Preparation of water‐soluble,syndiotacticity‐rich,low molecular weight poly(vinyl alcohol) microfibrils in high yields with the low‐temperature polymerization of vinyl pivalate in tetrahydrofuran and saponification

To prepare water‐soluble, syndiotacticity‐rich poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) microfibrils for various industrial applications, we synthesized syndiotacticity‐rich, low molecular weight PVA by the solution polymerization of vinyl pivalate (VPi) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at low temperatures with 2,2′‐azobis(2,4‐dimethylvaleronitrile) (ADMVN) as an initiator and successive saponification of poly(vinyl pivalate) (PVPi). Effects of the initiator and monomer concentrations and the polymerization temperature were investigated in terms of the polymerization behaviors and molecular structures of PVPi and the corresponding syndiotacticity‐rich PVA. The polymerization rate of VPi in THF was proportional to the 0.91 power of the ADMVN concentration, indicating the heterogeneous nature of THF polymerization. The low‐temperature solution polymerization of VPi in THF with ADMVN proved to be successful in obtaining water‐soluble PVA with a number‐average degree of polymerization (P_n) of 300–900, a syndiotactic dyad content of 60–63%, and an ultimate conversion of VPi into PVPi of over 75%. Despite the low molecular weight of PVA with P_n = 800, water‐soluble PVA microfibrillar fibers were prepared because of the high level of syndiotacticity. In contrast, for PVA with P_n = 330, shapeless and globular morphologies were observed, indicating that molecular weight has an important role in the in situ fibrillation of syndiotacticity‐rich PVA. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1103–1111, 2002     

Formation of poly(vinyl alcohol)–iodine complexes in solution

The effect of the dissolved state of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) molecules in water on the color development due to PVA–iodine complexes was investigated at each given PVA and iodine concentration using two kinds of syndiotactic-rich PVA (S-PVA) which are unstable in water because of the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds and form the complex easily. In the reaction mixtures prepared by mixing PVA solutions and an iodine solution, the color development was constant and independent of standing time of the PVA solution before the addition of iodine up to a certain time, after which it decreased with the standing time. The color development obtained with use of the PVA solution allowed to stand for a fixed time was higher for S-PVA with a lower s-(diad)%. In the case of the reaction mixture prepared by dissolving PVA in an iodine solution, the color development was higher for S-PVA with a higher s-(diad)%. The initial ratio of the I₅⁻/I₃⁻ and the rate of decrease in the ratio of I₅⁻/I₃⁻ were larger than those in the preceding case. The color development decreased for the PVA with an s-(diad) % of 58, whereas it increased for the PVA an s-(diad) % of 61.3 with increasing propanol content, an inhibitor of gelation. From these results, the aggregates of PVA molecules have been assumed to play an important role in forming the complexes. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35: 1701–1709, 1997     

X‐ray crystal structures and MMA polymerization of cadmium(II) complexes with bidentate pyrazole ligands: the formation of monomers or dimers as a function of a methyl substituent on the pyrazole and aniline rings

The reaction of CdBr₂·4H₂O with ancillary ligands, N,N‐bis(1H‐pyrazolyl‐1‐methyl)aniline ( L₁ ), N,N‐bis(1H‐pyrazolyl‐1‐methyl)‐p‐methylaniline ( L₂ ), N,N‐bis(1H‐pyrazolyl‐1‐methyl)‐3,5‐dimethylaniline ( L₃ ), N,N‐bis(3,5‐dimethyl‐1H‐pyrazolyl‐1‐methyl)aniline ( L₄ ) and N,N‐bis(1H‐pyrazolyl‐1‐methyl)‐2,6‐dimethylaniline ( L₅ ) in ethanol yields novel Cd(II) bromide complexes, [L₁CdBr₂]₂ , [L₂CdBr₂]₂ , [L₃CdBr₂]₂ , [L₄CdBr₂] and [L₅CdBr₂] . The X‐ray crystal structures of [L₁CdBr₂]₂ , [L₂CdBr₂]₂ and [L₃CdBr₂]₂ reveal a bromo‐bridged dimeric species with crystallographic inversion symmetry. Conversely, [L₄CdBr₂] and [L₅CdBr₂] exist as monomeric complexes, presumably due to the steric hindrance between the methyl substituents of the two pyrazole groups in the ligand and cadmium centre for [L₄CdBr₂] , and crowding around the cadmium metal by methyl substituents on the aniline residue in the ligand for [L₅CdBr₂] . The geometry at each Cd(II) centre for [L₁CdBr₂]₂ , [L₂CdBr₂]₂ and [L₃CdBr₂]₂ is best described as a distorted trigonal bipyramid. A distorted trigonal bipyramid is achieved in [L₄CdBr₂] by coordinative interaction of the nitrogen atom of the aniline unit and the cadmium atom with a σ plane of symmetry, based on the bond length of Cd―N_aniline (2.759(7) Å). [L₅CdBr₂] exists with a distorted tetrahedral geometry involving non‐coordination of the nitrogen atom of aniline and the Cd centre, resulting in the formation of an eight‐membered chelate ring. The catalytic activity of monomeric, five‐coordinated [L₄CdBr₂] in the polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in the presence of modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO) at 60°C resulted in a higher molecular weight and a narrower polydispersity index (PDI) than those obtained with dimeric [L_nCdBr₂]₂ (L_n = L₁ , L₂ , L₃ ) or monomeric tetrahedral [L₅CdBr₂] . Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of stereosequences on crystallinity and properties of zone‐drawn poly(vinyl alcohol) microfibrils

To effectively orient the molecular chains of novel syndiotactic poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) microfibrillar fiber (PVA fibril), a high‐temperature zone‐drawing method was adopted. The PVA fibrils were directly prepared from the saponification and in situ fibrillation without a spinning procedure. The maximum draw ratio of the PVA fibril increased with a decrease in the syndiotactic diad (r‐diad) content, indicating that the deformability of PVA molecules was lowered in higher syndiotactic PVA. Degree of crystal orientations up to 0.990 were achieved by stretching the PVA fibril with the r‐diad content of 65.1% and the original degree of crystal orientation of 0.902 at 250 °C close to its crystal melting temperature (T_m). When the same draw ratio was applied to the fibrils, a higher crystal orientation was achieved for the fibrils having higher syndiotacticity. Wide‐angle X‐ray data show that the longitudinal crystal sizes of drawn PVA fibrils were larger in higher syndiotacticities. The degree of crystal orientation, crystallinity, T_m, longitudinal crystal size, and tensile strength of the maximum drawn PVA fibril with a r‐diad content of 65.1% were 0.99, 0.97, 279 °C, 187 Å, and 4.66 N/tex, respectively. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 1263–1271, 2001     

Semi-continuous Heterophase Polymerization of n-Butyl Methacrylate: Effect of Monomer Feeding Rate

The effect of monomer feeding rate on particle size, molar masses, glass transition and tacticity of poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) nanoparticles synthesized by semi-continuous heterophase polymerization under monomer-starved conditions is reported. Three feed rates were examined. Highly monomer-starved conditions at the two slower addition rates were confirmed by the low amount of residual monomer throughout the reaction and by the fact that the instantaneous polymerization and feeding rates became similar at later stages of the reaction. Under these conditions, polymer particles in the nanometer range (30 to 35 nm) were obtained. Glass transition temperatures are substantially higher than those reported for commercial PBMA. Polymers tacticity was determined by ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy. NMR measurements confirm that the syndiotactic content of the PBMA synthesized here is larger than those of the commercial ones made by free-radical polymerization. Molar masses are much lower than those expected from termination by chain transfer to monomer, which is the typical termination mechanism in microemulsion polymerization.     

Polymerization of methyl methacrylate using bis(β‐ketoamino)nickel(II)–MAO catalytic systems

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was investigated using a series of bis(β‐ketoamino)nickel(II) complexes in combination with methylaluminoxane in toluene solution. The binary catalyst is necessary for initiating MMA polymerization and producing PMMA with high molecular weights but broad molecular weight distributions. The effects of reaction temperature and Al:Ni molar ratios on the polymerization of MMA were examined in detail. Both steric bulk and electronic effects of the substituents around the imino group in the ligand on MMA polymerization activities could be observed. Relative to electronic effects, the steric hindrance of the ligands displayed a more significant effect on the catalytic activities, with the catalytic activity sequence observed in the order 4 > 1 > 2 > 3 > 5 > 6. Structural analyses of the polymers by ¹³C NMR spectra indicate that polymerization yields PMMA with a syndiotactic‐rich atactic microstructure. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis, Characterization and Application of Benzyl-substituted Cyclopentadienyl lanthanide Complexes as Catalyst Precursors for the Syndiotactic Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate

Benzyl-substituted cyclopentadienyl lanthanide complexes were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, MS and IR spectroscopy. The analytical data point out the formation of monomeric, unsolvated complexes.In conjunction with AI(Et)3 as co-catalyst, the title complexes are efficient catalysts for the syndiotactic polymerization of methyl methacrylate. For the complex (C6HsCH2C5H4)2YCl, under the optimum polymerization conditions(60℃,n(MMA):n(catalyst):n(co-catalyst)=1000:1:10),a predominantly syndiotactic (rr=66%) polymerof high molecular weight (Mη=105000) was obtained.