Synthesis of substituted polymethylenes by radical polymerization of alkyl N,N-dialkylfumaramates and maleamates: Relative reactivity of the isomers

Bulk polymerization of alkyl N,N-dialkylfumaramates (FAE) and maleamates (MAE) was performed in the presence of a radical initiator. It has been found that FAE is more reactive than MAE when the reactivity of the two geometrical isomers was compared for their homo- and copolymerizations. From investigation on the effect of ester and N-substituents of these monomers, it has been found that the isopropyl ester shows a higher reactivity than the methyl ester and that N-ethyl and n-butyl substitution gives polymers with high molecular weight of more than several thousands. The resulting substituted polymethylenes from FAE and MAE were characterized and compared with each other. The isomerization of MAE to FAE with morpholine as an isomerization catalyst and monomer-isomerization radical polymerization were also investigated.     

Synthesis and radical polymerization of 2-vinyldibenzothiophene

A monomer having dibenzothiophene moiety, 2-vinyldibenzothiophene (1), was prepared by the Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of vinyl bromide with the Grignard reagent of 2-bromodibenzothiophene. The radical homopolymerization of 1 and the copolymerization with styrene were carried out at 60°C in toluene (1.0M) for 20 h using AIBN (5 mol %) as an initiator to obtain the corresponding polymers in high yields. Thermal analyses of the copolymers showed that both 10% weight loss and glass transition temperatures increase when increasing the content of 1 unit. The monomer reactivity ratio was evaluated as r₁ = 2.55 (1) and r₂ = 0.16 (styrene). © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 2813–2819, 1997     

N,N,N′,N′,N″‐penta(methyl acrylate)diethylenetriamine: A novel ligand for atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate

A novel ligand, N,N,N′,N′,N″‐penta (methyl acrylate) diethylenetriamine (MA₅‐DETA), was synthesized by the reaction of diethylenetriamine with methyl acrylate in almost quantitive yield. The polymerizations of methyl methacrylate with MA₅‐DETA as the ligand and α,α‐dichlorotoluene (DCT) and ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate (2‐EBiB) as the initiators, respectively, under different conditions were examined. The polymerization with CuCl/MA₅‐DETA/DCT was closely controlled in bulk and gave polymers with quite narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n's) of 1.16–1.29. The polymerization with the system CuBr/MA₅‐DETA/EBiB in bulk gave high activity. However, the system was not well controlled and gave the polymers with M_w/M_n = 1.35–1.53. The solution polymerization in anisole with CuBr/MA₅‐DETA/EBiB showed a better‐controlled nature. Moreover, the addition of CuBr₂ into the aforementioned system can further improve its controllability. The M_w/M_n's of the resulting polymers ranged from 1.11 to 1.21. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 1963–1969, 2004     

Synthesis of bio‐based poly(N‐phenylitaconimide) by atom transfer radical polymerization

Poly(N‐phenylitaconimide) (polyPhII) was prepared using initiators for continuous activator regeneration atom transfer radical polymerization of PhII using FeBr₃ complexes as catalysts. Conversion reached 69% in 24 h, yielding polyPhII with a number average molecular weight M_n = 11,900 and a molecular weight distribution M_w/M_n = 1.52. Copolymerizations of PhII with styrene at various molar ratios were performed providing a range of polyPhII‐copolySt polymers. When the copolymerization was carried out with higher [St]₀ > [PhII]₀ ratio, a one‐pot synthesis of poly(St‐alt‐PhII)‐b‐polySt was achieved. The thermal properties of the obtained copolymers were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. PolyPhII prepared by ATRP showed high glass transition temperature (T_g) of 216 °C and the poly(St‐alt‐PhII)‐b‐polySt exhibited two T_gs, at 162 and 104 °C, corresponding to a poly(St‐alt‐PhII) and polySt segments, respectively. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 822–827     

Synthesis and characterization of thiophene‐substituted N‐phenyl maleimide polymers by photoinduced radical polymerization

Two types of novel functionalized N‐[4‐(4′‐hydroxyphenyloxycarbonyl)phenyl]maleimide and N‐(4‐{[2‐(3‐thienyl)acetyl]oxyphenyl}oxycarbonylphenyl)maleimide (MIThi) were synthesized starting from 4‐maleimido benzoic acid. Photoinduced radical homopolymerization of MIThi and its copolymerization with styrene were performed at room temperature to give linear polymers containing pendant thienyl moieties using ω,ω‐dimethoxy‐ω‐phenylacetophenone as an initiator. Copolymers' compositions and the equilibrium constant (K) for electron donor–acceptor complex formation suggest an alternating nature of the copolymerization. The monomer reactivity ratios and Alfrey–Price Q,e values were also determined. The thermal behavior of the new synthesized monomers and polymers was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 995–1004, 2002     

Interpretation of reactivity in radical polymerization—Radicals,monomers, and transfer agents: Beyond the Q‐e scheme

50 years ago, Alfrey and Price advanced the Q‐e scheme for the interpretation of radical and monomer reactivity and the prediction of monomer reactivity ratios in radical copolymerization. Despite the early criticism of the scheme by Mayo and Walling, and its obvious fundamental shortcomings, it continues to be essentially the only such scheme in use today. However, the more soundly based Patterns of Reactivity Scheme, originally proposed in 1959, has recently been revised in such a way that it provides, in a simple way, far more accurate predictions of monomer reactivity ratios than does the Q‐e scheme. Moreover, it is equally applicable to the forecasting of chain‐transfer constants and to the understanding of the reactivity of initiator radicals. The history of investigations of radical, monomer, and transfer agent reactivity is reviewed here, including a summary of the Revised Patterns Scheme and its applications. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 113–126, 1999     

Low- and high-conversion studies of the free radical copolymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate with styrene in N,N′-dimethylformamide solution

2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and styrene (S) have been copolymerized in a 3 mol · L⁻¹N,N′-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution using 2,2′azobis (isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) as an initiator over a wide composition and conversion range. From low-conversion experiments and ¹H-NMR analysis, the monomer reactivity ratios were determined according to the Mayo–Lewis terminal model. The comparison of the obtained results with those previously reported for copolymerization in bulk and in toluene reveals a relatively small but noticeable solvent effect that can be qualitatively explained by the bootstrap model. Cumulative copolymer composition as a function of conversion is satisfactorily described by the integrated Mayo–Lewis equation; overall copolymerization rate increases with increasing the HEMA/S ratio, and individual monomer conversion is closely related to the monomer molar fraction in the feed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2941–2948, 1999     

Monomer-isomerization radical polymerization of di-tert-butyl maleate and preparation of poly(fumaric acid) via pyrolysis

Di-tert-butyl maleate (DtBM) did not polymerize with 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) as a radical initiator, but DtBM easily homopolymerized via a monomer-isomerization radical polymerization mechanism to give a high molecular weight polymer when morpholine was added into the polymerization system as an isomerization catalyst. The feature of the monomer-isomerization polymerization of DtBM was investigated in detail. The polymer obtained was confirmed to consist of a poly(tert-butoxycarbonylmethylene) structure similar to that from di-tert-butyl fumarate. Subsequent pyrolysis of the resulting polymer at 180°C is a useful route to synthesis of a high molecular weight poly(fumaric acid). © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Radical polymerization of methyl trans-β-vinylacrylate

Methyl trans-β-vinylacrylate (MVA) undergoes radical polymerization with α,α′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) in bulk and solution. The polymer obtained consists of 85% trans-1,4 and 15% trans-3,4 units. Poly(MVA) (PMVA) is readily soluble in common organic solvents, but insoluble in n-hexane and petroleum ether. PMVA exhibits a glass transition at 60°C, and loses no weight up to 300°C in nitrogen. The kinetics of MVA homopolymerization with AIBN was investigated in benzene. The rate of polymerization (R_p) can be expressed by R_p = k[AIBN]^0.5[MVA]^1.0, and the overall activation energy has been calculated to be 94 kJ/mol. The propagation radical of MVA at 80°C was detected by ESR spectroscopy, which indicated that the unpaired electron of the propagating radical was completely delocalized over the three allyl carbons. Furthermore, the steady-state concentration of the propagating radical of MVA at 60°C was determined by ESR spectroscopy, and the propagation rate constant (k_p) was calculated to be 1.25 X 10² L/mol ·s. Monomer reactivity ratios in copolymerization of MVA (M₂) with styrene (M₁) are r₁ = 0.16 and r₂ = 4.9, from which Q and e values of MVA are calculated as 4.2 and -0.32, respectively. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Radical polymerization of 3-methylene-5,5′-dimethyl-2-pyrrolidinone: A cyclic analog of N-substituted methacrylamide

3-Methylene-5,5′-dimethyl-2-pyrrolidinone (α-MDMP), a cyclic analog of N-substituted methacrylamide, was synthesized and polymerized with α,α′-azobis (isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) in solution. Poly(α-MDMP) is only soluble in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at room temperature. Thermogravimetry of poly(α-MDMP) showed 10% weight loss at 355°C in air and 400°C under nitrogen, respectively. The kinetics of α-MDMP homopolymerization with AIBN was investigated in DMSO. The rate of polymerization (R_p) can be expressed by R_p = k[AIBN]^0.49[α-MDMP]^1.0 and the overall activation energy has been calculated to be 73.2 kJ/mol. Monomer reactivity ratios in copolymerization of α-MDMP (M₂) with methyl methacrylate (M₁) are r₁ = 0.71 and r₂ = 0.71, from which Q and e values of α-MDMP are calculated as 0.75 and -0.43, respectively. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and polymerization of chiral methacrylates bearing a cholesteryl or menthyl group

Chiral methacrylates, that is, cholesteryl (ChMOC) and l‐menthyl (MnMOC) N‐(2‐methacryloyloxyethyl)carbamates, were synthesized from 2‐methacryloyloxyethyl isocyanate and cholesterol and l‐menthol, respectively. Radical polymerizations of ChMOC and MnMOC gave number‐average molecular weights for poly(ChMOC) and poly(MnMOC) of up to 3.74 × 10⁴ and 9.39 × 10⁴, respectively, and the specific rotations ([α]) were −43.1° to −47.7° and −87.6° to −89.0°, respectively. Temperature dependence of the specific optical rotation was observed for poly(ChMOC) but not for poly(MnMOC). The hydrogen bonds based on urethane segments for poly(ChMOC) were stronger than those for poly(MnMOC) according to IR spectra. In addition, the chiroptical properties of poly(ChMOC) were slightly affected by temperature in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid acting as an inhibitor for the formation of hydrogen bonds. Therefore, poly(ChMOC) may have a regular conformation due to hydrogen bonds and interaction between cholesteryl groups. Radical copolymerizations of ChMOC with styrene, methyl methacrylate, N‐cyclohexylmaleimide, and N‐phenylmaleimide were performed with 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile in tetrahydrofuran at 60 °C. Monomer reactivity ratios and Alfrey–Price Q–e were determined. Chiroptical properties of the copolymers were influenced by co‐units. Thermal and X‐ray diffraction analyses were performed for the homopolymers and copolymers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4315–4325, 2000