Grafting anionic polymerization

The anionic polymerization of methacrylates using a silyl ketene acetal initiator has been termed group-transfer polymerization (GTP). First reported by Du Pont researchers in 1983 (100), group-transfer polymerization allows the control of methacrylate molecular stmcture typical of living polymers, but can be conveniendy mn at room temperature and above. The use of GTP to prepare block polymers, comb-graft polymers, loop polymers, star polymers, and functional polymers has been reported (100,101). 

Bamford, Eastmond and coworkers have employed metal complexpolymeric halide redox systems to initiate block and graft copolymerization. The polymeric halides can be synthesized by a variety of techniques, including radical polymerization,281 anionic polymerization (Scheme 7.28),"so... 

Anionic polymerization of pivalolactone with the polystyrene anion produced only homopolymer mixtures, but the polystyrene carboxylate anion was able to give a block copolymer336. The block efficiency depends on catalyst ratio and conversion because the initiation step is slow compared with propagation337. Tough and elastic films were obtained by graft copolymerization or block copolymerization of pivalolactone onto elastomers containing tetrabutylammonium carboxylate groups338,339. ... 

Anionic polymerization techniques can also be applied to the synthesis of graft copolymers 6 7 87 1U). Kennedy s classification 134) is used here as shown in Scheme 5. 

The purpose of this review is to show how anionic polymerization techniques have successfully contributed to the synthesis of a great variety of tailor-made polymer species Homopolymers of controlled molecular weight, co-functional polymers including macromonomers, cyclic macromolecules, star-shaped polymers and model networks, block copolymers and graft copolymers. 

A radical initiator based on the oxidation adduct of an alkyl-9-BBN (47) has been utilized to produce poly(methylmethacrylate) (48) (Fig. 31) from methylmethacrylate monomer by a living anionic polymerization route that does not require the mediation of a metal catalyst. The relatively broad molecular weight distribution (PDI = (MJM ) 2.5) compared with those in living anionic polymerization cases was attributed to the slow initiation of the polymerization.69 A similar radical polymerization route aided by 47 was utilized in the synthesis of functionalized syndiotactic polystyrene (PS) polymers by the copolymerization of styrene.70 The borane groups in the functionalized syndiotactic polystyrenes were transformed into free-radical initiators for the in situ free-radical graft polymerization to prepare s-PS-g-PMMA graft copolymers. 

A combination of TEMPO living free radical (LFRP) and anionic polymerization was used for the synthesis of block-graft, block-brush, and graft-block-graft copolymers of styrene and isoprene [201]. The block-graft copolymers were synthesized by preparing a PS-fo-poly(styrene-co-p-chloromethylstyrene) by LFRP [Scheme 110 (1)], and the subsequent re-... 

Scheme 27 End-graft polysilanes via anionic polymerization of masked disilene.

Gauthier and M oiler [4] described in 1991 the use of anionic polymerization and grafting techniques to prepare poly(styrenes) with a dendritic structure. Styrene is well suited to be incorporated into a synthetic scheme aimed at producing... 

The synthesis and characterization of a series of dendrigraft polymers based on polybutadiene segments was reported by Hempenius et al. [15], The synthesis begins with a linear-poly(butadiene) (PB) core obtained by the sec-butyllithium-initiated anionic polymerization of 1,3-butadiene in n-hexane, to give a microstructure containing approximately 6% 1,2-units (Scheme 3). The pendant vinyl moities are converted into electrophilic grafting sites by hydrosilylation with... 

During the last 5 years, there have been several reports of multiblock copolymer brushes by the grafting-from method. The most common substrates are gold and silicon oxide layers but there have been reports of diblock brush formation on clay surfaces [37] and silicon-hydride surfaces [38]. Most of the newer reports have utilized ATRP [34,38-43] but there have been a couple of reports that utilized anionic polymerization [44, 45]. Zhao and co-workers [21,22] have used a combination of ATRP and nitroxide-mediated polymerization to prepare mixed poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)Zpolystyrene (PS) brushes from a difunctional initiator. These Y-shaped brushes could be considered block copolymers that are surface immobilized at the block junction. 

Among the two ionic polymerization techniques mentioned above, a living anionic polymerization should show the best possible control of polymer architecture and composition. Mono dispersed homopolymers, complex-block, graft, star, and miktoarm architectures have been accessible primarily by anionic polymerization methods [22]. They have been used to grow polymer brushes from various small particles such as silica gels graphite,carbon black, and flat surfaces [23-26]. Recent results have been reported on living anionic polymerizations on clay [27] and silica nanoparticles [28,29]. 

The anionic graft polymerization of vinyl monomers onto carbon fiber or graphite powder initiated by metalized carbon fiber has been investigated. The metalation of polycondensed aromatic rings of a carbon fiber surface was achieved by treatment of the carbon fiber with BuLi in Ar,Ar,Ar, AT -tetramethylethylenediamine. The anionic polymerization of methylmethacrylate and styrene was reported. No grafting was observed when carbon fiber was treated simply with BuLi in THF or toluene [44,45]. 

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