Investigation of cationic copolymerization of styrene with p-benzoquinone

The kinetics of copolymerization of styrene with p-benzoquinone in the presence of BF₃OEt₂ is investigated. The rate constants and activation energy of the copolymerization process are determined. The reaction orders for monomer and catalyst are estimated. It is found that the rate of styrene and quinone copolymerization increase and the induction period decreases owing to addition of the latter. It is shown that the copolymerization rate achieves its maximum at an equimolal ratio of monomers. This phenomenon is explained by formation of active molecular complex between styrene and p-benzoquinone. On the basis of obtained data the course of copolymerization is interpreted and the cationic mechanism of copolymerization process is proposed.     

Effect of reaction medium on the ionizing radiation-initiated cationic copolymerization of styrene derivatives

The influence of reaction medium polarity on the ionizing radiation-initiated copolymer-ization of styrene derivatives involving unpaired carbocations is examined. In the copo-lymerization of nonpolar monomers such as p-CH3styrene/styrene, a small effect consistent with that predicted by Laidler-Eyring theory is found. In the copolymerization of nonpolar/polar monomer pairs such as p-CH3styrene/p-Clstyrene and styrene/p-Clstyrene, any such effect is masked by specific solvation phenomena. A competition between such phenomena appears to exist, in which the different cations are dominated by different interactions. The p-Clstyryl cation appears to undergo strong intramolecular complexation with the penultimate aromatic ring in nonpolar conditions; thus, this cation displays increased se-lectivity toward monomers best able to disrupt the complex. The p-CH₃styryl and styryl cations do not appear to be subject to such strong complexation; thus, in nonpolar solvent, their selectivity tends towards monomers with the highest cation-solvating ability. The differing copolymerization behavior of the p-Clstyryl cation is consistent with the findings of previous investigations of the effect of reaction medium on chain transfer with these monomers. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Radical copolymerization of crotonyl compounds with styrene

The monomer reactivity ratios for the radical copolymerization of crotononitrile (CN), methyl crotonate (MC), and n-propenyl methyl ketone (PMK) with styrene (St) were measured at 60°C. in benzene and little penultimate unit effect was shown for these systems. The values obtained were: St–CN, r₁ = 24.0, r₂ = 0; St–MC, r₁ = 26.0, r₂ = 0.01; St–PMK, r₁ = 13.7, r₂ = 0.01. The rate of copolymerization and the viscosity of the copolymer decreased markedly as the molar fraction of the crotonyl compound in the monomer mixture increased. The Q–e values were also calculated to be as follows: CN, e = 1.13, Q = 0.009; MC, e = 0.36, Q = 0.015; PMK, e = 0.61, Q = 0.024. A linear relationship was obtained between the e values of the crotonyl compounds and their Hammett constants σ_m.     

Living carbocationic copolymerization of isobutylene with styrene

The carbocationic copolymerization of isobutylene (IB) and styrene (St), initiated by 2‐chloro‐2,4,4‐trimethylpentane/TiCl₄ in 60/40 (v/v) methyl chloride/hexane at ?90 °C, was investigated. At a low total concentration (0.5 mol/L), slow initiation and rapid monomer conversion were observed. At a high total comonomer concentration (3 mol/L), living conditions (a linear semilogarithmic rate and M_n–conversion plots) were found, provided that the St concentration was above a critical value ([St]₀ ～ 0.6 mol/L). The breadth of the molecular weight distribution decreased with increasing IB concentration in the feed, reaching M_w/M_n ～ 1.1. St homopolymerization was also living at a high total concentration, yielding polystyrene with M_n = 82,000 g/mol, the highest molecular weight ever achieved in carbocationic St polymerization. An analysis of this system by both the traditional gravimetric–NMR copolymer composition method and FTIR demonstrated penultimate effects. IB enrichment was found in the copolymers at all feed compositions, with very little drift at a high total concentration and above the critical St concentration. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1778–1787, 2007     

High conversion copolymerization of styrene with methylmethacrylate

A study of the free radical copolymerization of styrene-methylmethacrylate at high conversion is reported. Differences are observed between the experimentally measured compositions and those calculated according to the integrated form of the copolymer composition equation, using published reactivity ratios. Significant differences occur only in situations exhibiting a gel effect, e.g. during bulk copolymerization or with a precipitant like butyl stearate present. Negligible differences are exhibited when a solvent such as benzene is present. Differences have been expressed as changes in copolymer reactivity ratios with conversion; the start of any changes in reactivity ratios is closely related to the onset of gel effects.     

Emulsion copolymerization of styrene with monomeric emulsifiers

Monomeric emulsifiers with different copolymerization reactivities were used as stabilizers in emulsion polymerization of styrene initiated by 2,2′ azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN). A significant change in emulsifier function was observed between equal micellar concentrations of surface-active sodium sulfopropyl alkyl maleates and the corresponding sodium sulfopropyl dodecyl fumarate. In the presence of less reactive maleates, copolymerization mainly occurs in the interface of the monomer swollen particles, while copolymerization with the fumarate in the first period of emulsion polymerization leads to polyelectrolyte formation in the water phase.     

Emulsion copolymerization of tribromophenyl maleimide with styrene

Emulsion copolymerization of Tribromophenyl Maleimide (TBPMI) and styrene was conducted by semi-batch and batch processes. The effects of monomer composition and copolymerization method on copolymerization rate, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution, latex particle size and size distribution, glass transition temperature (T_g), thermal stability and mechanical properties were investigated. A kinetic study has shown that the rate of copolymerization in the batch process increased with increasing TBPMI content in the monomer feed. For the semi-batch polymerized samples, molecular weight decreased and molecular weight distribution increased with increasing TBPMI content in the monomer feed. For the batch polymerized samples, molecular weight also decreased but no obvious tendency was observed for the molecular weight distribution when TBPMI content increased. Compared with the batch copolymers, the semi-batch copolymers have a higher molecular weight at the same initial monomer mixture composition. Latex particle size decreased, while particle size distribution slightly increased with increasing TBPMI content in both semi-batch and batch latices. The semi-batch samples exhibit only a single T_g, the value of which increses linearly with increasing TBPMI content. For the batch copolymers, two T_gs were found, reflecting a mixture of styrene-rich and TBPMI-rich copolymer chains. TGA results indicate that the thermal stability of the semi-batch copolymers increased with increasing TBPMI concentration. Young's and flexural moduli increased, while tensile and flexural strengths decreased by increasing the TBPMI content for both the semi-batch and batch specimens. The semi-batch specimens have higher tensile and flexural strenghts than the batch ones.     

60Co-initiated copolymerization of styrene with vinyl acetate

The kinetic behavior of the ⁶⁰Co-initiated copolymerization at 25°C of styrene with vinyl acetate at 1100 and 2000 rad/hr was studied. As in the case of thermal and photochemical copolymerizations of these monomers, the growing chains are particularly rich in styrene units, and the overall rate is affected by a diluent effect due to the vinyl acetate monomer. However, in the case of the radiation copolymerization, this effect is partially counterbalanced by an increase of the initiation rate with the vinyl acetate concentration; the polymerization rate curve shows a maximum at a vinyl acetate molar fraction of 0.25. This effect is due to the very different free radical yields of these two monomers. The experimental results may be understood on the basis of a kinetic scheme which involves an energy transfer process from the excited vinyl acetate molecules to the styrene monomer and a termination reaction of the growing chains by very short styrene radicals when the mixture is rich in vinyl acetate.     

Dispersion copolymerization of styrene with vinylbenzyl-terminated polyoxyethylene macromonomer

Macromonomer with styrenic polymerizable group was synthetized by anionic polymerization of ethylene oxide initiated by potassium vinylbenzyl alcoholate. p-Vinylbenzyl-terminated polyoxyethylene macromonomer (PEO-VB) was then copolymerised with styrene in water/alcohol continuous phase. The resulting polymer is chiefly non soluble in that medium, and the final state is polymer particles in the range 500-1000 nm in diameter stabilized by a macromonomer-rich copolymer. The conversion time curve consists of three regions. The length of nucleation period was inversely proportional to the volume ratio ethanol/water (E/W). The dependence of the polymerization rate (R_p) vs. conversion is described by a curve with two-rate intervals. The rate of polymerization increased with increasing PEO-VB and initiator AIBN concentration but was nearly independent of the volume ratio E/W. The particle number slightly increased with increasing PEO-VB and AIBN concentration. The molecular weight of graft copolymer increased with increasing the volume fraction of water, PEO-VB and AIBN concentration.     

Emulsifier-free emulsion copolymerization of styrene and sodium styrene sulfonate

The kinetics of the emulsifier-free emulsion copolymerization of styrene and sodium styrene sulfonate have been examined over a range of comonomer compositions. The rate of polymerization was found to increase dramatically in the presence of small amounts of sodium styrene sulfonate. This increase is attributed to the increased number of particles formed when sodium styrene sulfonate was present and to a gel effect enhanced by ion association. At low concentrations of functional comonomer, where a monodisperse product was obtained, a homogeneous nucleation mechanism of particle generation is proposed. At higher concentrations, broader and then bimodal size distributions were obtained, and this is ascribed to significant aqueous phase polymerization of sodium styrene sulfonate. The water-soluble homopolymer is supposed to act as a locus of polymerization. The occurrence of this aqueous phase side reaction and the generation of secondary particles makes impossible the preparation of highly sulfonated polystyrene latexes by batch or seeded batch emulsion copolymerization.     

Studies on propagating species in cationic polymerization of styrene derivatives by acetyl perchlorate or iodine. III. Effect of salt on cationic copolymerization of styrene derivatives with vinyl ethers by acetyl perchlorate

A common-ion salt, tetra-n-butylammonium perchlorate, was found to affect the monomer reactivity ratios in the cationic copolymerization by acetyl perchlorate of styrene with p-methylstyrene and of 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether with p-methylstyrene, but not those for the copolymerization of 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether with isobutyl vinyl ether. In the copolymerization of p-methylstyrene with styrene or with 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether, the addition of the common-ion salt in a polar solvent shifted the monomer reactivity ratios to those in a less polar solvent. The molecular weight distribution analysis of the copolymer suggested that the addition of the common-ion salt depresses the dissociation of propagating species. Therefore, it was concluded that a propagating species with a different degree of dissociation shows a different relative reactivity towards two monomers. The nature of propagating species was also discussed on the basis of the common-ion effect on the monomer reactivity ratios in various solvents.     

The emulsion copolymerization of styrene and sodium styrene sulfonate

The emulsion copolymerization of styrene and sodium styrene sulfonate has been shown to be a feasible preparative route to ionomeric sulfonated polystyrene. The properties of these copolymers are reported elsewhere. The copolymerization rate was found to be dramatically enhanced when compared to that for the emulsion copolymerization of styrene under identical conditions. This copolymerization was studied in detail and two mechanisms were proposed to account for these rate differences. An increase in the number of polymerizing particles in the copolymerization with consequent rate enhancement was substantiated by electron microscopy. However, the data indicate that the rate differences cannot be fully accounted for by this effect. In addition, a gel effect is proposed as a second contributor to the enhanced rate. This gel effect is believed to result from the intermolecular association of the incorporated metal sulfonate units in the growing polymer particles. When a third monomer that plasticizes the ionic interactions is used the polymerization rate decreases. This supports the gel effect hypothesis.     

Radical copolymerization of citraconic acid with styrene in dioxane solution

Styrene and citraconic acid (CA) were copolymerized in the dioxane solution ranging mole fraction of CA in feed from 0.1 to 0.9 at 70 °C. The terminal and penultimate models were used to fit the copolymer composition equation. Curve fitting, Mayo-Lewis, Joshi-Joshi, Fineman-Ross, Ezrielev-Brokhina-Roskin, Kellen-Tüd?s methods were used to solve the copolymer equation in terminal model. Besides these methods Solver in Excel 97 was used to solve copolymer equation in terminal and penultimate models of copolymerization. Experimental mole fractions of CA and those predicted from both models are agreed within the precision of the method used for the copolymer analysis, so the copolymer composition does not permit a definite choice of the adequate copolymerization model.     

Branching kinetics in copolymerization of styrene with a chain-transfer monomer

In an earlier work it was shown that a random long-chain branching structure can be incorporated in polystyrene by copolymerizing styrene with a small amount of monomer that contains a chain transfer group. The use of vinylbenzylthiol as the chain transfer monomer produced a polystyrene with low number-average molecular weight and a degree of branching lower than expected. In this study polymerization kinetics were used to compute the theoretical molecular weight and degree of branching. The results show that if the chain-transfer constant of the chain transfer monomer is as high as that for vinylbenzylthiol the expected molecular weight and degree of branching will indeed be as low as those found experimentally. The theory also predicts that if the chain transfer constant is near one a highly branched bushy structure will result.     

苯乙烯与富马酸二甲酯的原子转移自由基无规共聚

2-溴丙酸乙酯(EBP)为引发剂,CuBr为催化剂,N,N,N′,N″,N″-五甲基二亚乙基三胺(PMDETA)为配位剂的富马酸二甲酯(DMF)与苯乙烯(St)的原子转移自由基无规共聚合,转化率低于60％时,1n([M]0／[M])随聚合时间线性增加,数均分子量(Mn)随转化率性增长,所得聚合物分子量分布(PDI)较窄。根据元素分析所得共聚物的平均组成,由Kelerr—Tudos方程,计算两种共聚单体的竞聚率分别是rst=0．488,rDMF=0．303。并探讨了单体与引发剂配比以及温度对聚合反应的影响。     

Radiation-induced copolymerization of formaldehyde and styrene

The radiation-induced copolymerization of styrene with liquid formaldehyde in bulk and in solution has been studied at low temperatures. In bulk and in methylene chloride solution copolymerization took place, whereas in diethyl ether solution only homopolymerization of the formaldehyde was found. At ?78°C., in bulk and in methylene chloride solution, no evidence of polystyrene blocks could be found, whereas at ?30°C. in bulk about 30% of the styrene content of the copolymer was in the form of high molecular weight blocks. The rate of copolymerization in methylene chloride solution was found to be first-order with respect to dose rate and third-order with respect to formaldehyde concentration similar to results reported for formaldehyde in toluene solution. The thermal stabilities of the copolymers were found to be intermediate between those of pure polyoxymethylene and commercially stabilized polymers. Since the latter were of higher molecular weight and contain added stabilizers, the increased thermal stabilities of the copolymers were considered to be particularly significant.     

Electroinitiated cationic polymerization of styrene

A constant controlled current was passed through a solution of styrene in methylene chloride containing a tetraalkylammonium salt as supporting electrolyte. Reproducible rates of polymerization were initiated by the electrochemical techniques employed and the kinetics of the reaction were investigated. Sigmoidal curves of conversion versus time were observed. A kinetic relationship of the form In ([M₀]/[M]) = ½ Kt² was derived on the basis of simple assumptions regarding the mechanism and fitted the data accurately. The rate constants obtained were compared to others reported, and the influences of ion association on the values of the rate constants obtained are discussed. The reactions were decreased in rate by a reversal of polarity of the electrodes. However, the stoichiometry of the production of active centers and of their destruction was not ideal, in that each electron did not result in the initiation of a polymer chain.