Influence of additives on model emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate (VAc) using poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a protective colloid

To clarify the influence of additives on the grafting phenomenon as well as the particle behavior more precisely, we carried out a model emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate (VAc) in a 1% aqueous solution with ammonium persulfate (APS) using poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a protective colloid in the presence of additives. The addition of alcohol to the system remarkably affected the particle formation, especially grafting. This is thought to be attributed to competition between hydrogen abstraction from PVA and alcohol with a sulfate radical. Especially, the addition of acetone to the system decreased grafting to a great extent, resulting in an increase in the particle size together with an increase in the number of polymer molecules in a polymer particle. This result is thought to arise from a combination of electron abstraction from acetone with a sulfate radical and the chain-transfer reaction of the propagation radical with acetone.     

Effect of additives on the initial stage of emulsion polymerization of styrene (St) using poly(vinyl alcohol) as a protective colloid

To realize the mechanism of particle formation followed by the grafting of styrene (St) onto poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) more precisely, we investigated the influence of additives on model experiments of emulsion polymerizations in 1 ml styrene (St) per 100 ml water at 70 °C using PVA as a protective colloid. In the case of a standard system without additive, experimental results indicate new particle formation, and that 30% of St feed and 30% of the PVA used were grafted. The sulfate radical seldom enters into particles but reacts with PVA, forming the PVA radical that yields the grafting of St onto PVA. The experimental results are thought to arise from a hydrogen abstraction from PVA with a sulfate radical. The addition of low-molecular-weight alcohol, such as isopropyl alcohol (i-PrOH) and n-propyl alcohol (n-PrOH), strongly affected the mechanism of particle formation in terms of a decrease in grafting, due to competition between hydrogen abstraction from PVA and the alcohols with a sulfate radical. Surprisingly, the addition of a low-reactive alcohol, such as t-butyl alcohol (t-BuOH), also resulted in the particle formation with a decrease in grafting, influenced the polymerization locus to be a monomer droplets dispersed by t-BuOH, and confirmed homogeneous nucleation with the increase in the solubility of St in the aqueous phase.     

Comparison of the different emulsion polymerization routes between acrylic and vinyl acetate monomers using poly(vinyl alcohol) as the sole stabilizer

The emulsion polymerization of acrylic and vinyl acetate monomers using poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as protective colloid has been studied for a long time, whereas rare reports ranged over the lateral comparison of the two systems and the reason for the unstability of the PVA/MMA polymerization system was still indistinct. Here in this paper, a collection of experiments of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and vinyl acetate (VAc) were performed respectively with varied amount of PVA as the sole stabilizer. The grafting extent of the polymerisate was characterized through the fraction and FTIR and it was found that the grafted amount of PVA was even larger in the PVA/MMA copolymers than PVA/VAc copolymers, so the grafted mode of PVA was considered. Based on the kinetics, the slower initiation rate of sulfate radical towards MMA was found to be responsible for the unstability of corresponding colloids accompanied with the relatively quicker hydrogen abstraction of radical to PVA, which resulted in “layer-by-layer” grafting structure inside and the particle surface-grafting density was lowered thereof. This was proved with TEM and static contact angle measurements and a pseudo-homopolymer model was employed to describe the relationship of colloidal stability and the PVA density on surfaces.     

Kinetics of emulsion copolymerization of methylmethacrylate and ethylacrylate: effect of type and concentration of initiator in unseeded polymerization system

The free radical emulsion copolymerization of methylmethacrylate (MMA) and ethylacrylate (EA) initiated by a water-soluble initiator (potassium persulphate, KPS) at 50 °C in the presence of anionic emulsifier above critical micelle concentration under constant stirring speed in an inert atmosphere is investigated. The effect of blend of KPS and oil-soluble initiators [KPS+2,2^′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN)] is also examined. The order of the interval-II polymerization rate (R_p) is found to be 0.76±0.03 in KPS initiation alone and 0.72±0.04 in presence of fixed concentration of AIBN under similar experimental condition. On the other hand, interestingly, the rate of polymerization is found to be propotional to the 0.40th power of the AIBN concentration in presence of fixed concentration of KPS. The kinetic features of the present investigation indicate that probably the radical desorption is relatively facile and also the cage effect may be operative under high conversions (i.e. in polymer particles) in this MMA/EA emulsion copolymerization system. It is also found that the polydispersity index of polymer is being influenced by the type and concentration of initiators.     

Photopolymerization of methyl methacrylate with azo-containing polydimethylsiloxane as photoinitiator: Effect of siloxane chain length

The kinetics of the free radical photopolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) initiated by azo-containing polydimethylsiloxane (PSMAI) and azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) was investigated. The greater polymerization rate R_p in MMA/PSMAI systems may be due to the higher value of the initiation rate R_i and the lower value of the termination rate constant k_t than that in MMA/AIBN system. The reaction orders with respect to initiators PSMAI decreased with an increase in polydimethylsiloxane chain length (SCL) in PSMAI. The observed deviations in polymerization rate from rate equation could be explained in terms of primary radical termination. The photoinitiator efficiency Φ of initiators decreased with increase in SCL, while the ratio of the rate constants for chain termination and chain initiation by primary radical increased with SCL. The fraction β of primary radicals entering into termination in MMA/PSMAI systems were larger than that in MMA/AIBN system. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A novel approach to the characterization of end groups in styrene–methyl methacrylate copolymers by pyrolysis–gas chromatography

The end groups of styrene–methyl methacrylate (St‐MMA) copolymers polymerized radically with 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator, which are difficult to characterize even by NMR, were investigated by pyrolysis–gas chromatography. On the resulting pyrograms, characteristic products that formed from the end‐group moiety due to AIBN, such as 2‐cyanopropane, 2‐cyanopropen, and various compounds consisting of an isobutyronitrile group and a monomer unit, were observed together with those from the main chain, such as St and MMA monomers and various dimeric and trimeric products. The relative abundance between the recombination and disproportionation termination reactions in the copolymerization process was estimated from the relative intensities between the characteristic peaks of the end group and those of the main chain. Thus, the estimated abundance for the termination reactions suggested that the polymerization process for this particular copolymer system terminated preferentially by recombination rather than by disproportionation. Furthermore, the relative abundance between the monomer units adjacent to the chain‐end AIBN residues was estimated on the basis of the peak intensities of the products consisting of an isobutyronitrile group and either monomer unit, which reflected the penultimate neighboring structure of the end group in the polymer chain. Thus, the observed results suggested that the isobutyronitrile radical formed by the dissociation of AIBN in the initiation reaction was predominantly adjoined by St monomer rather than by MMA monomer. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1880–1888, 2000     

The role of initiation in the synthesis of silica/poly(methyl methacrylate) nanocomposite latex particles through emulsion polymerization

Silica/poly(methyl methacrylate) nanocomposite latex particles have been synthesized by emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate using a nonionic surfactant: nonylphenol poly(oxyethylene) and three different initiators, namely: 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AIBA), potassium persulfate (KPS) and azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN), being cationic, anionic and nonionic, respectively. A silica sol with an average diameter of 68 nm was used as the seed. The polymerization reaction was conducted under alkaline conditions in order to evaluate the role of the surface charge of the hydrophilic silica on the coating reaction. AIBA was found to be adsorbed on the silica surface owing to electrostatic interactions of the amidine function of the cationic initiator with the silanolate groups of the oxide surface, while the anionic and the nonionic initiators did not adsorb on silica under the same conditions. Nonetheless, whatever the nature of the initiator, polymerization took place on the silica particles as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy. The extent of interaction between the inorganic surface and the polymer particles was quantified by means of ultracentrifugation and a material balance. As much as 65% by weight of the total polymer formed was found to be present at the silica surface using AIBA, while only 40% for KPS and 25% for AIBN was found to cover the silica particles under alkaline conditions. We demonstrate that by using a cationic initiator and by controlling the pH of the suspension it is possible to significantly decrease the amount of free polymer. Coating of the silica particles took place through a kind of in situ heterocoagulation mechanism. Received: 8 December 2000 Accepted: 22 February 2001     

Polymerization of meta-naphthoquinone methide: 3,4-benzo-6-methylenebicyclo [3.1.0] hex-3-ene-2-one

Polymerization behavior of meta-naphthoquinone methide, 3,4-benzo-6-methylenebicyclo[3.1.0]hex-3-ene-2-one ( 1 ), was studied. Radical initiator 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) induced polymerization of 1 , but ionic initiators potassium tert-butoxide, butyllithium, and boron trifluoride etherate did not. Polymerization of 1 proceeded via ring-opening and aromatization to give a polymer with head-to-tail monomer unit placement. Compound 1 copolymerized with methyl methacrylate (MMA) in the presence of AIBN to obtain the monomer reactivity ratios r₁ ( 1 ) = 0.28 ± 0.07 and r₂(MMA) = 0.39 ± 0.02 at 60°C and Q and e values of Q = 1.04 and e = −1.03, indicating that 1 is a conjugative and electron-donating monomer. Ring-opening and aromatization of 1 also took place in the copolymerization. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 741–746, 1997     

Free radical grafting of monomers to polydienes. IV. Kinetics and mechanism of methyl methacrylate grafting to polybutadiene

The radical grafting of methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto polybutadiene (PBD) in benzene solution at 60°C is more efficiently induced by benzoyl peroxide (BP) than by azoisobutyronitrile (AIBN). PBD exerts a pronounced retardation on the polymerization of MMA and the grafting efficiency is governed by the ratio of rubber to monomer in the system. With BP as initiator, a fairly simple kinetic expression, relating grafting efficiency with reactant concentrations, can be derived by making certain approximations, including the neglect of termination grafting. The experimental data are reasonably consistent with this equation and yield acceptable values of several kinetic parameters. With AIBN, termination grafting is more significant. In consequence the relevant kinetic equation can be only qualitatively validated.     

Fundamental studies of grafting reactions in free radical copolymerization. III. Grafting of styrene,acrylate, and methacrylate monomers onto cis-polybutadiene using benzoyl peroxide initiator in solution polymerization

Benzoyl peroxide (BPO), due to its higher radical reactivity as compared to AIBN, is known to promote grafting onto cis-polybutadiene. Switching from AIBN to BPO initiator made a dramatic difference in the extent of grafting for styrene and methacrylate monomers, but only a modest difference for acrylate monomer. For styrene and methacrylate monomers, graft site formation is due to BPO initiator radical attack onto the backbone via allylic hydrogen abstraction. Significant levels of grafting are achieved and depend upon the relative concentrations of monomer and backbone polymer but not upon the level of initiator. For acrylic monomer, graft site formation was found to be due to polymer radical attack at the double bond in the backbone. Abstraction of allylic hydrogen also occurs but results in retardation of the overall reaction rate. Graft level was dependent upon initiator and back-bone polymer concentrations but not upon monomer concentration. The effective role of the initiator is only to produce polymer radicals; the BPO has no direct role in the formation of effective graft sites. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Activity of the furfuryl ring in the free radical polymerization of acrylic monomers

The effect and the participation of the furfuryl ring, in particular the hydrogen at position C-5 in the free radical polymerization are analyzed following the polymerization of furfuryl acrylate (FA) and furfuryl methacrylate (FM) initiated by AIBN under photochemical activation. The results obtained indicate that the polymerization of FA deviates from the classical free radical kinetic scheme, giving rise to crosslinked polymers even at a degree of conversion lower than 7%. This behavior is well explained taking into consideration the participation of the furfuryl ring which acts as a degradative transfer agent. This was demonstrated by the kinetic analysis of the free radical polymerization of MMA initiated by the thermal decomposition of AIBN in the presence of different concentrations of furfuryl acetate. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Polymerization reactivity of unsaturated end group generated during the disproportionation in termination reaction of methyl methacrylate polymerization: A study using model compounds

Polymerizations of some vinyl monomers were carried out with 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile at 60°C in the presence of a methyl methacrylate (MMA) dimer ( I ) or a MMA polymer ( II ) with a double bond at their ends to confirm the polymerization reactivity of unsaturated end group generated during the disproportionation in termination reaction of MMA polymerization. It was found that the polymerizations of α-monosubstituted monomers have been much retarded than those of α,α-disubstituted monomers by the addition of I . Kinetic study on MMA and methyl acrylate polymerizations showed that the rate constant for the reaction of a propagating radical with I was 5.4 and 29.2 L/mol s in their polymerizations, respectively. ESR study using I and II suggested that an addition reaction was a predominant mechanism for the reaction of an unsaturated end group with a radical rather than a hydrogen abstraction.     

Impact of initiators in preparing magnetic polymer particles by miniemulsion polymerization

Sub-micron sized polystyrene particles containing magnetite more than 30 wt.% were prepared by miniemulsion polymerization with commercially available ferricolloid. The effects of some water-soluble initiators and/or oil-soluble initiators on the particles characteristics, such as the size, morphology, magnetic properties and colloidal stability, were studied. The size of monomer droplets/polymer particles increased from 60 to 300 nm during polymerization, keeping magnetic in core when potassium persulfate (KPS) or ammonium persulfate (APS) was used as the sole initiator. These particles were easily separated from the medium within short time scale in external magnetic field, while such characteristics were controlled by the amount of persulfate used for the polymerization. In contrast, when 2,2′-azobis isobutyronitrile (AIBN) was used as the initiator, the size of droplets/particles was retained to be 90 nm at the most and magnetite nanoparticles located at the surface of polystyrene particles, which were so colloidally stable that they were not separated in external magnetic field. The above-mentioned effect of initiators on particle size in persulfate system was likely originated from the decrease of pH value and the increase of ionic strength, which induced the fusion of droplets/particles containing magnetite. Mixed-initiators system resulted in intermediate characteristics, compared with each initiator system. The location of magnetite in the particle seems to depend on where initiation/polymerization occurred in each initiator system.     

Photoinitiated polymerization of methyl methacrylate with benzoin methyl ether. III. Independent photogeneration of the ether radical

Evidence is presented for initiation of MMA polymerization by the α-methoxybenzyl (ether) radical, photogenerated by H abstraction from benzyl methyl ether, utilizing benzophenone as the H-ab-stracting agent. The results support previous reports on the initiating ability of ether radical, photogenerated from ¹⁴C-labeled benzoin methyl ethers. Independent generation of one or both of the radicals derived from unsymmetrical initiators is more broadly applicable. The potential utility of this technique for providing insights into the photoefficiencies of commercially important photoinitiators, which produce initiator radicals by intramolecular bond cleavage, is discussed.     

乙烯系单体自由基聚合的阻聚效应——Ⅸ.受阻胺-醌类电荷转移络合物对甲基丙烯酸甲酯自由基聚合的阻聚及历程

用膨胀计法研究了西氯苯醌(CA)、苯醌(BQ)与受阻胺二异丙胺(DIPA)、2,2,6,6-四甲基-4-羟基哌啶(TMP)形成的电荷转移络合物(CTC)对偶氮二异丁腈(AIBN)引发的甲基丙烯酸甲酯(MMA)自由基聚合阻聚效应。结果表明,CA-DIPA、CA-TMP、BQ-DIPA和BQ-TMP对MMA的自由基聚合均产生较单独的醌或胺更显著的阻聚能力。其中以CA-DIPA阻聚效果更佳。比较了MMA在苯或乙腈中的溶液聚合,得类似结果。初步讨论了受阻胺-醌电荷转移络合物对MMA自由基聚合的阻聚反应机理。     

Synthesis of pH‐sensitive surfactants by the terpolymerization of methacrylic acid,methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate,and lauryl methacrylate: Initiator effect and reactivity ratio study

For the development of pH‐sensitive surfactants to be used in water‐in‐oil fermentation, the free‐radical terpolymerization of methacrylic acid (MAA), methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (MPEGMA), and lauryl methacrylate (LMA), at a molar ratio of 1.0:0.04:0.76, was studied with two initiators, azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and hydrogen peroxide, at different concentrations. The polymer synthesized with 0.45% AIBN as the initiator was the most promising, giving similar conversions of all three monomers throughout the 10‐h polymerization. The subsequent study on AIBN‐initiated systems indicated that MPEGMA caused an increase‐then‐decrease profile of the MAA conversion with a plateau around an ethylene glycol/MAA ratio of 1–2. This observation was fairly consistent with the well‐known type II template polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)–MAA systems. The reactivity ratios obtained in this study suggested that the polymer synthesized with AIBN as the initiator had a structure of alternating blocks of MAA and LMA, with isolated PEG grafts. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2950–2959, 2004     

Controlled radical polymerization of styrene in the presence of molecular iodine

Controlled radical polymerization of styrene in toluene by the RITP method in the presence of I₂ and radical initiators, 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) and benzoyl peroxide, was studied.

     

New anion conducting membranes based on functionalized styrene–butadiene–styrene triblock copolymer for fuel cells applications

In this work, the functionalization of polystyrene‐b‐poly(butadiene)‐b‐polystyrene triblock copolymer (SBS) with vinylbenzyl chloride and benzoyl peroxide (BPO) or α,α′‐azo‐bis‐isobutyronitrile (AIBN) as free radical initiators was reported. The functionalization degree (FD), calculated by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and confirmed by elemental analysis, was highly tunable (from 4 to 10 mol %) and positively correlated to the starting percentage of radical initiator. More specifically, at the same initiator molar percentage grafting efficiency is higher using BPO rather than AIBN. Quaternization reaction of the grafted benzyl chloride groups with the bifunctional tertiary amine 1,4‐diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (Dabco) led to a chemically and thermally stable homogeneous anion‐exchange membrane. Electrochemical parameters were evaluated for Dabco‐quaternized grafted copolymers having different FDs, and compared with a commercial Tokuyama benchmark membrane. Experimental data showed a positive correlation between FD and both water swelling and ionic conductivity. Best trade‐off between ionic conductivity and water swelling was found for membrane having FD 9.1 mol %, which conductivity is comparable with the Tokuyama benchmark one and water uptake is only slightly higher. The results are discussed based on the molecular parameters with particular reference to ionic content and distribution. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Organocatalyzed Photo‐Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of Methacrylic Acid in Continuous Flow and Surface Grafting

The organocatalyzed photo‐atom transfer radical polymerization (photoATRP) using 10‐phenylphenothiazine as catalyst is studied toward its use in methacrylic acid (MAA) polymerization and surface grafting. The organocatalyzed photoATRP of methyl methacrylate (MMA) is first optimized for continuous flow synthesis in order to assess the livingness of the polymerization. MMA can be polymerized in batch and in flow; however, conversions are limited by the loss of bromine functionality and hence high conversions have to be traded in with increasing dispersities. Also, MAA is polymerized successfully in continuous flow with similar limitations. Flow conditions are transferred to surface grafting from silanized silicon wafers. The presence of ATRP initiators after silanization is confirmed by secondary ion mass spectrometry and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Dense polymethacrylic acid brush films are successfully produced, which is not directly accessible via classical copper‐mediated ATRP techniques.     

Protected versus unprotected dextran macroinitiators for ATRP synthesis of Dex‐g‐PMMA

The synthesis of amphiphilic dextran‐g‐poly(methyl methacrylate) glycopolymers (Dex‐g‐PMMA) is studied using “grafting from” concept and atom transfer radical polymerization. Two strategies have been examined to control the macromolecular parameters of such glycopolymers. One is involving four steps including a protection/deprotection approach and the second one only two steps. The introduction of initiators group onto a protected acetylated dextran (and directly onto dextran) was achieved resulting in protected DexAcBr (and in unprotected DexBr). These two types of polysaccharidic macroinitiators differ in term of solubility (hydrophilic DexBr vs. hydrophobic DexAcBr) and of position of the initiators groups on the glucosidic units (which are the sites of the future grafts). When evaluated as macroinitiators for ATRP of MMA, control was achieved in both cases but DexBr gave much faster polymerization and lower average grafting efficiency compared with DexAcBr or model initiator. Advantages and drawbacks of both pathways have finally been discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010