Synthesis and properties of fluorine‐containing polyethers with pendant hydroxyl groups by the polyaddition of bis(epoxide)s with diols

Fluorine‐containing polyethers with pendant hydroxyl groups were synthesized by the polyaddition of fluorine‐containing bis(epoxide)s with certain fluorine‐containing diols with quaternary onium salts as catalysts. When the polyaddition was performed with 2,2′,6,6′‐tetrafluoro‐4,4′‐biphenol diglycidiyl ether and 2,2′,6,6′‐tetrafluoro‐4,4′‐biphenol, the corresponding polyether with pendant hydroxyl groups was successfully obtained in good yield. The polyaddition of certain fluorine‐containing bis(epoxide)s with diols also proceeded in bulk to provide the corresponding fluorine‐containing polyethers with high molecular weights. These polyethers were highly transparent at 157 nm for 0.1 μm thickness, with their transmittance of 14–75% at 157 nm. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2543–2550, 2004     

Novel substituted epoxide initiators for the carbocationic polymerization of isobutylene

This article presents the first detailed account of the discovery that substituted epoxides can initiate the carbocationic polymerization of isobutylene. α‐Methylstyrene epoxide (MSE), 2,4,4‐trimethyl‐pentyl‐epoxide‐1,2 (TMPO‐1), 2,4,4‐trimethyl‐pentyl‐epoxide‐2,3 (TMPO‐2), and hexaepoxi squalene (HES) initiated isobutylene polymerization in conjunction with TiCl₄. MSE, TMPO‐2, and HES initiated living polymerizations. A competitive reaction mechanism is proposed for the initiation and propagation. According to the proposed mechanism, initiator efficiency is defined by the competition between the S_N1 and S_N2 reaction paths. A controlled initiation with external epoxides such as MSE should yield a primary hydroxyl head group and a tert‐chloride end‐group. The presence of tert‐chloride end‐groups was verified by NMR spectroscopy, whereas the presence of primary hydroxyl groups was implied by model experiments. Multiple initiation by HES was verified by diphenyl ethylene end‐capping and NMR analysis; the resulting star polymer had an average of 5.2 arms per molecule. A detailed investigation of the reaction mechanism and the characterization of the polymers are in progress. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 444–452, 2000     

Tunable block copolymers based on a polysiloxane backbone by anionic ring‐opening polymerization

Block copolymers with tunable functional groups were obtained through the postfunctionalization of poly(dimethylsiloxane)‐b‐poly(methylvinylsiloxane) diblock copolymers prepared by the anionic ring‐opening polymerization of cyclotrisiloxanes. As the source of the vinyl‐containing segment, 1,3,5‐trimethyl‐1,3,5‐trivinylcyclotrisiloxane was used. The obtained polymers showed high block purity and a narrow molecular weight distribution. The postmodification was carried out with a two‐step procedure: in the first step, epoxide groups were introduced into the diblock copolymer, and in the second step, the ring opening of the latter functionalities was carried out. A variety of different nucleophiles were used for the ring‐opening reaction, and the influence of selected reaction parameters, such as the dilution and the use of monofunctional and difunctional nucleophiles, on the resulting polymers were investigated. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3975–3985, 2004     

Cationic copolymerization behavior of cyclic ether monomers with norbornene‐containing cyclic carbonate or spiro–orthoether structure

Cationic ring‐opening copolymerizations of various cyclic ether compounds with volume expanding monomers bearing norbornene backbones [norbornene‐spiro orthocarbonate (N‐SOC) and norbornene‐cyclic carbonate (N‐CC)] were carried out in the presence of a thermally latent initiator 1 . The 10% weight loss decomposition temperatures (T_d10) and the volume changes on the copolymerizations were measured for these resultant products. In the comparison between copolymerizations of bifunctional epoxide 2 with N‐SOC and with N‐CC, it was found that N‐CC served as a more useful volume controllable comonomer than N‐SOC. The copolymerizations with N‐CC yielded the products with a decrease in the volume change (volume shrinkage) and with an increase in the monomer feed ratio of N‐CC; T_d10 was relatively similar to the homopolymer of epoxide 2 and was observed except when the proportion of N‐CC was more than 20% in the monomer feed ratio of N‐CC. In contrast, similar copolymerizations with N‐SOC did not exhibit such tendencies, probably because of the low efficiency of the copolymerization derived from the low miscibility of N‐SOC for the epoxide. The other copolymerization systems of other bi‐ and monocyclic ether compounds ( 3 – 6 and phenyl glycidyl ether) with N‐CC also indicated an almost similar tendency toward that of the copolymerization with epoxide 2 . © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5113–5120, 2004     

Facile synthesis and crosslinking reaction of trifunctional five‐membered cyclic carbonate and dithiocarbonate

The trifunctional five‐membered cyclic carbonate 2 and dithiocarbonate 3 were successfully synthesized by the reaction of trifunctional epoxide 1 with carbon dioxide and carbon disulfide, respectively. The crosslinking reactions of 2 with p‐xylylenediamine or hexamethylenediamine were carried out in dimethyl sulfoxide at 100 °C for 48 h to produce the corresponding crosslinked poly(hydroxyurethane)s quantitatively. The crosslinking reactions of 3 with both p‐xylylenediamine and hexamethylenediamine, followed by acetylation of thiol moiety, produced the corresponding crosslinked poly(thioester–thiourethane)s quantitatively. The obtained crosslinked poly(hydroxyurethane)s were thermally more stable than the analogous crosslinked poly(thioester–thiourethane)s, probably because of less thermal stability of thiourethane moiety than hydroxyurethane moiety. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5983–5989, 2004     

Liquid‐crystalline thermosets from liquid‐crystalline epoxy resins containing bisazomethinebiphenylene mesogens in the central core: Copolymerization with a nonmesomorphic epoxy resin

A new series of liquid‐crystalline epoxy resins was synthesized, and their mesomorphic behavior was investigated with differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, and wide‐angle X‐ray scattering. These glycidylic compounds had central aromatic imine mesogens derived from benzidine and aliphatic spacers of up to 10 methylene units that linked the mesogens to the glycidylic groups. Crosslinking these monomers with primary aromatic diamines led to nematic networks, some of which contained crystal inclusions. However, through curing with tertiary amines as catalytic agents or through copolymerization with different proportions of the nonmesomorphic epoxy monomer and primary amines as crosslinking agents, smectic C organized thermosets were prepared when the spacers had at least four methylene carbons. When they had fewer than four, the networks were nematic. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3631–3643, 2004     

A new water‐soluble branched poly(ethylene imine) derivative having hydrolyzable imidazolidine moieties and its application to long‐lasting release of aldehyde

A new water‐soluble poly(ethylene imine)‐derivative having imidazolidine moieties was developed. With using branched poly(ethylene imine) (BPEI) as a precursor, it was modified by Michael addition reaction of its primary amino group to an acrylate having poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain. The modified BPEI was reacted with octanal to give the corresponding BPEI derivative having octanal‐derived imidazolidine moieties. The obtained polymer inherited the high hydrophilicity of the attached PEG chains to allow hydrolysis of the imidazolidine moieties under homogeneous conditions in aqueous media, leading to long‐lasting release of octanal. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Reaction control in radical polymerization of di‐n‐butyl itaconate utilizing a hydrogen‐bonding interaction

We have reported that intramolecular chain‐transfer reaction takes place in radical polymerization of itaconates at high temperatures and/or at low monomer concentrations. In this article, radical polymerizations of di‐n‐butyl itaconate (DBI) were carried out in toluene at 60 °C in the presence of amide compounds. The ¹³C‐NMR spectra of the obtained poly(DBI)s indicated that the intramolecular chain‐transfer reaction was suppressed as compared with in the absence of amide compounds. The NMR analysis of DBI and N‐ethylacetamide demonstrated both 1:1 complex and 1:2 complex were formed at 60 °C through a hydrogen‐bonding interaction. The ESR analysis of radical polymerization of diisopropyl itaconate (DiPI) was conducted in addition to the NMR analysis of the obtained poly(DiPI). It was suggested that the suppression of the intramolecular chain‐transfer reaction with the hydrogen‐bonding interaction was achieved by controlling the conformation of the side chain at the penultimate monomeric unit of the propagating radical with an isotactic stereosequence. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4895–4905, 2004     

Acceleration effect of five‐membered cyclic dithiocarbonate on an epoxy–amine curing system

A bifunctional cyclic five‐membered dithiocarbonate (DTC), having a bisphenol A structure, was found to be an effective accelerator for a epoxy–amine curing system comprised of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and amine‐terminated polypropylene glycol. The acceleration effect was evaluated by monitoring the time‐dependence of the storage modulus of the reaction mixture with a dynamic mechanical analyzer. The reactions involved in the curing system were investigated in detail by performing a series of model reactions using the corresponding monofunctional monomers. This investigation revealed that (1) DTC reacted with amine rapidly, (2) the reaction afforded the corresponding adduct having a thiourethane and thiol moieties, and (3) the thiol reacted rapidly with epoxide. The thiourethane moiety incorporated into the resulting adduct effectively catalyzed the reaction of epoxide and amine, and this catalysis was the predominant mechanism for the acceleration effect arisen by the addition of DTC. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4606–4611, 2007     

Photocrosslinking system using multifunctional epoxy crosslinkers having thermally degradable properties

A novel thermally degradable photocrosslinking system was investigated. Difunctional and trifunctional epoxides with tertiary ester linkages were synthesized. When blended films of epoxides and poly(vinyl phenol) or epoxides and poly(methacrylic acid‐co‐ethyl methacrylate) with a photoacid generator were irradiated and then baked at relatively low temperatures (<100 °C), the films became insoluble in solvents. The heating conditions strongly affected the insoluble fractions of the blends. The insoluble fractions of the blended films containing the trifunctional epoxide were higher than the fractions of the films containing the difunctional epoxide. The crosslinked films became soluble after baking at relatively high temperatures (>120 °C). The reaction pathway of the blended system was studied with in situ Fourier transform infrared measurements. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3685–3696, 2004     

Synthesis of new thermosetting poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide)s containing epoxide pendant groups

A new class of thermosetting poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide)s containing pendant epoxide groups were synthesized and characterized. These new epoxy polymers were prepared through the bromination of poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) in halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons followed by a Wittig reaction to yield vinyl‐substituted polymer derivatives. The treatment of the vinyl‐substituted polymers with m‐chloroperbenzoic acid led to the formation of epoxidized poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) with variable pendant ratios, and the structures and properties were studied with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and gel permeation chromatography. The ratios of pendant functional groups were tailored for the polymer properties, and the results showed that the glass‐transition temperatures increased as the benzylic protons were replaced by bromo‐, vinyl‐, or epoxide‐functional groups, whereas the thermal stability decreased in comparison with the original polymer. Within a molar fraction of 20–50%, the degree of functionalization had little effect on the glass‐transition temperature; however, it correlated inversely with the thermal stability of each functionalized polymer. The thermal curing behavior of the epoxide‐functionalized polymer was enhanced by the increment of the pendant functionality, which resulted in a significant increase in the glass‐transition temperature as well as the thermal stability after the curing reaction. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5875–5886, 2006     

Novel route for synthesizing hyperbranched polyamine

A novel route for the synthesis of hyperbranched polyamine containing imidazolidine rings was developed, proceeding by the step‐growth polymerization of acrolein with ethylene diamine. The reaction kinetics and polymerization mechanism were studied with NMR and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. The influence of the reaction temperature and the concentration and feed ratio of the reactants on the structural characteristics of the obtained products was investigated. To obtain stable hyperbranched polyamines as analogues of hyperbranched poly(ethylene imine) or dendrimeric poly(propylene imine), sodium borohydride was used to reduce the synthesized hyperbranched polyamines to open the imidazolidine rings. The molecular weights, degrees of branching, and glass‐transition temperatures of the hyperbranched polyamines before and after reduction were compared. The polymerization behaviors of acrolein with other amines such as ethanol amine, propylene diamine, and 1,6‐hexane diamine were also investigated. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 699–708, 2007     

A novel polyaddition of bis(epoxide)s with triazine diaryl ether for the synthesis of poly(ether)s containing triazine group in the main chain

Poly(ether)s (P‐1–P‐4) containing triazine groups in the main chain and pendant phenoxy groups in the side chain were synthesized by the polyaddition of bis(epoxide)s with 2,4‐di‐(p‐chlorophenoxy)‐6‐(diphenylamino)‐s‐triazine (DCTA) with quaternary onium salts or crown ether complexes as catalysts. The polyaddition of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A with DCTA proceeded smoothly in chlorobenzene at 120 °C for 24 h to give P‐1 with a number‐average molecular weight of 24,800 in a 95% yield when tetraphenylphosphonium chloride (TPPC) was used as a catalyst; however, no reaction occurred without a catalyst under the same reaction conditions. Polyadditions of other bis(epoxide)s with DCTA also proceeded smoothly with 5 mol % TPPC as a catalyst in chlorobenzene to produce the corresponding polymers (P‐2–P‐4) in high yields under similar reaction conditions. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3604–3611, 2000     

Synthesis of phosphorus‐containing vinyl ether monomers and oligomers and their photoinitiated polymerization

Divinyl ether monomers containing phosphorous residues were synthesized by the addition reaction of glycidyl vinyl ether (GVE) with various phosphonic dichlorides or dichlorophosphates with quaternary onium salts as catalysts. The reaction of GVE with phenylphosphonic dichloride gave bis[1‐(chloromethyl)‐2‐(vinyloxy)ethyl]phenylphosphonate ( 1a ) in a 77% yield. The polycondensation of 1a with terephthalic acid was also carried out with 1,8‐diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undecene‐7 (DBU) as a condensing agent to afford the corresponding phosphorus‐containing polyester. A multifunctional monomer containing both vinyl ether groups and methacrylate groups was prepared by the reaction of 1a with methacrylic acid with DBU. The photoinitiated cationic polymerization of these vinyl ether compounds proceeded rapidly with bis[4‐(diphenylsulfonio)phenyl]sulfide‐bishexafluorophosphate as the cationic photoinitiator without a solvent upon ultraviolet irradiation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2031–2042, 2004     

Reactivity of oxetane monomers in photoinitiated cationic polymerization

Studies of the onium salt photoinitiated cationic ring‐opening polymerizations of various 3,3‐disubstituted oxetane monomers have been conducted with real‐time infrared spectroscopy and optical pyrometry. The polymerizations of these monomers are typified by an extended induction period that has been attributed to the presence of a long‐lived tertiary oxonium ion intermediate formed by the reaction of the initially formed secondary oxonium ion with the cyclic ether monomer. Because the extended induction period in the photopolymerization of these monomers renders oxetane monomers of limited value for many applications, methods have been sought for its minimization or elimination. Three general methods have been found effective in markedly shortening the induction period: (1) carrying out the photopolymerizations at higher temperatures, (2) copolymerizing with more reactive epoxide monomers, and (3) using free‐radical photoinitiators as synergists. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3205–3220, 2005     

Novel synthesis of polyethers by the polyaddition of bis(epoxide)s with bis(phosphinate)s

The polyaddition of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether with bis[4‐(P,P‐diphenylphosphinyloxy)phenyl] sulfone catalyzed by quaternary onium salt, such as tetrabutylammonium chloride afforded a new phosphorus‐containing polyether with good solubility in common organic solvents. Having studied various factors affecting the reaction, such as temperature, catalyst concentration, reaction time, etc., an appropriate polyaddition condition was suggested as using 5 mol % of suitable quaternary ammonium or phosphonium salt in polar solvent at 150°C within 25 h in an ampule for producing high molecular weight polymer. A number of polyethers bearing pendent phosphinate ester groups from the polyaddition of certain bis(epoxide)s and bis(phosphinate)s were synthesized under the above condition and characterized by GPC, IR, and NMR. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1009–1016, 1999     

Synthesis of 1‐methoxypoly(oxyethylene)benzocyclobutene and its diels–alder reactions

A new poly(ethylene glycol) derivative, 1‐methoxypoly(oxyethylene)benzocyclobutene ( 1 ) was prepared from the reaction of 1‐benzocyclobutenyl 1‐hydroxyethyl ether with mesylate of methoxypoly(oxyethylene) in tetrahydrofuran. The degree of end‐group conversion, as determined by NMR, was 100%. The Diels–Alder reactions of 1 with maleic anhydride and N‐phenylmaleimide were carried out in refluxing toluene to obtain the corresponding adducts ( 2 and 3 , respectively) in excellent yields. NMR analyses of 2 and 3 indicated complete conversion of 1 to the corresponding products. The reaction of 2 with o‐toluidine resulted in complete conversion of the anhydride adduct to the corresponding products. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 1934–1938, 2004     

High‐quality poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(2′‐ethylhexyloxy)‐p‐phenylenevinylene] synthesized by a solid–liquid two‐phase reaction: Characterizations and electroluminescence properties

Poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(2′‐ethylhexyloxy)‐p‐phenylenevinylene] (MEH‐PPV) with a molar mass of 26–47 × 10⁴ g mol^?1 and a polydispersity of 2.5–3.2 was synthesized by a liquid–solid two‐phase reaction. The liquid phase was tetrahydrofuran (THF) containing 1,4‐bis(chloromethyl)‐2‐methoxy‐5‐(2′‐ethylhexyloxy)benzene as the monomer and a certain amount of tetrabutylammonium bromide as a phase‐transfer catalyst. The solid phase consisted of potassium hydroxide particles with diameters smaller than 0.5 mm. The reaction was carried out at a low temperature of 0 °C and under nitrogen protection. No gelation was observed during the polymerization process, and the polymer was soluble in the usual organic solvents, such as chloroform, toluene, THF, and xylene. A polymer light‐emitting diode was fabricated with MEH‐PPV as an active luminescent layer. The device had an indium tin oxide/poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxylthiophene) (PEDOT)/MEH‐PPV/Ba/Al configuration. It showed a turn‐on voltage of 3.3 V, a luminescence intensity at 6.1 V of 550 cd/m², a luminescence efficiency of 0.43 cd/A, and a quantum efficiency of 0.57%. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3049–3054, 2004     

A new visible light sensitive photoinitiator system for the cationic polymerization of epoxides

This communication reports the development of an efficient three‐component visible light sensitive photoinitiator system for the cationic ring‐opening photopolymerization of epoxide monomers and epoxide functional oligomers. The photoinitiator system consists of camphorquinone in combination with a benzyl alcohol to generate free radicals by the absorption of visible light. Subsequently, the radicals participate in the free radical chain induced decomposition of a diaryliodonium salt. The resulting strong Brønsted acid derived from this process catalyzes the cationic ring‐opening polymerization of a variety of epoxide substrates. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 866–875, 2009     

The kinetics of the epoxy amine cure reaction from a solvation perspective

This article investigates the role of solvation effects in the autocatalysis reaction of the epoxy–amine cure reaction. A single‐phase three component model was developed encompassing a two‐component reaction mix and a single polymeric product. The reaction was modelled as an S_N2 reaction. Association of the nucleophile with each component in the reaction was defined via a binding constant. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3579–3586, 2004