MnO2 nanocomposite membranes are promising for potential applications in NO2 gas sensing. KW - Gas sensors KW - Membranes KW - Metal oxides KW - Nanocomposites KW - Semiconductors PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchemphys.2022.127277 SN - 0254-0584 VL - 296 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-56769 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Saeed, A. M. A1 - Saied, M. A. A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Fahmy, Alaa T1 - High performance novel polyelectrolyte membrane consisting of polyvinyl alcohol-phenylsilanol-polypyrrole N2 - The synthesis of composite membranes based on PVA, PPy, and sulfonated–hydrolyzed TMPS was investigated for application in proton–exchange membrane fuel cells. FT–IR confirmed the hydrolysis of TMPS through the appearance of Si–OH vibrations, disappearance of Si–O–CH3 bands, reduced CH3 stretching intensity (2840 cm− 1), and successful sulfonation of the phenyl ring (1030 cm− 1). XPS verified the introduction of sulfonic acid groups by identifying S2p peaks between 166–170 eV. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed an incorporation of PPy and that the membrane morphology altered by silanol leading to an increased surface roughness and inducing phase separation in comparison to pure PVA. The PVA–PPy–Si membrane which did not undergo phase separation demonstrated improved mechanical stability (maximum stress 5.91 MPa), reduced methanol uptake (22%, lower than Nafion’s 30%), and enhanced thermal resistance compared to PVA–PPy and PVA–Si. It also exhibited a high ion–exchange capacity (1.5mmol g− 1, exceeding Nafion® at 0.9mmol g− 1 ) and a proton conductivity of 0.036 S/cm, twice that of Nafion 117. These combined properties identify the PVA–PPy–Si composite as a promising high–performance polyelectrolyte membrane for fuel cell applications. KW - Polyelectrolyte membrane PY - 2026 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2026.166495 SN - 1873-5584 VL - 731 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-65627 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecular dynamics of liquid-crystalline copolymethacrylates containing cholesterol as mesogenic groups T2 - Fall Meeting American Chemical Society CY - New Orleans, LA, USA DA - 1999-08-22 PY - 1999 AN - OPUS4-11311 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krause, Christina A1 - Zorn, R. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Falkenhagen, Jana A1 - Frick, B. A1 - Huber, P. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Vibrational density of states of triphenylene based discotic liquid crystals: dependence on the length of the alkyl chain N2 - The vibrational density of states of a series of homologous triphenylene-based discotic liquid crystals HATn (n = 5, 6, 8, 10, 12) depending on the length of the aliphatic side chain is investigated by means of inelastic neutron scattering. All studied materials have a plastic crystalline phase at low temperatures, followed by a hexagonally ordered liquid crystalline phase at higher temperatures and a quasi isotropic phase at the highest temperatures. The X-ray scattering pattern for the plastic crystalline phase of all materials shows a sharp Bragg reflection corresponding to the intercolumnar distance in the lower q-range and a peak at circa 17 nm-1 related to intracolumnar distances between the cores perpendicular to the columns as well as a broad amorphous halo related to the disordered structure of the methylene groups in the side chains in the higher q-range. The intercolumnar distance increases linearly with increasing chain length for the hexagonal columnar ordered liquid crystalline phase. A similar behaviour is assumed for the plastic crystalline phase. Besides n = 8 all materials under study exhibit a Boson peak. With increasing chain length, the frequency of the Boson peak decreases and its intensity increases. This can be explained by a self-organized confinement model. The peaks for n = 10, 12 are much narrower than for n = 5, 6 which might imply the transformation from a rigid system to a softer one with increasing chain length. Moreover the results can also be discussed in the framework of a transition from an uncorrelated to a correlated disorder with increasing n where n = 8 might be speculatively considered as a transitional state. KW - X-ray scattering KW - Neutron scattering KW - Differential scanning calorimetry PY - 2014 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-304789 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c3cp55303e SN - 1463-9076 SN - 1463-9084 VL - 16 IS - 16 SP - 7324 EP - 7333 PB - The Royal Soc. of Chemistry CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-30478 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -