Hydrobromination of residual vinyl groups on divinylbenzene polymer particles followed by atom transfer radical surface graft polymerization

Rigid and monodisperse spherical polymer particles with 2.36 ± 0.18 μm diameter containing residual surface vinyl groups were prepared by photoinitiated precipitation polymerization of divinylbenzene. Anti‐Markovnikov addition of HBr to the surface vinyl groups yielded a 2‐bromoethyl functionality that was used as macroinitiator for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), providing the possibility for further functionalization by controlled “grafting from” processes. This was demonstrated by grafting of glycidyl methacrylate brushes from the particle surface, using an ATRP system based on CuBr and pentamethyl diethylenetriamine. Existence of a methacrylic overlayer was verified by FTIR and XPS measurements, and the grafted particles were easily dispersed in water, confirming conversion of the particle surface from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. Hydrobromination of residual vinyl groups yields a macroinitiator that can be used for grafting of glycidyl methacrylate by ATRP. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 1259–1265, 2009     

Tailored surface properties of monodispersed polymer particles with PCL hairy chains synthesized by hydroxyl‐initiated ring‐opening polymerization

Polymeric particles with hydrophobic PCL hairy chains were prepared by ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) from hydrophilic core particles, which were prepared by soap‐free emulsion polymerization of styrene, 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and divinylbenzene. Due to the incorporation of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate in the core particles, hydroxyl groups on the surface of core particles could be obtained, and in the following ROP of ε‐caprolactone, the hydroxyl groups on the surface of the particles could effectively initiate the polymerization. Various reaction conditions were evaluated to produce hairy particles with optimal grafting efficiency. The presence of hydrophobic polymeric hairs on the surface of particles led to a dramatic improvement in their dispersibility in oil phase. By controlling the grafting amount of PCL on the surface of hydrophilic core particles, the surface properties of the hairy particles could be well tailored, represented the change of water contact angles from 75.0° to 114.6°. The prepared hairy particles were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared analysis. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4552–4563, 2007     

Efficient synthesis of monodisperse,highly crosslinked,and “living” functional polymer microspheres by the ambient temperature iniferter‐induced “living” radical precipitation polymerization

The facile and efficient one‐pot synthesis of monodisperse, highly crosslinked, and “living” functional copolymer microspheres by the ambient temperature iniferter‐induced “living” radical precipitation polymerization (ILRPP) is described for the first time. The simple introduction of iniferter‐induced “living” radical polymerization (ILRP) mechanism into precipitation polymerization system, together with the use of ethanol solvent, allows the direct generation of such uniform functional copolymer microspheres. The polymerization parameters (including monomer loading, iniferter concentration, molar ratio of crosslinker to monovinyl comonomer, and polymerization time and scale) showed much influence on the morphologies of the resulting copolymer microspheres, thus permitting the convenient tailoring of the particle sizes by easily tuning the reaction conditions. In particular, monodisperse poly(4‐vinylpyridine‐co‐ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) microspheres were prepared by the ambient temperature ILRPP even at a high monomer loading of 18 vol %. The general applicability of the ambient temperature ILRPP was confirmed by the preparation of uniform copolymer microspheres with incorporated glycidyl methacrylate. Moreover, the “livingness” of the resulting polymer microspheres was verified by their direct grafting of hydrophilic polymer brushes via surface‐initiated ILRP. Furthermore, a “grafting from” particle growth mechanism was proposed for ILRPP, which is considerably different from the “grafting to” particle growth mechanism in the traditional precipitation polymerization. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Effects of methyl methacrylate grafting and in situ silica particle formation on the morphology and mechanical properties of natural rubber composite films

The effects of methyl methacrylate (MMA) grafting and in situ formation of silica particles on the morphology and mechanical properties of natural rubber latex (NRL) were investigated. MMA grafting on NRL was carried out using cumyl hydroxy peroxide/tetraethylene pentamine (CHPO/TEPA) as a redox initiator couple. The grafting efficiency of the grafted NR was determined by solvent extractions and the grafted NRL was then mixed with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), a precursor of silica, coated by adherence to a glass surface to form a film and cured at 80°C. The resultant products were characterized by FT‐IR and transmission electron microscopy. The influence of varying the MMA monomer weight ratio on the surface morphology of the composites was investigated by scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. The PMMA (poly MMA) grafted NRL particles were obtained as a core/shell structure from which the NR particles were the core seed and PMMA was a shell layer. The silane was converted into silica particles by a sol–gel process which was induced during film drying at 80°C. The silica particles were fairly evenly distributed in the ungrafted NR matrix but were agglomerated in the grafted NR matrix. The root‐mean‐square roughness increased with an increasing weight ratio of MMA in the rubber. The in situ silica particles in the grafted NR matrix slightly increased both the modulus and the tear strength of the composite film. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ion‐exchanger synthesis using reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization

An ion‐exchanger with polyanionic molecular brushes was synthesized by a “grafting from” route based on “surface‐controlled reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization” (RAFT). The RAFT agent, PhC(S)SMgBr was covalently attached to monodisperse‐porous poly(dihydroxypropyl methacrylate‐co‐ethylene dimethacrylate), poly(DHPM‐co‐EDM) particles 5.8 μm in size. The monomer, 3‐sulfopropyl methacrylate (SPM), was grafted from the surface of poly(DHPM‐co‐EDM) particles with an immobilized chain transfer agent by the proposed RAFT protocol. The degree of polymerization of SPM (i. e. the molecular length of the polyanionic ligand) on the particles was controlled by varying the molar ratio of monomer/RAFT agent. The particles carrying polyanionic molecular brushes with different lengths were tested as packing material in the separation of proteins by ion exchange chromatography. The columns packed with the particles carrying relatively longer polyanionic ligands exhibited higher separation efficiency in the separation of four proteins. Plate heights between 130–200 μm were obtained. The ion‐exchanger having poly‐(SPM) ligand with lower degree of polymerization provided better peak‐resolutions on applying a salt gradient with higher slope. The molecular length and the ion‐exchanger group content of polyionic ligand were adjusted by controlling the degree of polymerization and the grafting density, respectively. This property allowed control of the separation performance of the ion‐exchanger packing.     

Surface grafting onto SiC nanoparticles with glycidyl methacrylate in emulsion

To improve the tribological performance of nano‐SiC particles filled epoxy composites, surface modification of the fillers is necessary. By means of soapless emulsion polymerization method, graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto the surface of alkyl nano‐SiC was carried out, resulting in composite particles with SiC core and polymeric shell in which polyglycidyl methacrylate (PGMA) is chemically attached to the nanoparticles by the double bonds introduced during the pretreatment with a coupling agent. By analyzing the reaction mechanism, the emulsion polymerization loci were found to be situated at the SiC surface. Also, the factors affecting the grafting yielding of PGMA on the particles were investigated, including monomer concentration, initiator consumption, reaction temperature, reaction time, etc. Accordingly, an optimum grafting reaction condition was determined. It was shown that the grafted nanoparticles exhibit greatly improved dispersibility in good solvent for the grafting polymer. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3842–3852, 2004     

High binding capacity surface grafted monolithic columns for cation exchange chromatography of proteins and peptides

Poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene methacrylate) monoliths have been prepared in 100 μm i.d. capillaries and their epoxy groups hydrolyzed to obtain poly(2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate-co-ethylene methacrylate) matrix. These polymers were then photografted in a single step with 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid and acrylic acid to afford stationary phases for a strong and a weak cation exchange chromatography, respectively. Alternatively, poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate was used for grafting in the first step in order to enhance hydrophilicity of the support followed by photografting with 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid or acrylic acid in the second step. These new columns were used for the separation of proteins and peptides. A mixture of ovalbumin, α-chymotrypsinogen, cytochrome c, ribonuclease A and lysozyme was used to assess the chromatographic performance for large molecules while a cytochrome c digest served as a model mixture of peptides. All tested columns featured excellent mass transfer as demonstrated with very steep breakthrough curves. The highest binding capacities were found for columns prepared using the two step functionalization. Columns with sulfonic acid functionalities adsorbed up to 21.5 mg/mL lysozyme while the capacity of the weak cation exchange column functionalized with acrylic acid was 29.2 mg/mL.     

A cation-exchange material for protein separations based on grafting of thiol-terminated sulfopropyl methacrylate telomers onto hydrophilized monodisperse divinylbenzene particles

A strong cation-exchange separation material has been prepared from monodisperse divinylbenzene particles modified by a "grafting to" approach, utilizing as anchoring points epoxy groups introduced onto the surface of the particles via oxidation of residual vinyl groups. The grafted chains consisted of thiol-terminated telomers of sulfopropyl methacrylate prepared by iniferter mediated polymerization, and grafting was performed by reaction of the corresponding thiolate anion with the surface epoxy groups. Attachment through epoxy moieties that were subsequently converted into 2,3-propanediol groups increased the hydrophilicity of the polymeric particles and incubation experiments showed no signs of the proteins denaturing on the column during an extended contact time of 1 h at room temperature. The performance of the grafted material was demonstrated by the chromatographic separation of cytochrome C, lysozyme, myoglobin, and ribonuclease A, in a cation-exchange mode.     

Immobilization of Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor on Model Biomaterials by Plasma Graft Polymerization

Acrylic acid was grafted on the surface of polypropylene (PP) film via plasma‐induced technology. It was shown by FT‐IR that there were carboxyl groups on the surface of the modified PP film. The grafting ratio was analyzed quantitatively through a dyeing process. The effects of the technology parameters of the plasma‐treatment and graft polymerization on the grafting ratio, such as power, discharge time, concentration of monomer and active species density, reaction temperature and time, were characterized. Moreover, the content of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) that was anchored on the surface of the modified PP film was measured through enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results show that the amount of CNTF immobilized on the surface of the modified PP film increase with increasing content of carboxyl groups, showing that the existence of carboxyl groups on the surface of the PP film is beneficial to the immobilization of CNTF.     

Surface modification of silica nanoparticles by UV-induced graft polymerization of methyl methacrylate

In this study we modified the surface of silica nanoparticles with methyl methacrylate by UV-induced graft polymerization. It is a surface-initiated polymerization reaction induced by ultraviolet irradiation. The resulting organic-inorganic nanocomposites were near-monodisperse and fabricated without homopolymerization of the monomer. Substantial increase in mean particle size was observed by SEM image analysis after UV-induced grafting of methyl methacrylate onto pure silica particles. FT-Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies of these materials revealed the successful grafting of methyl methacrylate onto the silica surface. The formation of a covalent bond between the grafted PMMA chains and silica surface was indicated by FT-Raman spectra. Thermogravimetric analysis of the PMMA-grafted silica particles indicated the polymer contents in good agreement with SEM photographs.     

Nanosized nickel oxide particles and modification with poly(methyl methacrylate)

In recent years, there is an increasing interest in the fabrication of inorganic–organic materials considering the remarkable change and improvement in properties. In this investigation, nanosized nickel oxide (NiO) particles were first prepared by calcination of nickel hydroxide precursor obtained by a simple liquid‐phase process. Mixed phases of NiO and nickel hydroxide were present as the calcination temperature was lower than 250°C. Non‐stoichiometric NiO was formed between 250°C and 350°C, and a pure NiO was obtained as the temperature reached 500°C. The surface characteristics of NiO particles were evaluated by measuring the adsorption behavior of anionic and cationic surfactants and some biomolecules. NiO/poly(methyl methacrylate) composite particles were then prepared using variable NiO/methyl methacrylate (MMA) ratio by seeded emulsion polymerization. The efficiency of NiO incorporation in the composite increased as the MMA content was increased in the recipe. The composite particles were colloidally stable, and the obtained particles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and X‐ray photoelectron spectra. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

纳米SiO_2锚固光敏基团引发MMA光接枝聚合研究

对纳米SiO2进行了锚固光引发剂的表面修饰,进而引发甲基丙烯酸甲脂(MMA)光接枝聚合制备有机/无机复合粒子.纳米SiO2粒子首先用氯化亚砜进行表面氯化,再与光引发剂2-羟基-4-(2-羟基乙氧基)-2-甲基苯丙酮(Irgacure2959)反应从而锚固上光引发剂.通过紫外光引发MMA在经过修饰过的纳米SiO2表面上进行表面光接枝聚合.采用IR、TGA和TEM等方法表征了接枝前后纳米粒子的变化,证明了表面接枝物的存在,并研究了不同反应条件对单体转化率、接枝率和接枝效率的影响.研究结果表明,搅拌对接枝过程的影响比较显著.TGA结果显示未搅拌聚合时接枝率只能达到比较小的程度,而在搅拌条件下180min内MMA的接枝率可达到110%.     

Hairy PEO‐Silica Nanoparticles through Surface‐Initiated Polymerization of Ethylene Oxide

Summary: The grafting of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) onto silica nanoparticles was performed in situ by the ring‐opening polymerization of the oxirane monomer initiated from the mineral surface using aluminium isopropoxide as an initiator/heterogeneous catalyst. Alcohol groups were first introduced onto silica by reacting the surfacic silanols with prehydrolyzed 3‐glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane. The alcohol‐grafted silica played the role of a coinitiator/chain‐transfer agent in the polymerization reaction and enabled the formation of irreversibly bonded polymer chains. Silica nanoparticles containing up to 40 wt.‐% of a hairy layer of grafted PEO chains were successfully produced by this technique.

The grafting of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) onto silica nanoparticles by in‐situ ring‐opening polymerization of the oxirane monomer.     

Monodisperse porous polymer particles with polyionic ligands for ion exchange separation of proteins

A new “grafting to” strategy was proposed for the preparation of polymer based ion exchange supports carrying polymeric ligands in the form of weak or strong ion exchangers. Monodisperse porous poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate), poly(GMA-co-EDM) particles 5.9 μm in size were synthesized by “modified seeded polymerization”. Poly(2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate), poly(DHPM-co-EDM) particles were then obtained by the acidic hydrolysis of poly(GMA-co-EDM) particles. The hydroxyl functionalized beads were treated with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate to have covalently linked methacrylate groups on the particle surface. The selected monomers carrying weak or strong ionizable groups (2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid, AMPS; 2-dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate, DMAEM and N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl] methacrylamide, DMAPM) were subsequently grafted onto the particles via immobilized methacrylate groups. The final polymer based materials with polyionic ligands were tried as chromatographic packing in the separation of proteins by ion exchange chromatography. The proteins were successfully separated both in the anion and cation exchange mode with higher column yields with respect to the previously proposed materials. The plate heights obtained for poly(AMPS) and poly(DMAEM) grafted poly(DHPM-co-EDM) particles by using proteins as the analytes were 80 and 200 μm, respectively. Additionally, the plate height exhibited no significant increase with the increasing linear flow rate in the range of 1–20 cm/min. The most important property of the proposed strategy is to be applicable for the synthesis of any type of ion exchanger both in the strong and weak form.     

Metalization of polypropylene. I. Synthesis and melt free‐radical grafting of novel maleimides and methacrylates containing chelating moieties

Several chelating monomers with methacrylate and maleimide residues as polymerizable groups and diketone and aspartic acid residues as metal‐bonding groups were synthesized. A long‐chain aliphatic spacer was introduced to increase the solubility of the monomers in the polymer melt and to enhance the compatibility of grafted side chains and homopolymers with polypropylene (PP). PP was functionalized by melt free‐radical grafting, and some properties of the modified polymer were investigated. The grafting of a chelating methacrylic ester by injection molding afforded grafting yields of 30–50%. A comparison with products obtained by the grafting of commercially available acetoacetoxy methyl methacrylate showed the beneficial effect of the aliphatic spacer with respect to the grafting yield as well as the tensile strength and flexural modulus. The grafting of an aspartic acid based maleimide in an extruder afforded grafting yields of 80–95% and a significant increase in the surface wettability, as shown by contact‐angle measurements. A comparative study using samples obtained by the grafting of maleimidobenzoic acid indicated that the homogeneity‐increasing effect of the spacer was neutralized by the detrimental effect of the dicarboxylic chelating group. Nevertheless, the results showed that the maleimides were well suited for grafting by reactive extrusion because of their low susceptibility to homopolymerization under melt‐processing conditions. Preliminary metalization experiments showed the feasibility of plating without the use of corrosive etchants. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3400–3413, 2003     

Synthesis of amphiphilic biodegradable glycocopolymers based on poly(ε‐caprolactone) by ring‐opening polymerization and click chemistry

Amphiphilic, biodegradable block glycopolymers based on poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) with various pendent saccharides were synthesized by combination of ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) and “click” chemistry. PCL macroinitiators obtained by ROP of ε‐caprolactone were used to initiate the ROP of 2‐bromo‐ε‐caprolactone (BrCL) to get diblock copolymers, PCL‐b‐PBrCL. Reaction of the block copolymers with sodium azide converted the bromine groups in the PBrCL block to azide groups. In the final step, click chemistry of alkynyl saccharides with the pendent azide groups of PCL‐b‐PBrCL led to the formation of the amphiphilic block glycopolymers. These copolymers were characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The self‐assembly behavior of the amphiphilic block copolymers was investigated using transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscope, spherical aggregates with saccharide groups on the surface were observed, and the aggregates could bind reversibly with Concanavalin A. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3583–3594, 2009     

Visible light‐induced living surface grafting polymerization for the potential biological applications

A novel visible light‐induced living surface grafting polymerization was developed by a strategy in which isopropyl thioxanthone (ITX) was first photoreduced under UV light and sequentially coupled onto the surface of polymeric substrates, and the produced isopropyl thioxanthone‐semipinacol (ITXSP) “dormant” groups were subsequently reactivated under visible light to initiate a surface grafting polymerization. By using glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) films as models, a “living” surface grafting polymerization initiated by ITXSP under visible light at room temperature was observed. Both the surface grafting chain length versus grafting conversion of monomer and the grafting polymerization rate versus monomer concentration demonstrated a linear dependence, which is in accord with the known characteristics of living polymerization. The livingness rendered it possible to accurately control the thickness of the grafted layer by simply altering the irradiation time. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Phys, 2009     

Grafting of polymers onto carbon whisker by anionic graft polymerization of vinyl monomers using metallized aromatic rings and/or phenoxy lithium groups on the surface as initiator

During the anionic polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) initiated by n-butyl-lithium (n-BuLi) in the presence of carbon whisker, PMMA was found to be grafted onto the surface depending on the propagation from OLi groups, which are produced by the reaction of oxygen containing groups on the surface with n-BuLi. But no grafting of polystyrene was observed at all. By the activation of OLi groups by the addition of crown ether, however, the grafting of polystyrene onto the carbon whisker was achieved. On the other hand, it was found that metallized carbon whisker also initiates the anionic graft polymerization of MMA and styrene: percentage of grafting of PMMA and polystyrene reached 231.3 and 157.9%, respectively. The metalation of carbon whisker was achieved by the treatment with n-BuLi in aprotic polar solvents, such as N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylene-diamine or hexamethylphosphorous triamide, and in toluene in the presence of complexing agent of cation such as crown ether or a small amount of aprotic solvent. In the polymerization, grafted polymer chains were considered to propagate both from metallized aromatic rings and from OLi groups. The polymer-grafted carbon whisker gave a stable colloidal dispersion in organic solvents.     

Amphiphilic conetworks. III. Poly(2,3‐dihydroxypropyl methacrylate)–polyisobutylene and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate–polyisobutylene based hydrogels prepared by two‐step polymer procedure

This article describes the synthesis and characterization of new amphiphilic polymer conetworks containing hydrophilic poly(2,3‐dihydroxypropyl methacrylate) or poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) and hydrophobic polyisobutylene chains. This conetworks were prepared by a two‐step polymer synthesis. In the first step, a cationic copolymer of isobutylene and 3‐isopropenyl‐α,α‐dimethylbenzyl isocyanate (IDI) was prepared. The isocyanate groups of the IB‐IDI random copolymer were subsequently transformed in situ to methacrylate (MA) groups in reaction with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). In the second step, the resulting MA‐multifunctional PIB‐based crosslinker, PIB(MA)_n, with an average functionality of approximately four per chain, was copolymerized with 2,3‐dihydroxypropyl methacrylate or poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate by radical mechanism in tetrahydrofuran giving rise to amphiphilic conetworks containing 11–60 mol % of DHPMA or 10–12 mol % of PEGMA. The synthesized conetworks were characterized with solid‐state ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The amphiphilic nature of the conetworks was proved by swelling in both water and n‐heptane. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4074–4081, 2007     

Hydrogels based on physiologically clotted fibrin–gelatin composites

Fibrin–gelatin composite (PFG) films were prepared and crosslinked with glutaraldehyde as reported by us previously. These composites were graft‐copolymerized with poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) and poly(2‐hydroxypropyl methacrylate) (PHPMA) with a potassium persulfate and sodium metabisulfite redox initiation system. The graft copolymers (PFG‐HEMA and PFG‐HPMA) were characterized for their percentage of grafting, percentage of equilibrium water content, and percentages of free water and bound water. The chemical composition and thermal, mechanical, morphological, and surface characteristics were also evaluated. The optimum conditions for obtaining a maximum percentage of grafting were standardized. PFG and its graft copolymers exhibited higher equilibrium water contents ranging from 60 to 77% when compared with those of HEMA and HPMA homopolymers. DSC studies revealed increased freezing water contents and decreased bound‐water contents for the graft copolymers when compared with those of PFG alone. These properties improved the efficacy of hydrogels. PFG demonstrated better mechanical properties as compared with its graft copolymers. This may be attributed to the alkaline reaction conditions wherein protein hydrolysis of PFG would have occurred thereby reducing the overall strength of the graft copolymers. IR and scanning electron microscopic studies confirmed the grafting of PHEMA and PHPMA onto PFG. Contact‐angle studies revealed increased polarity for graft copolymers, which is a symbol for increased hydrophilicity. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2241–2252, 2004