Block copolymers, polymeric surfactants

Most reports on emulsion polymerisation have been limited to commercially available surfactants which, in many cases, are relatively simple molecules such as sodium dodecyl sulphate and simple nonionic surfactants. However, studies on the effects of surfactant structure on latex formation have revealed the importance of the structure of the molecule. Block and graft copolymers (polymeric surfactants) are expected to be better stabilisers when compared to simple surfactants. The use of these polymeric surfactants in emulsion polymerisation and the stabilisation of the resulting polymer particles is discussed below. 

Urban D, Gerst M, Rossmanith P, Schuch H. Amphiphilic block copolymers as surfactants in emulsion polymerization. Polym Mat Sci Eng 1998 79 440-441. 

Polymer micelles in aqueous medium are typically obtained with hydrophobic-hydrophiKc, so-called amphiphilic, block and graft copolymers. Analogous to conventional low-molecular surfactants, and in a selective solvent of one of the blocks, such polymeric surfactants self-assemble into nanoparticles with well-defined sizes and structures. 

Transfer constants of the macromonomers arc typically low (-0.5, Section 6.2.3.4) and it is necessary to use starved feed conditions to achieve low dispersities and to make block copolymers. Best results have been achieved using emulsion polymerization380 395 where rates of termination are lowered by compartmentalization effects. A one-pot process where macromonomers were made by catalytic chain transfer was developed.380" 95 Molecular weights up to 28000 that increase linearly with conversion as predicted by eq. 16, dispersities that decrease with conversion down to MJM< 1.3 and block purities >90% can be achieved.311 1 395 Surfactant-frcc emulsion polymerizations were made possible by use of a MAA macromonomer as the initial RAFT agent to create self-stabilizing lattices . 

Block copolymers containing polysiloxane segments are of great interest as polymeric surfactants and elastomers. Polycondensation and polyaddition reactions of functionally ended prepolymers are usually employed to prepare well-defined block copolymers. The living polystyrene anion reacts with a,co-dichloropoly(dimethyl-siloxane) to form multiblock copolymers398. ... 

Usually polymeric substances of appropriate chemical structure and morphology which promote the miscibility of incompatible materials. Block copolymers are especially useful surfactants at the polymer/polymer interface because the two blocks can be made up from molecules of the individual polymers to be mixed. Typical compatibilisers in polymer blends are LDPE-g-PS in PE/PS CPE in PE/PVC acrylic- -PE, -PP, -EPDM in polyolefin/PA and maleic-g-PE, -PP, -EPDM, -SEBS in polyolefin/polyesters. 

Surfactants used as lubricants are added to polymer resins to improve the flow characteristics of the plastic during processing they also stabilise the cells of polyurethane foams during the foaming process. Surfactants are either nonionic (e.g. fatty amides and alcohols), cationic, anionic (dominating class e.g. alkylbenzene sulfonates), zwitterionic, hetero-element or polymeric (e.g. EO-PO block copolymers). Fluorinated anionic surfactants or super surfactants enable a variety of surfaces normally regarded as difficult to wet. These include PE and PP any product required to wet the surface of these polymers will benefit from inclusion of fluorosurfactants. Surfactants are frequently multicomponent formulations, based on petro- or oleochemicals. 

Fig. 8 Preparation of biodegradable microspheres entrapping proteins using amphiphilic PDP-b-PLA block copolymers as biodegradable polymeric surfactants, and SEM images of their cross-sections. Reprinted from [182] with permission...

De Simone et al. synthesized poly(fluoroalkyl acrylate)-based block copolymers for use as lipophilic/C02-philic surfactants for carbon dioxide applications [181]. The particle diameter and distribution of sizes during dispersion polymerization in supercritical carbon dioxide were shown to be dependent on the nature of the stabilizing block copolymer [182]. 

To keep the precipitating polymers in the dispersed state throughout the polymerization, requires steric stabilizers. This problem is classically tackled via copolymerization with fluoroalkylmethacrylates or the addition of fluorinated surfactants, both being only weak steric stabilizers. DeSimone el al. also applied a fluorinated block copolymer,9 proving the superb stabilization efficiency of such systems via a rather small particle size. One goal of the present chapter is therefore an investigation of our fluorinated block copolymers as steric stabilizers in low-cohesion-energy solvents. 

Fig. 10 Aggregation numbers 2 as function of degree of polymerization of insoluble block for uncharged block copolymers. Open symbols different diblock-, triblock-, graft-, and star polymers. Filled symbols low-MW surfactants. Reprinted with permission from [211]. Copyright (2002) Wiley...

Huan, K. Bes, L. Haddleton, D. M. Khoshdel, E. Surfactant Properties of Poly(dimethylsiloxane)-Gontaining Block Copolymers from Living Radical Polymerization. In Synthesis and Properties of Silicones and Silicone-Modified Materials Clarson, S. J., Fitzgerald, J. J., Owen, M. J., Smith, S. D., Van Dyke, M. E., Eds. ACS Symposium Series 838 American Chemical Society Washington, DC, 2003 pp 260-272. 

Uses Copolymerized with methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride, or 1,1-dichloroethylene to produce acrylic and modacrylic fibers and high-strength fibers ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) and acrylonitrile-styrene copolymers nitrile rubber cyano-ethylation of cotton synthetic soil block (acrylonitrile polymerized in wood pulp) manufacture of adhesives organic synthesis grain fumigant pesticide monomer for a semi-conductive polymer that can be used similar to inorganic oxide catalysts in dehydrogenation of tert-butyl alcohol to isobutylene and water pharmaceuticals antioxidants dyes and surfactants. 

Although block copolymers do not occur naturally, synthetic block copolymers have been prepared by all known classical polymerization techniques. The first commercial block copolymer was a surfactant (Pluronics) prepared by the addition of propylene oxide to polycarbanions of ethylene oxide. While neither water-soluble PEO nor water-insoluble poly(propylene oxide) exhibits surface activity, the ABA block copolymer consisting of hydrophilic and lyophilic segments, is an excellent surfactant. Each block has 20 plus repeat units of that variety. 

Poly(alkylene oxide)-based (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock and diblock copolymers are commercially successful, linear non-ionic surfactants which are manufactured by BASF and ICI. Over the last four decades, these block copolymers have been used as stabilisers, emulsifiers and dispersants in a wide range of applications. With the development of ATRP, it is now possible to synthesise semi-branched analogues of these polymeric surfactants. In this approach, the hydro-phobic PPO block remains linear and the terminal hydroxyl group(s) are esteri-fied using an excess of 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide to produce either a monofunctional or a bifunctional macro-initiator. These macro-initiators are then used to polymerise OEGMA, which acts as the branched analogue of the PEO block (see Figures 2 and 3). 

More than two surfactants can be put together to form tri,- tetra- or polymeric surfactants. Trimeric or even tetrameric surfactants show properties often superior to monomeric surfactants. Besides, they are intermediate between conventional surfactants and polymeric surfactants. In a normal polymeric surfactant each monomer unit is amphiphilic. Another type of polymeric surfactant, called block copolymer [522], consists of at least two parts. One part is made of monomer type A, the other part is made of monomer B. If A is polar and B nonpolar, the blockcopolymer will be strongly surface active and show many properties of a conventional surfactant. If there are two different blocks we talk about a diblock copolymer. In the following part of this chapter we concentrate on conventional surfactants. 

Most dispersion polymerizations in C02, including the monomers methyl methacrylate, styrene, and vinyl acetate, have been summarized elsewhere (Canelas and DeSimone, 1997b Kendall et al., 1999) and will not be covered in this chapter. In a dispersion polymerization, the insoluble polymer is sterically stabilized as colloidal polymer particles by the surfactant that is adsorbed or chemically grafted to the particles. Effective surfactants in the dispersion polymerizations include C02-soluble homopolymers, block and random copolymers, and reactive macromonomers. Polymeric surfactants for C02 have been designed by combining C02-soluble (C02-philic) polymers, such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) or PFOA, with C02-insoluble (C02-phobic) polymers, such as hydrophilic or lipophilic polymers (Betts et al., 1996, 1998 Guan and DeSimone, 1994). Several advances in C02-based dispersion polymerizations will be reviewed in the following section. 

It was previously reported that the homopolymer surfactant PFOA successfully stabilized poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) dispersion polymerizations (DeSimone et al., 1994 Hsiao et ah, 1995), but was not successful for styrene dispersion polymerizations (Canelas et al., 1996). In these styrene polymerizations, the C02 pressure used was 204 bar. However, later studies showed that both PFOA and poly(l,l-dihydroper-fluorooctyl methacrylate) (PFOMA) could stabilize polystyrene (PS) particles (Shiho and DeSimone, 1999) when a higher pressure was used. These polymerizations were conducted at 370 bar, 65 °C, and the particle size could be varied from 3 to 10 pm by varying the concentration of stabilizer. These homopolymer surfactants are less expensive and easier to synthesize than block copolymer surfactants and provide access to a large range of particle sizes. 

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