Macro-azo-initiators having poly(ethylene glycol) units: Synthesis,characterization, and application to AB block copolymerization

Macro-azo-initiators (MAIs) having poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) units were obtained by various multistep synthetic approaches. In the first stage, macro-azo-initiators of PEG type with azo groups inserted in the main chain were prepared. MAIs were then characterized by chemical analyses, spectral methods, ¹H-NMR, GPC, and DSC techniques. They were used in the free-radical bulk polymerization of dicyclohexylitaconate to synthesize AB block copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol-b-dicyclohexylitaconate) (PEG-b-PDCHI). © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 65: 2173–2181, 1997     

Block copolymers derived from azobiscyanopentanoic acid. XI. Properties of silicone–PMMA block copolymers prepared via polysiloxane(azobiscyanopentanamide)s

Mechanical, thermal, and surface properties of poly(dimethylsiloxane)–poly(methyl methacrylate) block copolymers (PDMS-b-PMMA) prepared by the use of polysiloxane(azobiscyanopentanamide)s were intensively investigated. The mechanical strength of block copolymers was found to decrease with an increase of siloxane contents. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of block copolymers having long siloxane chain length (SCL) and high siloxane content revealed the existence of two glass transitions attributable to microphase separation of two segments. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) also gave some evidence of microphase separation supporting the DMA results. It was observed that the incorporation of PDMS segments in block copolymers improved thermal stability of PMMA, as confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis. Surface analysis of the block copolymers films cast from several solutions indicated surface accumulation of PDMS segments, as revealed by water contact angle and ESCA measurements.     

Structure-property relations of poly(propylene oxide) block copolymers with monodisperse and polydisperse crystallisable segments

Segmented block copolymers with poly(propylene oxide) and crystallisable segments were synthesized and their structure-property relations studied. As crystallisable segments, amide units based on poly(p-xylylene terephthalamide), were used. The length of the amide segment was varied and these segments either had a monodisperse or random length distribution (polydisperse). The poly(propylene oxide) used was end capped with 20 wt% ethylene oxide (EO-tipped) and had a molecular weight of 2300 g/mol (M_n, incl. EO-tips). These segmented block copolymers are model block copolymers to gain insight in the structure-properties behaviour of related semi-crystalline segmented block copolymers, like polyether(urethane-urea)s. The morphology of the polyether(ester-amide)s (PEEA) was studied with TEM, the thermal properties with DSC and DMTA and the crystalline structures with WAXD. The elastic behaviour of the block copolymers was investigated in tensile and compression.Phase separation in PEEA's with crystallisable, short and monodisperse amide segments occurred by crystallisation, while with crystallisable random amide segments phase separation occurred through liquid-liquid demixing in combination with crystallisation. With short monodisperse amide segments, morphology of dispersed ribbons with a high aspect ratio was observed. PEEA's containing these monodisperse amide segments had higher moduli and better elastic properties as compared to PEEA's with random length amide segments. Increasing the length of the monodisperse amide segment increased the modulus and decreased the compression set of the corresponding blockcopolymers.     

聚醚酰胺嵌段共聚物的合成及表征

采用熔融缩聚法合成了聚酰胺(PA)6/聚四氢呋喃(PTEMG)嵌段共聚物,研究了PA6、PTEMG链段的相对分子质量、含量对嵌段共聚物热性能的影响,通过傅立叶变换红外光谱、核磁共振、差示扫描量热、热重测试等对产物进行分析.结果表明,嵌段共聚物以羧基封端,当PA6、PTEMG链段相对分子质量分别为2 000、1 000时,共聚物的分子序列长度最长,相对分子质量最大;PTEMG链段相对分子质量越小,共聚物的熔点越低;PTEMG链段相对分子质量相同时,随PA6链段相对分子质量的增加,熔点升高;嵌段共聚物中PA6组分的熔融温度范围随着PTEMG含量的增加而逐步变宽;共聚物具有较高的热分解活化能.     

AB‐ and ABC‐type di‐ and triblock copolymers of poly[styrene‐block‐(ε‐caprolactone)] and poly[styrene‐block‐(ε‐caprolactone)‐block‐lactide]: synthesis,characterization and thermal studies

Polystyrene terminated with benzyl alcohol units was employed as a macroinitiator for ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone and L ‐lactide to yield AB‐ and ABC‐type block copolymers. Even though there are many reports on the diblock copolymers of poly(styrene‐block‐lactide) and poly(styrene‐block‐lactone), this is the first report on the poly(styrene‐block‐lactone‐block‐lactide) triblock copolymer consisting of two semicrystalline and degradable segments. The triblock copolymers exhibited twin melting behavior in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis with thermal transitions corresponding to each of the lactone and lactide blocks. The block derived from ε‐caprolactone also showed crystallization transitions upon cooling from the melt. In the DSC analysis, one of the triblock copolymers showed an exothermic transition well above the melting temperature upon cooling. Thermogravimetric analysis of these block copolymers showed a two‐step degradation curve for the diblock copolymer and a three‐step degradation for the triblock copolymer with each of the degradation steps associated with each segment of the block copolymers. The present study shows that it is possible to make pure triblock copolymers with two semicrystalline segments which also consist of degradable blocks. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Preparation and properties of graft and block copolymers of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) with polybutadiene

Graft copolymers of polybutadiene (PBD) onto poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) were prepared by the nucleophilic substitution of N-metalated PPTA with telechelic PBD having bromide end groups. Block copolymers were synthesized by the condensation reaction of telechelic PBD having acid chloride end groups with amino-group-terminated PPTA. The structure of these copolymers was identified by IR spectra. Graft and block copolymers contained PBD segments up to 85 wt % and 45 wt %, respectively. Thermomechanical analyses (TMA) proved the existence of distinctive primary absorption peak corresponding with T_g of PBD for both graft and block copolymers. The T_g's of both types of the copolymers were further ascertained by the DSC curves. TMA curves suggested that the microphase separation occurred between PPTA and PBD. The incorporation of PPTA segments into PBD increased the decomposition temperature compared with the blend polymer composed of PPTA and PBD with the same composition.     

Synthesis and characterization of bisester-amide segments of uniform and random length

The synthesis and characterization of bisester-oligoamides segments with varying segment length that can be used in segmented block copolymers were studied. The bisester-oligoamides segments were made form diamines and terephthalate or isophthalate esters. The diamines used were p-xylylene diamine, m-xylylene diamine and hexamethylene diamine. The esters used are dimethyl terephthalate, diphenyl terephthalate, dimethyl isophthalate and diphenyl isophthalate. Uniform bisester-diamide, bisester-(tetra-amides) and bisester-(hexa-amide) segments were synthesized in steps and characterized by ¹H NMR, MALDI-TOF and DSC. The uniformity of these segments was studied by MALDI-TOF.With the uniform amide segments and polypropylene oxide segments, block copolymers were prepared by high temperature melt polymerization. The amide segment length distribution, which is susceptible to randomization was studied. The analysis of the amide segment distribution after hydrolysis of the ester-linkage groups was by MALDI-TOF. The amide segments were found to have the same narrow distribution as the starting bisester-oligoamide, which strongly supports the fact that randomization of the amide segments during melt polymerization does not take place. The uniformity of the amide segments is, therefore, preserved during high temperature melt polymerization.     

Biobased miktoarm star copolymer from soybean oil,isosorbide, and caprolactone

Soybean oil-based macroinitiator was prepared from epoxidized soybean oil. A ¹H NMR quantitative method was utilized for the characterization of this macroinitiator. A kind of renewable carbohydrate derivate, 1,4: 3,6-Dianhydro-D-glucitol 2-acrylate 5-acetate (AAI) was prepared as the substitute monomer of styrene. Series of renewable miktoarm star copolymers initiated by soybean oil macroinitiator were obtained by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of AAI and ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone sequentially. The obtained miktoarm star block copolymers were characterized by ¹H NMR, FTIR, and DSC. The DSC results show well dependence of the thermal behaviors of these miktoarm star block copolymers on the component of the two kinds of segments. A new strategy of renewable resource utilization has been provided on polymeric materials. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48281.     

Styrene polymerization with a macroinitiator having siloxane units

Block copolymers containing segments of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and polystyrene were synthesized. Dihydroxy terminated PDMS M_n 2500 g/mol, was reacted with an ali-phatic diisocyanate (isophorone diisocyanate) and an aliphatic hydroperxide (t-butyl hy-droperoxide). The resulting polymeric peroxycarbamate having siloxane units (a new mac-roinitiator) was used as free radical initiator for vinyl polymerization of styrene. Formation of block copolymers was illustrated by several characterization methods such as chemical and spectroscopic analysis, fractionation, and GPC. Mechanical and thermal characterization of the copolymers were made by stress–strain tests and DSC. The surface properties and the morphology of the block copolymers were investigated by contact angle measurements and SEM. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Conducting copolymers of polypyrrole/polytetrahydrofuran

Summary Bifunctional living polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF) was terminated with potassium salt of pyrrole to yield polymers with electrochemically active end groups. These polymers were employed in the second stage to obtain conducting polypyrrole/polytetrahydrofuran block copolymers with short and long polytetrahydrofuran segments by potentiostatic anodic polymerization of pyrrole in different electrolytic media. Syntheses of block copolymers were achieved in media where tetrabutylammonium fluoroborate, sodium perchlorate and sodium p-toluenesulfonate were used as the supporting electrolytes. Characterizations were based on DSC, TGA, SEM, FTIR, and CV analyses. No significant effect of the chain length of polytetrahydrofuran segments on the properties of the copolymers was observed; however, thermal, electrochemical behaviors, and surface morphologies of the films were greatly affected by the supporting electrolytes. Received: 5 January 1998/Revised version: 25 March 1998/Accepted: 27 March 1998     

Synthesis of block copolymers with thermodynamically compatible chain segments: di‐ and triblock copolymers of polystyrene and poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide)

Mono‐ and bifunctional poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) macroinitiators for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) were prepared by esterification of mono‐ and bishydroxy telechelic PPO with 2‐bromoisobutyryl bromide. The macroinitiators were used for ATRP of styrene to give block copolymers with PPO and polystyrene (PS) segments, namely PPO‐block‐PS and PS‐block‐PPO‐block‐PS. Various ligands were studied in combination with CuBr as ATRP catalysts. Kinetic investigations revealed controlled polymerization processes for certain ligands and temperature ranges. Thermal analysis of the block copolymers by means of DSC revealed only one glass transition temperature as a result of the compatibility of the PS and PPO chain segments and the formation of a single phase; this glass transition temperature can be adjusted over a wide temperature range (ca 100–199 °C), depending on the composition of the block copolymer. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Novel ternary block copolymerization of carbon dioxide with cyclohexene oxide and propylene oxide using zinc complex catalyst

Block copolymers of poly (propylene carbonate—cyclohexyl carbonate) (PPC-PCHC) were successfully synthesized by a one-pot method with the zinc complex catalyst (Zn2G). The IR and ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR spectra verified the introducing of PCHC segments in the copolymers. The GPC curves of the copolymers appeared only one peak and the DSC results showed three glass transition temperatures at 40 °C, 66 °C and 115 °C, indicating the three-block copolymer structure. TGA tests revealed that the thermal decomposition temperature of the synthesized block copolymers increased up to about 300 °C. The mechanical properties proved to be also enhanced greatly as evidenced by static and dynamic mechanical tests. The thermal and mechanical properties of the resultant block copolymers lay between those of PPC and PCHC, demonstrating the desired properties of a polymer can be achieved via block copolymerization.     

Synthesis, characterization and degradation of poly(dl-lactide)-block-polyvinylpyrrolidone-block-poly(dl-lactide) copolymers

A new kind of A-B-A block copolymers with good biocompatibility and adjustable degradability was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization, in which DL-lactide polymerized and grew from the two ends of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The well-defined triblock structures of copolymers were characterized by GPC, ¹H NMR, FTIR and DSC. There were two pronounced glass transition temperatures which showed apparent microphase separations between hydrophilic PVP segment and hydrophobic poly(dl-lactide) (PDLLA) segments. The hydrolytic degradation of PDLLA and copolymers in phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH = 7.4) showed that the degradation rate of copolymers apparently became faster in comparison with that of PDLLA homopolymer, and increased with increasing PVP content. The measurements through ¹H NMR and FTIR showed that the degraded fragments contained PDLLA oligomers, lactates and soluble chains composed of PVP blocks attached with short PDLLA ones.     

The melt rheological behavior of AB,ABA, BAB,and (AB)n block copolymers with monodisperse aramide segments

The melt rheological behavior of segmented block copolymers with high melting diamide (A) hard segments (HS) and polyether (B) soft segments was studied. The block copolymers can be classified as B (monoblock), AB (diblock), ABA (triblock, diamide end segment), BAB (triblock, diamide mid‐segment) and ? (AB)_n? (multiblock) block copolymers. Varied were the number of HS in the chain, the HS concentration, the position of the HS (in the chain or at the end of the chain) and the molecular weight of the copolymers. The melt rheological behavior of the copolymers was studied with a plate–plate method. The materials B (monoblock), BAB (triblock, diamide mid‐segment), and ? (AB)_n? (multiblock) block copolymers had a rheological behavior of a linear polymer and the complex viscosity increased with molecular weight. Surprisingly, the diblock copolymers AB and the triblock copolymers ABA at low frequencies and near the melting temperature of the copolymers had the behavior of a gelled melt. The diamide segments at the chain end seemed to form aggregates, whereas the diamide mid‐segments did not. Also, time‐dependent rheology of diblock copolymer confirmed the network structure built up in the melt. The block copolymers with H‐bonding diamide end segments had a thixotropic behavior. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Synthesis and thermal characterization of macromonomeric azo initiator containing poly(ε-caprolactone): Styrene and methyl methacrylate copolymerization

Macromonomeric azo initiator containing biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone, (PCL) was synthesized by the condensation reaction of PCL with 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanopentanoyl chloride) and methacryloyl chloride. This macromonomeric azo initiator (MIM–PCL) was further used in the polymerization of styrene (St) or methylmethacrylate (MMA) via a radical initiated process at 60°C in bulk in order to obtain polystyrene (PS)-b-PCL or poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-b-PCL crosslinked block copolymers. Thermal decomposition kinetics of MIM–PCL and its copolymers were studied by using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC traces of MIM–PCL showed two different exotherms, at 98 and 127°C. The first exotherm, observed at 98°C, was due to the polymerization of the terminal methacrylic groups; the other was due to the exothermic decomposition of azo groups of MIM–PCL. PCL-b-PS and PCL-b-PMMA crosslinked block copolymers showed single glass transition temperatures due to the compatibility of the crosslinked block segments. The polymer–solvent interaction parameter of PCL in chloroform was determined by vapor pressure osmometry to be 0.1 for the PCL–chloroform system at 30°C. The average molecular weights between junction points of crosslinked homo PCL were calculated by using the Flory–Rehner equation. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 68: 1149–1157, 1998     

Synthesis and thermally responsive properties of novel Pluronic F87/polycaprolactone (PCL) block copolymers with short PCL blocks

Polycaprolactone (PCL) was successfully grafted to both ends of Pluronic F87 block copolymers (PEO‐PPO‐PEO) to obtain novel amphiphilic PCL‐F87‐PCL block copolymers with short PCL blocks. The block composition and structure of PCL‐F87‐PCL block copolymers were studied by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetric (DSC), and wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WXRD) techniques. Several kinds of particles consisting of small micelles and medium and large aggregates were observed by laser light scattering (LLS) measurements because of the complicated structure of these copolymers. Importantly, PCL‐F87‐PCL block copolymers exhibit temperature‐sensitive behavior similar to that found in Pluronic systems. Compared with Pluronics, the critical micellization temperature (CMT) values of PCL‐F87‐PCL block copolymers obtained from surface tension measurements are significantly lower due to the enhanced hydrophobicity of PCL segments. A fully reversible sol–gel transition was detected for the PCL‐F87‐PCL hydrogels. Preliminary results show that there is no burst release for hydrophobic model drug, 9‐(methylaminomethyl) anthracene (MAMA), from PCL‐F87‐PCL hydrogel and the initial release rate is almost constant. This indicates that PCL‐F87‐PCL hydrogels possess attractive release profiles, which are beneficial for application in controlled release systems. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 4163–4172, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ϵ‐caprolactone)‐b‐poly(ethylene glycol) block copolymers prepared by a salicylaldimine‐aluminum complex

A series of poly(?‐caprolactone)‐b‐poly(ethylene glycol) (PCL‐b‐PEG) block copolymers with different molecular weights were synthesized with a salicylaldimine‐aluminum complex in the presence of monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol). The block copolymers were characterized by ¹H NMR, GPC, WAXD, and DSC. The ¹H NMR and GPC results verify the block structure and narrow molecular weight distribution of the block copolymers. WAXD and DSC results show that crystallization behavior of the block copolymers varies with the composition. When the PCL block is extremely short, only the PEG block is crystallizable. With further increase in the length of the PCL block, both blocks can crystallize. The PCL crystallizes prior to the PEG block and has a stronger suppression effect on crystallization of the PEG block, while the PEG block only exerts a relatively weak adverse effect on crystallization of the PCL block. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Investigation on isothermal crystallization,melting behaviors,and spherulitic morphologies of multiblock copolymers containing poly(butylene succinate) and poly(1,2‐propylene succinate)

In this article, isothermal crystallization, melting behaviors, and spherulitic morphologies of high‐impact multiblock copolymers, comprising of PBS as hard segment and poly(1,2‐propylene succinate) (PPSu) as soft segment with hexamethylene diisocyanate as a chain extender, were investigated. The results from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) suggest that the two segments of multiblock copolymers are miscible in amorphous region. The crystallization kinetics were analyzed by the Avrami equation. The effect of PBS segment length as well as the introduction of PPSu segment on the crystallization kinetics and melting bebaviors of block copolymers was studied. Both crystallization rate (G) and spherulitic growth rate (g) are markedly increased with the increase of PBS segment length or decreased with the incorporation of PPSu segment. All the multiblock copolymers show the multiple melting behaviors, whose position and area depend on PBS segment length and the presence of PPSu segment. The melting peaks shift to higher temperature region with increasing PBS segment length. Spherulitic morphologies of the multiblock copolymers after being isothermally crystallized were examined by polarized optical microscopy. It is the first time to investigate the effect of one segment length on crystallization bebavior of block copolymers based on a fixed weight ratio systematically. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Structure and thermal behavior of nylon‐6/polytetrahydrofuran triblock copolymers obtained via anionic polymerization

The structure, crystallization, and phase behavior of nylon6‐b‐polytetrahydrofuran‐b‐nylon6 triblock copolymers synthesized via activated anionic polymerization have been studied. The composition, molecular weight of polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF) soft block, and type of polymeric activators (PACs) have been varied. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Wide‐Angle X‐ray Diffraction (WAXD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) experiments have revealed that in triblock copolymers only the nylon‐6 component crystallizes while PTHF segments are amorphous. The soft blocks do not alter the spherulitic crystalline structure of nylon‐6 and hard blocks crystallize in the α‐modification. The degree of crystallinity decreases with increasing PTHF concentration. The phase behavior has been investigated by Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA). Two different glass transition temperatures (T_g) for all samples have been observed. This indicates that nylon‐6 and PTHF segments are not molecularly miscible and the copolymers are microphase separated. The mechanical properties of the copolymers synthesized have been evaluated. Nylon‐6 copolymers with soft block concentrations up to 10 w/w %, exhibit improved notched impact strength in comparison to the nylon‐6 homopolymer, retaining relatively high hardness and tensile strength. All copolymers possess low water absorption and good thermal stability. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 1448–1456, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10448     

Synthesis and thermal characterization of poly(ester-ether urethane)s based on PHB and PCL-PEG-PCL blocks

A series of block poly(ester-ether urethane)s, poly(PHB/PCL-PEG-PCL), based on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB-diol), as hard segments, and poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone), (PCL-PEG-PCL) triblock copolydiol, as soft segments, were prepared using 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), as non-toxic connecting agent. Polyurethanes block copolymer was synthesized from bacterial PHB and PCL-PEG-PCL blocks. The chemical structure and molecular weights of polymers prepared were characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR and GPC. The effect of chemical structure on the thermal and mechanical properties was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and tensile testing. The DSC results revealed that poly(PHB/PCL-PEG-PCL) urethanes are semi-crystalline with two crystallizable PHB and PCL-PEG-PCL blocks. The thermal stability of the urethanes is less than neat PHB. The results of tensile testing showed that the extensibility of PHB is largely enhanced by the incorporation of PCL-PEG-PCL soft segments. Activation energy E _a , as a kinetic parameter of thermal decomposition, was estimated by each of the Ozawa and Kissinger methods. Close values of activation energy were obtained by both methods. The swelling behaviour of the copolymers was also investigated.