REVERSE ATOM TRANSFER RADICAL POLYMERIZATION OF STYRENE WITH COPPER-BASED CATALYST

 "Living"/controlled radical polymerization of styrene was carried out with diethyl 2,3-dicyano-2,3-diphenylsuccinate (DCDPS)/CuCl₂/bipyridine (bipy) initiation system at 120℃. The molecular weights of resultant PSt increased with the monomer conversion and the polydispersities were in the range of 1.37 ～ 1.52. A linear ln([M]o/[M])versus time plot was also obtained indicating the constant concentration of growing radicals during the polymerization with this initiation system. End group analysis by ¹H-NMR spectroscopic studies showed that the end groups of the polymer obtained is cω-functionalized by a chlorine group from the catalyst and a-functionalized by a (carbethoxy-cyano-phenyl)methyl group from the fragments of the initiator. Having C1 atom at the chain end, the PSt obtained can be used as a macroinitiator to promote a chain-extension reaction with fresh St and block copolymerization reaction with a second monomer, such as methyl methacrylate, in the presence of CuC1/bipy catalyst via a conventional ATRP process.     

CONTROLLED/"LIVING" RADICAL POLYMERIZATION OF STYRENE IN AN AQUEOUS DISPERSION SYSTEM

Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene catalyzed by cuprous (CuX)/1, 10-phenanthroline (Phen)and CuX/CuX_2/Phen was conducted in an aqueous dispersed system. A stable latex was obtained by using ionic surfactantsodium lauryl sulfonate (SLS) or composite surfactants, such as SLS/polyoxyethylene nonyl phenyl ether (OP-10),SLS/hexadecanol and SLS/OP-10/hexadecanol. Among which SLS and SLS/OP-10/hexadecanol systems established betterdispersed effect during the polymerization. It was found that Phen was a more suitable ligand than N,N,N',N",N"-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) to maintain an appropriate equilibrium of the activator Cu(I) and the deactivatorCu(II) between the organic phase and the water phase. The effect of several initiators (such as EBiB, CCl_4 and 1-PEBr) andthe temperature on such a kind of ATRP system was also observed. The number-average molar mass (M_n) of polystyrene (PS)increased with the conversion and the molar mass distribution (M_w/M_n) remained narrow. These experimental data show thatthe polymerization could be controlled except for the quick increase of monomer conversion and the number-average molarmass of PS in the initial stage of polymerization. Furthermore, the initiator efficiency was found to be low (～57%) inCuX/Phen catalyzed system. To overcome this problem, Cu(II)X_2 (20 mol%-50 mol% based on CuX) was introduced intothe polymerization system. In this case, higher initiator efficiency (60%-90%), low M_w/M_n of PS (as low as 1.08) wereachieved and the molar masses of the PS fit with the theoretical ones.     

THERMOSENSITIVITY OF NARROW-DISPERSED POLY(N-n-PROPYLACRYLAMIDE) PREPARED BY ATOM TRANSFER RADICAL POLYMERIZATION

Controlled polymerization of N-n-propylacrylamide was achieved by atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP) in a N,N-dimethylformamide-water mixture(50 vol%)at room temperature with methyl 2-chloropropinonate as initiator and CuCl/tris(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amine as the catalytic system in a ratio of 1:1:1.High molecular weight homopolymers(up to 3.7×10~4)with narrow molecular weight distribution(less than 1.2)were obtained.The living character of the polymerization was further demonstrated by self-block...     

ICAR ATRP of acrylonitrile utilizing a moderate temperature radical initiator

Initiators for continuous activator regeneration atom transfer radical polymerization （ICAR ATRP） of acrylonitrile was first conducted at various ambient temperatures （30-45 ℃）. The key to success is ascribed to the usage of an appropriate low temperature radical initiator （2,2＇-azobis（2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile）） and a high reactivity catalytic system （CuBr2/Me6TREN）. The molar ratio of Cu catalyst tO AN as low as 1：20000 wa.s used to prepare well-defined polyacrylonitrile with controlled molecular weight and a narrow polydispersity index range of 1.08-1.30, while the monomer conversion was up to ca. 98%. The apparent activation energy of the polymerization was calculated to be 128.45 kJ/mol, suggesting that the polymerization strongly depended on reaction temperature. The very high chain-end functionality of the resultant polymer was confirmed by ^1H-NMR and GPC analyses as well as chain extension reaction.     

阻聚剂对MMA原子转移自由基聚合的影响

Effect of a series of inhibitors as additives on atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with FeCl2/PPh3 as catalyst system was studied, including 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP), 4-methoxyphenol (4-MP), hydroquinone (HQ) and nitrobenzene (NB). It was found that TNP was the only. efficient additive for ATRP among these inhibitors. In the presence of small amounts of TNP, the polymerization proceeded rapidly after induction period to yield the polymers with controlled molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions (MWD). The initiating efficiency of the modified catalyst system with TNP was increased. The mechanism was proposed and confirmed by the end group analysis of the polymer.     

NARROW-DISPERSED CROSSLINKED CORE-SHELL POLYMER MICROSPHERES PREPARED BY SURFACE-INITIATED ATOM TRANSFER RADICAL POLYMERIZATION＊

Grafting of polystyrene with narrowly dispersed polymer microspheres through surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was investigated. Polydivinylbenzene (PDVB) microspheres were prepared by dispersion polymerization with poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) as stabilizer. The surfaces of PDVB microspheres were chloromethylated by chloromethyl methyl ether in the presence of zinc chloride as catalyst to form chloromethylbenzene initiating core sites for subsequent ATRP grafting of styrene using CuCl/bpy as catalytic system. Polystyrene was found to be grafted not only from the particle surfaces but also from within a thin shell layer, resulting in the formation of particles size increased from 2.38-2.58μm, which can further grow to 2.93μm during secondary grafting polymerization of styrene. This demonstrates that grafting polymerization proceeds through a typical ATRP procedure with living nature. All of the prepared microspheres have narrow particle size distribution with coefficient of variation around 10%.     

SYNTHESIS OF POLY(METHYL METHACRYLATE)-graft-POLYSTYRENE BY ATOM TRANSFER RADICAL POLYMERIZATION

The radical copolymerization of methyl methacrylate and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate was carried out via atomtransfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiated by ethyl 2-bromoisobutyrate and catalyzed by CuBr/2,2'-bipyridinecomplex. This polymerization proceeds in a living fashion with controlled molecular weight and low polydispersity. Theobtained copolymer was esterified with 2-bromoisobutylryl bromide yielding a macroinitiator, poly(methyl methacrylate-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-2-(2-bromoisobutyryloxy)ethyl methacrylate), and its structure was characterized by ~1H-NMR. This macroinitiator was used for ATRP of styrene to synthesize poly(methyl methacrylate)-graft-polystyrene. Themolecular weight of graft copolymer increased with the monomer conversion, and the polydispersity remained relatively low.The individual grafted polystyrene chains were cleaved from the macroinitiator backbone by hydrolysis and the hydrolyzed product was characterized by ~1H-NMR and GPC.     

ATOM TRANSFER RADICAL POLYMERIZATION OF 2,5-BIS[（4-HEXYLOXYPHENYL）OXYCARBONYL]STYRENE

A side-on liquid crystalline monomer, 2,5-bis[(4-hexyloxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl]styrene) (HPCS), was successfully polymerized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The polymerization was catalyzed by CuBr/PMDETA in chlorobenzene at 90℃ with (1-bromoethyl)benzene as the initiator. The polymers have narrow MWD. It is the second example of mesogen-jacketed liquid crystalline polymer (MJLCP) prepared by ATRP.     

SYNTHESIS AND FREE RADICAL POLYMERIZATION OF 2-OXO-3-METHYLEN E-5-PHENYL-1,4-DIOXAN

The novel cyclic monomer, 2-oxo-3-methylene-5-phenyl-1,4-dioxan, was synthesized by a set of reactions. Several intermediates were prepared and characterized in order to determine the monomer structure. The presence of chiral centers in the intermediates and resulting monomer makes it complicated to separate , purify and characterize them. It is a very reactive monomer which will polymerize even at room temperature if expose to moisture and air. This monomer can undergo essentially quantitative flee radical ring opening polymerization. The driving force for ring opening is the formation of new carbonyl group and benzylic radical. The monomer and polymer structure were established by IR, ~1H NMR, ~(13)C NMR and elemental analysis or high resolution mass spectrum. The molecular weight of the resulting polymer was estimated by viscosity determination.     

茚基镍的卤化物/四苯硼钠/三苯基膦体系催化苯乙烯聚合

The catalytic activity of a series of indenylnickel（Ⅱ） halides： （1-R-Ind）Ni（PPh3）X （R=ethyl, cyclopentyl and benzyl, while X=Cl, Br and I）, towards styrene polymerization was studied in the presence of NaBPh4 and PPh3. The catalytic property of these halides was related to the substituent group on the indenyl ligand and the halogen atom bonded to the metal atom. Among them, the （1-Et-Ind）Ni（PPh3）Cl/NaBPha/PPh3 system showed the highest activity for the polymerization of styrene, and the polystyrene obtained was a syndio-rich （rr triad） atactic polymer with Mn values in the range of 103--104. The mechanism of the styrene polymerization initiated by the （1-Et-Ind）Ni（PPh3）Cl/NaBPha/PPh3 system was studied.     

A NOVEL PHOTO-INITIATING SYSTEM FOR ATOM TRANSFER RADICAL POLYMERIZATION OF STYRENE

A novel photo-induced initiating system, 2, 2 - dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (DMPA)/ferric tri(N,N-diethyl-dithiocarbamate) [Fe(DC)_3], was developed and used for the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene intoluene. The polymerization proceeds with DMPA as photo-initiator, Fc(DC)_3 as catalyst and DC as a reversible transfergroup, while the halogen and ligands are free. Well-defined PSt was prepared and the polymerization mechanism revealed byend group analysis belongs to a reverse ATRP. Block copolymer was prepared by using thus obtained PSt as macroinitiatorand Fe(DC)_2 as catalyst under UV light irradiation via a conventional ATRP process.     

Iron-mediated AGET ATRP of styrene and methyl methacrylate using ascorbic acid sodium salt as reducing agent

Atom transfer radical polymerization of styrene(St) and methyl methacrylate(MMA) in bulk and in different solvents using activators generated by electron transfer(AGET ATRP) were investigated in the presence of a limited amount of air using FeCl3·6H2O as the catalyst, ascorbic acid sodium salt(AsAc-Na) as the reducing agent, and a cheap and commercially available tetrabutylammonium bromide(TBABr) as the ligand. It was found that polymerization in THF resulted in shorter induction period than that in bulk and in toluene for AGET ATRP of St, while referring to AGET ATRP of MMA, polymerization in THF showed three advantages compared with that in bulk and toluene: 1) shortening the induction period, 2) enhancing the polymerization rate and 3) having better controllability. The living features of the obtained polymers were verified by chain end analysis and chain-extension experiments.     

Systhesis of double-hydrophilic core-shell type multiarm star copolymer polyethylenimine-block-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate

Multiarm star block copolymers hyperbranched polyethylenimine-b-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (HPEI-b-PHEMA) with average 28 PHEMA arms have been prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of HEMA in a mixed solvent of methanol and water using a core-first strategy. The hyperbranched macroinitiator employed was prepared on the basis of well-defined hyperbranched polyethylenimine with Mw/Mn of 1.04 by amidation with 2-bromo-isobutyryl bromide. The polymerization condition was optimized to prepare star copolymers with narrow dispersity, and the variables included the volume ratio of methanol to water, the molar ratio of initiating site to CuCl and the molar ratio of [CuCl]:[CuBr2]. Under the optimized polymerization condition, the lowest Mw/Mn value of the obtained star copolymers was around 1.3. Kinetic analysis showed that an induction period existed in the polymerization of HEMA. After this induction period, a linear dependence of ln([M]0/[M]t) on time was observed. The obtained HPEI-b-PHEMA could adsorb hydrophilic molecules. The comparison with the star copolymer with hydrophobic core and hydrophilic PHEMA shell verified that both the hydrophilic core and shell could host the hydrophilic guests, but the amidated HPEI core was more effective than the PHEMA shell.     

THE OVERALL KINETICS OF FREE RADICAL (CO)POLYMERIZATION WITH HIGHLY DIFFUSION CONTROLLED TERMINATION

The overall reaction rate kinetics of polymerization of diethyleneglycol dimethacrylate and copolymerization of it with styrene in bulk and in the presence of inert diluents were investigated. Theresults indicated that these reactions can be treated as free radical polymerization with highly diffu-sion controlled termination reaction in which the termination rate constant is an empirically derivedfunction of monomer conversion: K_t=K_(to)(1-c ln[M]/ [M_0])~(-1) in which K_(to) is the initial terminationrate constant and c is a factor related to the magnitude of diffusion co?re The following equationof monomer conversion as a function of time could then be derived: U=1-exp {1/c [1-(1+ckt/2)~2]}in which k=K_P(R_i/2K_(to))~(1/2) and t is the time of reaction. Excellent agreement between the theoreticaland experimental overall reaction kinetic curves was obtained. The equation is valid for crosslinkingand noncrosslinking free radical polymerizations in which the self-acceleration effcct is effective fromthe very beginning of the reaction. The equation can be expressed in a more generally applicableform: U=1--exp{1/e[1--(1+?t/n)~n] in which n≥0.     

The Effect of Cyclodextrins in Polymer Particles Synthesis

The free radical polymerization of styrene in water in the presence of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) is described.It is found that β-CD could greatly accelerate the polymerization,enhance the final conversion of monomer.The particle-size distribution of the final polymer is also improved than that without β-CD in the system.     

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF FULLY SOLUBLE POLYPHENYLENEVINYLENE

Fully soluble poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyl)-oxy)-p-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) was synthesized by theaddition of molecular weight modifiers (chain stopper, free radical scavengers) to a polymerization system containingmonomer, catalyst and a solvent. These PPV products synthesized in this work were characterized by IR, NMR, UV-visiblespectroscopy and GPC. Results show that the M_w of polyphenylvinylene (PPV) can be controlled by the addition of chainstopper (benzyl bromide) and radical inhibitor (2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methyl phenol). The polymerization mechanism in the presence of these additives was also discussed. A dual mechanism involving carbene for PPV polymerization was proposed.     

A synthetic approach for water soluble hyperbranched poly(N,N-ethylidenebis(N-2-chloroacetyl acrylamide)) with high degree of branching via atom transfer radical polymerization/self-condensing vinyl polymerization

A novel acrylamide A2B2* (A = alkene, B* = alkyl chlorine) type inimer was obtained from commercially available 1,2-ethylenediamine, chloroacetyl chloride and acryloyl chloride. The as-prepared monomer can form water-soluble hyperbranched poly(N,N-ethylidene bis(N-2-chloroacetyl acrylamide))s (HPECA) through atom transfer radical polymerization/self-condensing vinyl polymerization method in the presence alkyl chlorine/CuCl/2,2-bipyridine activation system which can effectively suppress the gelation formation. 1H-NMR spectra and dual detector size exclusion chromatography proved the hyperbranched structure indisputably, and the degree of branching was determined by the detailed analyses of 1H-NMR spectra. The trend of the degree of branching was in consistent with the result of Mark-Houwink exponent a. The experiment results suggested that the conversion was 67%, Mw = 13.2 ? 104, Mark-Houwink a = 0.282 and the degree of branching = 64% when the reaction temperature was 120 oC, reaction time = 168 h and N,N-ethylidene bis(N-2-chloroacetyl acrylamide):Cu(I) = 50:0.62.     

Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Selenium-functionalized Poly(ε-caprolactone)

A selenium-functionalizedε-caprolactone was synthesized by introducing a phenyl selenide group at the 7-position.A polymer was obtained through the ring-opening polymerization of this monomer in a base/thiourea binary organocatalytic system.A living polymerization process was achieved under mild conditions.The resulting polymers had a controlled molecular weight with a narrow molecular weight distributions and high end-group fidelity.Random copolymers could be obtained by copolymerizing this monomer withε-caprolactone.The thermal degradation temperature of the obtained copolymers decreased with the increasing molar ratio of selenide functionalized monomer in copolymers,while the glass transition temperature increased.In addition,the phenyl selenide side group could be further modified to a polyselenonium salt,which resulted in a polymer with good antibacterial properties.The survival rate of E.coli and S.aureus was only 9%with a polymer concentration of 62.5μg/mL.     

Polymer-clay nanocomposites: chemical grafting of polystyrene onto Cloisite 20A

An account of the experiments on preparing polystyrene(PS) nanocomposites through grafting the polymer onto organophilic montmorillonite is reported.Cloisite 20A was reacted with vinyltrichlorosilane to replace the edge hydroxyl groups of the clay with a vinyl moiety.Because the reaction may liberate HC1,it was performed in the presence of sodium hydrogencarbonate to prevent the exchange of quaternary alkylammonium cations with H~+ ions.Only the silanol groups on the edge of the clay react with vinyltrichlorosilane.The radical polymerization of the product with styrene as a vinyl monomer leads to chemical grafting of PS onto the montmorillonite surface.The homopolymer formed during polymerization was separated from the grafted organoclay by Soxhlet extraction.Chemical grafting of the polymer onto Cloisite 20A was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy.The prepared nanocomposite materials and the grafted nano-particles were studied by XRD.Exfoliated nanocomposites may be obtained for 0.5 wt%-l wt%clay content.The nanocomposites were studied by thermogravimertic analysis(TGA) dynamic thermal analysis(DTA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMTA).     

Grafting β-CD Copolymer Metal Complex from Silicon Gel by SI-ATRP

Polymers grafted from solid surface are being extensively studied with a range of objectives.The most popular living/controlled polymerization used in polymers grafted from solid surfaces is the surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization（SI-ATRP）[1,2].An attractive feature of atom transfer radical polymerization（ATRP） is to simultaneously grow chains from multifunctional surface.Thus the grafted polymer with well-defined structures could be designed and controlled.ATRP has proven to be a powerful tool to synthesize homopolymers and copolymers,under easily accessible experimental conditions[3-7].Furthermore it is useful for the functionalization of material surfaces by grafting certain polymers.