Synergistic interaction of epoxides and N‐vinylcarbazole during photoinitiated cationic polymerization

A kinetic study was conducted of the independent photoinitiated cationic polymerization of a number of epoxide monomers and mixtures of these monomers with N‐vinylcarbazole. The results show that these two different classes of monomers undergo complex synergistic interactions with one another during polymerization. It was demonstrated that N‐vinylcarbazole as well as other carbazoles are efficient photosensitizers for the photolysis of both diaryliodonium and triarylsulfonium salt photoinitiators. In the presence of large amounts of N‐vinylcarbazole, the rates of the cationic ring‐opening photopolymerization of epoxides are markedly accelerated. This effect has been ascribed to a photoinitiated free‐radical chain reaction that results in the oxidation of monomeric and polymeric N‐vinylcarbazole radicals by the onium salt photoinitiators to generate cations. These cations can initiate the ring‐opening polymerization of the epoxides, leading to the production of copolymers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3697–3709, 2000     

Synthesis of new hybrid monomers and oligomers containing cationic and radical polymerizable vinyl groups and their photoinitiated polymerization

New hybrid vinyl monomers with both cationic- and radical-polymerizable vinyl groups were synthesized by the reaction of bis[1(chloromethyl)-2-(vinyloxy)ethyl]terephthalate ( 3 ) with unsaturated carboxylic acids using 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]-undecene-7 (DBU) as a base. The reaction of 3 with methacrylic acid 4a was carried out using DBU in DMSO at 70°C for 24 h to give an 86% yield of the hybrid vinyl monomer ( 5a ). Polycondensation of 3 with unsaturated dicarboxylic acids was also performed using DBU to give hybrid vinyl oligomers with radical polymerizable C (DOUBLE BOND) C groups (V_R) in the main chain and cationic polymerizable vinyl ether moieties (V_C) on the side chain. The photopolymerization of these hybrid vinyl compounds proceeded smoothly in bulk using either a cationic photoinitiator such as a sulfonium salt or a radical photoinitiator such as acyl phosphine oxide under UV irradiation. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of silicon-containing vinyl ether monomers and oligomers and their photoinitiated polymerization

Silicon-containing divinyl ether monomers were synthesized by the addition reaction of glycidyl vinyl ether ( 1 ) with various silyl dichlorides using tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (TBAB) as a catalyst. The reaction of 1 with diphenyl dichlorosilane gave bis-[1-(chloromethyl)-2-(vinyloxy)-ethyl]diphenyl silane ( 3a ) in 89% yield. Polycondensations of 3a with terephthalic acid were also carried out using 1,8-Diazabicyclo[5.4.0]-7-undecene (DBU) to afford silicon-containing polyfunctional vinyl ether oligomers ( 5 ). A multifunctional Si-monomer with both vinyl ether and methacrylate groups ( 7 ) was prepared by the reaction of 3a with potassium methacrylate using TBAB as a phase transfer catalyst. Photoinitiated cationic polymerizations of these vinyl ether compounds proceeded rapidly using the sulfonium salt, bis-[4-(diphenyl-sulfonio)phenyl]sulfide-bis-hexafluorophoshate (DPSP), as the cationic photoinitiator in neat mixtures upon UV irradiation. Multifunctional monomer 7 with both vinyl ether and methacrylate groups showed “hybrid curing properties” using both DPSP and the radical photoinitiator, 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphoshine oxide (TPO). © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 3217–3225, 1997     

The synthesis and study of the photoinitiated cationic polymerization of novel cycloaliphatic epoxides

The synthesis of a series of difunctional epoxides bearing two epoxycyclohexyl groups linked together by an alkylene ether group has been carried out. Subsequently, the reactivities of these novel monomers was investigated and compared to the reactivity of the cycloali-phatic epoxide, 3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl 3′,4′-epoxycyclohexane carboxylate ( I ) in pho-toinitiated cationic polymerization. It was observed that alkylene oxide linking the two epoxycyclohexyl groups was short and the monomers are more reactive than I . The effects of the photoinitiator structure and the experimental conditions of the cationic photopo-lymerization on the rates was also studied using real-time infrared spectroscopy. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Novel photocurable monomers: The synthesis of difunctional vinyl ethers with a phosphonate group and difunctional 1‐propenyl ethers with a phosphonate group and their photoinitiated cationic polymerization

Phosphorus‐containing vinyl ether monomers and 1‐propenyl ether monomers were prepared by the regioselective addition reaction of glycidyl vinyl ether (GVE) or 1‐propenyl glycidyl ether with diaryl phosphonates with quaternary onium salts as catalysts. The reaction of GVE with bis(4‐chlorophenyl) phenylphosphonate gave bis[1‐(4‐chlorophenoxy methyl)‐2‐(vinyloxy)ethyl]phenylphosphonate in a 68% yield. The structures of the resulting phosphorus‐containing vinyl ether monomers and 1‐propenyl ether monomers were confirmed by IR and ¹H NMR spectra and elemental analysis. Photoinitiated cationic polymerizations of the resulting phosphorus‐containing vinyl ether monomers and 1‐propenyl ether monomers were investigated with photoacid generators. The polymerization of vinyl ether groups and 1‐propenyl ether groups of the obtained monomers proceeded very smoothly with a sulfonium‐type cationic photoinitiator, bis[4‐(diphenylsulfonio)phenyl]sulfide‐bis(hexafluorophosphate), upon UV irradiation. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3105–3115, 2005     

Phenothiazine photosensitizers for onium salt photoinitiated cationic polymerization

Phenothiazine compounds bearing a wide range of different substituents are excellent photosensitizers for onium salt cationic photoinitiators. These photosensitizers are generally operative in the mid‐ and long‐range regions of the UV spectrum and are especially useful for enhancing the rate of photoinitiated cationic polymerization carried out utilizing both filtered and broadband UV emission sources. In this article, the syntheses of several different substituted phenothiazines are described and the ability of these compounds to photosensitize the photolysis of different onium salt photoinitiators is evaluated. Attempts were made to correlate the structure and spectral characteristics of the phenothiazines with their efficiency of photosensitization in the cationic photopolymerizations of several typical epoxide and vinyl ether monomers. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1187–1197, 2001     

Metallocene-mediated cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers: Kinetics of polymerization and synthesis and characterization of statistical copolymers

The cationic polymerization of ethyl, n-butyl and iso-butyl vinyl ether, EVE, BVE and iBVE, respectively, was efficiently conducted using bis(η⁵-cyclopentadienyl)dimethyl hafnium, Cp₂HfMe₂, or bis(η⁵-cyclopentadienyl)dimethyl zirconium, Cp₂ZrMe₂ in combination with either tris(pentafluorophenyl)borate, B(C₆F₅)₃, or tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate dimethylanilinum salt, [B(C₆F₅)₄]^?[Me₂NHPh]⁺, as initiation systems. The evolution of polymer yield, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution with time was examined. In addition, the influence of the initiating system, the monomer and the reaction conditions on the control of the polymerization was studied. Furthermore, statistical copolymers of EVE with BVE were prepared employing Cp₂HfMe₂ and [B(C₆F₅)₄]^?[Me₂NHPh]⁺ as the initiation system. The reactivity ratios were estimated using both linear graphical and non-linear methods. Structural parameters of the copolymers were obtained by calculating the dyad sequence fractions and the mean sequence length, which were derived using the monomer reactivity ratios. The glass transition temperatures, Tg, of the copolymers were measured by Differential Scanning Calorimetry, DSC, and the results were compared with predictions based on several theoretical models. The kinetics of thermal decomposition of the copolymers along with the respective homopolymers was studied by thermogravimetric analysis within the framework of the Ozawa-Flynn-Wall and Kissinger methodologies.     

Mechanistic study of the reactivity of 3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl 3′,4′-epoxycyclohexancarboxylate in photoinitiated cationic polymerizations

An investigation of the reactivity of the cycloaliphatic diepoxide, 3,4-epoxycyclohexyl 3′, 4′-epoxycycloexane carboxylate ( I ) in photoinitiated cationic polymerization was carried out with the aid of model compounds. It was shown that the presence of the ester group greatly retards the rate of polymerization of this bisepoxide. Molecular modeling studies indicate that the ester carbonyl group can interact in a number of ways with the initially formed protonated or alkylated oxiranium cation to give bicylic dialkoxycarbenium ions. These latter species are both more sterically hindered and less reactive than the oxiranium cation precursors and undergo propagation at a considerably reduced rate. Reactivity studies em-ploying model compounds also showed that epoxy monomers that contain ester groups undergo polymerization at much slower rates than those in which the ester group is absent. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Photoinitiated cationic polymerization of epoxy alcohol monomers

A series of epoxy alcohols were prepared by simple, straightforward methods. These compounds were very reactive monomers that polymerized rapidly on UV irradiation in the presence of cationic photoinitiators. The kinetics of the cationic photopolymerization of these monomers were studied with diaryliodonium salt photoinitiators and real‐time IR spectroscopy. The rate of epoxide ring‐opening polymerization was enhanced markedly by the presence of the hydroxy group. Using model compounds, the monomers were shown to polymerize via an activated monomer mechanism. Simple epoxy alcohols polymerized to give polymers with a hyperbranched structure. The novel monomers also were observed to accelerate the rate of the photopolymerization of mono‐ and multifunctional epoxides. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 389–401, 2000     

Living cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers in the presence of a strong base: Poisonous or helpful?

A quite small dose of a poisonous species was found to induce living cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) in toluene at 0 °C. In the presence of a small amount of N,N‐dimethylacetamide, living cationic polymerization of IBVE was achieved using SnCl₄, producing a low polydispersity polymer (weight–average molecular weight/number–average molecular weight (M_w/M_n) ≤ 1.1), whereas the polymerization was terminated at its higher concentration. In addition, amine derivatives (common terminators) as stronger bases allow living polymerization when a catalytic quantity was used. On the other hand, EtAlCl₂ produced polymers with comparatively broad MWDs (M_w/M_n ～ 2), although the polymerization was slightly retarded. The systems with a strong base required much less quantity of bases than weak base systems such as ethers or esters for living polymerization. The strong base system exhibited Lewis acid preference: living polymerization proceeded only with SnCl₄, TiCl₄, or ZnCl₂, whereas a range of Lewis acids are effective for achieving living polymerization in the conventional weak base system such as an ester and an ether. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6746–6753, 2008     

Front velocity dependence on vinyl ether and initiator concentration in radical-induced cationic frontal polymerization of epoxies

Formulations containing vinyl ethers and epoxy were successfully polymerized through a radical-induced cationic frontal polymerization mechanism, using an iodonium salt superacid generator with a peroxide thermal radical initiator and fumed silica as a filler. It was found that an increase of vinyl ether content resulted in higher front velocities for divinyl ethers in formulations with trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether. However, increased hydroxymonovinyl ether either decreased the front velocity or suppressed frontal polymerization. The kinetic effects of the superacid generator and thermal radical initiator with varying vinyl ether content were also studied. It was observed that increasing concentrations of initiators increased the front velocity, with the system exhibiting higher sensitivity to the superacid generator concentration.     

Living cationic polymerization route to poly(oligooxyethylene carbonate) vinyl ethers

The addition of dialkyl (R = Me or Et) carbonates to poly(oxyethylene)-based solid polymeric electrolytes resulted in enhanced ionic conductivities. Relatively high conductivities in lithium batteries with solutions of lithium salts in di(oligooxyethylene) carbonates such as R( OCH₂ CH₂ )_nOC(O) O ( CH₂CH₂O )_mR (R = Et, n = 1, 2, or 3, m = 0, 1, 2, or 3) and related carbonates were obtained. In this respect, related comb-shaped poly(oligooxyethylene carbonate) vinyl ethers of the type  CH₂CH(OR) were prepared [R = ( OCH₂ CH₂ )_nOC(O) O ( CH₂CH₂O )_mR′; (1) n = 2 or 3, m = 0, R′ = Et; (2) n = 2 or 3; m = 3, R′ = Me]. The direct preparation of derived target polymers of this class by polymerization of the corresponding vinyl ether-type monomers could not be achieved because of a rapid in situ decarboxylative decomposition of these monomers (as formed) during the final step of their synthesis. Instead, a prepolymer was prepared by a living cationic polymerization of CH₂CH (OCH₂CH₂ )_n O C(O) CH₃ (n = 2 or 3). The hydrolysis of its pendant ester groups, followed by the reaction of the hydrolyzed prepolymer with each of several alkyl chloroformates of the type Cl C(O) O( CH₂CH₂O )_mR′ (m = 0, 2, or 3, R′ = Me or Et) resulted in the corresponding target polymers. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2171–2183, 2002     

Propenyl ethers. III. Study of the photoinitiated cationic polymerization of propenyl ether monomers

The effects of photoinitiator structure and variations in the experimental parameters on the rate and extent of the photoinitiated cationic polymerization of propenyl ether monomers were studied. It was found that the photoinitiators can be divided into two classes: those which exhibit an induction period and those which do not. It was demonstrated that in those propenyl ether polymerizations using iodonium salts and certain sulfonium salts which do not have an induction period, a free radical chain-induced decomposition of the onium salt takes place. The reactivity of a particular onium salt photoinitiator was shown to be related to its reduction potential. It was also shown that the structure of the monomer plays a major role in the free radical induced decomposition reaction. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Living cationic polymerization of α‐methyl vinyl ethers using SnCl4

Cationic polymerization of α‐methyl vinyl ethers was examined using an IBEA‐Et_1.5AlCl_1.5/SnCl₄ initiating system in toluene in the presence of ethyl acetate at 0 ～ ?78 °C. 2‐Ethylhexyl 2‐propenyl ether (EHPE) had a higher reactivity, compared to corresponding vinyl ethers. But the resulting polymers had low molecular weights at 0 or ?50 °C. In contrast, the polymerization of EHPE at ?78 °C almost quantitatively proceeded, and the number‐average molecular weight (M_n) of the obtained polymers increased in direct proportion to the EHPE conversion with quite narrow molecular weight distributions (weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight ≤ 1.05). In monomer‐addition experiments, the M_n of the polymers shifted higher with low polydispersity as the polymerization proceeded, indicative of living polymerization. In the polymerization of methyl 2‐propenyl ether (MPE), the living‐like propagation also occurred under the reaction conditions similar to those for EHPE, but the elimination of the pendant methoxy groups was observed. The introduction of a more stable terminal group, quenched with sodium diethyl malonate, suppressed this decomposition, and the living polymerization proceeded. The glass transition temperature of the obtained poly(MPE) was 34 °C, which is much higher than that of the corresponding poly(vinyl ether). This poly(MPE) had solubility characteristics that differed from those of poly(vinyl ethers). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 2202–2211, 2008     

Poly(cyclohexene oxide)/clay nanocomposites by photoinitiated cationic polymerization via activated monomer mechanism

Poly(cyclohexene oxide) (PCHO)/clay nanocomposites were prepared by in situ photoinitiated activated monomer cationic polymerization. The polymerization of cyclohexene oxide through the interlayer galleries of the clay can provide distribution of the clay layers in the polymer matrix homogenously and results in the formation of PCHO/clay nanocomposites. The exfoliated structures were characterized by X‐ray diffraction spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5328–5335, 2009     

Rapid living cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers by a single‐molecular initiating system

Initiated by an organic molecule trifluoromethanesulfonimide (HNTf₂) without any Lewis acid or Lewis base stabilizer, cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) takes place rapidly and the polymerization is proved to be in a controlled/living manner. The conversion of IBVE could easily achieve 99% in seconds. The product poly(isobutyl vinyl ether) is narrowly distributed and its molecular weight increases linearly with time and fits well with the corresponding theoretical value. This single‐molecular initiating system also works well in the living cationic polymerization of ethyl vinyl ether. HNTf₂ is considered playing multiple roles which include initiator, activator, and stabilizer in the polymerization. It is quite different from the hydrogen halide‐catalyzed polymerizations of vinyl ethers. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1373‐1377     

Living cationic polymerization of amide‐functional vinyl ethers: Specific properties of SnCl4‐based initiating system

Living cationic copolymerization of amide‐functional vinyl ethers with isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) was achieved using SnCl₄ in the presence of ethyl acetate at 0 °C: the number–average molecular weight of the obtained polymers increased in direct proportion to the monomer conversion with relatively low polydispersity, and the amide‐functional monomer units were introduced almost quantitatively. To optimize the reaction conditions, cationic polymerization of IBVE in the presence of amide compounds, as a model reaction, was also examined using various Lewis acids in dichloromethane. The combination of SnCl₄ and ethyl acetate induced living cationic polymerization of IBVE at 0 °C when an amide compound, whose nitrogen is adjacent to a phenyl group, was used. The versatile performance of SnCl₄ especially for achieving living cationic polymerization of various polar functional monomers was demonstrated in this study as well as in our previous studies. Thus, the specific properties of the SnCl₄ initiating system are discussed by comparing with the Et_xAlCl_3?x systems from viewpoints of hard and soft acids and bases principle and computational chemistry. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6129–6141, 2008     

Living cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers with a urethane group

To study the possibility of living cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers with a urethane group, 4‐vinyloxybutyl n‐butylcarbamate ( 1 ) and 4‐vinyloxybutyl phenylcarbamate ( 2 ) were polymerized with the hydrogen chloride/zinc chloride initiating system in methylene chloride solvent at ?30 °C ([monomer]₀ = 0.30 M, [HCl]₀/[ZnCl₂]₀ = 5.0/2.0 mM). The polymerization of 1 was very slow and gave only low‐molecular‐weight polymers with a number‐average molecular weight (M_n) of about 2000 even at 100% monomer conversion. The structural analysis of the products showed occurrence of chain‐transfer reactions because of the urethane group of monomer 1 . In contrast, the polymerization of vinyl ether 2 proceeded much faster than 1 and led to high‐molecular‐weight polymers with narrow molecular weight distributions (MWDs ≤ ～1.2) in quantitative yield. The M_n's of the product polymers increased in direct proportion to monomer conversion and continued to increase linearly after sequential addition of a fresh monomer feed to the almost completely polymerized reaction mixture, whereas the MWDs of the polymers remained narrow. These results indicated the formation of living polymer from vinyl ether 2 . The difference of living nature between monomers 1 and 2 was attributable to the difference of the electron‐withdrawing power of the carbamate substituents, namely, n‐butyl for 1 versus phenyl for 2 , of the monomers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2960–2972, 2004