Controlled radical polymerization of styrene in the presence of nitronyl nitroxides

Bulk radical polymerization of styrene in the presence of nitronyl nitroxides (2-(4-substituted phenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydroimidazolyl-1-oxyl 3-oxide) was studied. All nitronyl nitroxides, like other nitroxyl radicals such as 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl radical (TEMPO), act as reversible radical scavengers. The efficiency of controlling the polymerization is affected by the substituent at the 4′-position. The efficiency increases with electron donating strength of 4′-substituents, at least at the beginning of the reaction. However, the thermal stability of nitronyl nitroxides decreases in the same order. Thus, TEMPO is more suitable than nitronyl nitroxides for controlled/“living” radical polymerization of styrene.     

Controlled radical polymerization of styrene in the presence of molecular iodine

Controlled radical polymerization of styrene in toluene by the RITP method in the presence of I₂ and radical initiators, 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) and benzoyl peroxide, was studied.

     

Controlled radical polymerization in the presence of N‐oxyls

Recent development in controlled radical polymerization has provided a tool to combine a relatively robust radical polymerization technique with structural control. This contribution focuses on stable free radical polymerization in the presence of nitroxides. The influence of 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐piperidine‐N‐oxyl (TEMPO) and temperature on the copolymerization of styrene and acrylonitrile will be discussed. In the second part a new class of nitroxide stable free radicals will be presented that shows enhanced performance in styrene polymerizations.     

Analysis of polymerization rates in radical polymerization with primary radical termination of some methacrylates

Polymerization rates in polymerizations with primary radical termination of ethyl methacrylate, β-phenylethyl methacrylate, β-methoxyethyl methacrylate, and phenyl methacrylate initiated by 2,2'-azobis-(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) at 60°C were analyzed by using a simple linear equation. The values obtained of k_ti/k_ik_p (where k_ti is the primary radical termination rate constant, k_i is the rate constant of addition on to monomer of primary radical, and k_p is the propagation rate constant) on these analyses are discussed on the theoretical base.     

Ylide mediated polymerization of methacrylates and acrylates in the presence of tetraphenylphosphonium cation 3

Triphenylmethide tetraphenylphosphonium (TPM, TPP) or methylisobutyrate tetraphenylphosphonium (MIB, TPP) formed by ion exchange reactions of TPP chloride(TPPCl) with the TPM or MB potassium salts in THF, initiate the living polymerization of MMA producing PMMA's with narrow MW distributions (below 1.3) at ambient temperatures.     

Controlled polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of an FeCl3-complexing agent system

The controlled polymerization of methyl methacrylate in DMF with participation of FeCl₃ and ligands (acrylamide, 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyldisilazane, citric acid, and sulfosalicylic acid) has been studied. It has been shown for the first time that DMF ensures the polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the controlled mode without any other complexing agents. As temperature increases, the rate of the process and the polydispersity of PMMA increase.     

Thermal and radical polymerization of anthracene acrylates and methacrylates

The thermal and radical-induced polymerizations of 9-anthrylmethyl acrylate ( I ), 9-anthrylmethyl methacrylate ( II ), 1′-(9-anthryl)ethyl acrylate ( III ), and 1′-(9-anthryl)ethyl methacrylate ( IV ) have been studied. It was found that the radical-induced polymerization takes place for the methacrylates only, while thermal polymerization leads to polymers for both types of monomers and takes place by Diels–Alder cycloaddition in the case of acrylates, and by both normal enchainment and Diels–Alder cycloaddition in the case of methacrylates.     

Radical polymerization of various alkyl methacrylates in liquid crystalline solvents

The polymerization of methacrylates of methyl, ethyl, butyl, hexyl, octyl, dodecyl, and octadecyl alcohols was studied with 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile in the smectic, nematic, cholesteric, and isotropic liquid phases at 50–75°C. N-(4-Methoxyphenylmethylene)phenylamine, N-(4-ethoxyphenyl-methylene)-4-butylphenylamine, cholesteryl octadecanoate, and benzene were used as the solvents. The viscosities of the polymers were enhanced in the mesomorphic solvents. The polymer was converted to the corresponding poly(methyl methacrylate) through hydrolysis and esterification. Tacticities of the resultant poly(methyl methacrylates) were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The isotacticities of the polymers obtained in the smectic and the nematic phases were basically the same and appeared to be larger than those of the polymers in the cholesteric and isotropic liquid states. The polymerization of the methacrylates of butyl and longer-chain alcohols deviated from Bernoullian statistics and gave polymers more isotactic than those of methyl and ethyl methacrylates.     

Stereocontrol in the free‐radical polymerization of methacrylates with fluoroalcohols

The free‐radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethyl methacrylate (EMA), isopropyl methacrylate (IPMA), and tert‐butyl methacrylate (t‐BuMA) was carried out under various conditions to achieve stereoregulation. In the MMA polymerization, syndiotactic specificity was enhanced by the use of fluoroalcohols, including (CF₃)₃COH as a solvent or an additive. The polymerization of MMA in (CF₃)₃COH at −98 °C achieved the highest syndiotacticity (rr = 93%) for the radical polymerization of methacrylates. Similar effects of fluoroalcohols enhancing syndiotactic specificity were also observed in the polymerization of EMA, whereas the effect was negligible in the IPMA polymerization. In contrast to the polymerizations of MMA and EMA, syndiotactic specificity was decreased by the use of (CF₃)₃COH in the t‐BuMA polymerization. The stereoeffects of fluoroalcohols seemed to be due to the hydrogen‐bonding interaction of the alcohols with monomers and growing species. The interaction was confirmed by NMR measurements. In addition, in the bulk polymerization of MMA at −78 °C, syndiotactic specificity and polymer yield increased even in the presence of a small amount {[(CF₃)₃COH]/[MMA]_o < 1} of (CF₃)₃COH. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4693–4703, 2000     

Controlled radical polymerization of styrene in the presence of cyclic 1,2‐disulfides

The thermal polymerization of styrene (St) in the presence of cyclic 1,2‐disulfides at 120 °C was investigated. In the polymerization of St in the presence of 1,2‐dithiane (DT), that is, six‐member cyclic 1,2‐disulfide, the polymer yields and molecular weights increased with the reaction time. The linear relation between the polymer yields and molecular weights was observed, and the line passed through an original point. The molecular weight distributions of the polymers remained almost constant but were not narrow. For this polymerization with a living nature, we proposed the following mechanism: the propagating St radical reacted with thiyl radicals derived from DT, leading to the formation of dormant species, and the formed C S bond of the dormant was dissociated again to give the propagating polystyryl radical and thiyl radical. Similar results were obtained in the thermal polymerization of St at 120 °C in the presence of 1,2‐dithiacycloheptane, that is, seven‐member cyclic 1,2‐disulfide. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 145–151, 2001     

Control of a living radical polymerization of methacrylates by light

On-off: A living radical polymerization procedure, which utilizes ppm levels of an iridium-based photoredox catalyst, affords control over chain growth through mediation by visible light (see scheme; P(n) =polymer chain, X=halogen, M=monomer). This process can be activated and deactivated by light, enables control over the molecular weight and molecular weight distributions, and tolerates different functional groups.     

Controlled radical polymerization of fluorinated methacrylates in supercritical CO2: Synthesis and application of a novel RAFT agent

A novel fluorinated reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer agent, S,S‐di‐pentaflourobenzyl trithiocarbonate (DPFBTTC), was designed and synthesized. DPFBTTC and dibenzyl trithiocarbonate (DBTTC) were applied in the polymerization of dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate (DFHMA), hexafluorobutyl methacrylate (HFBMA), and trifluoroethyl methacrylate (TFEMA) in scCO₂. The polymerization processes were monitored using a high‐pressure in‐situ NIR, through which the polymerization kinetics was investigated and the controllability of DPFBTTC was evaluated. It is found that the controllability of DPFBTTC presented in the order of DFHMA > HFBMA > TFEMA, indicating that DPFBTTC may fit for the controlled polymerization of the highly fluorinated methacrylates. Moreover, the controllability of DPFBTTC is verified to be better than that of DBTTC, possibly resulting from the enhanced accessibility/miscibility of DPFBTTC to the fluorinated monomer used. We believe that the employment of DPFBTTC and the resulted introduction of stable pentafluorobenzyl end groups to the polymer are expected to distinctly improve performances of the polymer, and thus will meet the special application requirements. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 825–834     

Free radical polymerization in the presence of triethylborane

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by triethylborane-peroxides and by triethylborane-AIBN mixtures has been studied. From the dependence of rate of polymerization and molecular weight of the polymer on the triethylborane concentration. It is concluded that the initiation is complex. An initiation mechanism involving triethylborane-monomer and triethylborane-cocatalyst complexes is proposed.     

Controlled radical polymerization of acrylonitrile in the presence of trithiocarbonates as reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer agents

Specific features of pseudo-living radical polymerization of acrylonitrile in dimethyl sulfoxide solution in the presence of low-molecular-weight and polymeric trithiocarbonates as reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer agents were studied.     

Controlled radical emulsion polymerization of polystyrene

In this paper, a new water-soluble initiator system, 2-bromopropane/CuSO₄/sodium ascorbate, was used as the initiator for emulsion polymerization. Radical emulsion polymerization of styrene was successfully carried out at 80 °C by using sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate as the emulsifier. The 2-bromopropane/CuSO₄/sodium ascorbate-initiated emulsion polymerization shows the controlled free-radical polymerization features with linear growth of molecular weight. Polystyrene with a relatively high molecular weight and a narrow molecular weight distribution can be synthesized by this method. On the other hand, stable polystyrene latex can be obtained, and the size of the polystyrene latex increased with the increase in monomer conversion.     

Controlled radical polymerization of 4-vinylpyridine

2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO)-mediated free radical polymerization of 4-vinylpyridine is found to proceed in a “controlled” manner. A linear increase of molecular weight along with an increase in conversion occurs at varying temperatures. Polymerization of styrene with a poly(4-vinylpyridine) block as macromer results in block copolymers with narrow polydispersity. The polymers are characterized by different size exclusion chromatography methods and converted to cationic polyelectrolytes as well as to polysulfo- and polycarbobetaines.     

Copper(I)-mediated radical polymerization of methacrylates in aqueous solution

α-Methoxypolyethylene oxide methacrylate was polymerized by copper(I)-mediated living radical polymerization in aqueous solution to give polymers with controlled number-average molecular masses and narrow polydispersities. When equimolar quantities of initiator with respect to copper(I) bromide were used, the reaction was extremely fast with quantitative conversion achieved in less than 5 min at ambient temperature. However, the molecular weight distribution was broad, and control over the number-average molecular weight (M_n) growth was extremely poor; this is ascribed to an increase in termination because of the increased rate as a result of the coordination of water at the copper center. The complex formed between copper(I) bromide and N-(n-propyl)-2-pyridylmethanimine, bis[N-(n-propyl)-2-pyridylmethanimine]copper(I), was demonstrated to be stable in aqueous solution by ¹H NMR over 10 h at 25 °C. However, on increasing the temperature to 50 °C, decomposition occurred rapidly. Thus, polymerization temperatures were maintained at ambient temperature. When longer alkyl chains were utilized in the ligand, that is, pentyl and octyl, the complex acted as a surfactant leading to heterogeneous solutions. When the catalyst concentration was reduced by two orders of magnitude, the rate of polymerization was reduced with 100% conversion achieved after 60 min with the M_n of the final product being higher than that predicted and the polydispersity equal to 1.43. Copper(II) was added as an inhibitor to circumvent these problems. When 10% of Cu(I) was replaced by Cu(II) {[Cu(I)] + [Cu(II)]/[I] = 1/100}, the mass distribution showed a bimodal distribution, and the rate of polymerization decreased significantly. With a catalyst composition [Cu(I)]/[Cu(II)] = 0.5/0.5 {[Cu(I)] + [Cu(II)]}/[I] = 1/100, polymerization proceeded slowly with 80% conversion reached after 22 h. Thus, the concentration of Cu(I) was further reduced with [Cu(I)]/[Cu(II)] = 10/90, {[Cu(I)] + [Cu(II)]}/[I] = 1/100. The system then contained [Initiator]/[Cu(I)] = 1000/1 and [I]/[Cu(II)] = 1000/9. Under these conditions, the reaction reached 50% after 5 h with the polymer having both an M_n close to the theoretical value and a narrow polydispersity of PDi = 1.15. Optimum results were obtained by increasing the amount of catalyst. When a ratio of [Cu(I)]/[Cu(II)] = 10/90 with a ratio of [Cu]/[I] = 1/1, a conversion of 100% was achieved after less than 20 h, leading to a product having M_n = 8500 and PDi = 1.15. Decreasing the amount of Cu(II) relative to Cu(I) to [Cu(I)]/[Cu(II)] = 0.5/0.5 (maintaining the overall amount of copper) led to 100% conversion after 75 min: M_n = 9500, PDi = 1.10. Block copolymers have been demonstrated by sequential monomer addition with excellent control over M_n and PDi. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1696–1707, 2001     

Controlled free‐radical polymerization of 2‐vinylpyridine in the presence of nitroxides

Bulk free‐radical polymerization of 2‐vinylpyridine (2VP) in the presence of 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐N‐oxyl (TEMPO) was studied under different conditions (temperature and presence of additives). Linear poly‐(2‐vinylpyridine) with a narrow molecular weight distribution and controllable molecular weight was prepared in the presence of acetic anhydride at 95 °C up to a conversion of 66%. At higher conversions side reactions became very important (pseudoliving polymerization). By applying this procedure, well‐defined random copolymers of 2VP with styrene or tert‐butylmethacrylate as well as block copolymers of 2VP with styrene were synthesized. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2889–2895, 2001     

Correlation analysis of kinetic parameters of the free radical polymerization of alkylphenyl methacrylates

Data from previous articles on the initial polymerization rates of a series of monoalkyl substituted phenyl methacrylates were found to depend strongly on the size and position of the monoalkyl substituent in the phenyl ring. In order to investigate the possibility of correlation of all the rate data obtained, all those for phenyl methacrylate and ten other alkylphenyl substituted methacrylate monomers were fitted into empirical linear free energy relationships (LFER). Assuming steady-state kinetics and separating out the initiator decomposition contribution to the initial overall rate R_p, it was demonstrated that k′ = k_p/k_t^½ can be successfully correlated with LFER equations containing predominantly steric parameters. The steric influence is more pronounced in the o- than in the p-substitution, due to the proximity of the o-substituent to the reaction propagation site. The results are corroborated by the existence of an isokinetic relationship of ΔH? vs. ΔS?, providing the proportionality of electronic effects, however small, and the predominating steric effects. The treatment is based on the assumption that the initiator efficiency ? equals 1 and that the termination rate constants k_t are equal for monomers of similar structure, what might represent an approximation of the true situation in the system investigated. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.