Comparison of RAFT polymerization of methyl methacrylate in conventional emulsion and miniemulsion systems

In this study, we have conducted the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in two heterogeneous systems, i.e. conventional emulsion and miniemulsion, with identical reaction conditions. The main objective is to compare the living character in both systems according to the nucleation mechanism, the latex stability, the particle sizes and particle size distributions of latexes, the molecular weights and molecular weight distributions (or polydispersity index, PDI) of PMMA, and the kinetics of the RAFT polymerization. The RAFT agent used in both systems was 2-cyanoprop-2-yl dithiobenzoate (CPDB). The effects of an oil-soluble initiator 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and a water-soluble initiator kalium persulfate (KPS) on the RAFT/emulsion and RAFT/miniemulsion polymerizations were investigated. Methyl-β-cyclodextrin (Me-β-CD) was used as a solubilizer. The average molecular weights and molecular weight distributions (PDIs) of dried PMMA samples were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The experimental results showed that the RAFT/miniemulsion polymerization of MMA exhibited better living character than that of RAFT/emulsion polymerization under the conditions of our experiment. The PDI of PMMA in RAFT/miniemulsion polymerization was decreased with the addition of Me-β-CD. However, Me-β-CD did not have influence on the PDI of PMMA prepared in RAFT/emulsion polymerization.     

甲基丙烯酸甲酯的RAFT微乳液聚合

该文合成了一种双官能团的RAFT试剂——S,S'-二(α,α'-二甲基-α″-乙酸)三硫代碳酸酯(BDAT)。以其为链转移剂,在微乳液体系中进行了甲基丙烯酸甲酯的RAFT聚合。分别讨论了聚合反应温度和链转移剂浓度对聚合反应的影响,并对相关的聚合反应动力学常数进行了计算。研究结果表明,在微乳液中进行的RAFT聚合具有显著的活性聚合的特征。聚合产物的相对分子质量(简称分子量,下同)随着转化率的提高而线性增加,同时聚合产物具有较窄的分子量分布,聚合过程随着链转移剂浓度的增加而逐渐可控。另外,利用透射电子显微镜对链转移剂浓度对微乳液粒子尺寸的影响也进行了考察,扫描电镜照片表明,微乳液聚合所得乳液粒子呈现单分散性状态,并且粒子尺寸随着链转移剂浓度的增加而逐渐增加。     

Comparison of styrene reversible addition–fragmentation chain‐transfer polymerization in a miniemulsion system stabilized by ammonlysis poly(styrene‐alt‐maleic anhydride) and sodium dodecyl sulfate

In this study, we conducted the reversible addition–fragmentation chain‐transfer (RAFT) polymerization of styrene (St) in a miniemulsion system stabilized by two different stabilizers, ammonlysis poly(styrene‐alt‐maleic anhydride) (SMA) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), with identical reaction conditions. The main objective was to compare the polymerization kinetics, living character, latex stability, and particle morphology. The macro‐RAFT agent used in both systems was SMA, which was obtained by RAFT solution polymerization mediated by 1‐phenylethyl phenyldithioacetate. The experimental results show that the St RAFT miniemulsion polymerization stabilized by SDS exhibited a better living character than that stabilized by ammonlysis SMA. The final latices were very stable in two systems, but different stabilizers had an obvious effect on the polymerization kinetics, living character, and particle morphology. All of the particles obtained by RAFT miniemulsion polymerization stabilized by SDS were solid, but an obvious core–shell structure was observed in the miniemulsion system stabilized by ammonlysis SMA. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

大分子链转移剂控制下的苯乙烯RAFT细乳液聚合

以十二烷基硫酸钠为乳化剂,十八烷基甲基丙烯酸酯为助乳化剂,偶氮二异丁腈为引发剂,本体聚合得到的大分子链转移剂控制苯乙烯RAFT细乳液聚合,考察聚合过程中动力学、粒径及温度对其的影响,发现聚合过程符合活性/可控自由基聚合一般规律且乳液较稳定,随反应温度升高反应速度加快。     

A 20th anniversary perspective on the life of RAFT (RAFT coming of age)

RAFT (reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer) polymerization, making use of thiocarbonylthio transfer agents, was announced to the world just over 21 years ago. RAFT arose out of a desire to achieve perfection in polymers (or at least to define and limit the imperfections) and to invent living radical polymerization. However, living radical polymerization cannot be and never was. This perspective looks at RAFT after 21 years of development. Is RAFT a mature technology? We briefly summarize areas of current interest focusing on what is happening at CSIRO and point to where RAFT is going in areas such as RAFT free from exogenous initiators (photoRAFT, PET‐RAFT, eRAFT), new RAFT agents, RAFT for sequence‐defined polymers and RAFT single unit monomer insertion, RAFT emulsion polymerization and RAFT polymerization‐induced self‐assembly (PISA), RAFT‐crosslinking polymerization and the industrial applications of RAFT. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Transitional emulsion polymerisation: Zero-one to pseudo-bulk

The transitional behaviours of emulsion polymerisation for styrene and butyl acrylate (BA) monomers from zero-one to pseudo-bulk regime were mechanistically investigated. A dynamic mathematical model, which incorporates cross-over mechanism from zero-one to pseudo-bulk kinetics was developed for emulsion polymerisation and compared with experimental data for conversion, particle size and molar mass. Particles smaller than cross-over size follow zero-one kinetics and particles greater than cross-over size, they follow pseudo-bulk kinetics. In our mechanistic approach, particles nucleated from micelles, grow until the cross-over size is attained, based on zero-one kinetics, and subsequently continue to grow based on pseudo-bulk kinetics. Key findings from our work are that the developed transitional model predictions agree reasonably with experimental data on process and product attributes such as conversion, average molecular weight, molecular weight distribution (MWD), average particle size and particle size distribution (PSD). Optimal strategies for semibatch operation was developed using reaction temperature and monomer feed rate as process variables with specified initial conditions.     

活性自由基乳液聚合的研究进展

活性自由基乳液聚合是一个非常新的研究领域。介绍了目前活性自由基乳液聚合领域的3种常用的方法及应用这些方法进行乳液聚合的研究进展,包括:原子转移自由基聚合(ATRP),氮氧调节自由基聚合(NMP)和可逆加成-断裂链转移自由基聚合(RAFT)。     

Surfactant-free aqueous RAFT polymerization of styrene in the presence of CaCO3 particles

A new method to achieve well-controlled surfactant-free aqueous RAFT polymerization of styrene initiated by K₂S₂O₈ in the presence of CaCO₃ particles was proposed. It was found that the hydrophobic monomer of styrene was adsorbed on the surface of CaCO₃ particles and well-controlled surfactant-free aqueous RAFT polymerization mediated with the RAFT agent of S,S′-bis(α,α′-dimethyl-α″-acetic acid) trithiocarbonate (BDMAT) was achieved. The weight ratio of the feeding CaCO₃ to the styrene monomer on the aqueous RAFT polymerization was investigated, and it was found that high CaCO₃/styrene weight ratio led to fast aqueous RAFT polymerization. The aqueous RAFT polymerization kinetics was checked, and the fast RAFT polymerization rate at low molar ratio of styrene/BDMAT/K₂S₂O₈, the linear ln([M]_o/[M])–time plot, the linear increase in the number–average molecular weight with the monomer conversion, and the relatively low PDI values (1.1～1.3) were demonstrated. The surfactant-free aqueous RAFT polymerization was compared with the general emulsion RAFT polymerization in the presence of the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant. It was found that the surfactant-free aqueous RAFT polymerization seemed more valid than the emulsion RAFT polymerization. The proposed method is believed to be a new strategy to achieve well-controlled surfactant-free aqueous RAFT polymerization.     

RAFT‐mediated emulsion polymerization of chloroprene and impact of chain‐end structure on chloroprene rubbers

The reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of chloroprene (CP) in an emulsion system using a dithiocarbamate‐type RAFT agent was studied. The controlled RAFT‐mediated emulsion polymerization was achieved by the appropriate combination of a RAFT agent and nonionic surfactant (polyoxyethylene phenyl ether) using a water‐soluble initiator (VA‐044) at 35 °C. An almost linear first‐order kinetic plot was observed until relatively high conversion (>80%) with molecular weights between 22,300 and 33,100 and relatively narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n ≦ 1.5) were achieved. The amount of the emulsifier used and the pH of the system were found to affect the controlled character, polymerization rate, and induction period, which are related to the size of the emulsion particles. Large‐scale RAFT‐mediated emulsion polymerization was also employed to afford industrially applicable poly(CP) (M_w > 25 × 10⁴, resulting product > 2300 g). The vulcanized CP rubber obtained from the RAFT‐synthesized poly(CP) exhibited better physical properties, particularly tensile modulus and compression set, which may be due to the presence of the reactive end groups and the absence of low‐molecular‐weight products. We also evaluated the impact of the chain‐end structure on the mechanical and physical properties of these industrially important CP rubbers with carbon black. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46008.     

Preparation of stable polyurethane-polystyrene copolymer emulsions via RAFT polymerization process

Stable polyurethane-polystyrene (PU-PS) copolymer emulsions were prepared by the polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA)-capped PU macromonomer and styrene, using azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN), a radical initiator, and 4-((benzodithioyl)methyl)benzoic acid, a reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent. As the molar ratio of the RAFT agent to AIBN increased, the zeta potential of the resulting copolymer emulsion increased, but the average size and size distribution of the emulsion droplets decreased. A living polymerization of HEA end-capped PU macromonomer and styrene was characterized by a linear increase in the molecular weight and decrease in the molecular weight distribution with consumption of monomers. The tensile strength, hardness and water-resistance of the copolymer films, prepared from the PU-PS copolymer emulsions, were much greater than those of the films prepared from the pure PU emulsion. The copolymer emulsions, prepared via the RAFT polymerization process, are expected to exhibit better storage stability than those prepared via the conventional free radical polymerization process, due to the presence of carboxyl groups derived from the RAFT agent at the PS block termini.     

Poly(dimethylsiloxane‐b‐styrene) diblock copolymers prepared by reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization: Kinetic model

Well‐defined polydimethylsiloxane‐block‐polystyrene (PDMS‐b‐PS) diblock copolymers were prepared by reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using a functional PDMS‐macro RAFT agent. The RAFT polymerization kinetics was simulated by a mathematical model for the RAFT polymerization in a batch reactor based on the method of moments. The model described molecular weight, monomer conversion, and polydispersity index as a function of polymerization time. Good agreements in the polymerization kinetics were achieved for fitting the kinetic profiles with the developed model. In addition, the model was used to predict the effects of initiator concentration, chain transfer agent concentration, and monomer concentration on the RAFT polymerization kinetics. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Particle growth behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate) nanoparticles synthesized by the reversible addition fragmentation transfer living radical polymerization reaction

PMMA nanoparticles with highly mono‐dispersed size distribution were prepared using the RAFT living radical emulsion polymerization technique. A novel sur‐iniferter for the RAFT reaction, DTBA, was synthesized and its chemical structure was identified using several spectroscopic techniques. The relationship between the particle size and the molecular weight of the polymer was investigated measuring the rate of growth of each during formation of particles, and was well explained by the simple random flight molecular conformation model. The particle size increased up to a certain value with decreasing sur‐iniferter concentration and then leveled off, because the surface charge density of the growing particles was not high enough to stabilize the particles in aqueous medium above that value. The core‐shell type di‐block copolymer nanoparticles were also successfully prepared via RAFT reaction. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Synthesis of emulsion styrene butadiene rubber by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and its properties

Emulsion polymerization is generally used to synthesize styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), and the molecular weight of this rubber can be easily increased. However, the broad molecular weight distribution (MWD) of SBR increases energy loss and adversely affects the dynamic viscoelastic properties. To overcome this disadvantage, reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, which is a type of living polymerization, is applied to emulsion polymerization for preparing RAFT emulsion SBR (ESBR). The molecular weight and microstructure of RAFT ESBR are compared to those of commercially available ESBR 1502 by gel permeation chromatography and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The aforementioned two polymers are used to prepare unfilled ESBR compounds, which are compared in terms of key physical properties (abrasion resistance, mechanical properties, and dynamic viscoelastic properties). It is confirmed that various physical properties of RAFT ESBR are improved due to its narrow MWD. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47069.     

First-principles calculation of particle formation in emulsion polymerization: pseudo-bulk systems

Kinetic behavior in emulsion polymerization can be conveniently assigned as either ‘zero-one’ or ‘pseudo-bulk’. Sufficiently small particles in emulsion polymerizations obey zero-one kinetics, where entry of a radical into a particle which contains a growing radical leads to instantaneous termination. Pseudo-bulk kinetics applies to particles in which more than one free radical can co-exist for a significant period; while this is commonly applicable to large particles for any monomer, it also applies to very small particles for monomers which propagate very rapidly, such as acrylates. A methodology is developed to enable particle sizes and rates to be calculated for systems in which pseudo-bulk kinetics are important during particle formation. This takes account of all significant reactions involving radical species in the water and particle phases, including the chain-length dependence of the termination rate coefficient. A ‘cross-over radius’ r_co is used to describe the particle size where termination of radicals within the particles is no longer instantaneous. The model is applied to the emulsion polymerization of butyl acrylate. All parameters are available from the literature, except for r_co and k_p¹, the rate coefficient for propagation of a monomeric radical formed from transfer. These were determined from experiments on seeded emulsion polymerizations of this monomer, involving the steady-state rate with chemical initiator and non-steady-state rate in a system initiated by γ radiolysis, after removal from the radiation source (‘relaxation’ mode). Particle sizes and rates in unseeded butyl acrylate emulsion polymerizations at 50 °C, over a range of concentrations of persulfate as initiator and sodium dodecyl sulfate as surfactant, are predicted by the model with acceptable accuracy.     

Interfacially confined RAFT miniemulsion copolymerization of styrene and butadiene

In this study, ammonolyzed poly(styrene‐alt‐maleic anhydride) terminated with dithioester group can be self‐assembled into an amphiphilic macro‐reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent, and RAFT group will be located in the interface of oil and water. RAFT polymerization of styrene (S) and butadiene (B) will be confined in the interface. The main work is to study the effect of degree of aminolysis, reaction temperature, and ratio of S/B on the polymerization kinetics and living characters. The experimental results revealed that aminolysis of dithioester group would lead to retardation and loss of living characters under higher degree of aminolysis. Interfacially confined RAFT miniemulsion polymerizations were of relatively good controlled/living characters under lower degree of aminolysis before gelation. Increase of reaction temperature and ratio of S/B will accelerate the formation of gelation. Finally, styrene/butadiene copolymer nanoparticles with uniform particle size were formed, and because of microphase segregation “core–shell” morphology with polybutadiene core and polystyrene shell was seen obviously. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

可逆加成-断裂链转移自由基聚合的新进展

可逆加成-断裂链转移(RAFT)自由基聚合的适用单体范围广,反应条件温和,没有聚合实施方法如本体、溶液、乳液和悬浮聚合的限制,因而引起了研究者的广泛兴趣,取得了许多新的研究成果。主要对近年来RAFT聚合中使用的最新链转移剂、单体及相关合成与使用情况以及几种新型RAFT反应体系进行了介绍。     

Ab initio emulsion RAFT polymerization of vinylidene chloride mediated by amphiphilic macro‐RAFT agents

An amphiphilic copolymer poly(acrylic acid)‐block‐poly(styrene) (PAA‐b‐PS) with a trithiocarbonate reactive group was used in the ab initio reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) emulsion polymerization of vinylidene chloride (VDC). The fast polymerization and high conversion were achieved. The parameters for a good control over the formation of well‐defined PAA‐b‐PS‐b‐PVDC amphiphilic block copolymers and self‐stabilized latexes were identified. To improve the emulsion stability and prevent the desorption of water‐soluble initiating radicals, the acid groups of PAA‐b‐PS were neutralized by NaOH at the later stage of polymerization. The PAA‐b‐PS‐b‐PVDC block copolymer with a high molar mass of 30 kg mol⁻¹ and the stable latex with 30 wt % solid content was obtained. The kinetics of RAFT emulsion copolymerization of VDC in a living manner was first investigated. The as‐prepared PAA‐b‐PS‐b‐PVDC latex particles were further used as seeds in the emulsion polymerization of styrene, enabling the preparation of novel PAA‐b‐PS‐b‐PVDC‐b‐PS tetra‐block copolymers with a molar mass of 76 kg mol⁻¹ and a relatively low molecular weight distribution of 1.6. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40391.     

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels with improved shrinking kinetics by RAFT polymerization

Functional poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogels were prepared by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) in the presence of N,N-methylenebisacylamide (BIS) as a cross-linker and 4-cyanopentanoic acid dithiobenzoate as chain transfer reagent (CTA). The swelling behaviors were investigated and the hydrogels by RAFT polymerization (RAFT gels) showed accelerated shrinking kinetics and higher swelling ratio comparing with conventional hydrogel (CG). It could be attributed to the presence of dangling chains mainly caused by CTA, which could retard the crosslinking reaction rate greatly. Another CTA, 3-(trithiocarbonyl) propanoic acid, was adopted to further investigate the effect of CTA. It showed the similar effect except the different accelerated degree to the shrinking kinetics. Furthermore, the living character of the RAFT process was used to polymerize a new batch of monomer (NIPAM) from functional RAFT gels to introduce grafted structure. The PNIPAM-g-PNIPAM hydrogels indicted further accelerated shrinking kinetics than functional backbone hydrogels.     

Polymerization-induced self-assembly of block copolymer nanoparticles via RAFT non-aqueous dispersion polymerization

There is considerable current interest in polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization as a versatile and efficient route to various types of block copolymer nano-objects. Many successful PISA syntheses have been conducted in water using either RAFT aqueous dispersion polymerization or RAFT aqueous emulsion polymerization. In contrast, this review article is focused on the growing number of RAFT PISA formulations developed for non-aqueous media. A wide range of monomers have been utilized for both the stabilizer and core-forming blocks to produce diblock copolymer nanoparticles in either polar or non-polar media (including supercritical CO₂ and ionic liquids) via RAFT dispersion polymerization. Such nanoparticles possess spherical, worm-like or vesicular morphologies, often with controllable size and functionality. Detailed characterization of such sterically stabilized diblock copolymer dispersions provides important insights into the various morphological transformations that can occur both during the PISA synthesis and also on subsequent exposure to a suitable external stimulus (e.g. temperature).     

甲基丙烯酸丁酯的ATRP乳液聚合研究

探讨了铜催化体系催化甲基丙烯酸丁酯 (BMA)的 ATRP乳液聚合规律 ,研究了乳化剂、催化剂、引发剂及反应温度对聚合反应可控性、动力学及乳胶粒性质的影响。结果表明 BMA的 ATRP乳液聚合具有较典型的活性聚合特征 ,并且聚合反应的可控性和乳胶粒的稳定性受上述因素的影响较大 ,得到了聚合反应速率方程和动力学参数。