Photoinduced controlled/“living” polymerization of methyl methacrylate with flavone as photoinitiator

Photochemically mediated controlled/“living” polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) triggered by flavone was studied. The polymerization was performed in ethanol at ambient temperature with CuBr₂/Tris(2‐dimethylaminoethyl)amine (Me₆TREN) as complex catalyst and ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate (EBiB) as initiator. The molar mass of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was obtained and exhibited relatively narrow molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n) which was characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Chain extension further indicated that the living nature was maintained in the photopolymerization system. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43845.     

Photo‐Induced atom transfer radical polymerization with nanosized α‐Fe2O3 as photoinitiator

Photo‐induced atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was achieved in poly(ethylene glycol)‐400 with nanosized α‐Fe₂O₃ as photoinitiator. Well‐defined poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was synthesized in conjunction with ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate (EBiB) as ATRP initiator and FeCl₃·6H₂O/Triphenylphosphine (PPh₃) as complex catalyst. The photo‐induced polymerization of MMA proceeded in a controlled/living fashion. The polymerization followed first‐order kinetics. The obtained PMMA had moderately controlled number‐average molecular weights in accordance with the theoretical number‐average molecular weights, as well as narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n). In addition, the polymerization could be well controlled by periodic light‐on–off processes. The resulting PMMA was characterized by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance and gel permeation chromatography. The brominated PMMA was used further as macroinitiator in the chain‐extension with MMA to verify the living nature of photo‐induced ATRP of MMA. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42389.     

Water‐soluble and polymerizable thioxanthone photoinitiator containing imidazole

A novel free radical photoinitiator, 3‐allyl‐1‐[2‐hydroxy‐3‐(thioxanthen‐9‐one‐2‐yl)oxypropyl]imidazolium chloride ([AIPTX]Cl), is synthesized by the addition reaction of 2‐(2,3‐epoxy)propoxylthioxanthone (ETX) with a heterocyclic compound imidazole firstly, and the achieved intermediate 1‐[2‐hydroxy‐3‐(thioxanthen‐9‐one‐2‐yl)oxypropyl]imidazole (IPTX) is then reacted with allyl chloride. IPTX is chosen to evaluate the photoefficiency of [AIPTX]Cl. FTIR and ¹H‐NMR confirm the structures of [AIPTX]Cl and IPTX. UV‐Vis spectra of the two photoinitiators are similar and both exhibit the maximal absorption about 400 nm. Fluorescence spectra show [AIPTX]Cl/IMZ has slightly higher fluorescence intensity than IPTX system. Photopolymerization studies indicate that [AIPTX]Cl/IMZ is more efficient for the polymerization of water‐soluble monomer than IPTX. Moreover, due to its advantages of water solubility and polymerizability, [AIPTX]Cl is an environmental‐friendly photoinitiator and has potential for application in UV‐curing systems. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40659.     

Photoinitiating behavior of bifunctional photoinitiator containing α‐hydroxyalkylphenone group on free‐radical polymerization

Photoinitiating behaviors of bis[4‐(2‐hydroxy‐isopropionyl)]ether photoinitiator on free‐radical polymerization have been investigated. The kinetics of photopolymerization initiated by the photoinitiator was studied by means of differential photocalorimetry. The bifunctional photoinitiator showed comparative performance with those commercial photoinitiators with monofunctional chromophoric group. The effect of UV intensity on the polymerization rate was investigated, and the value of exponential factor was found to be 0.5 at the beginning of polymerization, suggesting that the photopolymerization initiated by bis[4‐(2‐hydroxy‐isopropionyl)]ether followed biradical termination mechanism. Photosensitizer triethylamine improves the initiating efficiency while oxygen is shown to restrict polymerization in this system. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 5297–5302, 2006     

An iron‐based reverse ATRP process for the living radical polymerization of acrylonitrile

A hexa‐substituted ethane thermal iniferter, diethyl‐2,3‐dicyano‐2,3‐di(p‐tolyl) succinate (DCDTS), was firstly used as the initiator in the reverse atom transfer radical polymerization (RATRP) of acrylonitrile. FeCl₃ coordinated by isophthalic acid (IA) was used as the catalyst in this system. The polymerization in N,N‐dimethylformamide not only shows the best control of molecular weight and its distribution but also provides rather rapid reaction rate with the ratio of [AN] : [DCDTS] : [FeCl₃] : [IA] at 500 : 1 : 2 : 4. The polymers obtained were end‐functionalized by chlorine atom, and they were used as macroinitiators to proceed the chain extension polymerization in the presence of FeCl₂/IA catalyst system via a conventional ATRP process and polyacrylonitrile obtained was with M_n = 39,260, PDI = 1.25. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Vinyl–carbon nanotubes for composite polymer materials

We report herein a simple method for attaching vinyl groups onto the sidewalls of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the application of vinyl–carbon nanotubes (CNT–C?C) in fabricating polymer composites. The synthesis of CNT–C?C was monitored with IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The obtained CNT–C?C showed good compatibility with the in situ polymerization of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and exhibited no tendency for phase separation in the final composite. A transmission electron microscopy study revealed a uniform coating on the CNT–C?C tubes, indicating good grafting efficiency of PMMA. The uniform dielectric PMMA coating was responsible for the lower electrical conductivity of the CNT–C?C/PMMA composites versus that of the CNTs without vinyl modification. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Rapid ambient temperature living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate and styrene utilizing sodium hypophosphite as reducing agent

A facile, safe, and inexpensive reducing agent, sodium hypophosphite (NaH₂PO₂·H₂O), has been successfully used to perform ambient temperature living radical polymerizations of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene (St). The rapid radical polymerizations were readily obtained at 25°C, i.e., MMA reached a conversion of ca 90% after 2.5 h, and St reached a conversion of ca 80% after 40 h. The polymerizations of MMA and St exhibited excellent living/controlled nature, as evidenced by pseudo first‐order kinetics of polymerization, linear evolution of molecular weights with increasing monomer conversions, and narrow molecular weight distributions. The various experimental parameters—ligand, solvent, and molar ratio of NaH₂PO₂·H₂O to CuSO₄·5H₂O—were varied to improve the control of polymerization, molecular weight, and molecular weight distribution. ¹H NMR analyses and chain‐extension reactions confirm the high chain‐end functionality of the resultant poly(methyl methacrylate) and polystyrene. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42123.     

High performance of the linked visible photoinitiator for free radical polymerization based on erythrosine B derivative

A novel erythrosine B derivative linked with a tertiary amine used as a visible light initiator for free radical polymerization was synthesized and characterized. For comparison, the free hydrophobic erythrosine B derivative was also synthesized and its combination with the tertiary amine was used as the separated two component photoinitiator. The linked initiator exhibited higher photoinitiator efficiency in high viscosity monomer than in low viscosity one, compared with the separated counterpart. Especially, when it was combined with iodonium salt, the further promotion of the photoinitiator efficiency was observed, compared with the separated three component system. It was found that as iodonium salt together with tertiary amine was continuously added to the formula with the linked initiator, the photoinitiator efficiency was dramatically enhanced compared with the same addition to the formula with the separated counterpart, revealing the application potential of the linked initiator. And the continuous addition of either the iodium salt or the tertiary amine to the formula only leaded to the small size increase of the photoinitiator efficiency. These results suggested that there existed an interdependent relationship between iodonium salt and tertiary amine in promoting the photoinitiator efficiency of the dye/amine/iodonium salt system. For these, the corresponding synergistic mechanism was proposed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42361.     

Fabrication of a fast‐swelling superabsorbent resin by inverse suspension polymerization

A novel, fast‐swelling superabsorbent polymer (SAP2) was fabricated with an anionic–nonionic surfactant [poly(oxy‐1,2‐ethanediyl)–(3‐carboxy‐1‐oxo‐3‐sulfopropyl)–(nonylphenoxy) sodium salt] as the stabilizer by inverse suspension polymerization. The microstructure, chemical structure, and gel strength of the superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, porosity, and specific surface area analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and rheometry. The results show that SAP2 had irregularly shaped particles with a large number of pores and presented a greater specific surface area, pore volume, and gel strength than the prepared SAP1 with a nonionic surfactant (Span 60) as the stabilizer. The amount of residual monomer and the gel fraction of SAP2 were 202 mg/kg and 80.6%, respectively. Meanwhile, SAP2 demonstrated a faster swelling and deswelling rate as well as greater water absorbency than SAP1. The fast swelling rate mainly resulted from the capillary effect of the pores in the irregularly shaped particles. Superfast swelling SAPs should possess outstanding potential for healthcare products, communication cables, and the biomedical field. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46142.     

Continuous emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate. II Operation in a single Couette–Taylor vortex flow reactor using sodium lauryl sulfate as emulsifier

Continuous emulsion polymerizations of vinyl acetate were conducted at 50°C in a single continuous Couette–Taylor vortex flow reactor (CCTVFR) using sodium lauryl sulfate as emulsifier and potassium persulfate as initiator. The polymerization can be carried out very smoothly and stably, but the steady‐state monomer conversion attained in a CCTVFR is not as high as that in a plug flow reactor (PFR), but only slightly higher than that in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), even if the Taylor number is adjusted to an optimum value. Also, the effects of operating variables, such as the emulsifier, initiator, and monomer concentrations in the feed and the mean residence time on the kinetic behaviors were almost the same as those observed in a CSTR. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2755–2762, 2002     

Unexpected visible‐light‐induced free radical photopolymerization at low light intensity and high viscosity using a titanocene photoinitiator

Most visible‐light photoinitiators are based on electron transfer processes and are comprised of two or more components. These initiators can lose effectiveness in viscous systems because the underlying reactions are diffusion controlled. In this contribution, the visible‐light photoinitiator bis(cyclopentadienyl) bis[2,6‐difluoro‐3‐(1‐pyrryl)phenyl]titanium is characterized for polymerization of viscous systems and low light intensities. This compound absorbs visible light at wavelengths up to 550 nm, and does not rely on diffusion‐controlled electron transfer reactions because it undergoes unimolecular decomposition. In contrast to trends observed for other photoinitiators, the effectiveness of the compound is found to increase markedly with the addition of protonic acids and with increasing system viscosity. For a given concentration of initiator and acid, a remarkably low optimal light intensity for effective polymerization is observed. The origins of these surprising results are discussed in terms of the mechanism of decomposition of the photoinitiator. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Fe‐mediated ARGET atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in ionic liquid‐based microemulsion

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was synthesized by activator regenerated by electron transfer (ARGET) atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of MMA in ionic liquid‐based microemulsion with polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80) as surfactant. The polymerization was carried out at 25°C with CCl₄ as initiator, FeCl₃·6H₂O/N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethyl‐1,2‐ethanediamine (TMEDA) as catalyst complex in the presence of reducing agent ascorbic acid (VC). The polymerization kinetics showed the feature of controlled/″living″ process as evidenced by a linear first‐order plot. The well‐controlled polymers were obtained with narrow polydispersity indices and the ionic liquid‐based microemulsions were transparent with a particle size less than 30 nm. The obtained polymer was characterized by ¹H NMR and gel permeation chromatography. The chain extension was successfully achieved by the obtained PMMA macroinitiator/FeCl₃·6H₂O/TMEDA/VC initiator system based on ARGET ATRP method. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Photoinitiating free‐radical polymerization electron‐transfer pairs applying amino acids and sulfur‐containing amino acids as electron donors

A series of free‐radical polymerization initiation systems, based on xanthene dyes as the absorbing chromophores [Rose bengal derivative, 3‐(3‐methylbutoxy)‐5,7‐diiodo‐6‐fluorone and 3‐acetoxy‐2,4,5,7‐tetraiodo‐6‐fluorone] and sulfur‐containing amino acids as the electron donors, were investigated. The photoredox pair xanthene dye/sulfur‐containing amino acid was effectively used for photoinitiation of free‐radical polymerization of the mixture composed of poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate–1% NH₄OH (3 : 1). The highest initiating efficiencies were observed for the system composed of methionine derivatives as the electron donor. The mechanism of photoinduced electron transfer between sulfur‐containing amino acids and triplet state of xanthene dye was investigated using laser‐flash and steady‐state photolysis techniques. Based on photochemistry of xanthene dyes, photochemistry of sulfur‐containing amino acids, and obtained results, the mechanism describing the major processes occurring during the photoinitiated polymerization by a photoinduced intermolecular electron‐transfer process was postulated. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 358–365, 2005     

Versatility of a succinimidyl‐ester functional alkoxyamine for controlling acrylonitrile copolymerizations

Styrene/acrylonitrile (S/AN) and tert‐butyl methacrylate/acrylonitrile (tBMA/AN) copolymers were synthesized in a controlled manner (low polydispersity $ {{\overline M _w } / {\overline M _n }} $ with linear growth of number average molecular weight $ \overline M _n $ vs. conversion X) by nitroxide mediated polymerization (NMP) with a succinimidyl ester (NHS) terminated form of BlocBuilder unimolecular initiator (NHS‐BlocBuilder) in dioxane solution. No additional free nitroxide (SG1) was required to control the tBMA‐rich copolymerizations with NHS‐BlocBuilder, a feature previously required for methacrylate polymerizations with BlocBuilder initiators. Copolymers from S/AN mixtures (AN molar initial fractions f_AN,0 = 0.13–0.86, T = 115°C) had $ {{\overline M _w } / {\overline M _n }} $ = 1.14–1.26 and linear $ \overline M _n $ versus conversion X up to X ≈ 0.6. tBMA/AN copolymers (f_AN,0 = 0.10–0.81, T = 90°C) possessed slightly broader molecular weight distributions ( $ {{\overline M _w } / {\overline M _n }} $ = 1.23–1.50), particularly as the initial composition became richer in tBMA, but still exhibited linear plots of $ \overline M _n $ versus conversion X up to X ≈ 0.6. A S/AN/tBMA terpolymerization (f_AN,0 = 0.50, f_S,0 = 0.40) was also conducted at 90°C and revealed excellent control with $ \overline M _n $ = 13.6 kg/mol, $ {{\overline M _w } / {\overline M _n }} $ = 1.19, and linear $ \overline M _n $ versus conversion X up to X = 0.54. Incorporation of AN and tBMA in the final copolymer (molar composition F_AN = 0.47, F_tBMA = 0.11) was similar to the initial composition and represents initial designs to make tailored, acid functional AN copolymers by NMP for barrier materials. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Controlled/living radical polymerization of styrene catalyzed by cobaltocene

Controlled/living radical polymerization of styrene has been achieved by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) catalyzed by cobaltocene (PDI = 1.27-1.41). The effects of the initiators, temperatures and solvents were studied. The end group of PS-Br was characterized by ¹H NMR. Block copolymerization proved that the polymer end is still living and the PMMA-b-PSt block copolymer was synthesized.     

Efficient visible photoinitiator with high‐spectrum stability in an acid medium for free‐radical and free‐radical‐promoted cationic photopolymerization based on erythrosine B derivatives

Three dye‐linked photoinitiators with excellent spectral stability in an acid medium were synthesized by the covalent bonding of a coinitiator (tertiary amine) and a benzoyl group or two coinitiators to the phenolic and carboxyl group position of erythrosine B. The combination of the iodonium salt and free tertiary amino used to initiate the free‐radical/cationic visible photopolymerization was investigated to acquire the relationship between the structure and performance. The photoinitiating ability of the derivative with the phenolic position bearing a coinitiator was poorer than of the derivative with the carboxyl group bearing one because of the strong back electron transfer of the former. For the derivative with a linked coinitiator on the carboxyl position, the proximity effect between the sensitizer and the coinitiator moiety resulted in an excellent photoinitiating ability for radical/cationic polymerization; this suggested its potential for application. Although radical/cationic photopolymerization could be initiated by the derivative/coinitiator/iodonium salt, the different component ratios between them had different effects on these two polymerizations; this provided useful information for the design of effective photoinitiators for different polymerizations. On the basis of the fluorescence quenching and photopolymerization results, a corresponding synergistic mechanism was proposed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43035.     

Preparation and physical properties of transparent organic–inorganic nanohybrid materials based on urethane dimethacrylate

The aim of this study was to prepare transparent organic–inorganic nanohybrid materials with improved physical properties in comparison with the matrix polymer. Polymerizable silica nanoparticles were synthesized via the reaction of silanol groups on the surface of silica nanoparticles (particle diameter ≈ 12 nm) with isocyanate groups of 2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyl isocyanate (MOI) in ethyl acetate. In addition, the matrix monomer, urethane dimethacrylate, was prepared by the reaction of an MOI isocyanate group with the hydroxyl group of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and novel organic–inorganic nanohybrid materials were obtained at various silica contents with bulk polymerization. The surface treatment of the silica nanoparticles and preparation of the matrix monomer were carried out in a one‐pot reaction. The prepared hybrid materials retained high transparency, and the elastic modulus and surface hardness improved with increasing silica content. Moreover, the strength of the material containing 20 wt % silica was up to 30 MPa higher than that of the matrix polymer. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Novel benzoxazine resins as photoinitiator comprising benzophenone and coinitiator amine for photopolymerization

A novel kind of benzoxazine precursors made of 4‐dihydroxybenzophenone (DHBP), formaldehyde and N, N′‐diethylethylenediamine was developed. The striking feature of this class of precursors is that it can be acted as an effective photo initiator for polymerization of acrylate monomers. In addition, this kind of precursors could be directly dispersed in water and its aqueous solution exhibited very sharp response to temperature, with a well‐defined cloud point. The structure of this precursor has been confirmed by Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (¹H‐NMR) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and its curing behaviors are investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The photopolymerization of acylate monomers, initiated by this precursor, was studied through photo‐DSC. The results show that this precursor is dramatically more efficient than benzophenone (BP), in which the polymerization rate is almost four times as high as that of the BP system. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Organic/inorganic hybrid composites prepared by polymerization compounding and controlled free radical polymerization

A new method to produce highly filled and well dispersed polymer solid composites using controlled free radical polymerization has been developed. Grafting of polymers onto ultrafine silica was done in bulk polymerization at 120 °C in presence of N-tert-butyl-1-diethylphosphono2,2-dimethyl propyl nitroxide (DEPN) as a nitroxide stable free radical. Optimum conditions for tert-butyl hydroperoxide grafting onto fumed silica were first determined. The percentage of grafting, the architecture of grafted polymers, the length of chains, and the polydispersity index can be controlled at will using this approach. The effect of the number of grafted polymer chains combined with its molecular weight on the processing of these materials was investigated. The syntheses performed in this work gave grafting percentages of polymers and copolymers ranging from 12 to 88 wt%. All ‘synthesized’ composites gave stable suspensions in toluene and tetrahydrofuran.     

Organic–inorganic microhybrid materials via a novel emulsion mixing method

Water‐dispersible urethane acrylate anionomers (UAAs) were prepared using anionic dimethylol propionic acid and silica emulsion was prepared by a sol–gel process using poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) and tetraethoxysilane. The above two emulsions were mixed, and UAA/silica composite gels were prepared. FTIR, X‐ray diffraction, SEM, and AFM were used to verify the structure and the inclusion of silica in the composite gels. To investigate the influence of silica in UAA gels on the physical properties, the tensile strength and elongation at break were measured, and the annealing effect was evaluated by the physical properties. As the silica content increased, the tensile strength of the composite gels increased; however, up to a certain amount of silica, phase separation was induced and physical properties were reduced. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 71: 1597–1605, 1999