Vanadium(III) complexes containing phenoxy–imine–thiophene ligands: Synthesis,characterization and application to homo‐ and copolymerization of ethylene

A set of vanadium(III) complexes, namely {SNO}VCl₂(THF)₂ ( 2a , SNO = thiophene‐(N═CH)‐phenol; 2b , SNO = 5‐phenylthiophene‐(N═CH)‐phenol; 2c , SNO = 5‐phenylthiophene‐(N═CH)‐4‐tert ‐butylphenol; 2d , SNO = 5‐methylthiophene‐(N═CH)‐phenol; 2e , SNO = 5‐methylthiophene‐(N═CH)‐4‐tert ‐butylphenol; 2f , SNO = 5‐methylthiophene‐(N═CH)‐2‐methylphenol; 2g , SNO = 5‐methylthiophene‐(N═CH)‐4‐fluorophenol), were synthesized by reaction of VCl₃(THF)₃ with phenoxy–imine–thiophene proligands ( 1a – g ). All vanadium(III) complexes were characterized using elemental analysis and infrared and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopies. Upon activation with methylaluminoxane (MAO), vanadium precatalysts 2a – g proved active in the polymerization of ethylene (213.6–887.2 kg polyethylene (mol[V])⁻¹⋅h⁻¹), yielding high‐density polyethylenes with melting temperatures in the range 133–136 °C and crystallinities varying from 28 to 41%. The 2e/ MAO catalyst system was able to copolymerize ethylene with 1‐hexene affording poly(ethylene‐co ‐1‐hexene)s with melting temperatures varying from 126 to 102 °C and co‐monomer incorporation in the range 3.60–4.00%.     

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     

Unconstrained geometry complexes: Ethylene/α‐olefin copolymerizations with a tetramethyldisilyl‐bridged Cp‐amido titanium complex

A new disilyl‐bridged complex, [(N‐tert‐butylamido)(3‐indenyl)tetramethyldisilyl]titanium dichloride ( 3 ), was synthesized and activated with methylaluminoxane (MAO) for propylene homopolymerization and ethylene/propylene and ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerizations. A polypropylene with a slight isotactic enrichment was obtained. The number of regioerrors present in the polypropylene was somewhat smaller than that found in most polypropylenes made from monosilyl‐bridged [(N‐tert‐butylamido)(3‐indenyl)dimethylsilyl]titanium dichloride. The regioerrors detected in the copolymers obtained from 3 /MAO were on the order of the amounts observed in polymers made with the monosilyl‐bridged constrained geometry catalysts. Ethylene copolymers of propylene and 1‐hexene had random sequence distributions and showed significant comonomer incorporation. Because of the presence of regioerrors, a modified method for determining the monomer composition and sequence distribution was developed from the direct measurement of the monomer content from the number of methylene and methine carbons per polymer chain, regardless of propylene inversion. An estimate of the error in the copolymerization reactivity ratio determination for regioirregular ethylene/α‐olefin copolymers was obtained by the calculation of the reactivity ratios from monomer dyad sequences, with consideration given to the contribution of major regioirregular sequences. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3840–3851, 2005     

Anionic polymerization of 4‐phenyl‐1‐buten‐3‐yne derivatives bearing electron‐withdrawing groups

The anionic polymerization of derivatives of 4‐phenyl‐1‐buten‐3‐yne was carried out to investigate the effect of substituents on the polymerization behavior. The polymerization of 4‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐1‐buten‐3‐yne and 4‐(2‐fluorophenyl)‐1‐buten‐3‐yne in tetrahydrofuran at −78 °C with n‐BuLi/sparteine as an initiator gave polymers consisting of 1,2‐ and 1,4‐polymerized units in quantitative yields with ratios of 80/20 and 88/12, respectively. The molecular weights of the polymers were controlled by the ratio of the monomers to n‐BuLi, and the distribution was relatively narrow (weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight < 1.2), supporting the living nature of the polymerization. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1016–1023, 2001     

An experimental and computational evaluation of ethylene/styrene copolymerization with a homogeneous single‐site titanium(IV)‐constrained geometry catalyst

Styrene was copolymerized with ethylene using the geometry constrained Me₂Si(Me₄Cp)(N‐tert‐butyl)TiCl₂ Dow catalyst activated with methylaluminoxane. Increasing the styrene/ethylene ratio in the reactor feed had the effects of reducing both the activity of the catalyst and the molecular weight of the copolymers produced. However, the higher the styrene/ethylene ratio used, the greater the amount of styrene that became incorporated in the copolymer. We discuss these experimental findings within the framework of a computational analysis of ethylene/styrene copolymerization performed through hybrid density functional theory (B3LYP). In general, there was good agreement between the experimental and theoretical results. Our findings point to the suitability of combining experimental and theoretical data for clarifying the copolymerization mechanisms that take place in α‐olefin‐organometallic systems. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 711–725, 2005     

Ethylene polymerization with FI complexes having novel phenoxy‐imine ligands: Effect of metal type and complex immobilization

A series of bis(phenoxy‐imine) vanadium and zirconium complexes with different types of R³ substituents at the nitrogen atom, where R³ = phenyl, naphthyl, or anthryl, was synthesized and investigated in ethylene polymerization. Moreover, the catalytic performance was verified for three supported catalysts, which had been obtained by immobilization of bis[N‐(salicylidene)‐1‐naphthylaminato]M(IV) dichloride complexes (M = V, Zr, or Ti) on the magnesium carrier MgCl₂(THF)₂/Et₂AlCl. Catalytic performance of both supported and homogeneous catalysts was verified in conjunction with methylaluminoxane (MAO) or with alkylaluminium compounds (Et_nAlCl_3?n, n = 1–3). The activity of FI vanadium and zirconium complexes was observed to decline for the growing size of R³, whereas the average molecular weight (MW) of the polymers was growing for larger substituent. Moreover, vanadium complexes exhibited the highest activity with EtAlCl₂, whereas zirconium ones showed the best activity with MAO. All immobilized systems were most active in conjunction with MAO, and their activities were higher than those for their homogeneous counterparts, and they gave polymers with higher average MWs. That effect was in particular evident for the titanium catalyst. The vanadium complex 3 was also a good precursor for ethylene/1‐octene copolymerization; however, its immobilization reduced its potential for incorporation of a comonomer into a polyethylene chain. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Hydrogenation of polystyrene‐b‐polybutadiene‐b‐polystyrene mediated by group (IV) metal metallocene complexes

Various group (IV) metal complexes, namely bis(cyclopentadienyl) titanium dichloride, bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) titanium dichloride, cyclopentadienyl titanium trichloride, pentamethylcyclopentadienyl titanium trichloride, bis(cyclopentadienyl) zirconium dichloride, and bis(cyclopentadienyl) hafnium dichloride, were used as the catalysts for mediating styrene–butadiene–styrene hydrogenation. The catalytic efficiency of these catalysts was examined. The results show that catalyst activity strongly depends on the chemical structure of the metallocene complex. We also found that trialkylaluminum has a significant influence on the hydrogenation activity and thermal stability of metallocene catalysts. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 2141–2149     

Propylene polymerization with nickel–diimine complexes containing pseudohalides

DADNiX₂ nickel–diimine complexes [DAD = 2,6‐iPr₂? C₆H₃? N?C(Me)? C(Me)?N? 2,6‐iPr₂? C₆H₃] containing nonchelating pseudohalide ligands [X = isothiocyanate (NCS) for complex 1 and isoselenocyanate (NCSe) for complex 2 ] were synthesized, and the propylene polymerization with these complexes and also with the Br ligand (X = Br for complex 3 ) activated by methylaluminoxane (MAO) were investigated (systems 1 , 2 , and 3 /MAO). The polypropylenes obtained with systems 1 , 2 , and 3 were amorphous polymers and had high molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions. Catalyst system 1 showed a relatively high activity even at a low Al/Ni ratio and reached the maximum activity at the molar ratio of Al/Ni = 500, unlike system 3 . Increases in the reaction temperature and propylene pressure favored an increase in the catalytic activity. The spectra of polypropylenes looked like those of propylene–ethylene copolymers containing syndiotactic propylene and ethylene sequences. At the same temperature and pressure, system 2 presented the highest number of propylene sequences, and system 3 presented the lowest. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 458–466, 2006     

Olefin polymerization and copolymerization with soluble transition‐metal complex catalysts

Olefin polymerizations catalyzed by Cp′TiCl₂(O‐2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃) ( 1 – 5 ; Cp′ = cyclopentadienyl group), RuCl₂(ethylene)(pybox) { 7 ; pybox = 2,6‐bis[(4S)‐4‐isopropyl‐2‐oxazolin‐2‐yl]pyridine}, and FeCl₂(pybox) ( 8 ) were investigated in the presence of a cocatalyst. The Cp*TiCl₂(O‐2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃) ( 5 )–methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalyst exhibited remarkable catalytic activity for both ethylene and 1‐hexene polymerizations, and the effect of the substituents on the cyclopentadienyl group was an important factor for the catalytic activity. A high level of 1‐hexene incorporation and a lower r_E · r_H value with 5 than with [Me₂Si(C₅Me₄)(N^tBu)]TiCl₂ ( 6 ) were obtained, despite the rather wide bond angle of Cp Ti O (120.5°) of 5 compared with the bond angle of Cp Ti N of 6 (107.6°). The 7 –MAO catalyst exhibited moderate catalytic activity for ethylene homopolymerization and ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization, and the resultant copolymer incorporated 1‐hexene. The 8 –MAO catalyst also exhibited activity for ethylene polymerization, and an attempted ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization gave linear polyethylene. The efficient polymerization of a norbornene macromonomer bearing a ring‐opened poly(norbornene) substituent was accomplished by ringopening metathesis polymerization with the well‐defined Mo(CHCMe₂Ph)(N‐2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃)[OCMe(CF₃)₂]₂ ( 10 ). The key step for the macromonomer synthesis was the exclusive end‐capping of the ring‐opened poly(norbornene) with p‐Me₃SiOC₆H₄CHO, and the use of 10 was effective for this polymerization proceeding with complete conversion. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4613–4626, 2000     

Zirconium‐chelate and mono‐η‐ cyclopentadienyl zirconium‐chelate/ methylalumoxane systems as soluble Ziegler–Natta olefin polymerization catalysts

Zirconium‐chelate and mono‐η‐cyclopentadienyl zirconium‐chelate complexes were tested as ethene and propene polymerization catalysts in combination with methylalumoxane (MAO) as a co‐catalyst: in particular (acac) _nZrCl_4−n (1a–c) (acac = acetylacetonato), (dbm) _nZrCl_4−n (2a–2c) (dbm = dibenzoylmethanato = 1,3‐diphenylpropanedionato) (n = 2–4) and (dbm)₂ZrCl₂(thf) (3) (thf = tetrahydrofuran), (η‐C₅H₅)[H₂B (C₃H₃N₂)₂]ZrCl₂ (4), (η‐C₅H₅)[HB (C₃H₃N₂)₃] ZrCl₂ (5) and (η‐C₅H₅)[(Me₃SiN)₂ CPh]ZrCl₂ (6). Polymerization productivities comparable with the (η‐C₅H₅)₂ZrCl₂ reference system were observed towards ethene for all of the above complexes. In addition, compound 6 showed some minor polymerization activity towards propene. Ethylalumoxane or isobutylalumoxane did not exhibit a co‐catalytic activity for these chelate complexes; in combination with MAO these higher alumoxanes were even found to be deactivating ⁹¹Zr NMR data are reported for 1b, 1c, 4 and 5. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of semicrystalline ethylene–styrene and ethylene–octene copolymers based on comonomer content

The structure and properties of homogeneous copolymers of ethylene and styrene (ES) and ethylene and octene (EO) were compared. Semicrystalline copolymers presented a broad spectrum of solid‐state structures from highly crystalline, lamellar morphologies to the granular, fringed micellar morphology of low‐crystallinity copolymers. The combined observations from density, thermal behavior, and morphology with primarily atomic force microscopy revealed that the crystalline phase depended on the amount of comonomer but was not strongly affected by whether the comonomer was styrene or octene. This was consistent with the exclusion of both comonomers from the crystal. However, ES and EO showed strong differences in the amorphous phase. ES had a much higher β‐relaxation temperature than EO, which was attributed to restrictions on chain mobility imposed by the bulky phenyl side group. The deformation behavior of ES and EO exhibited the same trends with comonomer content, from necking and cold drawing typical of a semicrystalline thermoplastic to uniform drawing and high recovery characteristic of an elastomer. Aspects of deformation behavior that depended on crystallinity, such as yielding and cold drawing, were determined primarily by comonomer content. However, the difference in the β‐relaxation temperature resulted in much higher strain hardening of ES than EO. This was particularly evident with low‐crystallinity, elastomeric copolymers. A classification scheme for semicrystalline copolymers based on comonomer content, previously developed for EO, was remarkably applicable to ES. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 1578–1593, 2001     

Copolymerization of ethylene with 1‐hexene promoted by novel multi‐chelated non‐metallocene complexes with imine bridged imidazole ligand

A series of novel bridged multi‐chelated non‐metallocene catalysts is synthesized by the treatment of N,N‐imidazole, N,N‐dimethylimidazole, and N,N‐benzimidazole with n‐BuLi, 2,6‐dimethylaniline, and MCl₄ (M = Ti, Zr) in THF. These catalysts are used for copolymerization of ethylene with 1‐hexene after activated by methylaluminoxane (MAO). The effects of polymerization temperature, Al/M molar ratio, and pressure of monomer on ethylene copolymerization behaviors are investigated in detail. These results reveal that these catalysts are favorable for copolymerization of ethylene with 1‐hexene featured high catalytic activity and high comonomer incorporation. The copolymer is characterized by ¹³C NMR, WAXD, GPC, and DSC. The results confirm that the obtained copolymer features broad molecular weight distribution (MWD) about 33–35 and high 1‐hexene incorporation up to 9.2 mol %, melting temperature of the copolymer depends on the content of 1‐hexene incorporation within the copolymer chain and 1‐hexene unit in the copolymer chain isolates by ethylene units. The homopolymer of ethylene has broader MWD with 42–46. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 417–424, 2010     

Ethylene copolymerization with cyclic dienes using rac‐Et[Ind]2ZrCl2–Methylaluminoxane

The effect of the copolymerization temperature and amount of comonomer in the copolymerization of ethylene with 1,3‐cyclopentadiene, dicyclopentadiene, and 4‐vinyl‐1‐cyclohexene and the rac‐Et[Ind]₂ZrCl₂–methylaluminoxane metallocene system was studied. The amount of comonomer present in the reaction media influenced the catalytic activity. Dicyclopentadiene was the most reactive comonomer among the cyclic dienes studied. In general, copolymers synthesized at 60 °C showed higher catalytic activities. Ethylene–dicyclopentadiene copolymers with high comonomer contents (>9%) did not show melting temperatures. 1,3‐Cyclopentadiene dimerized into dicyclopentadiene during the copolymerization, giving a terpolymer of ethylene, cyclopentadiene, and dicyclopentadiene. A complete characterization of the products was carried out with ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, heteronuclear chemical shift correlation, differential scanning calorimetry, and gel permeation chromatography. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 471–485, 2002; DOI 10.1002/pola.10133     

Olefin polymerization by cyclopentadienyltris(dimethylamido)titanium(IV) complexes

Several titanium(IV) complexes of the type Cp′Ti(NMe₂)₃ [Cp′ = cyclopentadienyl ( 1 ), (dimethylaminoethyl)cyclopentadienyl ( 2 ), indenyl ( 3 ), and pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ( 4 )] were prepared, and their catalytic properties in the polymerization of α‐olefins were examined. Complexes 1 and 2 catalyzed the polymerization of ethylene in the presence of methylaluminoxane with a much higher activity than 3 or 4 . Complexes 3 and 4 polymerized ethylene with an activity similar to that of CpTiCl₃ ( 6 ). The preactivation of 2 , 3 , or 4 with trimethylaluminum (TMA) resulted in an increase in ethylene polymerization activities. Also, 1 and 2 were successfully used as ethylene/1‐hexene copolymerization catalysts, producing polymers with various amounts of 1‐hexene incorporation, depending on the amount of 1‐hexene in the feed mixture. Complex 1 likewise effectively polymerized styrene with a higher activity and higher syndiospecificity than the other three catalysts. Complexes 3 and 4 polymerized styrene with low syndiospecificity, whereas 2 produced only atactic polystyrene. The preactivation of 3 or 4 with TMA resulted in an increase in styrene polymerization activities and increased the syndiotacticity percentage of the polymers produced. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 313–319, 2001     

Synthesis of polyisoprene–poly(methyl methacrylate) block copolymers via a two‐electron‐transfer mechanism

Supramolecular complexes of alkali metals were used as catalysts in the polymerization of isoprene via a two‐electron‐transfer mechanism. The obtained polyisoprene, having a living end group, was subsequently used to initiate methyl methacrylate polymerization in tetrahydrofuran. Polyisoprene–poly(methyl methacrylate) block copolymers were obtained, and their structure was established with ¹H NMR, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, and experiments of selective extraction. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1086–1092, 2006     

Novel polystyrene‐supported zirconocene catalyst for olefin polymerization and its catalytic kinetics

Through the Diels–Alder reaction between cyclopentadiene groups attached to polystyrene in the presence of zirconocene, novel polystyrene‐supported metallocene catalysts were prepared. A novel method for immobilizing metallocene catalysts was investigated, and the resultant polystyrene‐supported metallocene for olefin polymerization was studied. The results of olefin polymerization showed that different crosslinking degrees of support in the catalyst system had significant effects on the catalytic behavior. The influence of the [Al]/[Zr] molar ratio and the temperature on the (co)polymerization activity was studied. When 1‐hexene and 1‐dodecene were used for copolymerization with ethylene, an obvious positive comonomer effect was observed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2650–2656, 2005     

Synthesis of styrene–acrylamide copolymer by surfactant‐free sonicated dynamic interfacial polymerization

This paper summarizes a study on emulsifier‐free ultrasonically assisted in situ dynamic interfacial emulsion copolymerization process of acrylamide and styrene. The resulting emulsions are stable and uniform for several months. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) curves and reaction conversion measurements have provided an important knowledge regarding the emulsifier‐free polymerization method. Solvent extractions (water, methanol, and xylene) have shown that the polymerization product is essentially a styrene–acrylamide copolymer. The copolymer produced is a block copolymer, PS‐b‐PAM, where each block contains small amounts of the other comonomer. The produced emulsions are film forming at room temperature in spite of the very high block T_gs, owing to a unique water plasticization effect of the polyacrylamide blocks. Some films prepared from the PS‐b‐PAM have resulted in clear and transparent films. The presented interfacial dynamic polymerization process is fast, reaching 81% conversion within 2 hr of sonication at 4°C (low temperature owing to molecular weight and kinetic considerations), and produces very stable PS‐b‐PAM emulsions. TGA was extensively used as an analytical tool for determination of the reaction parameters and composition of the acrylamide–styrene copolymers. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Olefin polymerization and copolymerization by complexes bearing [ONNO]‐Type salan ligands: Effect of ligand structure and metal type (titanium,zirconium, and vanadium)

A series of novel titanium(IV) complexes bearing tetradentate [ONNO] salan type ligands: [Ti{2,2′‐(OC₆H₃‐5‐t‐Bu)₂‐NHRNH}Cl₂] (Lig¹TiCl₂: R = C₂H₄; Lig²TiCl₂: R = C₄H₈; Lig³TiCl₂: R = C₆H₁₂) and [Ti{2,2′‐(OC₆H₂‐3,5‐di‐t‐Bu)₂‐NHC₆H₁₂NH}Cl₂] (Lig⁴TiCl₂) were synthesized and used in the (co)polymerization of olefins. Vanadium and zirconium complexes: [ M{2,2′‐(OC₆H₃‐3,5‐di‐t‐Bu)₂‐NHC₆H₁₂NH}Cl₂] (Lig⁴VCl₂: M = V; Lig⁴ZrCl₂: M = Zr) were also synthesized for comparative investigations. All the complexes turned out active in 1‐octene polymerization after activation by MAO and/or Al(i‐Bu)₃/[Ph₃C][B(C₆F₅)₄]. The catalytic performance of titanium complexes was strictly dependent on their structures and it improves for the increasing length of the aliphatic linkage between nitrogen atoms (Lig¹TiCl₂ << Lig²TiCl₂ < Lig³TiCl₂) and declines after adding additional tert‐Bu group on the aromatic rings (Lig³TiCl₂ < Lig⁴TiCl₂). The activity of all titanium complexes in ethylene polymerization was moderate and the properties of polyethylene was dependent on the ligand structure, cocatalyst type, and reaction conditions. The Et₂AlCl‐activated complexes gave polymers with lover molecular weights and bimodal distribution, whereas ultra‐high molecular weight PE (up to 3588 kg mol^?1) and narrow MWD was formed for MAO as a cocatalyst. Vanadium complex yielded PE with the highest productivity (1925.3 kg mol_v^?1), with high molecular weight (1986 kg mol^?1) and with very narrow molecular weight distribution (1.5). Copolymerization tests showed that titanium complexes yielded ethylene/1‐octene copolymers, whereas vanadium catalysts produced product mixtures. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2111–2123     

Precision synthesis of graft copolymers via living cationic polymerization of p‐acetoxystyrene followed by friedel–crafts‐type termination reaction

This study describes a novel precision synthesis strategy for graft copolymers using Friedel–Crafts‐type termination reaction between a cationically prepared poly(styrene derivative) and the naphthyl side groups from a poly(vinyl ether) main chain. The pendant alkoxynaphthyl groups on the poly(vinyl ether) efficiently terminated the living cationic polymerization of p‐acetoxystyrene (AcOSt) with SnCl₄ in the presence of ethyl acetate as an added base. This research provides the first example of a well‐defined graft copolymer prepared using this method. The resulting polymer contained 40 poly‐(AcOSt) branches, as calculated from the M_w determined via gel permeation chromatography–MALS analysis, which was in good agreement with the estimated number of branches obtained from ¹H NMR analysis. The acetoxy groups in the grafted poly(AcOSt) chains were easily converted into phenolic hydroxy groups under basic conditions. The as‐obtained graft copolymer with poly(p‐hydroxystyrene) side chains exhibited a pH‐sensitive phase separation in water. The synthetic method for preparing the graft copolymers was also effective in the living cationic polymerizations of other styrene derivatives. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4675–4683