Well‐defined polyoxazoline‐based alkoxyamines as efficient macroinitiators in nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization of styrene

The synthesis of two well‐defined 2,2,5‐trimethyl‐4‐phenyl‐3‐azahexane‐3‐nitroxide‐terminated poly(2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline) with narrow dispersity (M_w/M_n = 1.1) has been achieved for the first time. The insertion of the alkoxyamine end groups at one or both ends of poly(2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline) (PMEOX) chains has been successfully done using a method based on “terminating reagent method.” These macroinitiators have molecular weights ranging from 6.3 × 10³ to 9.4 × 10³ g mol^?1. In contrast, attempt to introduce the alkoxyamine group at one end of PMEOX chain through the “initiator method” has furnished a mixture of alkoxyamine‐graft polyoxazolines because of rearrangement of alkoxyamine occurring during the synthesis of PMEOX. The macroinitiators obtained by terminating reagent method have been used successfully for polymerization of styrene by nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization (NMP), which exhibited all the expected features of a controlled system. The control of NMP has been proved by a good agreement between theoretical and experimental molecular weights and by narrow dispersity (M_w/M_n < 1.2). Different types of well‐defined multiblock copolymers have been prepared: diblock copolymers poly[(2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline)‐b‐(styrene)] (PMEOX‐b‐PS) and, for the first time, triblock copolymers poly[(styrene)‐b‐(2‐methyl‐2‐oxazoline)‐b‐(styrene)] (PS‐b‐PMEOX‐b‐PS). © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011.     

Facile and versatile synthesis of rod‐coil poly(3‐hexylthiophene)‐based block copolymers by nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization

A well‐defined and monofunctional poly(3‐hexylthiophene)‐based (P3HT) macroinitiator has been obtained through a clean, simple, and an efficient multistep synthesis process. The macroinitiator is obtained via intermolecular radical 1,2‐addition onto an ω‐acrylate‐terminated P3HT macromonomer. In a second step, well‐defined rod‐coil block copolymers were obtained by nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization (NMRP) using the so‐called Blocbuilder^®. The polymerization was found to be controlled with various monomers such as styrene, isoprene, 4‐vinylpyridine, or methyl acrylate. This process constitutes a very promising way to obtain versatile and clean materials for organic electronics. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Preparation of poly(ethylene oxide)‐block‐poly(isoprene) by nitroxide‐mediated free radical polymerization from PEO macroinitiators

Amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)‐block‐poly(isoprene) (PEO‐b‐PI) diblock copolymers were prepared by nitroxide‐mediated polymerization of isoprene from alkoxyamine‐terminal poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). PEO monomethyl ether (M_n ≈ 5200 g/mol) was functionalized by esterification with 2‐bromopropionyl bromide with subsequent copper‐mediated replacement of the terminal bromine with 2,2,5‐trimethyl‐4‐phenyl‐3‐azahexane‐3‐nitroxide. The resulting PEO‐alkoxyamine macroinitiator was used to initiate polymerization of isoprene in bulk and in solution at 125 °C to yield PEO‐b‐PI block copolymers with narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n ≤ 1.1). Polymerizations were first order in isoprene through 35% conversion. Micellar aggregates of PEO‐b‐PI in aqueous solution were crosslinked by treatment with a water‐soluble redox initiating system, and persistent micellar structures were observed in the dry state by AFM. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2977–2984, 2005     

Synthesis of poly(chloromethylstyrene‐b‐styrene) block copolymers by controlled free‐radical polymerization

The controlled free‐radical polymerization of styrene and chloromethylstyrene monomers in the presence of 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyloxyl (TEMPO) has been studied with the aim of synthesizing block copolymers with well‐defined structures. First, TEMPO‐capped poly(chloromethylstyrene) was prepared. Among several initiating systems [self‐initiation, dicumyl peroxide, and 2,2′‐azobis(isobutyronitrile)], the last offered the best compromise for obtaining a good control of the polymerization and a fast polymerization rate. The rate of the TEMPO‐mediated polymerization of chloromethylstyrene was independent of the initial concentration of TEMPO but unexpectedly higher than the rate of the thermal self‐initiated polymerization of chloromethylstyrene. Transfer reactions to the chloromethyl groups were thought to play an important role in the polymerization kinetics and the polydispersity index of the resulting poly(chloromethylstyrene). Second, this first block was used as a macroinitiator in the polymerization of styrene to obtain the desired poly(chloromethylstyrene‐b‐styrene) block copolymer. The kinetic modeling of the block copolymerization was in good agreement with experimental data. The block copolymers obtained in this work exhibited a low polydispersity index (weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight < 1.5) and could be chemically modified with nucleophilic substitution reactions on the benzylic site, opening the way to a great variety of architectures. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3845–3854, 2000     

Vinyl phenylboronic acid controlling co‐monomer for nitroxide mediated synthesis of thermoresponsive poly(2‐N morpholinoethyl methacrylate)

Low concentrations of 4‐vinylphenylboronic acid (VPBA) were copolymerized with 2‐N‐morpholinoethyl methacrylate (MEMA) by nitroxide mediated polymerization using BlocBuilder? unimolecular initiator at 80 to 90 °C. The MEMA/VPBA copolymerizations were performed at initial feed compositions (f_VPBA,0) of 0.05 to 0.10 VPBA, with f_VPBA,0 = 0.10 using dimethylacetamide (DMAc) solvent being most effective, as seen by a linear increase in number average molecular weight, M_n, versus conversion and low dispersity, ? < 1.40. The copolymers were further chain‐extended with a second batch of VPBA, resulting in a block copolymer with monomodal molecular weight distribution and ? = 1.66. For MEMA/VPBA copolymers, increases in VPBA composition and polymer solution concentration resulted in decreases in the cloud point temperature (CPT, typically varied between 27.4–37.8 °C) and CPT increased from 31.2 to 33.8 °C to about 88 °C with decreases in pH from 7 to 4. Rheological tests with small angle light scattering (SALS) confirmed CPTs measured by UV‐Vis and DLS. These copolymers were targeted as models to combine possible glucose‐sensing boronic acid functionality the thermoresponsiveness provided by MEMA groups. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1560–1572     

Microwave‐assisted nitroxide‐mediated polymerization for water‐soluble homopolymers and block copolymers synthesis in homogeneous aqueous solution

We performed a critical reinvestigation of microwave enhancement of nitroxide‐mediated polymerization (NMP) of acrylamide (AM) in aqueous media in the dynamic (DYN) mode with a combination of a conventional hydrosoluble radical initiator and a β‐phosphonylated nitroxide (SG1). Based on the results of our previous work, a complementary series of polymerization reactions was carried out between 130 and 160 °C using only the DYN mode to ascertain the existence of a microwave effect. The polymer conversion (p), molar masses, polydispersity index, and viscosity of each sample were measured. The temperature was monitored inside and outside of the vessel using an optical fiber sensor and an IR sensor, respectively. Microwave enhancement of polymerization, temperature control and viscosity of the reaction media were closely related. We also furthered the field of hydrophilic AB diblock copolymer synthesis using a tertiary SG1‐based macroalkoxyamine and directly synthesized both poly(acrylamide‐b‐sodium 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonate), a neutral‐b‐anionic diblock copolymer, and poly(acrylamide‐b‐3‐dimethyl(methacrylamidopropyl)ammonium propanesulfonate), a neutral‐b‐zwitterionic diblock copolymer, in homogeneous aqueous media. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Synthesis of bio-based poly(methacrylates) using SG1-containing amphiphilic macroinitiators by nitroxide mediated miniemulsion polymerization

SG1-based amphiphilic macroinitiators were synthesized from oligoethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate and 10 mol% acrylonitrile or styrene (as the controlling comonomer) to conduct the nitroxide mediated polymerization of bio-based methacrylic monomers (isobornyl methacrylate (IBOMA) and C13 alkyl methacrylate (C13MA)) in miniemulsion. The effect of the addition of surfactant (DOWFAX 8390), co-stabilizer (n-hexadecane) and different reaction temperatures (80, 90 and 100°C) on polymerization kinetics was studied. We found that the NMP of IBOMA/C13MA using amphiphilic macroalkoxyamines were most effective during miniemulsion polymerization (linear trend of M_n versus conversion and high latex stability) in presence of 2 wt% surfactant and 0.8 wt% co-stabilizer (relative to monomer) at 90°C. The effect of surfactant, co-stabilizer and temperature on particle size during the polymerization was studied and suggested a decrease in initial particle size with the addition of surfactant and co-stabilizer. Finally, the thermal properties of IBOMA/C13MA polymers, prepared by amphiphilic macroinitiators, were examined thoroughly, indicating a T_g in the range of −44°C < T_g < 109°C.     

“Smart” poly(2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate‐ran‐9‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)‐9H‐carbazole) copolymers synthesized by nitroxide mediated radical polymerization

A series of poly(2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate‐ran‐9‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)‐9H‐carbazole) (poly(DMAEMA‐ran‐VBK)) random copolymers, with VBK molar feed compositions f_VBK,0 = 0.02–0.09, were synthesized using 10 mol % [tert‐butyl[1‐(diethoxyphosphoryl)‐2,2‐dimethylpropyl]amino] nitroxide (SG1) relative to 2‐([tert‐butyl[1‐(diethoxyphosphoryl)‐2,2‐dimethylpropyl]amino]oxy)‐2‐methylpropionic acid (BlocBuilder) at 80 °C and 90 °C. Controlled polymerizations were observed, even with f_VBK,0 = 0.02, as reflected by a linear increase in number average molecular weight (M_n) versus conversion X ≤ 0.6 with final copolymers characterized by relatively narrow, monomodal molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n ≈ 1.5). Poly(DMAEMA‐ran‐VBK) copolymers were deemed sufficiently pseudo‐“living” to reinitiate a second batch of N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (DMAA), with very few apparent dead chains, as indicated by the monomodal shift in the gel permeation chromatography chromatograms. Poly(DMAEMA‐ran‐VBK) random copolymers exhibited tuneable lower critical solution temperature (LCST), in aqueous solution, by modifying copolymer composition, solution pH and by the addition of the water‐soluble poly(DMAA) segment. ¹H NMR analysis determined that, in water, the VBK units of the poly(DMAEMA‐ran‐VBK) random copolymer were segregated to the interior of the copolymer aggregate regardless of solution temperature and that poly(DMAEMA‐ran‐VBK)‐b‐poly(DMAA) block copolymers formed micelles above the LCST. In addition, the final random copolymer and block copolymer exhibited temperature dependent fluorescence due to the VBK units. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Pyrrolidone‐functional smart polymers via nitroxide‐mediated polymerization

Nitroxide‐mediated polymerization (NMP) of N‐(2‐methacryloyloxyethyl) pyrrolidone (MAEPYR) with 2‐([tert‐butyl[1‐(diethoxyphosphoryl)‐2,2‐dimethylpropyl]amino]oxy)‐2‐methylpropanoic acid (BlocBuilder) initiator and N‐tert‐butyl‐N‐[1‐diethylphosphono‐(2,2‐dimethylpropyl)] (SG1) nitroxide permitted controlled synthesis of poly(N‐(2‐methacryloyloxyethyl)‐pyrrolidone‐stat‐9‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)‐9H‐carbazole) (poly(MAEPYR‐stat‐VBK)) statistical copolymers. With at least 5 mol % VBK, the dispersity ? of the copolymers was below 1.4 at conversions less than 50%. At conversions higher than 50%, and at lower VBK feed content, there was a significant amount of termination reactions, which broadened the molecular weight distribution of the final polymers (? = 1.4–2.3). The MAEPYR‐rich statistical copolymers were subsequently tested for thermoresponsive behavior in aqueous media. The cloud point temperatures (CPTs) in aqueous solution were tuned by changing the VBK composition, solution concentration, and heating rate, and the transitions were thermally reversible with partial loss of reversibility at higher heating rates. The CPT decreased from 59.0 to 49.7 °C with addition of only 1 mol % of VBK in the copolymer, and at more than 6 mol % VBK, the copolymer was water insoluble. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2011–2024     

Synthesis of thermo‐responsive poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam)‐containing block copolymers by cobalt‐mediated radical polymerization

Thermo‐responsive block copolymers based on poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL) have been prepared by cobalt‐mediated radical polymerization (CMRP) for the first time. The homopolymerization of NVCL was controlled by bis(acetylacetonato)cobalt(II) and a molecular weight as high as 46,000 g/mol could be reached with a low polydispersity. The polymerization of NVCL was also initiated from a poly(vinyl acetate)‐Co(acac)₂ (PVAc‐Co(acac)₂) macroinitiator to yield well‐defined PVAc‐b‐PNVCL block copolymers with a low polydispersity (M_w/M_n = 1.1) up to high molecular weights (M_n = 87,000 g/mol), which constitutes a significant improvement over other techniques. The amphiphilic PVAc‐b‐PNVCL copolymers were hydrolyzed into unprecedented double hydrophilic poly(vinyl alcohol)‐b‐PNVCL (PVOH‐b‐PNVCL) copolymers and their temperature‐dependent solution behavior was studied by turbidimetry and dynamic light scattering. Finally, the so‐called cobalt‐mediated radical coupling (CMRC) reaction was implemented to PVAc‐b‐PNVCL‐Co(acac)₂ precursors to yield novel PVAc‐b‐PNVCL‐b‐PVAc symmetrical triblock copolymers. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Nitroxide‐mediated controlled radical polymerizations of styrene derivatives

Several (protected) amine and alcohol functionalized styrene monomers were synthesized via readily accessible synthetic routes. The controlled radical copolymerization of these functionalized styrene monomers with styrene was performed using two alkoxyamines, namely N‐(2‐methylpropyl)‐N‐(1‐diethylphosphono‐2,2‐dimethylpropyl)‐O‐(2‐carboxylprop‐2‐yl) hydroxylamine (MAMA‐SG1) and N‐tert‐butyl‐N‐(2‐methyl‐1‐phenylpropyl)‐O‐(1‐phenylethyl)hydroxylamine. The copolymers obtained showed low polydispersities, controlled molecular weights, and a random topology. The thermal properties of the polymers were determined with differential scanning calorimetry. All polymers were amorphous and showed glass transition temperatures between 40 and 111 °C. Deprotection of the copolymers afforded amine or alcohol pendant polystyrenes which were readily functionalized with isocyanates. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Synthesis of β‐myrcene/glycidyl methacrylate statistical and amphiphilic diblock copolymers by SG1 nitroxide‐mediated controlled radical polymerization

Bulk nitroxide‐mediated polymerization (NMP) of β‐myrcene (My)/glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) mixtures with varying GMA molar feed fraction (f_GMA,0 = 0.10–0.91) was accomplished at 120 °C, initiated by SG1‐based alkoxyamine bearing a N‐succinimidyl ester group (NHS‐BlocBuilder). Low dispersity My/GMA copolymers (Đ < 1.56) with slight number‐average molecular weights (M_ns) deviations from predicted values (M_n,theo with M_n/M_n,theo > 70%) were obtained. The copolymerization was revealed to be statistical, confirmed via Fineman–Ross (r_My = 0.80 ± 0.31 and r_GMA = 0.71 ± 0.15) and Kelen‐Tüdös (r_My = 0.48 ± 0.12 and r_GMA = 0.53 ± 0.18) approaches. Glass transition temperature (T_g) of the statistical P(My‐stat‐GMA)s increased from −77 to +43 °C as the GMA molar fraction incorporated (F_GMA) increased from 0.10 to 0.90. High SG1 chain‐end fidelity for My‐rich and GMA‐rich P(My‐stat‐GMA)s was assessed by phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance (³¹P NMR, SG1 fraction >69 mol %) and chain‐extensions in toluene with My, GMA and styrene (S) (monomodal shift in M_n). Last, diblock P(My‐b‐GMA) was made and treated with morpholine to produce amphiphilic copolymer able to self‐organize into micelles. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 860–878     

ABA‐type liquid crystalline triblock copolymers via nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization: Design,synthesis, and morphologies

We have designed and synthesized rod–coil–rod triblock copolymers of controlled molecular weight by two‐step nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization, where the rod part consists of “mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymer” (MJLCP). The MJLCP segment examined in our studies is poly{2,5‐bis[(4‐methoxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl]styrene} (MPCS) while the coil part is polyisoprene (PI). Characterization of the triblock copolymers by GPC, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies, TGA, DSC confirmed that the triblock copolymers were comprised of microphase‐separated low T_g amorphous PI and high T_g PMPCS blocks. Analysis of POM and 1D, 2D‐WAXD demonstrated that the triblock copolymers formed nematic liquid crystal phase. Morphological studies using TEM indicated the sample formed lamellar structure. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5949–5956, 2007     

Synthesis of poly(n‐hexyl isocyanate‐b‐N‐vinylpyrrolidone) block copolymers by the combination of anionic and nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerizations: Micellization properties in aqueous solutions

A combination of anionic and nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerizations (dual initiator) was employed for the synthesis of poly(n‐hexyl isocyanate‐b‐N‐vinylpyrrolidone) (PHIC‐b‐PNVP) block copolymers. The samples were characterized with a size exclusion chromatograph equipped with refractive‐index and light scattering detectors as well as ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Relatively good control over the molecular weights was achieved. However, rather broad molecular weight distributions were obtained. The micellar properties of the PHIC‐b‐PNVP block copolymers were studied in water, which is a selective solvent for the poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone) blocks. Static and dynamic light scattering revealed the presence of equilibrium between the micelles and clusters. The clusters partially deaggregated with increasing temperature. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5719–5728, 2006     

Cobalt‐mediated radical polymerization routes to poly(vinyl ester) block copolymers

Cobalt‐mediated radical polymerizations (CMRPs) utilizing redox initiation are demonstrated to produce poly(vinyl ester) homopolymers derived from vinyl pivalate (VPv) and vinyl benzoate (VBz), and their block copolymers with vinyl acetate (VAc). Combining anhydrous Co(acac)₂, lauroyl peroxide, citric acid trisodium salt, and VPv at 30 °C results in controlled polymerizations that yield homopolymers with M_n = 2.5–27 kg/mol with M_w/M_n = 1.20–1.30. Homopolymerizations of scrupulously purified VBz proceed with lower levels of control as evidenced by broader polydispersities over a range of molecular weights (M_n = 4–16 kg/mol; M_w/M_n = 1.34–1.65), which may be interpreted in terms of the decreased nucleophilicity of these less electron donating propagating polymer chain ends. Based on these results, we demonstrate that sequential CMRP reactions present a viable route to microphase separated poly(vinyl ester) block copolymers as shown by small‐angle X‐ray scattering analyses. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

A minimal amount of acrylonitrile turns the nitroxide‐mediated polymerization of methyl methacrylate into an almost ideal controlled/living system

Nitroxide‐mediated controlled/living free‐radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by the SG1‐based alkoxyamine BlocBuilder was successfully performed in bulk at 80–99 °C with the help of a very small amount of acrylonitrile (AN, 2.2–8.8 mol %) as a comonomer. Well‐defined PMMA‐rich P(MMA‐co‐AN) copolymers were prepared with the number‐average molar mass, M_n, in the 6.1–32 kg mol^?1 range and polydispersity indexes as low as 1.24. Incorporation of AN in the copolymers was demonstrated by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, and its effect on the chain thermal properties was evaluated by DSC and TGA analyses. Investigation of chain‐end functionalization by an alkoxyamine group was performed by means of ³¹P NMR spectroscopy and chain extensions from a P(MMA‐co‐AN)‐SG1 macroinitiator. It demonstrated the very high proportion of SG1‐terminated polymer chains, which opened the door to block copolymer synthesis with a high quality of control. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 34–47, 2010     

Synthesis and evaluation of an ester‐functional alkoxyamine for nitroxide‐mediated polymerization

The ester‐functional alkoxyamine 2,2‐dimethyl‐3‐(1‐(4‐(methoxycarbonyl)phenyl)ethoxy)‐4‐(4‐(methoxycarbonyl)phenyl)‐3‐azapentane ( 2 ) was efficiently synthesized for use as a functional initiator in nitroxide‐mediated polymerization. Two equivalents of 1‐(4‐(methoxycarbonyl)phenyl)ethyl radical were added across the double bond of 2‐methyl‐2‐nitrosopropane to form alkoxyamine 2 , which was found to control the polymerization of styrene, isoprene, and n‐butyl acrylate. The ester moieties were hydrolyzed for subsequent esterification with 1‐pyrenebutanol to form a dipyrene‐labeled initiator that was used to probe nitroxide end‐group fidelity after styrene polymerization. High retention of nitroxide was confirmed by UV‐vis studies over a range of monomer conversions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 6342–6352, 2009     

Stimuli‐responsive 4‐acryloylmorpholine/4‐acryloylpiperidine copolymers via nitroxide mediated polymerization

4‐acryloylmorpholine/4‐acryloylpiperidine statistical copolymers were synthesized by nitroxide mediated polymerization (NMP) with BlocBuilder unimolecular initiator in dimethylformamide solution at 120 °C. The copolymers had narrow molecular weight distributions (dispersity ? = 1.25–1.35, number average molecular weights M _n = 8.5–13.7 kg mol^?1). The copolymer microstructure was essentially statistical (reactivity ratios r _4AP = 0.81 ± 0.73, r _4AM = 0.73 ± 0.68 based on non‐linear fitting of the Mayo‐Lewis equation). Cloud point temperatures (CPT) in aqueous media were tuned from 11 °C to 92 °C, merely by adjusting the initial monomer composition. Using NMP permitted sharper control of the CPT transitions, compared to the similar copolymer made using conventional radical polymerization. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55 , 2160–2170