Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer Agents

Watanabe et al,25-5 52s applied AMS dimer (116) as a radical trap to examine the reactions of oxygen-centered radicals (e.g. r-butoxy, cumyloxy, benzoyloxy). AMS dimer (116) is an addition fragmentation chain transfer agent (see 6.2.3.4) and reacts as shown in Scheme 3,96. The reaction products are macromonomers and may potentially react further. The reactivity of oxygen centered radicals towards 116 appears to be similar to that of S.2 1 Cumyl radicals are formed as a byproduct of trapping and are said to decay mainly by combination and disproportionation. 

Peroxyacetals 58106 and peresters such as 61107 are also effective transfer agents, however, at typical polymerization temperatures ( 60 CC) they are thermally unstable and also act as initiators. Compounds such as 62 which may give addition and 1,5-intramolecular substitution with fragmentation have also been examined for their potential as chain transfer agents (l,5-SHi mechanism).108... 

While in most of the reports on SIP free radical polymerization is utihzed, the restricted synthetic possibihties and lack of control of the polymerization in terms of the achievable variation of the polymer brush architecture limited its use. The alternatives for the preparation of weU-defined brush systems were hving ionic polymerizations. Recently, controlled radical polymerization techniques has been developed and almost immediately apphed in SIP to prepare stracturally weU-de-fined brush systems. This includes living radical polymerization using nitroxide species such as 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidin-l-oxyl (TEMPO) [285], reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization mainly utilizing dithio-carbamates as iniferters (iniferter describes a molecule that functions as an initiator, chain transfer agent and terminator during polymerization) [286], as well as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) were the free radical is formed by a reversible reduction-oxidation process of added metal complexes [287]. All techniques rely on the principle to drastically reduce the number of free radicals by the formation of a dormant species in equilibrium to an active free radical. By this the characteristic side reactions of free radicals are effectively suppressed. 

To make further use of the azo-initiator, tethered diblock copolymers were prepared using reversible addition fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Baum and co-workers [51] were able to make PS diblock copolymer brushes with either PMMA or poly(dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) from a surface immobihzed azo-initiator in the presence of 2-phenylprop-2-yl dithiobenzoate as a chain transfer agent (Scheme 3). The properties of the diblock copolymer brushes produced can be seen in Table 1. The addition of a free initiator, 2,2 -azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN), was required in order to obtain a controlled polymerization and resulted in the formation of free polymer chains in solution. 

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization using 2,2 -azobisisobutyronitrile and either A, A-dimethyl-5-thiobenzoylthiopropionamide or A-dimethyl-5-thiobenzoylthioacetamide as chain transfer agents has been used to prepare low polydispersity poly(A, A-dimethylacrylamide). The chain transfer agents were unusually effective in suppressing free radical termination reaction, thereby mimicking a living polymerization reaction. 

The controlled emulsion polymerization of styrene using nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP), reversible addition-fragmentation transfer polymerization (RAFT), stable free radical polymerization (SFR), and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) methods is described. The chain transfer agent associated with each process was phenyl-t-butylnitrone, nitric oxide, dibenzyl trithiocarbonate, 1,1-diphenylethylene, and ethyl 2-bromo-isobutyrate, respectively. Polydispersities between 1.17 and 1.80 were observed. 

Many researchers have attempted to make branched polystyrene in continuous bulk radical polymerization processes. Approaches involving the addition of additives to the polymerization process which lead to branching inside the polymerization reactor always lead to gel problems. Examples include addition of divinylmonomer [4], vinyl peroxides (e.g. I) [5,6], branched peroxides (e.g. II) [7], vinyl-functional chain transfer agents (III) [8], and the use of addition-fragmentation chain transfer agents that lead to the formation of polystyrene macromonomers (Figure 24.3) [9]. 

Scheme 9 Synthesis of a, >-difunctional oligomers through addition-fragmentation processes. CTA chain transfer agent...

Table 8 A, B, and C types of chain transfer agents (CTAs) involved in addition-fragmentation leading to a telechelic structure... 

MAYADUNNE R.T.A., RIZZARDO E., CHIEF ARI J., CHONG Y.K., MOAD G., THANG S.H., Living radical polymerization with reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT polymerization) using dithiocarbamates as chain transfer agent. Macromolecules, (1999), 32 (21), 6977-80. 

The first step for the core-first stars is the synthesis of multifunctional initiators. Since it is difficult to prepare initiators that tolerate the conditions of ionic polymerization, mostly the initiators are designed for controlled radical polymerization. Calixarenes [39, 58-61], sugars (glucose, saccharose, or cyclodextrins) [62-68], and silsesquioxane NPs [28, 69] have been employed as cores for various star polymers. For the growth of the arms, mostly controlled radical polymerizations were used. There are only very rare cases of stars made from nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization (NMRP) [70] or reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) techniques [71,72], In the RAFT technique one has to differentiate between approaches where the chain transfer agent is attached by its R- or Z-function. ATRP is the most frequently used technique to build various star polymers [27, 28],... 

The other CRP process to be disclosed in the 1990 s relies on degenerative transfer of an atom or group and is best exemplified by the reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) process that employs dithioesters as chain-transfer agents which was introduced in 1998. (17-19)... 

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