Interfacial living radical copolymerization of oil‐ and water‐soluble comonomers to form composite polymer capsules

The suspension copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with hydroxy‐functional poly(ethylene glycol) monomethacrylate (PEGMA) by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) yielded soluble, controlled‐molecular‐weight amphiphilic copolymers (weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight <1.3). Despite extensive partitioning of PEGMA into the water phase, copolymers containing up to 24 mol % PEGMA were formed in the oil phase, from comonomer feeds containing 30 mol % PEGMA. Conversions by suspension polymerization were comparable to those obtained by solution polymerization, at over 70%. Suspension copolymers with high PEGMA contents contained high‐molecular‐weight polymer formed by uncontrolled polymerization, unless poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) was added to displace the growing polymer from the interface. The addition of diethylene glycol dimethacrylate gave capsules at 17 mol % PEGMA with ATRP, whereas conventional free‐radical polymerization required 24 mol % PEGMA to form capsules. The lower PEGMA level required for capsule formation with ATRP was attributed to the lower rates of propagation and crosslinking and to improved incorporation of PEGMA into the final gels. Suspension ATRP with 24 mol % PEGMA in the feed gave two‐layer capsule walls consisting of an inner layer visible by transmission electron microscopy and an outer layer visible by both transmission electron microscopy and environmental scanning electron microscopy, which indicated a compositional gradient across the capsule wall. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 156–171, 2006     

Novel siloxane‐carrying dithiol derived from 5‐membered cyclic dithiocarbonate and its curing reactions for coating application

A new efficient and straightforward method to convert amines into siloxane‐thiol hybrid molecules was developed. The method relies on the nucleophilic addition of amines to a cyclic dithiocarbonate having siloxane moiety (DTC‐Si), and the successive ring‐opening reaction of the dithiocarbonate moiety to give the corresponding acyclic thiourethane having a thiol moiety. Based on this method, amine‐terminated poly(propylene glycol) was successfully transformed into the corresponding polyether having thiol‐terminals and siloxane groups. In the presence of moisture, the alkoxysilyl moiety underwent condensation reaction to make the polyether cured into a transparent resin having solvent‐resistance. Addition of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (Bis A‐DGE) to the curing process resulted in two simultaneous reactions, i.e., (1) condensation of siloxane part and (2) addition reaction of the thiol terminal and the epoxide group. When this curing process was carried out on a glass surface, the siloxane part reacted with silanol group on the surface, forming a coating layer having excellent mechanical toughness graded as maximum 7H by pencil toughness test (JIS‐K5400). © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5119–5126, 2005     

Simultaneous construction of polymer backbone and side chains by three‐component polycondensation. Synthesis of polyethers with propargyl side chains from dialdehydes,alkylene bis(trimethylsilyl) ethers,and allenyltrimethylsilane

Polyethers with propargyl side chains were synthesized by the acid‐catalyzed reaction of dialdehydes 1 , alkylene bis(trimethylsilyl) ethers 2 , and allenyltrimethylsilane 4 . When ethylene glycol bis(trimethylsilyl) ether was used as 2 , only oligomer was obtained. However, the use of 2 with longer carbon chains gave the desired polyethers consisting of 1 , 2 , and 4 in the molar ratio 1:1:2 in good yields in the presence of 10 mol % triphenylmethyl perchlorate (TrClO₄) at ?20 °C. This polyether was treated with organometallic reagents such as Co complex or CuCl to give a cross‐linked polymer. This polymer synthesis is unusual in that it concurrently constructs both the polymer backbone and the functional side chains from three starting compounds. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5440–5448, 2005     

AGET ATRP of water‐soluble PEGMA: Fast living radical polymerization mediated by iron catalyst

In this work, living radical polymerizations of a water‐soluble monomer poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether methacylate (PEGMA) in bulk with low‐toxic iron catalyst system, including iron chloride hexahydrate and triphenylphosphine, were carried out successfully. Effect of reaction temperature and catalyst concentration on the polymerization of PEGMA was investigated. The polymerization kinetics showed the features of “living”/controlled radical polymerization. For example, M_n,GPC values of the resultant polymers increased linearly with monomer conversion. A faster polymerization of PEGMA could be obtained in the presence of a reducing agent Fe(0) wire or ascorbic acid. In the case of Fe(0) wire as the reducing agent, a monomer conversion of 80% was obtained in 80 min of reaction time at 90 °C, yielding a water‐soluble poly(PEGMA) with M_n = 65,500 g mol^?1 and M_w/M_n = 1.39. The features of “living”/controlled radical polymerization of PEGMA were verified by analysis of chain‐end and chain‐extension experiments. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Thermoresponsive copolymers of methacrylic acid and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate

Copolymers of methacrylic acid (MAA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) were prepared and their cloud points in aqueous solution were studied as a function of comonomer ratio, solution pH, and presence of hydrophobic comonomers. Under acidic conditions, the cloud point falls below 0 °C for copolymers with between 25% to 60% ether content, because of the formation of hydrophobic H‐bonded ether–acid complexes. The cloud point also decreases with solution pH. For equivalent ether to acid ratios, the cloud point decreases with decreasing PEG chain length, because of the presence of a larger number of hydrophobic methyl and methacrylate groups. Similarly, the cloud point decreases upon incorporation of hydrophobic comonomers such as butyl, lauryl, or glycidyl methacrylates. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 6095–6104, 2005     

Versatile route to centro-substituted triquinacene derivatives: synthesis of 10-phenyltriquinacene

[reaction: see text] A versatile route to prepare centro-substituted triquinacene derivatives (1, R = various substituents), as exemplified by the preparation of 10-phenyltriquinacene (1, R = Ph), is reported. The quaternary, centro substituent (C-10) was installed by a trimethylsilyl chloride-promoted conjugate addition reaction of an organocuprate, derived from phenylmagnesium bromide, and the protected bicyclic enone (11). The resultant trimethylsilyl enol ether was then converted regioselectively to the C-2-allylated conjugate addition products (13, R = Ph). The allyl moiety, following oxidative cleavage of the carbon-carbon double bond, was used to elaborate the tricyclic ring system by an intramolecular aldol/acetal deprotection reaction. The product of this reaction was then converted to the target compound using a standard series of functional group transformation reactions.     

Functionalization of nylon membranes via surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization

The ability to manipulate and control the surface properties of nylons is of crucial importance to their widespread applications. In this work, surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) is employed to tailor the functionality of the nylon membrane and pore surfaces in a well-controlled manner. A simple two-step method, involving the activation of surface amide groups with formaldehyde and the reaction of the resulting N-methylol polyamide with 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide, was first developed for the covalent immobilization of ATRP initiators on the nylon membrane and its pore surfaces. Functional polymer brushes of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and poly(ethylene glycol)monomethacrylate (PEGMA) were prepared via surface-initiated ATRP from the nylon membranes. A kinetics study revealed that the chain growth from the membranes was consistent with a "controlled" process. The dormant chain ends of the grafted HEMA polymer (P(HEMA)) and PEGMA polymer (P(PEGMA)) on the nylon membranes could be reactivated for the consecutive surface-initiated ATRP to produce the corresponding nylon membranes functionalized by P(HEMA)-b-P(PEGMA) and P(PEGMA)-b-P(HEMA) diblock copolymer brushes. In addition, membranes with grafted P(HEMA) and P(PEGMA) brushes exhibited good resistance to protein adsorption and fouling under continuous-flow conditions.     

Synthesis of polymers bearing proline moieties in the side chains and their application as catalysts for asymmetric induction

Novel polyphenylacetylene and polystyrene derivatives carrying L ‐proline moieties at the side chains were synthesized by the rhodium‐catalyzed and radical polymerizations of the corresponding monomers. The polyphenylacetylene derivatives showed Cotton effects at the absorption region of the main chain, indicating that the polymers adopt helical conformations with predominantly one‐handed screw sense. The polymers catalyzed the asymmetric aldol reactions of acetone with aromatic aldehydes, and cyclohexanone with p‐nitrobenzaldehyde. The enantioselectivities largely depended on the reaction conditions. In the asymmetric aldol reaction of acetone with aromatic aldehydes, the R‐enantiomeric products were predominantly obtained except the cases with the polymer catalyst in CHCl₃. The ee of the products became higher as the reaction temperature was decreased. The polymeric catalysts were recoverable from the reaction mixture by filtration, and the recovered ones catalyzed the asymmetric aldol reaction of acetone with p‐nitrobenzaldehyde without decreasing the product yield and ee. The ee was improved using the copolymers of L ‐proline‐based and nonchiral monomers as catalysts. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Magnesium bromide mediated highly diastereoselective heterogeneous hydrogenation of olefins

Palladium on carbon combined with magnesium bromide catalyzed hydrogenation of Baylis-Hillman olefins to afford the corresponding aldol derivatives in a highly syn-diastereoselective manner is described. [reaction: see text]     

Synthesis of dendrimers through divergent iterative thio‐bromo “Click” chemistry

The development of a novel nucleophilic thio‐bromo “Click” reaction, specifically base‐mediated thioetherification of thioglycerol with α‐bromoesters, is reported. Combination of this thio‐bromo click reaction with subsequent acylation with 2‐bromopropionyl bromide provides an iterative two‐step divergent growth approach to the synthesis of a new class of poly(thioglycerol‐2‐propionate) (PTP) dendrimers. This approach is demonstrated in the rapid preparation of four generation (G1–G4) of PTP dendrimers with high‐structural fidelity. The isolated G1–G4 bromide‐terminated dendrimers can be used directly as dendritic macroinitiators for the synthesis of star‐polymers via SET‐LRP. Additionally, the intermediate hydroxy‐terminated dendrimers are analogs of other water‐soluble polyester and polyether dendrimers. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3931–3939, 2009     

Pyrrolidine as an efficient organocatalyst for direct aldol reaction of trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal with ketones

Pyrrolidine-catalyzed aldol reaction of trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal (1) with ketones or aldehydes was described. In the presence of 20 mol % of pyrrolidine, the reaction proceeded smoothly at room temperature to afford the aldol products in good to excellent yields (up to 95%). Pyrrolidine showed a much higher catalytic activity than piperidine in the reaction with less reactive ketones. GC analysis clearly indicated that the catalyst and the enamine intermediates were kept at extremely low concentration during the reaction. Based on these observations, we suggested that formation of the enamine would be a rate-determining step for the catalytic aldol reaction. In addition, the asymmetric aldol reaction of 1 with cyclohexanone catalyzed by l-proline derivatives was also discussed.     

Alkylation, aldol, and related reactions of O-alkanoyl- and 2-alkenoylTEMPOs (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl): insight into the reactivity of their anionic species in comparison with esters and amides

The lithium anionic species generated from O-alkanoylTEMPOs upon treatment with LDA were first employed as a nucleophile for alkylation, Michael addition, direct aldol reaction, and others. The alkylation occurred smoothly at the methylene carbon, and no alkylation was found in the isobutyryl analogue, while silylation was scarcely attainable. Substitutions of the heteroatom were achieved by reaction with PhSSPh and DEAD. The reactivity of these anionic species is successfully extended to aldol reactions in which moderate anti or syn selectivity was executed with propionyl derivatives. Tandem Michael addition of lithium amide followed by aldol reaction was performed on the O-crotonoylTEMPOs.     

Preparation of new polyether with oxetane pendant group

A new oxetane-containing polyether was synthesized by polycondensation of bisphenol-AF (BPAF) with 3,3-bis(chloromethyl)oxetane (BCMO) using the phase-transfer catalyzed method. The polycondensation proceeded very smoothly in aromatic solvents, catalyzed by quaternary ammonium or phosphonium salts, such as tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) and tetrabutylphosphonium bromide (TBPB), to afford the polymer with high yield and molecular weight. Further, a polymer with relatively high molecular weight was obtained when the reactions were carried out in aromatic and lipophilic solvents such as benzene and nitrobenzene. The modification of this oxetane-containing polyether was easily achieved by carrying out ring-opening of the oxetane ring by using hydrogen chloride in methylene chloride, which produced a functional polymer containing hydroxyl and chloro groups. The oxetane-containing polyether was observed to be soluble in chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons such as methylene chloride and chloroform, as well as polar solvents such as DMSO, DMF, and DMAc, and also some common organic solvents such as benzene and toluene. However, it was insoluble in both aliphatic hydrocarbons as well as alcoholic solvents. The oxetane-containing polyether was observed to start losing weight at around 300°C under nitrogen atmosphere, and 10% weight loss was measured to be 411°C. The glass transition temperature of the oxetane-containing polyether was measured to be 134°C and the wide-angle X-ray diffraction pattern revealed this polymer to be semicrystalline. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 103–107, 1998     

Simultaneous construction of a polyether backbone and a variety of keto side chains by three‐component polycondensation: An improved method for the use of a variety of silyl enol ethers

For the synthesis of polyethers with a variety of keto side chains in a one‐step reaction, the three‐component polycondensation of dialdehydes, diol disilyl ethers, and silyl enol ethers of ketones was investigated. The method of monomer addition strongly affected the molecular weight of polymers and was optimized to yield high molecular weight polymers by model reactions. A variety of dialdehydes, diol disilyl ethers, and silyl enol ethers were polymerized in the presence of a catalytic amount of triphenylmethyl (trityl) perchlorate in CH₂Cl₂ at −78 °C according to the method of monomer addition. This polymer synthesis was unusual in that it concurrently constructed both the polyether backbone and the keto side chains from three starting compounds. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 179–188, 2000     

Deswelling comparison of temperature‐sensitive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) microgels containing functional ?OH groups with different hydrophilic long side chains

Two monomers containing functional ? OH groups with different hydrophilic long side chains (viz., triethyleneglycol methacrylate (TREGMA) and polyethyleneglycol methacrylate (PEGMA)) were selected to modify the swelling/deswelling behavior of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) microgels. Dynamic scattering technique, turbidimetric method, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were employed to investigate the deswelling behavior of the microgels. Experimental results show that the two series of microgels are identical in that incorporation of hydrophilic chains containing ? OH groups causes the volume‐phase transition temperature (VPTT) of pNIPAM microgels to shift to higher temperature; the more hydrophilic the side chains, the more the VPTTs shift. Although PEGMA are more effective in elevating the VPTTs of pNIPAM microgels than TREGMA, p(NIPAM‐co‐TREGMA) microgels show better deswelling properties than p(NIPAM‐co‐PEGMA) microgels, i.e., they have much larger deswelling ratios (α) and display less continuous volume‐phase transition. The VPTTs of the modified microgels can be modulated to well close to the normal body temperature of human beings. These characteristics along with the functional ? OH groups they contain make the microgels competitive candidates for biomaterials. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 3575–3583, 2005     

Three‐arm star block copolymers of aromatic polyether and polystyrene from chain‐growth condensation polymerization,atom transfer radical polymerization,and click reaction

Well‐defined (AB)₃ type star block copolymer consisting of aromatic polyether arms as the A segment and polystyrene (PSt) arms as the B segment was prepared using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), chain‐growth condensation polymerization (CGCP), and click reaction. ATRP of styrene was carried out in the presence of 2,4,6‐tris(bromomethyl)mesitylene as a trifunctional initiator, and then the terminal bromines of the polymer were transformed to azide groups with NaN₃. The azide groups were converted to 4‐fluorobenzophenone moieties as CGCP initiator units by click reaction. However, when CGCP was attempted, a small amount of unreacted initiator units remained. Therefore, the azide‐terminated PSt was then used for click reaction with alkyne‐terminated aromatic polyether, obtained by CGCP with an initiator bearing an acetylene unit. Excess alkyne‐terminated aromatic polyether was removed from the crude product by means of preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to yield the (AB)₃ type star block copolymer (M_n = 9910, M_w/M_n = 1.10). This star block copolymer, which contains aromatic polyether segments with low solubility in the shell unit, exhibited lower solubility than A₂B or AB₂ type miktoarm star copolymers. In addition, the obtained star block copolymer self‐assembled to form spherical aggregates in solution and plate‐like structures in film. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Radical‐mediated modification of polypropylene: Selective grafting via polyallyl coagents

Selective graft modifications of polypropylene (PP) are demonstrated in which desirable functionality is introduced without the degradation that accompanies conventional radical‐mediated processes. A range of modification strategies is presented, each exploiting triallyl trimellitate (TATM) or its derivatives to counteract the effects of macroradical fragmentation on the molecular weight. Model compound studies, as well as examinations of atactic PP reaction products, show that allylic ester activation occurs predominately by a radical‐addition/hydrogen‐transfer sequence, with a limited propensity for telomerization. The cografting of TATM and maleic anhydride leads to maleated PP of a high melt viscosity, whereas the apparent incompatibility of TATM with vinyltrimethoxysilane requires the use of TATM‐assisted thiol–ene addition and/or diallyl silane grafting to produce moisture‐curable PP derivatives. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4882–4893, 2005     

Formation of Dimers of Some 2‐Substituted Indan‐1‐one Derivatives during Base‐Mediated Cross‐Aldol Condensation

Unexpected dimers of some 2‐substituted indan‐1‐one derivatives were isolated during aldol condensation of indan‐1‐one with various aldehydes in the presence of KOH (see Scheme). Monomeric products, usually expected from aldol condensation, further underwent a base‐catalyzed nucleophilic addition reaction to their dimeric form in some cases. The structures of these dimers were characterized by using various spectral techniques and in one case, structural details were determined from a high‐resolution crystallographic analysis.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of PNIPAM‐co‐PEGMA copolymer hydrophilic to hydrophobic transition in NaCl solution

Classical molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to investigate the hydrophilic to hydrophobic transition of PNIPAM‐co‐PEGMA close to its lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in 1 M NaCl solution. PNIPAM‐co‐PEGMA is a copolymer of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA). The copolymer consists of 38 monomer units of NIPAM with two PEGMA chains attached to the PNIAPM backbone. The PNIPAM‐co‐PEGMA was observed to go through the hydrophilic?hydrophobic conformational change for simulations at temperature slightly above its LCST. Na⁺ ions were found to bind strongly and directly with amide O, even more strongly with the O atoms on PEGAMS chains, whereas Cl^? ions only exhibit weak interaction with the polymer. Significantly a novel caged stable metal‐organic complex involving a Na⁺ ion coordinated by six O atoms from the copolymer was observed after the PNIPAM‐co‐PEGMA copolymer went through conformational transition to form a hydrophobic folded structure. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Development of an efficient route to hyperbranched poly(arylene ether sulfone)s

A two‐step route to an AB₂ monomer that underwent polymerization via nucleophilic aromatic substitution to afford hyperbranched poly(arylene ether sulfone)s (HB PAES) was developed. The synthesis of 3,5‐difluoro‐4′‐hydroxydiphenyl sulfone ( 4 ) was accomplished by the reaction of 3,5‐difluorophenylmagnesium bromide with 4‐methoxyphenylsulfonyl chloride, followed by deprotection of the phenol group with HBr in acetic acid. The polymerization of 4 in the presence of 3,4,5‐trifluorophenylsulfonyl benzene or tris(3,4,5‐trifluorophenyl)phosphine oxide as a core molecule afforded HB PAES with number‐average molecular weights ranging from 3400 to 8400 Da and polydispersity index values ranging from 1.5 to 4.8. The presence of cyclic oligomeric species, formed by an intramolecular cyclization process, was a contributing factor to the relatively low molecular weights. The degree of branching (DB) of the HB PAES samples was estimated by a comparison of the ¹⁹F NMR spectra of the polymer samples with those of a series of model compounds, and DB values ranging from 0.51 to 0.70 were determined. The glass‐transition temperatures for the HB PAES samples were in the range of 205–222 °C, as determined by differential scanning calorimetry. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43:3178–3187, 2005