Azo‐group labelled polyesters by end‐capping with 2‐oxazoline derivatives – preparation

Two azobenzene containing 2‐oxazolines were used for labelling of polyesters with carboxylic end groups by the end‐capping method. The reaction proceeded under the conditions of reactive processing, and in a solution. High conversions in melt were achieved in several minutes. The coupling of the modifiers was proved by NMR spectroscopy.     

Synthesis and properties of gradient copolymers based on 2‐phenyl‐2‐oxazoline and 2‐nonyl‐2‐oxazoline

In this study, the structure–property relationships for a series of statistical 2‐nonyl‐2‐oxazoline (NonOx) and 2‐phenyl‐2‐oxazoline (PhOx) copolymers were investigated for the first time. The copolymerization kinetics were studied and the reactivity ratios were calculated to be r_NonOx = 7.1 ± 1.4 and r_PhOx = 0.02 ± 0.1 revealing the formation of gradient copolymers. The synthesis of a systematical series of NonOx–PhOx copolymers is described, whereby the amount of NonOx was increased in steps of 10 mol %. The thermal and surface properties were investigated for this series of well‐defined copolymers. The thermal properties revealed a linear decrease in glass transition temperature for copolymers containing up to 39 wt % NonOx. Furthermore, the melting temperature of the copolymers containing 0 to 55 wt % PhOx linearly decreased most likely due to disturbance of the NonOx crystalline domains by incorporation of PhOx in the NonOx part of the copolymer. The surface energies of spincoated polymer films revealed a strong decrease in surface energy upon incorporation of NonOx in the copolymers due to strong phase separation between NonOx and PhOx allowing the NonOx chains to orient to the surface. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 6433–6440, 2009     

Three isomeric forms of hydroxyphenyl‐2‐oxazoline: 2‐(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2‐oxazoline, 2‐(3‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2‐oxazoline and 2‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2‐oxazoline

Crystal structures are reported for three isomeric compounds, namely 2‐(2‐hydroxy­phenyl)‐2‐oxazoline, (I), 2‐(3‐hydroxy­phenyl)‐2‐oxazoline, (II), and 2‐(4‐hydroxy­phenyl)‐2‐oxazoline, (III), all C₉H₉NO₂ [systematic names: 2‐(4,5‐dihydro‐1,3‐oxazol‐2‐yl)phenol, (I), 3‐(4,5‐dihydro‐1,3‐oxazol‐2‐yl)phenol, (II), and 4‐(4,5‐dihydro‐1,3‐oxazol‐2‐yl)phenol, (III)]. In these compounds, the deviation from coplanarity of the oxazoline and benzene rings is dependent on the position of the hydroxy group on the benzene ring. The coplanar arrangement in (I) is stabilized by a strong intra­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bond. Surprisingly, the 2‐oxazoline ring in mol­ecule B of (II) adopts a ³T₄ (^C2T_C3) conformation, while the 2‐oxazoline ring in mol­ecule A, as well as that in (I) and (III), is nearly planar, as expected. Tetra­mers of mol­ecules of (II) are formed and they are bound together via weak C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds. In (III), strong inter­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds and weak intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds lead to the formation of an infinite chain of mol­ecules perpendicular to the b direction. This paper also reports a theoretical investigation of hydrogen bonds, based on density functional theory (DFT) employing periodic boundary conditions.     

Tuning the LCST of poly(2‐cyclopropyl‐2‐oxazoline) via gradient copolymerization with 2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline

Poly(2‐propyl‐oxazoline)s can be prepared by living cationic ring‐opening polymerization of 2‐oxazolines and represent an emerging class of biocompatible polymers exhibiting a lower critical solution temperature in aqueous solution close to body temperature. However, their usability is limited by the irreversibility of the transition due to isothermal crystallization in case of poly(2‐isopropyl‐2‐oxazoline) and the rather low glass transition temperatures (T_g < 45 °C) of poly(2‐n‐propyl‐2‐oxazoline)‐based polymers. The copolymerization of 2‐cyclopropyl‐2‐oxazoline and 2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline presented herein yields gradient copolymers whose cloud point temperatures can be accurately tuned over a broad temperature range by simple variation of the composition. Surprisingly, all copolymers reveal lower T_gs than the corresponding homopolymers ascribed to suppression of interchain interactions. However, it is noteworthy that the copolymers still have T_gs > 45 °C, enabling convenient storage in the fridge for future biomedical formulations. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 3118–3122     

Solubility behavior of amphiphilic block and random copolymers based on 2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline and 2‐nonyl‐2‐oxazoline in binary water–ethanol mixtures

The solution properties of random and block copolymers based on 2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline (EtOx) and 2‐nonyl‐2‐oxazoline (NonOx) were investigated in binary solvent mixtures ranging from pure water to pure ethanol. The solubility phase diagrams for the random and block copolymers revealed solubility (after heating), insolubility, dispersions, micellization as well as lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and upper critical solution temperature behavior. The random and block copolymers containing over 60 mol % pNonOx were found to be solubilized in ethanol upon heating, whereas the dissolution temperature of the block copolymers was found to be much higher than for the random copolymers due to the higher extent of crystallinity. Furthermore, the block copolymer containing 10 mol % pNonOx exhibited a LCST in aqueous solution at 68.7 °C, whereas the LCST for the random copolymer was found to be only 20.8 °C based on the formation of hydrophobic microdomains in the block copolymer. The random copolymer displayed a small increase in LCST up to a solvent mixture of 9 wt % EtOH, whereas further increase of ethanol led to a decrease in LCST, which is probably due to the “water‐breaking” effect causing an increased attraction between ethanol and the hydrophobic part of the copolymer. In addition, the EtOx‐NonOx block copolymers revealed the formation of micelles and dynamic light scattering demonstrated that the micellar size is increasing with increasing the ethanol content due to the enhanced solubility of EtOx. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 515–522, 2009     

Association of hydrophobically α,ω‐end‐capped poly(2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline) in water

The α,ω‐end‐capped poly(2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline) (C_n‐POXZ‐C_n) have been synthesized by a one‐pot process using cationic ring‐opening polymerization with an appropriate initiator and terminating agent. The polymers bearing different alkyl groups C₁₂ and C₁₈ have molecular weight in the range of 2.4 × 10³ to 14 × 10³ with a small polydispersity index. The solution behavior of the free chains has been analyzed in a nonselective solvent, dichloromethane, by small‐angle neutron scattering and dynamic light scattering. These amphiphilic polymers associate in water to form flower‐like micellar structures. Critical micelle concentrations, investigated by fluorescence technique, are in the range of 0.03–0.5 g L^?1 and are dependent on the hydrophilic/lipophilic balance. The structural properties of the aggregates have also been investigated by viscometry. Intrinsic viscosities of these polymers are in the same range as that of the precursors poly(2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline) (POXZ) and mono‐functionalized polymers. Large viscosity increase corresponding to intermicellar bridging was observed in the vicinity of the micelle overlap concentration. Addition of hydroxypropyl β‐cyclodextrin (HβCD) has dissociated the aggregates and the intrinsic viscosities of the HβCD‐end‐capped chains have become comparable with the ones of POXZ precursor chains. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2477–2485, 2010     

Initiator effect on the cationic ring‐opening copolymerization of 2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline and 2‐phenyl‐2‐oxazoline

The aim of this research was to study the effect of the initiator on the resulting monomer distribution for the cationic ring‐opening copolymerization of 2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline (EtOx) and 2‐phenyl‐2‐oxazoline (PhOx). At first, kinetic studies were performed for the homopolymerizations of both monomers at 160 °C under microwave irradiation using four initiators. These initiators have the same benzyl‐initiating group but different leaving groups, Cl^?, Br^?, I^?, and OTs^?. The basicity of the leaving group affects the ratio of covalent and cationic propagating species and, thus, the polymerization rate. The observed differences in polymerization rates could be correlated to the concentration of cationic species in the polymerization mixture as determined by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. In a next‐step, polymerization kinetics were determined for the copolymerizations of EtOx and PhOx with these four initiators. The reactivity ratios for these copolymerizations were calculated from the polymerization rates obtained for the copolymerizations. This approach allows more accurate determination of the copolymerization parameters compared to conventional methods using the composition of single polymers. When benzyl chloride (BCl) was used as an initiator, no copolymers could be obtained because its reactivity is too low for the polymerization of PhOx. With decreasing basicity of the used counterions (Br^? > I^? > OTs^?), the reactivity ratios gradually changed from r_EtOx = 10.1 and r_PhOx = 0.30 to r_EtOx = 7.9 and r_PhOx = 0.18. However, the large difference in reactivity ratios will lead to the formation of quasi‐diblock copolymers in all cases. In conclusion, the used initiator does influence the monomer distribution in the copolymers, but for the investigated system the differences were so small that no difference in the resulting polymer properties is expected. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4804–4816, 2008     

Oxazoline‐terminated macromonomers by the alkylation of 2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline

Well‐defined macromonomers of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(tert‐butyl methacrylate) were obtained by anionic polymerization induced directly by the carbanion issued from 2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline. When ethylene oxide was added to this carbanion with lithium as the counterion, a new compound able to initiate the polymerization of ε‐caprolactone in an anionically coordinated way was synthesized, and this led to well‐defined poly(ε‐caprolactone) macromonomers. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2440–2447, 2005     

Microwave Accelerated Polymerization of 2‐Phenyl‐2‐oxazoline

Summary: We studied the cationic ring‐opening polymerization of 2‐phenyl‐2‐oxazoline under microwave irradiation. A comparison with thermal heating shows a great enhancement in the reaction rates while the living character of the polymerization is conserved. The polymerizations were performed at the temperature of boiling butyronitrile (123 °C). The polymerization of 2‐phenyl‐2‐oxazoline under microwave conditions, described herein for the first time, is shown to be a rapid and environmentally friendly alternative to the classical methods.

Schematic of the activation of the reactive site by microwave irradiation.     

Chemical modification of polyamide‐6 by chain extension with 2,2′‐bis(2‐oxazoline)

The chain‐extension behavior of 2,2′‐bis(2‐oxazoline) (BOZ) was studied to evaluate the coupling effect on polyamide‐6 (PA6) in a Haake Rheocord mixer and an extruder. The relative torque of PA6 dramatically increased within 1–2 min, and the results were similar whether the added amount of BOZ in PA6 was the theoretical amount or twice as much at 240 °C; however, after 5 min, the coupling results showed an optimal dosage of the chain extender, a lack of which caused a deficiency of chain extension and an excess of which led to a greater blocking reaction. The final torque was 2.16 times as much as that of a control sample when the reaction temperature was 240 °C, and the added amount of BOZ in PA6 was 1.156%; at the same time, the initial carboxyl content of the chain‐extended products decreased to 40% for PA6, and this corresponded to the intrinsic viscosity of PA6 increasing to 1.636 dL/g, whereas that of the control sample was 1.384 dL/g. Furthermore, the effects of BOZ on the thermal and mechanical properties of chain‐extended PA6 were investigated. The degree of crystallinity decreased as the chain extender was added to PA6. The Izod impact strength, tensile strength, and elongation at break of the resultant products dramatically improved under wet conditions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1976–1982, 2007     

Synthesis,characterization, and cross‐linking of a library of statistical copolymers based on 2‐“soy alkyl”‐2‐oxazoline and 2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline

The synthesis of statistical copolymers consisting of 2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline (EtOx) and 2‐“soy alkyl”‐2‐oxazoline (SoyOx) via a microwave‐assisted cationic ring‐opening polymerization procedure is described. The majority of the resulting copolymers revealed polydispersity indices below 1.30. The reactivity ratios (r_EtOx 1.4 ± 0.3; r_SoyOx = 1.7 ± 0.3) revealed a clustered monomer distribution throughout the polymer chains. The thermal and surface properties of the pEtOx‐stat‐SoyOx copolymers were analyzed before and after UV‐curing demonstrating the decreased chain mobility after cross‐linking. In addition, the cross‐linked materials showed shape‐persistent swelling upon absorption of water from the air, whereby as little as 5 mol % SoyOx was found to provide efficient cross‐linking. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5371,–5379, 2007     

Helix‐sense‐selective copolymerization of triphenylmethyl methacrylate with chiral 2‐isopropenyl‐4‐phenyl‐2‐oxazoline

The asymmetric induction leading to a one‐handed helix was investigated in the anionic and radical copolymerization of triphenylmethyl methacrylate (TrMA) and (S)‐2‐isopropenyl‐4‐phenyl‐2‐oxazoline ((S)‐IPO), and highly isotactic copolymers with a reasonable optical activity were obtained. In the anionic copolymerization, the optical activity of the obtained copolymers depended on the polarity of solvents, and a highly optically active copolymer was produced in the copolymerization in toluene. The chiral oxazoline monomer functioned not only as a comonomer but also as a chiral ligand to endow the polymer with large negative optical rotation in the copolymerization with TrMA. The copolymers with small positive optical rotation were obtained in THF, indicating that IPO unit may work only as the chiral monomer that dictates the helical sense via copolymerization with TrMA. The isotacticity of the obtained copolymers depended on the contents of TrMA units in the copolymers, but was almost independent of the solvent for copolymerization. In the radical copolymerization, the obtained copolymers exhibited small optical activities. It seemed that the chiral monomer cannot induce one‐handed helical structure of TrMA sequences even if the sequences probably have a high isotacticity. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 441–447     

Synthesis of block and end‐functionalized polyesters by triflimide‐catalyzed ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone, 1,5‐dioxepan‐2‐one,and rac‐lactide

The ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic esters, such as ε‐caprolactone, 1,5‐dioxepan‐2‐one, and racemic lactide using the combination of 3‐phenyl‐1‐propanol as the initiator and triflimide (HNTf₂) as the catalyst at room temperature with the [monomer]₀/[initiator]₀ ratio of 50/1 was investigated. The polymerizations homogeneously proceeded to afford poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL), poly(1,5‐dioxepan‐2‐one) (PDXO), and polylactide (PLA) with controlled molecular weights and narrow polydispersity indices. The molecular weight determined from an ¹H NMR analysis (PCL, M_n,NMR = 5380; PDXO, M_n,NMR = 5820; PLA, M_n,NMR = 6490) showed good agreement with the calculated values. The ¹H NMR and matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry analyses strongly indicated that the obtained compounds were the desired polyesters. The kinetic measurements confirmed the controlled/living nature for the HNTf₂‐catalyzed ROP of cyclic esters. A series of functional alcohols, such as propargyl alcohol, 6‐azido‐1‐hexanol, N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)maleimide, 5‐hexen‐1‐ol, and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate, successfully produced end‐functionalized polyesters. In addition, poly(ethylene glycol)‐block‐polyester, poly(δ‐valerolactone)‐block‐poly(ε‐caprolactone), and poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐block‐polylactide were synthesized using the HNTf₂‐catalyzed ROP. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2455–2463     

Revisiting the crystallization of poly(2‐alkyl‐2‐oxazoline)s

Poly(2‐alkyl‐2‐oxazoline)s (PAOx) exhibit different crystallization behavior depending on the length of the alkyl side chain. PAOx having methyl, ethyl, or propyl side chains do not show any bulk crystallization. Crystallization in the heating cycle, that is, cold crystallization, is observed for PAOx with butyl and pentyl side chains. For PAOx with longer alkyl side chains crystallization occurs in the cooling cycle. The different crystallization behavior is attributed to the different polymer chain mobility in line with the glass transition temperature (T_g) dependency on alkyl side chain length. The decrease in chain mobility with decreasing alkyl side chain length hinders the relaxation of the polymer backbone to the thermodynamic equilibrium crystalline structure. Double melting behavior is observed for PButOx and PiPropOx which is explained by the melt‐recrystallization mechanism. Isothermal crystallization experiments of PButOx between 60 and 90 °C and PiPropOx between 90 and 150 °C show that PAOx can crystallize in bulk when enough time is given. The decrease of T_g and the corresponding increase in chain mobility at T > T_g with increasing alkyl side chain length can be attributed to an increasing distance between the polymer backbones and thus decreasing average strength of amide dipole interactions. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 721–729     

Water‐Developable Poly(2‐oxazoline)‐Based Negative Photoresists

Copoly(2‐oxazoline)‐based photoresists are prepared from pEtOx₈₀Bu⁼Ox₂₀ and pPhOx₈₀Dc⁼Ox₂₀ , respectively, a tetrathiol, and a photosensitive initiator. It is possible to prepare copoly(2‐oxazoline)s bearing unsaturated side chains in a microwave reactor on a decagram scale in reaction times of 100 min or shorter. UV irradiation of dried polymer films through a quartz mask induces the thiol‐ene reaction in the illuminated areas. Subsequent development of the polymer films in halogen‐free solvents reproduces the negative pattern of the mask with a resolution of 2 μm. The pEtOx₈₀Bu⁼Ox₂₀ ‐derived photoresists can also be developed in water.     

Synthesis and photochemical properties of trans‐2‐(2‐aryl‐ or heteroarylvinyl)‐4,5‐dichloropyridazin‐3(2H)‐ones

trans‐2‐(2‐Aryl‐ or heteroarylvinyl)‐4,5‐dichloropyridazin‐3(2H)‐ones 3 were synthesized from 4,5‐dichloropyridazin‐3(2H)‐one via 2 step. The photochemical behavior of 3 in THF, methylene chloride, acetonitrile and methanol is dependent on the kind of aryl or heterocyclic ring and the solvent polarity     

Coloring–decoloring behavior of fluoroalkyl end‐capped 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonic acid oligomer/acetone composite in methanol

A reddish‐brown fluoroalkyl end‐capped 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) oligomer/acetone composite was prepared by heating the white oligomer powder with acetone at 80 °C for 3 h. The color was not observed in the corresponding non‐fluorinated AMPS oligomer/acetone composite, which was prepared under similar conditions. The coloring was probably caused by the formation of acetone polyaldol condensation products in the fluorinated oligomeric gel network cores. The colored R_F‐(AMPS)_n‐R_F/acetone composite powders were stable and did not exhibit any color change after 2 years in natural light at room temperature. The colored composite powders dissolved in methanol to give a reddish‐brown solution at room temperature. However, the retro‐polyaldol condensation decolored the solution after 1 day at room temperature. This is the first example of the retro‐aldol polycondensation of acetone under mild conditions. The decoloration increased by between 38‐ and 70‐fold under UV irradiation, compared with that in dark conditions. The coloring–decoloring behavior was consistent and repeatable; therefore our fluorinated oligomer/acetone composites are promising candidates for new fluorinated coloring materials. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2555–2564     

Self‐Assembly of Poly(2‐alkyl‐2‐oxazoline)s by Crystallization in Ethanol–Water Mixtures Below the Upper Critical Solution Temperature

Crystallization of poly(2‐isobutyl‐2‐oxazoline) and poly(2‐nonyl‐2‐oxazoline) is found to occur by room temperature annealing below the upper critical solution temperature in ethanol–water solvent mixtures. Both polymers produce similar self‐assembled structures (see image), resembling the previously reported crystalline hierarchical structures obtained from hot aqueous poly(2‐isopropyl‐2‐oxazoline) solutions above the lower critical solution temperature. These observations suggest that the crystallization induced self‐assembly process is a rather general phenomenon occurring for semicrystalline polymers in liquid–liquid two phase systems.

     

Synthesis of new amphiphilic and lypophilic polymer networks containing 2‐methyl‐ and 2‐nonyl‐2‐oxazoline by the macroinitiator method

New amphiphilic and lypophilic polymer networks were obtained by the copolymerization of 2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline (MeOXA), and/or 2‐nonyl‐2‐oxazoline (NoOXA) and 2,2′‐tetramethylenebis(2‐oxazoline) (BisOXA), respectively, initiating the copolymerization by random copolymers of chloromethylstyrene and methyl methacrylate or of chloromethylstyrene and styrene (macroinitiator method). Potassium iodide was used as an activator agent and the reaction was carried out in benzonitrile at 110 °C. In general, the polymer gels were obtained with a yield of 62 to 88%. The networks were characterized by high‐resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) NMR spectroscopy and by its absorption of polar and nonpolar solvents. In the case of amphiphilic polymer networks, the absorption of solvents depends on the molar ratio of 2‐methyl‐ to 2‐nonyl‐2‐oxazoline inside the polymer network favoring the absorption of polar solvents with a higher content of 2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline. These gels showed a maximal swelling degree of 13 mL of water, 20 mL of methanol, and 13 mL of chloroform, respectively, per g of polymer. The lypophilic polymer networks containing only 2‐nonyl‐2‐oxazoline showed a maximal swelling degree of 8 mL of toluene, 14 mL of chloroform, and 2 mL of methanol, respectively, per g of the lypophilic network. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 122–128, 2005