COPOLYMERIZATION OF 1-OCTENE WITH STYRENE BY RARE EARTH COORDINATION CATALYSTS

The copolymerization of l-octene with styrene catalyzed by rare earth coordination catalysts has been studied for the first time. Some features and kinetic behavior are described. The overall activation energy of the copolymerization was 22.2 KJ/mol and the copolymerization rate could be expressed as R_p=K_p [Nd] [M]~2. (=1.68×10~(-3) L~2/mol~2. S, 50℃, [Oct]/[St]=1). The catalytic activity of various rare earth elements in Ln (naph)_3 for the copolymerization was compared and shows the following sequence: Dy, Y, Yb>Ho>Sm, Gd, Nd>Pr>Ce>La>Tm. Both monomers of l-octene and styrene in the copolymerization by Nd (naph)_3-AlEt_3 have the tendency of constant proportion copolymerization. The structure of the copolymers was studied by ~1H-NMR.     

Styrene polymerization with rare earth catalysts using a magnesium alkyl cocatalyst

A new highly active rare earth coordination catalyst composed of rare earth phosphonate, di-n-butylmagnesium (MgBu), and hexamethyl phosphoramide (HMPA) for the polymerization of styrene has been developed for the first time. High molecular weight polystyrene (M̄_ν = 50–70 × 10⁴) in 100% conversion could be prepared at following conditions: [Nd] = 6–8 × 10⁻⁴ mol/L, [St] = 3.0 mol/L, Mg/Nd = 11, and HMPA/Mg = 1–1.5 (molar ratio). The catalytic activity of this new catalyst is 3530 g PSt/g Nd. Kinetics study shows that the polymerization rate is of first order with respect to both monomer concentration and catalyst concentration, and activation energy of the polymerization is 40.1 kJ/mol. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of isotactic polystyrene with a rare-earth catalyst

Polymerization of styrene with the neodymium phosphonate Nd(P₅₀₇)/H₂O/Al(i-Bu)₃ catalytic system has been examined. The polymer obtained was separated into a soluble and an insoluble fraction by 2-butanone extraction. ¹³C-NMR spectra indicate that the insoluble fraction is isotactic polystyrene and the soluble one is syndiotactic-rich atactic polystyrene. The polymerization features are described and discussed. The optimum conditions for the polymerization are as follows: [Nd] = (3.5–5.0) × 10⁻² mol/L; [styrene] = 5 mol/L; [Al]/[Nd] = 6–8 mol/mol; [H₂O]/[Al] = 0.05–0.08 mol/mol; polymerization temperature around 70°C. The percent yield of isotactic polystyrene (IY) is markedly affected by catalyst aging temperature. With increase of the aging temperature from 40 to 70°C, IY increases from 9% to 48%. Using AlEt₃ and Al(i-Bu)₂H instead of Al(i-Bu)₃ decreases the yield of isotactic polystyrene. Different neodymium compounds give the following activity order: Nd(P₅₀₇)₃ > Nd(P₂₀₄)₃ > Nd(OPrⁱ)₃ > NdCl₃ + C₂H₅OH > Nd(naph)₃. With Nd(naph)₃ as catalyst, only atactic polystyrene is obtained. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1773–1778, 1998     

Ring-Opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone by rare earth coordination catalysts. I. Characteristics,kinetics, and mechanism of ε-caprolactone polymerization with nd(acac)3.3H2O-ALET3 system

Ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone has been carried out by using rare earth coordination catalysts for the first time. The rare earth compounds, RE(acac)₃.3H₂O, Nd(P₂₀₄)₃, Nd(P₅₀₇)₃, Nd(naph)₃, Nd(BA)₃.2H₂O, etc. (where RE = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Lu, Y; acac = acetylacetone; BA = benzoylacetone), combined with trialkyl aluminum, greatly increased the degree of conversion and the molecular weight of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). The influence of reaction conditions on the polymerization of ε-caprolactone catalyzed by the Nd (acac)₃.3H₂O-AlEt₃ system has been examined in detail. The kinetics indicates that the polymerization rate has the first-order in monomer and a half-order in catalyst. The overall activation energy of the ring-opening polymerization amounts to 59.4 kJ/mol. By IR and UV-Vis spectra, ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR data, it is assumed that the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone catalyzed by the Nd(acac)₃.3H₂O-AlEt₃ system proceeds via complexation of monomer to catalyst, acyl-oxygen cleavage insertion propagation mechanism. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A novel palladium catalyst for the polymerization of propargyl alcohol

Homogeneous polymerization of propargyl alcohol (OHP) with Pd (C?CCH₂OH)₂(PPh₃)₂ [Pd?C] catalyst in CHCl₃-CH₃OH mixed solvent system has been investigated. [Pd?C] was found to be a novel effective catalyst for the OHP polymerization. Some features, kinetic behavior, and effect of solvent for the OHP polymerization are described and discussed. The overall polymerization activation energy was found to be 75.6kJ/mol and the rate equation can be expressed as R_p = k_p[OHP] [Pd?C]^0.7, where k_p = 3.14 × 10^-4 L^0.7/ mol^0.7 S (60°C). Polypropargyl alcohol (POHP) obtained is a brown powder with a number-average molecular weight (M?_n) of 10³-2 × 10³, and soluble in MeOH, DMF, and DMSO. Conducting properties of the resulting POHP were investigated. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of LiClO4 on the radical polymerization of Di-2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethyl itaconate

The effect of LiClO₄ on the polymerization of di-2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethyl itaconate (DMEI) with dimethyl 2,2′-azobisisobutyrate (MAIB) was investigated in methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) kinetically and by ESR. The polymerization rate (R_p) at 50°C, where the concentrations of DMEI and MAIB were 1.00 and 5.00 × 10⁻² mol/L, increased with increasing [LiClO₄]. Marked acceleration was observed at higher [LiClO₄]s than 1.0 mol/L. The molecular weight of resulting polymer (ca. 10,000) was relatively insensitive to [LiClO₄], indicating occurrence of chain transfer. IR analysis of mixtures of LiClO₄/DMEI and LiClO₄/poly(DMEI) indicated complexation of LiClO₄ with DMEI and its polymer. The rate constants of propagation (k_p) and termination (k_t) were determined by ESR. k_p (1.7–10.5 L/mol s at 50°C) increased with [LiClO₄]. k_t (5.2–1.0 × 10⁴ L/mol s at 50°C) showed remarkable decrease at higher [LiClO₄]s than 1.0 mol/L. R_p of polymerization of equimolar complex of LiClO₄/DMEI with MAIB at 50°C in MEK was expressed by R_p = k[MAIB]^0.5[DMEI]^2.4. k_p increased and k_t decreased with [DMEI]. The activation energies of overall polymerization, propagation and termination were estimated to be 34.5, 8.0, and 59.4 kJ/mol. Copolymerization of DMEI with styrene was also profoundly affected by the presence of LiClO₄. Such large effects of LiClO₄ on the homo- and copolymerization of DMEI are explicable in term of association of LiClO₄-complexed DMEI monomers. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

POLYMER-SUPPORTED RARE EARTH CATALYSTS FOR STYRENE POLYMERIZATION

The neodymium complex supported on styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer (SMA·Nd) has been prepared for the first time and found to be a highly effective catalyst for the polymerization of styrene. The SMA·Nd polymeric complex is characterized by IR and its catalytic activity, and the polymerization features have been investigated in comparison with that of the conventional Ziegler-Natta catalysts. When [Nd]=1×10~(-3) mol/L, [M]=5mol/L, Al/Nd=170(mol ratio) and CCl_4/Nd=50(mol ratio), the polymerization conversion of styrene gets to 51.6% in six hours, and the catalytic activity reaches 1852 gPS/gNd, which is much higher than that of conventional rare earth catalysts. The polymerization reaction has an induction period and shows some characteristics of chain polymerization. The polymerization rate is the first order with respect to the concentration of styrene monomer. Addition of FeCl_3 does not suppress the polymerization.     

Polymerization of 1-octene and determination of markhouwink constants of poly(1-octene)

The polymerization of 1-octene initiated by methylalumoxane（MAO）-activated Ni（Ⅱ）-based-α-diimine complexes[（2,6-i-Pr）₂C₆H₃-DAB（An）]NiBr₂ was investigated.Using this catalyst,poly（1-octene）s with molecular weight between 100×10³ and 400×10³ and polydispersity（M_w/M_n） between 1.3 and 1.5 were synthesized successfully by varying reaction time at room temperature.The poly（1-octene）s were amorphous polymers and could be well soluble in tetrahydrofuran（THF）.After fractional precipitation,poly（1-octene）s with narrow molecular weight distributions（M_w/M_n≤1.12） were obtained.Their weight-average molecular weights were measured by gel permeation chromatography（GPC） in conjunction with online model BI-MwA multiangle laser light scattering（MALLS）,and their intrinsic viscosities were measured by Maron’s single-point method.The k and a values in Mark-Houwink equation[η]= KM^αin THF at 40℃were 0.089 mL/g and 0.61 respectively.     

Kinetics of the Copolymerization of Methyl Vinyl Ketone and Acrylamide Initiated by the Adduct of Methyl Vinyl Ketone and Imidazole

N-(Butyl-3-one)imidazole acts as an initiating adduct which is formed in the anionic polymerization of methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) induced by imidazole (Im) and is directly formed from Im and the MVK monomer. The kinetics of the anionic homopolymerization of MVK and acrylamide (AAm) under argon in the presence of the adduct were investigated in tetrahydrofuran (THF). The rate of polymerization for the MVK system is expressed as R_p = k[Adduct] [MVK], where k = 3.1 × 10^?6 L/(mol·s)in THF at 30°C. The overall activation energy, E_a , was found to be 5.34 kcal/mol. The R_p for the AAm system is expressed as R_p = k[Adduct] [AAm], where k = 6.8 × 10^?6 L/(mol·s) in THF at 30°C, with E_a 7.78 kcal/mol. The mechanism of the polymerization induced by the initiator adduct is discussed on the basis of these results.     

Polymerization of n-Octylallene with Rare Earth Catalyst Composed of Ln(P204)3/Al(i-Bu)3

Polymerization of n‐octylallene was successfully carried out using a conventional binary rare earth catalytic system composed of rare earth tris(2‐ethylhexylphosphonate) (Ln(P₂₀₄)₃) and tri‐isobutyl aluminum (Al(i‐Bu)₃) for the first time. The effects of catalyst, solvent, reaction time and temperature on the polymerization of n‐octylallene were studied. The resulting poly(n‐octylallene) has weight‐average molecular weight of 11000, molecular weight distribution of 1.4 and 96% yield under the moderate reaction conditions: [Al]/[Y] =50 (molar ratio), [n‐octylallene]/[Y] =100 (molar ratio), polymerized at 80°C for 20 h in bulk. The poly(n‐octylallene) obtained consisted of 1,2‐ and 2,3‐polymerized units, and was characterized by FT‐IR, ¹H NMR and GPC. Further investigation shows that the polymerization of n‐octylallene has some living polymerization characteristics, preparing the polymer with controlled molecular weight and narrower molecular weight distribution.     

Radical and cationic polymerizations of 3‐ethyl‐3‐methacryloyloxymethyloxetane

3‐Ethyl‐3‐methacryloyloxymethyloxetane (EMO) was easily polymerized by dimethyl 2,2′‐azobisisobutyrate (MAIB) as the radical initiator through the opening of the vinyl group. The initial polymerization rate (R_p) at 50 °C in benzene was given by R_p = k[MAIB]^0.55 [EMO]^1.2. The overall activation energy of the polymerization was estimated to be 87 kJ/mol. The number‐average molecular weight (M?_n) of the resulting poly(EMO)s was in the range of 1–3.3 × 10⁵. The polymerization system was found to involve electron spin resonance (ESR) observable propagating poly(EMO) radicals under practical polymerization conditions. ESR‐determined rate constants of propagation (k_p) and termination (k_t) at 60 °C are 120 and 2.41 × 10⁵ L/mol s, respectively—much lower than those of the usual methacrylate esters such as methyl methacrylate and glycidyl methacrylate. The radical copolymerization of EMO (M₁) with styrene (M₂) at 60 °C gave the following copolymerization parameters: r₁ = 0.53, r₂ = 0.43, Q₁ = 0.87, and e₁ = +0.42. EMO was also observed to be polymerized by BF₃OEt₂ as the cationic initiator through the opening of the oxetane ring. The M?_n of the resulting polymer was in the range of 650–3100. The cationic polymerization of radically formed poly(EMO) provided a crosslinked polymer showing distinguishably different thermal behaviors from those of the radical and cationic poly(EMO)s. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1269–1279, 2001     

THE RING-OPENING POLYMERIZATION OF D,L-LACTIDE WITH ONE COMPONENT RARE EARTH CATALYST

(D, L)-Lactide (LA) was first polymerized with one component of rare earth cata-lysts [Nd(naph)_3, Nd(oct)_3, Nd(O-iPr)3, Nd(AcAc)_3, Y(AcAc)_3, Sm(AcAc)_3, Er(AcAc)_3)]respectively in solution and in melt state. The effects of [Cat]/[LA] molar ratio, solvents,polymerization time, temperature, various rare earth elements and ligands were investi-gated in detail. The results showed that both the conversion of polymerization and themolecular weight (MW) of poly (D, L-Lactide) (PLA) in melt polymerization are higherthan that in solution polymerization, but the polymerization rate in melt was lowr than insolution. The molecular weight distribution (MWD) of PLA is broader with increasing tem-perature. X-ray study indicated that PLA obtained by Nd(AcAc)_3 in melt polymerizationis an amorphous polymer.     

Polymerization of methyl acrylate with triphenylbismuthonium 1,2,3,4‐tetraphenylcyclopentadienylide as a new radical initiator

Triphenylbismuthonium 1,2,3,4‐tetraphenylcyclopentadienylide in 1,4‐dioxan initiated radical polymerization of methyl acrylate to ～30% conversion without gelation because of autoacceleration. The polymer had a viscosity‐average molecular weight of 200,000. The kinetic expression was R_pα[I]^0.3[M]^1.16, that is, the system followed nonideal kinetics because of primary radical termination and degradative chain‐transfer reactions. The values of kk_t and the energy of activation were computed as 3.12 × 10^?5 Lmol^?1s^?1 and 28 kJ/mol, respectively. The ylide dissociated to form a phenyl radical, which brought about polymerization of methyl acrylate. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2060–2065, 2004     

稀土络合催化苯乙烯均聚及其与二乙烯苯共聚

应用稀土化合物:环烷酸钕Nd(naph)_3和二(2-乙基己基)磷酸钕Nd·(P_(204)_3分别与三异丁基铝Al(i-Bu)_3组成络合催化剂引发苯乙烯均聚及其与二乙烯苯共聚。适宜的聚合温度为50℃:[Nd]=3×10~(-5)mol/ml;[M]=3×10~(-3)mol/ml;Al/Nd=10(摩尔比),并且催化剂按以下次序配制:钕化合物→溶剂→苯乙烯→三异丁基铝,苯乙烯的转化率在90％以上。溶剂种类及聚合条件不同,制得的聚苯乙烯可为白色或黄色粉末状无定形聚合物,分子量几百至上万。聚合体系中添加PeCl_3能抑制黄色产生。在共聚反应中,二乙烯苯比苯乙烯显示较高的反应活性。     

Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate in the Presence of Imidazole Derivatives. Kinetics and Polymer Structure

The kinetics of the polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in the presence of imidazole (Im), 2-methylimidazole (2MIm), or benz-imidazole (BIm) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at 15–40°C was investigated by dilatometry. The rate of polymerization, R_p , was expressed by R_p = k[Im] [MMA]², where k = 3.0 × 10^?6 L²/(mol² s) in THF at 30°C. The overall activation energy, E_a , was 6.9 kcal/mol for the Im system and 7.3 kcal/mol for the 2MIm system. The relation between logR_p and 1 T was not linear for the BIm system. The polymers obtained were soluble in acetone, chloroform, benzene, and THF. The melting points of the polymers were in the range of 258–280°C. The ¹H-NMR spectra indicated that the polymers were made up of about 58–72% of syndiotactic structure. The polymerization mechanism is discussed on the basis of these results.     

THE POLYMERIZATION OF EPICHLOROHYDRIN WITH Nd(i-oPr)_3-Al(i-Bu)_3 SYSTEM

Epichlorohydrin (ECH) was polymerized with a rare earth catalytic system: Nd (i-OPr)_3-Al (i-Bu)_3. The effects of Al/Nd molar ratio, solvents, the polymerization time and temperature,the aging time and temperature of the catalyst preparation were studied. The results showed thatat a low Al/Nd molar ratio (4) of the Nd(i-OPr)_3-Al(i-Bu)_3 system ECH polymerized at a lowtemperature (248K) with a high conversion. The average molecular weight ofpolyepichlorohydrin (PECH) ranged from 1×10~5 to 3×10~5.     

Radical polymerization behavior of trimethoxyvinylsilane

Trimethoxyvinylsilane (TMVS) was quantitatively polymerized at 130 °C in bulk, using dicumyl peroxide (DCPO) as initiator. The polymerization of TMVS with DCPO was kinetically studied in dioxane by Fourier transform near‐infrared spectroscopy. The overall activation energy of the bulk polymerization was estimated to be 112 kJ/mol. The initial polymerization rate (R_p) was expressed by R_p = k[DCPO]^0.6[TMVS]^1.0 at 120 °C, being closely similar to that of the conventional radical polymerization involving bimolecular termination. The polymerization system involved electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopically observable polymer radicals under the actual polymerization conditions. ESR‐determined apparent rate constants of propagation and termination were 13 L/mol s and 3.1 × 10⁴ L/mol s at 120 °C, respectively. The molecular weight of the resulting poly(TMVS)s was low (M_n = 2.0–4.4 × 10³), because of the high chain transfer constant (C_mtr = 4.2 × 10^?2 at 120 °C) to the monomer. The bulk copolymerization of TMVS (M₁) and vinyl acetate (M₂) at 120 °C gave the following copolymerization parameters: r_l = 1.4, r₂ = 0.24, Q₁ = 0.084, and e₁ = +0.80. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5864–5871, 2005     

Simultaneous polymerization and formation of polyphenylacetylene film by Nd(P204)3–Fe (AA)3–Al(i-Bu)3 combined catalyst system

The simultaneous polymerization and formation of polyphenylacetylene film by Nd(P₂₀₄)₃–Fe(AA)₃–Al(i-Bu)₃ catalyst system have been investigated. The combined catalytic effects between rare earth phosphonates with M_T(naph)_x or Fe(AA)₃ systems are first proposed and compared. The polymerization features and kinetic behaviors with Nd(P₂₀₄)₃–Fe(AA)₃-Al(i-Bu)₃ system are described and discussed. The combined catalytic effects have the following order, respectively: Fe ? Co > Cr > Mn-Ni, Nd(P₂₀₄)₃-Nd(P₅₀₇)₃ > Nd(P₃₅₀)₃ and Tb > Sm > Yb > Ho > Lu > Dy > Nd-Er-Pr > Y-Tm > Ce > Gd > La. The overall polymerization activation energy was found to be 20.8 kJ/mol showing coordination-anionic polymerization characteristic. PPA films so obtained are very similar to the rare earth ones. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Radical polymerization of vinyl thiocyanatoacetate: Participation of group‐transfer mechanism

Vinyl thiocyanatoacetate (VTCA) was synthesized, and its radical polymerization behavior was studied in acetone with dimethyl 2,2′‐azobisisobutyrate (MAIB) as an initiator. The initial polymerization rate (R_p) at 60 °C was expressed by R_p = k[MAIB]^0.6±0.1 [VTCA]^1.0±0.1 where k is a rate constant. The overall activation energy of the polymerization was 112 kJ/mol. The number‐average molecular weights of the resulting poly (VTCA)s (1.4–1.6 × 10⁴) were almost independent of the concentrations of the initiator and monomer, indicating chain transfer to the monomer. The chain‐transfer constant to the monomer was estimated to be 9.6 × 10^?3 at 60 °C. According to the ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra of poly (VTCA), the radical polymerization of VTCA proceeded through normal vinyl addition and intramolecular transfer of the cyano group. The cyano group transfer became progressively more important with decreasing monomer concentration. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 573–582, 2002; DOI 10.1002/pola.10137     

Novel titanium complexes bearing two chelating phenoxy‐imine ligands and their catalytic performance for ethylene polymerization

Three substituted salicylaldimine ligands ( 1a, 2a, 3a ) and their titanium complexes bis[N‐(5‐nitrosalicylidene)‐2,6‐diisopropylanilinato]titanium(IV)dichloride ( 1 ), bis[N‐(5‐chlorosalicylidene)‐2,6‐diisopropylanilinato]titanium(IV)dichloride ( 2 ) and bis[N‐(5‐bromosalicylidene)‐2,6‐diisopropylanilinato]titanium(IV)dichloride ( 3 ) were synthesized and characterized by mass spectra, ¹H NMR and elemental analyses, as well as complex 1 by X‐ray structure analysis. In the presence of methylaluminoxane (MAO), 1, 2 and 3 are efficient catalysts for ethylene polymerization in toluene. Under the conditions of T = 60 °C, p = 0.2 MPa, and n(MAO)/n(cat) = 1500, the activities of 1–3 reached 4.55–8.80 × 10⁶ g of PE (mol of Ti h bar)^?1, which is much higher than that of the unsubstituted complex bis[N‐(salicylidene)‐2,6‐diisopropylanilinato]titanium(IV)dichloride ( 4 ). The viscosity‐average molecular weight of polyethylene ranged from 24.8 × 10⁴ to 44.9 × 10⁴ g/mol for 1–3 and the molecular weight distribution M_w/M_n from 1.85 to 2.34. The effects of reaction conditions on the polymerization were examined in detail. The increase in ethylene pressure and rise in polymerization temperature are favorable for 1–3 /MAO to rise the catalytic activity and the molecular weight of polyethylene. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.