Polymeric ionic liquids have shown great potential in numerous application fields, and an easy access to polymerizable monomer is the key to the polymerized ionic liquids. The polymerizable monomer is usually synthesized via the quaternization of a corresponding bromide, which is usually prepared from bromination of the corresponding alcohol but with a low yield. In this study, a polymerizable monomer was prepared by quaternization of a mesylate, derived from the corresponding alcohol, followed by an ion exchange reaction. The polymerizable ILs M1–M4 showed ionic conductivity as high as 10−3 S cm−1, and the oxygen effect was observed with the lithium salt. Polymeric ionic liquids P1 and P2 were prepared via radical polymerization on M1 and M2, and the ionic conductivity of polymeric ionic liquid P2 was as high as 2.2 × 10−4 S cm−1 with electrochemical stability exceeding 7 V (vs. Li/Li+).

A well-defined nitro group functionalized porous aromatic framework (NO2-PAF-1) was synthesized via a bottom-up strategy using a copper-mediated Ullmann reaction. The synthetic route is cost-efficient and robust for large scale preparation. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area of the obtained NO2-PAF-1 is up to 610 cm2 g−1 with micro/mesoporosity. Its CO2 uptake was measured to be higher than that of PAF-1 due to the strong interaction between the nitro groups and CO2 molecules, proven by the enhanced isosteric heat of CO2 adsorption (38.4 kJ mol−1).

To improve the thermo-mechanical properties of glycidyl azide polymer (GAP) and hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) based propellants, a facile sequential polymerization approach has been conducted to prepare an energetic hybrid polymer network (EHPN) through stepwise curation. The detailed curing conditions for the EHPN formation were determined using an in situ FTIR kinetic study. The effect of curing ratio (NCO/OH) on the mechanical properties of the polyurethane networks of GAP and HTPB was investigated, wherein hexamethylene diisocyanate biuret trimer (Desmodur N100) and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) were used as mixed curative agents. A series of EHPNs were prepared by varying the relative weight ratios of GAP and HTPB with a single poly-isocyanate mixed curing system (IPDI/N100). A remarkable mechanical strength of up to 5.83 MPa and an elongation at break of 359% were achieved with a 50:50 weight ratio of GAP to HTPB, which is the maximum mechanical strength reported thus far for a binder system of GAP and HTPB, which has a thermally more stable cross-linked network. The thermal properties of the as-synthesized PU networks of GAP, HTPB and GAP–HTPB EHPNs with different weight ratios were characterized using the DMA and DSC techniques. Thermal degradation behavior and morphological studies were also investigated with TGA-DTG and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The facile sequential polyurethane curation polymerization technique can be potentially used for advanced solid composite propellants.

Red emitting materials containing D(donor)–A(acceptor) systems with “pyramid-mimetic” structures often gave intensive red fluorescence in the solid state. However, there is no guiding approach to fix such conformations of bisindolylmaleimides (BIMs) in the solid state. In this paper, the location of N-dodecyl chains on indole rings of BIMs was found to have the “pyramid-mimetic” structure and thus gave intensive solid-state red fluorescence in single crystals.

Tetrahydrogestrinone and related anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs) have been used extensively for performance enhancement (doping) in sports due to their ability to accelerate protein synthesis and improve physical performance (F. C. W. Wu, Clin. Chem., 1997, 43, 1289–1292). The separation of these AASs was performed by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) using borate/borax buffer (200/50 mM, pH 8.6), with sodium cholate (40 mM) as a chiral additive. The analytes included two endogenous steroid hormones (testosterone and epitestosterone) and five synthetic anabolic steroids (methyltestosterone, nandrolone, gestrinone, dihydrogestrinone and tetrahydrogestrinone). Capillary electrophoresis parameters such as the concentration of additives, injection time, temperature, and applied voltage were investigated to improve the separation efficiency. A complete separation was achieved in less than 16 min under the optimized conditions. The RSDs of peak area and migration time were below 3.9% and 0.34%, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) between 240 and 570 ng mL−1 was obtained for each of the pure standards with a photodiode array (PDA) detector. Lower LODs could be reached when combining with preconcentration. After liquid–liquid extraction, the recoveries of spiked urine samples were in the range from 88% to 99%.

Tetrahydrogestrinone and related anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs) have been used extensively for performance enhancement (doping) in sports due to their ability to accelerate protein synthesis and improve physical performance (F. C. W. Wu, Clin. Chem., 1997, 43, 1289–1292). The separation of these AASs was performed by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) using borate/borax buffer (200/50 mM, pH 8.6), with sodium cholate (40 mM) as a chiral additive. The analytes included two endogenous steroid hormones (testosterone and epitestosterone) and five synthetic anabolic steroids (methyltestosterone, nandrolone, gestrinone, dihydrogestrinone and tetrahydrogestrinone). Capillary electrophoresis parameters such as the concentration of additives, injection time, temperature, and applied voltage were investigated to improve the separation efficiency. A complete separation was achieved in less than 16 min under the optimized conditions. The RSDs of peak area and migration time were below 3.9% and 0.34%, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) between 240 and 570 ng mL−1 was obtained for each of the pure standards with a photodiode array (PDA) detector. Lower LODs could be reached when combining with preconcentration. After liquid–liquid extraction, the recoveries of spiked urine samples were in the range from 88% to 99%.