Synthesis,characterization and properties of amphiphilic butadiene-oxyethylene multiblock copolymers

Butadiene-oxyethylene multiblock copolymers were synthesized via coupling reaction of telechelic α,ω-dihydroxypolybutadiene (PB) and poly(ethylene glycol) with tolylene-2,4-diisocyanate. The poly(oxyethylene) (PEO) content of the purified copolymer was determined by elemental analysis and the structural parameters were calculated from number-average molecular weights of the purified copolymer, determined by membrane osmometry, and those of the prepolymers, determined by vapor pressure osmometry. The total number of blocks varied from 60 to 100. Transmission electron microscopy showed the existence of multiphases in the copolymer. Wide angle X-ray diffraction indicated that the crystallinity increased from 0 to 50% with increasing weight ratio of PEO/PB. These multiblock copolymers exhibit excellent emulsifying properties, as compared to the multiblock copolymers or graft copolymer of oxyethylene and styrene. Only 0.1 g of polymer was needed to make 100 mL of a water/toluene (9:1, w/w) mixture form an emulsion completely. When the weight ratio of water/toluene was changed from 9:1 to 7:3 or the molecular weight of PEG from 6000 to 2000, the oil-in-water type emulsion was changed to water-in-oil type. The copolymers also showed a good phase transfer catalytic effect when applied to the Williamson reaction. Conversion of potassium phenolate into butyl phenolate reached over 95% when the multiblock copolymer containing 3 mmol of PEO was used for 1 g potassium phenolate, whereas no reaction occurred without using the multiblock copolymer at 90°C for 4 h.