Synthesis and photochemistry of side-chain liquid crystal polymers based on cinnamate esters

The syntheses of three methacrylate monomers with cinnamate ester side-chains and of a further monomer with a corresponding cinnamide side-chain are described. Two of the monomers, with isomeric structures, were thermotropic liquid crystals. Although the clearing points were very similar the crystal melting points differed by 8°C. One compound also exhibited a monotropic smectic phase, behavior not shown by its isomer. The other two monomers were not liquid crystalline. The monomers were polymerized by free radical polymerization, both as homopolymers and as copolymers with methyl methacrylate. In the case of one of the mesogenic ester monomers, copolymers with a cyanophenyl benzoate monomer were also prepared. Three of the four monomers formed thermotropic liquid crystalline homopolymers and the copolymers with the benzoate monomer were also liquid crystalline. The monomers were considered as photoactive components of polymeric liquid crystals. As a preliminary investigation of their photochemistry, copolymers with methyl methacrylate were prepared and irradiated in solution with a broad-band source. Under these conditions two of the materials show a facile photo-Fries rearrangement of the aryl cinnamate ester group. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of high molecular weight polyester carbonates via interfacial phosgenation of aromatic dicarboxylic acids and bisphenols

The synthesis of bisphenol A poly(carbonate–ester) copolymers was studied by phase-transfer catalysis and modified interfacial polymerization. Only low molecular weight copolymers were prepared directly from dicarboxylic acids, phosgene, and bisphenol A by an interfacial process that involves the use of pyridine as catalyst, HCl acceptor, and weak base. To avoid the use of tertiary amines, which can be difficult to remove from the polymer products, and to produce higher molecular weight copolymers from the same dicarboxylic acid precursors another synthetic method was developed. This more effective method required careful pH control that was achieved by the selective use of the weak-base potassium carbonate in the first stage of the process. Moreover, elevated reaction temperatures (～65–70°C) and phase-transfer catalysis were used. The carbonate–ester copolymers prepared by this technique had consistently high intrinisic viscosities, little or no anyhydride microstructure, and higher degrees of ester unit incorporation than those produced by the pyridine-catalyzed method. These copolymers also had glass transition temperatures (T_g) 20–30°C higher than bisphenol A polycarbonate homopolymer. An analytical method for determining quantitatively the amount of ester units in the bisphenol A poly(carbonate-esters) was developed by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Agreement between this FT-IR method and a quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method was found to be reasonable, especially for copolymers with ester unit percentages lower than 40%.     

含羧基的含氟嵌段共聚物的合成及表面性能研究

利用原子转移自由基聚合反应以及随后的大分子链中叔丁酯基团的水解反应,合成了一系列具有不同含氟量和羧基含量的二嵌段共聚物,并分别通过GPC, ¹H NMR和FT-IR对共聚物的组成和结构进行了表征.进一步考察了这些含羧基或羧酸钠基团的含氟嵌段共聚物在吡咯烷酮或水中的溶解性能、临界胶束浓度、表面活性、达到饱和吸附时每个分子在表面所占据的面积,以及成膜后的临界表面张力等性能.实验结果表明,此含氟嵌段共聚物能显著降低吡咯烷酮和水的表面张力,成膜后表现出与聚四氟乙烯极为接近的低表面能特性.     

Synthesis and Properties of Hydrophilic Copolymers Containing 5-Fluorouracil,Thymine, or Adenine

Hydrophilic copolymers containing 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), thymine, or adenine were prepared by the free-radical copolymerization of methacryloyl-type monomers containing them with water-soluble vinyl monomers such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, vinylpyrroli-done, acrylamide, and 4(5)-vinylimidazole with AIBN as initiator. Complex formation between the copolymers and RNA and between the copolymers having complementary nucleic acid bases in aqueous solution and a DMSO-ethylene glycol was studied by means of UV spectroscopy. These copolymers were found to release the N-hydroxyethyl derivatives of 5-FU, thymine, or adenine by hydrolysis of the ester of the polymer side chain under mild conditions. The effects of the kind of water-soluble comonomer, temperature, pH, and the imidazole group as catalyst on the hydrolysis of the ester are discussed.     

Preparation and properties of some water-soluble,comb-shaped,amphiphilic polymers

Water-soluble comb-shaped polymers were prepared through grafting of poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ethers (MPEG) onto acrylic and methacrylic ester copolymers by transesterification reactions. The grafting was alkali-catalyzed, and performed in refluxing toluene solution or in melt at 155°C. The grafting efficiency was found to be on the order of 1 graft/10 monomer units. Epoxy groups in glycidyl methacrylate copolymers were also utilized for grafting. The crude graft copolymers were purified through chromatography and characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopy. Polymers prepared from MPEG 2000 were crystalline with melting points 10–15°C lower than the MPEG used. All polymers were shown to be surface active with CMC on the order of 1.5 g/L, and surface tensions of 38–45 dyn/cm. When used as emulsifiers the graft copolymers containing bulky lipophilic ester groups (2-ethylhexyl t-butyl) gave oil-in-water (o/w) and water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions from xylene/water with higher stability than those containing straight chain ester groups (methyl nbutyl n-docecyl). The most stable emulsions were obtained by dissolving the polymers in the organic phase.     

Copolymerization of acrylamide with allyl-acrylate quaternary ammonium monomers

A series of copolymers of N,N-morpholine-N-2-(ethoxycarbonyl)allyl allyl ammonium chloride, N,N-morpholine-N-2-(ethoxycarbonyl)allyl allyl ammonium bromide, N,N-piperidyl-N-2-(ethoxycarbonyl)allyl allyl ammonium chloride, N,N-morpholine-N-2-(t-butoxycarbonyl)allyl allyl ammonium bromide and diallyldimethylammonium chloride (DADMAC) with acrylamide (AAm) were prepared in water at 50-56°C using 2,2'-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane)dihydrochloride (V-50). The ethyl ester monomers showed high cyclization efficiencies during copolymerizations. The tert-butyl ester derivatives showed high cross-linking tendencies. The molar fractions of allyl-acrylate monomers in the AAm: allyl-acrylate copolymers were higher than the one of DADMAC in the AAm:DADMAC copolymers. The intrinsic viscosities of the copolymers measured in 0.09 M NaCl ranged from 2.5 to 7.5 dL/g.     

Water-soluble graft copolymers from macromonomer method

Water-soluble graft copolymers of well-defined structure having hydrophobic polymethacrylate branches with different ester groups were prepared by the macromonomer method. Methacrylate macromonomers of controlled molecular weights having a methacryloyloxyl end group were synthesized by radical polymerization of the corresponding monomer in the presence of thioglycolic acid followed by the reaction of glycidyl methacrylate with the terminal carboxyl group. These macromonomers were copolymerized with methacrylic acid and methyl methacrylate to prepare tailor-made graft copolymers composed of a hydrophlic backbone and different kinds of hydrophobic branches, which were characterized by elemental analysis, NMR, and GPC. The viscosities of the aqueous solutions of the sodium salts of these graft copolymers were measured. It was found that the viscosity of the dilute solution of the graft copolymer was remarkably high compared with the corresponding random copolymer irrespective of the ester group in branch segments. Solubilizing behavior of Orange-OT in aqueous solutions of the graft copolymers and the random copolymer were also investigated to study the nature of the hydrophobic domain of the graft copolymers.     

Poly(alkyl itaconates) part v copolymers of Selected mono- and di-alkyl esters

Two series of copolymers have been prepared from esters of itaconic acid. Members of type I were synthesised from co-monomers of di-n-alkyl itaconates while type II were composed of a mono-alkyl ester copolymerized with a di-n-alkyl ester. Reactivity ratios were determined for five different copolymers. Both type I and type II copolymers were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and torsional braid analysis. Several molecular relaxation processes were identified in each series, occurring below the glass transition temperature, Tg. The variation of Tg with type I copolymer composition was examined using Barton's modification of the Gibbs-Di Marzio copolymer equation which gave a satisfactory fit to the data.     

Head-to-Head Polymers. XXII. Toward the Synthesis of Pure Head-to-Head Poly(methyl Methacrylate): Copolymerization of 2,3-Dimethylmaleic Anhydride and Ethylene

Copolymerization of 2,3-dimethylmaleic anhydride and ethylene has been accomplished under ethylene pressure (up to 1000 psi) with AIBN as the initiator. The copolymers were obtained at relatively low yield and only of moderate molecular weight. The incorporation of 2,3-dimethylmaleic anhydride units into the copolymer is about 20 mol% at 1000 psi and is 33 mol% at 500 psi of ethylene pressure. Unlike maleic anhydride-ethylene copolymers, alternating 2,3-dimethylmaleic qnhydride-ethylene copolymers of reasonable molecular weight have not yet been prepared. 2,3-Dimethylmaleic anhydride-ethylene copolymers could be hydrolyzed to the polymeric acids and quantitatively esterified to the polymeric methyl esters. Both anhydride and ester copolymers have been characterized spectroscopically and by their thermal behavior.     

Polystyrene-nylon 6 graft copolymers

The synthesis of well-defined polystyrene-g-Nylon 6 copolymers is described. The materials were prepared for study of their rheological behaviour and to compare it with the recent findings for 2-phase block copolymer systems.The anionic polymerization of ?-caprolactam in the presence of polystyrene-ethyl acrylate copolymer was chosen as the preparative route. The reasons for the choice were (1) the fact that ester groups are known to be good initiators for the lactam polymerization and (2) that it has been previously established that uniform copolymers can be obtained from styrene and acrylate esters. The present paper describes initial results on preparation and characterization of graft copolymers.It was found that cross-linked materials resulted when the polystyrene copolymer contained more than 1 per cent by weight of ethyl acrylate. At lower ester concentrations, soluble and thermoplastic materials were obtained. The cross-linking reaction was tentatively identified as arising from the presence of the tertiary hydrogen alpha to the ester group. In agreement with this postulate, methacrylate copolymers produced soluble, thermoplastic grafts at concentrations as high as 5 weight per cent.The mechanical properties and the modulus-temperature behaviour of the 2-phase graft copolymer systems are also presented.     

A tracer study of the hydrolysis of methyl methacrylate and methyl acrylate units in homopolymers and copolymers

Homopolymers and copolymers were prepared from methyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, and styrene by radical reactions at 60°C. Monomers suitably labeled with carbon-14 were used so that it was possible to monitor the hydrolysis of ester groups in the polymers during treatment under alkaline conditions. It was found that methyl acrylate units were hydrolyzed completely whatever their environment in a polymer chain. Under the same conditions only about 9% of the ester groups in a homopolymer of methyl methacrylate reacted; the proportion was increased by the introduction of comonomer units into the polymer chain. For copolymers of methyl methacrylate with methyl acrylate the extent of reaction may be correlated with the lengths of the sequences of methyl methacrylate units.     

Alternating copolymers of propylene and alkyl acrylates

High-molecular-weight alternating and acrylate-rich copolymers of propylene and ethyl acrylate were prepared by using boron trifluoride to complex the acrylate ester. The polymerizations were run at room temperature and autogeneous pressures with free-radical initiation. The polymers were characterized by their nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and infrared (IR) spectra, differential scanning calorimetry, and gel permeation chromatography. The proton and ¹³C NMR spectra show that the equimolar copolymers are alternating to a high degree.     

Copolymers of methyl methacrylate and fluoroalkyl methacrylates: Effects of fluoroalkyl groups on the thermal and optical properties of the copolymers

Fluoroalkyl methacrylates, 2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl methacrylate ( 1 ), hexafluoroisopropyl methacrylate ( 2 ), 1,1,1,3,3,3‐hexafluoro‐2‐methyl‐2‐propyl methacrylate ( 3 ), and perfluoro t‐butyl methacrylate ( 4 ) were synthesized. Homopolymers and copolymers of these fluoroalkyl methacrylates with methyl methacrylate (MMA) were prepared and characterized. With the exception of the copolymers of MMA and 2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl methacrylate ( 1 ), the glass transition temperatures (T_gs) of the copolymers were found to deviate positively from the Gordon‐Taylor equation. The positive deviation from the Gordon‐Taylor equation could be accounted for by the dipole–dipole intrachain interaction between the methyl ester group and the fluoroalkyl ester group of the monomer units. These T_g values of the copolymers were found to fit with the Schneider equation. The fitting parameters in the Schneider equation were calculated, and R² values, the coefficients of determination, were almost 1.0. The refractive indices of the copolymers, measured at 532, 633, and 839 nm wavelengths, were lower than that of PMMA and showed a linear relationship with monomer composition in the copolymers. 2 and MMA have a tendency to polymerize in an alternating uniform monomer composition, resulting in less light scattering. This result suggests that the copolymer prepared with an equal molar ratio of 2 and MMA may have useful properties with applications in optical devices. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4748–4755, 2008     

Poly(trialkylsilyl methacrylate)s: A family of hydrolysable polymers with tuneable erosion profiles

Polymers containing hydrolytically labile trialkylsilyl ester side groups were synthesised via a conventional and a controlled radical polymerization. The trialkylsilyl methacrylate monomer unit was chosen for its capacity to hydrolyse into basic, acid or sea water varying the hydrophilic character of the resulting polymer backbone with time. The hydrolysis or saponification reaction of the ester bond of the trialkylsilyl methacrylate was monitored through a ¹H NMR study showing the formation of siloxane side-products. Several copolymers and polymer blends were prepared as matrixes for controlled erodible systems. Their capacity to hydrolyse was demonstrated through SEM investigations with selective dissolution of free films containing hydrolysable copolymers and PMMA blends. Well-defined random and diblock copolymers with methyl methacrylate were investigated to show the effect of the microstructure on the erosion properties of the corresponding coatings. Poly(methyl methacrylate-b-tert-butyldimethylsilyl methacrylate) diblock copolymers synthesised through the RAFT process showed a better control of the erosion with a constant erosion rate over a long-time service in sea water at pH = 8.2. In addition, experiments showed that the erosion rate could be modulated by varying the molar proportion of hydrolysable side groups onto the copolymer backbone and the weight amount of copolymers mixed with PMMA in toluene solution.     

Photochemistry of amphiphilic copolymers: Fluorescence spectra of copolymers of 1-(2-naphthyl)ethyl methacrylate and sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonate in solution

Amphiphilic copolymers containing 1-(2-naphthyl)ethyl ester groups were prepared and their fluorescence properties were examined. The fluorescnce spectra of the copolymers with a higher naphthyl content showed predominantly a broad monomer emission with λ_max at 340 nm in methanol, whereas a structured emission with λ_max at 344 and 362 nm was observed in aqueous solution. The former spectra changed rapidly to the latter ones upon UV irradiation. Photolysis of the copolymers and the monomeric model compound in methanol gave 2-vinylnaphthalene, whose fluorescence agreed with those of copolymers in water, together with methyl ether, alkylnaphthalenes, and other products. These results indicate that the copolymers hold vinylnaphthalene-like traps, which may emit preferentially in water because of efficient sensitization. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Imide-aryl ether ketone block copolymers

Imide-aryl ether ketone block copolymers were prepared and their morphology and thermal and mechanical properties investigated. Two aryl ether ketone blocks were incorporated; the first was an amorphous block derived from bisphenol–A and the second block was a semi-crystalline poly(aryl ether ether ketone) prepared from a soluble and amorphous ketimine precursor. Bis(amino) aryl ether ketone and aryl ether ketimine oligomers were prepared via a nucleophilic aromaic substitution reaction with molecular weights ranging from 6,000 to 12,000 g/mol. The oligomers were co-reacted with 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA) and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) diethyl ester diacyl chloride in N-methyl–2-pyrrolidone (NMP) in the presence of N-methylmorpholine. The copolymer compositions, determined by H-NMR, of the resulting amic ester based copolymers ranged from 8 to 50 wt % aryl ether ketone or ketimine content. Prior to imide formation, the ketimine moiety of the aryl ether ketimine block was hydrolyzed (p-toluene sulfonic acid) to the ketone form producing the aryl ether ether ketone block. Compositions of this block were maintained low to retain solubility. Solutions of the copolymers were cast and cured to effect imidization, producing clear films with high moduli (ca. 2200 MPa) and elongations (33–100%). The copolymers displayed good thermal stability with decomposition temperatures in excess of 450°C. Multiphase morphologies were observed irrespective of the co-block type, block length or composition. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

疏水化修饰的聚N-异丙基丙烯酰胺高分子的水溶液性质研究

为了研究不同疏水化修饰的聚Ｎ 异丙基丙烯酰胺（ＰＮＩＰＡＭ）高分子的水溶液性质,合成了一系列Ｎ 异丙基丙烯酰胺（ＮＩＰＡＭ）和长链丙烯酸酯及丙烯酸胆固醇酯的共聚物．利用表面张力法证实了该类共聚物在室温下都具有良好的表面活性,在水溶液中能够形成胶束．利用荧光探针法,研究了共聚物的低温临界溶液温度（ＬｏｗｅｒＣｒｉｔｉｃａｌＳｏｌｕｔｉｏｎＴｅｍｐｅｒａｔｕｒｅ,ＬＣＳＴ）,发现,随着丙烯酸酯碳链及其配比（摩尔投料比）的变化,共聚物的ＬＣＳＴ变化不明显,但它们都比均聚的ＰＮＩＰＡＭ要低;利用荧光偏振法研究了共聚物在水溶液中的微粘度,发现其微粘度不随共聚物中丙烯酸酯链长和配比的变化而变化,说明了该类共聚物在室温下能够形成相类同的胶束内核．     

Dynamic-covalent macromolecular stars with boronic ester linkages

Macromolecular stars containing reversible boronic ester linkages were prepared by an arm-first approach by reacting well-defined boronic acid-containing block copolymers with multifunctional 1,2/1,3-diols. Homopolymers of 3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid (APBA) formed macroscopic dynamic-covalent networks when cross-linked with multifunctional diols. On the other hand, adding the diol cross-linkers to block copolymers of poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide (PDMA))-b-poly(APBA) led to nanosized multiarm stars with boronic ester cores and PDMA coronas. The assembly of the stars under a variety of conditions was considered. The dynamic-covalent nature of the boronic ester cross-links allowed the stars to reconfigure their covalent structure in the presence of monofunctional diols that competed for bonding with the boronic acid component. Therefore, the stars could be induced to dissociate via competitive exchange reactions. The star formation-dissociation process was shown to be repeatable over multiple cycles.     

Phenylquinoxaline–Aryl ester block copolymers

Phenylquinoxaline–aryl ester block copolymers were synthesized using well-defined phenolic hydroxyl terminated oligomers via a monomers/oligomer approach. Phenylquinoxaline oligomers with molecular weights of 5600 and 12,900 g/mol were prepared from the condensation of 1,4-bis(phenylglyoxalyl)benzene and 3,3′-diaminobenzidine in the presence of 4-hydroxylbenzil. The oligomers were copolymerized with isophthaloyl chloride and bisphenol A in tetrachloroethane to afford the desired phenylquinoxaline–aryl ester block copolymers. Copolymers with polyester compositions ranging from 15–50 wt % were prepared by controlling the monomers/oligomer stoichiometry. The majority of the materials displayed single phase morphologies with T_gs intermediate to the T_gs for the poly (phenylquinoxaline) and polyester homopolymers. Plots of the reciprocal of the T_g of the copolymers versus composition agreed well with values predicted by the Fox equation. A multiphase morphology was obtained for the copolymer with the highest polyester block length (? 13,000 g/mol), which displayed a T_g at 190 and 300°C indicative of a glassy–glassy system. Significant improvement in the elongations were observed for the copolymers relative to the poly(phenylquinoxaline) homopolymer. The improved elongations were obtained with minimal sacrifice to the modulus. These materials represent the first example of poly(phenylquinoxaline) block copolymers from well-defined phenylquinoxaline oligomers.     

Poly(ester urethane acrylates) and holographic properties of formulations on their basis

Poly(ester urethane acrylates) with unsaturated bonds in stiff blocks have been synthesized from oligo(ester acrylates) containing functional groups. The structure and mechanical properties of the block copolymers thus prepared have been studied before and after UV cure. On the basis of the said poly(ester urethane acrylates), light-sensitive formulations for holographic recording have been designed. The formation of holographic gratings under illumination by an Ar laser light has been investigated. The formations under study offer promise as photostructuring media for holography.