Cationic chain polymerization molecular weight distribution

Cationic polymerization was considered for many years to be the less appropriate polymerization method for the synthesis of polymers with controlled molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions. This behavior was attributed to the inherent instability of the carbocations, which are susceptible to chain transfer, isomerization, and termination reactions [48— 52], The most frequent procedure is the elimination of the cation s /1-proton, which is acidic due to the vicinal positive charge. However, during the last twenty years novel initiation systems have been developed to promote the living cationic polymerization of a wide variety of monomers. 

The theoretical molecular weight distributions for cationic chain polymerizations are the same as those described in Sec. 3-11 for radical chain polymerizations terminating by reactions in which each propagating chain is converted to one dead polymer molecule, that is, not including the formation of a dead polymer molecule by bimolecular coupling of two propagating chains. Equations 2-86 through 2-89, 2-27, 2-96, and 2-97 withp defined by Eq. 3-185... 

Thus, chain transfer to polymer does not influence the number average DP , it may however alter the molecular weight distribution. If the reversible chain transfer to polymer described in Eq. (78) occurred frequently, it would lead to statistical distribution, i.e., MJM = 2. The other consequence is that if the two originally present chains are different, the repetition of reaction sequence will lead to segmental exchange (so called scrambling ). Both effects are clearly detectable, for example, in the cationic polymerization of cyclic acetals as it will be discussed in Section III.B. 

CRP is a powerful tool for the synthesis of both polymers with narrow molecular weight distribution and of block copolymers. In aqueous systems, besides ATRP, the RAFT method in particular has been used successfully. A mrmber of uncharged, anionic, cationic, and zwitterionic monomers could be polymerized and several amphiphilic block copolymers were prepared from these monomers [150,153]. The success of a RAFT polymerization depends mainly on the chain transfer agent (CTA) involved. A key question is the hydrolytic stability of the terminal thiocarbonyl functionaHty of the growing polymers. Here, remarkable progress could be achieved by the synthesis of several new dithiobenzoates [150-152]. 

The active site in chain-growth polymerizations can be an ion instead of a free-radical. Ionic reactions are much more sensitive than free-radical processes to the effects of solvent, temperature, and adventitious impurities. Successful ionic polymerizations must be carried out much more carefully than normal free-radical syntheses. Consequently, a given polymeric structure will ordinarily not be produced by ionic initiation if a satisfactory product can be made by less expensive free-radical processes. Styrene polymerization can be initiated with free radicals or appropriate anions or cations. Commercial atactic styrene polymers are, however, all almost free-radical products. Particular anionic processes are used to make research-grade polystyrenes with exceptionally narrow molecular weight distributions and the syndiotactic polymer is produced by metallocene catalysis. Cationic polymerization of styrene is not a commercial process. 

Unlike anionic initiators or anionically growing alkoxide chains which can only grow (or terminate), cationic initiators (Lewis, Bronsted acids or preformed initiators) or the cationically growing chain may cause acetal-interchange reactions. These reactions are also called transacetalization and cause rearrangement in the molecular weight distribution in homopolymers. The rates of transacetalization are relatively slow compared to that of polymerization except at high temperatures. In the presence of cyclic ethers or cyclic formals, for example, dioxolane, polyformaldehyde can incorporate randomly the co-monomer polyoxyethylene units into the polymer under transacetalization conditions. 

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