Polymers with indane units by cationic polymerization

In spite of the difunctionality of the monomers, cationic polymerization of 1,3- and 1,4-diisopropenylbenzene does not lead to branched or cross-linked products. Instead, soluble polymers are obtained, containing the 1,1,3-trimethylindane system as repetitive unit along the backbone. These polymers are interesting materials because of their high glass transition temperature (200°C-250°C) and good thermal stability in air (2% weight loss at 450°C). Although the molar mass of the polyindanes seems to be limited due to a side reaction, it is possible to produce telechelic polyindanes. Substitution of an alkyl side chain onto the isopropenyl groups of 1,4-diisopropenylbenzene leads to monomers which yield substituted polyindanes with glass transition temperatures as low as 26°C. Such polymers still exhibit good thermal stability: at 340°C a weight loss of only 2% occurs. 1,4-Diisopropenylbenzene can even be anionically polymerized to linear polymers. In this case, the resulting polymer possesses isopropenyl phenyl side groups, which can be used as initiators for cationic polymerization of isobutene to obtain grafted copolymers.     

Ionic Polymerization of 1,2-Butylene Oxide: NMR Study of the Reaction Products

An NMR study on the reaction products of the ionic polymerization of 1,2-butylene oxide has been carried out. Polymers prepared via a cationic mechanism by using a trityl salt as the initiator are built up of repeat monomer units, and the propagation reaction follows Bernoullian statistics. Polymers prepared via an anionic mechanism with the use of sodium metal as initiator, on the other hand, are not made up of repeat monomer units, and the propagation reaction follows a first-order Markov statistics. In the cationic polymers the mean chemical shifts of the triads and tetrads move upfield on replacing m dyads by r dyads; however, the pentads move downfield on changing m by r. In the anionic polymers the mean chemical shifts for the triads and tetrads of the ethyl group along with the pentads of the methine protons move upfield whereas tetrads associated with the remaining methylenes move downfield on replacing m dyads by r dyads as well as on replacing 0-C6H4CI2 by CCU or DMSO-de as the solvent for recording the spectrum. The anionic polymer M-b, which is rich in double bonds and hydroxyl groups, has relatively lower values for the geminal couplings J_AB and the vicinal couplings J_AX.and J_BX as compared to those obtained with polymer M-a, which has practically no double bonds and very few (if any) hydroxyl groups. The appearance of the methylene protons in polymer M-b as well as the coupling constants J_AB., J_AX, and J_Bxvary on changing the solvent from O-C6H4Cl2 to CCh or DMSO-de.     

Triphenylmethyl hexafluoroarsinate-initiated polymerization of 1,2-butylene oxide

The polymerization of 1,2-butylene oxide initiated with triphenylmethyl hexafluoroarsinate in the ?20 to +25°C temperature range with 1,2-dichloroethane as solvent is characterized by a rapid nonstationary initial stage. This is followed by a second slower stage, during which the disappearance of monomer is first-order with respect to its concentration. The conversion of monomer at the end of the first stage is related to the initial catalyst concentration but not to the initial monomer concentration. Invoking the hypothesis of an instantaneous initiation reaction, the experimental results lead to the conclusion of the existence of a unimolecular termination step. Propagation-to-termination rate constant ratios yield a propagation–termination activation energy difference of 5.9 kcal/mole. The termination step proposed is thought to involve the formation of stable macrocyclic oxonium ions. These, in turn, can reactivate the polymerization by an intramolecular reaction leading to the formation of new active centers. An energy of activation of 8.7 kcal/mole was calculated for this reactivation. GPC analyses of the reaction products recovered at the end of the first stage revealed the presence of large proportions of oligomers. Based on kinetic data, the formation of oligomers is explained by a backbiting process similar to the reactivation reaction suggested for the initiation of the second stage.     

Anionic polymerization to high vinyl polybutadiene

1,3-Butadiene was polymerized anionically to polybutadiene which contained up to 100% 1,2-addition product. The atactic 100% 1,2-polybutadiene was prepared with n-butyllithium modified with bis piperidino ethane. The polymerization was done in hexane solvent at ?5 to +20°C polymerization temperature.     

Synthesis of Poly(Styrene)-block-poly(methacrylate)-block-poly(styrene) via Site Transformation Reaction

Abstract

Triblock copolymers with polystyrene outer blocks and an inner polymethacrylate block were synthesized by a site transformation reaction using anionic and cationic polymerization techniques. In order to obtain such ABA block copolymers, two synthetic routes have been applied. In the first case, different methacrylates (methyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate) were polymerized anionically with a bifunctional initiator to get poly(methacrylate) dianions later forming the inner block whereas in the second case poly(styrene)-block-poly(methacrylate) anions were synthesized by monofunctional initiation via sequential monomer addition. In a subsequent step, the living chain ends of the methacrylate dianions on one side, and the diblock copolymer anions on the other side, were functionalized with 1,4-bis(l-bromoethyl)benzene in order to obtain a potential bifunctional or monofunctional macroinitiator for the cationic polymerization of styrene. Then, styrene was polymerized cationically with the macroinitiator in the presence of SnCl₄ as coinitiator and _n Bu₄NBr as a common ion salt in CH₂Cl₂ at -15°C. Block formation was proven by SEC measurements, preparative SEC and NMR characterization.     

Anionic polymerization and copolymerization of acrylonitrile initiated by systems based on bicyclic tertiary amines and ethylene oxide

It is shown that the products of interaction of ethylene oxide and bicyclic amines containing tertiary nitrogen atoms at the tops of bicyclic structures efficiently initiate the anionic polymerization of acrylonitrile. As opposed to all known initiators of this process, the mentioned initiating systems contain no metal atoms or atoms of elements heavier than oxygen. The polymerization of acrylonitrile under the action of the ethylene oxide–bicyclic amine system in a polar medium (dimethyl sulfoxide) at room temperature occurs in the homogeneous regime over several minutes, while, in a weakly polar solvent (tetrahydrofuran), polymerization occurs in the heterogeneous regime over several hours. The reaction may become homogeneous in a mixture of these solvents at both room temperature and a lower temperature. The number-average molecular masses of the polymers, depending on polymerization conditions, are in the range from 25 × 10³ to 480 × 10³ and their polydispersity indexes are from 1.55 to ~3.40. It is found that the copolymers of acrylonitrile with oxygen-containing acrylic monomers, as well as with ethylene oxide, can be prepared.     

Ring opening during the cationic polymerization of 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane: Cyclic ketene acetal initiation with sulfuric acid supported on carbon

The stable cyclic ketene acetal, 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane, 7, has been polymerized cationically in pentane, CH₂Cl₂ and THF at 25°C to form a polymer which is composed of both ring-opened (40–50%) and ring-retained (50–60%) structures. Initiation was catalyzed by using H₂SO₄-supported on activated carbon black. This unique outcome differs significantly from the cationic polymerization of several other five- and six-membered ring cyclic ketene acetals which gave 100% 1,2-vinylpolymerization under these conditions. As the polymerization temperature increased in cationic polymerization of 7 the ring-opened content increased and the molecular weight of the polymers decreased in such solvents as cyclohexane, 1,2-dichloroethane, dimethoxyethane, and bis-(2-methoxyethyl) ether. The mechanism of this polymerization is discussed. This research also illustrated the ability to initiate the cationic polymerization of cyclic ketene acetals by acidified carbon black while avoiding subsequent polymer decomposition. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Cationic polymerization of L,L‐lactide

Cationic bulk polymerization of L ,L‐ lactide (LA) initiated by trifluromethanesulfonic acid [triflic acid (TfA)] has been studied. At temperatures 120–160 °C, polymerization proceeded to high conversion (>90% within ～8 h) giving polymers with M_n ～ 2 × 10⁴ and relatively high dispersity. Thermogravimetric analysis of resulting polylactide (PLA) indicated that its thermal stability was considerably higher than the thermal stability of linear PLA of comparable molecular weight obtained with ROH/Sn(Oct)₂ initiating system. Also hydrolytic stability of cationically prepared PLA was significantly higher than hydrolytic stability of linear PLA. Because thermal or hydrolytic degradation of PLA starting from end‐groups is considerably faster than random chain scission, both thermal and hydrolytic stability depend on molecular weight of the polymer. High thermal and hydrolytic stability, in spite of moderate molecular weight of cationically prepared PLA, indicate that the fraction of end‐groups is considerably lower than in linear PLA of comparable molecular weight. According to proposed mechanism of cationic LA polymerization growing macromolecules are fitted with terminal ? OH and ? C(O)OSO₂CF₃ end‐groups. The presence of those groups allows efficient end‐to‐end cyclization. Cyclic nature of resulting PLA explains its higher thermal and hydrolytic stability as compared with linear PLA. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2650–2658, 2010     

A comparison of thermoreactive water-soluble poly-N,N-diethylacrylamide prepared by anionic and by group transfer polymerization

Several batches of poly-N,N-diethylacrylamide were synthesized by anionic and by group transfer polymerization (GTP). A radical poly-N,N-diethylacrylamide prepared from the same monomer was also included in the comparison. According to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) both types of living polymerization resulted in narrow molecular weight distributions with M_w/M_n values below 1.5. Average molecular weights (M_n) between 888 and 4678 g/mol were calculated in these cases. The radical polymer had an average molecular weight (M_n) of approximately 130,000 g/mol. The dry anionic and GTP polymers were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and x-ray diffraction spectrometry. Evidence for partial crystallinity in the solid state was found. The conformation of all polymers was examined by high resolution (600 MHz) NMR. According to these measurements, 75% of the ? CHR? groups of the anionic poly-N,N-diethylacrylamide were located in an isotactic triade. The remaining 25% had heterotactic structure, while no indication for the presence of syndiotactic protons was found. Poly-N,N-diethylacrylamide prepared by GTP, on the other hand, had mainly syndiotactic structure. The aqueous solutions of the polymers showed phase separation upon heating. Whereas the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) was approximately 30°C in the case of the poly-N,N-diethylacrylamide prepared by GTP and by radical polymerization, uncommonly high LCSTs of more than 40°C were observed for the anionic poly-N,N-diethylacrylamide. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Amine-quinone polyurethanes. I. Preparation of polyurethane block copolymers containing 2,5–bis(N-2-hydroxyethyl-N-methylamino)-1,4–benzoquinone diol monomer

The amine-quinone monomer, 2,5–bis(N-2-hydroxyethyl-N-methylamino)-1,4-benzoqui-none (AQM-1), was prepared by the multiple-step condensation of 2-(N-methylam-ino)ethanol with benzoquinone in the presence of oxygen. This crystalline monomer was used to prepare a series of amine-quinone polyurethanes by condensation polymerization, either in the melt or in solution (THF or DMF), with a diisocyanate (MDI, TDI, or IPDI) and an oligomeric diol [poly(caprolactone) or poly(1,2-butylene glycol)]. The amine-quinone functional group was stable under the polymerization conditions, and was incorporated into the main chain, giving red-brown polyurethanes that had molecular weights in the range of 11,000–90,000 and were soluble in THF, MEK, DMF, and DMSO. The thermal properties were consistent with a two-phase morphology with an amorphous soft segment, containing the oligomeric diol, and a microcrystalline hard segment, containing AQM-1. The polymers having a low hard segment content (<50%) were rubbery (soft segment T_g <?25°C); polymers having a high hard segment content (>50%) were thermoplastic (hard segment T_g>150°C). © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Syntheses and polymerizations of some vinyl monomers containing nitro- or fluorophthalimides

4-Nitro-N-vinylphthalimide ( 4 ) was synthesized by two different procedures. Compound 4 was not polymerizable or copolymerizable by AIBN. Poly(N-vinylphthalimide) ( 17 ) was prepared and partially nitrated at 10–25°C. N,N′-(1,2-Ethanediyl)bis(4-nitrophthalimide) ( 15 ) and N,N′-(1,3-propanediyl)bis(4-nitrophthalimide) ( 16 ) were prepared by the condensation of the corresponding diamine with phthalic anhydride followed by nitration of the condensation products. 4-Nitrophthalic anhydride was prepared by the hydrolysis of 15 . Four styrene-substituted phthalimide monomers were synthesized. These include N-(4-vinylphenyl)phthalimide ( 25a ), N-(4-vinylphenyl)-3-fluorophthalimide ( 25b ), N-(4-vinylphenyl)-3-nitrophthalimide ( 25c ), and N-(4-vinylphenyl)-4-nitrophthalimide ( 25d ). Monomers 25a and 25b were polymerized by freeradical initiator (AIBN), whereas monomers 25c and 25d were not polymerizable or copolymerizable by AIBN due to a strong inhibitive effect exerted by the nitrophthalimide group. Monomers 25c and 25d were cationically polymerized (BF₃·OEt₂). Monomer 25b and styrene were copolymerized and their reactivity ratios were r₁ = 1.7 and r₂ = 0.55, respectively. The prepared polymers are useful as backbone polymers for grafting living anionic polymers.     

Diethylbis(2,2′‐bipyridine)iron/MAO. A Very Active and Stereospecific Catalyst for 1,3‐Diene Polymerization

Diethylbis(2,2′‐bipyridine)Fe/MAO is an extremely active catalyst for the polymerization of 1,3‐dienes. Polymers with a 1,2 or 3,4 structure are formed from butadiene, isoprene, (E)‐1,3‐pentadiene and 3‐methyl‐1,3‐pentadiene, while cis‐1,4 polymers are derived from 2,3‐dimethyl‐1,3‐butadiene. The 1,2 (3,4) polymers obtained at 25°C are amorphous, while those obtained below 0°C are crystalline, as was determined by means of X‐ray diffraction. Mechanistic implications of the results are briefly discussed.     

Poly(alkyl α-chloroacrylates). V. Preparation and properties of methyl,ethyl, and isopropyl polymers of varied tacticity

Polymers of different tacticities, from highly isotactic to highly syndiotactic, were prepared from methyl, ethyl, and isopropyl α-chloroacrylates. These polymers were characterized for tacticity by infrared spectroscopy and 100 and 300 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and for thermal properties by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). After corrections were made for molecular weight effects, the observed glass temperature-tacticity results were analyzed, and it was determined that the maximum differences in glass temperatures of the purely isotactic compared to the purely syndiotactic polymers should be 92°C for the methyl ester, 86°C for the ethyl ester, and 68°C for the isopropyl ester polymers. The highly isotactic polymers of all three esters were crystalline. Possible polymerization reaction mechanisms are discussed on the basis of the triad and tetrad tacticity values observed and the calculated propagation statistics.     

Branching of anionic poly(methyl methacrylate)

A viscometric determination of the degree of branching γ, of poly(methyl methacrylate) obtained by anionic polymerization proved the reaction of the growing center of poly(methyl methacrylate) with the ester group of another polymer molecule, accompanied by the formation of a trifunctional branch point. This reaction occurs if the solution polymerization of methyl methacrylate is initiated: (1) with butyllithium at ?78°C only on attaining 100% conversion and after a long time or at +20°C immediately after the polymerization has set in; (2) with lithium tert-butoxide at +20°C after a long time. The degree of branching of poly(methyl methacrylates) obtained under similar conditions in the presence of tetrahydrofuran reaches higher values than for polymers prepared in toluene. The tacticity of polymers does not affect the experimentally determined γ values.     

Anionic polymerization of a fluorinated butadiene

1,1-Bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,3-butadiene (I) is cleanly prepared in three steps. I produces an amorphous polymer by free-radical catalysis. Crystalline poly-I is produced by butyllithium catalysis in tetrahydrofuran at ?78°C. Qualitative kinetic experiments indicate that the anionic polymerization proceeds by a “living polymer” process. An AB block copolymer may be formed by adding I to anionically propagating butadiene; however, the reverse does not occur.     

Trityl Salt-Initiated Cationic Polymerization of 1,2-Cyclohexene Oxide: Structural Analyses of the Products

The polymerization of 1,2-cyclohexene oxide was carried out at 0°C in dichloroethane with triphenylmethyl hexafluoroarsenate as the initiator. A typical reaction product (PCHO-1) was analyzed by infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as well as by gel-permeation chromatography, x-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The x-ray and DSC data show that PCHO-1 is an amorphous substance. The results of the NMR analyses show that the propagation step in the trityl salt-initiated polymerization obeys Bernoullian statistics with a P_m value of 0.38.     

Living Anionic Polymerization of 2‐Methyl‐4‐ phenyl‐1‐buten‐3‐yne

The anionic polymerization behavior of 2‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1‐buten‐3‐yne (2) was investigated to get information on the effect of substituent at the 2‐position. The polymerization of 2 did not proceed in tetrahydrofuran at –78°C by lithium initiators, while sodium initiators can conduct the polymerization smoothly to give polymers consisting of a specific 1,2‐polymerized unit. The living nature of the polymerization of 2 by diphenylmethylsodium was supported by the post‐polymerization experiment.     

Preparation and degradation of salts of poly(methacrylic acid). I. Lithium,sodium, potassium,and caesium salts

The polymers of lithium, sodium, potassium, and caesium salts of methacrylic acid have been prepared by free radical polymerization of the respective monomers in methanol solution. The degradation behavior of the polymers has been investigated by thermal volatilization analysis, thermogravimetry, and product analysis. These materials are stable to about 350°C under programmed heating at 10°C/min in vacuo. The principal degradation products are monomer, the corresponding isobutyrate, carbonate, oxide, carbon dioxide, and a fraction of liquid volatiles that is complex and contains a variety of aldehydes and ketones. The mechanism of degradation is discussed in detail.     

Preparation and polymerization of methylenecyclobutene and 1-methyl-3-methylenecyclobutene

Methylenecyclobutene (MCB) and 1-methyl-3-methylenecyclobutene (MMCB) were synthesized, characterized, and polymerized by anionic and cationic initiators. Structural analyses of the polymers were carried out by infrared and NMR spectros-copy. The cationic polymerization of MCB appeared to proceed entirely by a 1,5-propagation mechanism to form low molecular weight polymers in low yields. Anionic polymerization of this monomer, on the other hand, proceeded primarily through a 1,2-propagation path, again forming only low molecular weight polymeric products in low yield. In contrast to MCB, the methyl-substituted monomer, MMCB, polymerized readily with cationic initiators to produce unusually high molecular weight polymers in high conversions. On the basis of both infrared and NMR spectroscopic analyses, it was concluded that the polymers also contained essentially only 1,5-addition repeating units. Anionic initiators such as n-BuLi were unable to induce polymerization of this monomer, but polymerization by Ziegler-Natta catalysts proceeded readily to yield polymers virtually identical in structure and molecular weight to those obtained with cationic initiators.     

Synthesis and characterization of “umbrella” shaped polymers

A new strategy has been developed to prepare umbrella polymer, i.e. star polymers with one heteroarm. The synthesis uses living anionic polymerization to prepare a short segment of 1,2-polybutadiene at the end of a linear polystyrene. The vinyl groups of 1,2-polybutadiene are hydrosilylated with dichloro(methyl)silane. The umbrella polymer is then formed by nucleophilic displacement of the silicon-chlorine with 1,4-polybutadienyllithium. An umbrella polymer with poly(2-vinylpyridine) arms is prepared in the same way after hydrosilylation with chlorodimethylsilane. The umbrella polymers are characterized by light scattering, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy (UV/vis), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and intrinsic viscosity.