Diene polymers Polybutadiene, Polyisoprene

Diene polymers refer to polymers synthesized from monomers that contain two carbon-carbon double bonds (i.e., diene monomers). Butadiene and isoprene are typical diene monomers (see Scheme 19.1). Butadiene monomers can link to each other in three ways to produce ds-1,4-polybutadiene, trans-l,4-polybutadi-ene and 1,2-polybutadiene, while isoprene monomers can link to each other in four ways. These dienes are the fundamental monomers which are used to synthesize most synthetic rubbers. Typical diene polymers include polyisoprene, polybutadiene and polychloroprene. Diene-based polymers usually refer to diene polymers as well as to those copolymers of which at least one monomer is a diene. They include various copolymers of diene monomers with other monomers, such as poly(butadiene-styrene) and nitrile butadiene rubbers. Except for natural polyisoprene, which is derived from the sap of the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, all other diene-based polymers are prepared synthetically by polymerization methods. 

There are only minimal chemical shift differences between cis and rrans isomers in the H NMR spectra of polymers like polybutadiene and polyisoprene, so this tool is less useful in characterizing structural isomers in diene polymers. 

Orientations in elongated mbbers are sometimes regular to the extent that there is local crystallization of individual chain segments (e.g., in natural rubber). X-ray diffraction patterns of such samples are very similar to those obtained from stretched fibers. The following synthetic polymers are of technical relevance as mbbers poly(acrylic ester)s, polybutadienes, polyisoprenes, polychloroprenes, butadiene/styrene copolymers, styrene/butadiene/styrene tri-block-copolymers (also hydrogenated), butadiene/acrylonitrile copolymers (also hydrogenated), ethylene/propylene co- and terpolymers (with non-conjugated dienes (e.g., ethylidene norbomene)), ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers, ethyl-ene/methacrylic acid copolymers (ionomers), polyisobutylene (and copolymers with isoprene), chlorinated polyethylenes, chlorosulfonated polyethylenes, polyurethanes, silicones, poly(fluoro alkylene)s, poly(alkylene sulfide)s. 

The thermal degradation of diene polymers was the subject of several studies [456, 457]. The scheme for polyisoprene and polybutadiene degradation was postulated in part by Golub and Garguila [458, 460]. It is based on infra-red spectra and NMR studies of the products ... 

As in the case of many other reactions involving diene polymers the 1,4-polyisoprenes are more reactive than the 1,4-polybutadienes to the process of cyclization—a consequence of the methyl group enhancing the double bond activity. 

Early work on the microstmcture of the diene polymers has been reviewed. While polymerizations of a large number of 2-substituted and 2,3-disubstituted dienes have been reported, little is known about the microstructure of diene polymers other than polybutadiene polyisoprene, ... 

Between the 1920s when the initial commercial development of mbbery elastomers based on 1,3-dienes began (5—7), and 1955 when transition metal catalysts were fkst used to prepare synthetic polyisoprene, researchers in the U.S. and Europe developed emulsion polybutadiene and styrene—butadiene copolymers as substitutes for natural mbber. However, the tire properties of these polymers were inferior to natural mbber compounds. In seeking to improve the synthetic material properties, research was conducted in many laboratories worldwide, especially in the U.S. under the Rubber Reserve Program. 

Other polymers used in the PSA industry include synthetic polyisoprenes and polybutadienes, styrene-butadiene rubbers, butadiene-acrylonitrile rubbers, polychloroprenes, and some polyisobutylenes. With the exception of pure polyisobutylenes, these polymer backbones retain some unsaturation, which makes them susceptible to oxidation and UV degradation. The rubbers require compounding with tackifiers and, if desired, plasticizers or oils to make them tacky. To improve performance and to make them more processible, diene-based polymers are typically compounded with additional stabilizers, chemical crosslinkers, and solvents for coating. Emulsion polymerized styrene butadiene rubbers (SBRs) are a common basis for PSA formulation [121]. The tackified SBR PSAs show improved cohesive strength as the Mooney viscosity and percent bound styrene in the rubber increases. The peel performance typically is best with 24—40% bound styrene in the rubber. To increase adhesion to polar surfaces, carboxylated SBRs have been used for PSA formulation. Blends of SBR and natural rubber are commonly used to improve long-term stability of the adhesives. 

In alkyllithium initiated, solution polymerization of dienes, some polymerization conditions affect the configurations more than others. In general, the stereochemistry of polybutadiene and polyisoprene respond to the same variables Thus, solvent has a profound influence on the stereochemistry of polydienes when initiated with alkyllithium. Polymerization of isoprene in nonpolar solvents results largely in cis-unsaturation (70-90 percent) whereas in the case of butadiene, the polymer exhibits about equal amounts of cis- and trans-unsaturation. Aromatic solvents such as toluene tend to increase the 1,2 or 3,4 linkages. Polymers prepared in the presence of active polar compounds such as ethers, tertiary amines or sulfides show increased 1,2 (or 3,4 in the case of isoprene) and trans unsaturation.4. 1P U It appears that the solvent influences the ionic character of the propagating ion pair which in turn determines the stereochemistry. 

The termination reactions appear to be quantitative and specific for the reaction of saturated polymer molecules attached to aluminium and titanium [116], but applied to diene polymerizations the method is less satisfactory mainly because of the greater stability of allylic carbon-transition metal bonds. Polybutadiene has been labelled by terminating with tritiated methanol with the Cr(acac)3/AlEt3 catalyst [55], and similarly polyisoprene prepared with VCl3/AlEt3 [107]. Polybutadiene prepared with Til4/Al(i-Bu)3 has been labelled using C02 [115]. 

The catalysis of the stereospecific polymerization of conjugated dienes is of considerable interest from both the scientific and the industrial points of view [1,2]. From butadiene and isoprene, as the industrially most important 1,3-dienes, in comparison with the polymerization of olefins many more structurally different stereoregular polymers can be derived cf the structures of the stereoregular polybutadienes and polyisoprenes given in Scheme 1 [106]. 

All spectra were obtained with the Varian HR-300 NMR Spectrometer, using H in normal mode, with occasional use of Fourier transform for very high molecular weight samples. Hexachlorobuta-diene was used as solvent, with 1%> hexamethyldisiloxane as reference. The temperatures used were 110 C. for polyisoprene and 125 C. for polybutadiene. The polymer samples were prepared with sec-butyllithium as initiator, using the high vacuum techniques described elsewhere (13). 

Problem 2.9 Polymers of dienes (hydrocarbons containing two carbon-carbon double bonds), such as butadiene and isoprene, have the potential for head-to-tail and head-to-head isomerism and variations in double-bond position as well. How many constitutional isomers can form in the polymerization of (a) polybutadiene and (b) polyisoprene ... 

Polymer of high molecular weight are in the main incompatible, but it is often advantageous to compound two polymers in order to obtain a combination of new physical properties which either polymer alone cannot have. For example, EPDM rubber is incompatible with diene rubbers such as polyisoprene, polybutadiene,... 

The choice of date range is arbitrary. The number of journal articles for each year was obtained from a search of electronic version of English-based polymer and polymer-related journals using the keywords polyolefin and blends. Within polyolefin keyword, the subkeywords used in the search were polyethylene (PE, LLDPE, LDPE, HDPE, UHMWPE, PE, etc.), polypropylene (PP, iPP, sPP, aPP, etc.), polybutene-1, poly-4-methylpentene-l, ethylene-diene monomer, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer, ethylene propylene rubber, thermoplastic olefins, natural rubber (NR), polybutadiene, polyisobutylene (PIB), polyisoprene, and polyolefin elastomer. For the polyolefin blends patent search, polymer indexing codes and manual codes were used to search for the patents in Derwent World Patent Index based on the above keywords listed in the search strategy. 

To synthesize polyethylene a double carbon bond in the starting material ethylene (CH2=CH2) breaks to allow attachment to other ethylene molecules resulting in a high molecular weight material or macromolecule. Other polymers which are formed by a similar process include polystyrene (repeat unit or monomer is styrene), polypropylene (monomer propene), poly (methyl methacrylate) where the monomer is methyl methacryalate, 1,4-polybutadiene (monomer is buta-1,3-diene) and 1,4-polyisoprene (monomer is isoprene) which has the same formula as natural rubber. Detaik of how polymers are prepared and processed are presented in Chapter 3. 

It is proposed that this is due to attack of carbonyl oxides, in their biradical form, on the rubber double bonds. Typical diene rubbers (polyisoprene and polybutadiene) have rate constants several orders of magnitude greater than polymers having a saturated backbone (polyolefins). Other unsaturated elastomers having high reaction rates with ozone include styrene-butadiene (SBR) and acrylonitrile-butadiene (NBR) rubbers. As an example, Polychloroprene (CR) is less reactive than other diene rubbers, and it is therefore inherently more resistant to attack by ozone. 

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