Ring‐opening polymerization of 1,3‐benzoxazines by p‐toluenesulfonates as thermally latent initiators

p‐Toluenesulfonic acid (TsOH) and several alkyl p‐toluenesulfonates, that is, methyl p‐toluenesulfonate (TsOMe), cyclohexyl p‐toluenesulfonate (TsOCH), and neopentyl p‐toluenesulfonate (TsONP), were evaluated as initiators for the ring‐opening polymerization of benzoxazines. TsOH and TsOMe were highly efficient initiators that induced the polymerization at 60 and 80 °C, respectively. In contrast, TsOCH and TsONP did not initiate the polymerization below 100 °C, while they induced the polymerization at elevated temperatures, 120 and 150 °C, respectively. When TsOCH was used as an initiator, the corresponding polymerization rate was comparable to that observed for the polymerization with using TsOH as an initiator. These results suggested that neutral TsOCH and TsONP can be regarded as “thermally latent initiators,” which underwent the thermal dissociation at the elevated temperatures to generate the corresponding alkyl cations and/or TsOH as the initiators of the polymerization. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Infrared thermography analysis of the thermally latent polymerization of 3‐ethyl‐3‐phenoxymethyloxetane

Infrared thermography was employed to analyze multiple batches of the thermally latent polymerization of 3‐ethyl‐3‐phenoxymethyloxetane at once. The temperature changes in the polymerization depended on the polymerization rates. That is, a fast polymerization was exothermic, increasing the temporal temperature of the polymerization by approximately 130 °C within a few minutes. Infrared thermography, which can analyze multiple samples instantaneously, proved effective as a screening method for thermally latent curing systems. Exothermicity in the crosslinking polymerization of 1,4‐bis(3‐ethyloxetanylmethoxy)benzene was also analyzed by infrared thermography. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5519–5524, 2006     

Synthesis of a novel bis‐spiroorthoester containing 9,10‐dihydro‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphenantrene‐10‐oxide as a substituent: Homopolymerization and copolymerization with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A

A new bis‐spiroorthoester‐containing monomer, bis[(1,4,6‐trioxaspiro‐[4.4]‐nonan‐2‐yl)‐methyl] 2‐[10‐(9,10‐dihydro‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphenantrene‐10‐oxide‐10‐yl)] maleate (SOE‐DOPOMA), was synthesized with good yields by an esterification reaction with a hydroxylated spiroorthoester (2‐hydroxymethyl‐1,4,6‐trioxaspiro‐[4.4]‐nonane) and a phosphorus‐containing diacid {2‐[10‐(9,10‐dihydro‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphenantrene‐10‐ oxide‐10‐yl)] maleic acid}, both of which were previously synthesized. SOE‐DOPOMA was characterized with ¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy. This new spiroorthoester was crosslinked with ytterbium triflate as a cationic initiator. A mixture of SOE‐DOPOMA and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A was also crosslinked under the same conditions. The curing was studied with differential scanning calorimetry and monitored with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The materials were characterized with differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and thermodynamomechanical analysis. The shrinkage effect on cationic crosslinking was assessed with gas pycnometry, and the flame‐retardant properties were determined with limiting oxygen index measurements. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1980–1992, 2007.     

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     

Novel analytical method for the crosslinking process: Infrared thermographic analysis of the thermally latent cationic polymerization of a spiroorthoester and a bifunctional oxetane for the construction of a low‐shrinkage curing system

Thermal behaviors were monitored by infrared thermographic analysis in the copolymerization of a spiroorthoester and a bifunctional oxetane with thermally latent initiators [benzyl tetrahydrothiophenium hexafluoroantimonate (BTHT) and benzyl 4‐hydroxyphenyl methyl sulfonium hexafluoroantimonate (BPMS)]. The copolymerization with BPMS increased the temperature during the copolymerization more than that with BTHT, whereas the exothermicities were lowered with the increase in the initial feed ratio of the spiroorthocarbonate monomer. The high exothermicity in the copolymerization with BPMS is ascribable to the faster propagation of the oxetane monomer with a high heat of polymerization, and this is supported by model reactions and computational calculation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2820–2826, 2007     

Dual photo‐ and thermally initiated cationic polymerization of epoxy monomers

Selective inhibition of the photoinitiated cationic ring‐opening polymerization of epoxides by dialkyl sulfides has provided dual systems that can be “activated” by UV irradiation and then subsequently be polymerized by the application of heat. It is proposed that dialkyl sulfides terminate the initial or growing polyether chains at an early stage to form stable trialkylsulfonium salts. These systems are dormant at room temperature but on thermolysis, the sulfonium salts are capable of reinitiating ring‐opening polymerization. These dual photo‐ and thermal cure systems have potential applications in adhesives, potting resins, and composites. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6750–6764, 2006     

Selectivity in anionic and cationic ring‐opening polymerizations of tetramethyl‐1‐(3′‐trifluoromethylphenyl)‐1‐phenylcyclotrisiloxane and tetramethyl‐1‐[3′,5′‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]‐1‐phenylcyclotrisiloxane

Anionic and cationic ring‐opening polymerizations of two novel cyclotrisiloxanes, tetramethyl‐1‐(3′‐trifluoromethylphenyl)‐1‐phenylcyclotrisiloxane ( I ) and tetramethyl‐1‐[3′,5′‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]‐1‐phenylcyclotrisiloxane ( II ), are reported. Anionic ring‐opening polymerization of I or II leads to copolymers with highly regular microstructures. Copolymers obtained by cationic polymerizations of I or II , initiated by triflic acid, have less regular microstructures characteristic of chemoselective polymerization processes. The composition and microstructure of copolymers have been characterized by ¹H and ²⁹Si‐NMR, the molecular weight distributions by GPC, and the thermal properties by DSC and TGA. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5235–5243, 2004     

Substituent effect of N‐aryl‐N′‐pyridyl ureas as thermal latent initiators on ring‐opening polymerization of epoxide

A series of N‐aryl‐N′‐pyridyl ureas were synthesized by the reactions of 4‐aminopyridine (4AP) with the corresponding isocyanates such as phenyl isocyanate, 4‐methylphenyl isocyanate, 4‐methoxyphenyl isocyanate, 4‐chlorophenyl isocyanate, 4‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl isocyanate, and 4‐nitrophenyl isocyanate. Bulk polymerization of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) in the presence of the ureas as initiators was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at a heating rate of 10 °C/min. The resulting DSC profiles indicated exothermic peaks above 140 °C, while the DSC profile measured for a formulation composed of DGEBA and pristine 4AP indicated an exothermic peak at around 120 °C, implying that the derivation of 4AP into the corresponding ureas is a useful strategy to achieve thermal latency. The peak top temperatures were correlated with the electron density of the aromatic ring of the ureas, that is, as the electron‐withdrawing nature of the substituent on the aromatic ring became larger, the peak increases. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 2569–2574     

Synthesis of biocompatible and biodegradable block copolymers of polyvinyl alcohol‐block‐poly(ε‐caprolactone) using metal‐free living cationic polymerization

Applications of metal‐free living cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers using HCl · Et₂O are reported. Product of poly(vinyl ether)s possessing functional end groups such as hydroxyethyl groups with predicted molecular weights was used as a macroinitiator in activated monomer cationic polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (CL) with HCl · Et₂O as a ring‐opening polymerization. This combination method is a metal‐free polymerization using HCl · Et₂O. The formation of poly(isobutyl vinyl ether)‐b‐poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PIBVE‐b‐PCL) and poly(tert‐butyl vinyl ether)‐b‐poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PTBVE‐b‐PCL) from two vinyl ethers and CL was successful. Therefore, we synthesized novel amphiphilic, biocompatible, and biodegradable block copolymers comprised polyvinyl alcohol and PCL, namely PVA‐b‐PCL by transformation of acid hydrolysis of tert‐butoxy moiety of PTBVE in PTBVE‐b‐PCL. The synthesized copolymers showed well‐defined structure and narrow molecular weight distribution. The structure of resulting block copolymers was confirmed by ¹H NMR, size exclusion chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5169–5179, 2009     

Ring opening polymerization of epoxides with urea‐derivatives of 4‐aminopyridine as thermally latent anionic initiator

In this study, a series of urea‐derivatives of 4‐aminopyridine (4AP) were evaluated as thermally latent initiators for the anionic ring‐opening polymerization of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA). The urea‐derivatives were synthesized by the reactions of 4AP with the corresponding iso(thio)cyanates (phenyl isocyanate, tert‐butyl isocyanate, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, and phenyl isothiocyanate). The ability of the urea‐derivatives as latent initiators was investigated with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC): Upon heating formulations comprised of DGEBA and the urea‐derivatives in a heating rate at 10 °C/min, the resulting DSC profiles indicated exothermic peaks to confirm that DGEBA underwent the polymerization efficiently. The corresponding DSC‐peak top temperatures (T_{peak top}) was higher than that observed for the formulation comprised of DGEBA and pristine 4AP, to clarify that the urea are useful initiators with thermal latency. A possible mechanism for the initiation step involves the thermal dissociation of the urea into 4AP and the corresponding isocyanates. 4AP thus generated readily initiated the ring‐opening polymerization of epoxide. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2518–2522     

ε‐Caprolactone polymerization under air by the biocatalyst: Magnesium 2,6‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methylphenoxide

This study investigated the synthesis of the biocatalyst, magnesium 2,6‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methylphenoxide (Mg(BHT)₂) complex, and the ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of ε‐caprolactone (CL). The complex demonstrates high catalytic activity and controllable of molecular weight for the ROP of CL in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature, even when polymerization was performed under air. Before this study, the polymerization of CL had never been performed using a magnesium catalyst under air at room temperature. Various forms of alcohols with different purposes were also used as initiators with Mg(BHT)₂. The results show that the magnesium complex acts as a perfect catalyst because of its high catalytic activity and control ability without any cytotoxicity in the polymerization of CL, making it suitable for biomedical applications. In addition, nanoparticle formation, cytotoxicity, and phototoxicity of tri‐2‐hydroxyethyl ester [Ce6‐(CH₂CH₂OPCL)₃] were also studied in this article and Ce6‐(CH₂CH₂OPCL)₃ formed nanoparticle can act as a nanophotosensitizer for photodynamic therapy. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Substituent effects of N‐alkyl groups on thermally induced polymerization behavior of 1,3‐benzoxazines

Thermally induced polymerizations of a series of 1,3‐benzoxazines with a variety of substituents on the nitrogen atom were investigated in detail, particularly in the following three aspects of the polymerization: (1) N‐alkyl‐1,3‐benzoxazines are much more reactive than N‐phenyl‐1,3‐benzoxazine. (2) The polymerization rate depended on the bulkiness of the N‐substituent. The bulkier the substituent was, the slower the polymerization was. (3) The polymerizations accompanied weight loss due to the elimination of the corresponding imine (R‐N = CH₂), and its extent became larger when R was more bulky. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2777–2782, 2010