Potassium enolates of N,N‐dialkylamides as initiators of anionic polymerization

Stable potassium enolates of N,N‐diethylacetamide [α‐potassio‐N,N‐diethylacetamide ( 1 )], N,N‐diethylpropionamide [α‐potassio‐N,N‐diethylpropionamide ( 2 )], and N,N‐diethylisobutyramide [α‐potassio‐N,N‐diethylisobutyramide ( 3 )] were prepared by the proton abstraction of the corresponding N,N‐diethylamides with diphenylmethylpotassium (Ph₂CHK) or potassium naphthalenide in THF. The relative nucleophilicity of 1 – 3 was estimated to be in the order of 1 < 3 < 2 from the results of the alkylation reaction with methyl iodide. N,N‐diethylacetamide transferred its α‐proton to 2 quantitatively in THF at 0 °C, whereas no reaction occurred between N,N‐diethylisobutyramide and 2 ; this indicated the relative basicity to be 1 < 2 ～ 3 . Anionic polymerizations of N,N‐diethylacrylamide (DEA) and methyl methacrylate were quantitatively initiated with 2 in THF at ?78 °C, whereas the initiation efficiencies of 2 for styrene and 2‐vinylpyridine were about 2 and 67%, respectively. The initiation of DEA with 1 – 3 at ?78 or 0 °C in THF gave poly (DEA)s having broad molecular weight distributions (MWDs; M_w/M_n = 2) and ill‐controlled molecular weights. In contrast, poly(DEA)s of narrow MWDs (M_w/M_n < 1.2) and predicted M_n's were obtained with 2 in the presence of diethylzinc (Et₂Zn) at ?78 °C, whereas the initiations with 1 /Et₂Zn and 3 /Et₂Zn at ?78 °C resulted in poor control of the molecular weights. At the higher temperature of 0 °C, all the binary initiator systems ( 1 – 3 /Et₂Zn) induced controlled polymerizations of DEA in terms of the conversion, molecular weight, and MWD. The poly(DEA)s produced with 1 – 3 /Et₂Zn at 0 °C showed mr‐rich configurations (mr = 76–89%), as observed for the poly(DEA) generated with Ph₂CHK/Et₂Zn. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1260–1271, 2007     

Living anionic polymerization of N‐methoxymethyl‐N‐isopropylacrylamide: Synthesis of well‐defined poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) having various stereoregularity

Anionic polymerization of N‐methoxymethyl‐N‐isopropylacrylamide ( 1 ) was carried out with 1,1‐diphenyl‐3‐methylpentyllithium and diphenylmethyllithium, ‐potassium, and ‐cesium in THF at ?78 °C for 2 h in the presence of Et₂Zn. The poly( 1 )s were quantitatively obtained and possessed the predicted molecular weights based on the feed molar ratios between monomer to initiators and narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n = 1.1). The living character of propagating carbanion of poly( 1 ) either at 0 or ?78 °C was confirmed by the quantitative efficiency of the sequential block copolymerization using N,N‐diethylacrylamide as a second monomer. The methoxymethyl group of the resulting poly( 1 ) was completely removed to give a well‐defined poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide), poly(NIPAM), via the acidic hydrolysis. The racemo diad contents in the poly(NIPAM)s could be widely changed from 15 to 83% by choosing the initiator systems for 1 . The poly(NIPAM)s obtained with Li⁺/Et₂Zn initiator system possessed syndiotactic‐rich configurations (r = 75–83%), while either atactic (r = 50%) or isotactic poly(NIPAM) (r = 15–22%) was generated with K⁺/Et₂Zn or Li⁺/LiCl initiator system, respectively. Atactic and syndiotactic poly(NIPAM)s (42 < r < 83%) were water‐soluble, whereas isotactic‐rich one (r < 31%) was insoluble in water. The cloud points of the aqueous solution of poly(NIPAM)s increased from 32 to 37 °C with the r‐contents. These indicated the significant effect of stereoregularity of the poly(NIPAM) on the water‐solubility and the cloud point in water © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 4832–4845, 2006     

Anionic polymerization of N,N‐dialkylacrylamides containing alkoxysilyl groups in the presence of Lewis acids

With Ph₂CHK as an initiator, the anionic polymerization of N‐propyl‐N‐(3‐triisopropoxysilylpropyl)acrylamide ( 4 ) and N‐propyl‐N‐(3‐triethoxysilylpropyl)acryl‐amide generated polymers with predicted molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions (MWDs) in the presence of Et₂Zn or Et₃B; however, the resulting polymers obtained in the absence of such Lewis acids had very broad MWDs. The results were ascribed to the coordination of the propagating anionic end to a relatively weak Lewis acid, in which the activity of the end anion was appropriately controlled for moderate polymerization without side reactions. A well‐defined diblock copolymer of 4 and N,N‐diethylacrylamide was also prepared with the binary initiating system of Ph₂CHK and Et₂Zn, whereas no such block copolymer was prepared by polymerization initiated with 1,1‐diphenyl‐3‐methylpentyllithium, as the propagating anion together with the lithium ion reacted with alkoxysilyl side groups on the poly( 4 ) backbone to produce grafted polymers with high molecular weights. The hydrolysis of the alkoxysilyl side groups of poly( 4 ) in acidic water yielded an insoluble gel. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2754‐2764, 2005     

Polymerization of N,N-Dialkylacrylamides with Anionic Initiators Modified by Diethylzinc

Abstract

N,N-Dimethyl-, diethyl-, and dipropylacrylamides were polymerized with 1,1-bis(4′-trimethylsilylphenyl)-3-methylpentyllithium (I) in the presence and absence of diethylzinc in THF. Although the polymers produced with I in the absence of diethylzinc have rather broad molecular weight distributions, the addition of diethylzinc to the polymerization systems causes narrow molecular weight distributions of the polymers. The addition of diethylzinc also affect the stereospecificities of the polymers obtained. The poly(N,N-diethylacrylamide) produced with I/diethylzinc (molar ratio of 1/3-15) is highly syndiotactic, while the one obtained with I is isotactic. The configuration of the poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) is changed from isotactic to syndio and heterotactic rich by the addition of diethylzinc to the polymerization mixture. Little effect of diethylzinc is observed on the stereospecificity of the polymerization of N,N-dipropylacrylamide. The stoichiometric additive effect of Et₂Zn toward the initiator in the polymerization of DEAA suggests that the coordination of Et₂Zn aggregates with the propagating carbanionic species narrows the molecular weight distribution and controls the tacticity of the polymer.     

Synthesis of a thermoresponsive shell‐crosslinked 3‐layer onion‐like polymer particle with a hyperbranched polyglycerol core

A novel thermoresponsive shell crosslinked three‐layer onion‐like polymer particles were prepared using hyperbranched polyglycerol (PG) as parents compound, the periphery hydroxyl groups of PG were transformed into trithiocarbonates (? SC(S)S? ) first; then, it was used as chain transfer agent to prepare star‐like block copolymer of N‐isopropyl acrylamide (NIPA) and N,N‐dimethylaminoethyl acrylate (DMA) in sequence via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) process. Thus, a three‐layer polymer, PG? [SC(S)S? (DMA)? b? (NIPA)]_n, was obtained. The middle layer of poly(DMA) was then crosslinked with 1,8‐diiodoctane, and the resulting onion‐like three‐layer polymer showed a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in water because of the outer layer of poly(NIPA). The LCST value only slightly depended on the crosslinking degree. Finally, the ? SC(S)S? were transformed into thiols by sequential treating with sodium borohydride and formic acid; thus, the core molecule was chemically detached from the crosslinked shell and a novel shell crosslinked polymer particle was obtained. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5652–5660, 2005     

Anionic polymerization of N,N‐dialkyl‐2‐methylenebut‐3‐enamide: Effect of alkyl substituents on polymerization behavior

Anionic polymerizations of three 1,3‐butadiene derivatives containing different N,N‐dialkyl amide functions, N,N‐diisopropylamide (DiPA), piperidineamide (PiA), and cis‐2,6‐dimethylpiperidineamide (DMPA) were performed under various conditions, and their polymerization behavior was compared with that of N,N‐diethylamide analogue (DEA), which was previously reported. When polymerization of DiPA was performed at ?78 °C with potassium counter ion, only trace amounts of oligomers were formed, whereas polymers with a narrow molecular weight distribution were obtained in moderate yield when DiPA was polymerized at 0 °C in the presence of LiCl. Decrease in molecular weight and broadening of molecular weight distribution were observed when polymerization was performed at a higher temperature of 20 °C, presumably because of the effect of ceiling temperature. In the case of DMPA, no polymer was formed at 0 °C and polymers with relatively broad molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n = 1.2) were obtained at 20 °C. The polymerization rate of PiA was much faster than that of the other monomers, and poly(PiA) was obtained in high yield even at ?78 °C in 24 h. The microstructure of the resulting polymers were exclusively 1,4‐ for poly(DMPA), whereas 20–30% of the 1,2‐structure was contained in poly(DiPA) and poly(PiA). © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3714–3721, 2010     

Synthesis and functionalities of poly(N‐vinylalkylamide). XII. Synthesis and thermosensitive property of poly(vinylamine) copolymer prepared from poly(N‐vinylformamide‐co‐N‐vinylisobutyramide)

The differences in the polymerization abilities of N‐vinylformamide (NVF) and N‐vinylisobutyramide (NVIBA) and the synthesis of their copolymers were studied. The polymerization abilities were fairly good and quite similar to those of N‐vinyl‐ acetamide (NVA), a monomer in the same class as N‐vinylalkylamides. Since the monomer reactivity ratios were r₁ = 1.08 and r₂ = 0.92 (M₁ = NVF, M₂ = NVIBA), respectively, it is clear that the comonomers definitely were converted to random copolymers. The resulting copolymers poly(NVF‐co‐NVIBA) exhibited the cloud points sharply. The light transmittance profiles were the same as those for poly(NVIBA) although they increased from 39 °C for poly(NVIBA), with an increase in the corresponding hydrophilic NVF component. Our final objective was to produce a cloud point controlled polymer material with primary amino groups. To achieve this, we examined the hydrolysis of poly(NVF), poly(NVA), poly(NVIBA), and poly(NVF‐co‐NVIBA) to obtain poly(vinylamine) [poly(VAm)]. The hydrolytic cleavage of poly(NVF) and poly(NVA) was promoted by an increase in temperature. However, poly(NVIBA) was not cleaved appreciably. The hydrolysis of poly(NVF‐co‐NVIBA) was done under controlled conditions, and amino groups selectively were introduced to only one of two components of the copolymer. The cloud point of the hydrolyzed copolymer shifted to a higher temperature than that of the copolymer. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3674–3681, 2000     

Efficient photoinduced In situ preparation of clay/poly(glycidyl methacrylate) nanocomposites using hydrogen‐donor silane

Clay/poly(glycidyl methacrylate) nanocomposites (clay/PGMA) were prepared by in situ radical photopolymerization using N,N‐dimethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane(DMA)‐modified bentonite clay acting as hydrogen donor for benzophenone in solution. This initiating system permits to photopolymerize glycidyl methacrylate between the lamellae of the DMA‐modified clay. The approach provides exfoliated nanocomposites as judged by the measurements of X‐ray diffraction. However, a low fraction of persistent intercalated clay regions was visible by transmission electron microscopy. X‐ray photoelectron spectra analyses indicate that the nanocomposites have PGMA‐rich surface. The clay/PGMA nanocomposites can be readily dispersed in ethanol. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 800–808     

Controlled Anionic Synthesis of Poly[2‐(3‐nitrocarbazolyl)ethyl methacrylate]

Poly[2‐(3‐nitrocarbazolyl)ethyl methacrylate] (poly(NCzMA)) with controlled molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution was successfully synthesized using (methyl methacryloyl)potassium (MMA) as a weak initiator in the presence of diethylzinc (Et₂Zn) in THF at –78°C. Et₂Zn acted both as an additive for the coordination with enolate anion and nitro group and as a scavenger to remove impurities. Block copolymers PMMA‐block‐poly(NCzMA)‐block‐PMMA and poly(NCzMA)‐block‐PS‐block‐poly(NCz‐MA), were also synthesized quantitatively (PMMA: poly(methyl methacrylate), PS: polystyrene). The results indicate that Et₂Zn can be used to synthesize the polymers of solid, nitro group‐containing methacrylate monomers by anionic polymerization in THF.     

Asymmetric alkylation of aromatic aldehydes with dialkylzinc catalyzed by novel amino derivatives of hydroxytetrahydropyran

Novel, specially prepared, tetrahydropyran‐based γ‐amino alcohols (S)‐2‐(aminomethyl)‐3‐hydroxy‐6‐ethoxy(phenoxy)‐tetrahydropyrans ( I ) (amino = n‐Bu₂N, piperidinyl, pyrrolidinyl, azetidinyl) were tested as catalysts in the asymmetric addition of Et₂Zn and n‐Bu₂Zn to (hetero)aromatic aldehydes. In most cases the phenoxy derivatives of I acted more enantioselectively than the ethoxy ones. The dibutylamino derivaties showed the least enantioselectivity; the pyrrolidinyl derivatives were more active as catalysts than piperidinyl and azetidinyl compounds. The highest enantioselectivity was observed in the addition of Et₂Zn to benzaldehyde in the presence of (S)‐2‐(N‐pyrrolidinylmethyl)‐3‐hydroxy‐6‐phenoxytetrahydropyran. The corresponding alcohol was prepared with 72% ee (R‐configuration). The addition of dibutylzinc proceeded slowly and less selectively. The alkylation of (hetero)aromatic aldehydes with Et₂Zn and n‐Bu₂Zn was also studied in the presence of the known optical inductor (1S,2R)‐N,N‐dibutylnorephedrine. Some chiral aromatic secondary alcohols were synthesized in high chemical yields and up to 93% ee enantioselectivity. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

N‐Germyl derivatives of sulfacetamide and ortho‐(sulfonamido)phenylamines: characterization of N‐[o‐(N′,N′‐dimethylsulfonamido)phenyl]‐N‐dimesitylgermaimine

Triethylgermylation of sulfacetamide occurs on the sulfonamido nitrogen in competition with the 1,2 addition of the starting triethylgermyl dimethylamine on the carbonyl group. Thermal decomposition in the presence of dimethylamine yields N‐triethylgermylsulfanilamide. Stable 1:1 sulfacetamide–DBU and 1:1 sulfacetamide–Et₃N complexes were isolated and fully characterized in the course of dehydrochlorination reactions. o‐Sulfonamidophenylamine yields N,N′‐bis‐triethylgermylated derivatives, whereas o‐(N,N‐dimethylsulfonamido)phenylamine leads to monogermylated compounds. The N‐dimethylaminodimesitylgermyl derivative is thermally stable. Dehydrohalogenation of the N‐dimesitylfluorogermyl compound leads to the thermally stable but water sensitive N‐[o‐(N′,N′‐dimethylsulfonamido)phenyl]‐N‐dimesitylgermaimine. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of graft copolymer by ATRP of MMA from poly(phenylacetylene)

The present report describes the synthesis of a densely grafted copolymer consisting of a rigid main chain and flexible side chains by the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate (MMA) from an ATRP initiator‐bearing poly(phenylacetylene) [poly(BrPA)]. Poly(BrPA) was obtained by the polymerization of 4‐ethynylbenzyl‐2‐bromoisobutyrate using [Rh(NBD)Cl]₂ in the presence of Et₃N. The ¹H NMR spectrum showed that poly(BrPA) was in the cis‐transoid form. Upon heating at 30 °C for 24 h the cis‐transoid form was maintained. ATRP of MMA from the poly(BrPA) was carried out at 30 °C using CuX (X = Br, Cl) as the catalyst and N,N,N′,N′,N′‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine as the ligand, and the resulting graft copolymers were investigated with ¹H NMR and SEC. To analyze the graft structure in more detail, the graft copolymers were hydrolyzed with KOH and the resultant poly(MMA) part was investigated with ¹H NMR and SEC. The polydispersity indexes of 1.25–1.45 indicated that the graft copolymers have well‐controlled side chains. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6697–6707, 2006     

Asymmetric anionic polymerization of N‐1‐naphthylmaleimide with chiral ligand‐organometal complexes in toluene

Asymmetric anionic homopolymerizations of N‐1‐naphthylmaleimide (1‐NMI) were performed with chiral ligand/organometal complexes to form optically active polymers. Poly(1‐NMI)s obtained with methylene‐bridged bisoxazoline derivatives (Rbox)‐diethylzinc (Et₂Zn) complexes showed high specific optical rotations ([α]) from +152.3 to +191.4°. Circular dichroism spectra of the polymers exhibited a split Cotton effect in the UV absorption‐band region. According to the exciton chirality method, the absolute configuration of the polymer main chain was determined according to the following method: (+)‐poly[N‐substituted maleimides (RMI)] main chains can contain more (S,S)‐ than (R,R)‐configurations. (?)‐Poly(RMI) main chains can contain more (R,R)‐ than (S,S)‐configurations. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3556–3565, 2001     

Optoeletronic properties of poly(N‐alkenyl‐carbazole)s driven by polymer stereoregularity

Stereoregular polymers like isotactic poly(N‐butenyl‐carbazole) (i‐PBK), isotactic and syndiotactic poly(N‐pentenyl‐carbazole) (i‐PPK and s‐PPK), and poly(N‐hexenyl‐carbazole) (i‐PHK and s‐PHK) are synthesized using the stereospecific homogeneous “single site” Ziegler‐Natta (Z‐N) catalysts: rac‐dimethylsilylbis(1‐indenyl)zirconium dichloride ( 1 )/methylaluminoxane (MAO) and diphenylmethylidene(cyclopentadienyl)‐(9‐fluorenyl)zirconium dichloride ( 2 )/MAO. Catalytic activity is rationalized by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. All synthesized polymers are fully characterized by NMR, thermal, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Fluorescence measurements on isotactic and syndiotactic polymer films indicate that all polymers give rise to excimers, both “sandwich‐like” and “partially overlapping.” Excimer formation is essentially driven by the polymer tacticity. Isotactic polymers generate both sandwich‐like and partially overlapping excimers, while syndiotactic polymers give rise especially to partially overlapping ones. A theoretical combined molecular dynamics–time dependent DFT approach is also used to support the experimental results. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 242–251     

Synthesis and chiral recognition ability of optically active poly{N‐[(R)‐α‐methoxycarbonylbenzyl]methacrylamide} with various tacticities by radical polymerization using Lewis acids

The radical polymerization of an optically active methacrylamide, N‐[(R)‐α‐methoxycarbonylbenzyl]methacrylamide, was carried out in the absence and presence of Lewis acids such as yittribium trifluoromethanesulfonate [Yb(OTf)₃] and scandium trifluoromethanesulfonate [Sc(OTf)₃]. Catalytic amounts of the Lewis acids significantly affected the stereoregularity of the obtained polymers. The polymerization with Yb(OTf)₃ in tetrahydrofuran afforded isotactic polymers (up to mm = 87%), whereas the conventional radical method without the Lewis acid produced polymers rich in syndiotacticity (up to rr = 88%). The radical polymerization in the presence of MgBr₂ proceeded in a heterotactic‐selective manner (mr = 63%). Thus, the isotactic, syndiotactic, and heterotactic poly(methacrylamide)s were synthesized by the radical processes. The chiral recognition abilities of the obtained optically active poly(methacrylamide)s were affected by the stereoregularity. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3354–3360, 2003     

Synthesis of well‐defined naphthalene and photo‐labile group‐labeled polystyrene via ATRP

The atom transfer radical polymerizations of styrene were successfully carried out in bulk and solution, respectively, at 115 °C, with a novel photoiniferter reagent, (1‐naphthyl)methyl N,N‐diethyldithiocarbamate (NMDC), as an initiator in the presence of copper (I) bromide and N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine. The results showed that NMDC was an effective initiator with high initiation efficiency for ATRP of St. The polymerization rate was first‐order with respect to the monomer concentration and the molecular weights of the obtained polystyrene (PS) increased linearly with the monomer conversion, with very narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n = 1.07–1.29). The functionalized naphthalene‐labeled PS bearing N,N‐(diethylamino)dithiocarbamoyl group which was confirmed by ¹H NMR analysis, and chain extension of the PS exhibited fluorescence and ultraviolet absorption in chloroform (CHCl₃). © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 510–518, 2006     

Simultaneous control of the stereospecificity and molecular weight in the ruthenium‐catalyzed living radical polymerization of methyl and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylates and sequential synthesis of stereoblock polymers

The stereospecific living radical polymerizations of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) were achieved with a combination of ruthenium‐catalyzed living radical and solvent‐mediated stereospecific radical polymerizations. Among a series of ruthenium complexes [RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃, Ru(Ind)Cl(PPh₃)₂, and RuCp*Cl(PPh₃)₂], Cp*–ruthenium afforded poly(methyl methacrylate) with highly controlled molecular weights [weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight (M_w/M_n) = 1.08] and high syndiotacticity (r = 88%) in a fluoroalcohol such as (CF₃)₂C(Ph)OH at 0 °C. On the other hand, a hydroxy‐functionalized monomer, HEMA, was polymerized with RuCp*Cl(PPh₃)₂ in N,N‐dimethylformamide and N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMA) to give syndiotactic polymers (r = 87–88%) with controlled molecular weights (M_w/M_n = 1.12–1.16). This was the first example of the syndiospecific living radical polymerization of HEMA. A fluoroalcohol [(CF₃)₂C(Ph)OH], which induced the syndiospecific radical polymerization of MMA, reduced the syndiospecificity in the HEMA polymerization to result in more or less atactic polymers (mm/mr/rr = 7.2/40.9/51.9%) with controlled molecular weights in the presence of RuCp*Cl(PPh₃)₂ at 80 °C. A successive living radical polymerization of HEMA in two solvents, first DMA followed by (CF₃)₂C(Ph)OH, resulted in stereoblock poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) with syndiotactic–atactic segments. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3609–3615, 2006     

RAFT synthesis of amphiphilic (A‐ran‐B)‐b‐C diblock copolymers with tunable pH‐sensitivity

RAFT homopolymerization of 2‐(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DPA) and 2‐(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DEA) and their random copolymerization were investigated. The random copolymers of DPA‐ran‐DEA were synthesized and used as macro‐CTA to prepare poly(DPA‐ran‐DEA)‐b‐poly(N‐(2‐hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide) amphiphilic block copolymers. The ¹H NMR and GPC measurements confirmed the successful synthesis of these copolymers. The potentiometric titration results showed that the pK_b values of these copolymers were in the range of 6.7 ～ 7.7 and linearly varied with the DPA/DEA composition, regardless of the block length of HPMA. The pH‐induced micellization in PBS solution was verified by fluorescence spectroscopy. The dynamic light scattering evaluation showed that the hydrodynamic diameters of these micelles are between 37 ～ 43 nm © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 3740–3748, 2008     

Molecular weight control of polyethylene waxes using a constrained imino‐cyclopenta[b]pyridyl‐nickel catalyst

Five examples of nickel(II) bromide complexes bearing N,N‐imino‐cyclopenta[b ]pyridines, [7‐(ArN)‐6,6‐Me₂C₈H₅N]NiBr₂ (Ar = 2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃ ( Ni1 ), 2,6‐Et₂C₆H₃ ( Ni2 ), 2,6‐i‐ Pr₂C₆H₃ ( Ni3 ), 2,4,6‐Me₃C₆H₂ ( Ni4 ), 2,6‐Et₂‐4‐MeC₆H₂ ( Ni5 )), have been prepared by the reaction of the corresponding ligand, L1 – L5 , with NiBr₂(DME) (DME = 1,2‐dimethoxyethane). On crystallization from bench dichloromethane, Ni1 underwent adventitious reaction with water to give the aqua salt, [ L1 NiBr(OH₂)₃][Br] ( Ni1' ). The molecular structures of Ni1' and Ni3 have been structurally characterized, the latter revealing a bromide‐bridged dimer. On activation with either MMAO or Et₂AlCl, Ni1 , Ni2 , Ni4, and Ni5 , all exhibited high activities for ethylene polymerization (up to 3.88 × 10⁶ g(PE) mol^?1(Ni) h^?1); the most sterically bulky Ni3 gave only low activity. Polyethylene waxes are a feature of the materials obtained which typically display low molecular weights (M _ws), narrow M _w distributions and unsaturated vinyl and vinylene functionalities. Notably, the catalyst comprising Ni1 /Et₂AlCl produced polyethylene with the lowest M _w, 0.67 kg mol^?1, which is less than any previously reported data for any class of cycloalkyl‐fused pyridine–nickel catalyst. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55 , 3494–3505     

Poly(propylene glycol)‐based ammonium ionenes as segmented ion‐containing block copolymers

The synthesis and characterization of series of segmented poly(propylene glycol) (PPG)‐based ammonium ionenes is described. Bromine end‐capped oligomers were successfully synthesized using the reaction of 6‐bromohexanoyl chloride with 1000, 2000, and 4000 g/mol PPGs. ¹H NMR spectroscopy, titration studies, and matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization‐time of flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry revealed the difunctionality of the oligomers. First, a series of PPG‐based ammonium ionenes was synthesized from bromine end‐capped PPG oligomers and N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethyl‐1,6‐hexanediamine. For this series, a single glass transition temperature (T_g) of approximately ?66 °C was observed through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC); dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed the onset of flow ranged from 20 to 80 °C. In addition, a series of PPG‐based ammonium ionenes containing 1,12‐dibromododecane was synthesized to increase the aliphatic hard segment (HS) content and enhance the mechanical properties of the resulting materials. For these, two T_g's were observed using DMA; DMA also showed the onset of flow of ionenes containing higher HS content (33 wt %) occurred in the range of 100–140 °C. Tensile analysis for these ionenes demonstrated an average tensile strength at break ranging from 0.2 to 2.4 MPa. Small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) profiles for these ionenes showed that Bragg distances increase linearly with the molecular weight of PPG soft segment. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 4159–4167, 2010