Kinetics of graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto polychloroprene with tricaprylylmethylammonium chloride as a phase‐transfer catalyst

The phase‐transfer catalyzed graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto polychloroprene was carried out using tricaprylylmethylammonium chloride as a phase‐transfer catalyst in a two‐phase system of an aqueous Na₂S₂O₈ solution and toluene at 55 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere. The initial rate of graft copolymerization was expressed as the combined terms of quaternary onium cation and peroxydisulfate anion in the aqueous phase rather than the fed concentrations of catalyst and Na₂S₂O₈. The observed initial rate of graft copolymerization was used to analyze the graft copolymerization mechanism with a cycle phase‐transfer initiation step in the heterogeneous liquid–liquid system. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3543–3549, 2000     

Transformation of copolymerization mechanism of N-phenyl maleimide and ethyl phenylacrylate in the mixture of dioxane and pyridine

The copolymerization of N-phenylmaleimide (NPMI) with ethyl phenylacrylate (EPA) in a mixture of dioxane (DIO) and pyridine (Py) was investigated. The apparent monomer reactivity ratio r₁ (NPMI) = 0.07 ± 0.01 and r₂ (EPA) = 0.09 ± 0.02 in DIO was turned to r₁ (NPMI) = 3.67 ± 0.07 and r₂ (EPA) = 0 ± 0.03 in Py. The copolymerization of NPMI and EPA with the fixed feed ratio (mol/mol 1 : 1) in different volume ratio of DIO/Py showed that the copolymer composition might be varied in a wide range from the 93.5% of NPMI contents in copolymer to 48.7%. When the volume fraction of Py in the mixture of DIO and Py was <10%, the copolymer with nice alternating structure was obtained and the copolymerization could be inhibited completely by hydroquinone; if the fraction of Py was >10%, the following two kinds of copolymers were formed: a copolymer in which the content of NPMI increased with the Py and the copolymerization also could be inhibited by hydroquinone and a copolymer with low molecular weight almost completely composed of homopolymer of NPMI and is not affected by radical inhibitor as hydroquinone. The transformation of the copolymerization mechanism from the radical to anionic, which was dependent on the volume ratio of DIO and Py, was suggested. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2755–2761, 1999     

Copolymerization of ethylene with styrene catalyzed by a linked bis(phenolato) titanium catalyst

Copolymerization of ethylene with styrene, catalyzed by 1,4‐dithiabutanediyl‐linked bis(phenolato) titanium complex and methylaluminoxane, produced exclusively ethylene–styrene copolymers with high activity. Copolymerization parameters were calculated to be r_E = 1.2 for ethylene and r_S = 0.031 for styrene, with r_E r_S = 0.037 indicating preference for alternating copolymerization. The copolymer microstructure can be varied by changing the ratio between the monomers in the copolymerization feed, affording copolymers with styrene content up to 68%. The copolymer microstructure was fully elucidated by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy revealing, in the copolymers with styrene content higher than 50%, the presence of long styrene–styrene homosequences, occasionally interrupted by isolated ethylene units. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1908–1913, 2006     

Phase-Transfer Catalysis: Free-Radical Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate using K2S2O8-Quaternary Ammonium Salt Catalyst System. A Kinetic Study

Abstract

The kinetics of phase-transfer-agent-assisted free-radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate using K₂S₂O₈ as the water-soluble initiator and triethylbenzylammonium chloride (TEBA) as the phase-transfer catalyst (PTC) was investigated in toluene-water biphase media at 60°C. The effect of varying [MMA], [K₂S₂O₈], [TEBA], [H⁺], the ionic strength of the medium, and the temperature on the rate of polymerization (R _p) was studied. R _p was found to be proportional to [MMA]², [K₂S₂O₈]¹, and [TEBA]^0.5. Based on the kinetic results, a mechanism involving initiation of polymerization by phase-transferred S₂O₈ ^2- and termination by Q⁺ (quaternary ammonium ion) is proposed.     

Spontaneous alternating copolymerization of N-phenylmaleimide with ethyl α-phenylacrylate

The spontaneous copolymerization of N-phenylmaleimide (NPMI) (M₁) with ethyl α-phenylacrylate (EPA)(M₂) were carried out in dioxane at 85°C. A high alternating tendency was observed. The monomer reactivity ratios were r₁ = 0.07 ±0.01 and r₂ = 0.09 ± 0.02. The maximum copolymerization rate and molecular weight occurs at 70–80 mol% (M₁) in feed ratio. The spontaneous alternating copolymerization is considered to be carried out via a contact-type charge transfer complex (CTC) formed between the monomers. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) indicate the resulting copolymers have high thermal stability. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 2927–2931, 1998     

Copolymerization of styrene and butadiene with Ni(acac)2-methylaluminoxane catalyst

Copolymerization of styrene (St) and butadiene (Bd) with nickel(II) acetylacetonate [Ni(acac)₂]-methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalyst was investigated. Among the metal acetylacetonates [Mt(acac)_x] examined, Ni(acac)₂ showed a high activity for the copolymerization of St and Bd giving copolymers having high cis-1,4-microstructure in Bd units in the copolymer. The effect of alkylaluminum as a cocatalyst on the copolymerization of St and Bd with the Ni(acac)₂-MAO catalyst was observed, and MAO was found to be the most effective cocatalyst for the copolymerization. The monomer reactivity ratios for the copolymerization of St and Bd with the Ni(acac)₂-MAO catalyst were determined to be r_St = 0.07 and r_Bd = 3.6. Based on the obtained results, it was presumed that the random copolymers with high cis-1,4-microstructure in Bd units could be synthesized with the Ni(acac)₂-MAO catalyst without formation of each homopolymer. The polymerization mechanism with the Ni(acac)₂-MAO catalyst was also discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3838–3844, 1999     

Nitroxide‐mediated free‐radical copolymerization of styrene with butyl acrylate

Controlled free‐radical copolymerization of styrene (S) and butyl acrylate (BA) was achieved by using a second‐generation nitroxide, N‐tert‐butyl‐N‐[1‐diethylphosphono‐(2,2‐dimethylpropyl)] nitroxide (DEPN), and 2,2‐azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) at 120 °C. The time‐conversion first‐order plot was linear, and the number‐average molecular weight increased in direct proportion to the ratio of monomer conversion to the initial concentration, providing copolymers with low polydispersity. The monomer reactivity ratios obtained were r_S = 0.74 and r_BA = 0.29, respectively. To analyze the convenience of applying the Mayo–Lewis terminal model, the cumulative copolymer composition against conversion and the individual conversion of each monomer as a function of copolymerization time were studied. The theoretical values of the propagating radical concentration ratio were also examined to investigate the copolymerization rate behavior. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4168–4176, 2004     

Synthesis and Swelling Behavior of Acrylate‐Based Hydrogels

The purpose of this investigation was to report the synthesis of a novel pH‐sensitive acrylate‐based hydrogel by polymerizing the comonomers 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate, HEMA, acrylic acid, AA, and sodium acrylate, NaAc. The NaAc component was obtained by neutralization of AA with sodium hydroxide. Hydrogels were obtained by free radical copolymerization in aqueous solution in the presence of redox initiators, Na₂S₂O₈/Na₂S₂O₅, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, EGDMA, crosslinker. The copolymers were synthesized by varying neutralization percent of AA in the range of 10–100. The swelling behavior of the copolymeric gels were investigated as a function of pH, temperature, ionic strength, and AA neutralization percent. The polymer mesh size, ξ, molecular weight between crosslinks, M_c , and crosslinking density, q, were determined by using the Flory‐Rehner equation in the pH range of 2–8 as 8.78–48.8 Å, 209–2667 g/mol, and 0.046–0.59, respectively. The diffusional exponent value, n, of the synthesized hydrogel was found to be 0.59, indicating a non‐Fickian diffusion mechanism. It can be concluded that the hydrogel demonstrated a sharp change in its water absorbency, mesh size and molecular weight between crosslinks of the network with a change in pH of the swelling media. The latter properties suggest strong consideration of these hydrogels for use as oral drug delivery systems and ion‐exchangers for removal of metal ions from aqueous media, owing to the carboxylate groups within the polymeric network.     

Synthesis of latex particles with surface amino groups

Monodisperse latex particles with surface amino groups were prepared by a two‐step emulsion polymerization. In the first step, the seeds were synthesized by batch emulsion polymerization of styrene; and in the second step, two different amino‐functionalized monomers [aminoethylmethacrylate hydrochloride (AEMH) and vinylbenzylamine hydrochloride (VBAH)], two different initiator systems (K₂S₂O₈ and K₂S₂O₈/Na₂S₂O₅) and mixtures of emulsifiers sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and Tween 21 were used to synthesize the final latexes. To characterize the final latexes, conversions were obtained gravimetrically and particle size distributions and average particle diameters were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS). The amount of amino groups was determined by the SPDP (N‐succinimidyl 3‐(2‐pyridyldithio)propionate) method. The influence of the different conditions used to synthesize the latexes on the colloidal stability of the particles was evaluated by measuring the diameters of the final latexes dispersed in solutions at different pHs and ionic strengths. The most stable latexes were obtained using the smallest seed, VBAH monomer, and the K₂S₂O₈/Na₂S₂O₅ initiator system. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4230–4237, 2000     

Cationic copolymerization of tetrahydrofuran with ethylene oxide in the presence of diols: Composition,microstructure, and properties of copolymers

Cationic copolymerization of tetrahydrofuran (THF) with ethylene oxide (EO) in the presence of diols leads to dihydroxy terminated telechelic copolymers. In the present article the influence of copolymerization conditions on the copolymer structure was studied in view of conclusions derived from studies of copolymerization kinetics and mechanism. It was shown that according to established copolymerization mechanism, the number average molecular weights increase linearly with conversion up to M_n ≅ 2500, hydroxyl end groups are bound exclusively to EO units and copolymers are composed of [EO]–[THF]_y segments. Microstructure of copolymers may be to some extent regulated by changing reaction conditions. Some physical properties of copolymers also were studied. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3455–3463, 1999     

Radical homo- and copolymerizations of methyl α-trifluoroacetoxyacrylate

Radical homo- and copolymerizations of methyl α-trifluoroacetoxyacrylate (MTFAA) are studied by using azo initiators at 40 and 60°C. The rate of the homopolymerization of MTFAA was lower than that of methyl α-acetoxyacrylate. Monomer reactivity ratios (r), and Q and e values were estimated to be r₁ = 0.03, r₂ = 0.27, Q₁ = 0.65, and e₁ = 1.38 from the copolymerization of MTFAA (M₁) and styrene (M₂) at 60°C. Preferential crosspropagation was observed in particular in the copolymerization of MTFAA and α-methylstyrene. The influence of replacing the hydrogens of the acetoxy moiety of the acyloxyacrylate with the fluorines upon the copolymerization reactivity is discussed on the basis of the ¹³C-NMR chemical shift of various acyloxyacrylates. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 3537–3541, 1997     

Synthesis of thermotropic LCPs using p‐methoxycarbonyloxy aromatic acids

4‐Methoxycarbonyloxybenzoic acid (MCOBA) and 6‐methoxycarbonyloxy‐2‐naphthoic acid (MCONA) were synthesized as new monomers to replace 4‐acetoxybenzoic acid (ABA) and 6‐acetoxy‐2‐naphthoic acid (ANA) in the synthesis of liquid crystal polymers. MCOBA and MCONA (73 : 27, mol : mol) were reacted at temperatures ranging from 220 to 325°C in bulk. The copolymer (M_w = 14,200) has a T_g (90°C) and a T_m (249°C). The MCOBA/MCONA copolymer is lighter in color than the ABA/ANA copolymer. During the copolymerization, six by‐products were collected, isolated, and analyzed, and their formation was investigated. The copolymerization rate was studied by the measurement of evolved carbon dioxide. The polymerization of MCOBA and MCONA is cleaner and faster than the polymerization of ABA and ANA. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1703–1707, 1999     

Copolymerization of elemental sulfur with cyclic(arylene disulfide) oligomers

Copolymerization reactions between cyclic(arylene disulfide) oligomers were studied. The cyclic disulfide oligomers derived from 4,4′-isopropylidene bisbenzenethiol gave soluble polysulfanes via copolymerization with S₈. The copolymerization reactions were studied both in solution and melt by GPC and NMR. Solution copolymerization reactions can only form polysulfanes with up to three to four sulfur linkages; however, melt copolymerization reactions gave polysulfanes with up to seven sulfur linkages (average). The melt copolymerization reactions between cyclic disulfide oligomers derived from 4,4′-thiobis(benzenethiol) and S₈ were studied using DSC, TGA, and DMTA. With increasing contents of sulfur in the polysulfanes, T_gs, 5% weight losses by TGA, and tan δ decreased. With seven sulfur linkages in the polymer, it is a rubber with a T_g of 12°C, a 5% weight loss by TGA of 249°C, and tan δ of 44°C, respectively. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 2961–2968, 1997     

Controlled radical copolymerization of β‐pinene and acrylonitrile

The feasibility of the radical copolymerization of β‐pinene and acrylonitrile was clarified for the first time. The monomer reactivity ratios evaluated by the Fineman–Ross method were r_β‐pinene = 0 and r_{acrylonitrile} = 0.66 in dichloroethane at 60 °C with AIBN, which indicated that the copolymerization was a simple alternating copolymerization. The addition of the Lewis acid Et₂AlCl increased the copolymerization rate and enhanced the incorporation of β‐pinene. The first example for the synthesis of an almost perfectly alternating copolymer of β‐pinene and acrylonitrile was achieved in the presence of Et₂AlCl. Furthermore, the possible controlled copolymerization of β‐pinene and acrylonitrile was then attempted via the reversible addition–fragmentation transfer (RAFT) technique. At a low β‐pinene/acrylonitrile feed ratio of 10/90 or 25/75, the copolymerization with 2‐cyanopropyl‐2‐yl dithiobenzoate as the transfer agent displayed the typical features of living polymerization. However, the living character could be observed only within certain monomer conversions. At higher monomer conversions, the copolymerizations deviated from the living behavior, probably because of the competitive degradative chain transfer of β‐pinene. The β‐pinene/acrylonitrile copolymers with a high alternation degree and controlled molecular weight were also obtained by the combination of the RAFT agent cumyl dithiobenzoate and Lewis acid Et₂AlCl. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2376–2387, 2006     

Catalytic systems Me2SiCp*NtBuMX2/(CPh3)(B(C6F5)4) (MTi,XCH3, MZr,XiBu) in copolymerization of ethylene with styrene

Catalytic activity of Me₂SiCp*N^tBuMX₂/(CPh₃)(B(C₆F₅)₄) [MTi, XCH₃ (1); MZr, X=ⁱBu (2)] systems in the ethylene/styrene (E/S) feed was examined. Experimental data revealed high activity for the catalytic system (1) for copolymerization ethylene with styrene, whereas the system with enhanced catalytic activity for ethylene homopolymerization (2) was temporarily blocked in the styrene presence yielding, even at high styrene content, homopolyethylene as the final product. Properties of thus obtained polymers were analyzed. Catalytic system (1) occurred very sensitive to S/E ratio in the comonomers feed. The 10‐fold acceleration for ethylene consumption was shown in two experimental sets conducted at S/E = 1.3 ratio, 1 bar, and 7.5 bar ethylene pressure, respectively. The consequent enhancement in S/E ratio resulted in slowing down both ethylene consumption and catalyst deactivation rates. Atactic polystyrene was formed at high styrene content with the catalyst (1). Catalytic system (1) allowed design of products with the highest styrene content (20 mol %) at low ethylene pressure, moderate temperature, and high S/E ratio. The apparent activation energy estimated from the initial rates of ethylene consumption was 54.6 kJ/mol. Analysis of apparent reactivity factors (r_E = 9 and r_S = 0.04; r_E × r_S = 0.4) and ¹³C‐NMR copolymer spectra revealed an alternating tendency of the comonomers for active center incorporation. DSC measurements showed considerable decrease of melting points and crystallinity even for copolymers with low styrene content. The catalyst produced relatively high–molecular weight copolymers (140–150 kg/mol) even at 80°C. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1083–1093, 1999     

Synthesis of magnetic,reactive, and thermoresponsive Fe3O4 nanoparticles via surface‐initiated RAFT copolymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide and acrolein

A reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent was directly anchored onto Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in a simple procedure using a ligand exchange reaction of S‐1‐dodecyl‐S′‐(α,α′‐dimethyl‐α″‐acetic acid)trithiocarbonate with oleic acid initially present on the surface of pristine Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The RAFT agent‐functionalized Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were then used for the surface‐initiated RAFT copolymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide and acrolein to fabricate structurally well‐defined hybrid nanoparticles with reactive and thermoresponsive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐acrolein) shell and magnetic Fe₃O₄ core. Evidence of a well‐controlled surface‐initiated RAFT copolymerization was gained from a linear increase of number‐average molecular weight with overall monomer conversions and relatively narrow molecular weight distributions of the copolymers grown from the nanoparticles. The resulting novel magnetic, reactive, and thermoresponsive core‐shell nanoparticles exhibited temperature‐trigged magnetic separation behavior and high ability to immobilize model protein BSA. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 542–550, 2010     

Copolymerization of ethyl α-(hydroxymethyl)acrylate with maleimide and characterization of the resulting copolymer

Copolymerization of maleimide (MI) and ethyl α-(hydroxymethyl)acrylate (EHMA) was performed at 60°C with AIBN as the initiator in THF. The monomer reactivity ratios were determined as r₁ (MI) = 0.13 and r₂ (EHMA) = 2.20. As the molar fraction of MI in the monomer feed increased, the initial rate of copolymerization decreased. TGA diagrams suggested the crosslinking reaction of the copolymer on heating. DSC and WAXD results suggested the existence of incomplete crystallinity in the copolymer. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1291–1299, 1998     

Evident solvent effect on propagation reactions during radical copolymerization of maleimide and alkene

The radical copolymerization of N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)maleimide (DMPhMI) and 2,4,4-trimethylpentene (TP) was investigated in several solvents at 60°C. The copolymerization rate and the molecular weight of the resulting copolymers were dependent on the kind of solvent used. It was also revealed that the monomer reactivity ratios depended on the solvent; r₁ = 0.086 and r₂ = 0 in chloroform and r₁ = 0.25 and r₂ = 0 in benzene, where DMPhMI and TP are M₁ and M₂, respectively. The propagation rate constants were determined for the homopolymerization and copolymerization in chloroform and benzene using electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The homo- and crosspropagation rate constants (k₁₁ and k₁₂, respectively) were revealed to depend on the solvent: k₁₁ is 20 and 37 L/mol·s and k₁₂ is 230 and 150 L/mol·s in chloroform and in benzene, respectively. The interaction between the maleimide moiety and the solvent molecules was discussed based on the acceptivity of the solvents. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 1515–1525, 1997     

The influence of using sodium dithionite as SARA agent in miniemulsion ATRP

The supplemental activator and reducing agent atom transfer radical polymerization (SARA ATRP) of butyl acrylate (nBA) and styrene (Sty) using miniemulsion is reported for the first time. The polymerization was carried out in the presence of Cu(II)Br₂‐based catalytic systems using EHA₆TREN or BPMODA* and sodium dithionite (Na₂S₂O₄) as SARA agent. Kinetic data revealed a controlled polymerization for both monomers, with a very stringent control over the molecular weight distribution (Ð ≤ 1.2) but low monomer conversion. Reaction conditions were optimized in an attempt to understand the kinetics of polymerization, aiming to increase the final monomer conversion while maintaining the control over the polymerization. Self‐chain extension reactions revealed low chain end fidelity, which corroborate the impossibility of increasing monomer conversion even after the judicious variation of the main polymerization parameters (monomers, surfactant, deactivator, and Na₂S₂O₄ concentrations, and its method of addition). The data presented suggest a particular feature of Na₂S₂O₄ in these polymerization systems involving the significant formation of dead chains ends, which has never been observed for any other reported system using this SARA agent. In contrast, control ARGET miniemulsion experiments under the same reaction conditions and using ascorbic acid as reducing agent allowed to achieve high monomer conversions. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 879–888     

Radical copolymerization behavior of a highly fluorinated cyclic olefin with vinyl ether

The copolymerization of a highly fluorinated cyclic monomer, octafluorocyclopentene (OFCPE, M₁), with ethyl vinyl ether (EVE, M₂) was investigated with a radical initiator in bulk. Despite the poor homopolymerizability of each monomer, the copolymerization proceeded successfully, and the molecular weights of the copolymers reached up to more than 10,000. Incorporation of the OFCPE units into the copolymer led to an increase in the glass‐transition point. The copolymer composition was determined from ¹H NMR spectra and elemental analysis data. The molar fraction of the OFCPE unit in the copolymer increased and approached but did not exceed 0.5. The monomer reactivity ratios were estimated by the Yamada–Itahashi–Otsu nonlinear least‐squares procedure as r_1,OFCPE = ?0.008 ± 0.010 and r_2,EVE = 0.192 ± 0.015. The reactivity ratios clearly suggest that the copolymerization proceeds alternatively in the case of an excessive feed of OFCPE. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1151–1156, 2002