Polyazomethines Bearing Furan Moieties. Solution Polycondensation of Bis(furanic diamine)s and Aromatic Dialdehydes

A series of new polyazomethines containing furan moieties was synthesized by polycondensation of bifuranic diamine monomers with commercially available aromatic dialdehydes viz., terephthaldehyde (TPA), isophthaldehyde (IPA). Inherent viscosities and number average molecular weights of polyazomethines were in the range 0.90–1.56 dL/g and 10460–17850 (SEC, polystyrene standard), respectively indicating formation of medium to reasonably high molecular weight polymers. The resulting polyazomethines were characterized by solubility tests, viscosity measurements, FTIR, NMR, UV spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetric (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). These furan-based polyazomethines were essentially amorphous and exhibited glass transition temperatures (Tg) in the 150–190°C range. The temperature at 10% wt loss (T₁₀), determined from TGA of polyazomethines were in the range 300–380°C, indicating their good thermal stability.     

NEW MATERIALS DERIVED FROM POLY(4-HYDROXYSTYRENE) AS LITHIUM BATTERY CELL COMPONENTS

A new class of polyethers has been prepared by the Mitsunobu coupling of poly(4-vinyl phenol), P4VP, with low molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol)methyl ether. These comb-like polymers, having ca. 20–30% residual phenols, were characterized by IR, DSC, and TGA. Results of thermal analysis on the polymers suggest thermal stability to at least 300°C and a glass transition temperature in the range ?30 to ?40°C. Complexes with LiPF₆ gave conductivities of ca. 1 × 10^?5 S/cm at room temperature. The polymers were blended with plasticized poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) to prepare porous films and subsequently infiltrated with lithium salts and ethylene and ethyl methyl carbonate. Ionic conductivities of these hybrid films were measured from ?20°C to 40°C. Conductivities as high as 2.4 × 10^?3 S/cm are observed at room temperature. The electrochemical stability of hybrid materials was studied by cyclic voltammetry.     

Cationic polymerization of isobutene initiated by stannic chloride and phenols: Polymer endgroup studies

Low molecular weight polymers of isobutene produced with stannic chloride as catalyst and phenols as cocatalysts have been subjected to ultraviolet and NMR analysis. A high proportion of the endgroups are derived from the phenol cocatalyst when the concentration of free phenol in the reaction mixture at ?78.5°C is fairly large. At low concentrations of free phenol, termination to give vinylidene endgroups becomes more significant. The results lend support to the suggestion that an important mode of termination in this polymerization system involves the reaction between a growing carbonium ion and the phenol cocatalyst.     

Oxidation and epoxidation of poly(1,3‐cyclohexadiene)

Poly(1,3‐cyclohexadiene) (PCHD) derivatives were synthesized via facile chemical modification reactions of the residual double bond in the repeat unit. The oxidation and degradation of PCHD was investigated to enable subsequent controlled epoxidation reactions. PCHD exhibited a 15% weight loss at 110 °C in the presence of oxygen. The oxidative degradation, demonstrated by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and ¹H NMR spectroscopy, was attributed to main‐chain scission. Aldehyde and ether functional groups were introduced into the polymer during the oxidation process. PCHD was quantitatively epoxidized in the absence of deleterious oxidation with meta‐chloroperoxybenzoic acid. ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy confirmed that polymers with controlled degrees of epoxidation were reproducibly obtained. Epoxidized PCHD exhibited a glass‐transition temperature at 154 °C, which was slightly higher than that of a PCHD precursor of a nearly equivalent molecular weight. Moreover, GPC indicated the absence of undesirable crosslinking or degradation, and the molecular weight distributions remained narrow. The thermooxidative stability of the fully epoxidized polymer was compared to that of the PCHD precursor, and the epoxidized PCHD exhibited an initial weight loss at 250 °C in oxygen, which was 140 °C higher than the temperature for PCHD. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 84–93, 2003     

Effect of reaction conditions on the molecular weight and polydispersity of linear poly(arylene ether phosphine oxide)s prepared from an AB monomer

A thorough study of the polymerization behavior of 4‐fluoro‐4′‐hydroxytriphenyl‐phosphine oxide, 2 , under nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions has been carried out. The synthesis of 2 was achieved in excellent yields by the reaction of bis(4‐fluorophenyl)phenylphosphine oxide, 1 , with one equivalent of potassium hydroxide in DMSO/water. The structure and purity of 2 were confirmed via ¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy along with elemental analysis. Polymerization reactions of 2 in NMP or DMSO at 180 °C provided the corresponding linear poly(arylene ether phosphine oxide)s, PAEPOs, with number average molecular weights, M_n, ranging from 11,700 to 36,500 Da. All of the polymer samples were completely soluble in chloroform, tetrahydrofuran, DMSO, NMP, and DMAc. The polymerization reactions were accompanied by a competing intramolecular process that resulted in the formation of cyclic oligomeric species that were removed via a final precipitation from methanol. Analysis using ³¹P NMR spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) confirmed that the majority of the lower molecular weight cyclic species were removed via this process. The polymer samples formed tough films when chloroform solutions were slowly evaporated on a glass slide. The PAEPO samples prepared in this study exhibited excellent thermal stability with T_d (5%) values between 503 and 542 in air while the glass transition temperatures ranged from 223 to 237 °C. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2099–2106, 2006     

Synthesis and properties of new aromatic polyamides with redox‐active 2,4‐dimethoxytriphenylamine moieties

A new triphenylamine‐based diamine monomer, 4,4′‐diamino‐2″,4″‐dimethoxytriphenylamine ( 2 ), was synthesized from readily available reagents and was reacted with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids to produce a series of aromatic polyamides ( 4a–h ) containing the redox‐active 2,4‐dimethoxy‐substituted triphenylamine (dimethoxyTPA) unit. All the resulting polyamides were readily soluble in polar organic solvents and could be solution cast into tough and flexible films. These polymers exhibited good thermal stability with glass transition temperatures of 243–289 °C and softening temperatures of 238–280 °C, 10% weight loss temperatures in excess of 470 °C in nitrogen, and char yields higher than 60% at 800 °C in nitrogen. The redox behaviors of the polymers were examined using cyclic voltammetry (CV). All these polyamides showed two reversible oxidation processes in the first CV scan. The polymers also displayed low ionization potentials as a result of their dimethoxyTPA moieties. In addition, the polymers displayed excellent stability of electrochromic characteristics with coloration change from a colorless neutral state to green and blue‐purple oxidized states. These anodically coloring polyamides showed high green coloration efficiency (CE = 329 cm²/C), high contrast of optical transmittance change (ΔT% = 84% at 829 nm), and long‐term redox reversibility. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3392–3401, 2010     

Cationic addition polymerization of 1,4‐dioxene using gacl3 as lewis acid catalyst: Long‐lived species‐mediated polymerization

Effective cationic addition polymerization of 1,4‐dioxene, a six‐membered cyclic olefin with two oxygen atoms adjacent to the double bond, was performed using a simple metal halide catalyst system in dichloromethane. The polymerization was controlled when the reaction was conducted using GaCl₃ in conjunction with an isobutyl vinyl ether–HCl adduct as a cationogen at –78°C to give polymers with predetermined molecular weights and relatively narrow molecular weight distributions. The long‐lived properties of the propagating species were further confirmed by a monomer addition experiment and the analyses of the product polymers by ¹H NMR and MALDI–TOF–MS. Although highly clean propagation proceeded, the apparent rate constant changed during the controlled cationic polymerization of 1,4‐dioxene. The reason for the change was discussed based on polymerization results under various conditions. The obtained poly(1,4‐dioxene) exhibited a very high glass transition temperature (T_g) of 217°C and unique solubility. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Adsorption-desorption behavior of phenols on novel polymers containing the pyrrolidinone moiety

Crosslinked polymers having a pyrrolidinone moiety (CPS, CPES, and CVP) were synthesized by radical copolymerization of 4-(2-oxo-1-pyrrolidinyl)methylstyrene, 4-[2-(2-oxo-1-pyrrolidinyl)ethoxy]methylstyrene, or 2-vinylpyrrolidinone with divinylbenzene in the presence of AIBN as a radical initiator. The adsorption-desorption behavior of phenols on these polymers was investigated. The polymers with spacers between the polymer main chain and pyrrolidinone moiety appeared to have a superior adsorption capability to those without such spacers. The amount of phenol adsorbed on the polymers in a solvent decreased in the following order: water > chloroform > methanol. In methanol, the interaction between the polymers and phenol was suggested to come only from charge-transfer stacking (C–T stacking), whereas in chloroform the interaction was caused mainly by both hydrogen bonding and C–T stacking. The interaction in water was attributed not only to both hydrogen bonding and C–T stacking, but also to a hydrophobic interaction. Characterization of polymers (CVP) containing adsorbed phenol was carried out by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The TGA curves indicated a two step weight-decrease, namely the first step in the temperature ranging from ca. 100-200°C was attributed to the desorption of phenol while the second step in the temperature ranging from ca. 350-500°C was based on thermal decomposition of the polymers. The desorption of phenol adsorbed on the polymers in water indicated an inverse tendency to the adsorption; that is, the amount of phenol desorbed from the polymers without a spacer was more than those from the polymers with spacers. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Exhaustive and partial alkoxylation of polymethylhydrosiloxane by copper‐catalyzed dehydrocoupling with alcohols: Synthesis,crosslinking behavior,and thermal properties of the products

Polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) reacts with aliphatic and aromatic alcohols at room temperature in the presence of [CuH(PPh₃)]₆ complex catalyst to give poly[(methyl) (alkoxy)siloxane]s in high yields. Reactivity of alcohols decreases in the order of p‐methoxyphenol > p‐cresol > phenol > benzyl alcohol > allyl alcohol > ethanol > isopropanol > tert‐butyl alcohol. Partially p‐cresylated polymers, which still retain unreacted Si? H bonds, react further with ethylene glycol or water to form cross‐linked polymers, which, depending on the extent of cross linking, gelate during the cross‐linking process. Propargyl alcohol reacts with PMHS very rapidly to give exhaustively and partially propargyloxylated PMHS. Resulting polymers, upon heating, undergo crosslinking. Partially propargyloxylated polymers display high thermal stability [T_d5 (temperature of 5% weight loss) > 500 °C] as compared with starting PMHS (243 °C) and exhaustively propargyloxylated one (414 °C). © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Synthesis and cleavage of core‐labile poly(alkyl methacrylate) star polymers

Core‐cleavable star polymers were synthesized by the coupling of living anionic poly(alkyl methacrylate) arms with either dicumyl alcohol dimethacrylate (DCDMA) or 2,5‐dimethyl‐2,5‐hexanediol dimethacrylate (DHDMA). This synthetic methodology led to the formation of star polymers that exhibited high molecular weights and relatively narrow molecular weight distributions. The labile tertiary alkyl esters in the DCDMA and DHDMA star polymer cores were readily hydrolyzed under acidic conditions. High‐molecular‐weight star polymer cleavage led to well‐defined arm polymers with lower molecular weights. Hydrolysis was confirmed via ¹H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the star polymers demonstrated that the DCDMA and DHDMA star polymer cores also thermally degraded in the absence of acid catalysts at 185 and 220 °C, respectively, and the core‐cleavage temperatures were independent of the arm polymer composition. The difference in the core‐degradation temperatures was attributed to the increased reactivity of the DCDMA‐derived cores. TGA/mass spectrometry detected the evolution of the diene byproduct of the core degradation and confirmed the proposed degradation mechanism. The DCDMA monomer exhibited a higher degradation rate than DHDMA under identical reaction conditions because of the additional resonance stabilization of the liberated byproduct, which made it a more responsive cleavable coupling monomer than DHDMA. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3083–3093, 2003     

Radical polymerization in the presence of peroxide and reducing agent monomer for branched polymers

In this article, we report the radical polymerization in the presence of peroxide and commercially available or designed reducing agent monomer (RAM) for the preparation of branched poly(methyl methacrylate)s (PMMAs). The reaction behavior of the RAM was studied by NMR. Triple‐detection SEC (TD‐SEC) analysis was used to confirm the branching structure of the prepared PMMAs and to investigate the influence of peroxide concentration and RAM concentration on molecular weight and branched structure. The obtained branched PMMAs exhibited high molecular weights and relatively narrow polydispersities at high conversion of MMA. Interestingly, a significant increase in molecular weight and degree of branching of the obtained polymers are observed in higher BPO concentration, these results are quite different from that reported in the literature. The unique radical polymerization mechanism in the RAM/BPO redox‐initiated radical polymerization system resulted in branched PMMAs with high molecular weights at relatively high RAM and BPO concentrations. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 833–840     

Liquid crystalline lonomers. I. Main-chain liquid crystalline polymer containing pendant sulfonate groups

Liquid crystalline polymers containing sodium sulfonate groups pendant to the polymer backbone were synthesized by an interfacial condensation reaction of brilliant yellow, a sulfonate-containing monomer, with 4,4′-dihydroxy-α,α′-dimethyl benzalazine and a 50/50 mixture of sebacoyl and dodecanedioyl dichlorides. Polymers containing up to ca. 4 mol% brilliant yellow were characterized by elemental analysis and ultraviolet spectroscopy. The polymers were thermally stable to about 300°C, and they exhibited a broad nematic mesophase region of 70–100°C. The solution viscosity behavior in chloroform suggested that intramolecular associations of the sulfonate groups occurred at low polymer concentrations and intermolecular associations predominated at higher concentrations.     

Synthesis and properties of soluble,fluorescent polyesters and polyethers with substituted m‐terphenyl segments in the main chain

A new series of rigid polyesters and semiflexible polyethers were synthesized from 4,4″‐dihydroxy‐5′‐phenyl or anthracenyl‐m‐terphenyl. The polymers were characterized by viscometry, Fourier transform infrared, NMR, X‐ray, differential scanning calorimetry, thermomechanical analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, ultraviolet–visible, and luminescence spectroscopy. The polyesters were amorphous, whereas some of the polyethers showed a low degree of crystallinity. All the polymers displayed an enhanced solubility even in 1,1,2,2‐tetrachloroethane and tetrahydrofuran. The glass‐transition temperatures were 123–146 °C for the polyesters and 45–117 °C for the polyethers. The polymers were stable up to 213–340 °C and afforded anaerobic char yields of 36–62% at 800 °C. Their optical properties were investigated both in solution and in the solid state. They showed ultraviolet fluorescence, violet‐blue fluorescence, or both with emission maxima at 333–487 nm. The polymers with anthracenyl pendent groups exhibited higher fluorescence quantum yields and emission maxima redshifted compared with the corresponding polymers with phenyl pendent groups. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2381–2391, 2000     

Synthesis,characterization, thermal stability,conductivity, and band gaps of substitute oligo/polyamines or polyphenol

In this study, the oxidative polycondensation reaction conditions of 3,5‐dichloroaniline (DCA), 3,4,5‐trimethoxyaniline (TMA), 3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)aniline (BTFMA), and 4‐{[(3,5‐dichlorophenyl)imino]methyl}phenol (DCPIMP) were studied by using NaOCl oxidant in an aqueous alkaline medium between 40 and 90°C. The structures of the synthesized monomer and polymer were confirmed by FT‐IR, Ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis), ¹H‐NMR, and ¹³C‐NMR and elemental analysis. The characterization was made by TGA–DTA, size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and solubility tests. At the optimum reaction conditions, the yields of oligo‐3,5‐dichloroaniline (ODCA), poly‐3,4,5‐trimethoxy aniline (PTMA), oligo‐3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)aniline (OBTFMA), and poly‐4‐{[(3,5‐dichlorophenyl) imino]methyl} phenol (PDCPIMP) were found to be 98, 48, 80, and 83% in using NaOCl oxidant. According to the SEC analysis, the number‐average molecular weight (M_n), weight‐average molecular weight (M_w) and polydispersity index (PDI) values of ODCA, PTMA, and OBTFMA were found to be 2200, 3800 g mol^?1, and 1.727; 4700, 7500 g mol^?1, and 1.596; and 1690, 1950 g mol^?1, and 1.154, respectively. According to TG analysis, the weight losses of ODCA, PTMA, OBTFMA, and PDCPIMP were found to be 78.55, 54.18, 99.38, and 59.70% at 1000°C, respectively. PTMA showed higher stability against thermal decomposition. Electrical conductivity of the polymers was measured, showing that the polymer is a typical semiconductor. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and electrochemical band gaps ( ) of ODCA, PTMA, OBTFMA, and PDCPIMP were calculated from their absorption edges of cyclic voltammograms. The optical band gaps (E_g) values of all compounds were calculated from UV–vis measurements. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of macrocycles by the ring‐crossover reaction of a cyclic dithioester

The ring‐crossover polymerization of cyclic dithioester 1 was performed in the presence of quaternary onium salts as catalysts at 70–150 °C for 24 h in NMP. It was found that predictable cyclic polymers with the same repeating structures as 1 were obtained with M_ns in the range between 700 and 3,500, quantitatively. It was observed that intermolecular and intramolecular thioester‐exchange reactions proceeded between cyclic monomer 1 and resulting cyclic polymers under thermodynamic control to give a lower‐molecular‐weight cyclic polymer with a lower polydispersity ratio (M_n = 2,400, M_w/M_n = 1.70). © 2006Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 680–687, 2007     

Novel aromatic polymers from benzaldehyde and triphenylamine derivatives: Synthesis,electrochromic, and photochemical properties

A series of novel triphenylamine‐based polymers were synthesized from benzaldehyde and triphenylamine derivatives. All the polymers having high molecular weight are readily soluble in many organic solvents and could be solution‐cast into amorphous films. They had glass transition temperatures (T_gs) in the range of 193–217 °C, and 10% weight loss temperatures in excess of 475 °C. Cyclic voltammograms of all polymers showed reversible oxidation redox peaks and E_onset around 0.42–0.90 V, indicating that the polymers are electrochemically active and stable. In addition, all these polymers revealed photochemical characteristics in conformity with their electrochromic characteristics. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 2118–2131, 2009     

Effect of molecular architecture and size of mesogen on phase behavior and photoactive properties of photoactive liquid crystalline hyperbranched polyester epoxies containing benzylidene moiety

A series of photoactive liquid crystalline linear and hyperbranched polyester epoxies were synthesized by polyaddition of photoactive bis benzylidene alkanone diol monomers and terephthalic acid and trimesic acid respectively with good yield. The effect of molecular architecture (linear and hyperbranched), size of mesogenic unit (cyclic and acyclic units) on the physicochemical, thermal, mesogenic, and photoactive properties of hyperbranched polymers were studied and compared. Degree of branching of hyperbranched polymers was found to be in the range of 0.46–0.49. Monomers containing cyclic moieties only exhibited nematic mesophase, while all polymers exhibited typical nematic mesophase. Intermolecular photo cycloaddition reaction was studied by ultraviolet–visible spectra (UV–vis) and NMR spectroscopy and photo viscosity measurement of UV irradiated polymer solutions. Faster photo induced behavior of hyperbranched polymers containing acyclic alkanone moiety, as compared to polymers containing cycloalkanone moieties, was observed. The change in the refractive index was found to be in the range of 0.02–0.024. Substantial variation of refractive index indicates that this polymer could be used for optical recording. All the polymers were also found to be fluorescent in nature. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 552–563, 2008     

Optimization of direct arylation polymerization conditions for the synthesis of poly(3‐hexylthiophene)

Direct arylation polymerization (DArP) is an emerging alternative to Stille and Suzuki polymerizations. This method is attractive as it allows preparation of high‐molecular‐weight conjugated polymers in good yield without the need to metallate monomers. Despite this promise, for poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and related polymers that have β‐protons on the thiophene ring, DArP is known to produce β‐defects, which make the polymer properties different from polymers produced by traditional methods. Here, we demonstrate that DArP conditions based on simple, inexpensive, and bench‐stable reagents can be tuned to limit the amount of defects and produce P3HT with properties remarkably similar to Stille P3HT. Specifically, lowering the reaction temperature, lowering the amount of catalyst, and using a bulkier carboxylate ligand is critical. Optimized conditions include reacting 2‐bromo‐3‐hexylthiophene with 0.25 mol % of Pd(OAc)₂, 1.5 equivalents of K₂CO₃, and 0.3 equivalents of neodecanoic acid in N,N‐dimethylacetamide at 70 °C and give DArP P3HT with ～60% yield, regioregularity of 93.5%, molecular weight of 20 kDa, polydispersity of 2.8, and melting point of 217 °C, providing a very close match to Stille P3HT, which is obtained with 70–80% yield, 91–94% regioregularity, molecular weight of 15–25 kDa, polydispersity of 2.5–2.8, and melting point of 214–221 °C. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2660–2668     

Ionic polymerization of 1,2-butylene oxide: GPC,NMR, and IR characterization of the reaction products

The triphenylmethyl hexafluoroarsenate-initiated cationic polymerization of 1,2-butylene oxide in dichloroethane between ?25 and +25°C and its sodium-initiated anionic polymerization in bulk at 20°C have been carried out. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) molecular weight distribution curves of the reaction products are multinodal. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and infrared (IR) analyses show that the cationically prepared polymers are composed of cyclic oligomers and linear high-molecular-weight products, while the anionically prepared polymers contain only linear products some of which include double bonds. NMR analyses further reveal that the cationically prepared polymers consist of monomer repeat units, while the anionically prepared polymers are essentially made of side products originating from the reaction of 1,2-butylene oxide with the sodium mirror used as the anionic initiator.     

Synthesis of phenylquinoxaline oligomers containing pendant electron‐donating and electron‐withdrawing groups

A series of extended 6‐substituted quinoxaline AB monomer mixtures, 2‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐3‐[4‐(4‐hydroxyphenoxy)phenyl]‐6‐substituted quinoxaline and 3‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐2‐[4‐(4‐hydroxyphenoxy)phenyl]‐6‐substituted quinoxaline, were prepared and polymerized to afford phenylquinoxaline oligomers. High‐molecular‐weight polymers could not be obtained because of the formation of cyclic oligomers. On the basis of matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight analysis and molecular modeling results, the formation of a cyclic dimer could be a favorable process resulting in low‐molecular‐weight oligomers. They were completely soluble and amorphous, with glass‐transition temperatures varying from 165 to 266 °C, and they had thermooxidative stability, with samples displaying 5% weight loss temperatures of 419–511 °C in nitrogen. The thermal properties of the monomers and resultant polymers dramatically depended on the polarity of the substituents. The monomers and resultant oligomers displayed high fluorescence in tetrahydrofuran solutions and N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone solutions, respectively. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 6465–6479, 2005