Absorption of polymers at the solution–solid interface. XII. Stabilization of dispersed silica by absorbed styrene–methyl methacrylate copolymers

The ability of styrene–methyl methacrylate copolymers to stabilize silica dispersions has been investigated. Random, block, and graft copolymers covering the entire composition range have been employed in carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene, and benzene solutions. Equilibrium sediment volumes and dispersion turbidities provide adequate and concordant estimates of stabilization efficiency. Polystyrene is not adsorbed by precipitated silica from trichloroethylene or benzene and does not stabilize dispersions in these liquids; although adsorbed from carbon tetrachloride, there is no stabilization. Poly(methyl methacrylate) is an efficient dispersion stabilizer, and its performance is independent of molecular weight over a wide range. Random copolymers having styrene contents in excess of ca. 60% do not stabilize in trichloroethylene but do so in carbon tetrachloride, although well adsorbed in both cases. With this major exception, and that of a low-styrene graft copolymer in carbon tetrachloride, copolymers of all structures and compositions stabilize well, better than poly(methyl methacrylate) in the solvents examined. A substantial degree of surface coverage is necessary for optimum stabilization. Subsidiary solution adsorption and layer thickness measurements are also reported.     

Adsorption of polymers at the solution–solid interface. XIV. Adsorption and steric stabilization with styrene–acrylonitrile copolymers

The adsorption of random copolymers of styrene and acrylonitrile of azeotropic composition from their trichloroethylene solutions onto precipitated silica exhibits a maximum at intermediate molecular weights. These copolymers are able to stabilize dispersions of some, but not all, grades of precipitated silica; here, too, a maximum effect is found at intermediate molecular weights. Copolymers are partially desorbed by ethyl cyanide, which destabilizes silica dispersions. Block copolymers of low acrylonitrile contents do not stabilize well but, when preadsorbed, affect the behavior of subsequently adsorbed random copolymers. In particular, high molecular weight random copolymers flocculate the pretreated silica; silica with grafted polyacrylonitrile chains may also be flocculated by these copolymers.     

Donor–acceptor complexes in copolymerization. XLIII. Cyclization of alternating and random styrene–(meth)acrylic ester copolymers

Equimolar alternating copolymers of styrene and methyl methacrylate (prepared with Et_1.5AlCl_1.5, SnCl₄, and ZnCl₂) as well as equimolar random copolymer were treated with polyphosphoric acid at 135°C. The extent of cyclization of the alternating copolymers was about 40%, independent of the cotacticity of the copolymer, and there was little or no crosslinking. The random copolymer underwent only 10% cyclization and considerable crosslinking. The extent of cyclization of the alternating copolymer of styrene and methyl acrylate (prepared with Et_1.5AlCl_1.5) was the same as that of the random copolymer and was lower than that of the corresponding methyl methacrylate copolymer. Both alternating and random copolymers underwent extensive crosslinking.     

Separation of copolymers by adsorption liquid chromatography

Binary random copolymers of styrene with butadiene, methyl methacrylate, and t-butyl methacrylate, and styrene-methyl methacrylate-acrylonitrile random terpolymers were separated by adsorption chromatography. The HPLC conditions required for the sample to adsorb to the stationary phase are discussed. Sequence length as well as composition affected the elution volume of block and graft copolymers of styrene and butadiene. A mixture of terpolymers having different composition was separated to each component by cross-fractionation using two types of adsorption chromatography.     

Alternating copolymerization through the complexes of conjugated vinyl monomers–alkylaluminum halides

A vinyl monomer that has the nitrile or carbonyl group conjugated to the C?C double bond, such as acrylonitrile, methyl acrylate, and methyl methacrylate, forms a complex with an alkylaluminum halide, and the complex reacts spontaneously with a hydrocarbon monomer such as styrene, propylene, or ethylene, giving a high molecular weight copolymer. The copolymers always contain the two monomer units in 1:1 ratio. Thus styrene, copolymerized with methyl acrylate or methyl methacrylate in the presence of ethylaluminum sesquichloride in homogeneous toluene solution, gives such an equimolar copolymer regardless of the initial monomer compositions. The NMR spectra of these copolymers are distinctly different from those of the equimolar copolymers obtained with azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator and have simpler and well separated patterns. The copolymers and the corresponding radical copolymers appear to be amorphous, judged by their x-ray diffraction patterns and their differential thermal analyses. Their infrared spectra resemble each other very closely. Hence, the difference in the NMR spectra may be ascribed to the matter of the sequence distribution. The infrared spectrum of ethylene–methyl acrylate copolymer shows no absorption near 720 cm.^?1 due to the methylene sequence arising from ethylene–ethylene linkage. These experimental data lead to the inference that the equimolar copolymers obtained in this work may have an alternating sequence.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. XVIII. Sequence distribution in methyl acrylate–styrene copolymers prepared in the presence of zinc chloride

Methyl acrylate and styrene have been copolymerized in the presence of zinc chloride either by photoinitiation or spontaneously. The copolymerization mechanism is investigated by analyses of copolymers composition and monomer sequence distribution. The resulting copolymers are not always alternating, their composition being dependent especially on the monomer feed ratio. Appreciable deviation to higher methyl acrylate unit content from an equimolar composition occurs at monomer feed fractions of methyl acrylate over 0.7. The larger deviation is induced by higher temperature, by photoirradiation, and by greater dilution of the reaction mixture with toluene. The ¹³C-NMR spectrum of the alternating copolymer shows a sharp singlet at the carbonyl region, whereas the spectra of random copolymers prepared by benzoyl peroxide initiation at 60°C show a triplet splitting at the carbonyl carbon region, irrespective of copolymer composition. The relative intensities of the triplet peaks for the random copolymers are in good correspondence to the contents of triad sequences calculated by means of conventional radical copolymerization theory. These results clearly indicate that the carbonyl splitting is caused predominantly by variation of the monomer sequence and not by variation of the stereosequence. The monomer sequence distribution in the copolymers is thus directly and quantitatively measured from the split carbonyl resonance. Although the same triplet splitting appears in the spectra of methyl acrylate–rich copolymers prepared in the presence of zinc chloride at high feed ratios (>0.7) of methyl acrylate, the relative intensities of the split peaks do not fit the sequence distributions of random copolymers calculated by means of the Lewis–Mayo equation. The copolymerization yielding these peculiar sequences and the alternating sequence in the presence of zinc chloride is fully comprehended by a copolymerization mechanism proceeding between two active coordinated monomers, i.e., the ternary molecular complex composed of zinc chloride, methyl methacrylate, and styrene, and the binary molecular complex composed of zinc chloride and methyl methacrylate.     

Anionic polymerization and copolymerization in heterogeneous systems on surfaces with aromatic structure

Methacrylaldehyde, methyl methacrylate, methacrylonitrile, styrene and isoprene readily polymerize on potassium–graphite inclusion compounds in ethereal and hydrocarbon solvents. The structure of polymethacrylaldehyde, poly(methyl methacrylate), and polyisoprene as well as the composition of styrene–acrylonitrile and styrene–isoprene copolymers have been investigated. The copolymers have a high content of styrene units which is interpreted in terms of selective adsorption of styrene on the initiator surface.     

Adsorption of polymers at the solution–solid interface. XIII. Adsorption and steric stabilization with styrene–2-vinylpyridine copolymers

Random and block copolymers of styrene and 2-vinylpyridine, covering the full range of composition, have been synthesized. The adsorption of these polymers from trichloroethylene solution on to precipitated silica has been studied and their ability to impart colloidal stability to the silica dispersions also investigated. Estimates of the layer thickness of adsorbed copolymers have been made. Polystyrene is not adsorbed from trichloroethylene and does not stabilize dispersions of precipitated silica. A random copolymer having 1% 2-vinylpyridine units is adsorbed but shows very little steric stabilization. Random copolymers of 2-vinylpyridine content greater than 10% and AB block copolymers of more than 6% 2-vinylpyridine behave very similarly in respect both of the quantity adsorbed and in their ability to stabilize silica suspensions. Layer thickness does not seem to depend on copolymer composition. Random copolymers with low to intermediate 2-vinylpyridine contents are better steric stabilizers in trichloroethylene than are the corresponding copolymers of methyl methacrylate with styrene: this is attributed in part to the longer sequences of adsorbable units in the vinylpyridine copolymers.     

Blends of poly(2,6–dimethyl–1,4–phenylene oxide) with styrene copolymers

Binary blends of poly(2,6–dimethyl–1,4–phenylene oxide) (PPE) with various styrene copolymers were investigated. Poly(styrene–co–acrylonitrile) (SAN), poly[styrene–co–(methyl methacrylate)] (SMMA), poly[styrene–co–(acrylic acid)] (SAA) and poly[styrene–co–(maleic anhydride)] (SMA) are only miscible with PPE when the amount of comonomer is rather small. From calculated binary interaction densities it can be concluded that the strong repulsion between PPE and comonomer limits miscibility. In blends of PPE with SAN, as well as with ABS, the inter-facial tension between the blend components is significantly reduced upon addition of polystyrene–block–poly–(methyl methacrylate) diblock copolymers (PS–b–PMMA) and polystyrene–block–poly (ethylene–co–butylene)–block–poly–(methyl methacrylate) triblock copolymers (PS–b–PEB–b–PMMA). They show a profound influence on morphology, phase adhesion and mechanical blend properties.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. XV. 13C-NMR study on the alternating copolymers of methyl methacrylate with styrene

By the use of various metal halides methyl methacrylate and styrene were copolymerized to produce equimolar alternating sequences and different cotacticities. The ¹³C-NMR spectra of these copolymers were simple in comparison to those of random copolymers because of the fixed monomer sequence which yielded sharply split triplets for carbonyl, methoxy, and quaternary carbons. The relative intensities in these split peaks varied according to the metal halide used. A comparison of the intensities made it possible to obtain clear-cut and quantitative information on the methyl methacrylate-centered triad cotacticity of the copolymers. The spectral assignment with respect to the methoxy carbon was definitely justified by the combined use of partly relaxed Fourier transform and selective decoupling techniques. The spectrum of aromatic C₁ carbon in styrene units also split into three main peaks. From their relative intensities the splitting was attributed to styrene-centered triad cotacticity. The assignment of this carbon was compared with two other assignments made for random copolymers of methyl methacrylate with styrene; they were contradictory, however. Furthermore, an apparent discrepancy was observed between methyl methacrylate-and styrene-centered tactic triads of these alternating copolymers. The origin of this discrepancy suggests a close relationship with the copolymerization mechanism.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. IV. Copolymerization of methyl methacrylate– and methacrylonitrile–Lewis acid complexes with styrene

Complexes of methyl methacrylate and methacrylonitrile with Lewis acids (SnCl₄, AlCl₃, and BF₃) were copolymerized with styrene at ?75°C under irradiation with a high-pressure mercury lamp in toluene solution. The resulting copolymers consisted of equimolar amount of methyl methacrylate or methacrylonitrile and styrene, regardless of the molar ratio of monomers in the feed. NMR spectroscopy showed the copolymers to have an alternate sequence. The tacticities of the copolymers varied with the complex to have an alternate sequence. The tacticities of the copolymers varied with the complex species: the copolymer from the SnCl₄ complex system had a higher cosyndiotactieity, while those from the AlCl₃ and the BF₃ complex systems showed coisotacticity to predominate over cosyndiotacticity. NMR spectroscopic investigation of the copolymerization system indicated the presence of a charge-transfer complex between the styrene and the methyl methacrylate coordinated to SnCl₄. The concentration of the charge-transfer complex was estimated to be about 30% of monomer pairs at ?78°C at a 1:1 molar ratio of feed. The growing end radicals were identified as a methyl methacrylate radical for the AlCl₃ complex–styrene system and a styrene radical for the SnCl₄ complex–styrene system by the measurement of the ESR spectra of the copolymerization systems under or after irradation with a high-pressure mercury lamp. The tacticity of the resulting polymer appears to be controlled by the structure of the charge transfer complex. In the case of the SnCl₄ complex a certain interaction of SnCl₄ with the growing end radical seems to be a factor controlling the polymer structure. These copolymerizations can be explained by an alternating charge-transfer complex copolymerization scheme.     

Styrene–isoprene block copolymers. I. Synthesis and solution properties

Copolymers with a different degree of distribution of styrene and isoprene blocks are prepared by anionic polymerization. The products are characterized by means of ¹H-NMR spectroscopy, GPC, viscometry, and light scattering. The results show that the copolymers are homogeneous in molecular weight and chain composition. In the investigated selective solvents, cyclohexane and base lubricating oil, and equilibrium exists between micelle aggregates and individual polymer coils. The influence of the copolymer structure on the micellization is more pronounced in cyclohexane.     

Structure and properties of cellulose graft copolymers. III. Cellulose–methyl methacrylate graft copolymers synthesized by the ceric ion method

The ceric ion-initiated graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto wood cellulose was found to depend on the concentrations of initiator, monomer, and cellulose. The structure of cellulose—methyl methacrylate graft copolymers was studied by hydrolyzing away the cellulose backbone to isolate the grafted poly(methyl methacrylate) branches. The molecular weights and molecular weight distributions of the grafted poly(methyl methacrylate) were determined by using gel-permeation chromatography. The number-average (M?_n) molecular weights ranged from 36 000 to 160 000 and the polydispersity ratios (M?_w/M?_n) varied from 4.0 to 7.0. The grafting frequency or the number of poly(methyl methacrylate) branches per cellulose chain calculated from the per cent grafting and molecular weight data varied from 0.38 to 3.2. The structure of cellulose—methyl methacrylate graft copolymers and the effect of stepwise addition of initiator on the structure are discussed.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. XIV. Systematic deviations from alternating regulation in copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with styrene in the presence of metal halides

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene (St) copolymerize in the presence of zinc chloride at 3°C under photoirradiation. The contents of methyl methacrylate in the copolymers obtained at a [ZnCl₂]/[MMA] molar ratio of 0.4 are systematically larger than 53 mole %, which is the limiting value at a small feed ratio of methyl methacrylate. The resulting copolymers are confirmed as the sole products and not the mixtures by thin layer chromatography. The effect of dilution of the monomer feed mixture with toluene on copolymer composition suggests that it depends chiefly on the feed concentration of styrene and hardly at all on monomer feed ratios. Copolymerizations are also conducted in the presence of stannic chloride at ?17°C under photoirradiation and in the presence of ethylaluminium sesquichloride at 0°C with spontaneous initiation. The contents of methyl methacrylate in both copolymers obtained at feed ratios lower than 60 mole % almost correspond to the 1:1 alternating copolymer and increase systematically with higher feed ratios. The systematic deviations of copolymer composition obtained in the presence of metal halides are reasonably interpreted by the participation of the binary molecular complex composed of metal halide and methyl methacrylate in the polymerization of the ternary molecular complex composed of metal halide, methyl methacrylate, and styrene.     

Glass transition temperature of low molecular weight styrene–isoprene block copolymers

Different series of poly(styrene–isoprene) diblock and poly(styrene–isoprene–styrene) triblock copolymers were prepared. In each series, the low molecular weight polystyrene block was kept constant, and the molecular weight of the polyisoprene block varied. The glass transition behavior of these polymers was studied and their glass transition temperatures compared with those of the random copolymers of styrene and isoprene. It is concluded that some low molecular weight styrene-isoprene block copolymers form a single phase. Krause's thermodynamic treatment of phase separation in block copolymers was applied to the data. One arrives at a polystyrene–polyisoprene interaction parameter χ1,2 ≈ 0.1. The experimental and theoretical limitations of this result are discussed.     

Block copolymers derived from azobiscyanopentanoic acid. X. Synthesis of silicone–vinyl block copolymers via polysiloxane(azobiscyanopentanamide)s

The synthesis of silicone–vinyl block copolymers has been studied by the use of poly(azo-containing siloxaneamide)s (abbreviated as PASAs), i.e., polysiloxane (azobiscyanopentanamide)s as macroazoinitiators. PASAs with number-average molecular weight of 12000–31000 and with siloxane chain lengths of 250–9800 were prepared by the condensation of azobiscyanopentanoyl chloride and α,ω-bis(3-aminopropyldimethyl)polysiloxanes in equimolar feeds. Several kinds of silicone–vinyl block copolymers were synthesized by radical polymerization of vinyl monomers such as methyl methacrylate, styrene, and vinyl acetate, in the presence of PASA in homogeneous media. The block copolymers with siloxane contents up to 30 mol % were then characterized on the basis of infrared absorption, proton NMR spectra, and gel permeation chromatography.     

Densimeter detector in gel permeation chromatography of copolymers

A commercially available densimeter with a vibrating stainless steel tube was used as a detector in the GPC analysis of styrene/methyl methacrylate copolymers under normal GPC operational conditions. The densimeter was thermostated to ±0.001°C and sample injection concentrations were 4.0 mg/mL. The copolymer samples were polydisperse in molecular weight but uniform in composition. A refractive index detector and the densimeter detector produced comparable estimates of the parameters of the molecular weight distributions. The densimeter is less sensitive to the effects of variations in copolymer composition than differential refractive index or ultraviolet detectors. The only serious drawback to the densimeter is a relative lack of sensitivity. Variations in composition of styrene/methyl methacrylate copolymers over a fairly wide range have no signficant effect on the relation between gel permeation chromatographic elution volume and copolymer molecular weight. In general, however, conventional means of summarizing these data are not applicable to compositionally heterogeneous mixtures. Instrumental and data-handling solutions to this problem are discussed.     

苯乙烯-甲基丙烯酸甲酯嵌段共聚物的合成与表征

采用阴离子聚合技术合成了一系列苯乙烯-甲基丙烯酸甲酯的两嵌段共聚物(PS－b－PMMA)．采用GPC、FTIR、NMR(¹HNMR、¹³CNMR和固体NMR)和DMA等手段进行了表征．结果表明,所得产物为高分子量、窄分布、具有微相分离结构的两嵌段共聚物．     

Determination of coisotacticities of some alternating styrene–acrylic copolymers by NMR spectra

Coisotacticities σ for some alternating copolymers were determined through the analyses of their CH₃O, CH₃ and CH₂ proton NMR spectra; styrene–methyl methacrylate (σ = 0.56), styrene-methyl acrylate (σ = 0.53), styrene–methyl α-chloroacrylate (σ = 0.69), styrene–methacrylonitrile (σ = 0.19), styrene–methacrylamide (σ = 0.16), α-methylstyrene–methyl methacrylate (σ = 0.21), and α-methylstyrene–methyl acrylate (σ = 0.53) were studied. It was found that a terminal model or Bernoullian trial prevails in these complexed copolymerizations with diethylaluminum chloride. The influence of monomer structure on σ values is discussed.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. III. Copolymerization of acrylonitrile–zinc chloride,methacrylonitrile–zinc chloride or methyl methacrylate–zinc chloride complex with styrene

The 1:1 or 2:1 complex of acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, or methyl methacrylate with ZnCl₂ was copolymerized with styrene at the temperature of 0–30°C without any initiator. The structure of the copolymer from methyl methacrylate complex and styrene was examined by NMR spectroscopy. The complexes of acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile with ZnCl₂ gave a copolymer containing about 50 mole-% styrene units. The complexes of methyl methacrylate yielded an alternating copolymer when the feed molar ratio of methyl methacrylate to styrene was small, but with increasing feed molar ratio the resulting copolymer consisted of about 2 moles of methyl methacrylate per mole of styrene. The formation of a charge-transfer complex of styrene with a monomer coordinated to zinc atom was inferred from the ultraviolet spectra. The regulation of the copolymerization was considered to be effected by the charge-transfer complex. The copolymer resulting from the 2:1 methyl methacrylate–zinc chloride complex had no specific tacticity, whereas the copolymer from the 1:1 complex was richer in coisotacticity than in cosyndiotacticity. The change of the composition of the copolymer and its specific tacticity in the polymerization of the methyl methacrylate complex is related to the structure of the complex.