Living free radical polymerization using cyclic trifunctional initiator

Free radical polymerization is a very robust route to produce polymers, however, it does not promote a control on the microstructure of the polymer: usually polymers with wide molecular weight distribution and polydispersity (PDI) greater than 1.5 are obtained. Ionic polymerization can be used to produce polymers with low PDI, however, this kind of route needs to be held with a high degree of purity. Living free radical polymerization (LFRP) is a promising technique to produce controlled polymers. In the literature, monofunctional conventional initiators have been used in LFRP process. In this study, the use of a cyclic trifunctional peroxide on controlled nitroxide mediated radical polymerization was investigated. The initiator used was Trigonox 301 (3,6,9‐triethyl‐3,6,9‐trimethyl‐1,4,7‐triperoxonane—41% solution in isoparaffinic hydrocarbons) and TEMPO (2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐1‐piperidin‐1‐oxyl) was used as controller agent. The results obtained show that it is possible to produce controlled polymers at certain operating conditions, when Trigonox 301 is used. It could be observed that the concentration of initiator and the ratio [TEMPO]/[Trigonox 301] have a huge effect on the polymer properties. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Zinc‐based catalyst for the ring‐opening polymerization of cyclic esters

A zinc‐based catalyst zinc bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)amide] was used for the polymerization of cyclic esters including L ‐lactide (L ‐LA) and 2‐methyl‐2‐carboxyl‐propylene carbonate (MBC). The polymerization of L ‐lactide in THF could be carried out successfully under mild conditions in very short time by using the zinc catalyst and alcohols as the initiators. Kinetic study in solution polymerization prooved the polymerization has high monomer conversion degree close to 100% and the molecular weight of the resulting polyester has linear increase with the increase of [M]₀ /[I] (molar ratio of monomer to initiator). Sequential polymerization of L ‐LA and MBC in THF also showed high MBC conversion of 94% with a narrow molecualr weight maintained, indicating a living nature of this polymerization. The zinc catalyst system has also been used for the L ‐LA bulk polymerization with a high monomer conversion. ¹³C NMR indicated the polymer possesses high regioregularity and the minor regioirregular component was owing to the D ‐LA in the monomer inserted into the polymer mainchain during the transesterifcation. Interaction between monomer and zinc catalyst has been found to be a key factor to sustain a homogenous solution during the initiating procedure. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Polystyrene‐block‐polylactide obtained by the combination of atom transfer radical polymerization and ring‐opening polymerization with a commercial dual initiator

A polystyrene (PS)‐b‐polylactide (PLA) block copolymer was prepared from the combination of atom transfer radical polymerization and ring‐opening polymerization with commercially available 2,2,2‐tribromoethanol as a dual initiator in a sequential two‐step procedure. Hydroxyl‐terminated polystyrene (PS‐OH)s with various molecular weights were first prepared with polydispersity indices lower than 1.3; these provided valuable macroinitiators for the polymerization of D,L ‐lactide. A block copolymer with a composition allowing the formation of hexagonally packed PLA cylinders in a PS matrix was then obtained. The PS‐b‐PLA thin films revealed, after vapor solvent annealing, a hexagonally packed organization of the PLA cylinders, which was oriented perpendicularly to the surface of the film. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Polymerization of cyclic monomers. VII. Synthesis and radical polymerization of 1,3‐bis[(1‐alkoxycarbonyl‐2‐vinylcyclopropane‐1‐yl)carboxy]benzenes

1,3‐Bis[(1‐alkoxycarbonyl‐2‐vinylcyclopropane‐1‐yl)carboxy]benzenes 1 [RO: CH₃O (a), C₂H₅O (b)] were synthesized by the esterification of the corresponding 1‐alkoxycarbonyl‐2‐vinylcyclopropane‐1‐carboxylic acids with resorcinol. The structure of the new vinylcyclopropanes was confirmed by elemental analysis and infrared (IR), ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR), and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C‐NMR) spectroscopy. The radical polymerization of difunctional 2‐vinyl‐cyclopropanes in bulk with 2,2′‐azoisobutyronitrile (AIBN) results in hard, transparent, crosslinked polymers. During the bulk polymerization of the crystalline bis[(1‐methoxycarbonyl‐2‐vinylcyclopropane‐1‐yl)carboxy]benzene 1a, an expansion in volume of about 1% took place. The radical solution polymerization of 1a resulted in a soluble polymer with pendant 2‐vinylcyclopropane groups. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 1775–1782, 1999     

Metathesis ring opening polymerization of 5,6-dimethylenebicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene

5,6-Dimethylenebicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene ( I ) polymerizes in the presence of the two-component ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) initiators WCl₆/(CH₃)4Sn and MoCl₅/(CH₃)4Sn. The product polymers were insoluble in all of many solvents investigated and are presumably cross-linked. The product polymers were investigated by IR and solid state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, which established that the material consisted predominantly of poly(1,4-(2,3-dimethylene-cyclopentylene)vinylene) ( II ). A possible alternative route to II via thermal dehydrochlorination of poly(1,4-(2,3-bis(chloromethyl)cyclopentylene) vinylene) ( IV ) was also examined.     

Polymerization of – Phenylmaleimide Initiated by 9-Borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane

N-Phenylmaleimide (N-PMI) was polymerized by 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1] nonane (9-BBN) in tetrahydrofuran under argon at 0°C. The molecular weight distributions of the resulting polymers were around 1·1. The rate of poly-merization was proportional to [9-BBN]^1·18 and [N-PMI]^1·24. Hydroquinone had little effect on the rate of polymerization and on the molecular weight of the polymers obtained. Triethylamine completely inhibited the polymerization, and aniline with a relatively small pK_a value and zinc iodide effectively retarded the polymerization. The polymerization did not proceed either in polar dimethylformamide or in non-polar toluene. In polymerizations at temperatures higher than 60°C the conversions decreased. On the basis of the results, a non-radical mechanism was proposed for this polymerization. © of SCI.     

Synthesis and ring‐opening polymerization of macrocyclic aromatic sulfide oligomers

A series of macrocyclic(arylene sulfide) oligomers were synthesized by reaction of 4,4′‐oxybis(benzenethiol) with a number of difluoro compounds in dimethylformamide (DMF) in the presence of anhydrous K₂CO₃ under high dilution conditions. The difluoro compound can be 4,4′‐difluorobenzophenone, bis(4‐fluorophenyl)sulfone or 1,3‐bis(4‐fluorobenzoyl)benzene. Detailed structural characterization of these oligomers by matrix‐assisted laser desorption and ionization‐time of flight‐mass spectroscopy (MALDI‐TOF‐MS) demonstrated their cyclic nature. The MALDI‐TOF‐MS technique has proved to be a powerful tool to analyze these cyclics. These cyclic oligomers are amorphous and highly soluble in DMF and N,N′‐dimethyl acetamide. Moreover, these cyclic(arylene sulfide) oligomers readily underwent ring‐opening polymerization in the melt at 285 °C in the presence of 2,2′‐dibenzothiazole disulfide, affording linear, high molecular weigh poly(aromatic sulfide)s. These polymers are insoluble in most common solvents. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Surface‐initiated ring‐opening polymerization of ϵ‐caprolactone from the surface of PP film

This article presents the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL) from PP film modified with an initiator layer composed of ? OSn(Oct) groups. This method consists of two steps: (1) Sn(Oct)₂ exchanged with the hydroxyl groups on the surface of PP film, forming the ? OSn(Oct) groups bonded on the surface; (2) surface‐initiated ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐CL with the ? OSn(Oct) groups. The initiator layer is characterized by attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier transform infrared (ATR‐FTIR), contact angles, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The growth of PCL chains from the initiator layer through ring‐opening polymerization is successfully achieved. ATR‐FTIR, XPS, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) are also used to characterize the grafted film. XPS results reveal that the PCL chains cover the surface of PP film after 4 h. The SEM images reveal that the PCL chain clusters grow into regular spheroidal particles, which can be changed into other different morphology by treated with different solvents. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Structure and morphology of poly(β‐hydroxybutyrate) synthesized by ring‐opening polymerization of racemic (R,S)‐β‐butyrolactone with distannoxane derivatives

Predominantly syndiotactic poly((R,S)‐β‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) was synthesized by ring‐opening polymerization of racemic β‐butyrolactone with distannoxane derivatives as catalysts. We have studied the polymerization of (R,S)‐β‐BL using distannoxane derivatives as catalysts and the effects of polymerization time on crude yield and molecular weight of the polymers obtained. Then, a more detailed study of the characterization of polymers obtained using hydroxy‐ and ethoxy‐distannoxanes was performed. ¹³C NMR spectroscopy resolved stereosequences in synthetic PHB at the diad level for the carbonyl carbon and at the triad level for the methylene carbon. These analyses show that distannoxane catalysts produce preferentially syndiotactic polyesters (syndiotactic diads fraction from 0.56 to 0.61). Triad stereosequence distribution of PHB samples agrees favourably with the Bernoullian statistical model of chain‐end control, where ideally Φ = 4(mm) (rr)/(mr + rm)² = 1 for perfect chain‐end control. Polymer samples synthesized from distannoxane catalysts are composed of two distinct transition endotherm components with peak temperatures of approximately 42 °C and 75 °C. The formation of two melting endotherms may be due to the presence of two different crystalline structures. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Anionic ring‐opening polymerization of adipic anhydride initiated by potassium poly(ethylene glycol)ate

Poly(adipic anhydride) (PAA) was prepared by the ring‐opening polymerization of adipic anhydride (AA) initiated by potassium poly(ethylene glycol)ate. The effects of various factors, such as the amount of initiator, concentration of the monomer, reaction time and temperature, and polarity of the solvent on the polymerization were investigated. The crude polymerized product was a mixture of PAA homopolymer and poly(ethylene glycol)–poly(adipic anhydride) block copolymer, as confirmed by ¹H‐NMR and gel permeation chromatography. Chain‐transfer reactions occurred intensively for the AA polymerization in both the nonpolar solvent toluene and the polar solvents CHCl₃ and tetrahydrofuran, which predominantly determined the molecular weight and the monomer conversion for the polymerized product. The lower monomer conversion in toluene was ascribed to a lower livingness for the initiator in the nonpolar solvent when compared with other two, polar solvents. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 2194–2201, 2003     

Surface‐initiated nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization of 4‐vinylpyridine on magnetite nanoparticles

Poly (4‐vinylpyridine) (P4VP) brushes had been prepared by the surface‐initiated nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization of 4‐VP on the surface of 3‐methacryloxyproyltrimethoxysilane (3‐MPS)‐modified magnetite nanoparticles with an average diameter of 30 nm. The grafting polymerization was accomplished by nitroxide‐mediated polymerization of 4‐VP, using 4‐hydroxyl‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyl‐oxy (HTEMPO·) free radical as capping agent and benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as initiator. X‐ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) measurement demonstrated that the alkoxysilane initiator layer had formed on the magnetite surface. Gel permeation chromatograph analysis and XPS measurement suggested that the amount of grafted P4VP increases with increasing grafting time. The amount of P4VP grafted on the surface could be determined to be 0.09 chains/nm² by thermogravimetric analysis. The P4VP‐grafted magnetite particles exhibited the characteristics of multidomain system, distinct from the single domain attributes of the pure magnetite particles. Atomic force‐microscopy analysis revealed the diameter of the grafted P4VP magnetic latex particles is in the range of 120 nm to 150 nm. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Zinc lactate‐catalyzed ring‐opening polymerization of trimethylene carbonate under microwave irradiation

Microwave‐assisted ring‐opening polymerization (MROP) of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) was carried out with four different types of zinc lactate, as the catalyst. Poly(trimethylene carbonate)s (PTMC) with a number–average molar mass ranging from 2990 to 75,410 g/mol and a TMC conversion ranging from 85.2% to 98.2% were synthesized effectively in 30 min at 120°C under microwave irradiation. The effects of the catalyst type, catalyst concentration, and microwave irradiation time on the MROP of TMC were studied. The MROP of TMC was much faster than that under conventional heating conditions. Thermal analysis suggested that PTMC with higher molar mass exhibited higher glass transition temperature (T_g) and thermal stability. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Kinetics of the anionic ring‐opening polymerization of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane initiated by potassium isopropoxide

Kinetics of the anionic ring‐opening polymerization of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D₄) in bulk initiated by potassium isopropoxide was studied. Several promoters including N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP), N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF), and diglyme were used. It is indicated that the reactions are first‐order in D₄ during the initial stage of polymerization. The polymerization rate of D₄ is influenced by a number of factors, such as the nature of promoters, the molar ratio of promoter to initiator (C_p/C_i ratio), and the reaction temperatures. With the use of NMP as promoter, the polymerization rate constant at 30°C is 10.482 h^?1 with the C_p/C_i ratio equal to 3.0. As the C_p/C_i ratio increases, the polymerization rate constant increases sharply and the cyclic oligomers content in polymer decreases evidently. The back‐biting reaction that leads to the formation of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D₅) occurred in the polymerization of D₄. The rate of the D₅ formation relatively to the rate of D₄ conversion increases with the conversion of D₄. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 3510–3516, 2006     

One step synthesis and rapid ring‐opening polymerization of macrocyclic (arylene thioether ketone) oligomers

Well‐crystal macrocyclic (arylene thioether ketone) oligomers were synthesized under high dilution condition by the reaction of Na₂S with bis(4‐fluoro‐phenyl)‐methanone in 1‐methyl‐pyrrolidone (NMP). The oligomers were fully characterized by Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectra (MALDI‐TOF‐MS), high‐pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), ¹H NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). According to DSC studies, uncatalyzed and rapid ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of the oligomers took place instantly when they were heated to melting point. Extracted by dichloro‐methane, the obtained polymer neither loses any weight nor dissolves in boiling 1‐chloro‐ naphthalene. These facts indicated that there are no residual oligomers within the resultant polymer. The as‐prepared oligomers could be potentially used as high‐temperature hot‐melt adhesive at a high temperature > 350°C, and matrices for high‐performance composites and nanocomposites. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 161–166, 2006     

Polymerization of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl monomers initiated by 9-borabicyclo [3.3.1] nonane

9-Borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (9-BBN) initiated the polymerization of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl monomers such as ethyl acrylate (EA) without an oxidant at low temperatures (to −90°C) under argon. Hydroquinone and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol had little effect on the polymerization, indicating that the propagating chain end is not a free radical. The rate of polymerization was found to be proportional to [9-BBN]^1.0 and [EA]^1.5. Electron spin resonance measurements using 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide as a spin trap showed the absence of any radical species under polymerization conditions. No copolymerization of EA with styrene occurred. On the basis of the results obtained, this polymerization was assumed to proceed via a non-radical mechanism.     

Synthesis of poly(arylene disulfide)–vermiculite nanocomposites via in situ ring‐opening polymerization of macrocyclic oligomers

Exfoliated poly(4, 4′‐oxybis(benzene)disulfide)/vermiculite (POBDS/VMT) nanocomposites were successfully synthesized via in situ melt intercalation of cyclo(4, 4′‐oxybis(benzene)disulfide) oligomers (COBDS) into octadecylammonium‐exchanged VMT (organo‐VMT). The POBDS/VMT nanocomposites were melt fabricated in a two‐step process. First, the COBDS/VMT nanocomposite precursor was fabricated by melt delaminating organo‐VMT with COBDS at a temperature slightly higher than its melting point. Subsequently, exfoliated POBDS‐VMT nanocomposites can be prepared in situ via instant melt ring‐opening polymerization of the COBDS‐VMT nanocomposite precursor. The nanoscale dispersion of VMT layers within POBDS polymer was confirmed by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. High molecular weight POBDS polymer was formed in a few minutes at the same time as the nanocomposite formation. The results of dynamic mechanical analysis showed that the storage modulus and glass transition temperature of the nanocomposites are much higher than those of the POBDS matrix, even with a very small amount of VMT addition. This methodology provides a potential approach to synthesize high‐performance polymer/clay nanocomposites. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Surface modification of starch nanocrystals through ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone and investigation of their microstructures

Bionanoparticles of starch obtained by submitting native potato starch granules to acid hydrolysis conditions. The resulted starch nanoparticles were used as core or macro initiator for polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (CL). Starch nanoparticle‐g‐polycaprolactone was synthesized through ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of CL in the presence of Sn(Oct)₂ as initiator. The detailed microstructure of the resulted copolymer was characterized with NMR spectroscopy. Thermal characteristic of the copolymer was investigated using DSC and TGA. By introducing PCL, the range of melting temperature for starch was increased and degradation of copolymer occurred in a broader region. X‐ray diffraction and TEM micrographs confirmed that there was no alteration of starch crystalline structure and morphology of nanoparticles, respectively. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis and biodegradability evaluation of 2‐methylene‐1,3‐dioxepane and styrene copolymers

Biodegradable copolymers of 2‐methylene‐1,3‐dioxepane (MDO) and styrene (ST) were synthesized by free‐radical copolymerization using di‐t‐butyl peroxide (DTBP) as the initiator. The copolymers containing ester units were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ¹H‐NMR, and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy. Their molecular weight and polydispersity index were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). In vitro enzymatic degradation of poly(MDO‐co‐ST) was performed at 37°C in phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH = 7.4) in the presence of Pseudomonas lipase or crude enzyme extracted from earthworm. The experiment showed that incorporating ester units into C? C backbone chain of polystyrene would result in a biodegradable copolymer. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1146–1151, 2007     

Microwave‐irradiated ring‐opening polymerization of D,L‐lactide under atmosphere

Poly(D ,L ‐lactide) (PDLLA) was synthesized by microwave‐irradiated ring‐opening polymerization catalyzed by stannous octoate (Sn(Oct)₂) under atmosphere. The effects of heating medium, monomer purity, catalyst concentration, microwave irradiation time, and vacuum level were discussed. Under the appropriate conditions such as carborundum (SiC) as heating‐medium, 0.15% catalyst, lactide with purity above 99.9%, 450 W microwave power, 30 min irradiation time, and atmosphere, PDLLA with a viscosity–average molecular weight (M_η) over 2.0 × 10⁵ and a yield over 85% was obtained. The dismission of vacuum to ring‐opening polymerization of D ,L ‐lactide (DLLA) under microwave irradiation simplified the process greatly. The temperature under microwave irradiation and conventional heating was compared. The largely enhanced ring‐opening polymerization rate of DLLA under microwave irradiation was the coeffect of thermal effects and microwave effects. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 2244–2247, 2006     

High activity of rare earth tetrahydroborates for ring‐opening polymerization of ω‐pentadecalactone

Ring‐opening polymerization of ω‐pentadecalactone (PDL) by tetrahydroborate complexes of rare earth metals, Ln(BH₄)₃(THF)₃ (Ln = La ( 1 ), Nd ( 2 ), Y ( 3 )), was studied. These complexes showed high activity for PDL polymerization in THF at 60°C. Among the complexes 1 – 3 , the neodymium complex 2 was most active. The obtained poly(PDL) was demonstrated to be hydroxy‐telechelic by ¹H‐NMR and MALDI‐TOF MS spectroscopy. Biodegradation of the poly(PDL) in compost at 60°C was investigated, where 18% weight loss of the samples was observed after 280 days. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011