Kinetic study of poly(ethylene oxide-b-2-methyl-2-oxazoline) diblocs synthesis from poly(ethylene oxide) macroinitiators

The synthesis of poly(ethylene oxide-b-2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (PEO-POXZ) block copolymers was carried out by the polymerization of 2-methyl-2-oxazoline (MeOXZ) from monomethoxy poly(ethylene oxide) macroinitiator. The initiating functions were 4-chloromethylbenzoate or tosylate groups. The functionalization of α-methoxy-ω-hydroxy PEO was optimized by adjustment of the reaction temperature. The duplication side reaction was investigated in the case of tosylate functionalization. The determination of the propagation rate constants of the MeOXZ polymerization showed that the presence of the PEO chains decreased the propagation rate constant in the case of active species under the form of oxazolinium ions, while it increased the propagation rate constant in the case of covalent active species, most probably by partial ionization.     

Polymerization chemistry of the family of cyclic imino ethers

Characteristics of the polymerization mechanisms of the family of cyclic imino ethers are described. The variety of the mechanism of propagation has been systematized on the basis of the nature of propagating species, i.e., cationic or electrophilic covalent (dipole) species. In the polymerizations of 2-alkyl cyclic imino ethers (5- and 6-membered), propagation mechanism via one of these two different species has been established, which is dependent upon the relative nucleophilic reactivities of the monomer and the counter anion derived from initiator. The polymerization of cyclic pseudoureas having a cyclic amine substituent at 2-position proceeds in two different ways. Ionic propagation leads to the single isomerization/ring-opening polymerization involving only the cyclic imino ether ring. On the other hand, covalent propagation gives rise to the double isomerization ring-opening polymerization involving the two rings of cyclic imino ether and cyclic amine. Polymerization of 5-membered cyclic iminocarbonate with a sulfonate initiator proceeds through the isomerization/ring-opening of 2-oxazoline ring. The same monomer was isomerized to the corresponding cyclic urethane when it was treated with benzyl bromide.     

Bis-macromonomers of 2-alkyl-2-oxazolines–synthesis and polymerization

Poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline)s having an acrylate group at both chain ends were synthesized by terminating living bifunctional poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) or poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) with acrylic acid. These macromonomers have been polymerized to the corresponding polyoxazoline networks. Thermal as well as UV-initiated free radical polymerization were applied and the influence of the polymerization conditions and molecular weight of the prepolymer used on the properties of the networks were investigated. Both methods of polymerization produced high fractions of soluble material, probably due to the low concentration of the acrylate end groups.     

Solvent-induced morphological transition in core-cross-linked block copolymer micelles

Microwave-assisted polymerization has been utilized to synthesize amphiphilic poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline-block-2-"soy alkyl"-2-oxazoline) diblock copolymers (PEtOx-PSoyOx). The amphiphilic block copolymers have been used to prepare aqueous spherical micelles consisting of a PEtOx corona and a PSoyOx core, which have been further cross-linked by UV irradiation. The morphology of these cross-linked micelles has been shown to reversibly change from spheres to short rods referred to as rice grains whenever the micelles were transferred from water into acetone, a nonselective solvent for the constituent blocks. This morphological transition has been attributed to the swelling of the slightly cross-linked PSoyOx core.     

The cationic grafting of cellulose with 2-methyl-2-oxazoline

Grafting of cellulosic materials, including bleached kraft pulp, has been achieved by electrophilic polymerization. The process involves two steps, (i) the tosylation of the cellulosic substrate by reaction with tosyl chloride, (ii) polymerization of 2-methyl-2-oxazoline in contact with the esterified cellulose. The grafting efficiency was generally in the range of 20 to 50 %, which was attributed to the occurrence of a transfer reaction specific to the cellulose.     

Block and graft copolymers of 2-oxazolines

The cationic ring-opening polymerization of 2-oxazolines is known to be initiated by alkyl halides, Lewis acids and esters of strong acids. The polymerization proceeds by a living mechanism. Numerous block and graft copolymers have already been described. Recently it was found that chloroformates (R-O-CO-CI) are also useful initiators. The mechanism of the initiation and propagation is discussed. This type of initiators allows the synthesis of different novel two-block and three-block copolymers, star-shape polymers, and a graft copolymer with a polyvinylacetate backbone.     

New synthesis of secondary carboxamide by using 2-methyl-2-oxazoline as a building block

New method for the synthesis of secondary carboxamides of type, R²NHCOR¹, which utilizes 2-methyl-2-oxazoline as a carboxamide building block and various halides, R²X, has been developed.     

First aldehyde-functionalized poly(2-oxazoline)s for chemoselective ligation

A protected aldehyde-functionalized 2-oxazoline, 2-[3-(1,3)-dioxolan-2-ylpropyl]-2-oxazoline (DPOx), was synthesized from commercially available compounds in high yields. The polymerization of DPOx with different initiators proceeds via a living ionic mechanism; thus, the polymers were of low polydispersity and the degree of polymerization could be precisely adjusted. Copolymerization with 2-methyl-2-oxazoline gave water-soluble statistical copolymers. Hydrolysis of the homo- and copolymers resulted in well-defined, aldehyde-bearing poly(2-oxazoline)s. The aldehyde side functions reacted quantitatively with an amino-oxy compound to form the corresponding oxime.     

Trimethylsilyl triflate as an initiator for cationic polymerization: Improved initiation through the use of promoters

Trimethylsilyl triflate (TMSOTf) can be used as an initiator for the cationic polymerization of alkenes and heterocycles. However, TMSOTf without additives and promoters acts inefficiently. Initiation in the cationic polymerization of tetrahydrofuran is slow because of unfavorable charge distribution in the trimethylsilyltetrahydrofuranium cation—a product of the reaction of monomer with TMSOTf. Acetone, 1,3-dioxolane, and 1,2-propylene oxide have been used as promoters to react with TMSOTf to create more reactive initiating species and to improve efficiency of initiation. Of these promoters, 1,2-propylene oxide has been the most successful. When TMSOTf has been used to initiate the polymerization of 2-methyl-2-oxazoline, unfavorable charge distribution in the N-trimethylsilyl-2-methyl-2-oxiranium cation has produced an unreactive imine dimeric cation which extends the time required for polymerization to several weeks. 1,2-Propylene oxide has been utilized to prevent formation of the imine dimeric cation by producing a more reactive initiating species. In the polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether initiated by TMSOTf, 1,2-propylene oxide has been shown to be ineffective as a promoter, but acetone can be used successfully. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Tuning Macromolecular Structures of Synthetic Vectors for Gene Therapy

Summary: The synthesis of triblocks poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline-b-tetrahydrofurane-b-2-methyl-2-oxazoline) has been developed. It was shown that the technique of polymerization of the second block from the living species created on the two chain ends of poly(THF) is successful but makes the control of the size of the poly(THF) block difficult due a fast depolymerization upon the introduction of the second monomer. A purification technique was used to get rid of the possible homopoly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) formed. Various analytical techniques were used to characterize the behavior of the triblock and more particularly in the presence of DNA. Electrophoresis on agarose gels and neutron scattering, demonstrated that the neutral triblock does not appreciably interact with DNA. It was also shown that the triblock for which approximately half (47%) of the methyloxazoline units were transformed into ethylenimine units by hydrolysis gives only loose interactions with DNA. This result is assigned to the fact that charge density plays a major role in the interactions of positive polyelectrolytes with the negatively charged DNA. The triblock was shown being able to interact with bilayer lipid membranes mimicking cell membranes. The efficiency of the hydrolysed triblock was much higher, while the size of holes created in the membranes is not large enough to give passage to DNA.     

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF WATER-SOLUBLE BLOCK COPOLYMERS WITH AN END-TAGGED NAPHTHALENE PROBE

Water-soluble A-B block copolymers of 2-perfluoroethyl-2-oxazoline or 2-pentyl-2-oxazoline as hydrophobic monomers and 2-methyl-2-oxazoline as hydrophilic monomer were prepared by means of the living cationic ring-opening polymerization. The polymerization was initiated with N-methyl-2-(1-naphthyl)-2-oxazolinium trifluoromethanesulfonate as fluorescence label followed by sequential addition of the hydrophobic and the hydrophilic monomer. The polymerization was monitored by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) measurements. The results revealed that fluorophilic block copolymers can be prepared by this method while lipohilic block copolymers are not accessible by this monomer sequence. Micelle formation of the fluorophilic block copolymers in aqueous solution was studied by means of steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy which confirmed strong intermolecular excimer formation of the terminal bounded naphthalene moiety. In chloroform as a good solvent for both blocks, only monomer fluorescence could be observed.     

Characterization of poly(2-oxazoline) homo- and copolymers by liquid chromatography at critical conditions

In this study liquid chromatography at critical conditions for poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)s (PEtOx) has been performed for the first time in order to analyze functional PEtOx homopolymers and block copolymers. Besides the verification of the critical point of adsorption with two series of ester end group functionalized PEtOx homopolymers, to evaluate the effect of both the chain length dependence and the end group polarity, using a cyano column with a solvent combination of 2-propanol and water, also two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) has been applied for a poly(2-oxazoline) block copolymer. The combined characterization techniques provided further information about the polymerization procedure with regard to the formation of side-products by separation of the block copolymer from the corresponding homopolymer impurities. In addition, hyphenation of LCCC with MALDI-TOF MS and ESI-Q-TOF tandem mass spectrometry verified the obtained results.     

Synthesis and characterization of liquid crystalline poly(N-acylethyleneimine)s

The synthesis of three cyclic imino ethers containing mesogenic groups attached to the heterocyclic unit through flexible spacers is described. Cationic ring-opening isomerization polymerization of two of them, i.e., 2-[4-(4-methoxy-4′-biphenyloxy)butyl]-2-oxazoline (MeOBiph-4-Oxz) and 2-[6-(4-methoxy-4′-biphenyloxy)hexyl]-2-oxazoline (MeOBiPh-6-Oxz) provided thermotropic liquid crystalline (LC) poly(N-acylethyleneimine)s, whereas the polymerization of 2-[4-(4-phenylphenoxy)butyl]-2-oxazoline (BiPh-4-Oxz) led to a crystalline polymer.     

Design and Application of Amphiphilic Polymeric Supports for Micellar Catalysis

In this contribution, the synthesis and application of amphiphilic poly(2-oxazoline)s with covalently bound transition metal catalysts for reactions in aqueous media is described. In the first example, bipyridine moieties were introduced via living ring-opening polymerization of functionalized oxazoline monomers and the resulting block copolymers were used as macroligands for ATRP (atom transfer radical polymerization) using Cu(I)Br as active metal species. Furthermore, the fixation of a chiral biphosphane and its use for enantioselective hydrogenation of enamides is presented as well as the fixation of a ruthenium catalyst. The latter one is used for polymerization of diethyl dipropargylmalonate (DEDPM), and represents the first example of an alkyne polymerization using a ruthenium catalyst. In the case of the polymers stable latex particles were obtained     

One-shot block copolymerization

This paper describes a new method of the preparation of block copolymer, in which a mixture of two monomers is subjected to polymerization (simultaneous feeding) by the aid of an initiator. The new method is performed with the polymerization of a family of 2-oxazolines, which proceeds via electrophilic propagating species, cation or covalent bond having electrophilic reactivity. The key to the block copolymer formation with one-shot feeding of monomers is the difference of reactivity of polymerization (nucleophilicity) between the two monomers. First the monomer of higher reactivity is polymerized to completion, and then the monomer of decreased reactivity is polymerized starting from the propagating species of the first polymerization. For the high selectivity of the production of block copolymer, each of two propagations should be of “living mechanism”. Two combinations of monomers, i.e., 2-methyl-2-oxazoline/2-(heptafluoro-n-propyl)-2-oxazoline and 2-phenyl-2-oxazoline/2-(pentafluoroethyl)-2-oxazoline, together with an initiator of methyl tosylate were found to follow the pattern of the new process. Block copolymer of the former monomers' combination was water-soluble, and its aqueous solution showed an excellent value of surface tension.     

Organometallic compounds as reversible spin scavengers and chain growth regulators in free-radical polymerization processes

Approaches for control over polymer chain growth under radical initiation polymerization with the use of organometallic compounds are considered. The effect of metallocomplexes on the kinetic parameters of polymerization, the molecular-mass characteristics of macromolecules, and the structure and composition of the copolymers has been analyzed by the example of specific compounds. It has been shown that, in some cases, transition-metal complexes may be regarded as reversible scavengers of radicals and efficient agents of controlled free-radical polymerization. The main pathways of interaction of propagation radicals with organometallic compounds, including the reversible acceptance of macroradicals by metallocomplexes, have been estimated.     

Multicenter polyester initiators for the synthesis of graft copolymers with oligo(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) side chains

Multicenter alkylene-aromatic polyester initiators for the cationic polymerization of oxazolines are synthesized via the high-temperature polycondensation of 2-[4-(2-Br-ethyl)]phenylsulfonyl hydroquinone with 4,4'- (alkanoyldioxydibenzoyl)dichlorides. The Kuhn segment values, liquid-crystalline properties, and molecularmass characteristics of the macroinitiators are determined. It is shown that the obtained polyesters may be used as initiators for the cationic polymerization of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline. The graft copolymers form aqueous micellar solutions with a narrow particle-size distribution and possess a lower critical solution temperature.     

Poly(2-oxazoline)-Containing Triblock Copolymers: Synthesis and Applications

This review focuses on poly(2-oxazoline) containing triblock copolymers and their applications. A detailed overview of the synthetic techniques is provided. Triblock copolymers solely based on poly(2-oxazoline)s can be synthesized by sequential monomer addition utilizing mono- as well as bifunctional initiators for the cationic ring-opening polymerization of 2-oxazolines. Crossover and coupling techniques enable access to triblock copolymers comprising, e.g., polyesters, poly(dimethylsiloxane)s, or polyacrylates in combination with poly(2-oxazoline) based segments. Besides systematic studies to develop structure property relationships, these polymers have been applied, e.g., in drug delivery, as (functionalized) vesicles, in segmented networks or as nanoreactors.     

Some linear and branched macromolecules by ring-opening polymerization

In the first part the ring-opening polymerization of some macrocyclic ether-acetals is briefly described. Of special interest are acetal polymers with functional groups, for instance C=C-double bonds. Appropriate unsaturated monomers and their polymerizability are discussed. The second part deals with the polymerization of oxazolines, substituted in 2- and/or 4-position. Branched polymers are obtained by copolymerization of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline with 2-hexyl-2-oxazoline or 2-undecyl-2-oxazoline. The properties of the random copolymers and corresponding block copolymers are compared. By a “mixed mechanism technique” a block copolymer composed of a poly(tert -butyl methacrylate) block and a poly(phenyloxazoline) block was prepared. A new initiator system for the polymerization of oxazolines using alkyl chloroformates is introduced. The chloroformate of a trifunctional alcohol led to a three-arm star polymer. Telechelics with two chloroformate endgroups form ABA type block copolymers. Finally four chiral oxazolines are described and the influence of substitution in dioxolanes and oxazolines on the polymerizability is discussed.     

MECHANISM-TRANSFORMATION SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POLY(STYRENE-b-2-ETHYL-2-OXAZOLINE) DIBLOCK COPOLYMER*

By mechanism-transformation (anionic→ cationic) poly(styrene- b-2-ethyl -2-oxazoline) diblockcopolymer, PS-b-PEOx, was synthesized in two steps. The first step is the polymerization of styrene blockcapped with ethylene oxide and its tosylation; the second step is the cationic ring-opening polymerization of2-ethyl-2-oxazoline. The products were thoroughly characterized by various methods, such as ~1H-NMR, IR,DMA, TEM and SAXS. The results show that the copolymer obtained possesses high molecular weight andnarrow molecular weight distribution.