Studies on the thermal polymerization of substituted benzoxazine monomers: Electronic effects

To evaluate the influence of the electronic effects on the polymerization temperature, we looked at several 3‐phenyl‐3,4‐dihydro‐2‐H‐1,3‐benzoxazine monomers with electron‐withdrawing or electron‐donating groups in the 6 and 4′ positions. The monomers were synthesized and characterized using different synthetic methods to achieve the best possible results. The thermal polymerization of these benzoxazine monomers was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry, and the polymerization behavior and the polymer characteristics were related to the electronic character of the substituent and the polymerization mechanism. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 3353–3366, 2008     

Thermosensitive and control release behavior of poly (N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid) latex particles

In this work, poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid) (poly(NIPAAm‐AA)) copolymer latex particles (microgels) were synthesized by the method of soapless emulsion polymerization. Poly(NIPAAm‐AA) copolymer microgels have the property of being thermosensitive. The concentration of acrylic acid (AA) and crosslinking agent N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide were important factors to influence the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of poly(NIPAAm‐AA) microgels. The effects of AA and crosslinking agent on the swelling behavior of poly(NIPAAm‐AA) microgels were also studied. The poly(NIPAAm‐AA) copolymer microgels were then used as a thermosensitive drug carrier to load caffeine. The effects of concentration of AA and crosslinking agent on the control release of caffeine were investigated. How the AA content and crosslinking agent influenced the morphology and LCST of the microgels was discussed in detail. The relationship of morphology, swelling, and control release behavior of these thermosensitive microgels was established. A new scheme was proposed to interpret the control release of the microgels with different morphological structures. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5734–5741, 2008     

Living cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers in the presence of a strong base: Poisonous or helpful?

A quite small dose of a poisonous species was found to induce living cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) in toluene at 0 °C. In the presence of a small amount of N,N‐dimethylacetamide, living cationic polymerization of IBVE was achieved using SnCl₄, producing a low polydispersity polymer (weight–average molecular weight/number–average molecular weight (M_w/M_n) ≤ 1.1), whereas the polymerization was terminated at its higher concentration. In addition, amine derivatives (common terminators) as stronger bases allow living polymerization when a catalytic quantity was used. On the other hand, EtAlCl₂ produced polymers with comparatively broad MWDs (M_w/M_n ～ 2), although the polymerization was slightly retarded. The systems with a strong base required much less quantity of bases than weak base systems such as ethers or esters for living polymerization. The strong base system exhibited Lewis acid preference: living polymerization proceeded only with SnCl₄, TiCl₄, or ZnCl₂, whereas a range of Lewis acids are effective for achieving living polymerization in the conventional weak base system such as an ester and an ether. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6746–6753, 2008     

Dispersion polymerization of MMA in supercritical CO2 stabilized by random copolymers of 1H,1H–perfluorooctyl methacrylate and 2‐(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)

A series of random copolymers, composed of 1H,1H‐perfluorooctyl methacrylate (FOMA) and 2‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) were prepared as stabilizers for the dispersion polymerization of methyl methacrylate in supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂). Free‐flowing, spherical poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) particles were produced in high yield by the effective stabilization of poly(FOMA‐co‐DMAEMA) containing 34–67 w/w % (15–41 m/m %) FOMA structural units. Less stabilized but micron‐sized discrete particles could be obtained even with 25 w/w % (10 m/m %) FOMA stabilizer. The result showed that the composition of copolymeric stabilizers had a dramatic effect on the size and morphology of PMMA. The particle size was controllable with the surfactant concentration. The effect of the monomer concentration and the initial pressure on the polymerization was also investigated. The dry polymer powder obtained from dispersion polymerization could be redispersed to form stable aqueous latexes in an acidic buffered solution (pH = 2.1) by an electrostatic stabilization mechanism due to the ionization of DMAEMA units in the stabilizer. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 1365–1375, 2008     

Ring‐opening polymerization of 1,4‐dioxan‐2‐one initiated by lanthanum isopropoxide in bulk

Lanthanum isopropoxide (La(OiPr)₃) has been synthesized and employed for ring‐opening polymerization of 1,4‐dioxan‐2‐one in bulk as a single‐component initiator. The influences of reaction conditions such as initiator concentration, reaction time, and reaction temperature on the polymerization were investigated. The kinetics indicated that the polymerization is first‐order with respect to the monomer concentration. The Mechanistic investigations according to ¹H NMR spectrum analysis demonstrated that the polymerization of PDO proceeded through a coordination‐insertion mechanism with a rupture of the acyl‐oxygen bond of the monomer rather than the alkyl‐oxygen bond cleavage. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5214–5222, 2008     

A kind of novel nonmetallocene catalysts for ethylene polymerization

A kind of novel bridged nonmetallocene catalysts was synthesized by the treatment of N,N‐imidazole and N,N‐phenylimidazole with n‐BuLi, and MCl₄ (M = Ti, Zr) in THF. Those catalysts were performed for ethylene polymerization after activated by methylaluminoxane (MAO). The effects of polymerization temperature, Al/M ratio, pressure of monomer, and concentration of catalysts on ethylene polymerization behaviors were investigated in detail. Those results revealed that the catalyst system was favorable for ethylene polymerization with high catalytic activity. The polymer was characterized by ¹³C NMR, WAXD, GPC, and DSC. The result confirmed that the obtained polyethylene featured broad molecular weight distribution around 20, linear structure, and relative low melting temperature. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 33–37, 2008     

Polymerization and nanocomposites properties of multifunctional methylmethacrylate POSS

Thermally induced polymerization of multifunctional methylmethacrylate POSS (MMA‐POSS) was studied in this work for preparation of polymer/POSS nanocomposites. The polymerization of MMA‐POSS could be promoted with benzoyl peroxide (BPO). Self‐assembly of POSS into a layer‐by‐layer structure in the MMA‐POSS polymer (TP‐MMA‐POSS) is observed with a transmission electron microscopy. An ultra‐low‐k value of about 1.85 is measured with TP‐MMA‐POSS. In addition, polyimide‐POSS nanocomposites are also prepared. These nanocomposites demonstrate good homogeneity and enhanced mechanical properties. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5157–5166, 2008     

Controlled/living radical polymerization of vinylcyclicsilazane by RAFT process and their block copolymers

High molecular weight poly(vinyl)silazane were synthesized successfully by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization in toluene at 120 °C, using dithiocarbamate derivatives and 2,2′‐azobis‐isobutyrylnitrile (AIBN) as the RAFT agents and thermal initiator, respectively. The polymerization of a vinylcyclicsilazane oligomer with 82.5% conversion was readily controlled to increase the molecular weight from 1000 to 12,000 g/mol with a narrow polydispersity <1.5. The resulting polymer showed a high ceramic yield of 70 wt % at 1000 °C. Moreover, the approach was extended successfully to the synthesis of poly(vinyl)silazane‐block‐polystyrene as an inorganic–organic diblock copolymer. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4594–4601, 2008     

Synthesis of low‐polydispersity poly(N‐ethylmethylacrylamide) by controlled radical polymerizations and their thermal phase transition behavior

Controlled radical polymerizations of N‐ethylmethylacrylamide (EMA) by atom transfer radical polymerization and reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer processes were investigated in detail for the first time, employing complementary characterization techniques including gel permeation chromatography, ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. In both cases, relatively good control of the polymerization of EMA was achieved, as revealed by the linear evolution of molecular weights with monomer conversions and the low polydispersity of poly(N‐ethylmethylacrylamide) (PEMA). The thermal phase transitions of well‐defined PEMA homopolymers with polydispersities less than 1.2 and degrees of polymerization up to 320 in aqueous solution were determined by temperature‐dependent turbidity measurements. The obtained cloud points (CPs) vary in the range of 58–68 °C, exhibiting inverse molecular weight and polymer concentration dependences. Moreover, the presence of a carboxyl group instead of an alkyl one at the PEMA chain end can elevate its CP by ～3–4 °C. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 60–69, 2008     

Cationic photopolymerization of liquid fullerene derivative under visible light

We describe the synthesis and cationic photopolymerization of a C₆₀ derivative bearing a 2,4,6‐tris(epoxynonyloxy)phenyl moiety (FB9ox). Rheological analysis of monomer indicates that temperature of 130 °C yields sufficiently low viscosity for polymerization. A thin film of the liquid monomer has been cationically photopolymerized with a photoinitiator system of curcumin and p‐(octyloxyphenyl)phenyliodonium hexafluoroantimonate, which harvests 424 nm light instead of commonly used ultraviolet light. The degree of polymerization was determined with ATR‐IR. The reaction is the first recorded photopolymerization of a fullerene derivative thin film. The polymer exhibits good mechanical and chemical stabilities. The polymerization can also be achieved by annealing at 150 °C without illumination, but with a smaller degree of polymerization. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 5194–5201, 2008     

pH‐responsive polymer core–shell nanospheres for drug delivery

Stimuli‐responsive polymer nanoparticles are playing an increasingly more important role in drug delivery applications. However, limited knowledge has been accumulated about processes which use stimuli‐responsive polymer nanospheres (matrix nanoparticles whose entire mass is solid) to carry and deliver hydrophobic therapeutics in aqueous solution. In this research, pyrene was selected as a model hydrophobic drug and a pyrene‐loaded core‐shell structured nanosphere named poly(DEAEMA)‐poly(PEGMA) was designed as a drug carrier where DEAEMA and PEGMA represent 2‐(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate, respectively. The pyrene‐loaded core‐shell nanospheres were prepared via an in situ two‐step semibatch emulsion polymerization method. The particle size of the core‐shell nanosphere can be well controlled through adjusting the level of surfactant used in the polymerization where an average particle diameter of below 100 nm was readily achieved. The surfactant was removed via a dialysis operation after polymerization. Egg lecithin vesicles (liposome) were prepared to mimic the membrane of a cell and to receive the released pyrene from the nanosphere carriers. The in vitro release profiles of pyrene toward different pH liposome vesicles were recorded as a function of time at 37 °C. It was found that release of pyrene from the core‐shell polymer matrix can be triggered by a change in the environmental pH. In particular the pyrene‐loaded nanospheres are capable of responding to a narrow window of pH change from pH = 5, 6, to 7 and can achieve a significant pyrene release of above 80% within 90 h. The rate of release increased with a decrease in pH. A first‐order kinetic model was proposed to describe the rate of release with respect to the concentration of pyrene in the polymer matrix. The first‐order rate constant of release k was thus determined as 0.049 h^?1 for pH = 5; 0.043 h^?1 for pH = 6; and 0.035 h^?1 for pH = 7 at 37 °C. The release of pyrene was considered to follow a diffusion‐controlled mechanism. The synthesis and encapsulation process developed herein provides a new approach to prepare smart nanoparticles for efficient delivery of hydrophobic drugs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 4440–4450     

Polymerization of o‐quinodimethanes. V. Ionic polymerization of o‐quinodimethanes generated by thermal isomerization of corresponding benzocyclobutenes

The ionic polymerization of substituted o‐quinodimethanes via thermal isomerization of benzocyclobutenes is described. In the cationic polymerizations of 1‐methoxy‐o‐quinodimethane in the presence of various cationic initiators at 110 °C for 12 h, chain transfer reactions also considerably underwent besides the polymerization. Meanwhile, cationic polymerizations of 1‐trimethylsilyloxy‐o‐quinodimethane under the same conditions gave good yields of the corresponding polymer. Anionic polymerizations of 1‐cyano‐o‐quinodimethane in the presence of anionic initiators such as n‐BuLi or t‐BuOK were performed at various temperatures for 12 h. Good yields of hexane‐insoluble polymer, which was produced by anionic polymerization of corresponding o‐quinodimethane as an intermediate, were obtained above 120 °C. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 844–850, 2008     

Preparation of macroporous functionalized polymer beads by a multistep polymerization and their application in zirconocene catalysts for ethylene polymerization

Macroporous functionalized polymer beads of poly(4‐vinylpyridine‐co‐1,4‐divinylbenzene) [P(VPy‐co‐DVB)] were prepared by a multistep polymerization, including a polystyrene (PS) shape template by emulsifier‐free emulsion polymerization, linear PS seeds by staged template suspension polymerization, and macroporous functionalized polymer beads of P(VPy‐co‐DVB) by multistep seeded polymerization. The polymer beads, having a cellular texture, were made of many small, spherical particles. The bead size was 10–50 μm, and the pore size was 0.1–1.5 μm. The polymer beads were used as supports for zirconocene catalysts in ethylene polymerization. They were very different from traditional polymer supports. The polymer beads could be exfoliated to yield many spherical particles dispersed in the resulting polyethylene particles during ethylene polymerization. The influence of the polymer beads on the catalytic behavior of the supported catalyst and morphology of the resulting polyethylene was investigated. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 873–880, 2003     

Polymerization of o‐quinodimethanes. III. Polymerization of o‐quinodimethanes bearing electron‐withdrawing groups formed in situ by thermal ring‐opening isomerization of corresponding benzocyclobutenes

The substituent effect on the radical polymerization of o‐quinodimethanes, generated by thermal isomerization of benzocyclobutenes, was investigated. Polymerizations of three benzocyclobutenes bearing electron‐withdrawing groups were studied, namely 1‐cyanobenzocyclobutene (1), 1‐chlorobenzocyclobutene (2), and 1‐bromobenzocyclobutene (3). While radical polymerizations of 2 and 3 did not afford any polymer, radical polymerization of 1 afforded n‐hexane‐insoluble polymer(M_n = 5000) in moderate yields at temperatures above 120°C. The structure of the obtained polymer was confirmed to be a ring‐opened polymer(4) by IR, ¹H‐, and ¹³C‐NMR. The yield of the polymer increased with an increase in the initiator concentration. The polymer yield reported in this paper is higher than those of benzocyclobutenes bearing electron‐donating groups, reported previously by the authors. The semi‐empirical molecular orbital calculation supported the contribution of ring‐opening polymerization of spiro‐compounds, rejecting the possibility of 1,4‐polymerization. Lastly, radical copolymerizations of 1 with various comonomers were also performed to obtain the corresponding copolymers. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1555–1563, 1999     

Synthesis of poly(benzyl glutamate‐b‐styrene) rod‐coil block copolymers by dual initiation in one pot

We have developed a metal free synthetic pathway to homopolypeptide rod‐coil block copolymers. The concept was proven for the synthesis of poly(benzyl‐L ‐glutamate‐b‐styrene). A dual initiator containing a primary amine and a nitroxide group was used in a macroinitiation approach with high initiation efficiency. Good control over the molecular weight in the ring opening polymerization of benzyl‐L ‐glutamate N‐carboxyanhydride was obtained in DMF at 0 °C yielding poly(benzyl‐L ‐glutamates) with low polydispersities around 1.1. The almost quantitative incorporation of the dual initiator was confirmed by MALDI‐ToF analysis. Macroinitiation of styrene by nitroxide‐mediated controlled radical polymerization yielded the block copolymer with high structural control. The diblock structure was confirmed by molecular weight increase upon macroinitiation by size exclusion chromatography and retention time comparison with homopolymers using gradient polymer elution chromatography. Both polymerizations were also successfully conducted in one pot without intermediate isolation owing to the high compatibility of both polymerization techniques. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 3068–3077, 2008     

Self‐assembly of N‐carboxyethylchitosan near the isoelectric point

For the first time the possibility to obtain nanostructures by self‐assembly of chitosan polyampholytic derivative was demonstrated. The self‐assembly of N‐carboxyethylchitosan (CECh) took place only near its isoelectric point (pH 5.0–5.6). Out of the pH range 5.0–5.6, CECh aqueous solutions behaved as real solutions. Dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy analyses revealed that spherically shaped or rod/worm‐like nanosized assemblies were formed depending on the polymer molar mass, pH value, and polymer concentration. CECh of two different molar masses was studied in concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 0.1 mg/mL. The structures from CECh of weight‐average molar mass (M_w ) 4.5 × 10³ g/mol were spherical regardless the pH and polymer concentration. In contrast, CECh of high molar mass (HMMCECh, M_w = 6.7 × 10⁵ g/mol) formed self‐assemblies with spherical shape only at pH 5.0 and 5.6. At pH 5.2 spherical nanoparticles were obtained only at polymer concentration 0.01 mg/mL. The mean hydrodynamic diameter (D_h) of the obtained nanoparticles was in the range from 30 to 980 nm. On increasing the concentration, aggregation of the nanoparticles appeared, and at HMMCECh concentration 0.1 mg/mL, rod/worm‐like structures were obtained. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6712–6721, 2008     

Synthesis of novel branched ethylene/cyclopentene copolymers with only cis‐1,3‐enchained cyclopentene units using α‐diimine nickel(II) complexes in the presence of methylaluminoxane

The copolymerization of ethylene with cyclopentene catalyzed by three α‐diimine nickel(II) complexes in the presence of methylaluminoxane (MAO) was investigated. High‐molecular‐weight branched ethylene/cyclopentene copolymers with only cis‐1,3‐enchained cyclopentene units, which has not been reported previously, were obtained. The catalytic activity, cyclopentene incorporation, copolymer molecular weight, and molecular‐weight distribution could be controlled over a wide range through the variation of the catalyst structure and polymerization conditions, including cyclopentene concentration in the feed and polymerization temperature. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 2186–2192, 2008     

A new photoiniferter/RAFT agent for ambient temperature rapid and well‐controlled radical polymerization

Phenacyl morpholine‐4‐dithiocarbamate is synthesized and characterized. Its capability to act as both a photoiniferter and reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer agent for the polymerization of styrene is examined. Polymerization carried out in bulk under ultra violet irradiation at above 300 nm at room temperature shows controlled free radical polymerization characteristics up to 50% conversions and produces well‐defined polymers with molecular weights close to those predicted from theory and relatively narrow poyldispersities (M_w/M_n ～ 1.30). End group determination and block copolymerization with methyl acrylate suggest that morpholino dithiocarbamate groups were attained at the end of the polymer. Photolysis and polymerization studies revealed that polymerization proceeds via both reversible termination and RAFT mechanisms. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 3387–3395, 2008     

Ethylene polymerization by the new chromium catalysts based on amino‐pyrrolide ligands

A series of amino‐pyrrolide ligands ( 1–4a ) and their derivatives amino‐thiophene ligand ( 5a ), amino‐indole ligand ( 6a ) were prepared. Chromium catalysts, which were generated in situ by mixing the ligands with CrCl₃(thf)₃ in toluene, were tested for ethylene polymerization. The preliminary screening results revealed that the tridentate amino‐pyrrolide ligands containing soft pendant donor, 3a, 4a /CrCl₃(thf)₃ systems displayed high catalytic activities towards ethylene polymerization in the presence of modified methyaluminoxane. The electronic and steric factors attached to the ligand backbone significantly affected both the catalyst activity and the polymer molecular weight. Complex 4b was obtained by the reaction of CrCl₃(thf)₃ with one equivalent of the lithium salts of 4a , which was the most efficient ligand among the tested ones. The effect of polymerization parameters such as cocatalyst concentration, ethylene pressure, reaction temperature, and time on polymerization behavior were investigated in detail. The resulting polymer obtained by 4b display wax‐like and possess linear structure, low molecular weight, and unimodal distribution. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 713–721, 2009     

Surfactant assisted polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene in supercritical carbon dioxide with a pilot scale batch reactor

Chain‐free radical polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) was carried out in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂), at 50 °C and 121–133 bar, with tertiary‐amyl‐per‐pivalate as a free radical initiator, using a 5‐L pilot scale batch reactor. Experiments were carried out both in the absence and in the presence of perfluoropolyether (PFPE) carboxylate surfactants. Stabilizers were employed under the free acid form and as sodium and calcium salts. An expanded fibrillated poly(TFE) was obtained in all experiments. In the case of surfactant‐free polymerizations, the product was mainly constituted by irregular shape macroparticles having size in the range 200–500 μm. Quite interestingly, when the free acid surfactant was used, a clear acceleration of the polymerization rate was observed and smaller polymer particles with more regular quasi‐spherical morphology were obtained. Melt fusion crystallinity of as‐polymerized poly(TFE) seemed not substantially affected by the presence of the stabilizers and was rather high (80–86%) suggesting that polymerization mainly occurs at polymer particle surface. All these elements suggest that FLUOROLINK® 7004H PFPE carboxylic acid decreases coagulation of primary polymer particles leading to an increase in polymer surface area. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 257–266, 2008