Dithiocarbamate mediated controlled/living free radical polymerization of methyl acrylate under 60Co γ‐ray irradiation: Conjugation effect of N‐group

The free radical polymerizations of methyl acrylate have been studied under γ‐ray irradiation in the presence of the dithiocarbamates with different N‐groups. The results indicate that the conjugation structure of the N‐group of dithiocarbamate plays an important role in living free radical polymerization. The polymerizations reveal good living characteristics in the presence of dithiocarbamates (benzyl 1H‐imidazole‐1‐carbodithioate, benzyl 1H‐pyrrole‐1‐carbodithioate, benzyl 1H‐indole‐1‐carbodithioate, and benzyl 9H‐carbazole‐9‐carbodithioate) with N‐aryl group. In contrast, the polymerization with benzyl N,N‐diethyldithiocarbamate cannot be controlled, and the obtained polymer has a broad molecular weight distribution or even crosslink occurs. Moreover, polymerization rate is influenced by the conjugation structure of the N‐group of dithiocarbamate, and the aromatic polycyclic structure of the N‐group leads to slow polymerization. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5670–5677, 2004     

Influence of aggregate formation in the copolymerization of ethyl α‐hydroxymethylacrylate with methyl methacrylate

Ethyl α‐hydroxymethylacrylate was homopolymerized and copolymerized with methyl methacrylate in chlorobenzene and 1,4‐dioxane solutions at 50 °C with 1.5 × 10^?2 mol/L 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator and a global monomer concentration of 3.0 mol/L. The experiments showed differences in the calculated values of the monomer reactivity ratios in both solvents. The kinetic behavior was analyzed in terms of the implicit penultimate effect and the radical reactivity ratios. All the parameters were examined with respect to the aggregation ability of the ethyl α‐hydroxymethylacrylate monomer. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4187–4195, 2005     

Synthesis of comb‐shaped poly(methyl methacrylate)‐b‐poly(polytetrahydrofuran acrylate) under 60Co γ‐ray irradiation

Comb‐shaped graft copolymers with poly(methyl methacrylate) as a handle were synthesized by the macromonomer technique in two steps. First, polytetrahydrofuran acrylate (A‐PTHF), prepared by the living cationic ring‐opening polymerization of tetrahydrofuran, underwent homopolymerization with 1‐(ethoxycarbonyl)prop‐1‐yl dithiobenzoate as an initiator under ⁶⁰Co γ irradiation at room temperature; Second, the handle of the comb‐shaped copolymers was prepared by the block copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with P(A‐PTHF) as a macroinitiator under ⁶⁰Co γ irradiation. The two‐step polymerizations were proved to be controlled with the following evidence: the straight line of ln[M]₀/[M] versus the polymerization time, the linear increase in the number‐average molecular weight with the conversion, and the relatively narrow molecular weight distribution. The structures of the P(A‐PTHF) and final comb‐shaped copolymers were characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3367–3378, 2002     

Anionic alternating copolymerization of α‐arylacrylates with methyl methacrylate: Effect of monomer sequence on fluorescence

Anionic polymerizations of acrylates possessing 1‐pyrenyl (Py1), 1‐naphthyl (Np1), 2‐naphthyl (Np2), and 2‐fluorenyl (Fl2) groups as α‐substituents were investigated as well as the properties of the obtained polymers. Py1 and Np1 did not undergo polymerization, whereas Np2 and Fl2, annulated α‐phenylacrylates at 3,4‐position of the phenyl group, afforded homo‐oligomers and alternating copolymers with methyl methacrylate (MMA). The oligomer of Fl2 [oligo(Fl2)] exhibited strong excimer emission in diluted solution. In contrast, dominant monomer emission was observed for the alternating copolymer with MMA [poly(Fl2‐co‐MMA)]. In the alternating copolymer, MMA units could function as spacers preventing the association of pendant fluorene moieties to suppress the excimer formation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2806–2814     

Controlled radical copolymerization of β‐pinene and acrylonitrile

The feasibility of the radical copolymerization of β‐pinene and acrylonitrile was clarified for the first time. The monomer reactivity ratios evaluated by the Fineman–Ross method were r_β‐pinene = 0 and r_{acrylonitrile} = 0.66 in dichloroethane at 60 °C with AIBN, which indicated that the copolymerization was a simple alternating copolymerization. The addition of the Lewis acid Et₂AlCl increased the copolymerization rate and enhanced the incorporation of β‐pinene. The first example for the synthesis of an almost perfectly alternating copolymer of β‐pinene and acrylonitrile was achieved in the presence of Et₂AlCl. Furthermore, the possible controlled copolymerization of β‐pinene and acrylonitrile was then attempted via the reversible addition–fragmentation transfer (RAFT) technique. At a low β‐pinene/acrylonitrile feed ratio of 10/90 or 25/75, the copolymerization with 2‐cyanopropyl‐2‐yl dithiobenzoate as the transfer agent displayed the typical features of living polymerization. However, the living character could be observed only within certain monomer conversions. At higher monomer conversions, the copolymerizations deviated from the living behavior, probably because of the competitive degradative chain transfer of β‐pinene. The β‐pinene/acrylonitrile copolymers with a high alternation degree and controlled molecular weight were also obtained by the combination of the RAFT agent cumyl dithiobenzoate and Lewis acid Et₂AlCl. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2376–2387, 2006     

Controlled/living ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone with salicylic acid as the organocatalyst

Ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of ε‐caprolactone (CL) using salicylic acid (SAA) as the organocatalyst and benzyl alcohol as the initiator in bulk at 80 °C successfully proceeded to give a narrowly distributed poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL). In addition, 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate, propargyl alcohol, 6‐azido‐1‐hexanol, and methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) were also used as functional initiators. The ¹H NMR, SEC, and MALDI‐TOF MS measurements of the PCL clearly indicate the presence of the initiator residue at the chain end, implying that the SAA‐catalyzed ROP of CL was through the activated monomer mechanism. The kinetic experiments confirmed the controlled/living nature of the SAA‐catalyzed ROP of CL. Furthermore, the block copolymerization of CL and δ‐valerolactone successfully proceeded to give poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐block‐poly(δ‐valerolactone). © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 1185–1192     

Backbiting and β‐scission reactions in free‐radical polymerization of methyl acrylate

Multiple mechanisms of backbiting and β‐scission reactions in free‐radical polymerization of methyl acrylate are modeled using different levels of theory, and the rigid‐rotor harmonic‐oscillator (RRHO) and hindered‐rotor (HR) approximations. We identify the most cost‐effective computational method(s) for studying the reactions and assess the effects of different factors (e.g., functional type and chain length) on thermodynamic quantities, and then identify the most likely mechanisms with first‐principles thermodynamic calculations and simulations of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. To this end, the composite method G4(MP2)‐6X is used to calculate the energy barrier of a representative backbiting reaction. This calculated barrier is then compared with values obtained using density functional theory (DFT) (B3LYP, M06‐2X, and PBE0) and a wavefunction‐based quantum chemistry method (MP2) to establish the benchmark method. Our study reveals that the barriers predicted using B3LYP, M06‐2X, and G4(MP2)‐6X are comparable. The entropies calculated using the RRHO and HR approximations are also comparable. DFT calculations indicate that the 1:5 backbiting mechanism with a six‐membered ring transition state and 1:7 backbiting with an eight‐membered ring transition state are energetically more favored than 1:3 backbiting and 1:9 backbiting mechanisms. The thermodynamic favorability of 1:5 versus 1:7 backbiting depends on the live polymer chain length. The activation energies and rate constants of the left and right β‐scission reactions are nearly equal. The calculated and experimental ¹³C and ¹H NMR chemical shifts of polymer chains affected by backbiting and β‐scission reactions agree with each other, which provides further evidence in favor of the proposed mechanisms. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Monomer reactivity ratios for acrylonitrile–methyl acrylate free‐radical copolymerization

Nonlinear monomer reactivity ratios for the homogeneous free‐radical copolymerization of acrylonitrile and methyl acrylate were determined from ¹H NMR and real‐time Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses. All ¹H NMR data were obtained on polymers isolated at low conversions (<10%), whereas the FTIR data were collected in situ. The copolymerizations were conducted in N,N‐dimethylformamide at 62 °C and were initiated with azobisisobutyronitrile. The real‐time FTIR technique allowed for many data points to be collected for each feed composition, which enabled the calculation of copolymer compositions (dM₁/dM₂) with better accuracy. Monomer reactivity ratios were estimated with the Mayo–Lewis method and then were refined via a nonlinear least‐squares analysis first suggested by Mortimer and Tidwell. Thus, monomer reactivity ratios at the 95% confidence level were determined to be 1.29 ± 0.2 and 0.96 ± 0.2 for acrylonitrile and methyl acrylate, respectively, which were valid under the specific system conditions (i.e., solvent and temperature) studied. The results are useful for the development of acrylonitrile (<90%) and methyl acrylate, melt‐processable copolymer fibers and films, including precursors for carbon fibers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2994–3001, 2004     

Two‐Step Backbiting Reaction in the Ring‐Opening Polymerization of γ‐Acryloyloxy‐ε‐caprolactone Initiated with Aluminium Isopropoxide

γ‐Acryloyloxyethyl‐γ‐butyrolactone is formed as a byproduct when the polymerization of γ‐acryloyloxy‐ε‐caprolactone is initiated with aluminium isopropoxide in toluene. The extent of this side reaction decreases with decreasing temperature and is dependent on whether the reaction is stopped as soon as monomer conversion is complete or not. A two‐step backbiting mechanism is proposed for this intramolecular transesterification reaction.     

Nitroxide‐mediated radical copolymerization of methyl methacrylate controlled with a minimal amount of 9‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)‐9H‐carbazole

The controlled nitroxide‐mediated homopolymerization of 9‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)‐9H‐carbazole (VBK) and the copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with varying amounts of VBK were accomplished by using 10 mol % {tert‐butyl[1‐(diethoxyphosphoryl)‐2,2‐dimethylpropyl]amino} nitroxide relative to 2‐({tert‐butyl[1‐(diethoxyphosphoryl)‐2,2‐dimethylpropyl]amino}oxy)‐2‐methylpropionic acid (BlocBuilder?) in dimethylformamide at temperatures from 80 to 125 °C. As little as 1 mol % of VBK in the feed was required to obtain a controlled copolymerization of an MMA/VBK mixture, resulting in a linear increase in molecular weight versus conversion with a narrow molecular weight distribution (M_w /M_n ≈ 1.3). Preferential incorporation of VBK into the copolymer was indicated by the MMA/VBK reactivity ratios determined: r_VBK = 2.7 ± 1.5 and r_MMA = 0.24 ± 0.14. The copolymers were found significantly “living” by performing subsequent chain extensions with a fresh batch of VBK and by ³¹P NMR spectroscopy analysis. VBK was found to be an effective controlling comonomer for NMP of MMA, and such low levels of VBK comonomer ensured transparency in the final copolymer. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Controllability of radical copolymerization of maleimide and ethyl α‐(n‐propyl)acrylate using 1,1,2,2‐tetraphenyl‐1,2‐bis(trimethylsilyloxy) ethane as initiator

The radical copolymerization of maleimide (MI) and ethyl α‐propylacrylate was performed using 1,1,2,2‐tetraphenyl‐1,2‐bis(trimethylsilyloxy) ethane (TPSE) as initiator. The whole copolymerization process might be divided into two stages: in the first stage, the copolymerization was carried out on the common radical mechanism, the molecular weight of the copolymer increased rapidly in much lower conversion (< 85%), and did not depend on the polymerization time and conversion; in the second stage, molecular weight of the copolymer increased linearly with the conversion and the polymerization time. It was found, however, when the conversion was higher than a certain value, for example, more than 36%, the molecular weight of the copolymer was nearly unchangeable with the polymerization time and the molecular weight distribution was widened. The effect of reaction conditions on copolymerization was discussed and the reactivity ratios were calculated by the Kelen–Tudos method, the values were r_MI = 0.13 ± 0.03, r_EPA = 0.58 ± 0.06 for TPSE system and r_MI = 0.12 ± 0.03, r_EPA = 0.52 ± 0.06 for AIBN system. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2872–2878, 2000     

Synthesis and characterization of macroinitiator‐amino terminated PEG and poly(γ‐benzyl‐L‐glutamate)‐PEO‐poly(γ‐benzyl‐L‐glutamate) triblock copolymer

Macroinitiator‐amino terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (NH₂‐PEO‐NH₂) was prepared by converting both terminal hydroxyl groups of PEG to more reactive primary amino groups. The synthetic route involved reactions of chloridize, phthalimide and finally hydrazinolysis. Furthermore, poly(γ‐benzyl‐L ‐glutamate)‐poly(ethylene oxide)‐poly(γ‐benzyl‐L ‐glutamate) (PBLG‐PEO‐PBLG) triblock copolymer was synthesized by polymerization of γ‐benzyl‐L ‐glutamate N‐carboxyanhydride (Bz‐L‐GluNCA) using NH₂‐PEO‐NH₂ as macroinitiator. The resultant NH₂‐PEO‐NH₂ and triblock copolymer were characterized by FT‐IR, ¹H‐NMR and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) techniques. The results demonstrated that the degree of amination of the NH₂‐PEO‐NH₂ could be up to 1.95. The molecular weight of the PBLG‐PEO‐PBLG triblock copolymer could be adjusted easily by controlling the molar ratio of Bz‐L ‐Glu NCA to the macroinitiator NH₂‐PEO‐NH₂. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Free‐radical copolymerization of ethyl α‐hydroxymethylacrylate with methyl methacrylate by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer

The controlled free‐radical homopolymerization of ethyl α‐hydroxymethylacrylate and copolymerization with methyl methacrylate were performed in chlorobenzene at 70 °C by the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization technique with 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator. 2‐Phenylprop‐2‐yl dithiobenzoate and 2‐cyanoprop‐2‐yl dithiobenzoate were used as chain‐transfer agents in the homopolymerization, whereas only the former was used in the copolymerization. All reactions presented pseudolinear kinetics. The effect of the monomer feed ratio on the copolymerization kinetics was examined. The conversion level decreased when the proportion of ethyl α‐hydroxymethylacrylate in the monomer feed was larger. Kinetic studies indicated that the radical polymerizations proceeded with apparent living character according to experiments, demonstrating an increase in the molar mass with the monomer conversion and a relatively narrow molar mass distribution. All copolymers were statistical in chain structure, as confirmed by determinations of the monomer reactivity ratios. The monomer reactivity ratios were determined, and the Mayo–Lewis terminal model provided excellent predictions for the variations of the intermolecular structure over the entire conversion range. Additionally, the chemical modification of poly(ethyl α‐hydroxymethylacrylate) was carried out to introduce glucose pendant groups into the structure. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5618–5629, 2006     

α‐olefin homopolymerization and ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization catalysed by novel ansa‐group IV complexes/MAO system

The catalytic properties of a set of ansa‐complexes (R‐Ph)₂C(Cp)(Ind)MCl₂ [R = ^tBu, M = Ti ( 3 ), Zr ( 4 ) or Hf ( 5 ); R = MeO, M = Zr ( 6 ), Hf ( 7 )] in α‐olefin homopolymerization and ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization were explored in the presence of MAO (methylaluminoxane). Complex 4 with steric bulk ^tBu group on phenyl exhibited remarkable catalytic activity for ethylene polymerization. It was 1.6‐fold more active than complex 11 [Ph₂C(Cp)(Ind)ZrCl₂] at 11 atm ethylene pressure and was 4.8‐fold more active at 1 atm pressure. The introduction of bulk substituent ^tBu into phenyl groups not only increased the catalytic activity greatly but also enhanced the content of 1‐hexene in ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization. The highest 1‐hexene incorporation was 25.4%. In addition, 4 was also active for propylene and 1‐hexene homopolymerization, respectively, and low isotactic polypropylene (mmmm = 11.3%) and isotactic polyhexene (mmmm = 31.6%) were obtained. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ATRP of MMA under 60Co γ‐irradiation at room temperature

In this work, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was successfully carried out at room temperature (25 °C) under ⁶⁰Co γ‐irradiation environment. The polymerization proceeded smoothly with high conversion (>90%) within 7 h. The polymerizations kept the features of controlled radical polymerization: first‐order kinetics, well‐predetermined number‐average molecular weights (M_n,GPC), and narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n < 1.25). ¹H NMR spectroscope and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry confirmed that poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) chain was end‐capped by the initiator moieties. The Cu(II) concentration could reduce to 20 ppm level while keeping good control over molecular weights. This is the first successful example for the ATRP of MMA under ⁶⁰Co γ‐irradiation at room temperature. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Monoaryloxo ytterbium(III) chlorides supported by β‐diketiminato ligands as novel initiators for the living ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone

Ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL) was carried out using β‐diketiminato‐supported monoaryloxo ytterbium chlorides L¹Yb(OAr)Cl(THF) (1) [L¹ = N,N′‐bis(2,6‐dimethylphenyl)‐2,4‐pentanediiminato, OAr = 2,6‐di‐tert‐butylphenoxo‐], and L²Yb(OAr′)Cl(THF) (2) [L² = N,N′‐bis(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)‐2,4‐pentanediiminato, OAr′ = 2,6‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methylphenoxo‐], respectively, as single‐component initiator. The influence of reaction conditions, such as polymerization temperature, polymerization time, initiator, and initiator concentration, on the monomer conversion, molecular weight, and molecular weight distribution of the resulting polymers was investigated. Complex 1 was well characterized and its crystal structure was determined. Some features and kinetic behaviors of the CL polymerization initiated by these two complexes were studied. The polymerization rate is first order with respect to monomer. The M_n of the polymer increases linearly with the increase of the polymer yield, while polydispersity remained narrow and unchanged throughout the polymerization in a broad range of temperatures from 0 to 50 °C. The results indicated that the present system has a “living character”. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1147–1152, 2006     

Radical‐initiated polymerization of β‐methyl‐α‐methylene‐γ‐butyrolactone

β‐Methyl‐α‐methylene‐γ‐butyrolactone (MMBL) was synthesized and then was polymerized in an N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) solution with 2,2‐azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) initiation. The homopolymer of MMBL was soluble in DMF and acetonitrile. MMBL was homopolymerized without competing depolymerization from 50 to 70 °C. The rate of polymerization (R_p) for MMBL followed the kinetic expression R_p = [AIBN]^0.54[MMBL]^1.04. The overall activation energy was calculated to be 86.9 kJ/mol, k_p/k_t^1/2 was equal to 0.050 (where k_p is the rate constant for propagation and k_t is the rate constant for termination), and the rate of initiation was 2.17 × 10^?8 mol L^?1 s^?1. The free energy of activation, the activation enthalpy, and the activation entropy were 106.0, 84.1, and 0.0658 kJ mol^?1, respectively, for homopolymerization. The initiation efficiency was approximately 1. Styrene and MMBL were copolymerized in DMF solutions at 60 °C with AIBN as the initiator. The reactivity ratios (r₁ = 0.22 and r₂ = 0.73) for this copolymerization were calculated with the Kelen–Tudos method. The general reactivity parameter Q and the polarity parameter e for MMBL were calculated to be 1.54 and 0.55, respectively. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1759–1777, 2003     

Synthesis of β‐myrcene/glycidyl methacrylate statistical and amphiphilic diblock copolymers by SG1 nitroxide‐mediated controlled radical polymerization

Bulk nitroxide‐mediated polymerization (NMP) of β‐myrcene (My)/glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) mixtures with varying GMA molar feed fraction (f_GMA,0 = 0.10–0.91) was accomplished at 120 °C, initiated by SG1‐based alkoxyamine bearing a N‐succinimidyl ester group (NHS‐BlocBuilder). Low dispersity My/GMA copolymers (Đ < 1.56) with slight number‐average molecular weights (M_ns) deviations from predicted values (M_n,theo with M_n/M_n,theo > 70%) were obtained. The copolymerization was revealed to be statistical, confirmed via Fineman–Ross (r_My = 0.80 ± 0.31 and r_GMA = 0.71 ± 0.15) and Kelen‐Tüdös (r_My = 0.48 ± 0.12 and r_GMA = 0.53 ± 0.18) approaches. Glass transition temperature (T_g) of the statistical P(My‐stat‐GMA)s increased from −77 to +43 °C as the GMA molar fraction incorporated (F_GMA) increased from 0.10 to 0.90. High SG1 chain‐end fidelity for My‐rich and GMA‐rich P(My‐stat‐GMA)s was assessed by phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance (³¹P NMR, SG1 fraction >69 mol %) and chain‐extensions in toluene with My, GMA and styrene (S) (monomodal shift in M_n). Last, diblock P(My‐b‐GMA) was made and treated with morpholine to produce amphiphilic copolymer able to self‐organize into micelles. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 860–878     

Synthesis of a new monomer N′‐(β‐methacryloyloxyethyl)‐2‐pyrimidyl‐(p‐benzyloxycarbonyl)aminobenzenesulfonamide and its copolymerization with N‐phenyl maleimide

The new monomer N′‐(β‐methacryloyloxyethyl)‐2‐pyrimidyl‐(p‐benzyloxy‐ carbonyl)aminobenzenesulfonamide (MPBAS) (M₁) is synthesized using sulfadiazine as parent compound. It could be homopolymerized and copolymerized with N‐phenyl maleimide (NPMI) (M₂) by radical mechanism using AIBN as initiator at 60 °C in dimethylformamide. The new monomer MPBAS and polymers were identified by IR, element analysis and ¹H NMR in detail. The monomer reactivity ratios in copolymerization were determined by YBR method, and r₁ (MPBAS) = 2.39 ± 0.05, r₂ (NPMI) = 0.33 ± 0.02. In the presence of ammonium formate, benzyloxycarbonyl groups could be broken fluently from MPBAS segments of copolymer by catalytic transfer hydrogenation, and the copolymer with sulfadiazine side groups are recovered. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2548–2554, 2000