Particularly relevant in the context of polymorphism is understanding how structural, thermodynamic, and kinetic factors dictate the stability domains of polymorphs, their tendency to interconvert through phase transitions, or their possibility to exist in metastable states. These three aspects were investigated here for two 4′-hydroxyacetophenone (HAP) polymorphs, differing in crystal system, space group, and number and conformation of molecules in the asymmetric unit. The results led to a ΔfGm°-T phase diagram highlighting the enantiotropic nature of the system and the fact that the Z′=1 polymorph is not necessarily more stable than its Z′=2 counterpart. It was also shown that the form II → form I transition is entropy driven and is likely to occur through a nucleation and growth mechanism, which does not involve intermediate phases, and is characterized by a high activation energy. Finally, although it has been noted that conflicts between hydrogen bond formation and close packing are usually behind exceptions from the hypothesis of Z′=1 forms being more stable than their higher Z′ analogues, in this case, the HAP polymorph with stronger hydrogen bonds (Z′=2) is also the one with higher density.
The preparation and characterization of poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) bearing a polystyrene backbone via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and their photolithographic patterning on silicon wafers is reported. The controlled radical polymerization of the styrenic ionic liquid (IL) monomers ([BVBIM]X, X = Cl− or Tf2N−) by RAFT polymerization is investigated in detail. We provide a general synthetic tool to access this class of PILs with controlled molecular weight and relatively narrow molecular weight distribution (2000 g mol−1 ≤ Mn ≤ 10 000 g mol−1 with dispersities between 1.4 and 1.3 for p([BVBIM]Cl); 2100 g mol−1 ≤ MP ≤ 14 000 g mol−1 for p([BVBIM]Tf2N)). More importantly, we provide an in-depth characterization of the PILs and demonstrate a detailed mass spectrometric analysis via matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) as well as – for the first time for PILs – electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Importantly, p([BVBIM]Cl) and p([DMVBIM]Tf2N) were photochemically patterned on silicon wafers. Therefore, a RAFT agent carrying a photoactive group based on ortho-quinodimethane chemistry – more precisely photoenol chemistry – was photochemically linked for subsequent controlled radical polymerization of [BVBIM]Cl and [DMVBIM]Tf2N. The successful spatially-resolved photografting is evidenced by surface-sensitive characterization methods such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The presented method allows for the functionalization of diverse surfaces with poly(ionic liquid)s.