Graft polymerization of methyl methacrylate from silica initiated by peroxide groups introduced onto the surface

The surface grafting onto ultrafine silica by the radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) initiated by peroxide groups introduced onto the surface was investigated. The introduction of peroxide groups onto the silica surface was achieved by the reaction of hydrogen peroxide with chlorosilyl groups, which were introduced by the treatment of silica with thionyl chloride. The content of diisopropylbenzene peroxide and tert-butyl peroxide groups introduced onto the silica according to the above method was determined to be 0.11 and 0.08 mmol/g, respectively. It was found that the polymerization of MMA is initiated by silica having these peroxide groups. In the polymerization, polyMMA was grafted onto silica surface: the percentage of grafting reached about 70%. Therefore, it was concluded that the polymerization of MMA is initiated by surface radicals formed by the decomposition of peroxide groups on silica and polyMMA is grafted through the propagation from the surface. During the polymerization, ungrafted polyMMA was also formed because of the formation of initiator fragments by the decomposition of peroxide groups: the grafting efficiency of the graft polymerization was 30–40%. PolyMMA-grafted silica produced a stable colloidal dispersion in organic solvents for polyMMA. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

ESR study on radical polymerization and its application to microemulsion systems

Well-resolved electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra of propagating radicals of vinyl and diene compounds were observed in a single scan by a conventional CW-ESR spectrometry without the aid of computer accumulation and the specially designed cavity and cells. Although solvents which could be used for ESR measurements were restricted to nonpolar solvents, such as benzene, toluene, and hexane, new information on dynamic behavior and reactivity of the propagating radicals in the radical polymerization of vinyl and diene compounds were obtained. Thus, values of propagation rate constants (k_p) for vinyl and diene compounds were determined by an ESR method. Some of the k_p values were in a fair agreement with those obtained by a pulsed laser polymerization (PLP) method. Furthermore, polymer chain effect on apparent k_p was clearly observed in the radical polymerization of macromonomers and in the microemulsion polymerization. In ESR measurement on inclusion polymerization system, important information on the origin of the 9-line spectrum observed in the radical polymerization of methacrylate propagating radicals was obtained.     

Radical/Cation Transformation Polymerization and Its Application to the Preparation of Block Copolymers

Abstract

ESR study on the primary radicals obtained by decomposition of azo-compounds showed that primary radicals with electron donating substituents were transformed to the corresponding cations in the presence of electron acceptors such as ph₂I⁺PF^? ₆. Accordingly, propagating radicals are transformed to the corresponding cations in the polymerization of p-methoxy-styrene (MOS), n-butyl vinyl ether (BVE), and N-vinylcarbazole (VCZ) with azoinitiators such as AIBN in the presence of electron acceptors such as Ph₂I⁺PF^? ₆. In the case of BVE, the polymer formation was caused by cationic species produced by the transformation of the initiating radical. The polymerizations of MOS and VCZ were ascribed to the transformation of the growing radical to the corresponding cation during the propagation step which was classified as the radical/cation transformation polymerization. Block copolymers of MOS/cyclohexene oxide (CHO) and VCZ/CHO were effectively prepared by the radical/cation transformation polymerization of the appropriate monomers in the presence of AIBN, electron acceptor and CHO. The formation of block copolymers was characterized by turbidimetry, thin-layer chromatography, and solubility tests.     

Studies on diacetylenic vinyl compounds. VI. ESR studies on the polymerization of diacetylene containing acrylate and methacrylates

A number of diacetylene containing acrylate and methacrylates have been synthesized and the interaction between their propagating radicals and the diacetylene groups was studied by ESR spectroscopy. In the case of polymerization at 70°C using AIBN as an initiator, the propagating radicals of methacrylates are temporarily trapped with the diacetylenes with rapid exchange of the electron, thus showing strong signals of the propagating radicals. Gamma irradiation of the frozen state produces a blue color in samples, and the ESR signals were found to be those of uninteracted acrylate and methacrylates. From a comparison of spectral widths, there seems to exist an intramolecular interaction between the radicals and the diacetylene group at the frozen state. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Electron spin resonance studies of propagating radicals in polymerization. I. Methacrylate propagating radicals

Ferric chloride-photosensitized free-radical initiation was used to generate propagating radicals in polymerization of methacrylic acid (MAA), allyl methacrylate (AMA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), 1,3-butylene dimethacrylate (1,3-BDMA), hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA), lauryl methacrylate (LMA), hexyl methacrylate (HMA), and methacrylamide (MA) in rigid glasses of methanol or acetone at near liquid nitrogen temperatures. The formation and conformational changes of these propagating radicals at different temperatures were studied by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. When methanol was the rigid glass, ·CH₂OH radicals were formed initially and were stable below ?160°C. As the temperature of the rigid glass was increased, the ·CH₂OH radicals reacted with monomer to yield propagating radicals. With the exception of the propagating radical for methacrylamide, the propagating radicals of the methacrylates examined initially generated five-line ESR spectra which gradually changed to nine-line spectra, as temperature of the rigid glass was increased. It was concluded that one type of propagating radical was formed in all cases. However, when the temperature of the rigid glass was increased, the single structural conformation that initially allowed one of the methylene hydrogens and methyl group to interact with the unpaired electron to generate only a five-line spectrum was changed to yield a second conformation that allowed interaction to generate an additional four-line spectrum. Finally, a mixture of the propagating radical for methacrylate monomer in two structural conformations was obtained, and an ESR spectrum consisting of nine lines (5 + 4 lines) was generated. In the case of the propagating radical for methacrylamide this change to yield two structural conformations evidently was hindered, so that only an ESR spectrum consisting of five lines was generated.     

Electron spin resonance studies of propagating radicals in polymerization. II. Acrylate propagating radicals

Ferric chloride-photosensitized free-radical initiation was used to generate propagating radicals in polymerization of acrylic acid (AA), methyl acrylate (MA), ethyl acrylate (EA), butyl acrylate (BA), acrylamide (A), and diacetone acrylamide (DAA) in rigid glasses of methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, or acetone at near liquid nitrogen temperatures. When the temperatures of the glasses were increased, primary radicals derived from the solvents reacted with the monomers to yield propagating radicals. Formation and conformational changes of the propagating radicals at different temperatures were studied by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. It was concluded that one type of propagating radical was formed in all cases. However, when the temperature of the rigid glass was increased, the structural conformation of the radical that initially allowed the near-equivalent interaction of the α-hydrogen and one of the β-hydrogens with the unpaired electron generated a three-line spectrum.     

Polymer radicals trapped in radical-initiated polytetrafluoroethylene

The electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra of polymer radicals found to be trapped in polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) polymerized with radical initiators were comparatively examined under various conditions and assigned. They are identified as the primary (propagating) radicals RCF₂CF₂·, which are transformed to primary peroxy radicals RCF₂CF₂OO· in the atmosphere. Studies of the rates of polymerization and postpolymerization and ESR measurements indicate that the radical content steadily increases during polymerization. The results are discussed in connection with the mechanism of polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and the unusual thermal stability of these radicals in PTFE prepared with initiator.     

Copolymerizations involving methyl methacrylate,methyl acrylate,stilbene and p.fluorostilbene

Homopolymerizations and copolymerizations of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methyl acrylate (MA) have been performed in the presence of either stilbene or p.fluorostilbene, labelled with carbon-14. It has been shown that at 60°C the polyMA radical is much more reactive than the polyMMA radical towards stilbene, the velocity constants for the reactions differing by a factor of about 300; similar results are found for p.fluorostilbene. The differences between the reactivities of the radicals are associated with steric effects arising from the presence of a methyl group at the alpha position in MMA.     

Initiation of cationic polymerization of n-butyl vinyl ether by stable cation radicals of substituted phenothiazines

3,7-Diethyl- 10-phenylphenothiazine (DEPPT), a phenothiazine derivative whose 3,7- and 10-positions are blocked, was synthesized. Potentiostatic electrolysis of DEPPT in acetonitrile (ACN) in the presence of 0.1M of LiClO₄ at 0.7 V (vs. Ag/Ag/Cl) yielded the stable cation radical of DEPPT (DEPPT^+·) which was characterized by cyclic voltammetry, UV-visible spectroscopy, and ESR spectrometry. Stable cation radicals of 10-phenylphenothiazine and 3,7-diethyl-10-methylphenothiazine were also prepared. The cationic polymerization of n-butyl vinyl ether was initiated by these cation radicals, including DEPPT^·+. The electron transfer mechanism for the initiation step, which we proposed previously, was supported by the fact that DEPPT^·+ was capable of initiating the polymerization; dimerization of DEPPT^·+ by releasing protons is precluded because 3,7- and 10-positions are all blocked. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

An application of spin trapping to radical polymerizations

Radical polymerizations and copolymerizations were carried out in the presence of phenyl tert-butyl nitrone(PBN) and tert-nitrosobutane (t-BuNO), and the structure of the spin adduct formed was investigated by ESR spectroscopy. PBN adducts gave the same ESR pattern, and the variation of the splitting constant was not large enough to warrant its use for the structure assignment. Therefore, the subsequent trapping experiments were performed with t-BuNO. The polymerization mixture of representative monomers showed esr patterns that are indicative of the propagating radical being trapped. These trapped radicals were not necessarily very stable and, in most cases, disappeared after long reaction periods. In the case of α-methyl substituted monomers, additional nine-line spectra were observed which were attributed to trapping of the radical species formed by hydrogen abstraction from the α-methyl group. The tert-butyl radical which was formed by decomposition of t-BuNo was probably responsible for the hydrogen abstraction. In the case of styrene, methyl acrylate, and methyl methacrylate, characteristic ESR patterns of the propagating radicals were observed with polymers which were prepared in the presence of t-BuNO and purified by reprecipitation. Simultaneous trapping of different propagating radicals was attempted in several copolymerization systems. However, this was generally unsuccessful, because of the large difference in reactivities of the propagating radical with t-BuNo.     

Search for highly resolved electron spin resonance spectra of the transient radical in radical polymerization

The detection of highly resolved spectra in electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements of radical polymerization is presented. Well‐resolved ESR spectra of the propagating radical were detected in the radical polymerization of several vinyl monomers with a specially designed cavity and cell. More highly resolved ESR spectra of the propagating radicals of vinyl and diene compounds were observed with aconventional spectrometer without the specially designed cavity and cell. On the basis of the ESR spectra, propagation rate constants and dynamic behavior of propagating radicals are discussed. Moreover, the application of time‐resolved ESR spectroscopy to research on the initiation process in radical polymerization is shown. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 269–285, 2002     

Effect of glyoxylic oxime ether on radical polymerization of styrene

Methyl benzyloxyiminoacetate (MBOIA), a glyoxylic oxime ether, revealed different behaviors depending on the kinds of monomers used in the radical polymerization. MBOIA served as a retarder for styrene (St) and an inhibitor for vinyl acetate, whereas it showed little effect on the polymerization of methyl methacrylate. The retardation effect of MBOIA on the polymerization of St with dimethyl 2,2′‐azobisisobutyrate (MAIB) was examined in detail in benzene. The rate constant (k_x) of the reaction of MBOIA with polystyrene (PS) radical was 92 L/mol s at 50 °C, 112 L/mol s at 60 °C, and 143 L/mol s at 70 °C, indicating that the reactivity of MBOIA toward PS radical is less than that of St by a factor of about 3. The Arrhenius plot of k_x gave an activation energy of 20.3 kJ/mol. A nitrogen‐centered radical of a stationary state was observed by electron spin resonance (ESR) in the polymerization of St with MAIB at 60 °C in benzene in the presence of MBOIA, which is assignable to the radical (MBOIA ·) formed by addition of PS radical to MBOIA. The stationary MBOIA · concentration increased with increasing MBOIA concentration and then tended to be saturated at high concentrations. The rate constant of termination between MBOIA · radicals was 1.87 × l0⁵ L/mol s at 60 °C with ESR. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2772–2781, 2002     

ESR studies on radical polymerization of vinyl ethers

ESR studies on the radical polymerization of vinyl ethers were performed from ?50°C to room temperature using di-tert-butylperoxide as a photoinitiator. Well resolved ESR spectra were assigned to propagating radicals of vinyl ethers. Their hyperfine splitting constants due to α-proton were about 16 G, being smaller than those of ethyl acrylate and vinyl acetate. The smaller constants is ascribed to a deviation of the propagating radicals from sp² hybrid structure. The reason why high polymers are not obtained from vinyl ethers by radical polymerization is discussed on the basis of information from the ESR studies.     

Free‐Radical Termination Kinetics Studied Using a Novel SP‐PLP‐ESR Technique

Summary: A novel method for measuring termination rate coefficients, k_t, in free‐radical polymerization is presented. A single laser pulse is used to instantaneously produce photoinitiator‐derived radicals. During subsequent polymerization, radical concentration is monitored by time‐resolved electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. The size of the free radicals, which exhibits a narrow distribution increases linearly with time t, which allows the chain‐length dependence of k_t to be deduced. The method will be illustrated using dodecyl methacrylate polymerization as an example.

Two straight lines provide a very satisfactory representation of the chain‐length dependence of k_t over the entire chain‐length region (c_R = radical concentration).     

Radical/cation transformation polymerization and its application to the preparation of block copolymers

p-Methoxystyrene (MOS), butyl vinyl ether (BVE), and N-vinylcarbazole (VCZ) were polymerized in high yield by azoinitiators such as 2, 2'-azodiisobutyronitrile (AIBN) in the presence of electron acceptors such as Ph₂I⁺PF₆⁻. An electron paramagnetic resonance (ESR) study of the model radicals of the propagating radical showed the transformation of the radical to the corresponding cation in the presence of the electron acceptors. In the case of BVE, the polymer formation was caused by cationic species produced by the transformation of the initiating radical. The polymerizations of MOS and VCZ were ascribed to the transformation of the growing radical to the corresponding cation during the propagation step which was classified as the radical/cation transformation polymerization. Block copolymers of MOS/cyclohexene oxide (1, 2-epoxycyclohexane) (CHO) and VCZ/CHO were effectively prepared by the radical/cation transformation polymerization of the appropriate monomers in the presence of AIBN, electron acceptor and CHO. The formation of block copolymers was characterized by turbidimetry, thin-layer chromatography, and solubility tests.     

Initial stage in radiation polymerization of hydroxyethyl methacrylate-water system at low temperatures

The initial stage in the radiation polymerization of the hydroxyethyl methacrylate water system at low temperatures was studied. The polymerization was accelerated by the presence of water; the effect increased with rising temperature above T_g. The polymerization rate had a maximum near ?50°. The initiating and propagating radicals were identified by studies with ESR. Irradiated hydroxyethyl methacrylate at low temperatures gave a 7-line spectrum, which was assigned to the initiating radical having equivalent protons. This spectrum was changed to a 9-line spectrum at ?120 to ?100°; it was assigned to the propagating radical. The temperature dependence of the ESR spectrum of irradiated hydroxyethyl methacrylate-water systems was studied to examine the effect of water on the propagating radical.     

Studying the Fundamentals of Radical Polymerization Using ESR in Combination with Controlled Radical Polymerization Methods

Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy can contribute to understanding both the kinetics and mechanism of radical polymerizations. A series of oligo/poly(meth)acrylates were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and purified to provide well defined radical precursors. Model radicals, with given chain lengths, were generated by reaction of the terminal halogens with an organotin compound and the radicals were observed by ESR spectroscopy. This combination of ESR with ATRPs ability to prepare well defined radical precursors provided significant new information on the properties of radicals in radical polymerizations. ESR spectra of the model radicals generated from tert-butyl methacrylate precursors, with various chain lengths, showed clear chain length dependent changes and a possibility of differentiating between the chain lengths of observed propagating radicals by ESR. The ESR spectrum of each dimeric, trimeric, tetrameric, and pentameric tert-butyl acrylate model radicals, observed at various temperatures, provided clear experimental evidence of a 1,5-hydrogen shift.     

Application of spin trapping to redox-initiated vinyl polymerization with thiourea as the reductant

An electron spin resonance (ESR) study confirms a free radical mechanism for aqueous vinyl polymerization initiated by three redox systems involving thiourea. The primary radical, NH₂? C (?NH)S^., could not be detected by ESR spectroscopy, perhaps because of its large g anisotropy and/or very short relaxation time. Propagating radicals are trapped from methyl-methacrylate by 2-methyl-2-nitroso propane (MNP) and their structures are found to be the same as those produced by either azo-bis-isobutyrnitrile or di-t-butyl peroxylate. The latter monomer, however, reacts with MNP in the absence of any initiator, giving different ESR lines.     

Radical/Cation Transformation Polymerization and Its Application to the Preparation of Block Copolymers

Propagating radicals could be transformed into corresponding cations in the radical polymerization process of vinyl monomers in the presence of an electron acceptor. The electron transfer reaction from the propagating radicals to the acceptor was confirmed by an electron spin resonance study and by the model compound reaction. The radical/cation transformation polymerization was effectively applied to the preparation of a new type of block copolymer compound of radically polymerized segments and cationically polymerized segments by the one shot method. Thus, a block copolymer of p-methoxystyrene (MOS) and cyclohexene oxide (CHO) was prepared by the radical polymerization of MOS in the presence of Ph₂I⁺PF⁻₆ and CHO. The formation of the block copolymer was confirmed by extraction separation, ¹H-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), thin layer chromatography and turbidimetric titration. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electron transfer between two stable radicals

Electron spin resonance (ESR) is a sensitive tool to detect the electron-transfer processes in some specified systems from the change of the ESR signals. In this paper, the interaction between poly(N,N-dimethylaniline) (PDMA) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was investigated by ESR spectra based on the stability of their radicals in ethanol. It is shown that an electron-transfer process occurs from nitrogen atoms of PDMA molecules to those of DPPH molecules which makes PDMA form more stable radical cations and eliminates the radicals on DPPH.