Influence of tacticity on Tβ, Tg,and TLL in poly(methyl methacrylate)s by the method of thermally stimulated current (TSC)

The thermally stimulated-current method (TSC) has been employed to determine the temperatures and intensities of T_β, T_g, and T > T_g for pure isotactic, pure syndiotactic, and five atactic specimens with syndiotactic triad content from 49.5 to 75%; T_g was found to increase linearly with syndiotactic triad content as T_g (°C) = 48.0 + 0.856 (% syn), with R² = 0.970 standard error 5.6°C; T_g for the syndiotactic specimen is 136.6°C measured, 133.6°C calculated. Several atactic specimens exhibit a second glass temperature 15 to 35 K above the regression line ascribed to some pure syndio content, and/or some isotactic–syndiotactic stereocomplexes. All specimens exhibited the liquid–liquid or T_LL transition (relaxation) which increases linearly with 100-% isotactic triad content. Isotactic PMMA shows a T′_LL relaxation 50 K above T_LL. The T_g and T_LL values obtained correlate extremely well with values from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) determined in a separate study, as well as with most literature data. Intensities of T_g and T_LL by TSC are greatest for isotactic, next for syndiotactic, with a broad, low minimum for atactic materials. The intensity of a β relaxation increases slowly from isotactic to syndiotactic. The T_LL found by TSC compares well with literature values for isotactic PMMA obtained by several methods, and T_LL in the atactic region compares well with literature values for atactic material. The ratio T_LL/T_g ranges from 1.09 to 1.20 with no dependence on tacticity. T_g follows simple Arrhenius behavior with enthalpies of activation about one-half of the values normally calculated from dielectric and mechanical loss. The frequency dependences of T_LL and T′_LL follow a Vogel–WLF relationship with temperature. The origin of T_LL is discussed in terms of the Frenkel hypothesis of segment–segment interaction. Evidence for T_LL and T_LL from a variety of methods indicates that these two temperatures are not artifacts of the TSC method.     

Relationship between structure and dielectric behavior of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate) in the glassy state

In order to elucidate the relationship between dielectric behavior and structure in solid polymers, we studied the dielectric relaxation of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) in the glassy state. Assuming that the extremes of molecular structure are attained in the crystal and in solution, the most probable conformation of the main chain in the glassy state is estimated for isotactic and syndiotactic PMMA in terms of conformational analysis, the unperturbed mean-square end-to-end distance in solution, and the NMR second moment in the glassy state. Under the assumption that the molecular structure varies in a limited range near the most probable conformation and that the α-methyl group rotates freely, the energy barrier for the rotation of the side group is calculated. With the calculated energy barrier, the dielectric relaxation due to the side group is interpreted fairly satisfactorily by the barrier theory of Hoffman and Lauritzen, although the width of the relaxation curve is not. The experimental result that the loss peak of syndiotactic PMMA is located at higher temperature than that of isotactic PMMA is interpreted qualitatively in terms of different conformations for the syndiotactic and isotactic chains.     

Conformational analysis of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)

The poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) is a disubstituted vinyl chain in which the substituents CO₂CH₂CH₂OH and CH₃ differ in size and shape. In order to verify the various characteristics of the PHEMA chain, the conformational energy calculations for meso and racemic diads, which are the segments consisting of the stereoregular isotactic and syndiotactic chains, respectively, were carried out using ECEPP/2 potential. From these calculations, the averaged geometry and the statistical weights were obtained in a local minima. The characteristic ratio, C∞ = (〈r²〉_o/nl²)∞, was determined from the statistical weights and geometries. The calculated C∞ for the isotactic and syndiotactic chain are 10.2 and 2.3, respectively. The characteristic ratio for isotactic chain is larger than that for syndiotactic chain. This shows that the syndiotactic chain is more folded than the isotactic chain is, and that the calculated tendency is in reasonably agreement with the experimental tendency of acrylate polymers.     

Thermal and dynamic mechanical relaxation behavior of stereoregular poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)

Thermal, dynamic mechanical, and dielectric relaxation techniques were used to determine the relaxation behavior of isotactic and syndiotactic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA). Activation energies E_a were determined for the dielectric γ relaxation and compared with those of poly(2-methoxyethyl methacrylate) (pMEMA) to determine the influence of hydrogen bonding on side-chain relaxation processes. No difference in E_a was observed between syndiotactic pHEMA and atactic (predominantly syndiotactic) pMEMA. Isotactic pHEMA, however, had E_a + 1 kcal/mole higher than that of syndiotactic pHEMA. This was attributed to improved side-chain packing in the isotactic polymer.     

Polymerization of monolayers. V. Tacticity of the insertion poly(methyl methacrylate)

Insertion poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) formed within a monolayer of monomer adsorbed on montmorillonite was studied by means of NMR spectroscopy and shown to be composed of short stereosequences with a predominant isotactic component. The stereospecificity of the insertion PMMA can be understood in terms of the organization of the monomer adsorbed on the surface of the mineral. The monolayer of monomer is assumed to be composed of monads and isotactic diads due to dipole-ion interactions between the molecules of methyl methacrylate and exchangeable cations. Results of experiments relating factors such as temperature, density of ion population of the surface, and the nature of ions are discussed. It is shown that the populations of isotactic and syndiotactic triads P_i and P_s determined experimentally in the insertion PMMA are in a reasonable agreement with values calculated from the model. It is shown, furthermore, that P_i increases with increase in the density of the ion population, in agreement with the equations derived from the model.     

Influence of tacticity on orientation and relaxation in uniaxially stretched polymethylmethacrylates

Orientation and relaxation behavior in uniaxially stretched stereoregular polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) was investigated. When compared at a reference temperature T = T_g + constant, isotactic PMMA orients more readily and relaxes slightly faster than the conventional or syndiotactic polymers. Orientation relaxation of the different PMMAs can be reduced to a unique master curve, whatever the tacticity, when the results are compared at same monomeric friction coefficient. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate). V. Kinetics of initial template polymerization

The influence of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as a polymer matrix on the initial rate of radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) has been measured between ?11 and +60°C using a dilatometric technique. Under proper conditions an increase in the relative initial rate of template polymerization with respect to a blank polymerization was observed. Viscometric studies showed that the observed effect could be related to the extent of complex formation between the polymer matrix and the growing chain radical. The initial rate was dependent on tacticity and molecular weight of the matrix polymer, solvent type and polymerization temperature. The accelerating effect was most pronounced (a fivefold increase in rate) at the lowest polymerization temperature with the highest molecular weight isotactic PMMA as a matrix in a solvent like dimethylformamide (DMF), which is known to be a good medium for complex formation between isotactic and syndiotactic PMMA. The acceleration of the polymerization below 25°C appeared to be accompanied by a large decrease in the overall energy and entropy of activation. It is suggested that the observed template effects are mainly due to the stereoselection in the propagation step (lower activation entropy Δ S_p^?) and the hindrance of segmental diffusion in the termination step (higher activation energy Δ E_t^?) of complexed growing chain radicals.     

The dependence of the glass transition temperature of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) upon steric microstructure and molecular weight

Poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) samples were found to exhibit up to three glass transition temperatures T_g, corresponding to the whole chain and the syndiotactic and isotactic stereoblocks. An increasing tendency to multiple T_gs, and hence to phase separation, was observed with increasing isotacticity. Limiting values at infinite molecular weight for syndiotactic and isotactic PVK were obtained from correlations of the T_gs corresponding to the syndiotactic and isotactic stereoblocks with their respective average stereoblock lengths derived from ¹³C NMR measurements. They were found to be 549 and 399 K, respectively. The conventional T_g for PVK was found to exhibit the following dependence upon the syndiotactic dyad mole fraction X_s: The molecular weight dependences of the conventional T_gs for several fractionated PVK samples obeyed a Fox–Flory-type relation with values of ?dT_g/d(1/M) varying between 7.6 × 10³ for isotactic PVK and 2.7 × 10⁵ for Luvican M 170.     

Stereoregularity of poly(isopropyl acrylate) and its racemization during hydrolysis

The diad tacticity of poly(isopropyl acrylate) was measured from the β-proton absorptions of poly(isopropyl acrylate-α,β-d₂) obtained with a 100 MHz NMR spectrometer, and temperature dependence of the tacticity of the polymers obtained by radical polymerization was determined. Enthalpy and entropy differences between isotactic and syndiotactic addition for poly(isopropyl acrylate) were calculated to give the following values: Δ(ΔS) = 0.7 eu; Δ(ΔH) = 0.51 kcal/mole. In the hydrolysis of poly(isopropyl acrylate-α,β-d₂), it was found that the rate of hydrolysis of poly(isopropyl acrylate) was dependent on the molecular weight rather than on the tacticity. As for the rate of racemization during hydrolysis, the rate for syndiotactic polymer was much faster than that for the isotactic polymer. The exchange reaction of deuterium at α-position with hydrogen occurred in all the polymers during hydrolysis reaction.     

Stereospecific bulk polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by its tactic polymers

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was polymerized by radical initiation at 90°C by its own preformed tactic polymers, i.e., conventional (c-PMMA), isotactic (i-PMMA), and syndiotactic (s-PMMA) PMMA, and also by a preformed 1:1 stereocomplex of i-PMMA and s-PMMA. The collected polymers were separated into two fractions by extraction with boiling acetone and characterized by 60 MHz NMR spectra and viscometry. Higher polymerization rates were obtained in the presence of stereo-regular PMMA than in the presence of c-PMMA. Moreover, it appeared that i-PMMA promoted the formation of s-PMMA, and conversely s-PMMA the formation of i-PMMA, especially in the initial stages of the reaction. A higher M?_v of the preformed polymer yielded a higher rate and a higher stereospecificity of the polymerization. No polymerization took place in the absence of performed PMMA. The results support a replica mechanism proposed by Szwarc, in which polymerization is preceded by a specific arrangement of monomeric units along the polymeric chain into a distinctive pattern. Such arrangement coupled with a strong tendency of the isotactic and syndiotactic species to associate may lead to the present stereospecific replica polymerization. This association is demonstrated by rapid gelation during polymerization and by lowering of reduced viscosity in very dilute mixtures of i-PMMA and s-PMMA in MMA.     

Stereospecific polymerization of 9-fluorenyl methacrylate: Tacticity effects on the thermal and photophysical properties of the polymers

Poly(9-fluoreneyl methacrylate) was obtained through anionic polymerization with t-BuLi and t-BuMgBr and through radical polymerization with α,α′-azobisisobutyronitrile. Anionic polymerization with t-BuLi in tetrahydrofuran and radical polymerization afforded syndiotactic polymers (rr ∼ 90%), whereas anionic polymerization with Li and Mg initiators in toluene and CH₂Cl₂ led to isotactic polymers. The thermal and photophysical properties of the polymers were examined. A syndiotactic polymer tended to show higher glass transition and decomposition temperatures than an isotactic polymer. However, polymers with different tacticities were not likely to assume specific, distinctive conformations such as a helix or a π-stacked conformation in solution. An isotactic polymer showed stronger interactions in a CH₂Cl₂ solution with 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenylidenemalononitrile, an electron-acceptor molecule, than a syndiotactic polymer. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4656–4665, 2004     

Radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate). III. Influence of temperature

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was polymerized by radical initiation at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100°C in DMF in the presence of preformed isotactic PMMA (iMA) or preformed syndiotactic PMMA (sMA) with different M?_v and also without preformed PMMA (“blank” polymerizations). From the tacticities of the formed polymers it is concluded that blank polymerization does not conform to simple Bernoulli statistics, but follows at least first-order Markov statistics. The formation of long syndiotactic sequences in the presence of iMA and long isotactic sequences in the presence of sMA denotes still higher-order Markov statistics. The stereoregulating action is improved by higher M?_v of the preformed polymer (matrix) and lower reaction temperature. These influences can be explained by assuming an equilibrium between polymer growth on the matrix and in the “free” solution. For polymerizations in the presence of iMA or sMA below 300°K, the differences in activation enthalpies (ΔH_s/i? – ΔH_i/s?) are practically equal to that for the blank polymerization, ca. 900 cal/mole, whereas the differences in activation entropies (ΔS_s/i? – ΔS_i/s?) differ considerably. (ΔS_s/i? – ΔS_i/s?) values are highly negative in the presence of iMA and highly positive in the presence of sMA. From these results it is concluded that the isotactic and syndiotactic polymer matrices exert a steric influence on the monomer addition process, thus promoting so-called stereospecific replica polymerization.     

Solid matrix polymerization and stereoisomeric complexes of poly(methyl methacrylate)

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate within solid matrices of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate) has been studied by proton NMR and wide angle X-ray diffraction. The semi-crystalline isotactic (i-) PMMA matrix was synthesized in the laboratory by anionic polymerization initiated by phenylmagnesium bromide, and the syndiotactic (s-) PMMA matrix was synthesized through a Ziegler–Natta reaction. Matrix polymerization of the monomer was initiated through the redox activation of benzoyl peroxide with N,N-dimethyl-p-toluidine. NMR measurements of triad distributions in matrix-polymerized chains suggest that the well-known stereospecific replica polymerization in PMMA (syndiotactic sequences promote isotactic sequences and vice versa) plays only a limited role in the systems studied. Experimental results indicate that chains grown within the i-PMMA or s-PMMA solid matrices have greater degrees of configurational disorder. The greater concentration of atactic triads in these chains could be the result of limited free volume or steric effects during polymerization in a highly condensed environment. X-ray diffraction studies of solution cast blends of isotactic PMMA and PMMA with conventional tacticity reveal some crystallinity with a structure characteristic of the stereocomplex formed by isotactic and syndiotactic PMMA from suitable solvents. Evidence was obtained for the presence of this complex in solidified mixtures of the i-PMMA solid matrix and liquid monomer. This observation is an example of special intermolecular structures that can form under conditions of in situ growth of chains within a pre-polymerized matrix.     

Syndiotactic and isotactic poly(tert-butylethylene oxide)

The rate of polymerization of t-BuEO by t-BuOK in DMSO is about one-tenth that of propylene oxide. The slow rate of propagation was accompanied by considerable chain transfer. In the absence of solvent, the polymer obtained was crystalline, different from the isotactic form and therefore must be syndiotactic. The NMR spectra indicate the isotactic polymer exists in solution preferentially in the skew₁ form, while syndiotactic is about 60% skew₁, 40% skew₂. Amorphous polymer accompanying isotactic exists about 50% in the trans conformer, by NMR data.     

Effect of tacticity on permeation properties of poly(methyl methacrylate)

The effect of stereoregularity on gas permeation properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was investigated. The gas permeability coefficients for He, H₂, O₂, N₂, Ar, CH₄, and CO₂ at 35°C near atmospheric pressure have been measured for three different PMMAs. Apparent diffusion and solubility coefficients were obtained from time lag data, and these were compared with data for a commercial PMMA previously reported. The permeability, solubility, and diffusion coefficients increase as the content of syndiotactic sequences increases. These observations are consistent with more dense packing of the isotactic form in the glassy state that stems in part from its lower glass transition temperature. The transport behavior for a 50:50 isotactic/syndiotactic blend was also studied. These so-called stereocomplexes exhibit permeation behavior comparable to other weakly interacting miscible blend systems.     

Crystallization kinetics of isotactic polystyrene. I. Spherulitic growth rate

The spherulitic growth rate of isotactic polystyrene has been measured in a wide range of temperature by means of a polarizing microscope provided with a hot stage. It was possible to fit the experimental data to theory by choosing a value of 75 for the constant C₂ of the WLF equation. The growth rate parameters were compared with those of polyethylene and polychlorotrifluoroethylene. The slowness of crystallization of isotactic polystyrene is mainly a consequence of the lower mobility of the molecules caused by the bulky phenyl groups.     

聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯辐射裂解和消旋的空间立构效应

本文研究了三种不同空间立构聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯的辐射效应,提出裂解过程是一种裂解与重合的动态平衡过程。分子量降低和消旋作用对温度的依赖性,是由于分子运动和笼罩效应以及重合的空间位阻效应所致。辐照温度愈高,裂解产额愈大。相同条件下辐照,全同立构比无规立构试样的裂解产额更大。 全同立构聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯辐照后,不仅分子链断裂,而且空间立构也发生很大变化。随着辐照剂量的增加,全同立构含量逐渐减少,而无规立构含量和间同立构含量却逐渐增加。     

NMR study of poly(vinyl chloride)-β,β-d2

The high-resolution NMR spectra at 60 and 100 Mcps of poly(vinyl chloride)-β,β-d₂ in o-dichlorobenzene, pyridine, and C₂HCl₅ solutions are reported. The use of low molecular weight samples and of {D} spin-decoupling experiments, which yield higher resolution spectra, results in the observation of a number of additional resonances for the α-proton. These can be interpreted in terms of pentad configurational sequences of monomer units. It is found that, whereas the S syndiotactic pentads cannot be resolved, two components of the H heterotactic and all of the possible I isotactic pentads are clearly discernible. From the tacticity values of polymers prepared at +40, 0, and ?40°C, enthalpy and entropy of activation for isotactic and syndiotactic monomer placement are found to be 630 cal/mole and 1.5 eu, respectively.     

Evidence of dynamic heterogeneity as obtained from dielectric and brillouin light-scattering studies of poly(n-hexylmethacrylate)

We report dielectric relaxation and Rayleigh-Brillouin spectroscopic measurements on the side chain polymer poly(n-hexylmethacrylate), PHMA (T_g = 268 K), exhibiting a broad glass transition region. The dielectric loss curves can be represented by single Havriliak-Negami functions in the temperature range of 260–450 K. The width of the distribution relaxation function is a decreasing function of temperature up to T = 333 K ≊ 1.24 × T_g and remains virtually constant above that temperature. This is interpreted as marking the merging of the α-process with a slow β-relaxation in agreement with the value of the cooperativity length associated with the α-mode. Hence above that temperature, the relaxation times confirm well to an Arrhenius temperature dependence. The hypersonic dispersion deduced from the Brillouin spectra (210–550 K) surprisingly peaks at temperatures near T_g which bears no relation to the main α-relaxation. This structural relaxation is rather associated with the side hexyl group motion showing striking resemblance with the hypersonic dispersion in molecular liquids. It is conceivable that the observed damping in PHMA is dynamically related to the internal plasticization effect of the hexyl group. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Polymerization of monolayers. VI. Influence of the nature of the exchangeable ion on the tacticity of insertion poly(methyl methacrylate)

The influence of the nature of exchangeable cations on the tacticity of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) prepared from montmorillonite–MMA adsorption complexes was investigated. The strength of ion-dipole interactions was estimated either by the value of the electrostatic interaction potential or by the value of the carbonyl-stretching frequency shift. It was shown that P_i, the percentage of isotactic triads in the polymer, increases with increasing strength of the ion-dipole interactions, while the persistence ratio and the mean length of closed isotactic (or syndiotactic) sequences remain essentially unchanged regardless of the nature of the cation. It was shown that values of P_i may vary from 0.15 for weakly interacting ions to 0.5 for strongly interacting ones, reaching at the upper limit the value calculated from the model proposed in a previous paper, thus confirming its validity.