Synthesis of a novel comb-like poly(vinyl ether) with isopropylnaphthoxy pendant by cationic polymerization

Summary A novel comb-like polymer having isopropylnaphthoxy pendant with the controlled molecular structure was synthesized by the cationic polymerization of 2-(6-isopropyl-2-naphthoxy)ethyl vinyl ether with AlEtCl₂ catalyst. Although the polymer's molecular weight (Mn: 4,000–17,000) could be controlled by the reaction conditions (sovent polarity, temperature and initial monomer concentration), the steric structure was not affected by them at all, giving almost the same amount of the meso and racemic diads irrespective of the conditions. The polymer showed only an amorphous character (Tg: 22–45 °C) but not any liquid crystalline phase.