Effect of monomer water solubility on cationic microemulsion polymerization of three components (water,surfactant, and monomer)

Here, we present the oil/water (O/W) microemulsion polymerization in three‐component microemulsions of n‐butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, and methyl acrylate, monomers with similar chemical structures but different water solubilities using the cationic surfactant dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide. The effects of monomer water solubility, initiator type and initial monomer concentration on the polymerization kinetics were studied. Reaction rates were high with final conversions between 70 and 98% depending on the monomer and reaction conditions. The final latexes were bluish, with a particle size ranging between 20 and 50 nm and polymer with molar masses in the order of 10⁶ g mol^?1. Increasing monomer water solubility resulted in a slower reaction rate, larger particles and a lower number density of particles. A higher reaction rate, larger average particle size and higher particle number density were obtained by increasing the monomer concentration. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

The influence of N‐vinyl pyrrolidone on polymerization kinetics and thermo‐mechanical properties of crosslinked acrylate polymers

Polymerization of multifunctional acrylate monomers generates crosslinked polymers that are noted for their mechanical strength, thermal stability, and chemical resistance. A common reactive diluent to photopolymerizable formulations is N‐vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP), which is known to reduce the inhibition of free radical photopolymerization by atmospheric oxygen. In this work, the copolymerization behavior of NVP was examined in acrylate monomers with two to five functional groups. At concentrations as low as 2 wt %, NVP increases the polymerization rate in copolymerization with multifunctional acrylate monomer. The relative rate enhancement associated with adding NVP increases dramatically as the number of acrylate double bonds changes from two to five. The influence of NVP on polymerization kinetics is related to synergistic cross‐propagation between NVP and acrylate monomer, which becomes increasingly favorable with diffusion limitations. This synergy extends bimolecular termination into higher double bond conversion through reaction diffusion controlled termination. Copolymerizing concentrations of 5–30 DB% NVP with diacrylate or pentaacrylate monomer also increases Young's modulus and the glass transition temperature (T_g) in comparison to neat acrylate polymers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4062–4073, 2007     

Diffusion mobility of reactants,phase equilibrium,and specific features of radical copolymerization kinetics in the nonyl acrylate/2‐methyl‐5‐vinyltetrazole system

Combined analysis of experimental data on monomer diffusion, phase equilibrium, and copolymerization kinetics in systems of monomers (nonyl acrylate and 2‐methyl‐5‐vinyltetrazole) as well as their copolymers and homopolymers was carried out. The composition of the mixture in the vicinity of the growing macroradical can differ significantly from the average composition in the whole reactor volume because of consumption of the more‐reactive reactant 2‐methyl‐5‐vinyltetrazole. Nonyl acrylate exhibited limited compatibility with copolymers enriched in 2‐methyl‐5‐vinyltetrazole and its homopolymer. Phase diagrams were obtained for the latter homopolymer. The concentration plots of the diffusion coefficients of both monomers in their copolymers of various compositions were determined. Microphase separation was observed at specific conversions in the reaction system where the composition of a copolymer and its concentration in a monomer solution approached the binodal of the phase diagram. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1383–1389, 2002     

A facile synthetic strategy for hyperbranched polymer via combining free radical telomerization and polycondensation

A facile strategy combining free radical telomerization and polycondensation to prepare hyperbranched polymers was developed. By selecting a suitable telogen and a vinyl monomer, the product obtained by telomerization could be regarded as an AB_n type monomer for preparing a hyperbranched polymer via conventional polycondensation. The principles for selecting vinyl monomers and telogens were proposed. The feed ratio of vinyl monomer to telogen was discussed in the theory. For demonstrating the strategy, methyl (meth)acrylate (MA or MMA) and 2‐mercaptoethanol were used as a vinyl monomer and a telogen, respectively. The two‐unit adduct of MA or MMA obtained after purifying was regarded as a model ABB′ monomer. The sequential transesterification demonstrated that the carboxylate group at the terminal unit has higher reactivity than that at penultimate unit because of the different substituents at the respective α‐positions, resulting in lower degree of branching (DB) of obtained polymer. As substitutes, 2‐hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate and thioglycolic acid were used as a vinyl monomer and a telogen, respectively. The results showed that the hyperbranched polymer obtained by using pseudo one‐pot approach had moderate DB. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 7543–7555, 2008     

Synthesis,characterization, and bulk properties of amphiphilic copolymers containing fluorinated methacrylates from sequential copper‐mediated radical polymerization

The partly fluorinated monomers, 2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl methacrylate (3FM), 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5‐octafluoropentyl methacrylate (8FM), and 1,1,2,2‐tetrahydroperfluorodecyl methacrylate (17FM) have been used in the preparation of block copolymers with methyl methacrylate (MMA), 2‐methoxyethyl acrylate (MEA), and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization. A kinetic study of the 3FM homopolymerization initiated with ethyl bromoisobutyrate and Cu(I)Br/N‐(n‐propyl)‐2‐pyridylmethanimine reveals a living/controlled polymerization in the range 80–110 °C, with apparent rate constants of 1.6 · 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ to 2.9 · 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹. Various 3FM containing block copolymers with MMA are prepared by sequential monomer addition or from a PMMA macroinitiator in all cases with controlled characteristics. Block copolymers of 3FM and PEGMA resulted in block copolymers with PDI < 1.22, whereas block copolymers from 3FM and MEA have less controlled characteristics. The block copolymers based on MMA with 8FM and 17 FM have PDI's < 1.30. The glass transition temperatures of the block copolymers are dominated by the majority monomer, as the sequential monomer addition results in too short pure blocks to induce observable microphase separation. The thermal stability of the fluorinated poly((meth)acrylate)s in inert atmosphere is less than that of corresponding nonfluorinated poly((meth)acrylate)s. The presence of fluorinated blocks significantly increases the advancing water contact angle of thin films compared to films of the nonfluorinated poly((meth)acrylate)s. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 8097–8111, 2008     

Influence of the secondary functionality on the radical‐vinyl chemistry of highly reactive monoacrylates

The impact of secondary functionalities on the radical‐vinyl chemistry of monoacrylates characterized by secondary functionalities that dramatically enhance their polymerization rate was elucidated utilizing experimental and computational techniques. Firstly, bulk interactions affecting the acrylate reactivity towards photopolymerization were removed by polymerizing at 5 wt % monomer in 1,4‐dioxane. Following deconvolution of bulk interactions impacting reactivity towards photopolymerization, a linear correlation between average polymerization rates and Michael addition reaction rate constants was observed on a logarithmic scale. This result indicates that the presence of the secondary functionality intramolecularly alters the monomer chemistry in a manner which impacts both of these distinct reaction types in a similar manner. These monomers exhibited reduced activation energies in both Michael addition and photopolymerization reactions as compared to hexyl acrylate. Reduction up to 20 ± 8 kJ mole^?1was observed for Michael addition reactions and 12 ± 1 kJ mole^?1 for photopolymerization reactions, thereby explaining the higher reactivity of the acrylates characterized by the secondary functionalities. Cyclic voltammetry experiments conducted to investigate the nature of the acrylic double bonds indicated that the rapidly polymerizing acrylates are more readily reduced as compared to traditional acrylates. Further, a distinct monotonic correlation of the irreversible cathodic peak potentials of the (meth)acrylates to photopolymerization and Michael addition reactivity was observed. The computationally estimated acrylic LUMO energies characterized by the secondary functionalities (?2.3 eV to ?2.7 eV) were also found to be lower relative to hexyl acrylate (?2.2 eV). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4859–4870, 2009     

Effect of Lewis and Brønsted acids on the homopolymerization of acrylates and their copolymerization with 1‐alkenes

The first copolymerization of acrylate and methacrylate with nonpolar 1‐alkenes in the presence of Brønsted acids as complexation agents has been reported. The addition of both homogeneous and heterogeneous Brønsted acids resulted in increased monomer conversion and 1‐alkene incorporation. Further, the heterogeneous Brønsted acids can be recycled without loss of activity. A direct correlation exists between the ability of the Lewis or Brønsted acid to bind to the ester group of the acrylate/methacrylate monomer and its ability to promote the copolymerization reaction. For Lewis acids, there is also a direct correlation between the charge/size ratio at the metal center and their ability to promote copolymerizations. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5499–5505, 2008     

Characterization of the network properties of poly(ethylene glycol)–acrylate hydrogels prepared by variations in the ethanol–water solvent composition during crosslinking copolymerization

The characteristics of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)–acrylate hydrogel networks were investigated as a function of the ethanol–water solvent composition during free‐radical crosslinking copolymerization. Macromonomer (88% ω‐methoxy‐PEG–acrylate and 10% ω‐phenoxy‐PEG–acrylate) and crosslinker (2% PEG–diacrylate) concentrations were kept constant. As the copolymerization progressed, the polymer solution in 100% ethanol became increasingly turbid, indicating the development of a heterogeneous network structure. In 100% water, however, the initially turbid polymer solution became increasingly transparent as the crosslinking copolymerization progressed. All the gels were optically clear upon equilibration in water. Kinetic studies, with attenuated total reflectance‐infrared, showed a long induction period, along with a lowered reaction rate, in 100% ethanol, and a decrease in conversion with an increase in ethanol content. These results agree with the UV analysis of the sol fractions, which indicated an increase in the amounts of unreacted PEG–acrylates with an increase in the ethanol content. The gels which were formed with a high ethanol concentration exhibited lower Young's modulus and higher swelling ability, suggesting that the network structure was significantly affected by the solvent composition during free‐radical crosslinking copolymerization. From the stress–strain and swelling experiments, the Flory–Huggins interaction parameter was evaluated. The creep characteristics of the hydrogels were modeled with two Kelvin elements. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2677–2684, 2002     

Effect of rate retardation in RAFT grafting polymerization from silicon wafer surface

Polystyrene and poly(butyl acrylate) were grafted from silicon wafer surface by reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Three RAFT agents were immobilized onto silicon wafer through their leaving/initiating groups (R group). Grafting polymerization of butyl acrylate (BA) and styrene (St) was then carried out from the immobilized RAFT agents. The immobilization of the RAFT agents and the subsequent grafting polymerization of St and BA were evaluated by ellipsometry and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that type of monomer, structure of RAFT agent, and local RAFT concentration on the surface have dramatic influences on the thickness of grafted polymer layer. The grafting polymerization with more severe rate retardation effect yielded thinner polymer films on the silicon wafer. Selection of a RAFT agent with little rate retardation was critical in the grafting polymerization to achieve thick films. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 970–978, 2008     

The effect of acrylate functionality on frontal polymerization velocity and temperature

Frontal polymerization is a method of converting monomer(s) to polymer via a localized reaction zone that propagates from the coupling of thermal diffusion with the Arrhenius kinetics of an exothermic reaction. Several factors affect front velocity and temperature with the role of monomer functionality being of particular interest in this study. Polymerizing a di and triacrylate of equal molecular weight per acrylate revealed that as the proportion of triacrylate was increased the velocity and temperature increased. This is attributed to increased crosslinking and autoacceleration. Comparing several different acrylate monomers, both neat and diluted with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) so as to maintain constant acrylate group concentration, shows that velocity increases with increased functionality from mono to difunctional monomers. This trend breaks when applied to tri‐ and tetraacrylates, with fronts containing trifunctional monomer being the fastest. Acrylates containing hydroxyl functionality, as in the case of pentaerythritol‐based triacrylates, are slower than acrylates without. This is attributed to a chain‐transfer event and was tested using octanol and a hydroxyl‐free acrylate. It has also been shown that small amounts of water cause a lowering of front velocity due to energy lost via vaporization, which lowers the front temperature. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 982–988     

Oxygen inhibition in thiol–acrylate photopolymerizations

The overall effects of oxygen on thiol–acrylate photopolymerizations were characterized. Specially, the choice of thiol monomer chemistry, functionality, and concentration on the extent of oxygen inhibition were considered. As thiol concentration was increased, the degree of oxygen inhibition was greatly reduced because of chain transfer from the peroxy radical to the thiol. When comparing the copolymerization of 1,6‐hexanediol diacrylate with the alkane‐based thiol (1,6‐hexane dithiol) to the copolymerization with the propionate thiol (glycol dimercaptopropionate), it was found that the propionate system was much more reactive and polymerized to a greater extent in the presence of oxygen. In addition, the functionality was considered where the glycol dimercaptopropionate was compared to a tetrafunctional propionate of similar chemistry (pentaerythritol tetrakis(mercaptopropionate)). Given the same thiol concentration, the higher functionality thiol imparted a faster polymerization rate, due to the increased polymer system viscosity, which limited oxygen diffusion and decreased the extent of overall oxygen inhibition. Thus, preliminary insight is provided into how thiol monomer choice affects the extent of oxygen inhibition in thiol–acrylate photopolymerization. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2007–2014, 2006     

Photopolymerization kinetics of ionic liquid monomers derived from the neutralization reaction between trialkylamines and acid‐containing (meth)acrylates

Polymerizable ionic liquids were synthesized from the neutralization reaction between trialkylamines (tributylamine, trihexylamine, trioctylamine, 2‐(dimethyl‐amino)ethyl acrylate, and 2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) and acid‐containing (meth)acrylates to study the kinetics of their photopolymerization. The ionic liquids formed from acrylic acid and methacrylic acid with trialkylamines showed low or moderate increases in rate compared to their monofunctional analogues. The ionic liquids formed from (meth)acrylic acid and a tertiary amine with a pendant acrylate exhibited rates typical of traditional di(meth)acrylates, although the (meth)acrylates were not covalently attached to the same molecule. All of the phosphate‐based ionic liquids exhibited very rapid polymerization rates and strong dependence on the initial viscosity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3009–3021, 2007     

Preparation,characterization, and properties of fluorinated polyurethanes

Novel fluorinated polyurethanes (FPUs) were prepared by living radical polymerization of polyurethanes and hexafluorobutyl acrylate. The structures of the FPUs were characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR, GPC, DSC, and XPS. The fluorinated polyurethane polymerization was investigated and showed monomer conversion, and molecular weight increased with increasing reaction time. In this way, the fluorine content in polyurethane could be easily adjusted by controlling the content of the fluorinated acrylate monomer. The mechanical evaluation shows that FPUs exhibit good mechanical properties. Morphology of FPU films was observed by scanning electron spectroscopy. The effects of the fluorine content on the surface properties and oxidative stability of FPUs were investigated. FPUs films were devoid of significant surface degradation after immersion in 20% H₂O₂ and 0.1 M CoCl₂ at 37 °C for 5 weeks. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3248–3256, 2009     

Microphase‐separated structure of telechelic urethane acrylate anionomers and their network in various solvents

Telechelic urethane acrylate anionomer (UAA) chain showed less viscosity and polyelectrolyte behavior in water than dimethyl acetamide (DMAc) because of hydrophobic aggregation. UAA networks prepared in different solvents (water and DMAc) exhibited very different swelling behaviors in the same swelling medium, which can be interpreted as due to the very different microstructures formed in the solvents. UAA networks prepared with water (UAHG networks) had microphase‐separated hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains, whereas UAA networks synthesized with DMAc (UADG networks) had relatively homogeneous network structures. The mechanical property of the UAHG and UADG networks, measured with a dynamic mechanical analyzer, was also very sensitive to the solvent type used during the crosslinking reaction. UAHG networks with a microphase‐separated structure had a higher modulus than UADG networks. The results of the mechanical property measurements showed that water was a much better solvent for the hydrophilic hard segments of UAA chain than DMAc, even though DMAc dissolved both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments of UAA chain. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 2081–2095, 2000     

Polymerization shrinkage of (meth)acrylate determined by reflective laser beam scanning

The real‐time study of the shrinkage during UV‐curing of (meth)acrylate monomers is limited due to the very fast curing rate, their thin sample geometry (<100 μm), and low viscosity. We report a reflective laser scanning system for direct measurement of UV‐curing shrinkage. A low‐power laser beam at a wavelength of 650 nm, different from the polymerization wavelength (395 nm), was used. This noncontact method of measurement makes it possible to analyze the thin liquid monomer with a very low shrinkage (measuring accuracy 0.02 μm), and very fast curing rate (fast sampling speed of 50 KHz). Eight different kinds of UV monomers were tested using 2–5 mg specimens, and the shrinkage process was examined. The results proved that this new method was accurate and precise, and could be applied to different kinds of (meth)acrylates. Furthermore, the shrinkage capability of acrylic double bonds was determined as 23.98 mL/mol using this novel method. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Thermoresponsive super water absorbent hydrogels prepared by frontal polymerization

Frontal polymerization was used as an alternative technique for the preparation of super water absorbent hydrogels obtained from acrylamide and 3‐sulfopropyl acrylate, potassium salt (SPAK) in the presence of N,N′‐methylene‐bisacrylamide as a crosslinker. All samples were synthesized in dimethyl sulfoxide, and their swelling behavior in water was investigated. It was found that their features are dependent on the monomer ratio used, which influenced the porous morphology, and consequently, the swelling capability. The swelling ratio ranges from about 1000% for the acrylamide homopolymer up to 14,000% for the sample containing 87.5 mol % of SPAK, thus indicating that this parameter can be easily tuned by using the appropriate monomer ratio. The affinity towards water was eventually confirmed by contact angle analysis. Polymer hydrogels made from at least 62.5 mol % SPAK exhibit a thermoresponsive behavior, with a lower critical solution temperature of ～30 °C. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2486–2490, 2010     

PEGDA‐based luminescent polymers prepared by frontal polymerization

Frontal polymerization (FP) of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) was carried out using benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as radical initiator. In addition, a pyrene containing monomer, 1‐pyrenebutyl acrylate (PyBuAc), was incorporated as a fluorescent probe in order to obtain luminescent materials with different chromophore contents. The resulting polymers were characterized by FT‐IR spectroscopy in the solid state and their thermal properties were determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Moreover, the optical properties of these materials were studied by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The maximum amount of the incorporated pyrene‐containing monomer into the polymer matrix was limited to 1 wt % by the polymerization process. The obtained labeled polymers poly(PEGDA‐co‐PyBuAc) exhibited a broad absorption band at 345 nm. The fluorescence spectra of these polymers exhibited mainly “monomer emission” so that no excimer emission was observed. It is possible to tune the color of the emitted light by varying the pyrene content in the samples. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 2890–2897     

A new chemical modification of liquid polybutadienes: Radical addition of aliphatic aldehydes onto pending vinyl groups

A new chemical modification of liquid polybutadiene by radical addition of model aldehydes (butanal and hexanal) onto pending vinyls of the polymer is described. The dibenzoyl peroxide/N,N‐dimethylaniline redox system was shown to initiate the hydroacylation more efficiently than the thermal decomposition of 2,2′‐azobis(2‐methylpropanenitrile) because it gives higher conversions (content of hydroacylated monomer units, as determined by NMR) without forming crosslinks or microgels. Typically, the former source of radicals gives the content of modified units as high as 13% related to all monomer units, while the latter only 2–6%. Repeated introduction of the redox system into the reaction mixture resulted in an increased content of the acyl groups. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 3919–3925, 2008     

High solids TEMPO‐mediated radical semibatch emulsion polymerization of styrene

A bicomponent initiation system consisting of 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐N‐oxyl (TEMPO) and the water soluble initiator potassium persulfate (KPS) was used to develop a robust and versatile semibatch emulsion polymerization process to obtain polystyrene (PS) latexes with solids contents of 5–40 wt %. A window of operating conditions was found that yielded high conversion (>95%) stable latexes and well controlled polymers, overcoming limitations found in previous attempts at developing similar processes using TEMPO. The critical parameters studied were surfactant concentration, monomer concentration in the nucleation step and the monomer feed rate in the semibatch step. Methyl acrylate (MA) was used in the nucleation step to improve the nitroxide efficiency (N_Eff). Latexes having molecular weight distribution (MWD) with dispersity (?) lower than 1.5, average particle size (D_p) from ≈32 to ≈500 nm, nitroxide efficiencies N_Eff up to ≈1.0 and monomer conversions >90% were obtained in less than 12 h with solids contents up to 40 wt %. These results constitute a significant advance over prior efforts in TEMPO‐mediated polymerization in aqueous dispersions. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 49–62     

Direct measurements of the addition and recombination of acrylate radicals: Access to propagation and termination rate constants?

Acrylate radicals produced by the addition of an aminoalkyl radical to five acrylate monomers were directly observed by transient absorption spectroscopy, which allowed us to easily follow their chemical reactivity. It was possible (1) to characterize their absorption in the visible part of the spectrum, (2) to calculate their absorption properties, (3) to determine the energy barriers of the addition through quantum mechanical calculations, (4) to monitor the kinetics of the subsequent addition to another monomer unit, and (5) to follow the recombination of two acrylate radicals. These two latter points could mimic the propagation and termination reactions of polymerization‐propagating acrylate radicals. Methacrylate and acrylonitrile radicals were also studied. The obtained results were in good agreement with the propagation rate constants determined by the well‐established pulsed laser polymerization techniques. Our method could likely provide rapid access to both the propagation and termination rate constants in suitable systems and appears to be powerful and promising for studying and comparing the reactivities of different acrylate monomer structures. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3577–3587, 2006