Isothermal frontal polymerization: Confirmation of the isothermal nature of the process and the effect of oxygen and polymer seed molecular weight on front propagation

Isothermal frontal polymerization is a directional polymerization that utilizes the Norish‐Trommsdorff (gel) effect to produce optical gradient materials. When a solution of methyl methacrylate and thermal initiator contacts a polymer seed (a small piece of poly(methyl methacrylate), a viscous region is formed in which the polymerization rate is faster than in the bulk solution. We obtained definitive evidence of the isothermal nature of the process by placing thermocouples above the propagating front. Using the optical technique of laser line deflection (Weiner's method), we studied the front propagation to determine the induction period, and the maximum distance propagated as a function of the molecular weight of the seed. We determined that the polymer seed must have a minimum molecular weight to initiate a front. We also determined that oxygen would act as a bulk polymerization inhibitor and increase the front propagation distance, but after purging the monomer–initiator solution with oxygen for several hours, the distance was shortened. We ascribed this behavior to the formation of peroxy radicals from the slow decomposition of the initiator and subsequent reaction with oxygen. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3601–3608, 2006     

Isothermal frontal polymerization: Confirmation of the mechanism and determination of factors affecting the front velocity,front shape,and propagation distance with comparison to mathematical modeling

Isothermal frontal polymerization (IFP) is a directional polymerization that uses the Trommsdorff, or gel, effect to produce gradient materials for optical applications. When a solution of methyl methacrylate and a thermal initiator contacts a polymer seed (a small piece of polymer), a viscous region is formed in which the polymerization rate is faster because of the Trommsdorff effect. Using the optical techniques of laser line deflection (Weiner's method) and shadowgraphy along with controls, we obtained definitive experimental evidence of IFP. Moreover, we were able to measure accurately and precisely the front position and front concentration profile as a function of time by monitoring IFP systems and controls of various initiator concentrations and cure temperatures. The experimental data were compared with theoretical predictions from a model using mass‐diffusion and radical polymerization kinetics. The model reproduced the decrease of the propagation time and showed an increase in the propagation velocity for an increase in the initiator concentration and/or cure temperature. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5774–5786, 2005     

Facile synthesis of self‐healing gel via magnetocaloric bottom‐ignited frontal polymerization

A series of the self‐healing gels facilely fabricated by VI (N‐vinyl imidazole) and MAH‐β‐CD (β‐cyclodextrin grafted vinyl carboxylic acid groups) via bottom‐ignited frontal polymerization (BIFP) initiated by magnetocaloric effect. Once ignited the bottom phase, the heat upward propagates to generate the “front” in the upper phase. Then, no further energy is added to maintain the reaction and the whole polymerization process experiences within minutes. In this system, the dependence of frontal velocity and temperature, along with morphology, swelling capacity, mechanical property, and self‐healing efficiency, on the preparation parameters is investigated. Interestingly, the gels show good swelling capacity in the organic solvent, comparatively almost no absorption in water. Moreover, the as‐prepared gels exhibit excellent auto‐healing properties without any external stimuli at ambient temperature. The healed sample possesses 97% recovery of its tensile strength after 8 h healing time, which relies largely on the host–guest interaction between VI and MAH‐β‐CD. The results demonstrate that FP can be utilized as an efficient and energy‐saving method to synthesize self‐healing supramolecular gels. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 2585–2593     

The effect of a trithiol and inorganic fillers on the photo‐induced thermal frontal polymerization of a triacrylate

Thermal frontal polymerization is a process in which a localized reaction propagates through an unstirred system by the coupling of the thermal diffusion and the Arrhenius kinetics of an exothermic polymerization. A trithiol was found to affect the front velocity and the time for inducing a front upon exposure to UV light for trimethylolpropane triacrylate polymerization fronts with either kaolin or calcium carbonate filler present. The addition of trithiol and filler both decreased the front velocity. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 8091–8096, 2008     

A study of the effects of thiols on the frontal polymerization and pot life of multifunctional acrylate systems with cumene hydroperoxide

In an effort to create frontal polymerization systems with a “fail‐safe” curing mechanism, we studied the effects of thiols on the thermal frontal polymerization velocity and pot life of a mixture of a multifunctional acrylate, kaolin clay (filler), and cumene hydroperoxide with either trimethylolpropane tris(3‐mercaptopropionate) or 1‐dodecanethiol (DDT). The acrylates were trimethylolpropane triacrylate, trimethylolpropane ethoxylate triacrylate, 1,6‐hexanediol diacrylate, and di(ethylene glycol) diacrylate. Without a thiol, frontal polymerization did not occur. The front velocity increased with the concentration of either thiol, which has not been observed with peroxide initiators. The use of DDT yielded longer pot lives than the trithiol. The front velocities were inversely related to the pot lives. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 3850–3855     

Synthesis and optical characterization of photoactive poly(2‐phenoxyethyl acrylate) copolymers containing azobenzene units,prepared by frontal polymerization using novel ionic liquids as initiators

2‐Phenoxyethyl acrylate (2‐PEA) was polymerized alone and in the presence of an azobenzene comonomer derived from Disperse Red‐1, N‐ethyl‐N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐4‐(4‐nitrophenylazo)aniline (MDR‐1), by using the frontal polymerization technique. Two novel ionic liquids, recently synthesized by us, were used as initiators: tetrabutylphosphonium persulfate (TBPPS) and trihexyltetradecylphosphonium persulfate (TETDPPS). Even if their concentrations were smaller than those found when benzoyl peroxide and terbutylperoxy neodecanoate were used, these compounds gave rise to stable propagating polymerization fronts characterized by relatively low maximum temperatures and good velocities. Moreover, at variance to these latter, TBPPS and TETDPPS prevent bubble formation, thus allowing the use of the obtained materials in optical applications. The obtained polymers were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), their thermal properties were determined by differential scanning calorimetry, and their optical properties were studied by absorption spectroscopy in the UV–vis region. Finally, the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of the 2‐PEA/MDR‐1 copolymers obtained with TBPPS and TETDPPS were performed according to the Z‐Scan technique with prepared film samples. It has been proven that samples with higher MDR‐1 content (0.05 mol %) exhibited outstanding cubic NLO activity with negative NLO refractive coefficients around n₂ = ?1.7 × 10^?3 esu. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Reaction kinetics and gel effect on the polymerization of 2‐ethoxyethyl methacrylate and 2(2‐ethoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate

Polymerization kinetics at several temperatures of 2‐ethoxyethyl methacrylate (EEMA) and 2(2‐ethoxyethoxy) ethyl methacrylate (DEMA) in bulk and in dioxane solutions are described. The gel effect was never detected at monomer concentrations equal to or lower than 1 mol L^?1, although in the bulk polymerization both monomers display the gel effect at very low conversions. Because of the influence of the efficiency factor f on the polymerization rate, a theoretical kinetic interpretation of the changes in f with monomer and initiator concentrations and kinetic parameters was performed to achieve a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in radical polymerization. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3987–4001, 2002     

Preparation and optical characterization of two photoactive poly(bisphenol a ethoxylate diacrylate) copolymers containing designed amino‐nitro‐substituted azobenzene units,obtained via classical and frontal polymerization,using novel ionic liquids as initiators

The frontal polymerization (FP) of bisphenol A ethoxylate diacrylate (BPAEDA) was carried with and without the presence of two different azobenzene comonomers by means of an external heating source. The first azomonomer (MDR‐1) is a derivative of disperse red‐1, N‐ethyl‐N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐4‐(4‐nitrophenylazo)aniline, whereas the second (E)‐2‐(4‐((4‐nitrophenyl)diazenyl)phenyl)‐5,8,11‐trioxa‐2‐azatridecan‐13‐yl methacrylate (4PEGMAN) comes from the azo‐dye N‐methyl‐N‐{4‐[(E)‐(4‐nitrophenyl)diazenyl]phenyl}‐N‐(11‐hydroxy‐3,6,9‐trioxaundecas‐1‐yl) amine. In this work, an ionic liquid trihexyltetradecylphosphonium persulfate was used as initiator. This compound produced stable propagating polymerization fronts with good velocities and moderate maximum temperature values. Moreover, this initiator prevented bubble formation and was found to be the most efficient when it was used in lower amounts with respect to other initiators, such as benzoyl peroxide, 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile, aliquat persulfate®, and tetrabutylphosphonium persulfate. The thermal properties of the obtained polymers and copolymers were determined by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The nonlinear optical (NLO) characterizations of the developed BPAEDA/MDR‐1 and BPAEDA/4PEGMAN copolymers were performed according to the Z‐Scan technique in film samples prepared by classical polymerization. It has been proven that samples with higher 4PEGMAN content (0.26 mol %) exhibited outstanding cubic NLO‐activity with positive NLO‐refractive coefficients in the promising range of n₂ = +3.2 × 10^?4 esu. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Gel effect in the bulk reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization of methyl methacrylate: Modeling and experiments

A model for the evaluation of the kinetics and the chain length distribution in living/controlled radical polymerization mediated by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) in bulk is presented. Using the free volume theory, the model accounts for the diffusion limitations over both termination and RAFT exchange reactions. Model predictions are compared to experimental results of methyl methacrylate polymerization with cumyl dithiobenzoate as a RAFT agent. It is shown that the polymerization retardation observed in living systems at large conversions is well predicted. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1071–1085, 2006     

Living carbocationic polymerization. LXII. Living polymerization of styrene,p-methylstyrene and p-chlorostyrene induced by the common ion effect

The effect of common anion producing salt, tetrabutylammonium chloride (n-Bu₄NCl), on the livingness and kinetics of styrene (St), p-chlorostyrene (pClSt), and p-methylstyrene (pMeSt) polymerization initiated by the 2-chloro-2,4,4-trimethylpentane (TMPCl)/TiCl₄ system has been investigated. Uncontrolled (conventional) carbocationic polymerization of St and p MeSt can be converted to living polymerization by the use of n-Bu₄NCl. Under similar conditions the polymerization of p ClSt is living even in the absence of n-Bu₄NCl, although the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of the polymer becomes narrower in the presence of this salt. The apparent rates of polymerizations decrease in the presence of n-Bu₄NCl in proportion with the concentration of the salt. The rate of living polymerization of p ClSt is noticeably lower than that of St, while that of p MeSt is higher. The apparent rate constants, k_p^A, of these polymerizations have been determined, and the effects of the electron donating p Me- and electron withdrawing p Cl-substituents relative to the rate of St polymerization have been analyzed. [For part LXI, see J. Si and J. P. Kennedy, Polym. Bull., 33 , 651 (1994)]. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 3341–3347, 1997     

Modeling molecular weight distribution and effect of termination in controlled radical polymerization: A novel and transformative approach

A theory for polymer molecular weight distribution (MWD) in atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) has been derived by using analogy to a series of continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs). This approach relates one activation cycle in ATRP to one reactor in CSTRs. The derived MWD expression includes effect of radical termination and allows detailed investigation on the factors that determine the polymer distribution, namely the level of “control” and “livingness.” The level of control means the average number of activation cycles experienced by individual chains. The degree of livingness is quantified by the fraction of terminated chains. It was found that the effect of livingness and control on MWD is complex. Large number of activation cycles does not guarantee a narrow distribution. There exists an optimum value of activation cycles to achieve the lowest polydispersity by balancing the control (achieved by increasing activation cycles) with the loss of livingness (also caused by increasing activation cycles). The distribution for ATRP is in‐between Poisson and Flory distributions, determined by the level of control and livingness. In general, having high degree of livingness and maintaining control are both necessary conditions to obtain narrow MWD. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 639–651     

Graft polymerization of vinyl monomers inside macroporous polyacrylamide gel,cryogel, in aqueous and aqueous‐organic media initiated by diperiodatocuprate(III) complexes

Graft polymerization initiated by diperiodatocuprate(III) complex (Cu(III)) initiator was found to be an effective and convenient method for graft polymerization of vinyl monomers onto macroporous polyacrylamide gels, the so‐called cryogels (pAAm‐cryogels). The effect of time, temperature, monomer and initiator concentration during the graft polymerization in aqueous and aqueous‐organic media was studied. The graft polymerization of water‐soluble monomers as [2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]‐trimethylammonium chloride, 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate, N‐isopropylacrylamide, and N,N‐dimethylacrylamide proceeds with higher grafting yield in aqueous medium, as compared with that in aqueous‐organic media. Graft polymerization in aqueous‐organic media such as water–DMSO solutions allows grafting of water‐insoluble monomers such as glycidyl methacrylate and N‐tert‐butylacrylamide with high grafting degrees of 100 and 410%, respectively. It was found that the deposition of initiator on the pore surface of cryogels promoted graft polymerization by facilitating the formation of the redox couple Cu(III)‐acrylamide group. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1952–1963, 2006     

Synthesis and radical polymerization of hydrophilic methacrylates with oxyethylene units in the pendant chain

The syntheses of methacrylic monomers of the general structure where n is 3, 4, 5, or 6, were performed by the reaction of the corresponding alcohol ethers with methacryloyl chloride. The alcohol ethers were previously prepared by different synthetic procedures involving the monoetherification of the starting glycols. The polymerizations kinetics of the monomers were examined at several temperatures in the bulk and in dioxane solutions. NMR spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance techniques were used to study the kinetics of polymerization. The polymerization rate parameter, expressed as (2f)^1/2k_p/〈k_t〉^1/2, and the values of the propagation rate coefficient k_p and the termination rate coefficient 〈k_t〉/f, where f is the efficiency factor of the initiator, were determined. The reactivity of the monomers depended on the size of the ester residue in such a way that the longer the lateral chain was, the higher the polymerization rate was and the lower the termination rate coefficient was. On the contrary, the dependence of k_p on the chemical structure was very small. In the solution polymerizations of all these monomers (monomer concentration = 1 mol L^?1), the radical concentrations remained almost constant until very high conversions, whereas in the bulk, a different behavior was observed that depended on the number of oxyethylene units in the side chain of the monomer. In this sense, for n = 4, 5, or 6, the radical concentration remained almost invariable with the reaction time, whereas for n = 3, a moderate increase occurred at low conversions, contrasting with the important increase observed at similar conversions for n = 1. This showed that the gel effect in these methacrylic monomers was greatly dependent on the number of bonds of the lateral chain. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1567–1579, 2003     

On-line monitoring,modeling, and model validation of semibatch emulsion polymerization in an automated reactor control facility

The modeling of the semibatch emulsion polymerization of styrene and its validation against data obtained from a reactor facility is presented. The model, which describes the growth of a monodisperse polystyrene seed as neat monomer is fed to the reactor, incorporates recent findings in radical diffusion and kinetics. The current controversy surrounding radical absorption into particles is handled by considering absorption via propagation, diffusion, and collision in the model. Simulation results including weight fraction polymer inside the particles and particle diameter are compared to data obtained from a custom-designed and built automated reactor control facility capable of on-line density and on-line particle diameter measurements. Good agreement between simulation results and experimental data are obtained for any of the three absorption mechanisms considered by varying only one adjustable parameter located in the absorption rate coefficient relation. A sensitivity analysis of the model to this adjustable parameter, using the program ODESSA, is also presented and shown to be an important tool in the validation procedure. Lastly, an analysis of the dynamics of the process shows the variety of phenomena that can be obtained in a semibatch reactor including regions that exhibit pseudosteady states, autoacceleration of the rate, and limiting conversion. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1553–1571, 1998     

Radical polymerization of styrene derivatives bearing N‐free amino acid side chains,synergic effect of chirality,and hydrogen bonding for stereoselective polymerization

Radical polymerization of styrene derivatives having a series of amino acid, alanine, glycine, leucine, valine, Boc‐leucine, and Boc‐valine, in the side chain bound at the C‐terminal was conducted to regulate the stereoinduction system in the propagation step. Isotacticity increased in the polymer main chain, especially in the polymerization of monomers bearing N‐free L ‐leucyl and L ‐valyl esters in THF or DMF at 50 °C, by the synergic stereoregulation with chirality control and hydrogen bonding between the radical polymer terminal and the monomer. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Seeded semibatch emulsion polymerization of butyl acrylate: Effect of the chain‐transfer agent on the kinetics and structural properties

The effect of dodecane‐1‐thiol on the kinetics, gel fraction, level of branches, and sol molecular weight distribution of the seeded semibatch emulsion polymerization of n‐butyl acrylate carried out at 75 °C was investigated. The gel fraction was strongly affected by the content of the chain‐transfer agent (CTA). The sol weight‐average molecular weights decreased with increasing CTA concentration, whereas no effect on the kinetics and the level of branches was observed. The experimental data were analyzed with a mathematical model of the process that was able to catch fairly well the effect of the process variable. In addition, adhesive tests were carried out to check the effect of the gel fraction on the adhesive properties. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1106–1119, 2001     

Ring‐opening polymerization of L‐lactide using half‐titanocene complexes of the ATiCl2Nu type: Synthesis,characterization, and thermal properties

Various half‐titanocene complexes of the ATiCl₂Nu type, where A is the pentamethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp*) or indenyl (Ind) group and Nu a nucleophile (ethoxy group or chloride), were used for the polymerization of L ‐lactide, LLA. In the cases where Nu is an ethoxy group, a 5% excess of ATiCl₃ was used to accelerate the polymerization reaction. These systems were proven to be very efficient initiators for the ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of LLA in toluene at 130 °C. Kinetic studies revealed that in most cases the polymerization yield was quantitative and the molecular weight increased linearly with time, leading to well‐defined PLLA with narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n ≤ 1.1). LLA was also polymerized by the in situ formation of the initiating system after mixing IndTiCl₃, benzyl alcohol, BzOH, and NEt₃. The thermal properties of the produced polymers were examined by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The activation energy of the thermal decomposition was calculated by the Ozawa–Flynn–Wall and Kissinger methods. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Solvent‐free inkjet printing process for the fabrication of conductive,transparent, and flexible ionic liquid‐polymer gel structures

A new and solvent‐free process for the fabrication of inkjet printed ionic liquid‐polymer gel microstructures with high‐resolution (line widths of ～40 μm), good electrical conductivity (5–30 mS cm^?1), optical transparency, and mechanical flexibility is presented. Carrying out the printing and polymerization process in nitrogen atmosphere eliminates the inhibiting influence of oxygen and guarantees homogeneously gelled structures. Careful selection and combination of ionic liquids (ILs) and unsaturated monomers makes it possible to achieve low viscosities which are printable with commercially available inkjet printers and printheads without adding extra solvents. By using different types and amounts of ILs and monomers the resulting properties of the printed IL‐polymer gels can be controlled in terms of ionic conductivity, optical transmission, and mechanical flexibility. Higher conductivities are possible by using a bifunctional instead of a monofunctional monomer, which allows one to lower the amount of monomer without loss in mechanical strength. Cast samples make it possible to obtain data of transmission (～90% for 170‐μm thick films) and mechanical flexibility (E = 0.02–0.23 MPa) of bulk material. Comparing electrical conductivity of printed and cast samples, the higher values of printed samples indicate the conductivity enhancing influence of moisture absorbed from the surrounding atmosphere after the fabrication process. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Novel non-chelated cobalt(II) benzimidazole complex catalysts: Synthesis, crystal structures and cocatalyst effect in vinyl polymerization of norbornene

The novel non-chelated monodentate benzimidazole (BI) complexes CoCl₂(BI)₂ (1)-(3), where BI = 1-(2-methoxybenzyl)- 2-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1H-benzimidazole (1), BI = 2-(2,6-difluorophenyl)-1H-benzimidazole (2) and 2-methyl-1H-benzimidazole (3) were synthesized and characterized by single X-ray crystallography. Unexpectedly, in solid state these complexes show similar coordination behavior to their analogue nickel(II) benzimidazole complexes such as inter-molecular H-bonding pattern and presence of acetonitrile solvent molecules per unit of complex molecule. Moreover, among these cobalt catalysts 1-3, similar trend to that of nickel catalysts is observed for metal-to-nitrogen (M-X) coordination bond length and halogen-metal-halogen (X-M-X) bond angle. But unlike nickel(II) benzimidazole complexes, these catalysts show very low activity for vinyl polymerization of norbornene (NB) upon activation with methylaluminoxane (MAO); however, the activity abruptly increased in modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO). The presence of a small amount of toluene strongly hampered the activity, and the use of dry methylaluminoxane (dMAO) as a cocatalyst did not result in a high activity. The use of toluene-free solid modified methylaluminoxane (sMMAO) is found to be the best cocatalyst, where the highest activity of value 3.9 × 10⁷ g of PNB mol_Co⁻¹ h⁻¹ was achieved for 3/sMMAO at 30 °C.