Synthesis and characterization of poly(urethane‐benzoxazine) films as novel type of polyurethane/phenolic resin composites

Poly(urethane‐benzoxazine) films as novel polyurethane ( PU )/phenolic resin composites were prepared by blending a benzoxazine monomer ( Ba ) and PU prepolymer that was synthesized from 2,4‐tolylene diisocyanate (TDI) and polyethylene adipate polyol (MW ca. 1000) in 2 : 1 molar ratio. DSC of PU/Ba blend showed an exotherm with maximum at ca. 246 °C due to the ring‐opening polymerization of Ba, giving phenolic OH functionalities that react with isocyanate groups in the PU prepolymer. The poly(urethane‐benzoxazine) films obtained by thermal cure were transparent, with color ranging from yellow to pale wine with increase of Ba content. All the films have only one glass transition temperature (T_g ) from viscoelastic measurements, indicating no phase separation in poly(urethane‐benzoxazine) due to in situ polymerization. The T_g increased with the increase of Ba content. The films containing 10 and 15% of Ba have characteristics of an elastomer, with elongation at break at 244 and 182%, respectively. These elastic films exhibit good resilience with excellent reinstating behavior. The films containing more than 20% of Ba have characteristics of plastics. The poly(urethane‐benzoxazine) films showed excellent resistance to the solvents such as tetrahydrofuran, N,N‐dimethyl formamide, and N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone that easily dissolve PU s. Thermal stability of PU was greatly enhanced even with the incorporation of a small amount of Ba . © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4165–4176, 2000     

Phenolic resins bearing maleimide groups: Synthesis and characterization

Novel phenolic novolac resins, bearing maleimide groups and capable of undergoing curing principally through the addition polymerization of these groups, were synthesized by the polymerization of a mixture of phenol and N‐(4‐hydroxy phenyl)maleimide (HPM) with formaldehyde in the presence of an acid catalyst. The polymerization conditions were optimized to get gel‐free resins. The resins were characterized by chemical, spectral, and thermal analyses. Differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis revealed an unexpected two‐stage curing for these systems. Although the cure at around 275°C was attributable to the addition polymerization reaction of the maleimide groups, the exotherm at around 150 to 170°C was ascribed to the condensation reaction of the methylol groups formed in minor quantities on the phenyl ring of HPM. Polymerization studies of non‐hydroxy‐functional N‐phenyl maleimides revealed that the phenyl groups of these molecules were activated toward an electrophilic substitution reaction by the protonated methylol intermediates formed by the acid‐catalyzed reaction of phenol and formaldehyde. On a comparative scale, HPM was less reactive than phenol toward formaldehyde. The presence of the phenolic group on N‐phenyl maleimide was not needed for its copolymerization with phenol and formaldehyde. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 641–652, 2000     

Cocuring behaviors of benzoxazine and maleimide derivatives and the thermal properties of the cured products

The cocuring behaviors of 3‐phenyl‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐1,3‐benzoxazine (P‐ABz) and various N‐phenylmaleimide compounds were studied with DSC, FTIR, and TGA‐GC/MS. The presence of benzoxazine compound promoted the polymerization of maleimide groups. In contrast, 4‐hydroxyphenylmaleimide (MI‐OH) and 4‐maleimidobenzoic acid (MI‐COOH), which possess acidic moieties, showed an acid‐catalytic effect on the polymerization of benzoxazine groups. The cocuring composition of P‐ABz/MI‐COOH showed low polymerization temperatures, high glass transition temperature above 220 °C, and comparable thermal stability to conventional polybenzoxazines. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1890–1899, 2006     

Bifunctional benzoxazines: Synthesis and polymerization of resorcinol based single isomers

Aside from their outstanding properties such as thermal and chemical stability and excellent mechanical performance, benzoxazines suffer from high polymerization temperatures. Isomeric mixtures of bifunctional benzoxazines based on resorcinol proved already to be highly reactive monomers enabling polymerizations at lower temperatures. This contribution describes the polymerization behavior of single benzoxazine isomers and furthermore the influence of different substituents at the aniline moiety on the curing temperature. Single isomers of bifunctional benzoxazines are now accessible in a straightforward one‐pot synthesis starting from resorcinol and the appropriate N‐phenyl functionalized aniline component. The asymmetric benzoxazine monomers bearing no (R‐a: T_peak = 179 °C) or electron‐donating substituents in meta position to N (R‐3,5dma: T_peak = 183 °C) succeed in lowering the polymerization temperature. Additionally, the impact of several initiating systems was studied resulting in a decrease of the polymerization temperature for all studied resorcinol derived benzoxazine isomers (down to 144 °C). © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1243–1251     

Preparation and properties of polybenzoxazine/poly(imide‐siloxane) alloys: In situ ring‐opening polymerization of benzoxazine in the presence of soluble poly(imide‐siloxane)s

Benzoxazine monomer (Ba) was blended with soluble poly(imide‐siloxane)s in various weight ratios. The soluble poly(imide‐siloxane)s with and without pendent phenolic groups were prepared from the reaction of 2,2′‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxylphenyl)hexafluoropropane dianhydride with α,ω‐bis(aminopropyl)dimethylsiloxane oligomer (PDMS; molecular weight = 5000) and 3,3′‐dihydroxybenzidine (with OH group) or 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl ether (without OH group). The onset and maximum of the exotherm due to the ring‐opening polymerization for the pristine Ba appeared on differential scanning calorimetry curves around 200 and 240 °C, respectively. In the presence of poly(imide‐siloxane)s, the exothermic temperatures were lowered: the onset to 130–140 °C and the maximum to 210–220 °C. The exotherm due to the benzoxazine polymerization disappeared after curing at 240 °C for 1 h. Viscoelastic measurements of the cured blends containing poly(imide‐siloxane) with OH functionality showed two glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's), at a low temperature around ?55 °C and at a high temperature around 250–300 °C, displaying phase separation between PDMS and the combined phase consisting of polyimide and polybenzoxazine (PBa) components due to the formation of AB‐crosslinked polymer. For the blends containing poly(imide‐siloxane) without OH functionalities, however, in addition to the T_g due to PDMS, two T_g's were observed in high‐temperature ranges, 230–260 and 300–350 °C, indicating further phase separation between the polyimide and PBa components due to the formation of semi‐interpenetrating networks. In both cases, T_g increased with increasing poly(imide‐siloxane) content. Tensile measurements showed that the toughness of PBa was enhanced by the addition of poly(imide‐siloxane). Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the thermal stability of PBa also was enhanced by the addition of poly(imide‐siloxane). © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2633–2641, 2001     

Synergism and multiple mechanical relaxations observed in ternary systems based on benzoxazine,epoxy, and phenolic resins

The synergism in the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of ternary systems based on benzoxazine (B), epoxy (E), and phenolic (P) resins is reported. The systems show the maximum T_g up to about 180 °C in BEP541 (B/E/P = 5/4/1). Adding a small fraction of phenolic resin enhances the crosslink density and, therefore, the T_g in the copolymers of benzoxazine and epoxy resins. To obtain the ultimate T_g in the ternary systems, 6–10 wt % phenolic resin is needed. The molecular rigidity from benzoxazine and the improved crosslink density from epoxy contribute to the synergistic behavior. The mechanical relaxation spectra of the fully cured ternary systems in a temperature range of −140 to 350 °C show four types of relaxation transitions: γ transition at −80 to −60 °C, β transition at 60–80 °C, α₁ transition at 135–190 °C, and α₂ transition at 290–300 °C. The partially cured specimens show an additional loss peak that is frequency‐independent as a result of the further curing process of the materials. The ternary systems have a potential use as electronic packaging molding compounds as well as other highly filled systems. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 1687–1698, 2000     

Effect of Polymerizable Photoinitiators on the UV‐polymerization behaviors of photosensitive polysiloxane

In this contribution, three polymerizable benzophenone photoinitiators containing maleimide group including 4‐maleimidebenzophenone (MBP), 4‐chlorine‐4′‐maleimide benzophenone (CMBP), and 4‐maleimide‐4′‐[(4‐maleimide)thiophenyl]benzophenone (MMTBP) were designed and synthesized to enhance the polymerization degree of photosensitive polysiloxane containing methacryloxy active groups (MAPSO). The polymerization behaviors of the MAPSO cured by different photoinitiators were investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). It was noted that the MAPSO initiated by MMTBP showed a high carbon–carbon double bond conversion above 80% because of the existence of thiophenyl group which could generate more radicals from the photolysis reaction at the C? S bond. In addition, the thermal stability of the UV‐cured MAPSO were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), the result showed that the initial 5% mass loss (T _5%) and residual weight percent at 800 °C in nitrogen of the UV‐cured MAPSO initiated by MMTBP systems was 200 °C and 33.8%. Thus, this work provides a new perspective and efficient strategy to improve the polymerization degree of UV‐curable polysiloxanes with carbon–carbon double bonds. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55 , 1696–1705     

Synthesis and crosslinking reaction of a novel polymer containing benzoxazine and phenyleneethynylene moieties in the main chain

A novel polymer, poly( 1 ) containing benzoxazine and phenyleneethynylene moieties in the main chain with number‐average molecular weights ranging from 1400 to 9800 was obtained quantitatively by the Sonogashira–Hagihara coupling polymerization of the corresponding iodophenyl‐ and ethynylphenyl‐substituted monomer 1 . Poly( 1 ) was heated at 200 °C under N₂ for 2 h to obtain the cured polymer, poly( 1 )′ via the ring‐opening polymerization of the benzoxazine moieties. The structures of the polymer before and after curing were confirmed by ¹H‐NMR, IR, and UV–vis absorption and reflectance spectroscopies. Poly( 1 )′ was thermally more stable than monomer 1 and poly( 1 ). A specimen was prepared from a mixture of poly( 1 ) and phenol‐diaminodiphenylmethane type benzoxazine 2 by heating at 200 °C for 2 h under N₂. The poly( 1 )/ 2 resin was thermally stable than bisphenol‐A type benzoxazine resin 3 . Poly( 1 ) exhibited XRD peaks corresponding to the d‐spacings of 1.26–0.98 and 0.40 nm, assignable to the repeating monomer unit and alignment of polymer molecules, respectively. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 2581–2589     

Controlled synthesis of new amphiphilic glycopolymers with liquid crystal grafts

A cholesterol‐based liquid crystal monomer, diethylene glycol cholesteryl ether acrylate (DEGCholA), has been successfully polymerized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) for the first time. Appropriate experimental conditions to control the polymerization of DEGCholA have been investigated using a model initiator (ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) or toluene at 60 °C. Well‐controlled ATRP of DEGCholA was obtained using N,N,N′,N′,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine as ligand in THF at 60 °C. These conditions were then applied to initiate the ATRP of DEGCholA from multifunctional macroinitiators based on dextran. Using a protection/deprotection synthetic scheme, novel graft glycopolymers (Dex‐g‐PDEGCholA) have been synthesized. The mesomorphic properties of DEGCholA, PDEGCholA, and Dex‐g‐PDEGCholA have been studied by thermal polarizing optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X‐ray scattering. PDEGCholA and Dex‐g‐PDEGCholA show an interdigitated smectic A phase (SmA_d) between T_g (～30 °C) and around 170 °C. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 3829–3839     

Tailor‐made and chemically designed synthesis of coumarin‐containing benzoxazines and their reactivity study toward their thermosets

Coumarins are used as a natural renewable resource to synthesize coumarin‐containing benzoxazine resins. The coumarin‐containing benzoxazines are fully characterized in terms of their chemical structure by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The influence of electronic effects caused by the substituents on the polymerization temperature is also evaluated. Thermal properties of the resulting thermosets are characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis, showing good stability and char yields higher than 50%. The coumarin‐containing polybenzoxazine thermosets show T_g values in the range between 160 and 190 °C. Thus, the herein presented coumarin‐containing benzoxazine resins are proven to be competitive monomers when compared with other petroleum‐based benzoxazine resins toward the generation of high‐performance thermoset. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1428‐1435     

Study of hydrogen bonding and thermal properties of polybenzoxazine and poly‐(ε‐caprolactone) blends

The thermal properties of physical blends containing benzoxazine monomer and polycaprolactone (PCL) were monitored by DSC and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The ring‐opening reaction and subsequent polymerization reaction of the benzoxazine were facilitated significantly by the presence of a PCL modifier. Hydrogen‐bond formation between the hydroxyl groups of polybenzoxazine and the carbonyl groups of PCL was evident from the FTIR spectra. Only one glass‐transition temperture (T_g) value was found in the composition range investigated, and the T_g value of the resulting blend appeared to be higher in the blend with a greater amount of PCL. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 736–749, 2001     

Methylol‐functional benzoxazines as precursors for high‐performance thermoset polymers: Unique simultaneous addition and condensation polymerization behavior

A new class of high‐performance resins of combined molecular structure of both traditional phenolics and benzoxazines has been developed. The monomers termed as methylol‐functional benzoxazines were synthesized through Mannich condensation reaction of methylol‐functional phenols and aromatic amines, including methylenedianiline (4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane) and oxydianiline (4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl ether), in the presence of paraformaldehyde. For comparison, other series of benzoxazine monomers were prepared from phenol, corresponding aromatic amines, and paraformaldehyde. The as‐synthesized monomers are characterized by their high purity as judged from ¹H NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectra. Differential scanning calorimetric thermograms of the novel monomers show two exothermic peaks associated with condensation reaction of methylol groups and ring‐opening polymerization of benzoxazines. The position of methylol group relative to benzoxazine structure plays a significant role in accelerating polymerization. Viscoelastic and thermogravimetric analyses of the crosslinked polymers reveal high T_g (274–343 °C) and excellent thermal stability when compared with the traditional polybenzoxazines. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Synthesis,characterization, and curing kinetics of novel ladder‐like polysilsesquioxanes containing side‐chain maleimide groups

Two ladder‐like polysilsesquioxanes (LPS) containing side‐chain maleimide groups have been synthesized successfully by reacting N‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)maleimide (HPM) with LPS containing 100 mol % of chloropropyl groups (Ladder A ) and 50 mol % of each methyl and chloropropyl group (Ladder B ). HPM was synthesized by reacting maleic anhydride with 4‐aminophenol, and the resulting amic acid was imidized using p‐toluenesulfonic acid as a catalyst (Scheme 1 ). The LPSs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), proton‐decoupled ¹³C NMR, ²⁹Si NMR, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Characterization indicated that these polymers had ordered ladder‐like structures with possible defects. These polymers were soluble in common solvents at ambient temperature, which suggested that they were not crosslinked. Both the polymers and the HPM were cured, and their kinetics were followed by dynamic DSC. The Ozawa and Kissinger methods were used to calculate activation energies for curing. Curing increased the temperature at which both 5% weight loss and maximum rate of weight loss were observed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4036–4046, 2004     

Promoting effect of thiophenols on the ring‐opening polymerization of 1,3‐benzoxazine

Thiophenol and p‐nitrothiophenol were evaluated as promoters for the ring opening polymerization of benzoxazine. The ring‐opening polymerization of p‐cresol type monofunctional N‐phenyl benzoxazine 1a with 10 mol % of thiophenols proceeded at 150 °C, leading to the high conversion of 1a more than 95% within 5 h, whereas the polymerization of 1a without thiophenols did not proceed under the same conditions. The promotion effect of the thiophenols on curing of bisphenol‐A type N‐phenyl benzoxazine 1b was also investigated. In the differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis of the polymerization of 1b at 150 °C without using any promoters, an exothermic peak attributable to the ring‐opening reaction of benzoxazine was observed after 8 h. In contrast, in the DSC analysis of the polymerization of 1b with addition 20 mol % of p‐nitrothiophenol, an exothermic peak was observed within 2 h, to clarify the significant promoting effect of p‐nitrothiophenol. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2523–2527     

Deprotection‐free preparation of propargyl ether‐containing phosphinated benzoxazine and the structure–property relationship of the resulting thermosets

Generally, protection and deprotection procedures of amino groups are required in preparing propargyl ether‐containing benzoxazines. In this study, we report a facile, deprotection‐free preparation of a propargyl ether‐containing phosphinated benzoxazine (2) from the nucleophilic substitution of a phenolic OH‐containing phosphinated benzoxazine (1) and propargyl bromide in the catalysis of potassium carbonate. The structure of (2) was characterized and confirmed by a high‐resolution mass spectrum, ¹H, ¹³C, ¹H‐¹H, ¹H‐¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, and X‐ray single crystal diffractogram. infrared (IR) and differential scanning calorimetry were used to monitor the ring‐opening of benzoxazine and crosslinking of propargyl ether. The microstructure and the structure–property relationship of the resulting homopolymers and copolymers are discussed. The T_g of homopolymer of (2) is 208 °C by dynamic mechanical analysis, the coefficient of thermal expansion is 43 ppm/°C, and T_d 5% (N₂) is 393 °C, respectively, which are higher than those of the homopolymer of (1) . Similar trends were observed in the copolymerization system. The results demonstrate the beneficial effect of crosslinking afforded by the propargyl ether group is higher than that by the phenolic OH group. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Copolymerization of fluorene‐based main‐chain benzoxazine and their high performance thermosets

A series of fluorene‐based benzoxazine copolymers were synthesized from the mixture of 9,9‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)fluorene and bisphenol A, and 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyloxide and paraformaldehyde. And the cured polybenzoxazine films derived from these copolymers were also obtained. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonances confirmed the structure of these benzoxazines. Their molecular weight was estimated by gel permeation chromatography. The curing behavior of the precursors was monitored by FTIR and differential scanning calorimetry. Dynamic mechanical analysis and thermogravimetric analysis were performed to study the thermal properties of the cured polymers. The cured polybenzoxazines exhibit excellent heat resistance with glass transition temperatures (T_g) of 286–317°C, good thermal stability along with the values of 5% weight loss temperatures (T₅) over 340°C, and high char yield over 50% at 800°C. The mechanical properties of the cured polymers were also measured by bending tests. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and characterization of a vinyl‐terminated benzoxazine monomer and its blends with poly(ethylene oxide)

A vinyl‐terminated benzoxazine (VB‐a), which could be polymerized through ring‐opening polymerization, was synthesized through the Mannich condensation of bisphenol A, formaldehyde, and allylamine. This VB‐a monomer was then subjected to blending with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), followed by thermal curing, to form poly(VB‐a)/PEO blends. The specific interactions, miscibility, morphology, and thermal properties of these blends were investigated with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Before curing, we found that PEO was miscible with VB‐a, as evidenced by the existence of a single composition‐dependent glass transition temperature (T_g) for each composition. The FTIR spectra revealed the presence of hydrogen‐bonding interactions between the hydroxyl groups of poly(VB‐a) and the ether groups of PEO. Indeed, the ring‐opening reaction and subsequent polymerization of the benzoxazine were facilitated significantly by the presence of PEO. After curing, DMA results indicated that the 50/50 poly(VB‐a)/PEO blend exhibited two values of T_g: one broad peak appeared in the lower temperature region, whereas the other (at ca. 327 °C, in the higher temperature region) was higher than that of pristine poly(VB‐a) (301 °C). The presence of two glass transitions in the blend suggested that this blend system was only partially miscible. Moreover, SEM micrographs indicated that the poly(VB‐a)/PEO blends were heterogeneous. The volume fraction of PEO in the blends had a strong effect on the morphology. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 644–653, 2007     

A novel benzimidazole moiety‐containing benzoxazine: Synthesis,polymerization, and thermal properties

A novel benzoxazine‐containing benzimidazole moiety (P‐PABZ) was synthesized from 2‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐1H‐benzimidazole‐5‐amine and characterized. With the aid of differential scanning calorimetry and in situ Fourier transform infrared, we found the thermal polymerization of P‐PABZ in bulk started around 140 °C and its favored polymerization pathway. Compared to the benzoxazine derived from 4,4′‐diamine diphenyl methane (P‐MDA), P‐PABZ exhibited lower processing temperature, and the corresponding polymers had higher glass transition temperature and enhanced thermal stability. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Functional benzoxazines containing ammonium salt of carboxylic acid: Synthesis and highly activated thermally induced ring‐opening polymerization

1,3‐Benzoxazine monomers having ammonium salt of carboxylic acid have been developed. These 1,3‐benzoxazines 1a and 1b were easily synthesized from the corresponding tetrabutylammonium salts of glycine and β‐alanine, respectively. The glycine‐derived benzoxazine 1a exhibited remarkably high reactivity, which allowed its thermally induced ring‐opening polymerization in bulk at 100 °C, at which N‐methyl‐1,3‐benzoxazine 1d did not undergo the polymerization at all. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

The design,synthesis, and nonlinear optical properties of novel X‐type polyurethane containing dicyanovinylnitroresorcinoxy group with enhanced SHG thermal stability

Novel X‐type polyurethane 5 containing 4‐(2′,2′‐dicyanovinyl)‐6‐nitroresorcinoxy groups as nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores, which constitute parts of the polymer backbone, was prepared and characterized. Polyurethane 5 is soluble in common organic solvents such as acetone and N,N‐dimethylformamide. It shows thermal stability up to 280 °C from thermogravimetric analysis with a glass transition temperature (T_g) obtained from differential scanning calorimetry thermogram of around 120 °C. The second harmonic generation (SHG) coefficient (d₃₃) of poled polymer film at 1064‐nm fundamental wavelength is around 6.12 × 10^?9 esu. The dipole alignment exhibits a thermal stability even at 5 °C higher than T_g, and there was no SHG decay below 125 °C due to the partial main chain character of the polymer structure, which is acceptable for NLO device applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013