Synthesis of poly(styrene-b-tetrahydrofuran-b-styrene) triblock copolymers by transformation from living cationic into living radical polymerization using 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl as a transforming agent

Synthesis of poly(styrene-b-tetrahydrofuran (THF)-b-styrene) triblock copolymers was performed by transformation from living cationic into living radical polymerization, using 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (4-hydroxy-TEMPO) as a transforming agent. Sodium 4-oxy-TEMPO, derived from 4-hydroxy-TEMPO, reacted with the living poly(THF), which was prepared by cationic polymerization of THF using trifluoromethanesulfonic acid anhydride as an initiator, resulting in quantitative formation of the poly(THF) with TEMPO at both the chain ends. The resulting polymers were able to serve as a polymeric counter radical for the radical polymerization of styrene by benzoyl peroxide, to give the corresponding triblock copolymer in quantitative efficiency. The polymerization was found to proceed in accordance with a living mechanism, because the conversion of styrene linearly increased over time, and the molar ratio of styrene to THF units in the copolymer also increased as a result of increasing the conversion. The TEM pictures demonstrated that the resulting copolymers promoted microphase segregation. It was found that the films of these copolymers showed contact angles intermediate between those of poly(THF) and of polystyrene. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 2059–2068, 1998