Hydroxyl-functionalized polymers anionic polymerization using

A combination of anionic and ATRP was employed for the synthesis of (PEO-b-PS) , n = 3, 4 star-block copolymers [148]. 2-Hydroxymethyl-l,3-propanediol was used as the initiator for the synthesis of the 3-arm PEO star. The hydroxyl functions were activated by diphenylmethyl potassium, DPMK in DMSO as the solvent. Only 20% of the stoichiometric quantity of DPMK was used to prevent a very fast polymerization of EO. Employing pentaerythritol as the multifunctional initiator a 4-arm PEO star was obtained. Well-defined products were provided in both cases. The hydroxyl end groups of the star polymers were activated with D PM K and reacted with an excess of 2-bromopropionylbro-mide at room temperature. Using these 2-bromopropionate-ended PEO stars in the presence of CuBr/bpy the ATRP of styrene was conducted in bulk at 100 °C, leading to the synthesis of the star-block copolymers with relatively narrow molecular weight distributions (Scheme 72). 

Reed 332) has reported that reaction of ethylene oxide with the a,(a-dilithiumpoly-butadiene in predominantly hydrocarbon media (some residual ether from the dilithium initiator preparation was present) produced telechelic polybutadienes with hydroxyl functionalities (determined by infrared spectroscopy) of 2.0 + 0.1 in most cases. A recent report by Morton, et al.146) confirms the efficiency of the ethylene oxide termination reaction for a,ta-dilithiumpolyisoprene functionalities of 1.99, 1.92 and 2.0j were reported (determined by titration using Method B of ASTM method E222-66). It should be noted, however, that term of a, co-dilithium-polymers with ethylene oxide resulted in gel formation which required 1-4 days for completion. In general, epoxides are not polymerized by lithium bases 333,334), presumably because of the unreactivity of the strongly associated lithium alkoxides641 which are formed. With counter ions such as sodium or potassium, reaction of the polymeric anions with ethylene oxide will effect polymerization to form block copolymers (Eq. (80) 334 336>). 

B-90 and B-91, respectively.390 Another route coupled with cationic ring-opening polymerizations is accomplished for polymer B-92 with the use of a hydroxyl-functionalized initiator with a C—Br terminal, where the OH group initiates the cationic polymerizations of 1,3-dioxepane in the presence of triflic acid.329 Polyethylene oxide)-based block copolymers B-93 are obtained by living anionic polymerization of ethylene oxide and the subsequent transformation of the hydroxyl terminal into a reactive C—Br terminal with 2-bromopropionyl bromide, followed by the copper-catalyzed radical polymerization of styrene.391... 

Besides the oxiranes, the respective four-membered heterocyclic oxetanes have been studied as monomers in ROPs. Vandenberg et al obtained a linear and highly crystalline polymer from oxetanes and other authors detailed the synthesis of hyperbranched polyethers from hydroxyl-functional oxetanes.Mostly cationic initiators have been used in the ROP of oxetanes, primarily because of the higher basicity compared to three-membered oxiranes, which are prevalently polymerized by anionic techniques. 

Wang et al. used linear block copolymers with azide or other alkyne functionalities at the junction points of the blocks polymers to synthesize star polymers with four different arms. These could simply be clicked together [66]. To introduce the alkyne functionality, the hydroxyl end group of an anionic polymerized polystyrene... 

In the second method, the alkoxyamine-ftmctionalized backbone is prepared by a chemical modification of a preformed polymer. Abbasian and Entezami prepared alkoxyamine-functionalized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) in a three-step procedure. PVC was first arylated with toluene by Friedel-Crafts acylation followed by a bromination step using N-bromosuccinimide. The bromine atom was finally reacted via nucleophilic substitution by the TEMPO hydro-xylamine anion. PVC-g-PS was finally obtained after TEMPO-mediated polymerization of styrene. A TEMPO-functionalized isotactic poly(l-butene) macroinitiator was synthesized by Jo et al. who used a rhodium-catalyzed activation of the alkane C-H bonds and subsequent transformations of the boronate ester group into an hydroxyl pendant group. This reactive moiety was then used to attach a TEMPO-based alkoxyamine bearing another hydroxy function by an ether linkage. A method to prepare PE-g-PS from a poly(ethylene-co-m,p--methylstyrene) obtained by metallocene-catalyzed polymerization was also reported. The macroalkoxya-mine was synthesized after bromination with N-bromosuccinimide followed by a nucleophilic reaction with the TEMPO hydroxylamine anion. 

---