Cyclic block copolymers

An alternate way to make block copolymers involving PDMS blocks 124,125) is to have these chains fitted with epoxide functions at chain end, and to react them with a vinylic or dienic polymer carrying terminal COOH functions. Sequential addition of monomers has also been used, the ring opening polymerization of the cyclic trimer (D3) being initiated by the anionic site of a living polymer126). 

The purpose of this review is to show how anionic polymerization techniques have successfully contributed to the synthesis of a great variety of tailor-made polymer species Homopolymers of controlled molecular weight, co-functional polymers including macromonomers, cyclic macromolecules, star-shaped polymers and model networks, block copolymers and graft copolymers. 

ROMP is without doubt the most important incarnation of olefin metathesis in polymer chemistry [98]. Preconditions enabling this process involve a strained cyclic olefinic monomer and a suitable initiator. The driving force in ROMP is the release of ring strain, rendering the last step in the catalytic cycle irreversible (Scheme 3.6). The synthesis of well-defined polymers of complex architectures such as multi-functionaUsed block-copolymers is enabled by living polymerisation, one of the main benefits of ROMP [92, 98]. 

The initiation of the cyclic siloxane monomers with a living polymeric lithium species such as polystyryl lithium leads to block copolymers, as outlined in Scheme 2, were also of interest. These styrenic-siloxane block copolymers were prepared with siloxane contents from 10 to 50 weight percent. 

The paper is organized in the following way In Section 2, the principles of quasi-elastic neutron scattering are introduced, and the method of NSE is shortly outlined. Section 3 deals with the polymer dynamics in dense environments, addressing in particular the influence and origin of entanglements. In Section 4, polymer networks are treated. Section 5 reports on the dynamics of linear homo- and block copolymers, of cyclic and star-shaped polymers in dilute and semi-dilute solutions, respectively. Finally, Section 6 summarizes the conclusions and gives an outlook. 

Abstract This review highlights recent (2000-2004) advances and developments regarding the synthesis of block copolymers with both linear [AB diblocks, ABA and ABC triblocks, ABCD tetrablocks, (AB)n multiblocks etc.] and non-linear structures (star-block, graft, miktoarm star, H-shaped, dendrimer-like and cyclic copolymers). Attention is given only to those synthetic methodologies which lead to well-defined and well-characterized macromolecules. 

Abstract This chapter gives an overview of the research on the self-assembly of amorphous block copolymers at different levels of hierarchy. Besides the influence of composition and topology on the morphologies of block copolymers with linear, cyclic and branched topologies blends of block copolymers with low molecular weight components, other polymers or block copolymers and nanoparticles will also be presented. 

Table 3 Comparison of the majority component s volume fraction,/, and the cyclic to linear spacing ratio, p, for different linear and cyclic block copolymers... 

The results for different domain spacings are summarized in Table 3. It is obvious that cyclic block copolymers exhibit smaller domain spacings compared to their linear analogues, which is due to an entropically less favourable situation and an increased interfacial curvature. 

The lanthanocene systems have been extended to cover a range of monomers including LA,890 cyclic carbonates891 and even MMA.454 Block copolymers of MMA and lactones, with Mw/Mn = 1.11-1.23, may be prepared but only if the vinyl monomer is polymerized first. The... 

The synthesis of block copolymers of polysaccharides and aliphatic polyesters has also been tried. But, many successful results were not reported because the reactivity of many hydroxyl groups on polysaccharides was an obstacle to the ROP of cyclic polyester or coupling reactions using terminal-activated polysaccharides. Li and Zhang reported the synthesis of maltoheptaose-b-PCL copolymers by ROP... 

Some particularities of the extraction of ions from an aqueous organic phase, and of the phase catalyzed polyetherification will be summarized. These will represent the fundamentals of our work on the synthesis of some novel classes of functional polymers and sequential copolymers. Examples will be provided for the synthesis of functional polymers containing only cyclic imino ethers or both cyclic imino ethers as well as their own cationic initiator attached to the same polymer backbone ABA triblock copolymers and (AB)n alternating block copolymers and a novel class of main chain thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers containing functional chain ends, i.e., polyethers. 

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