Radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of isotactic poly(methyl methacrylate)

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was polymerized by radical initiation at 25°C in DMF in the presence of preformed isotactic PMMA (iMA) with about 90% isotactic triads and different M?_v's, viz., iMA-1: 7.2 × 10⁵; iMA-2, 5.0 × 10⁵; iMA-3, 3.5 × 10⁵; iMA-4, 1.25 × 10⁵; and iMA-5, 1.15 × 10⁵. The MMA:iMA ratio was 6:1. The collected polymers were separated into two fractions by extraction with boiling acetone and characterized by 60 MHz NMR. It is found that the M?_v of the polymer formed ran parallel to the M?_v of iMA. In all cases syndiotactic PMMA (s-PMMA) was produced which associated with the isotactic substrate to form acetone-insoluble stereocomplexes. The syndiotactic polymers probably consist of long syndiotactic and heterotactic sequences. The syndiotacticity decreased with conversion and was generally highest in the presence of iMA-1. With iMA-1 even the formation of some additional i-PMMA (in the acetone-insolubles) was indicated, especially in the later stages of the polymerization. Characterization of the acetone-soluble fractions indicated that i,s-stereoblock polymers were also produced, of which the persistence ratios ρ increased with the M?_v of iMA. From these results it is concluded that this reaction differs from the conventional radical polymerization and can be considered a stereospecific replica polymerization, the driving force being the strong tendency of i- and s-PMMA to associate. The formation of i,s-stereoblock polymers and additional i-PMMA indicates that s-PMMA in its turn can also act as a polymer matrix.     

Radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of low-molecular-weight poly(methyl methacrylate)

The kinetics of the bulk radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate and the structure and properties (physicomechanical and thermomechanical, as well as diffusion and sorption) of the polymers were examined in relation to the amount of low-molecular-weight poly(methyl methacrylate) added.     

Connection of poly(methyl methacrylate) microgel particles dispersed in poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix by seed polymerization

Poly(methyl methacrylate) microgels covered with poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) thin layer was dispersed in poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix. Homogeneous and regular arrangement of the microgel particles was suggested by Bragg diffraction for the films prepared by varying the PVA/microgel ratio (from 6/4 to 3/7 (w/w)). It was proved that the regular arrangement and connection of the microgels by seeded polymerization in poly(vinyl alcohol) were possible. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Organosoluble complexes of poly(methyl methacrylate) and polysilicic acid

It has been found that, in benzene solutions of PMMA under certain conditions, the polycondensation of silicic acid prepared via the hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane is accompanied by the formation of soluble products that are complexes of polysilicic acid nanoparticles and PMMA. Polysilicic acid formed under macromolecular template control is characterized by an increased content of silanol groups. Complex particles are spherical in shape, and their diameters are in the range from 20 to 50 nm.     

End-functional poly(methyl methacrylate)s via group transfer polymerization

Hydroxyl-, amine-, and lactone-end-functional poly(methyl methacrylate)s (PMMA) were prepared with controlled molecular weights and M_w/M_n = 1.06–1.19 via group transfer polymerization. This was achieved by the electrophilic termination of silyl ketene acetal ended PMMAs with benzaldehyde, N-trimethylsilyl benzaldimine, and 5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one, respectively. The number-average degree of functionalization, as determined by NMR/SEC, was in the range of 0.70–0.85. A Lewis acid was used for terminating silyl ketene acetal ended PMMA with N-trimethylsilyl benzaldimine, whereas tetra-n-butyl ammonium bibenzoate was used in the case of benzaldehyde and 5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one. MALDI-TOF MS analysis of the end-functional polymers indicated the competing formation of cyclic end groups due to a back-biting reaction along with end-functional PMMAs. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2514–2531, 2007     

Radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate). II. Syndiotactic PMMA as matrix

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was polymerized by radical initiation at 25°C in DMF in the presence of preformed syndiotactic PMMA (sMA) with about 90% syndiotactic triads and of different M?_v, viz., sMA-1, 1.6 × 10⁵; sMA-2, 3.0 × 10⁵; and sMA-3, 8.7 × 10⁵. The MMA:sMA ratio was 6:1. The collected polymers were separated into two fractions by extraction with boiling acetone and characterized by 60 MHz NMR. In all cases isotactic PMMA (i-PMMA) was produced, especially in the initial reaction stages, which associated with the syndiotactic substrate to form acetone-insoluble 1:2 i/s-stereocomplexes. The isotacticity decreased with conversion and was highest in the presence of sMA-3. Characterization of the acetone-soluble fractions indicated that i,s-stereoblock polymers were also produced. From these results it is concluded that this reaction can be considered a stereospecific replica polymerization, the driving force being the strong tendency of i-PMMA and s-PMMA to associate. With sMA of M?_v below about 1.2 × 10⁵, no i-PMMA is formed; in other words, no replica polymerization occurs. For polymerizations in the presence of sMA-2, the critical M?_v of propagating chains, with has to be exceeded before stereoassociation is strong enough to effectuate replica polymerization, has been estimated to be 0.6 × 10⁵.     

Fabrication of poly(methyl methacrylate) microfluidic chips by redox-initiated polymerization

In this report, a method based on the redox-initiated polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) has been developed for the rapid fabrication of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microfluidic chips. MMA containing 2-2'-azo-bis-isobutyronitrile was allowed to prepolymerize in a water bath to form a viscous prepolymer solution that was subsequently mixed with MMA containing a redox-initiation couple of benzoyl peroxide/N,N-dimethylaniline. The dense molding solution was sandwiched between a silicon template and a piece of 1-mm-thick PMMA plate. The polymerization could complete within 50 min under ambient temperature. The images of raised microfluidic structures on the silicon template were precisely replicated into the synthesized PMMA substrate during the redox-initiated polymerization of the molding solution. The chips were subsequently assembled by the thermal bonding of the channel plates and the covers. The new fabrication approach obviates the need for special equipment and significantly simplifies the process of fabricating PMMA microdevices. The attractive performance of the novel PMMA microchips has been demonstrated in connection with contactless conductivity detection for the separation and detection of ionic species.     

Preparation of a uniform poly(methyl methacrylate) macromonomer and its polymerization

Syndiotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) (st-PMMA) macromonomer having methacryloyl end group was prepared from st-PMMA living anion and separated into uniform macromonomers by means of supercritical fluid chromatography. A uniform macromonomer with the degree of polymerization of 32 was polymerized radically in benzene at 60°C. The uniform dimer, trimer and tetramer of the uniform macromonomer were isolated from the polymerization product by means of gel-permeation chromatography (GPC). The intrinsic viscosity ([η]) in tetrahydrofuran of these uniform comblike polymers was determined by GPC/differential viscometric analysis. The plot of logarithmic [η] against logarithmic molecular weight indicated that the trimer and tetramer assume a little shrinking molecular shape as compared with the unimer and dimer.     

TEMPO-mediated radical polymerization in the synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate) macromonomer

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Preparation of anthracene-labelled poly(methyl methacrylate) via atom transfer radical polymerization

Anthracene-labelled poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was prepared via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) where 9,10-bis(chloromethyl)anthracene and CuCl/2,2′-bipyridine were used as the initiator and catalyst, respectively. Both the linear increase of the number average molecular mass with conversion and the narrow polydispersity in the resulting polymers suggest that the polymerization proceeds in a “living” fashion and the anthracene molecule is incorporated into the middle of the polymer backbone. The initiation efficiency was low, ca. 13%, presumably due to some side reactions which compete with the initiation reaction.     

Thermal properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) prepared by emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization

Emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of potassium persulfate initiator, taken in several different concentrations, at various pH values was studied with the aim to obtain colloidal crystals. The thermal properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) prepared by emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization, as the starting material for fabrication of photonic crystals, were examined in relation to the synthesis conditions.     

Combinatorial study of cofluorescence of rare earth organic complexes doped in the poly(methyl methacrylate) matrix

The luminescence enhancement effect of different kinds and contents of rare earth complexe (RE(DBM)3Phen, RE = Dy, La, Gd, Sm, Y; DBM = dibenzoylmethane; Phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) sensitized Eu(DBM)3Phen doped in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix was investigated using the combinatorial method. The efficiency of the luminescence enhancement increases with a decrease in the weight percentage of the Eu(DBM)3Phen and an increase in the molecular weight of the PMMA in the systems. Among these sensitization ion complexes, La(DBM)3Phen shows the highest sensitization efficiency. At the optimal content of 5 wt % Eu(DBM)3Phen and 350,000 g/mol weight average molecular weight (Mw) of PMMA, the maximum sensitization efficiency of La(DBM)3Phen is approximately 20 times. We believe that the PMMA with high molecular weight enwraps the rare earth complexes and keeps the donors and acceptors close, which results in the effective intermolecular energy transfer and, consequently, the high sensitization efficiency.     

Photodegradation of poly(methyl methacrylate)

The vacuum photodegradation at 30°C. of poly(methyl methacrylate) and copolymers with acrylaldehyde, methacrylaldehyde, and methyl acrylate has been studied. The polymers were examined in the form of expanded films as produced by a freeze-drying technique. At least one molecule of carbon monoxide is evolved for each chain scission. It is concluded that chain scission in poly(methyl methacrylate) is primarily the result of photoinduced aldehyde groups.     

Synthesis of crown ether-terminated poly(methyl methacrylate) by radical chain transfer polymerization

Mercapto-16-crown-5 was prepared starting from tetraethyleneglycol and 3-chloro-2-chloromethyl-1-propene. Radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate was carried out in the presence of mercapto-16-crown-5 as a chain transfer agent to give crown ether-terminated poly(methyl methacrylate). The end crown group was characterized by IR and ¹H-NMR spectra. Sodium cation was selectively extracted by this crown-containing polymer. The molecular weight of the obtained polymer had influence upon the ability of extraction of sodium cation.     

Stereoregularity of poly(methyl methacrylate) prepared by aqueous polymerization and catalyzed by corundum

The aqueous polymerization of methyl methacrylate was carried out in the absence and in presence of corundum or carborundum at 25 and 80°C. In the absence of corundum and carborundum, it has been found that rising the polymerization temperature from 25 to 80°C resulted in changing the tacticity of the obtained polymers. At 25°C the isotactic triad was 26% while the heterotactic triad was 33.5% and the syndiotactic one was 40.5%. Increasing the polymerization temperature to 80°C resulted in a decrease of the isotactic structure to 0% and increased the heterotactic structure and syndiotactic structure to 48 and 52% respectively. Polymerizing at 25°C in presence of corundum (0.5 g) an increase in the syndiotactic triad took place from 40.5 to 50.7% while the isotactic triad decreased from 26 to 22.2% and the heterotactic structure decreased from 33.5 to 27%. Raising the polymerization temperature to 80°C in the presence of the same amount of corundum resulted in an increase in both the isotactic and heterotactic triads to 35 and 32.7%, respectively. Polymerizing at 80°C in presence of corundum (0.5 g) resulted in nearly an equal percentage of each triad 33%.     

Dynamics of adsorbed poly(methyl acrylate) and poly(methyl methacrylate) on silica

Deuterium NMR and modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) were used to probe the behavior of ultrathin adsorbed poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA). The spectra for the bulk methyl-labeled PMA-d₃ were consistent with the motions of the polymer segments being spatially homogeneous. For the polymers adsorbed on silica, multicomponent line shapes were observed. The segmental mobility of the surface polymers increased with increased adsorbed amounts. In contrast to the behavior of the polymers in bulk, the adsorbed lower-molecular-mass PMA-d₃ was less mobile than the adsorbed high-molecular-mass polymer. The presence of a polymer overlayer was sufficient to suppress the enhanced mobility of the more-mobile segments of the adsorbed (inner) polymer. MDSC studies on adsorbed poly(methyl methacrylate) showed that the glass-transition temperature of the thin polymer films increased and broadened compared to the behavior of the polymer in bulk. The presence of a motional gradient with the less-mobile segments near the solid-polymer interface and the more-mobile segments near the polymer-air interface was consistent with the experimental observations.     

Radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate). V. Kinetics of initial template polymerization

The influence of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as a polymer matrix on the initial rate of radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) has been measured between ?11 and +60°C using a dilatometric technique. Under proper conditions an increase in the relative initial rate of template polymerization with respect to a blank polymerization was observed. Viscometric studies showed that the observed effect could be related to the extent of complex formation between the polymer matrix and the growing chain radical. The initial rate was dependent on tacticity and molecular weight of the matrix polymer, solvent type and polymerization temperature. The accelerating effect was most pronounced (a fivefold increase in rate) at the lowest polymerization temperature with the highest molecular weight isotactic PMMA as a matrix in a solvent like dimethylformamide (DMF), which is known to be a good medium for complex formation between isotactic and syndiotactic PMMA. The acceleration of the polymerization below 25°C appeared to be accompanied by a large decrease in the overall energy and entropy of activation. It is suggested that the observed template effects are mainly due to the stereoselection in the propagation step (lower activation entropy Δ S_p^?) and the hindrance of segmental diffusion in the termination step (higher activation energy Δ E_t^?) of complexed growing chain radicals.