Effect of solvent for vinyl acetate polymerization on microstructure of poly(vinyl alcohol)

The solution polymerization of vinyl acetate was carried out in several solvents at 0 to 100°C, using 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. For the resulting poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), iodinecoloration, 1,2-glycol structure and tacticity were observed. The pentad tacticity of PVA was estimated from its methine carbon spectra by means of ¹³C-FTNMR spectrometer. Iodine-coloration ability of PVA varied markedly with the type of polymerization solvent and decreased in the following order: phenol > aq. phenol > methyl alcohol > ethyl acetate > DMSO, ethylene carbonate. The syndiotactic fraction in PVA also decreased with polymerization solvent in the same order as that of iodine coloration, while 1,2-glycol content of PVA was not almost affected by polymerization solvent except for phenol and aq. phenol. In solution polymerization performed, effect of polymerization temperature on tacticity was less than that of solvent.     

Strain birefringence studies on poly(vinyl acetate) networks

Atactic poly(vinyl acetate) prepared in a free-radical polymerization was crosslinked by means of benzoyl peroxide. The resulting elastomeric networks were studied in elongation, both unswollen and swollen with triethylbenzene, over the range 0–90°C. The most important experimental results obtained were values of the network birefringence, which is negative, as was recently also found to be the case for networks of atactic poly(methyl acrylate).Calculations carried out to interpret the birefringence were based on Monte Carlo simulations of the atactic structure, and on the rotational isomeric-state theory of chain configurations. The agreement between theory and experiment was very good, in fact much better than has usually been observed for other polymers studied to date.     

Effect of diluents on poly(vinyl acetate) dynamics

The effect of diluents and temperature on segmental motion in poly(vinyl acetate) was investigated by both NMR and ESR spectroscopy. Three classes of diluents were studied: chloroform, a thermodynamically good solvent; water, a poor solvent which slightly swells the polymer and lowers its glass transition temperature; and decane, a nonsolvent so poor it does not appear to swell the polymer nor lower the calorimetric glass transition temperature. At all temperatures investigated each type of diluent increased the segmental motion of the polymer over that of the bulk sample. Under the conditions studied, ¹³C and ²H NMR and nitroxide spin-label ESR data gave similar views of segmental motion of the polymer, indicating that in this amorphous polymer the segmental motion of the polymer may be safely inferred from spin-label data.     

Heat of mixing in polymer blends based on poly(vinyl acetate)

Knowledge of the heat of mixing is very important in order to evaluate the interaction parameter, according to the Patterson theory. In this work we illustrate the results regarding some polymer blends, based on poly(vinyl acetate) and some polyacrylates with different substituent groups. In this way it is possible to understand the effect of the lateral group hindrance, as it will be illustrated in the paper.     

Semi-interpenetrating polymer networks of polyurethane and poly(vinyl chloride)

Summary A series of semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPN) of polyurethane (PU) and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) has been obtained by prepolymer method and characterised by FTIR; morphological features were examined by SEM-EDS. It has been found that PVC spherical aggregates are dispersed in the PU matrix, but Cl atoms location indicates partial miscibility of both polymers at the interphase which is probably due to hydrogen bonding and/or dipole-dipole interactions. The PVC component influences the phase behaviour of PUs hard segments, as evidenced by DSC results. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) reveals a complex, multi-step decomposition process with the main mass loss at 503-693 K, while the DTG maxima are located between 540 and 602 K.     

Photodegradation of poly(vinyl acetate)

Poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) films with different molecular masses were exposed to ultraviolet radiation. The infra-red spectra of all the samples showed a continuous attenuation of the intensity of the carbonyl stretching bands (1740 cm⁻¹) and of the symmetrical methyl bending vibration bands (1375 cm⁻¹), which suggests a steady loss of acetate side groups during irradiation.The electronic spectra showed an increase in the uv absorption at about 272 nm, suggesting the occurrence of polyene sequences in the polymer chains.In the low molecular mass sample there was almost no insoluble gel fraction formed, even after 20 h irradiation; in the high molecular mass polymer there was already a 50% insoluble fraction after 5 h irradiation, indicating a high degree of crosslinking, although the average viscometric molecular mass of the soluble fraction was only about one sixth of the initial value.     

Thiourea-tagged poly(octadecyl acrylate) gels as fluoride and acetate responsive polymer gels through selective complexation

Fluoride and acetate-responsive polymer gels were prepared by incorporation of p-nitrophenylthiourea into poly(octadecyl acrylate) gels, and the colours and volumes were changed selectively in the presence of these ions by complexation in THF.     

Long branching in poly(vinyl acetate) and poly(vinyl alcohol). IV. Polymerization of vinyl trimethylacetate in the presence of crosslinked poly(vinyl acetate)

In order to clarify the grafting behavior of vinyl trimethylacetate (VTMAc) onto poly-(vinyl acetate) (PVAc), the polymerization of a radioactive VTMAc in the presence of a crosslinked PVAc gel was studied in accordance with the experimental technique described in the previous papers. It was found that, at 60°C, the grafting onto the main chain of PVAc takes place about 2.8 times as readily as that onto the acetyl side group on PVAc.     

Long branching in poly(vinyl acetate) and poly(vinyl alcohol). II. Polymerization of vinyl acetate in the presence of crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol)

It is a common view that poly(vinyl acetate) has many branches at the acetyl side group, but that the corresponding poly(vinyl alcohol) has little branching. In order to study the branching in poly(vinyl acetate) and poly(vinyl alcohol) which is formed by chain transfer to polymer, the polymerization of ¹⁴C-labeled vinyl acetate in the presence of crosslinked poly(vinyl acetate), which was able to be decrosslinked to give soluble polymers, was investigated at 60°C and 0°C. This system made it possible to separate as well as to distinguish the graft polymer from the newly polymerized homopolymer. Furthermore, the degree of grafting onto the acetoxymethyl group and onto the main chain were estimated. It became clear that, in the polymerization of vinyl acetate, chain transfer to the polymer main chain takes place about 2.4 times as frequently at 60°C as that to the acetoxy group and about 4.8 times as frequently at 0°C.     

Long branching in poly(vinyl acetate) and poly(vinyl alcohol). I. Crosslinking and crosslinking cleavage of poly(vinyl acetate)

A crosslinked network was formed by the reaction of partially saponified poly(vinyl acetate) and toluylene diisocyanate in benzene. The yield of gel was markedly dependent on the degree of saponification and the concentrations of polymer and diisocyanate. Crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) was obtained by treating the poly(vinyl acetate) with a catalytic amount of sodium hydroxide in methanol without any change of the urethane crosslinks. The crosslink based on the urethane linkage was quantitatively cleaved by acids, especially by hydrobromic acid, releasing polymers of the same molecular weight as the original.     

Elasticity of model poly(oxypropylene) networks

The equilibrium stress-strain properties and the swelling behavior of moderately cross-linked model networks of poly(oxypropylene) were studied. Results were in general agreement with the theory of rubber elasticity due to Flory. However, data on the highly cross-linked networks (M?_c ≈ 725) could not be satisfactorily described by the recent theories of elasticity or swelling. This is believed to be primarily due to the marked non-Gaussian character of the very short network chains and the substantial chemical modification of the polymer by the cross-linking moiety which inevitably occurs at high cross-link densities.     

The gelation and rigidity modulus of dilute poly(vinyl chloride) gels in phthalate plasticizer solutions

Static elastic moduli of gels of PVC have been obtained in various dialkyl phthalate plasticizers at times between 0.5 and 200 hr after formation, at temperatures between 27 and 45° and for polymer concentrations between 4 and 10.55%. The moduli increase linearly with log (time) and they increase with decreasing temperature, with increasing polymer concentration and with increasing size of the alkyl group of the plasticizer. These changes follow the same pattern as those observed with plasticized PVC at concentrations normally used in commerce. The moduli obtained at the present concentration have been interpreted using rubber-like elasticity theory and a simplified theory of network equilibrium.     

Degradation of polymer mixtures. IV. Blends of poly(vinyl acetate) with poly(vinyl chloride) and other chlorine-containing polymers

The degradation of the binary polymer blends, poly(vinyl acetate)/poly(vinyl chloride), poly(vinyl acetate)/poly(vinylidene chloride) and poly(vinyl acetate)/polychloroprene has been studied by using thermal volatilization analysis, thermogravimetry, evolved gas analysis for hydrogen chloride and acetic acid, and spectroscopic methods. For the first two systems named, strong interaction occurs in the degrading blend, but the polychloroprene blends showed no indication of interaction. In the PVA/PVC and PVA/PVDC blends, hydrogen chloride from the chlorinated polymer causes substantial acceleration in the deacetylation of PVA. Acetic acid from PVA destabilizes PVC but has little effect in the case of PVDC because of the widely differing degradation temperatures of PVA and PVDC. The presence of hydrogen chloride during the degradation of PVA results in the formation of longer conjugated sequences, and the regression in sequence length at high extents of deacetylation found for PVA degraded alone is not observed.     

Study of the miscibility of poly(vinyl pyridines) with poly(vinyl acetate), poly(vinyl alcohol) and their copolymers

Miscibility of poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (P4VP) and poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (P2VP) with poly(viny acetate) (PVAc), poly(vinyl alcohol) PVA and poly(vinyl acetate-co-alcohol) (ACA copolymers) has been investigated over a wide composition range. Differentiaal scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicate that P2VP is immiscible with PVAC, PVA, and their copolymers over the whole composition range. In turn, P4VP appears to be immiscible with PVAC and PVA, but miscible with some ACA copolymers in certain range of composition. The P4VP-ACA phase diagram for different copolymer compositions has been determined. The variation of the glass transition temperature with composition for miscible mixtures was found to follow the Gordon-Taylor equation, with the parameter κ dependent upon copolymer composition. FTIR analysis of blends reveal the existence of specific interactions via hydrogen bonding between hydroxyl groups and the nitrogen of the pyridinic ring, which appear to be decisive for miscibility. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Grafting reactions of vinyl acetate onto poly[(vinyl alcohol)-co-(vinyl acetate)]

The grafting preference of vinyl acetate onto the methine carbon of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) versus the acetate group of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) was determined as part of an attempt to prepare novel branched PVOH from partially hydrolyzed PVAc. The results showed long chain grafting on the acetate groups of the PVAc units rather than the methine carbons of the PVOH or PVAc units. Decreasing the monomer or initiator concentration decreased the molecular weight of the graft copolymer formed. Of the initiators studied, ammonium persulfate gave the largest increase in copolymer molecular weight. Both hydrolysis and reacetylation combined with gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and ¹³C-NMR of the fully hydrolyzed material were used to estimate the number and location of grafts. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The effects of solvent type and aging on structural development in poly(vinyl chloride) thermoreversible gels

We investigated the effects of solvent type (mono‐ester vs. di‐ester solvent) and aging on the structural development in the poly(vinyl chloride)/butyl benzoate (PVC/BB) and PVC/dibutyl phthalate(DBP) gels, as well as on their viscoelastic and mechanical behaviors. It was found that aged PVC/DBP gels held at RT for 7 days exhibit an improvement of about 100% in storage modulus (G′) compared to fresh gels, with a sudden drop in G′ around 50 °C, whereas the storage moduli of the PVC/BB gels decrease monotonically with temperature, irrespective of the postaging time. These different behaviors of the PVC/BB and PVC/DBP gels arise mainly because of the difference in the network structure produced by the formation of the polymer‐solvent complex between the C?O groups of the solvent and the polarized hydrogen moieties of PVC, as was confirmed with small angle X‐ray scattering and uniaxial tensile experiments. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 263–271, 2008     

Seeded polymerization of vinyl acetate using monodisperse poly(vinyl acetate) latex particles

The seeded polymerizations of vinyl acetate, using monodisperse poly(vinyl acetate) latex particles prepared in the absence of emulsifiers with potassium persulfate, have been investigated at 70°C with potassium persulfate as an initiator. New small particles were formed in the system containing a small amount of seed particles, but were not observed in the system containing a large amount of seed particles. The size of the secondary particles increased, and their number decreased, with an increase in the seed particle number. The minimum diameter of PVAc particles, which are stabilized by the sulfate ion groups bound at the end of polymer chains during polymerization, was determined to be 0.12 μm diameter from the limiting total surface area of seed particles which prevented further secondary nucleation. The minimum diameter of the particles increased as the speed of the stirrer increased. The new small particle number calculated using this value agreed well with that formed in the seeded polymerization.     

Degradation of polymer mixtures. VIII. Blends of poly(vinyl acetate) with poly(methyl methacrylate)

The degradation of blends of PVA and PMMA in the form of films cast from a common solution of the polymers has been studied by TVA, TG, and EGA (evolved gas analysis) for acetic acid. Volatile degradation products have been characterized by spectroscopic and GLC techniques. Molecular weight, spectral and thermal stability changes in PMMA extracted from partially degraded blends have been examined. These blends behave in a closely analogous manner to PVC-PMMA blends already investigated. The results suggest that the PMMA component of the heterogeneous blends is modified in two ways: (1) in a destabilization reaction series initiated by attack of acetate radicals generated in the PVA phase which migrate into the PMMA phase, and (2) in a stabilization reaction involving conversion of ester side groups to acid and subsequently to anhydride ring structures which act as blocking points for depolymerization. The rate of acetic acid production in the blend is less than in PVA degraded alone. The mechanism of degradation of PVA is reconsidered in the light of these results.     

Structural relaxation in poly(vinyl acetate)

Structural relaxation in poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) in and slightly above the glass-transition region has been studied by monitoring the time dependence of enthalpy using differential scanning calorimetry and the frequency dependence of electric polarization by dielectric loss measurements. The results have been analyzed to yield the kinetic parameters characterizing the structural relaxation and are compared with similar analyses of previously published shear compliance and volume relaxation experiments. Relaxation of enthalpy, electric polarization, volume, and shear stress in PVAc all appear to be characterized by somewhat different relaxation times. The difference between the volume and enthalpy relaxation times, coupled with the fact that PVAc exhibits a Prigogine–Defay ratio greater than unity, is evidence for a previously proposed connection between the thermodynamics and kinetics of structural relaxation in terms of an order parameter model.