Short branching in poly(vinyl alcohol). IV. Determination of the short branches in poly(vinyl alcohol) polymerized under various conditions

The effect of the conditions of polymerization of vinyl acetate on the formation of short branching in the derived poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was studied. ¹H-NMR combined with a CAT technique was employed for the determination of the short branches. It was found that the formation of short branching is favorable at low concentrations of monomer, at high conversions, and at high temperatures. These facts evidently support the idea that the mechanism of the formation of short branching is back-biting. Amounts of short branches in some commercial PVA were also estimated. The observed values lie in the range of 0.12–1.7 mole-%.     

Chain transfer to polymer in emulsion polymerization

Chain transfer to polymer in emulsion polymerizations of acrylate monomers and vinyl acetate has been studied using ¹³C NMR spectroscopy to elucidate the chemistry by which chain transfer occurs and to quantify the mol% branches resulting from the reaction. In emulsion polymerizations of n-butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate and methyl acrylate, chain transfer to polymer proceeds via abstraction of hydrogen atoms from backbone tertiary C-H bonds and typically gives rise to 2-4 mol% branches in the polymers obtained at complete conversion, the level of branching increasing with reaction temperature. For these acrylates, there is no evidence for a significant difference between the extent of chain transfer to polymer. In emulsion polymerizations of vinyl acetate, chain transfer to polymer proceeds mainly via H-abstraction from methyl side-groups, though there is a small contribution from abstraction at backbone tertiary C-H bonds. The levels of branching that result are substantially lower than in acrylate emulsion polymerizations, typically being in the range 0.6-0.8 mol% in the polymers obtained at complete conversion. The level of branching increases with temperature and as the degree of monomer starving (and hence instantaneous conversion) increases. Emulsion copolymerization of vinyl acetate with a small amount (5-20 wt%) of n-butyl acrylate gives rise to a significant increase in the level of branching (to values around 1.3-1.6 mol%), which results predominantly from H-abstraction of backbone tertiary C-H bonds in n-butyl acrylate repeat units by propagating radicals with vinyl acetate end units.     

Long branching in poly(vinyl acetate) and poly(vinyl alcohol). II. Polymerization of vinyl acetate in the presence of crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol)

It is a common view that poly(vinyl acetate) has many branches at the acetyl side group, but that the corresponding poly(vinyl alcohol) has little branching. In order to study the branching in poly(vinyl acetate) and poly(vinyl alcohol) which is formed by chain transfer to polymer, the polymerization of ¹⁴C-labeled vinyl acetate in the presence of crosslinked poly(vinyl acetate), which was able to be decrosslinked to give soluble polymers, was investigated at 60°C and 0°C. This system made it possible to separate as well as to distinguish the graft polymer from the newly polymerized homopolymer. Furthermore, the degree of grafting onto the acetoxymethyl group and onto the main chain were estimated. It became clear that, in the polymerization of vinyl acetate, chain transfer to the polymer main chain takes place about 2.4 times as frequently at 60°C as that to the acetoxy group and about 4.8 times as frequently at 0°C.     

Determination of branching in polyethylene and poly(vinyl chloride) using pyrolysis gas chromatography

A series of polyethylenes (PE), reduced poly(vinyl chlorides), and precursor poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) systems were studied by pyrolysis–gas chromatography (PGC) and by pyrolysis–hydrogenation–gas chromatography (PHGC). The branch content of these polymers has been interpreted on the basis of previously established literature information. Low-density PE (LDPE) was found to contain a significant number of ethyl branches. The pyrolysis results on an LAH-reduced PVC series gave significant insight on PVC microstructure. It was determined that the short-chain branches in PVC are mainly one carbon long. Some ethyl side chains and virtually no butyl branches were found in this experimental PVC series. The effect of chain branching on the pyrolysis of PVC is to increase fragmentation. The benzene/toluene ratio, along with relative amounts of benzene and naphthalene formed, may be used to indicate the relative degree of branching in this system. The application of PGC and PHGC have thus been shown to successfully extend analytical work on PE and PVC and to provide microstructural information.     

Synthesis and characters of hyperbranched poly(vinyl acetate) by RAFT polymeraztion

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of VAc in the presence of ECTVA, which capable of both reversible chain transferable through a xanthate moiety and propagation via a vinyl group, led to highly branched copolymers by a method analogous to self-condensing vinyl polymerization (SCVP). The ECTVA acted as a vinyl acetate AB^∗ inimer. It was copolymerized with vinyl acetate (VAc) in ratios selected to tune the distribution and length of branches of resulting hyperbranched poly(vinyl acetate). The degree of branching increased with chain ECTVA concentration, as confirmed by NMR spectroscopy. The polymer structure was characterized via MALDI–TOF. Retention of the xanthate compound during the polymerization was evidenced by successful chain extension of a branched (PVAc) macroCTA by RAFT polymerization. The branched PVAc led to better dissolution as compared to linear PVAc, an effect attributed primarily to an increased contribution of end groups.     

Umvinylierungen mit Vinyl-phenyl-äther als Vinylierungsmittel

Vinyl interchange of vinyl phenyl ether with phenols in the presence of mercuric acetate as a catalyst gives the corresponding vinyl aryl ethers in 40–75% yields. The reaction between vinyl phenyl ether and alcohols yields isolable quantities of vinyl alkyl ethers only when this product can be removed continuously during the reaction.     

Oligomerization of ethylene to branched alkenes using neutral phosphinosulfonamide nickel(II) complexes

A series of neutral phosphinosulfonamide complexes of nickel(II) were synthesized that catalyzed the oligomerization of ethylene to branched oligomers with average degrees of polymerization between 10 and 35. Branching numbers varied from 17 to 80 branches per 1000 carbons, depending on the catalyst structure and reaction conditions. The catalysts were active in a variety of solvents, including toluene, CH₂Cl₂, tetrahydrofuran, ethyl acetate, and methanol, but showed decreasing activity at temperatures higher than 40 °C. Electron‐rich phosphinosulfonamides produced the highest catalyst activities in a series of structure–reactivity studies. The mechanism of oligomer formation was investigated with ¹H NMR spectroscopy, which indicated that branching arose from the isomerization of the nickel alkyl species during propagation rather than the reincorporation of α‐olefin products. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4627–4640, 2000     

聚苯乙烯大分子单体与醋酸乙烯酯接枝共聚物的合成及表征

<正> 用大分子单体与小分子单体共聚是七十年代初才出现的合成接枝共聚物的一种新方法。通过共聚合反应而不是接枝反应同时形成主干及支链。这种接枝共聚物由于形成支链的大分子单体是预先合成的,其分子量分布较窄,又可调节控制,所以合成的接枝共聚物支链长短比较均一,副反应较少,链结构比较明确,因此也易于表征。     

Short branching in poly(vinyl alcohol). III. Some properties of model polymers of short-branched poly(vinyl alcohol)

Melting point, the iodine color reaction, and foam fractionation were studied on model poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) having short branches of one or two monomer units in length. An increase in the amount of short branching units caused a marked decrease in color intensity of the PVA–iodine reaction and in the melting point. These tendencies were more remarkable when the short branching was two monomer units in length than when it was one monomer unit. It was also found that foam fractionation of an aqueous PVA solution produced PVA fractions with different degree of short branching, the degree increasing with increase in the fraction number. The color intensity of the PVA–iodine reaction has been confirmed to decrease with increase in the fraction number, but this result cannot be explained solely in terms of the short branching. It is concluded that the phenomenon of foam fractionation of PVA and the iodine color reaction of the fraction appear to be governed by many factors such as molecular weight, stereoregularity, and short branching.     

Development of a highly efficient catalytic method for synthesis of vinyl ethers

A new method for the preparation of alkyl vinyl ethers has been developed. Thus, various types of alkyl vinyl ethers were synthesized by the reaction of alcohols with vinyl acetate under the influence of a catalytic amount of [Ir(cod)Cl]2 combined with Na2CO3 in good to excellent yields.     

Steric factors in the kinetically controlled direction of elimination of secondary and tertiary esters in the gas phase. The pyrolysis of 4,4-dimethylpent-2-yl acetate

The pyrolysis kinetics of 4,4-dimethylpent-2-yl acetate, in a static system and in a vessel seasoned with allyl bromide, have been studied in the temperature range of 300–350°C and the pressure range of 48–211 torr. The olefin products were 4,4-dimethylpent-1-ene, cis-4,4-dimethylpent-2-ene, and trans-4,4-dimethylpent-2-ene. The rate coefficient for the homogeneous unimolecular elimination of this ester is given by the following Arrhenius equation: log k(sec^?1) = (12.87 ± 0.31) ? (181.2 ± 3.4)kJ/mol/2.303RT. The direction of elimination of this acetate has been found to proceed to the formation of the corresponding olefin by kinetic control. The present data, together with other pyrolysis work subject to kinetic control, imply that the direction of elimination of bulky alkyl esters is determined by steric hindrance in the eclipsed cis conformation. However, further analyses reveal that if a series of esters are compared, in the case of a gradual increase of alkyl branching when adjacent to a hydrogen atom (alkyl–H interactions), the rate was determined by steric acceleration, owing to the crowding effect at the highly substituted carbon atom. Otherwise if this gradual alkyl increase in size happened to be adjacent to another alkyl substituent (alkyl–alkyl interactions), the rate was affected by steric hindrance of the eclipsed cis conformation.     

Studies of branching in polyvinyl acetate

Batch polymerizations of vinyl acetate were conducted at 60°C and 72°C, and rate constants for branching were established from the variation of M?_n and M?_w with extent of conversion. The calculated branching densities (branch points per polymer molecule) are slightly higher at 72°C for all conversions. Selected samples were saponified and reacetylated to determine the amount of branching through the acetate group. Changes in M?_n, M?_w, and [η] indicate 63%, 75%, and 70%, respectively, of saponificable branches. These percentages are independent of branching density in the original polymer. Molecular weights extrapolated to zero conversion appear to be unchanged by saponification and reacetylation, showing that short chain branching through the acetate group is absent, or at least very infrequent.     

Hyperbranched polymers with maleic functional groups as radical crosslinkers

The crosslinking performance of the unsaturated hyperbranched polyester poly(allyloxy maleic acid‐co‐maleic anhydride) (MAHP) was investigated with copolymerizations of three different monomers: styrene, vinyl acetate, and methyl methacrylate. Both styrene and vinyl acetate afforded interpenetrating‐polymer‐network copolymer gels. The gels exhibited crosslink density gradients through the polymer matrices on a macroscopic level, and density maximums were concentrated around the MAHP moieties. The heterogeneity of the gels is briefly discussed in terms of a modified two‐phase model, where one phase consists of an elastic part of low crosslinking density and the other phase consists of an inelastic dendritic part with a highly condensed bond density. Unlike the two‐phase model developed by Choquet and Rietsch, the modified two‐phase model takes into account that both phases swell in good solvents. Unlike copolymerizations employing styrene or vinyl acetate, the copolymerization of MAHP with methyl methacrylate afforded noncrosslinked starbranched copolymers that consisted of a MAHP core from which long poly(methyl methacrylate) branches were protruding. The different behaviors of the copolymerizations of the three monomers used in this study can rationally be explained by their different reactivity ratios with maleic end groups of MAHP. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 964–972, 2001     

活性正离子聚合及原位制备聚醋酸乙烯酯-g-聚四氢呋喃共聚物/纳米银复合材料

通过将烯丙基溴/高氯酸银引发体系引发四氢呋喃活性正离子开环聚合与"grafting onto"合成方法相结合,原位制备了不同接枝密度和接枝链长度的新型聚醋酸乙烯酯-g-聚四氢呋喃接枝共聚物(PVAc-g-PTHF)及其与纳米银(Ag)的复合材料.采用傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、核磁共振波谱(1H-NMR)和多角度激光光散射-黏度-凝胶渗透色谱仪(MALLS-VIS-GPC)分别表征了该接枝共聚物的化学结构、共聚组成、分子量、分子量分布、接枝支链数目及支化度,采用原子力显微镜(AFM)、示差扫描量热分析(DSC)、偏光显微镜(POM)研究了接枝共聚物中接枝支链数目及支链长度对其微观形态、单端受限链段结晶行为的影响,并探讨了该纳米复合材料的抗菌性能.结果表明:所制备的不同支链数目和支链长度的PVAc-g-PTHF/Ag纳米复合材料,均表现出良好的抗菌性能;接枝共聚物PVAc-g-PTHF的重均分子量可达4.52×10~5,分子分子量较窄(M_w/M_n~1.8),支化因子可达0.19.接枝共聚物PVAc-g-PTHF可形成明显的相分离结构,其微观形态与接枝支链数目有关;相比相同分子量的双端不受限的PTHF链,PVAc-g-PTHF接枝共聚物中单端受限PTHF支链的结晶速率明显降低;在确定接枝支链数目的情况下,随着支链中PTHF链段长度增加,其结晶逐渐增强,结晶熔融温度及熔融焓均稍有增加.     

Grafting of polycaprolactone onto poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol) and application to polyethylene‐based bioerodable blends

Poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) (EVA) powders containing 10 and 20 wt % of vinyl acetate (VAc) units was saponified in ethanol/KOH solution in a heterogeneous manner. Intermolecular interaction between vinyl alcohol(VOH) units in the produced poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol) (EVOH) promoted the crystallization of intervening segments composed of ethylene units. Ring opening polymerization of caprolactone (CL) in the presence of EVOH gave EVOH‐g‐PCL graft copolymers with relatively short chain branches. Even though the graft copolymerization was carried out in a homogeneous solution, all the VOH units were not equally reactive for the PCL grafting. And the unreacted VOH units decreased very slowly with the graft copolymerization time. EVOH‐g‐PCL decreased the domain size of the dispersed phase in low density polyethylene (PE)/biodegradable master batch (MB) blends, and thus increased their tensile properties significantly. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2561–2569, 2002     

Grafting of Polymer Brushes from Xanthate-Functionalized Silica Particles

Monodisperse silica particles (SiPs) were surface-modified with a newly designed silane coupling agent comprising a triethoxysilane and an alkyl halide, namely, 6-(triethoxysilyl)hexyl 2-bromopropionate, which was further treated with potassium O-ethyl dithiocarbonate (PEX) to immobilize xanthate molecules on the particle surfaces. Surface-initiated macromolecular design via interchange of xanthates (MADIX) polymerization of vinyl acetate (VAc) was conducted with the xanthate-functionalized SiPs. The polymerization was well controlled and produced SiPs coated with poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) with a well-defined target molar mass and a graft density of about 0.2 chains nm⁻². Dynamic light scattering and TEM measurements revealed that the hybrid particles were highly dispersible in good solvents without any aggregation. The PVAc brushes were hydrolyzed with hydrochloric acid to produce poly(vinyl alcohol) brushes on the SiP surfaces. In addition, the number of xanthate molecules introduced on the SiP surfaces could be successfully controlled by adjusting the concentration of PEX. Thus, the SiPs have two functionalities: xanthates able to act as a MADIX chain-transfer agent and alkyl bromide initiation sites for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). By using these unique bifunctional particles, mixed polymer brushes were constructed on the SiPs by MADIX of VAc followed by ATRP of styrene or methyl methacrylate.     

Radical reactions involving esters of fumaric acid—III. Chain transfer processes

Model compounds have been used in studies at 60° in connection with transfer to polymer during the copolymerization of vinyl acetate with esters of fumaric acid. Succinate esters were used to simulate the fumarate ester units and ethyl acetate the vinyl acetate units in the copolymers. The succinate esters are much more reactive than ethyl acetate in transfer reactions with polyvinyl acetate radicals. Methyl isobutyrate and methyl propionate were also examined to assess the difference in reactivity in transfer of tertiary and secondary hydrogen atoms. It is concluded that branching is a very important reaction in the preparation of high conversion copolymers of fumarate esters with vinyl acetate.     

Characterization of Ethylene Copolymers with Liquid Chromatography and Melt Rheology Methods

Summary: Melt rheology and polymer chromatography methods were applied to characterize molecular heterogeneities in products of free radical copolymerization of ethylene with methyl acrylate and vinyl acetate comonomers performed in continuously stirred tank and tubular reactors. We found that the ethylene–vinyl acetate copolymers made in both reactors had similar linear viscoelastic properties typical to branched products of the high pressure process. But the ethylene–methyl acrylate copolymers obtained in the tubular reactor had unusually high melt viscosity at low shear rate and much lower onset of shear thinning despite the narrower molecular weight distribution and the lower overall amount of long-chain branches compare to their autoclave counterparts with similar average molecular weight and chemical composition. Using interaction polymer chromatography method called gradient elution at critical point of adsorption we found that ethylene-acrylate copolymers from the tubular reactor had very broad chemical composition distribution, which was consistent with a significant difference in reactivity ratios between ethylene and acrylate comonomers. Such chemical composition heterogeneity can be a reason for the observed unusual rheological properties of these copolymers.     

RAFT polymerization of a novel allene‐derived asymmetrical divinyl monomer: A facile strategy to alkene‐functionalized hyperbranched vinyl polymers with high degrees of branching

Hyperbranched vinyl polymers with high degrees of branching (DBs) up to 0.43 functionalized with numerous pendent allene groups have been successfully prepared via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization of a state‐of‐art allene‐derived asymmetrical divinyl monomer, allenemethyl methacrylate (AMMA). The gelation did not occur until high monomer conversions (above 90%), as a result of the optimized reactivity difference between the two vinyl groups in AMMA. The branched structure was confirmed by a combination of a triple‐detection size exclusion chromatography (light scattering, refractive index, and viscosity detectors) and detailed ¹H NMR analyses. A two‐step mechanism is proposed for the evolution of branching according to the dependence of molecular weight and DB on monomer conversion. Controlled radical polymerization proceeds until moderate conversions, mainly producing linear polymers. Subsequent initiation and propagation on the polymerizable allene side chains as well as the coupling of macromolecular chains generate numerous branches at moderate‐to‐high monomer conversions, dramatically increasing the molecular weight of the polymer. AMMA was also explored as a new branching agent to construct poly(methyl methacrylate)‐type hyperbranched polymers by its copolymerization with methyl methacrylate. The DB can be effectively tuned by the amount of AMMA, showing a linear increase trend. The pendent allene groups in the side chains of the copolymers were further functionalized by epoxidation and thiol‐ene chemistry in satisfactory yields. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2959–2969     

Polymerization of Ethylene through Reversible Addition–Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT)

The present paper reports the first example of a controlled radical polymerization of ethylene using reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) in the presence of xanthates (Alkyl‐OC(?S)S‐R) as controlling agents under relative mild conditions (70 °C, <200 bars). The specific reactivity of the produced alkyl‐type propagating radicals induces a side fragmentation reaction of the stabilizing O‐alkyl Z group of the controlling agents. This fragmentation, rarely observed in RAFT, was proven by NMR analyses. In addition, semicrystalline copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate were also prepared with a similar level of control.