Graft polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate via ATRP with poly(acrylonitrile-co-p-chloromethyl styrene) as a macroinitiator

Amphiphilic graft copolymers are excellent additives for the development of antifouling membranes by nonsolvent induced phase separation. We report a convenient approach to the synthesis of novel graft copolymers with hydrophobic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) backbones and hydrophilic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) side chains. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate was carried out with poly(acrylonitrile-co-p-chloromethyl styrene) (PAN-co-PCMS) as a macroinitiator in the presence of CuCl/2,2’-bipyridine at 50 °C in dimethyl sulfoxide. Kinetics of the graft polymerization was also evaluated. The synthesis of poly(acrylonitrile-co-p-chloromethyl styrene-g-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PAN-co-(PCMS-g-PHEMA)) can be relatively controlled when CMS (the ATRP sites) unit in the macroinitiator is around 5 mol%. Both the macroinitiators and graft copolymers were characterized by FTIR, NMR and GPC. The surface morphology and wettability of the copolymer films were studied by AFM and water contact angle measurement, respectively. We demonstrate that phase segregation between the PAN-co-PCMS backbones and the PHEMA side chains takes place and the surface hydrophilicity of the graft copolymers increases with the length of the PHEMA side chains. Because these amphiphilic graft copolymers can be synthesized in mass, they will be useful as latent additives for the fabrication of advanced PAN separation membranes.     

环氧乙烷与苯乙烯两亲性聚合物的合成

Graft eopolymer eontaining poly(ethylene oxide)side chains on a polystyrene backbone were acrylamided. The amide groups in the copolymers were ionized by using potassium naphthalene, and grafting was achieved by utilizing the amide anions as initiator sites for the polymerization of ethylene oxide at 70℃. The graft copolymers was characterized with respect to molecule weight and composition using NMR, IR, GPC, and DSC. GPC result from the graft copolymer sample suggested a narrow size distribution.     

Cellulose Functionalization via ATRP Grafting of Glycidyl Methacrylate for Cr（VI） Adsorption

Cellulose was first grafted with glycidyl methacrylate （GMA） in an ionic liquid via atom transfer radical polymerization （ATRP） and then the introduced epoxy groups were reacted with ethanediamine （EDA） to obtain an amino adsorbent. The grafting copolymer and the obtained adsorbent were characterized by FTIR, aH NMR, TEM and SEM. The results showed that the grafted copolymers had grafted polymer chains with well-controlled molecu- lar weight and polydispersity, the polymerization was a controlled system. The cellulose adsorbent had numerous micropores on the surface and showed high performance for Cr（VI） adsorption. The adsorption behavior was pH dependent and the sorption equilibrium was achieved within 2 h on the adsorbent.     

Copolymer of lactide and ε-caprolactone catalyzed by bimetallic Schiff base aluminum complexes

A series of copolymers of lactide(LA) and e-caprolactone(ε-CL) with different monomer feed ratios were achieved using three kinds of bimetallic Schiff aluminum complexes as catalysts. The ratios of LA and ε-CL units in different copolymers and the average segments length were determined by NMR analysis. The comparative kinetic study of L-LA/ε-CL and rac-LA/ε-CL copolymerization systems showed that the polymerization rate of LA was faster than ε-CL, and L-LA showed polymerization rate slightly faster than rac-LA. It was inferred that the copolymers achieved by these complexes were gradient copolymers with gradual change in distribution of LA and e-CL units. The thermal properties of these copolymers were characterized by DSC analysis, which showed that the glass transition temperature(Tg) of these copolymers changed regularly according to the pro-portion change of two structural units.     

Antibacterial behaviour of quaternized poly(vinyl chloride)-g-poly(4-vinyl pyridine) graft copolymers

Amphiphilic graft copolymers consisting of poly(vinyl chloride)(PVC) main chains and poly(4-vinyl pyridine)(P4VP) side chains were synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP) using direct initiation of chlorine atoms. The successful synthesis of PVC-g-P4 VP graft copolymers was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance(1H-NMR). Transmission electron microscope(TEM) and small angle X-ray scattering(SAXS) analysis showed that PVC-g-P4 VP exhibited microphase-separated, ordered structure with 37.6 nm of domain spacing, which was not observed in neat PVC. For antibacterial applications, the tertiary nitrogen atoms of PVC-gP4 VP was quaternized using 1-bromohexane, as confirmed by FTIR measurements. Bacteria including Escherichia coli(E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus), Bacillus cereus(B. cereus), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa(P. aeruginosa) were completely killed in 24 h on the quaternized PVC-g-P4VP(46% grafting) surface, indicating its excellent antibacterial behavior while it showed to be cytotoxic to mammalian cell.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly[(methylsilylene ethynylenephenyleneethynylene)-co-(dimethylsilylene ethynylenephenyleneethynylene)]s

<正>A series of poly[(methylsilylene ethynylenephenyleneethynylene)-co-(dimethylsilylene ethynylenephenyleneethynylene)]s were synthesized by the incorporation of various ratios of methylsilylene to dimethylsilylene units into the polymer chain backbone.The resultant copolymers were soluble in a variety of common organic solvents at room temperature.The copolymers were characterized by FT-IR,~1H-NMR,GPC,rheological analysis,differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA).The results showed that the copolymers exhibited good processability and cured at low temperatures like 200℃.The curing reactions involved in hydrosilylation of Si—H and alkyne groups and the polymerization of alkynes.Y_(d5)(5%weight loss) of the cured copolymers ranged from 629℃to 686℃,and the decomposition residues of cured copolymers at 1000℃ranged from 88.1%to 90.9%under nitrogen.Thermal stability of the copolymers increased with the introduction of methylsilylene units into polymer chains.The cured copolymers were sintered at 1450℃,and the results of X-ray diffraction analysis showed that β-SiC was formed in the sintered products.     

ORDERED STRUCTURAL EVOLUTION AND RELAXATION BEHAVIORS OF A SERIES MICROPHASE SEPARATED "HAIRY-ROD" POLYIMIDES WITH MULTIPLE ALKYL SIDE CHAINS

A series of "hairy-rod" polyimides, BBPA(n), with multiple alkyl side chains was prepared from 3,3′,4,4′biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and 4,4′-biphenyldiamine substituted in the 2,2′-positions with benzoate, which was substituted in the 3,4,5-positions with ether side chains of varying lengths. The number of the methylene units, n, in these alkyl side chains were in even numbers ranging from 8 to 18. Combining techniques of one-dimensional (1D) and 2D wide angle x-ray diffraction, 1D small angle X-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry experiments, it was found that this series of "hairy-rod" polyimides possess a micro-phase separation between the backbones and side chains. This led to the formation of ordered structures in two different lengthscales, of which both are hexagonal packing: one is attributed to the alkyl side chains on the sub-nanometer scale, and another is for the whole polymer chains on the nanometer scale. The development of the hexagonal structure on the sub-nanometer scale was critically dependent upon the lengths of the alkyl side chains. Three relaxation processes were captured by dynamic mechanical analysis, i.e., segmental motion of the backbones, α, the melting of the side chain crystals, β1, which exits only for the materials with longer side chains (n = 18,16); and the subglass relaxation of side chains,β2. The peak relaxation temperature of the α process decreased with increasing the length of side chains, while the one of theβ2 process increased. The activation energy of the αrelaxation was relatively independent on the length of side chain, whereas, β2 process showed the increasing of activation energy with increasing the length of side chains.     

Controlled Radical Polymerization of Styrene Mediated by Xanthene-9-thione and Its Derivatives

In our present work, a novel controlled radical polymerization system is developed based on xanthene-9-thione(XT). It was found that the radical polymerization of styrene(St) became controlled in the presence of a small amount of XT. At the early stage of the polymerization, the polymerization rate was relatively low and the as-formed polystyrene(PS) had low number-average molecular weight(Mn) and narrow polydispersity(D). After XT was consumed, the polymerization rate increased dramatically and the Mn of PS increased gradually with polymerization proceeding. When the polymerization of St was carried out with a proper molar ratio of initiator to XT and at an appropriate temperature, shortened slow polymerization stage and good control over Mn could be achieved. To further improve the regulating ability of XT, a series of substituent groups(―CF_3, ―CH(CH_3)_2, ―N(CH_3)_2) were introduced onto the xanthene ring of XT,and the effects of these derivatives on the polymerization of St were investigated in detail. UV-Vis spectroscopy was carried out to monitor the concentration of XT during the polymerization and the chemical structure of the as-formed PS was fully characterized by 1 HNMR and ESI-MS analysis. A possible mechanism involving the formation and evolution of the cross-termination products was proposed to interpret the observed polymerization behavior.     

Miscibility,intramolecular specific interactions and mechanical properties of a DGEBA based epoxy resin toughened with a sliding graft copolymer

The "sliding graft copolymer'(SGC), in which many linear poly-ε-caprolactone(PCL) side chains are bound to cyclodextrin rings of a polyrotaxane(PR), was prepared and employed to toughen diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A(DGEBA) based epoxy resin. The aim of the work is to understand the effect of SGC on the miscibility, morphology, thermal behavior, curing reaction and mechanical performance of the cured systems. From differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) analysis and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis(DMTA) of DGEBA/SGC thermosetting blends, it is found that DGEBA and SGC are miscible in the amorphous state. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) suggested that the miscibility between SGC and DGEBA is due to the existence of intermolecular specific interactions(viz. hydrogen bonding). The impact strength is improved by 4 times for DGEBA/SGC(80/20) blends compared with that of the unmodified system. The increase in toughness of SGC-modified thermosets can be explained by the effect of intermolecular specific interactions of SGC with DGEBA, which is beneficial to induce the plastic deformation of matrix. This is the first report on utilizing this novel supramolecular polymer to toughen rigid epoxy matrix.     

ORDERED STRUCTURAL EVOLUTION AND RELAXATION BEHAVIORS OF A SERIES MICROPHASE SEPARATED “HAIRY-ROD” POLYIMIDES WITH MULTIPLE ALKYL SIDE CHAINS

A series of “hairy-rod” polyimides, BBPA(n), with multiple alkyl side chains was prepared from 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and 4,4′-biphenyldiamine substituted in the 2,2′-positions with benzoate, which was substituted in the 3,4,5-positions with ether side chains of varying lengths. The number of the methylene units, n, in these alkyl side chains were in even numbers ranging from 8 to 18. Combining techniques of one-dimensional (1D) and 2D wide angle x-ray diffraction, 1D small angle X-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry experiments, it was found that this series of “hairy-rod” polyimides possess a micro-phase separation between the backbones and side chains. This led to the formation of ordered structures in two different length scales, of which both are hexagonal packing: one is attributed to the alkyl side chains on the sub-nanometer scale, and another is for the whole polymer chains on the nanometer scale. The development of the hexagonal structure on the sub-nanometer scale was critically dependent upon the lengths of the alkylside chains. Three relaxation processes were captured by dynamic mechanical analysis, i.e., segmental motion of the backbones, α the melting of the side chain crystals, β1, which exits only for the materials with longer side chains(n=18,16); and the subglass relaxation of side chains, β2- The peak relaxation temperature of the α process decreased with increasing the length of side chains, while the one of the β2 process increased. The activation energy of the α relaxation was relatively independent on the length of side chain, whereas, β2 process showed the increasing of activation energy with increasing the length of side chains.     

Detection of free surface composition and molecular-level structural development of styrene(S)/butadiene(B) block copolymer films during a solution-to-film process

The surface chemical structure development in solution-cast styrene(S)/butadiene(B) block copolymer films as a function of solvent evaporation time was investigated using sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy(SFG).The surface structure formation of the styrene(S)/butadien(B) block copolymer(30 wt% PS) films during the solution-to-film process was found to be controlled mainly by dynamic factors,such as the mobility of the PB block in solution.For SB diblock copolymers,a pure PB surface layer was formed only when the film was cast by dilute toluene solution.With increasing concentration of casting solution,PB and PS components were found to coexist on the film surface,and the morphology of the PB component on the film surface changed from cylindrical rods to spheres.For SBS triblock copolymers,a small amount of PS component existed on the surface even if the film was cast by 1.0 wt% toluene solution.In addition,PS components at the outermost layer of the film increased and the length of PB cylindrical rods on the surface decreased with increasing concentration of casting solution.     

Synthesis and Characterization of ABBA Block Copolymer of Glycolide and ε-Caprolactone

A biodegradable ABBA block copolymer was synthesized via the ring-opening co-polymerization of ε-Scaprolactone (CL, B) and glycolide (A) by means of step polymerization in the presence of ethylene glycol as an initiator and stannous octanoate as a catalyst at 110 ℃ for 48 h. The molecular length of the PCL prepolymer(BB) could be adjusted by controlling the molar ratio of the ethylene glycol initiator to ε-caprolactone monomer. The structure and the composition of the block copolymer were determined by the weight ratio of the monomer glycolide (A) to PCL pre-polymer(BB). The block copolymers were characterized by ^1H NMR, GPC, DSC and X-ray. The results confirm the successful synthesis of an ABBA block copolymer.     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel amphiphilic biodegradable β-cyclodextrin/poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate) copolymer

β-Cyclodextrin/poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate) (β-CD-PBLG) copolymers were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of N-carboxy-γ-benzyl L-glutamate anhydride (BLG-NCA) in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) initiated by mono-amino-β-cyclodex-trin(H2N-β-CD). The structures of the copolymers were confirmed by IR, 1H NMR and GPC. The fluorescence technique was used to determine the critical micelle concentrations (CMC) of copolymer miceU solution, the diameter and the distribution of micelles were characterized by DLS. The results showed that BLG-NCA could be initiated by H2N-β-CD to produce copolymer. The nano-micells were formed by these copolymers in water.     

SELF-ASSEMBLY OF ROD-COIL DIBLOCK COPOLYMERS——INFLUENCE OF THE ROD LENGTH

The self-assembly of five narrowly distributed novel rod-coil diblock copolymers, poly(styrene-block-(2, 5-bis[4-methoxy-phenyl]oxycarbonyl) styrene) (PS-b-PMPCS), in p-xylene, a selective solvent at room temperature, was studied. Therod-coil copolymers, which have the same PS length but different PMPCS length, were synthesized by 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-I-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO) mediated living free radical polymerization. The influence of the rod length on the self-assemblymorphology was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At a concentration of 2.0 mg/mL, those copolymerswith relatively shorter PMPCS length (copolymers 1 and 2) form individual spherical micelles; those with relatively longerPMPCS length (copolymer 3 and 4) form "pearl chains" coexisting with individual spherical micelles; the ones with longestPMPCS length form "pearl chains" coexisting with occasionally formed nanofibers. The diameter of all the morphologieswas controlled by the rod length. This gives us a way to govern the self-assembly morphology by altering the length of oneblock in the block copolymer.     

SYNTHESIS AND PROPERTIES OF COPOLYMERS CONTAINING CUCURBIT[6]URIL-BASED PSEUDOROTAXANE STRUCTURE

Novel copolymers based on acrylamide（AM）and complex pseudorotaxane monomer N’-（3-vinylbenzyl）-1,4- diaminobutane dihydrochloride with cucurbit[6]uril（CB[6]）（3VBCB）were prepared via free-radical polymerization in aqueous solution,and characterized by ¹H-NMR,FT-IR,elemental analysis and static light scattering.The compositions of the copolymers（PAM3VBCB）with pseudorotaxane units were determined by ¹H-NMR and elemental analysis.Thermal properties of the copolymers were studied by TGA,and the effects of the copolymer concentration and pH on the average hydrodynamic radius（R_h）of the copolymer molecules were studied by dynamic light scattering（DLS）.The experiment data show that CB[6]beads are localized on 1,4-diaminobutane units in side chains of the copolymers.TGA results show that thermal stability of the copolymer increases with increasing the content of pseudorotaxane unit because of the enhanced rigidity and the bulky steric hindrance of 3VBCB in side chains of PAM3VBCB.DLS data show that the average hydrodynamic radius of copolymer molecules increases with the increase in the copolymer concentration,and both the pH and electrical conductivity of PAM3VBCB solutions demonstrate an acute change with addition of NaOH because of CB[6] dethreading from the side chains of PAM3VBCB.CB[6]threading and dethreading of PAM3VBCB could be controlled by addition of BaCl₂ and Na₂SO₄     

Rapid synthesis of biodegradable poly(epsilon-caprolactone-co-p-dioxanone) random copolymers under microwave irradiation

<正>Biodegradable poly(epsilon-caprolactone-co-p-dioxanone)(PCDO) random copolymers have been synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone(CL) and p-dioxanone(PDO) under microwave irradiation.The effects of irradiation time and different CL/PDO molar feed ratios on the microwave-assisted ring-opening polymerization(MROP) of PCDO have been discussed.The resultant products were characterized by ~1H NMR,GPC and DSC.It was found that the polymerization was completed within 20 min at 140℃.In the presence of different CL/PDO molar feed ratios,the conversions of both monomers were kept relatively constant.DSC sturdy suggested that with increasing the content of PDO in the copolymers,the crystalline degree of the copolymers decreased gradually.It is believed to be a promising biodegradable material.     

Synthesis of polystyrene-styrene/butadiene diblock copolymers via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer miniemulsion polymerization

<正>Polystyrene-styrene/butadiene diblock copolymers were synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) miniemulsion polymerization.During the polymerization process,the molecular weight distribution was narrow and the numerical molecular weight of the copolymers increased with increasing conversion of monomers,which was close to the theoretical.FT-IR and ~1H NMR results indicated that the microstructure of the polymer was mainly 1,4-trans-butadiene with small amount of 1,2-units,and composition in the copolymers was obtained.     

Synthesis of graft copolymers with polyisobutylene branch chains

<正>The copolymerization of 4-vinylbenzyl chloride(VBC) and vinyl acetate(VAC) was carried out in toluene at 75℃via radical polymerization using 2,2'-azo-bis-(isobutyronitrile)(AIBN) as an initiator.The random copolymers of poly(4-vinylbenzyl chloride-co-vinyl acetate)(P(VBC-co-VAC)) with number average molecular weight(M_n) from 2000 to 6900,relatively narrow molecular weight distribution(MWD,M_w/M_n ca.2.0) and with different copolymer composition of 4-vinylbenzyl chloride(VBC) from 17 mol%to 62 mol%could be obtained.The P(VBC-co-VAC) copolymers with an average number of 7 to 13 initiating sites of benzyl chloride per macromolecule could be used for the cationic polymerization of isobutylene(IB).The cationic polymerizations of IB were further conducted by using P(VBC-co-VAC) copolymers as macroinitiators in conjunction with TiCl_4 at -40℃in CH_2Cl_2.The effects of VBC/TiCl_4(molar ratio) on monomer conversion,M_n and MWD of the resultant copolymers were investigated under 3 sets of conditions.It is found that P(VBC-co-VAC)-g-PIB copolymers with relatively narrow MWD(M_w/M_n ca.2.0) and with terminal tert-chlorine functional groups in branched PIB chains could be successfully synthesized when VBC/TiCl_4(molar ratio) was set in the range from 0.10 to 1.12.The unimodal GPC curve of the P(VBC-co-VAC)-g-PIB copolymers by RI detector was almost in harmony with the GPC curve by UV detector.The TEM image of the P(VBC-co-VAC)-g-PIB copolymer stained by RuO indicated that the copolymer formed a two-phase morphology with P(VBC-co-VAC)-rich domains of 20-100 nm in size tethered by PIB branch segments.     

Anti-biofouling by degradation of polymers

Copolymers of methyl methacrylate(MMA) and acrylate terminated poly(ethylene oxide-co-ethylene carbonate) (PEOC) macromonomer(PEOCA) were synthesized,and the degradation of the polymers was investigated by use of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation(QCM-D).It is shown that the polymeric surface exhibits degradation in seawater depending on the content of the side chains.Field tests in seawater show that the surface constructed by the copolymer can effectively inhibit marine biofouling because it can be self-renewed due to degradation of the copolymer.     

Functionalized Polyphosphoester via Living Ring-opening Polymerization and Photochemical Thiol-ene Click Reaction

Poly(ethylene phosphonate)was synthesized via the living ring-opening polymerization of cyclic phos-phonate monomer catalyzed by organocatalyst.The pendant vinyl ftmctionalities were employed to perform the pho-tochemical click reactions wi&tMols.We demonstrated that both small thiol molecules and macromolecular thiols could be efficiently coupled into the PPE side chains,enabling the rapid and efficient functionalization of polyphos-phoesters(PPE).