Polymer grafting polymers functioning

Fig. 15. Schematic representation of the synthesis of hyperbranched, branched, and linear polymers grafted from functionalized silicon wafers SFM images and XPS spectra of the surface-grafted polymers. (Reproduced with permission from [48],Copyright 2001 American Chemical Society.)...

Unlike simple mixtures of polystyrene and polybutadiene such blends can be thermoplastically processed without phase separation ( splicing ) Furthermore, they can to a certain extent withstand mechanical impact without disintegration. This is because the above-mentioned graft polymers function also as compatibilizer at the borderline of the hard phase and the rubber-elastic dispersed phase (already at concentrations below 3%). 

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). 

There are additional factors that may reduce functionality which are specific to the various polymerization processes and the particular chemistries used for end group transformation. These are mentioned in the following sections. This section also details methods for removing dormant chain ends from polymers formed by NMP, ATRP and RAFT. This is sometimes necessary since the dormant chain-end often constitutes a weak link that can lead to impaired thermal or photochemical stability (Sections 8.2.1 and 8.2.2). Block copolymers, which may be considered as a form of end-functional polymer, and the use of end-functional polymers in the synthesis of block copolymers are considered in Section 9.8. The use of end functional polymers in forming star and graft polymers is dealt with in Sections 9.9.2 and 9.10.3 respectively. 

During the last few years, new developments in polymer photochemistry have made it possible to graft various functional monomers onto surfaces of inert polymers like polyethylene, polypropylene and polyethyleneterephthalate. In the first attempts, initiator and monomer were transferred in vapor phase into a "UV Cure" irradiator containing the polymer sheet to be surface grafted. 

For the two methods, the resulting grafting of functional monomers, e.g. acrylic acid and acrylamide, has been measured by multiple reflection IR spectra, ESCA spectra, and dye adsorption from an aqueous solution of crystal violet. The measurements indicate that the inert surfaces of the polymer substrates are modified by a complete surface layer of the grafted monomers. 

Y Okahata, H Noguchi, T Seki. Functional capsule membranes. 26. Permeability control of polymer-grafted capsule membranes responding to ambient pH changes. Macromolecules 20 15-21, 1987. 

The stability of the various dispersions was assessed and compared by determining the critical flocculation conditions (temperature or volume fraction of added non-solvent for the grafted polymer), as a function of particle concentration. 

For both kinds of polymer-grafted particles, flocculation was induced either by changing the temperature or by adding a nonsolvent for the stabilising polymer. In this way critical flocculation temperature (c.f.T) and critical flocculation vol. fractions of non-solvent (c.f.v.) values were obtained, in general as a function of . 

The A-B type iniferters are more useful than the B-B type for the more efficient synthesis of polymers with controlled structure The functionality of the iniferters can be controlled by changing the number of the A-B bond introduced into an iniferter molecule, for example, B-A-B as the bifunctional iniferter. Detailed classification and application of the iniferters having DC groups are summarized in Table 1. In Eqs. (9)—(11), 6 and 7 serve as the monofunctional iniferters, 9 and 10 as the monofunctional polymeric iniferters, and 8 and 11 as the bifunctional iniferters. Tetrafunctional and polyfunctional iniferters and gel-iniferters are used for the synthesis of star polymers, graft copolymers, and multiblock copolymers, respectively (see Sect. 5). When a polymer implying DC moieties in the main chain is used, a multifunctional polymeric iniferter can be prepared (Eqs. 15 and 16), which is further applied to the synthesis of multiblock copolymers. 

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