Role of back-biting for generation of hybrid dimers and trimers on flash pyrolysis of poly(styrene-co-methacrylonitrile)

The role of the back-biting reaction for generation of dimers and trimers on flash pyrolysis of poly(styrene-co-methacrylonitrile) by pyrolysis gas chromatography with the use of a Curie-point pyrolyzer has been investigated. Yields of each monomer, dimer, and trimer changed depending on the sequence distribution as well as on copolymer composition and pyrolysis temperature. The degradation behavior was explained by the competition between the back-biting reaction and depolymerization. It was found that the hybrid dimers and trimers were produced mainly by the back-biting reaction, which was followed by β-scission, and hence yields of hybrid dimers and trimers correctly reflect the sequence distribution of the copolymer of styrene and methacrylonitrile without interference from the second reaction of monomers regenerated in the flash pyrolysis. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2747–2753, 1999     

Thermal degradation mechanism of methacrylonitrile-styrene copolymers on flash pyrolysis

The thermal degradation mechanisms of random copolymers of methacrylonitrile (MAN) and styrene (St) have been investigated by pyrolysis gas chromatography in the temperature range of 358 to 920?C using a Curie point pyrolyzer (JHP-2) and comparing results with the results from TG/DTA-FTIR apparatus (SII-6200, JASCO-320). The amount of St monomer from decomposition of the copolymer is higher than that from P(St) alone; whilst that of MAN monomer from copolymer is lower than that from P(MAN). This phenomenon reflects the boundary effect in the pyrolysis of copolymer. The thermal degradation mechanisms of copolymers are discussed in terms of the competition between the depolymerization and the back biting reaction on the basis of bond dissociation energies of C-C and C-H bonds in the copolymer chain.     

Copolymerization of dienes with neodymium tricarboxylate-based catalysts and cis-polymerization mechanism of dienes

It was found that poly(butadiene), poly(isoprene), and poly(2,3-dimethylbutadiene) with high cis-1,4 content were obtained with Nd(OCOR)₃–(i-Bu)₃Al–Et₂AlCl catalysts (R = CF₃, CCl₃, CHCl₂, CH₂Cl, CH₃) in hexane at 50°C [cis-1,4 content: poly(BD), > 98%; poly(IP), ≥ 96%; poly(DMBD), ≥ 94%]. Copolymerization of IP and styrene (St) was carried out at various monomer feed ratios to evaluate the monomer reactivity ratio and cis-1,4 content of the diene unit and then to elucidate the cis-1,4 polymerization mechanism of IP. The cis-1,4 content of the IP unit in the copolymers decreased with increasing St content in the copolymers. The cis-1,4 polymerization was disturbed by incorporating St unit in the copolymers, since the penultimate St unit hardly coordinates to the neodymium metal, resulting in a decrease of the cis-1,4 content in the copolymers. That is, the cis-1,4 polymerization of IP is suggested to be controlled by a back-biting coordination of the penultimate diene unit. On the other hand, in the case of poly(BD-co-IP) and poly(BD-co-DMBD), the cis-1,4 content of the BD, IP, and DMBD units in the copolymers was almost constant (cis: 94–98%), irrespective of the monomer feed ratios and polymerization temperature. Consequently, the penultimate IP and DMBD units favorably control the terminal BD, IP, or DMBD unit to the cis-1,4 configuration through the back-biting coordination. For the monomer reactivity ratios, a clear difference was observed in each system: r_BD = 1.22, r_IP = 1.14; r_BD = 40.9, r_DMBD = 0.15. Low polymerizability of DMBD was mainly ascribed to the steric effect of the methyl substituents. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1707–1716, 1998     

Synthesis of tertiary amine‐based pH‐responsive polymers by RAFT Polymerization

Well‐defined tertiary amine‐based pH‐responsive homopolymers and block copolymers were synthesized via reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using 4‐cyanopentanoic acid dithiobenzoate (CPAD) as the RAFT agent for homopolymers and a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) macro‐RAFT agent for the block copolymers. ¹H NMR and gel permeation chromatography results confirmed the successful synthesis of these homopolymers and block copolymers. Kinetics studies indicated that the formation of both the homopolymers and the block copolymers were well defined. The pKa titration experiments suggested that the homopolymers and the related block copolymers have a similar pKa. The dynamic light scattering investigation showed that all of the block copolymers underwent a sharp transition from unimers to micelles around their pKa and the hydrodynamic diameter (D_h) was not only dependent on the molecular weight but also on the composition of the block copolymers. The polymer solution of PEG‐b‐PPPDEMA formed the largest micelle compare to the PEG‐b‐PDPAEMA and PEG‐b‐PDBAEMA with a similar molecular weight. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1010–1022     

Effect of side chain and backbone length on lamellar spacing in polystyrene‐block‐poly(dimethyl siloxane) brush block copolymers

We report the synthesis of polystyrene‐block‐poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PS‐b‐PDMS) brush block copolymers (BBCPs) through sequential ROMP of norbornene‐modified macromonomers (‐NB) and explore the effect of side chain length (N_sc) and total backbone degree of polymerization (N_bb) on the self‐assembly of lamellar morphologies. Group I (PS‐NB M_n = 2.9 kg/mol, PDMS‐NB M_n = 4.8 kg/mol) exhibits asymmetric side chains, while Group II (PS‐NB M_n = 4.7 kg/mol, PDMS‐NB M_n = 4.8 kg/mol) possess a more symmetric arrangement. Both families rapidly self‐assemble into well‐ordered lamellar morphologies with domain spacings (d₀) ranging from d₀ = 54 to 140 nm. The scaling relationship between d₀ and N_bb (d₀ ~N_bb^α) was determined as the measure of backbone flexibility. Exponents of α = 0.71 and α = 0.81 are observed for Groups I and II, respectively, indicating the BBCPs adopt an extended backbone conformation. The presence of a low T_g side chain such as PDMS increases apparent flexibility of the backbone. The interplay between contrasting characteristics of the side chains is discussed and reveals the importance of understanding the physical consequences of block architecture on controlling BBCP assembly. These findings provide necessary information for future investigations of complex phases and well‐defined nanostructures fabricated using the brush architecture. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 691–699     

Homo- and copolymerization of butadiene and styrene with neodymium tricarboxylate catalysts

Homo- and copolymerizations of butadiene (BD) and styrene (St) with rare-earth metal catalysts, including the most active neodymium (Nd)-based catalysts, have been examined, and the cis-1,4 polymerization mechanism was investigated by the diad analysis of copolymers. Polymerization activity of BD was markedly affected not only by the ligands of the catalysts but also by the central rare-earth metals, whereas that of St was mainly affected by the ligands. In the series of Nd-based catalysts [Nd(OCOR)₃:R = CF₃, CCl₃, CHCl₂, CH₂Cl, CH₃], Nd(OCOCCl₃)₃ gave a maximum polymerization activity of BD, which decreased with increasing or decreasing the pKa value of the ligands. This tendency was different from that for Gd(OCOR)₃ catalysts, where the CF₃ derivative led to the highest polymerization activity of BD. For the polymerization of St and its copolymerization with BD, the maximum activities were attained at R = CCl₃ for both Nd- and Gd-based catalysts. The copolymerization of BD and St with Nd(OCOCCl₃)₃ catalyst was also carried out at various monomer feed ratios, to evaluate the monomer reactivity ratios as r_BD = 5.66 and r_St = 0.86. The cis-1,4 content in BD unit decreased with increasing St content in copolymers. From the diad analysis of copolymers, it was indicated that Nd(OCOCCl₃)₃ catalyst controls the cis-1,4 structure of the BD unit by a back-biting coordination of the penultimate BD unit. Furthermore, the long range coordination of polymer chain by the neodymium catalyst was suggested to assist the cis-1,4 polymerization. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 241–247, 1998     

Reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer synthesis of amidine‐based,CO2‐responsive homo and AB diblock (Co)polymers comprised of histamine and their gas‐triggered self‐assembly in water

Well‐defined homopolymers of pentafluorophenyl acrylate (PFPA) and AB diblock copolymers of N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (DMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (PEGA) with PFPA were prepared by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) radical polymerization. Three PFPA homopolymers of different molecular weights were reacted with the commercially available amidine and guanidine species histamine (HIS) dihydrochloride and L ‐arginine methyl ester (ARG) dihydrochloride in the presence of S‐methyl methanethiosulfonate to yield, quantitatively, the corresponding amidine and guanidine‐based acrylamido homopolymers. Both the HIS and ARG homopolymers are known to reversibly bind CO₂ with, in the case of the former, CO₂ fixation being accompanied with a switch from a hydrophobic to hydrophilic state. The RAFT synthesis of PFPA‐DMA and PEGA‐PFPA diblock copolymers yielded well‐defined materials with a range of molar compositions. These precursor materials were converted to the corresponding HIS and ARG block copolymers whose structure was confirmed using ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Employing a combination of dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy, we demonstrate that the DMA‐HIS and PEGA‐HIS diblock copolymers are able to undergo reversible and cyclable self‐directed assembly in aqueous media using CO₂ and N₂ as the triggers between fully hydrophilic and amphiphilic (assembled) states. For example, in the case of the 54:46 DMA‐HIS diblock, aggregates with hydrodynamic diameters of about 40.0 nm are readily formed from the molecularly dissolved state. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Copolymerization: A new tool to selectively induce poly(butylene naphthalate) crystal form

Poly(butylene/diethylene naphthalate) copolymers (PBN‐PDEN) were synthesized in bulk according to the polycondensation procedure and examined by NMR, GPC, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and XRD. At room temperature they appeared as semicrystalline materials; the copolymerization caused a lowering in the T_g value, a decrement of T_m and of the crystallization rate. Pure α or β′ form was obtained at low and high DEN unit content, respectively; crystalline form transition never occurred in the solid state, analogously to PBN. After cooling from the melt, the pure α form was always evidenced in PBN‐PDEN10 and PBN‐PDEN20, whereas the pure β′ crystal phase develops in the copolymer containing 40 mol % DEN units, independently on the cooling rate. In the case of PBN‐PDEN30 a pure α or β′ form was obtained at low and high cooling rate, respectively. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1356–1367, 2009     

Statistical copolymers of methyl methacrylate and 2‐methacryloyloxyethyl ferrocenecarboxylate: Monomer reactivity ratios,thermal and electrochemical properties

Statistical copolymers of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with 2‐methacryloyloxyethyl ferrocenecarboxylate (MAEFC) were prepared by free radical polymerization. The reactivity ratios were estimated using the Fineman‐Ross, inverted Fineman‐Ross, Kelen‐Tüdos, and extended Kelen‐Tüdos graphical methods. Structural parameters of the copolymers were obtained by calculating the dyad monomer sequence fractions and the mean sequence length. The glass‐transition temperature (T_g) values of the copolymers were measured and examined by means of several theoretical equations, allowing the prediction of these T_g values. The thermal degradation behavior of the copolymers was also studied and compared with the respective homopolymers. Cyclic voltammetry was employed to study the electrochemical properties of the copolymers. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Synthesis of poly(dimethylsiloxane)‐containing diblock and triblock copolymers by the combination of anionic ring‐opening polymerization of hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane and nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization of methyl acrylate,isoprene, and styrene

Poly(dimethylsiloxane)‐containing diblock and triblock copolymers were prepared by the combination of anionic ring‐opening polymerization (AROP) of hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane (D₃) and nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization (NMRP) of methyl acrylate (MA), isoprene (IP), and styrene (St). The first step was the preparation of a TIPNO‐based alkoxyamine carrying a 4‐bromophenyl group. The alkoxyamine was then treated with Li powder in ether, and AROP of D₃ was carried out using the resulting lithiophenyl alkoxyamine at room temperature, giving functional poly(D₃) with M_w/M_n of 1.09–1.16. NMRPs of MA, St, and IP from the poly(D₃) at 120 °C gave poly(D₃‐b‐MA), poly(D₃‐b‐St), and poly(D₃‐b‐IP) diblock copolymers, and subsequent NMRPs of St from poly(D₃‐b‐MA) and poly(D₃‐b‐IP) at 120 °C gave poly(D₃‐b‐MA‐b‐St) and poly(D₃‐b‐IP‐b‐St) triblock copolymers. The poly(dimethylsiloxane)‐containing diblock and triblock copolymers were analyzed by ¹H NMR and size exclusion chromatography. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 6153–6165, 2005     

Control of pore size and pore uniformity in films based on self‐assembling block copolymers

Blends of self‐assembling polystyrene‐block‐poly(4‐vinyl pyridine) (PS‐b‐P4VP) diblock‐copolymers and poly(4‐vinyl pyridine) (P4VP) homopolymers were used to fabricate isoporous and nanoporous films. Block copolymers (BCP) self‐assembled into a structure where the minority component forms very uniform cylinders, while homopolymers, resided in the core of the cylinders. Selective removal of the homopolymers by ethanol immersion led to the formation of well‐ordered pores. In films without added homopolymer, just immersion in ethanol and subsequent swelling of the P4VP blocks was found to be sufficient to create pores. Pore sizes were tuned between 10 and 50 nm by simply varying the homopolymer content and the molecular weight of the block‐copolymer. Uniformity was lost when the average pore size exceeded 30 nm because of macrophase separation. However, preparation of films from low M_W diblock copolymers showed that it is possible to have excellent pore size control and a high porosity, while retaining a low pore size distribution. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 1568–1579     

Organizing thermodynamic data obtained from multicomponent polymer electrolytes: Salt‐containing polymer blends and block copolymers

The objective of this review is to organize literature data on the thermodynamic properties of salt‐containing polystyrene/poly(ethylene oxide) (PS/PEO) blends and polystyrene‐b‐poly(ethylene oxide) (SEO) diblock copolymers. These systems are of interest due to their potential to serve as electrolytes in all‐solid rechargeable lithium batteries. Mean‐field theories, developed for pure polymer blends and block copolymers, are used to describe phenomenon seen in salt‐containing systems. An effective Flory–Huggins interaction parameter, χ_eff , that increases linearly with salt concentration is used to describe the effect of salt addition for both blends and block copolymers. Segregation strength, χ_effN , where N is the chain length of the homopolymers or block copolymers, is used to map phase behavior of salty systems as a function of composition. Domain spacing of salt‐containing block copolymers is normalized to account for the effect of copolymer composition using an expression obtained in the weak segregation limit. The phase behavior of salty blends, salty block copolymers, and domain spacings of the latter systems, are presented as a function of chain length, composition and salt concentration on universal plots. While the proposed framework has limitations, the universal plots should serve as a starting point for organizing data from other salt‐containing polymer mixtures. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 1177–1187     

Design of bicontinuous polymeric microemulsions

Recent experiments suggest that thermodynamically stable, bicontinuous microemulsions can be achieved in symmetric ternary blends of two homopolymers and a diblock copolymer by formulating alloys with compositions near mean-field isotropic Lifshitz points. We argue that practical application of this design criterion may require use of homopolymers of unequal molecular weights and block copolymers of different architecture. We demonstrate the existence of, and explicitly locate, mean-field isotropic Lifshitz points in ternary blends with homopolymer molecular weight asymmetry and either AB diblock or ABA triblock copolymer architectures. These calculations considerably expand the parameter space for observing bicontinuous microemulsions and allow for more flexibility in tailoring melt rheological properties and solid-state mechanical properties. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35: 2775–2786, 1997     

Synthesis,characterization, and self‐assembly of comb‐dendronized amphiphilic block copolymers

Novel amphiphilic comb‐dendronized diblock copolymers composed of hydrophobic Percec‐type dendronized polystyrene block and hydrophilic comb‐like poly(ethylene oxide) grafted polymethacrylate P(PEOMA) block were designed and synthesized via two steps of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The comb‐like P(PEOMA) prepared by ATRP of macromonomers (PEOMA) with two different molecular weights (M_n = 300 and 475) were used to initiate the sequent ATRP of dendritic styrene macromonomer (DS). The molecular weights and compositions of the obtained block copolymers were determined by ¹H NMR analysis. The copolymers with relatively narrow polydispersities (1.27–1.38) were thus obtained. The bulk properties of comb‐dendronized block copolymers were studied by using differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD). Similar to dendronized homopolymers, the block copolymers exhibited hexagonal columnar liquid‐crystalline phase structure. By using such amphiphilic comb‐dendronized block copolymers as building blocks, the rich self‐assembly morphologies, such as twisted string, vesicle, and large compound micelle (LCM), were obtained in a mixture of CH₃OH and THF. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4205–4217, 2008     

Synthesis and characterization of well‐defined block and statistical copolymers based on lauryl methacrylate and 2‐(acetoacetoxy)ethyl methacrylate using RAFT‐controlled radical polymerization

Four well‐defined diblock copolymers and one statistical copolymer based on lauryl methacrylate (LauMA) and 2‐(acetoacetoxy)ethyl methacrylate (AEMA) were prepared using reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The polymers were characterized in terms of molecular weights, polydispersity indices (ranging between 1.12 and 1.23) and compositions by size exclusion chromatography and ¹H NMR spectroscopy, respectively. The preparation of the block copolymers was accomplished following a two‐step methodology: First, well‐defined LauMA homopolymers were prepared by RAFT using cumyl dithiobenzoate as the chain transfer agent (CTA). Kinetic studies revealed that the polymerization of LauMA followed first‐order kinetics demonstrating the “livingness” of the RAFT process. The pLauMAs were subsequently used as macro‐CTA for the polymerization of AEMA. The glass transition (T_g) and decomposition temperatures (ranging between 200 and 300 °C) of the copolymers were determined using differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis, respectively. The T_gs of the LauMA homopolymers were found to be around ?53 °C. Block copolymers exhibited two T_gs suggesting microphase separation in the bulk whereas the statistical copolymer presented a single T_g as expected. Furthermore, the micellization behavior of pLauMA‐b‐pAEMA block copolymers was investigated in n‐hexane, a selective solvent for the LauMA block, using dynamic light scattering. pLauMA‐b‐pAEMA block copolymers formed spherical micelles in dilute hexane solutions with hydrodynamic diameters ranging between 30 and 50 nm. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5442–5451, 2008     

Kinetics and mechanism of the cationic polymerization of trioxane. II. Consideration of hydride transfer

The occurrence of hydride-transfer reactions during the cationic polymerization of trioxane was demonstrated, and rate constants were obtained. The donor of hydride ions in the transfer reactions was the monomer. The hydride-transfer reaction was a first-order reaction with respect to the concentration of the monomer, and it was governed, just as polymerization and depolymerization were (Shieh, Y. T.; Chen. S. A. J. Polym. Sci. Part A: Polym. Chem. 1999, 37, 483–492) by morphological changes. The hydride-transfer rate constants were 5 orders of magnitude smaller than those for polymerizations and depolymerizations. The rate constants for the reactions, including the polymerizations, depolymerizations, and hydride transfers, were smaller for the active centers on the solid surface than for those in solution, that is, k^′_p was less than k_p, k^′_d was less than k_d, and k^′_ht was less than k_ht. As a reaction medium, benzene had special effects on the kinetics of the cationic polymerization of trioxane. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 4198–4204, 1999     

Conformational behavior of styrene–p-chlorostyrene triblock copolymers in dilute solutions. I. Composition dependence of conformational behavior

Dilute solution properties of (styrene-p-chlorostyrene) triblock copolymers in various solvents were studied over a wide range of molecular weight and composition. Viscosity and osmotic pressure results indicate that the conformational behavior of the B_mA_nB_m and A_mB_nA_m copolymers (A = styrene; B = p-chlorostyrene; m and n denote the number of units) are similar in nonselective solvents such as toluene and 2-butanone, but different in selective solvents such as carbon tetrachloride and cumene. Short-range and long-range interaction parameters of the block copolymers were determined by applying the Stockmayer–Fixman method to viscosity data and also by application of the equation relating the osmotic virial coefficient and the excluded volume. The results show that the unperturbed dimensions of the block copolymers vary linearly with composition, and long-range interaction parameters in nonselective solvents can be expressed by those of the parent homopolymers, the chemical composition, and values of the interaction parameter β_AB between styrene and p-chlorostyrene monomeric units.     

Water‐soluble acrylamide copolymers. VI. Preparation and characterization of poly[N,N‐dimethylacrylamide‐co‐acrylamide] and control polyacrylamides

This article describes the first of a new series of preparations of water‐soluble acrylamide, substituted acrylamide copolymers and related homopolymers. Objectives of this work were to measure the progressive influence on the hydrodynamic volume and other properties contributed by incorporation of N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (DMA) into a series of high molecular weight acrylamide copolymers. Traditional photoacoustic Fourier transform infrared, ¹³C NMR, and elemental analysis were used for primary characterization. A series of tests using viscometric, gel permeation, chromatographic, and multiangle laser light scattering methods were then used to measure the hydrodynamic volumes of the products. Copolymers incorporating 14, 23, 43, and 63 mol percent DMA with molecular weights of greater than 5 × 10⁶ g/mol were obtained with yields of better than 70%. Aqueous solutions of these polymers showed little or no decrease in radii of gyration or intrinsic viscosity when low concentrations of sodium chloride were added, in contrast to its effect on solutions of polyacrylamide itself. For the copolymers, higher values were obtained for < r_g > and [η], than were observed for acrylamide homopolymers of comparable molecular weight. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3128–3145, 2000     

Cobalt‐mediated radical polymerization routes to poly(vinyl ester) block copolymers

Cobalt‐mediated radical polymerizations (CMRPs) utilizing redox initiation are demonstrated to produce poly(vinyl ester) homopolymers derived from vinyl pivalate (VPv) and vinyl benzoate (VBz), and their block copolymers with vinyl acetate (VAc). Combining anhydrous Co(acac)₂, lauroyl peroxide, citric acid trisodium salt, and VPv at 30 °C results in controlled polymerizations that yield homopolymers with M_n = 2.5–27 kg/mol with M_w/M_n = 1.20–1.30. Homopolymerizations of scrupulously purified VBz proceed with lower levels of control as evidenced by broader polydispersities over a range of molecular weights (M_n = 4–16 kg/mol; M_w/M_n = 1.34–1.65), which may be interpreted in terms of the decreased nucleophilicity of these less electron donating propagating polymer chain ends. Based on these results, we demonstrate that sequential CMRP reactions present a viable route to microphase separated poly(vinyl ester) block copolymers as shown by small‐angle X‐ray scattering analyses. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Multiblock copolymers of styrene and isoprene. II. Microstructure and dilute solution properties

Dilute solution properties of linear (SI)₃ six-block copolymers of styrene and isoprene are compared to those of random, two-block, and three-block copolymers of the same system. All the copolymers were prepared with sec-butyllithium in benzene. The microstructure of the polyisoprene blocks is close to that of homopolyisoprene prepared under the same conditions. In contrast, the random copolymer shows a larger amount of trans-1,4 isoprene units. The intrinsic viscosities of the copolymers in methylisobutyl ketone, a poor solvent for both polystyrene and polyisoprene, and in toluene, a good solvent for both homopolymers, are examined on the basis of the Fox–Flory relation for homopolymers. All the copolymers behave similarly in each solvent. In methylisobutyl ketone, the viscosity results indicate a random coil conformation with a small expansion owing to the extra repulsive interactions between the dissimilar units. In all cases, the heterocontact repulsive interactions are small and can be characterized by an interaction parameter χ_ab close to 0.025. In toluene, the perturbation caused by the heterocontacts becomes negligible and the expansion factor α_η can be predicted from a weighted average of those of the parent homopolymers of the same molecular weight as the copolymer.