Cationic vinyl ether

There seems little doubt that in radiation induced polymerizations the reactive entity is a free cation (vinyl ethers are not susceptible to free radical or anionic polymerization). The dielectric constant of bulk isobutyl vinyl ether is low (<4) and very little solvation of cations is likely. Under these circumstances, therefore, the charge density of the active centre is likely to be a maximum and hence, also, the bimolecular rate coefficient for reaction with monomer. These data can, therefore, be regarded as a measure of the reactivity of a non-solvated or naked free ion and bear out the high reactivity predicted some years ago [110, 111]. The experimental results from initiation by stable carbonium ion salts are approximately one order of magnitude lower than those from 7-ray studies, but nevertheless still represent extremely high reactivity. In the latter work the dielectric constant of the solvent is much higher (CHjClj, e 10, 0°C) and considerable solvation of the active centre must be anticipated. As a result the charge density of the free cation will be reduced, and hence the lower value of fep represents the reactivity of a solvated free ion rather than a naked one. Confirmation of the apparent free ion nature of these polymerizations is afforded by the data on the ion pair dissociation constant,, of the salts used for initiation, and, more importantly, the invariance, within experimental error, of ftp with the counter-ion used (SbCl or BF4). Overall effects of solvent polarity will be considered shortly in more detail. 

Besides an epoxide system, vinyl ether systems also exist. The cationic vinyl ether polymerization is among the fastest polymerizations known in the UV curing industry, especially since termination is almost absent. 

When using a cation source in conjunction with a Friedel-Crafts acid the concentration of growing centers is most often difficult to measure and remains unknown. By the use of stable carbocation salts (for instance trityl and tropyhum hexachloroantimonate) the uncertainty of the concentration of initiating cations is eliminated. Due to the highly reproducible rates, stable carbocation salts have been used in kinetic studies. Their use, however, is limited to cationicaHy fairly reactive monomers (eg, A/-vinylcarbazole, -methoxystyrene, alkyl vinyl ethers) since they are too stable and therefore ineffective initiators of less reactive monomers, such as isobutylene, styrene, and dienes. 

A second type of uv curing chemistry is used, employing cationic curing as opposed to free-radical polymerization. This technology uses vinyl ethers and epoxy resins for the oligomers, reactive resins, and monomers. The initiators form Lewis acids upon absorption of the uv energy and the acid causes cationic polymerization. Although this chemistry has improved adhesion and flexibility and offers lower viscosity compared to the typical acrylate system, the cationic chemistry is very sensitive to humidity conditions and amine contamination. Both chemistries are used commercially. 

Cationic Polymerization. For decades cationic polymerization has been used commercially to polymerize isobutylene and alkyl vinyl ethers, which do not respond to free-radical or anionic addition (see Elastomers, synthetic-BUTYLRUBBEr). More recently, development has led to the point where living cationic chains can be made, with many of the advantages described above for anionic polymerization (27,28). 

The observation in 1949 (4) that isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) can be polymerized with stereoregularity ushered in the stereochemical study of polymers, eventually leading to the development of stereoregular polypropylene. In fact, vinyl ethers were key monomers in the early polymer Hterature. Eor example, ethyl vinyl ether (EVE) was first polymerized in the presence of iodine in 1878 and the overall polymerization was systematically studied during the 1920s (5). There has been much academic interest in living cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers and in the unusual compatibiUty of poly(MVE) with polystyrene. 

The principal reaction of vinyl ethers to be considered in this article is cationic polymerization. 

Complexation of the initiator and/or modification with cocatalysts or activators affords greater polymerization activity (11). Many of the patented processes for commercially available polymers such as poly(MVE) employ BE etherate (12), although vinyl ethers can be polymerized with a variety of acidic compounds, even those unable to initiate other cationic polymerizations of less reactive monomers such as isobutene. Examples are protonic acids (13), Ziegler-Natta catalysts (14), and actinic radiation (15,16). 

Monomer Reactivity. The nature of the side chain R group exerts considerable influence on the reactivity of vinyl ethers toward cationic polymerization. The rate is fastest when the alkyl substituent is branched and electron-donating. Aromatic vinyl ethers are inherently less reactive and susceptible to side reactions. These observations are shown in Table 2. 

VEs do not readily enter into copolymerization by simple cationic polymerization techniques instead, they can be mixed randomly or in blocks with the aid of living polymerization methods. This is on account of the differences in reactivity, resulting in significant rate differentials. Consequendy, reactivity ratios must be taken into account if random copolymers, instead of mixtures of homopolymers, are to be obtained by standard cationic polymeriza tion (50,51). Table 5 illustrates this situation for butyl vinyl ether (BVE) copolymerized with other VEs. The rate constants of polymerization (kp) can differ by one or two orders of magnitude, resulting in homopolymerization of each monomer or incorporation of the faster monomer, followed by the slower (assuming no chain transfer). 

Vinyl ethers can also be formulated with acryHc and unsaturated polyesters containing maleate or fumarate functionaHty. Because of their abiHty to form alternating copolymers by a free-radical polymeri2ation mechanism, such formulations can be cured using free-radical photoinitiators. With acryHc monomers and oligomers, a hybrid approach has been taken using both simultaneous cationic and free-radical initiation. A summary of these approaches can be found in Table 9. 

A series of graft polymers on polychloroprene were made with isobutjiene, /-butyl vinyl ether, and a-methylstyrene by cationic polymerization in solution. The efficiency of the grafting reaction was improved by use of a proton trap, eg, 2,6-di-/-butylpyridine (68). 

Cationic polymerization in hot melts has been applied to epoxidized polymers [38,39]. No hot melts based on vinyl ether or other cation-sensitive functionalized polymers have been described in the literature. With cationic systems, it is important that the other ingredients in the adhesive be of low basicity to avoid scavenging the initiating acid generated by the photoinitiator. 

Several mechanisms for the polymerization of vinyl ether and epoxies have been suggested [20,22,23,25,27,28,33-35]. On irradiation with gamma rays or electrons, pure epoxies polymerize via a cationic mechanism [35]. However, this cationic polymerization is inhibited by just traces of moisture, as shown below for cyclohexene oxide in reaction 5. 

Lapin [33] also suggests the following cationic mechanism for the polymerization of vinyl ethers... 

A long-standing goal in polyolefins is the synthesis of polymers bearing polar functional groups such as acrylate, esters, or vinyl ethers, etc [24,40]. These copolymers might endow polyolefins with useful properties such as adhesiveness, dyeability, paintability, and print-ibility. Advances have recently been made in polymerizing polar monomers with cationic metallocene catalysts... 

A comparison of the cationic polymerization of 2,3-dihydrofurans with that of furan and 2-alkylfurans shows that the complications of the latters two, arising from the dienic character of the monomers, obviously vanish when the monomer is a simple cyclic vinyl ether with just one reactive site, viz. the carbon-carbon double bond. However, it also points out that ring opening in the polymerization of furans by acidic catalysts in the absence of water is unlikely, because otherwise it would also occur to some degree in the polymerization of dihydrofurans. 

It is to be noted that N-vinylcarbazole (NVC) undergoes also living cationic polymerization with hydrogen iodide at —40 °C in toluene or at —78 °C in methylene chloride and that in this case no assistance of iodine as an activator is necessary 10d). NVC forms a more stable carbocation than vinyl ethers, and the living propagation proceeds by insertion between the strongly interacting NVC-cation and the nucleophilic iodide anion. 

A special case of the internal stabilization of a cationic chain end is the intramolecular solvation of the cationic centre. This can proceed with the assistance of suitable substituents at the polymeric backbone which possess donor ability (for instance methoxy groups 109)). This stabilization can lead to an increase in molecular weight and to a decrease in non-uniformity of the products. The two effects named above were obtained during the transition from vinyl ethers U0) to the cis-l,2-dimethoxy ethylene (DME)1U). An intramolecular stabilization is discussed for the case of vinyl ether polymerization by assuming a six-membered cyclic oxonium ion 2) as well as for the case of cationic polymerization of oxygen heterocycles112). Contrary to normal vinyl ethers, DME can form 5- and 7-membe red cyclic intermediates beside 6-membered ringsIl2). 

Thus, the preferred intramolecular stabilization of the cationic chain end by the formation of 5- and 3-membered cycles, which is possible for DME but impossible for vinyl ethers, can explain the characteristics of the cationic polymerization of DME in solvents of low polarity. 

According to part 4.1.4 of this article, an increase in cation stability leads to an increase in cationic polymerizability. The latter order agrees satisfactorily with the well-known fact that vinyl ethers (which have an oxygen atom in the neighboring position... 

Methylpropene can be made to continue the process to yield high polymers—cationic polymerisation—but most simple alkenes will go no further than di- or tri-meric structures. The main alkene monomers used on the large scale are 2-methyIpropene (— butyl rubber ), and vinyl ethers, ROCH=CH2 (— adhesives). Cationic polymerisation is often initiated by Lewis acid catalysts, e.g. BF3, plus a source of initial protons, the co-catalyst, e.g. traces of HzO etc. polymerisation occurs readily at low temperatures and is usually very rapid. Many more alkenes are polymerised by a radical induced pathway, however (p. 320). 

Applying these methodologies monomers such as isobutylene, vinyl ethers, styrene and styrenic derivatives, oxazolines, N-vinyl carbazole, etc. can be efficiently polymerized leading to well-defined structures. Compared to anionic polymerization cationic polymerization requires less demanding experimental conditions and can be applied at room temperature or higher in many cases, and a wide variety of monomers with pendant functional groups can be used. Despite the recent developments in cationic polymerization the method cannot be used with the same success for the synthesis of well-defined complex copolymeric architectures. 

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