The preparation of hyperbranched aromatic and aliphatic polyether epoxies by chloride‐catalyzed proton transfer polymerization from ABn and A2 + B3 monomers

Hyperbranched polymers consisting of aromatic or aliphatic polyether cores and epoxide chain‐end peripheries were prepared by proton transfer polymerization. AB₂ diepoxyphenol monomer 1 proved to be well suited for the preparation of hyperbranched aromatic polymer 2 by this proton transfer polymerization. The use of chloride‐ion catalysis, rather than conventional base catalysis, for the preparation of polymers from diepoxyphenol 1 offered a unique method to control the ultimate molecular weight of the polymer product through variations of the initial concentration of monomer 1 in tetrahydrofuran. An alternative route to hyperbranched polyether epoxies made use of commercially available or easily prepared aliphatic monomers of the types AB₂, AB₃, and A₂ + B₃. Although these aliphatic polymerizations can be initiated with a base, chloride‐ion catalysis proved most effective for controlling the polymerization. The hyperbranched epoxies were characterized by NMR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, and multi‐angle laser light scattering. Chemical modification of the polymers after polymerization was carried out via nucleophilic addition on the epoxide groups or derivatization of the hydroxy substituents within the hyperbranched polymer structure. Spectroscopic measurements suggested that some such ring‐opened materials may adopt reverse unimolecular micellar structures in appropriate solution environments. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4850–4869, 2000     

UV‐activated hydrosilylation: a facile approach for synthesis of hyperbranched polycarbosilanes

A facile approach for synthesis of hyperbranched polycarbosilane from AB₂ monomer via UV‐activated hydrosilylation is presented in this communication. The polymerization process was monitored using real‐time FTIR spectroscopy and the resulting hyperbranched polycarbosilanes were characterized using ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, ²⁹Si‐NMR and SEC/MALLS. It is found that hyperbranched polycarbosilane can be synthesized from methyldiallylsilane via UV‐activated hydrosilylation with bis(acetylacetonato)platinum(II) as catalyst. The polymerization activated by UV irradiation was much faster than that under thermal conditions. The similar degree of branching, average number of branch units and the exponent of the Mark–Houwink equation demonstrate that the hyperbranched polycarbosilane synthesized via UV‐activated polyhydrosilylation possesses almost the same branching structure as that synthesized via thermal‐activated polyhydrosilylation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of branched polysaccharides by polymerization of 6-O-t-butyldimethylsilyl-D-glucal through stereoregular haloglycosylation

In this letter, we report synthesis of branched polysaccharide 2 by glycosylation of glucal-type monomer 1 with two free hydroxy groups at position 3 and 4. Monomer 1 polymerized with N-halosuccinimide promoter in acetonitrile solvent at room temperature--50 degrees C. The product was isolated as a petroleum ether insoluble fraction. The structure was determined by 1H and 13C NMR spectra as well as elemental analysis to be a polysaccharide consisting of 2-halo-2-deoxy-alpha-D-mannoside units, indicating that the polymerization proceeded via stereoregular glycosylation manner. The molecular weights determined by GPC with DMF were 3,300-4,000. The degree of branching was estimated by the NMR data of the product from the reaction of 2 with 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl chloride.     

Hydroxyl‐terminated hyperbranched aromatic poly(ether‐ester)s: Synthesis,characterization, end‐group modification,and optical properties

Novel AB₂‐type monomers such as 3,5‐bis(4‐methylolphenoxy)benzoic acid ( monomer 1 ), methyl 3,5‐bis(4‐methylolphenoxy) benzoate ( monomer 2 ), and 3,5‐bis(4‐methylolphenoxy)benzoyl chloride ( monomer 3 ) were synthesized. Solution polymerization and melt self‐polycondensation of these monomers yielded hydroxyl‐terminated hyperbranched aromatic poly(ether‐ester)s. The structure of these polymers was established using FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The molecular weights (M_w) of the polymers were found to vary from 2.0 × 10³ to 1.49 × 10⁴ depending on the polymerization techniques and the experimental conditions used. Suitable model compounds that mimic exactly the dendritic, linear, and terminal units present in the hyperbranched polymer were synthesized for the calculation of degree of branching (DB) and the values ranged from 52 to 93%. The thermal stability of the polymers was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis, which showed no virtual weight loss up to 200 °C. The inherent viscosities of the polymers in DMF ranged from 0.010 to 0.120 dL/g. End‐group modification of the hyperbranched polymer was carried out with phenyl isocyanate, 4‐(decyloxy)benzoic acid and methyl red dye. The end‐capping groups were found to change the thermal properties of the polymers such as T_g. The optical properties of hyperbranched polymer and the dye‐capped hyperbranched polymer were investigated using ultraviolet‐absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5414–5430, 2008     

A new approach to control crystallinity of resulting polymers: Self‐condensing ring opening polymerization

The cationic polymerization of 3‐methyl‐3‐oxetanemethanol was initiated using BF₃·OEt₂. The low ratio of catalyst to monomer results in a mainly linear or slightly branched polymer, and the high catalyst to monomer ratio leads to a hyperbranched polymer. The hyperbranched polyether yielded is amorphous, and the essentially linear version obtained is partially crystalline. In other words, the degree of branching and the crystallinity of resulting polymers are dependent on the catalyst to monomer ratio. Therefore a new approach to control the crystallinity of resulting polymers in self‐condensing ring opening polymerization was developed.     

Hyperbranched aryl polycarbonates derived from A2B monomers versus AB2 monomers

Hyperbranched aryl polycarbonates were prepared via the polymerizations of A₂B and AB₂ monomers, which involved the condensation of chloroformate (A) functionalities with tert‐butyldimethylsilyl‐protected phenols (B), facilitated by reactions with silver fluoride. The polymerization of the A₂B monomer gave hyperbranched polycarbonates bearing fluoroformate chain ends, which were hydrolyzed to phenolic chain‐end moieties and further elaborated to tert‐butyldimethylsilyl ether groups. The polymerization of the AB₂ monomer gave tert‐butyldimethylsilyl ether‐terminated hyperbranched polycarbonates. The polymerizations were conducted at 23–70 °C in 20% acetonitrile/tetrahydrofuran in the presence of a stoichiometric excess of silver fluoride for 20–40 h to afford hyperbranched polycarbonates with weight‐average molecular weights exceeding 100,000 Da and polydispersity indices of typically 2–3. The degrees of branching were determined by a reductive degradation procedure followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography. Alternatively, the degrees of branching were measurable by solution‐state ¹H NMR analyses and agreed with the statistical 50% branching expected for the polymerization of A₂B and AB₂ monomers not experiencing constructive or destructive electronic effects on the reactivity of the multiple functional groups. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 823–835, 2002; DOI 10.1002/pola.10167     

Synthesis of hyperbranched polymer having binaphthol units via oxidative cross‐coupling polymerization

The oxidative coupling polymerization of triphenylamine derivatives having 2‐naphthol moieties with a CuCl‐2,2′‐isopropylidenebis(4‐phenyl‐2‐oxazoline) catalyst under an O₂ atmosphere was carried out. The polymerization of the monomer bearing both the hydroxynaphthoate and naphthol units afforded a hyperbranched polymer with a high cross‐coupling selectivity of > 99%, which showed a number‐average molecular weight of 20.3 × 10³. In addition, the obtained polymer was quite soluble in THF. The photoluminescence and electrochemical properties of the obtained polymers were also examined. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 1034–1041, 2008     

Synthesis of Hyperbranched Polysaccharide by Thermally Induced Cationic Polymerization of 1,6-Anhydrohexopyranose

The thermally induced cationic polymerizations of 1,6-anhydro-β-D -glucopyranose ( 1a ), 1,6-anhydro-β-D -mannopyranose ( 1b ) and 1,6-anhydro-β-D -galactopyranose ( 1c ) as a latent cyclic AB₄-type monomer were carried out using (S-2-butenyl)tetramethylenesulfonium hexafluoroantimonate ( 2 ) as an initiator. The solution polymerization in propylene carbonate proceeded without gelation to produce the water-soluble hyperbranched polysaccharides ( 3a-c ) with controlled molecular weights and narrow polydispersities. The degree of branching (DB), estimated by the methylation analysis of 3a-c , was in the range of 0.38 – 0.49. The thermally induced cationic polymerization of 1a-c using 2 is a facile method leading to a hyperbranched polysaccharide with a high DB value.     

Kinetics of nonideal hyperbranched A2 + B3 polycondensation: Simulation and comparison with experiments

To overcome the deficiency of mean field method in introducing the intramolecular cyclization and the steric effects, the reactive bond fluctuation model was applied to study nonideal hyperbranched A₂ + B₃ polycondensation, which has high sensitivity of gelation to the concentration of monomers, the feed ratio and the reactivity of functional groups. Simulation demonstrated that the mean field theory overestimated hyperbranched polymerization especially at high reaction conversion in the system with low monomer concentration where the intramolecular cyclization and the steric hindrance play crucial influences on molecular weight, molecular weight distribution and gel point (GP). The dependences of GP on the monomer concentration, feed ratio, and the reactivity of groups are clearly shown. We further simulated a specific polycondensation system with aromatic terephthaloyl chloride (TCl, A₂) and 1,1,1‐tris(4‐trimethylsiloxyphenyl)ethane (TMS‐THPE, B₃) (Macromolecules 2007, 40, 6846) using fitting technology, and estimated molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, GPs, and the conformation of hyperbanched polymer. It provides a feasible way to quantitatively understand hyperbranched polymerization with the reaction specificity. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Calculation of topological parameters of hyperbranched macromolecules synthesized via living radical polymerization

Numerical calculations of the kinetic model of synthesis of hyperbranched polymers in the living radical polymerization mode were performed. Analytical expressions were obtained that make it possible to predict the maximum yield of hyperbranched polymers and their topological parameters, such as the branching frequency; the numbers of living ends, monomer units and multiple bonds per macromolecule; and the degree of conversion at the gel point. The model is based on the use of a branching monomer M_m that contains m ≥ 2 polymerizable bonds in its molecule in combination with a monomer M₁ capable of forming linear chains only.     

Synthesis of branched aminopolysaccharides by acid-catalyzed polymerization of sugar oxazoline monomer

Acid-catalyzed polymerization of a sugar oxazoline monomer 1b having two free hydroxy groups was carried out to produce a branched aminopolysaccharide 2b. The reaction proceeded via the stereoregular glycosylation through oxazoline ring-opening process, giving rise to 2b consisting of β-glycosidic linkages. The structure of 2b was determined by the ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and IR spectra. The molecular weights determined by GPC measurements were 4200-6100. The degrees of branching were estimated by the ¹H NMR spectra of the products by the reaction of 2b with 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl chloride. Deprotection of 2b was carried out by the catalytic hydrogenation in the presence of 10% Pd-C to produce a free branched aminopolysaccharide.     

Hyperbranched aromatic poly(ether imide)s: Synthesis,characterization, and modification

The synthesis and characterization of hyperbranched aromatic poly(ether imide)s are described. An AB₂ monomer, which contained a pair of phenolic groups and an aryl fluoro moiety activated toward displacement by the attached imide heterocyclic ring, was prepared. The nucleophilic substitution of the fluoride with the phenolate groups led to the formation of an ether linkage and, subsequently, to the hyperbranched poly(ether imide), which contained terminal phenolic groups. A similar one‐step polymerization involving a monomer that contained silyl‐protected phenols yielded a hyperbranched poly(ether imide) with terminal silylated phenols. The degree of branching of these hyperbranched polymers was approximately 55%, as determined by a combination of model compound studies and ¹H NMR integration experiments. End‐capping reactions of the terminal phenolic groups were readily accomplished with a variety of acid chlorides and acid anhydrides. The nature of the chain‐end groups significantly influenced physical properties, such as the glass‐transition temperature and the solubility of the hyperbranched poly(ether imide)s. As the length of the acyl chain of the terminal ester groups increased, the glass‐transition temperature value for the polymer decreased, and the solubility of the polymer in polar solvents was reduced, becoming more soluble in nonpolar solvents. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2536–2546, 2001     

Facile synthesis of hyperbranched polyimides from A2 + BB′2 monomers

Facile syntheses of hyperbranched polyimides were realized by the polymerization of A₂ + BB^′₂ monomers, 2,2‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxylphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) + 2,4,6‐triaminopyrimidine (TAP), performed by mixing the monomers together in N‐methylpyrrolidone at 17% w/v concentrations with molar ratios of 6FDA:TAP ranging from 1:1 to 2:1. The lower reactivity of 2‐amino as compared with 4‐/6‐amino in TAP, demonstrated by ¹H NMR, was probably the main reason for no gelation formed during the polymerization although monomer conversions surpassed the theoretical gel points. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and NMR were used to verify the structures of the obtained polymers. ¹H NMR analysis indicated the degrees of branching (DB) of the polymers increased from 36 to 83% with the molar ratios of 6FDA:TAP increasing from 1:1 to 2:1. Molecular weights were determined by gel permeation chromatography, and inherent viscosities were measured. Glass‐transition temperature values, determined by differential scanning calorimetry, decreased when DB increased, and thermogravimetric analysis reflected the excellent thermal stability of the obtained hyperbranched polyimides. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 4563–4569, 2002     

Acid chloride‐functionalized hyperbranched polyester for facile and quantitative chain‐end modification: One‐pot synthesis and structure characterization

Carboxylic acid chloride end‐functionalized all‐aromatic hyperbranched polyesters were prepared from the bulk polycondensation of the AB₂ monomer 5‐(trimethylsiloxy)isophthaloyl dichloride. The acid chloride end functionality of the hyperbranched polyester was modified in situ with methanol and yielded methyl ester ends in a one‐pot process. Chain‐end functionalization and esterification were quantitative according to both potentiometric titration and ¹H NMR analysis. The signals of ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra of the esterified hyperbranched polyester were fully assigned from model compounds of the focal, linear, dendritic, and terminal units. The degree of branching and molecular weight averages measured by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and multidetector size exclusion chromatography increased systematically with increasing polymerization temperatures between 80 and 200 °C. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2855–2867, 2002     

Synthesis of novel hyperbranched polymer through cationic ring‐opening multibranching polymerization of 2‐hydroxymethyloxetane

The cationic ring‐opening multibranching polymerization of 2‐hydroxymethyloxetane ( 1 ) as a novel latent AB₂‐type monomer was carried out using trifluoromethane sulfonic acid or trifluoroboron diethyl etherate by a slow‐monomer‐addition (SMA) method. The polymer yield of poly‐1 ranged from ca. 58–88%, which increase with the increasing monomer addition time on the SMA method. The absolute molecular weights (M_w,MALLS) and the polydispersities of poly‐1 were in the range of 8,000–43,500 and 1.45–4.53, respectively, which also increased with the increasing monomer addition time. The Mark‐Houwink‐Sakurada exponents α in 0.2 M NaNO₃ aq. were determined to be 0.02–0.25 for poly‐1 , indicating that poly‐1 has compact forms in the solution because of the highly branched structure. The degree of the branching value of poly‐1 , which was calculated by Frey's equation, ranged from ca. 0.50 to 0.58, which increased with the increasing monomer addition time. The steady shear flow of poly‐1 in aqueous solution exhibited a Newtonian behavior with steady shear viscosities independent of the shear rate. The results of the MALLS, NMR, and viscosity measurements indicated that poly‐1 is composed of a highly branched structure, i.e., the hyperbranched poly (2‐hydroxymethyloxetane). © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Mean‐Square Radius of Gyration and Degree of Branching of Highly Branched Copolymers Resulting from the Copolymerization of AB2 With AB Monomers

Summary: The evolution of the various structural units incorporated into hyperbranched polymers formed from the copolymerization of AB₂ and AB monomers has been derived by the kinetic scheme. The degree of branching was calculated with a new definition given in this work. The degree of branching monotonously increased with increasing A group conversion (x) and the maximum value could reach 2r/(1 + r)², where r is the initial fraction of AB₂ monomers in the total. Like the average degree of polymerization, the mean‐square radius of gyration of the hyperbranched polymers increased moderately with A group conversion in the range x < 0.9 and displayed an abrupt rise when the copolymerization neared completion. The characteristic ratio of the mean‐square radius of gyration remained constant for the linear polymers. However, the hyperbranched polymers did not possess this character. In comparison with the linear polymerization, the weight average and z‐average degree of polymerization increased due to the addition of the branched monomer units AB₂ and the mean‐square radius of gyration decreased quickly for the products of copolymerization.

     

Development of an efficient route to hyperbranched poly(arylene ether sulfone)s

A two‐step route to an AB₂ monomer that underwent polymerization via nucleophilic aromatic substitution to afford hyperbranched poly(arylene ether sulfone)s (HB PAES) was developed. The synthesis of 3,5‐difluoro‐4′‐hydroxydiphenyl sulfone ( 4 ) was accomplished by the reaction of 3,5‐difluorophenylmagnesium bromide with 4‐methoxyphenylsulfonyl chloride, followed by deprotection of the phenol group with HBr in acetic acid. The polymerization of 4 in the presence of 3,4,5‐trifluorophenylsulfonyl benzene or tris(3,4,5‐trifluorophenyl)phosphine oxide as a core molecule afforded HB PAES with number‐average molecular weights ranging from 3400 to 8400 Da and polydispersity index values ranging from 1.5 to 4.8. The presence of cyclic oligomeric species, formed by an intramolecular cyclization process, was a contributing factor to the relatively low molecular weights. The degree of branching (DB) of the HB PAES samples was estimated by a comparison of the ¹⁹F NMR spectra of the polymer samples with those of a series of model compounds, and DB values ranging from 0.51 to 0.70 were determined. The glass‐transition temperatures for the HB PAES samples were in the range of 205–222 °C, as determined by differential scanning calorimetry. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43:3178–3187, 2005     

Synthesis of amphiphilic linear‐hyperbranched graft‐copolymers via grafting based on linear polyethylene backbone

The synthesis of amphiphilic linear‐hyperbranched graft‐copolymers in a grafting‐from approach is reported. The linear polyethylene with terminated hydroxyls, prepared by copolymerization of ethylene and 10‐undecen‐1‐ol, was used as macroinitiator for ring‐opening multibranching polymerization of glycidol by a typical slow monomer addition approach. Successful attachment of the hyperbranched grafts to the linear polyethylene backbone was confirmed by ¹H/¹³C NMR, GPC, and TGA. The degree of polymerization and M_w/M_n of hyperbranched grafts were efficiently controlled by temperature, deprotonation ratio as well as the molar ratio of glycidol/hydroxyl (N_glycidol/N_OH). The complicated microstructures caused by unsymmetric glycidol structure were analyzed by DEPT and 2D HSQC spectra, the degree of branching of 0.63–0.66 were calculated, indicating the extent of branch is close to theoretical values. The thermal analysis of linear‐hyperbranched copolymers via TGA and DSC is also presented. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a linear‐hyperbranched graft‐copolymer with a crystalline and nonpolar linear‐polyethylene segment. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2146–2154     

Synthesis and characterization of hyperbranched aromatic poly(ether imide)s with terminal amino groups

We synthesized an AB₂‐type monomer, 4‐{4‐[di(4‐aminophenyl)methyl]phenoxy}phthalic acid, which contained one phthalic acid group and two aminophenyl functionalities. The direct self‐polycondensation of the AB₂‐type monomer in the presence of triphenylphosphite as an activator afforded a hyperbranched poly(ether imide) with a large number of terminal amino groups. This polymer was characterized with ¹H NMR and IR spectroscopy. The degree of branching of the hyperbranched poly(ether imide) was approximately 56%, as determined by a combination of model compound studies and an analysis of ¹H NMR spectroscopy integration data. The terminal amino groups underwent functionalization readily. The solubility and thermal properties of the resulting polymers depended on the nature of the chain end groups. In addition, the hyperbranched poly(ether imide) was grafted with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS). Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that the grafted POSS molecules aggregated to form a nanocomposite material. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3726–3735, 2003     

Off‐lattice Monte Carlo simulation of hyperbranched polymers, 1 Polycondensation of AB2 type monomers

The polycondensation of hyperbranched polymers, based on AB₂ type monomers, was simulated using an off‐lattice Monte Carlo method in order to investigate the polymerization kinetics and microstructures of hyperbranched polymers. The effects of temperature and activation energy of reaction on the conversion rate seem qualitatively acceptable, indicating that our simulation model properly describes the polymerization reaction of hyperbranched polymers. Number average degree of polymerization and polydispersity index were calculated as a function of conversion and compared with Flory's expectation. Fractions of dendritic, linear and terminal unit were also determined from simulation and compared with theoretical predictions. As the hyperbranched polymer grows, it is observed that the molecular shape changes from a regular fan‐shape structure to an edge‐curled up structure.