Atom transfer radical polymerization directly from poly(vinylidene fluoride): Surface and antifouling properties

The direct preparation of grafting polymer brushes from commercial poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) films with surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) is demonstrated. The direct initiation of the secondary fluorinated site of PVDF facilitated grafting of the hydrophilic monomers from the PVDF surface. Homopolymer brushes of 2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and poly (ethylene glycol) monomethacrylate (PEGMA) were prepared by ATRP from the PVDF surface. The chemical composition and surface topography of the graft‐functionalized PVDF surfaces were characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, attenuated total reflectance/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. A kinetic study revealed a linear increase in the graft concentration of poly[2‐(N,N‐dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) and poly[poly(ethylene glycol) monomethacrylate] (PPEGMA) with the reaction time, indicating that the chain growth from the surface was consistent with a controlled or living process. The living chain ends were used as macroinitiators for the synthesis of diblock copolymer brushes. The water contact angles on PVDF films were reduced by the surface grafting of DMAEMA and PEGMA. Protein adsorption experiments revealed a substantial antifouling property of PPEGMA‐grafted PVDF films and PDMAEMA‐grafted PVDF films in comparison with the pristine PVDF surface. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3434–3443, 2006     

Template atom transfer radical polymerization of a diaminopyrimidine‐derivatized monomer in the presence of a uracil‐containing polymer

Uracil‐derivatized monomer 6‐undecyl‐1‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)uracil and diaminopyrimidine‐derivatized monomer 2,6‐dioctanoylamido‐4‐methacryloyloxypyrimidine (DMP) were synthesized and polymerized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). A well‐defined, highly soluble, uracil‐containing polymer, poly[6‐undecyl‐1‐(4‐vinylbenzyl)uracil] (PUVU), was prepared in dioxane at 90 °C with CuBr/1,1,4,7,10,10‐hexamethyltriethylenetetramine as the catalyst and methyl α‐bromophenylacetate as the initiator. PUVU was further used as a template for the ATRP of DMP. The enhanced apparent rate constant of the DMP polymerization in the presence of PUVU indicated that the ATRP of DMP occurred along the PUVU template. The template polymerization produced a stable and insoluble macromolecular complex, PUVU/poly(2,6‐dioctanoylamido‐4‐methacryloyloxypyrimidine). An X‐ray diffraction study confirmed that the complex had strandlike domains. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6607–6615, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of mid‐ and end‐chain functional telechelics by controlled polymerization methods and coupling processes

Well‐defined polystyrene‐ (PSt) or poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL)‐based polymers containing mid‐ or end‐chain 2,5 or 3,5‐ dibromobenzene moieties were prepared by controlled polymerization methods, such as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) or ring opening polymerization (ROP). 1,4‐Dibromo‐2‐(bromomethyl)benzene, 1,3‐dibromo‐5‐(bromomethyl)benzene, and 1,4‐dibromo‐2,5‐di(bromomethyl)benzene were used as initiators in ATRP of styrene (St) in conjunction with CuBr/2,2′‐bipyridine as catalyst. 2,5‐Dibromo‐1,4‐(dihydroxymethyl)benzene initiated the ROP of ε‐caprolactone (CL) in the presence of stannous octoate (Sn(Oct)₂) catalyst. The reaction of these polymers with amino‐ or aldehyde‐functionalized monoboronic acids, in Suzuki‐type couplings, afforded the corresponding telechelics. Further functionalization with oxidable groups such as 2‐pyrrolyl or 1‐naphthyl was attained by condensation reactions of the amino or aldehyde groups with low molecular weight aldehydes or amines, respectively, with the formation of azomethine linkages. Preliminary attempts for the synthesis of fully conjugated poly(Schiff base) with polymeric segments as substituents, by oxidative polymerization of the macromonomers, are presented. All the starting, intermediate, or final polymers were structurally analyzed by spectral methods (¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and IR). © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 727–743, 2006     

Synthesis and properties of poly(amic acid)s and polyimides based on 2,2′,6,6′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride

Poly(amic acid)s (PAAs) having the high solution stability and transmittance at 365 nm for photosensitive polyimides have been developed. PAAs with a twisted conformation in the main chains were prepared from 2,2′,6,6′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (2,2′,6,6′‐BPDA) and aromatic diamines. Imidization of PAAs was achieved by chemical treatment using trifluoroacetic anhydride. Among them, the PAA derived from 2,2′,6,6′‐BPDA and 4,4′‐(1,3‐phenylenedioxy)dianiline was converted to the polyimide by thermal treatment. The heating at 300 °C under nitrogen did not complete thermal imidization of PAAs having glass‐transition temperatures (T_g)s higher than 300 °C to the corresponding PIs. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6385–6393, 2006     

Simultaneous imaging of the structure and fluorescence of a supramolecular nanostructure formed by the coupling of π‐conjugated polymer chains in the intermolecular interaction

We fabricated a micrometer‐long supramolecular chain in which π‐conjugated polyrotaxane was coupled. A new experimental setup was designed and constructed, and the simultaneous direct imaging of the structure and fluorescent function was achieved. Furthermore, we identified the formation of a polymer intertwined network and observed novel fluorescence due to a long‐range interaction via this intertwined network over a distance of 5 μm or more without quenching over 15 min in the near field. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 801–809, 2006     

Synthesis of well‐defined syndiotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) with low‐temperature atom transfer radical polymerization in fluoroalcohol

The copper‐mediated atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in 1,1,1,3,3,3‐hexafluoro‐2‐propanol (HFIP) was studied to simultaneously control the molecular weight and tacticity. The polymerization using tris[2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl]amine (Me₆TREN) as a ligand was performed even at ?78°C with a number‐average molecular weight (M_n) of 13,400 and a polydispersity (weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight) of 1.31, although the measured M_n's were much higher than the theoretical ones. The addition of copper(II) bromide (CuBr₂) apparently affected the early stage of the polymerization; that is, the polymerization could proceed in a controlled manner under the condition of [MMA]₀/[methyl α‐bromoisobutyrate]₀/[CuBr]₀/[CuBr₂]₀/[Me₆TREN]₀ = 200/1/1/0.2/1.2 at ?20°C with an MMA/HFIP ratio of 1/4 (v/v). For the field desorption mass spectrum of Cu^IBr/Me₆TREN in HFIP, there were [Cu(Me₆TREN)Br]⁺ and [Cu(Me₆TREN)OCH(CF₃)₂]⁺, indicating that HFIP should coordinate to the Cu^I/Me₆TREN complex. The syndiotacticity of the obtained poly(methyl methacrylate)s increased with the decreasing polymerization temperature; the racemo content was 84% for ?78°C, 77% for ?30°C, 75% for ?20°C, and 63% for 30°C. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1436–1446, 2006     

Novel blue‐greenish electroluminescent poly(fluorenevinylene‐alt‐dibenzothiophenevinylene)s and their model compounds

Poly(9,9‐dihexylfluorene‐2,7‐vinylene‐alt‐dibenzothiophene‐2,8‐vinylene) (PS) and poly(9,9‐dihexylfluorene‐2,7‐vinylene‐alt‐dibenzothiophene‐5,5‐dioxide‐2,8‐ vinylene) (PSO) as well as corresponding model compounds were synthesized by Heck coupling. Both the polymers and model compounds were readily soluble in common organic solvents such as tetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, chloroform, and toluene. The polymers showed a decomposition temperature at ～430 °C and a char yield of about 65% at 800 °C in N₂. The glass‐transition temperatures of the polymers were almost identical (75–77 °C) and higher than those of the model compounds (26–45 °C). All samples absorbed around 390 nm, and their optical band gaps were 2.69–2.85 eV. They behaved as blue‐greenish light emitting materials in both solutions and thin films, with photoluminescence emission maxima at 450–483 nm and photoluminescence quantum yields of 0.52–0.72 in solution. Organic light‐emitting diodes with an indium tin oxide/poly(ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonic acid)/polymer/Mg:Ag/Ag configuration with polymers PS and PSO as emitting layers showed green electroluminescence with maxima at 530 and 540 nm, respectively. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6790–6800, 2006     

Incubation period in the 2,2,4,4‐tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyloxy‐mediated thermal autopolymerization of styrene: Kinetics and simulations

Mechanisms and simulations of the induction period and the initial polymerization stages in the nitroxide‐mediated autopolymerization of styrene are discussed. At 120–125 °C and moderate 2,2,4,4‐tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyloxy (TEMPO) concentrations (0.02–0.08 M), the main source of radicals is the hydrogen abstraction of the Mayo dimer by TEMPO [with the kinetic constant of hydrogen abstraction (k_h)]. At higher TEMPO concentrations ([N?] > 0.1 M), this reaction is still dominant, but radical generation by the direct attack against styrene by TEMPO, with kinetic constant of addition k_ad, also becomes relevant. From previous experimental data and simulations, initial estimates of k_h ≈ 1 and k_ad ≈ 6 × 10^?7 L mol^?1 s^?1 are obtained at 125 °C. From the induction period to the polymerization regime, there is an abrupt change in the dominant mechanism generating radicals because of the sudden decrease in the nitroxide radicals. Under induction‐period conditions, the simulations confirm the validity of the quasi‐steady‐state assumption (QSSA) for the Mayo dimer in this regime; however, after the induction period, the QSSA for the dimer is not valid, and this brings into question the scientific basis of the well‐known expression k_th[M]³ (where [M] is the monomer concentration and k_th is the kinetic constant of autoinitiation) for the autoinitiation rate in styrene polymerization. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6962‐6979, 2006