Degradable polymer networks and star polymers based on mixtures of two cleavable dimethacrylate crosslinkers: Synthesis,characterization, and degradation |
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Authors: | Efrosyni Themistou Costas S. Patrickios |
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Affiliation: | Department of Chemistry, University of Cyprus, P. O. Box 20537, Nicosia 1678, Cyprus |
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Abstract: | Mixtures of two cleavable dimethacrylate crosslinkers, the hydrolyzable di(methacryloyloxy‐1‐ethoxy)methane (DMOEM) and the thermolyzable 1,1‐ethylenediol dimethacrylate (EDDMA), were used for the preparation of neat crosslinker polymer networks, randomly crosslinked polymer networks of methyl methacrylate (MMA), and star polymers of MMA, using group transfer polymerization in tetrahydrofuran (THF). All star polymers and randomly crosslinked polymer networks containing mixtures of the hydrolyzable DMOEM and the thermolyzable EDDMA crosslinkers gave THF‐soluble final products when subjected to sequential thermolysis and hydrolysis, in this order. When applying sequential hydrolysis and thermolysis, only the star polymers with an EDDMA crosslinker content equal to or higher than 50% gave THF‐soluble final products. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5853–5870, 2009 |
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Keywords: | crosslinking degradation group transfer polymerization GTP hydrolysis polymer networks star polymers thermolysis |
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