Atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl acrylate from a multifunctional initiator at ambient temperature

A multifunctional initiator for ATRP has been synthesized by reacting a hyperbranched polyether, based on 3-ethyl-3-(hydroxymethyl)oxetane, with 2-bromo-isobutyrylbromide. The macroinitiator contained approximately 25 initiating sites per molecule. It was used for the atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl acrylate mediated by Cu(I)Br and tris(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)amine (Me₆-TREN) in ethyl acetate at room temperature. This yielded a co-polymer with a dendritic-linear architecture. The large number of growing chains from each macromolecule increases the probability of inter-and intramolecular reactions. In order to control these kinds of polymerizing systems and prevent them from forming a gel, the concentration of propagating radicals must be kept low. The polymerizations under these conditions were well controlled. When a ratio of initiating sites-to-catalyst of 1:0.05 was used, the polymers from all of the reactions had a low polydispersity, ranging from 1.1 to 1.4. None of the polymerizations under these conditions gave gelation. Monomer conversions as high as 65% were reached while maintaining control over the polymerization.     

Free radical terpolymerization of butyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate and alpha methyl styrene at high temperature

The free radical initiated terpolymerization of butyl acrylate (BA), methyl methacrylate (MMA) and alpha methyl styrene (AMS) has been examined. Kinetic studies focused on elevated reaction temperatures (115 and 140 °C). The studies were made over the full conversion range and examined the effect of reaction temperature, feed composition and initiator level on reaction rates. The composition of terpolymer products and their molecular weights were also analyzed with respect to monomer conversion levels.     

Copolymerizations of macromonomer prepared by addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization of methyl acrylate trimer

Summary An oligomer of the methyl acrylate unsaturated trimer bearing 2-carbomethoxy-2-propenyl ω-end group (M _n = 1300, M _w/M _n = 1.7, and functionality > 0.7) was copolymerized as a macromonomer (0.02 mol/L) with styrene (1.0 mol/L) in benzene at 60 °C. The amounts of monomer and macromonomer in the feed simultaneously decreased with increasing time to indicate copolymer formation, and the macromonomer was found to be as reactive as styrene toward poly(styrene) radicals. The M _ns of the copolymers were 13900–22000 depending on conversion. No resonance due to the unsaturated <ω-end group bound to the poly(styrene) chain was detected by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy, indicating that no fragmentation of adduct radical of the end group to expel the poly(methyl acrylate trimer) radical. Polymerization of ethyl methacrylate (1.0 mol/L) in the presence of the macromonomer (0.02 mol/L) resulted in a mixture of the unreacted macromonomer and homopolymer of ethyl methacrylate. No end group bound to the poly(ethyl methacrylate) was detected by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy, excluding the possibility of addition fragmentation chain transfer to the macromonomer to expel an oligomer radical of the methyl acrylate trimer. Addition of the poly(methacrylate) radical to the macromonomer is extremely slow under the present conditions of copolymerization. Received: 27 March 2003/Revised version: 30 April 2003/ Accepted: 30 April 2003 Correspondence to Bunichiro Yamada     

Free radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate at high temperatures

Free-radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in a tubular reactor has been conducted at above-Tg temperatures. A salient feature of these experiments is the very efficient control of reactor temperature by vapor-liquid equilibrium of the polymerizing mixture via monomer evaporation. The system pressure thus provides a powerful control variable, restricting the temperature in the entire reactor by changing the monomer evaporation rate. In the range of our experimental conditions, the temperature and pressure in the reactor follow the Antoine equation closely. High temperature runs also reduce the length requirement of the reactor. However, molecular weight averages of the products are not impressive, unless slow-burning initiators are used. Modeling of above-Tg reactions has been attempted at two-levels of sophistication. A plug-flow model gives predictions in good agreement with our experimental temperatures and conversion data. The predicted molecular weights are also consistent with the experimentally observed values. However, the more elaborate rheokinctic model suggests that the superficial agreement between model and experiment is due to initiator burn-out, which limits the final conversion to within 40 percent. The liquid layer next to the reactor wall can never be so viscous as to form a stagnant deposit, due to this conversion limitation. The velocity profiles are thus not very much distorted, and a plug-flow model is adequate. With a slow-burning initiator and a sufficiently long reactor, skewing of velocity profile and reactor channeling will eventually emerge. Hence, the rheokinetic model must be evoked to model the system under such conditions.     

p‐Acetylbenzylidene triphenylarsonium ylide initiated radical polymerization of methyl acrylate

Polymerization of methyl acrylate (MA), initiated by p‐acetyl benzylidene triphenylarsonium ylide (p‐ABTAY) in dioxan at (60 ± 1)°C for 1 h, follows nonideal kinetics (R_p ∝ [I]^0.21[M]^1.40) due to primary radical termination as well as degradative chain transfer reaction. The polymerization proceeded upto 20.49% conversion without gelation and results in the polymer of high molecular weight 98,000. The overall activation energy and the value of k_p²/k_t are 14 kJ mol^–1 and 18.75 × 10^–6 L mol^–1 s^–1, respectively. The ylide dissociates to form phenyl radical, which initiates the polymerization of MA. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Stereospecifity in radical polymerization of methyl α-(chloromethyl)acrylate

Poly(methyl α-(chloromethyl)acrylate)s (PMCMAs) obtained by homopolymerizations of methyl α-(chloromethyl)acrylate (MCMA) in benzene at different temperatures were converted to poly(methyl methacrylate)s (PMMAs) by reduction with tributyltin hydride. The reduction proceeded smoothly to yield PMMA exhibiting no ¹H NMR resonance due to the CH₂Cl group. The tacticity of the PMCMA obtained at 40 °C was determined using the ¹H NMR resonances of the α-methyl group of PMMA derived: mm/mr/rr=8/56/36. Apparently, the propagation of MCMA preferred r addition to a lower extent in comparison with that of MMA. The more polar and the bulkier α-substituent ClCH₂ (relative to CH₃) would diminish the effect of the carbomethoxy group, thus resulting in a lower level of synditacticity than in MMA polymerization. The tacticity of MMA-MCMA copolymers estimated after conversion to PMMA varied from that of PMMA to that of PMCMA; an increase in MCMA content in the feed resulted in a decrease in rr content. Coisotactic parameters for copolymerization of MCMA with MMA-d₈ were determined according to Hatada's procedure for determination of these parameters [Polym J 19 (1987) 1105].     

Emulsion copolymerization of styrene and butyl acrylate by reverse atom transfer radical polymerization

Reverse atom transfer radical copolymerization of styrene (St) and butyl acrylate was carried out in emulsion under normal emulsion conditions, using CuBr₂/bpy complex as catalyst. The effects of surfactant type, initiator type and concentration, and CuBr₂ addition on the system livingness, polymer molecular weight control, and latex stability were examined in detail. It was found that the Polysorbate 80 (Tween 80) and azodiisobutyronitrile gave the best exhibition in this system, polymer samples were got with narrow molecular‐weight dispersity (M_w/M_n = 1.1–1.2) and linear relationships of molecular weight versus monomer conversion, as well as a relatively low polydispersity index (<0.1). Through the GPC and SEM analysis, the polymerization processes under these conditions showed good living/control characteristics relative to the processes under normal emulsion polymerization, although the latex stability was susceptible to the CuBr₂ catalyst. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

CuBr2/Me6TREN-mediated living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate at ambient temperature

A universal nitrogen based ligand, tris[2-(dimethylamino) ethyl] amine (Me₆TREN), was firstly employed as both reducing agent and ligand for atom transfer radical polymerization with activators regenerated by electron transfer (ARGET ATRP) of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in bulk and solution, using CuBr₂ as the catalyst and 2-bromoisobutyrate as the initiator. Remarkably high activity catalytic system (CuBr₂/Me₆TREN) enabled the ambient temperature polymerization and thus biradical termination reactions were low. The polymerization exhibited typical living radical polymerization features, including pseudo first-order kinetics of polymerization, linear increase in the molecular weight versus monomer conversion, and low polydispersity index values. Moreover, effects of solvent and reaction temperature on the polymerization were investigated in detail. The rate of polymerization increased with reaction temperature and the apparent activation energy of the polymerization was calculated to be 51.11 kJ/mol. Gel permeation chromatography and ¹H NMR analyses as well as chain extension experiment confirmed the living chain-end functionality.     

Rapid ambient temperature atom transfer radical polymerization of tert‐butyl acrylate

BACKGROUND: Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) is considered to be one of the better and easier synthetic tools for the preparation of polymers with controlled molecular weights and polydispersities. Ambient temperature ATRP of tert‐butyl acrylate (tBA) was studied in a detailed manner with ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate (EBrB) and tert‐butyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate (tBuBrB) as the initiators for three different degrees of polymerization. RESULTS: Details pertaining to the kinetics of polymerization using different initiators are reported. It is observed that dimethylsulfoxide accelerates the polymerization at room temperature. The use of Cu(II) as the deactivator produces very narrow dispersity polymers. A diblock copolymer, poly(tert‐butyl acrylate)‐block‐poly(methyl methacrylate), was synthesized from the poly(tBA) macroinitiator demonstrating the controlled living nature of the polymerizations. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of polymerization is more rapid with a secondary initiator (ethyl 2‐bromopropionate) compared to the tertiary initiators EBrB and tBuBrB. From the detailed kinetic results it is observed that tris(2‐dimethylaminoethyl)amine was a better ligand compared to tris(2‐aminoethyl)amine in terms of achieving controlled polymerization. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

High molecular weight poly(methyl alkyl fumarates): radical high polymerization of methyl alkyl fumarates and monomer-isomerization radical polymerization of methyl alkyl maleates

Summary High molecular weight poly(methyl alkyl fumarate) were prepared through radical polymerization of methyl alkyl fumarates(MRF) and monomer-isomerization radical polymerization of methyl alkyl maleates(MRM). The polymerization reactivities(yield and viscosity) of MRFs and MRMs were found to increase with increasing of the bulkiness of the ester alkyl substituents, but MRFs showed generally higher reactivities than MRMs. These polymers were also observed to consist of less- or non-flexible rod-like poly(methoxy-carbonylmethylene-alt-alkoxycarbonylmethylene) structure depending on their bulkiness. The MtBF polymer did not melt, which showed somewhat decreased thermal stability.Polymers from 1,2-Disubstituted Ethylenic Monomers. VIII.     

Atom transfer radical coupling of polystyrene and poly(methyl acrylate) synthesized by reverse iodine transfer polymerization

Iodo-terminated polystyrene and poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA-I) were synthesized by reverse iodine transfer polymerization. The resulting polymers were coupled by atom transfer radical coupling using Cu(I)/linear amino-ligand catalysts in the presence of reducing Cu(0). The efficiency of the coupling reaction is discussed as a function of various factors, namely, the Cu(0) particle sizes, the number of nitrogen present in the ligand structure, the type of halogen associated with Cu(I) (CuX, X = I, Br, Cl), the nature of the polymer and the nature of the chain ends. In particular, a quantitative coupling (100%) was obtained with a CuBr/HMTETA system in the presence of nanosized Cu(0) for PMA-I, thus opening for the first time a facile route to telechelic and multiblock poly(acrylate)-based structures.     

Rapid living free‐radical polymerization of methyl acrylate under 60Co γ‐ray irradiation at room temperature

Rapid living free‐radical polymerization of methyl acrylate under ⁶⁰Co γ‐ray irradiation in the presence of benzyl 1H‐imidazole‐1‐carbodithioate at room temperature is reported. The results showed that the polymerization is a fast living process, and that the molecular weight of the polymer is as high as 39 600 g mol^?1 at 68 % conversion with M_w/M_n = 1.09 within 68 min. The polymerization rate was markedly influenced by the structures of thiocarbonylthio compounds. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Solubility of high molecular weight,sterically hindered amines in polypropylene

The dissolution of four sterically hindered amines with molecular weights from 1364 to 2758 was studied in polypropylene in the interval, 60–130°C. The solubility of the additives at 100°C passes through a maximum during time and the maximum solubility increases with increasing additive molecular weight. The rearrangement of the polymer structure during additives dissolution is discussed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 75: 883–889, 2000     

Tacticity control by conformational isomerization in free radical polymerization of acrylate

Contribution of conformational isomerization to polymer tacticity has been studied in free radical polymerization of (−)-menthyl 2-acetamidoacrylate with azo initiators. It has been demonstrated that the chain end of the growing polymer radical, which is generated from the s-trans and s-cis conformers of monomer, produces stereoselectively new R and S configurational quaternary carbons, respectively, for the attack of monomer. In addition, polymerization reactivity of both conformers is indistinguishable under the present conditions, and the polymerization is considered to proceed through a chain-end controlled mechanism, which excludes a penultimate unit effect on tacticity in the polymerization. The results obtained would give a clue to understand an origin of tacticity in conventional free radical polymerization of acrylates.     

Quantification of spontaneous initiation in radical polymerization of styrene in aqueous miniemulsion at high temperature

The spontaneous (thermal) initiation rate (R_i,th; no added initiator) in radical polymerization of styrene in aqueous miniemulsion at 110 and 125 °C with sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate or poly(vinyl alcohol) as surfactants (colloidal stabilizers) has been estimated using a novel approach based on the total number of chains. In qualitative agreement with previous work at lower temperatures, R_i,th was found to be 3.1-15.1 times greater than that in bulk. According to the activation energy and conversion dependence of R_i,th, the radical generation mechanism differs from that in bulk. The experimental evidence is consistent with the enhanced R_i,th in miniemulsion being related to the oil-water interface, with radical generation in the aqueous phase playing a negligible role. The implications with regards to nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization in aqueous dispersed systems are discussed.     

Microwave polymerization of poly(methyl acrylate): Conversion studies at variable power

Methyl acrylate (MA) was polymerized by microwave radiation at three different powers, namely, 200, 300, and 500 W. The percentage conversion of the reaction was followed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The specimen temperature during the polymerization process was measured to select a suitable temperature for comparison with the conventional method. The results indicate that a similar comparable temperature of about 52° was found for all the microwave power settings tested. The microwave polymerization process was compared with that of the thermal method at 52(±1)° under comparable reaction conditions. The reaction rate enhancement of the microwave polymerization compared to the thermal method was found to be as follows: 275% for the 500 W, 220% for the 300 W, and 138% for the 200 W, indicating a significant correlation between the reaction rate enhancement and the level of microwave power used.     

Quickly self-healing hydrogel at room temperature with high conductivity synthesized through simple free radical polymerization

The use of conductive self-healing hydrogels in electronic devices not only reduces replacement and maintenance costs but also prolongs their lifetime. Therefore, developing hydrogels with autonomous self-healing properties and electronic conductivity is vital for the advancement of emerging fields, such as conductors, semiconductors, sensors, artificial skin, and electrodes and solar cells. However, it remains a challenge to fabricate a hydrogel with high conductivity that can be healed quickly at room temperature without any external stimulus. In this work, we report an effective and simple free radical polymerization approach to synthesizing a hydrogel using modified rGO and acrylate monomers containing abundant ion groups. The hydrogel exhibits excellent electronic conductivity, extremely fast electronic self-healing ability, and excellent repeatable restoration performance at 25 °C. The conductivity of the hydrogel reaches 27.2 S/m, the hydrogel recovers its original shape, and scoring scratched on the surface totally disappears after holding at 25 °C for 40 s. This conductive, room-temperature self-healing hydrogel takes unique advantage of supramolecular chemistry and polymer nanoscience and has potential applications in various fields such as self-healing electronics, artificial skin, soft robotics, biomimetic prostheses, and energy storage. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47379.     

High‐temperature solution polymerization of butyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate: Reactivity ratio estimation

Solution copolymerizations of butyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate in toluene were performed over an expanded temperature range (60–140°C) compared to more typical ranges that do not exceed 80°C. From a large amount of data collected independently at two laboratories, reactivity ratios were estimated at five different temperatures. The reactivity ratios were estimated from low conversion copolymer composition data using both the error‐in‐variables model method and a nonlinear parameter estimation based on the integrated copolymer composition equation. Using all of the available data, temperature‐dependent expressions were developed for the reactivity ratios and compared to previously published bulk copolymerization values. No significant differences appeared to exist between the bulk and solution polymerization reactivity ratios. Furthermore, the copolymer composition data conformed to the Mayo‐Lewis kinetic model over the entire temperature range. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 602–609, 2000     

Controlling properties of acrylate/epoxy interpenetrating polymer networks by premature termination of radical polymerization of acrylate

An approach is presented to control properties of sequentially synthesized acrylate/epoxy interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) and is used to print uniform and graded properties. These IPNs are constructed by partial formation of the acrylate network, removal of the excess components, expansion with the epoxy system, and curing. The partial crosslinking of the initial network is controlled by photo polymerization and used to manipulate the final properties. The process is used to print homogeneous and graded IPNs with properties in the range of 10 to 1000 MPa. The curing of acrylate, the control mechanism, is studied by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) during curing on a temperature and environment controlled attenuated total reflection system. Fast scanning calorimetry is used to study network formation, nanoindentation is used to characterize local change of modulus, and uniaxial tensile testing is used to characterize stress response of the printed systems. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:1729–1738 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers     

用聚合转化法合成聚异丁烯-聚丙烯酸叔丁酯嵌段聚合物

使用BCl3/CH2Cl2/DTBP/IB反应体系实现了异丁烯的正离子聚合,得到末端为硼氧烷基的聚异丁烯,其与苯基溴化镁发生金属转移反应,生成末端为二苯基硼烷的聚异丁烯,其在常温下与氧气发生氧化反应,生成碳氧自由基,从而引发丙烯酸叔丁酯的自由基聚合,得到异丁烯和丙烯酸叔丁酯的嵌段聚合物.