Reaction, chain, copolymer polymer

In the next group of chapters we shall discuss condensation or step-growth polymers and polymerizations in Chap. 5, addition or chain-growth polymers and polymerizations in Chap. 6, and copolymers and stereoregular polymers in Chap. 7. It should not be inferred from this that these are the only classes of polymers and polymerization reactions. Topics such as ring-opening polymeri-... 

The initial sulfur copolymer that is formed is often high conversion and gelled. Molecular weight is reduced to the required level by cleaving some of the polysulfide Linkages, usually with tetraethylthiuram disulfide. An alkaU metal or ammonium salt (30) of the dithiocarbamate, an alkaU metal salt of mercaptobensothiasole (31), and a secondary amine (32) have all been used as catalysts. The peptization reaction results in reactive chain ends. Polymer peptized with diphenyl tetrasulfide was reported to have improved viscosity stabiUty (33). 

Another consequence of the absence of sponataneous transfer and termination reactions is that the polymer chains formed remain living 3), i.e. they carry at the chain end a metal-organic site able to give further reactions. Block copolymer synthesis is probably the major application 12 14), but the preparation of co-functional polymers, some chain extension processes, and the grafting onto reactions arise also directly from the long life time of the active sites. 

The transformation of the chain end active center from one type to another is usually achieved through the successful and efficient end-functionalization reaction of the polymer chain. This end-functionalized polymer can be considered as a macroinitiator capable of initiating the polymerization of another monomer by a different synthetic method. Using a semitelechelic macroinitiator an AB block copolymer is obtained, while with a telechelic macroinitiator an ABA triblock copolymer is provided. The key step of this methodology relies on the success of the transformation reaction. The functionalization process must be 100% efficient, since the presence of unfunctionalized chains leads to a mixture of the desired block copolymer and the unfunctionalized homopolymer. In such a case, control over the molecular characteristics cannot be obtained and an additional purification step is needed. 

Another differential reaction is copolymerization. An equi-molar mixture of styrene and methyl methacrylate gives copolymers of different composition depending on the initiator. The radical chains started by benzoyl peroxide are 51 % polystyrene, the cationic chains from stannic chloride or boron trifluoride etherate are 100% polystyrene, and the anionic chains from sodium or potassium are more than 99 % polymethyl methacrylate.444 The radicals attack either monomer indiscriminately, the carbanions prefer methyl methacrylate and the carbonium ions prefer styrene. As can be seen from the data of Table XIV, the reactivity of a radical varies considerably with its structure, and it is worth considering whether this variability would be enough to make a radical derived from sodium or potassium give 99 % polymethyl methacrylate.446 If so, the alkali metal intitiated polymerization would not need to be a carbanionic chain reaction. However, the polymer initiated by triphenylmethyl sodium is also about 99% polymethyl methacrylate, whereas tert-butyl peroxide and >-chlorobenzoyl peroxide give 49 to 51 % styrene in the initial polymer.445... 

The lithiated polyethylene copolymer was then suspended in hexane or THF solvent. The graft-from reactions were carried out in slurry solution by reacting the lithiated polyethylene copolymer with anionic polymerizable monomers, such as styrene and p-methylstyrene. After certain reaction time, 10 ml of isopropanol was added to terminate the graft-from reaction. The precipitated polymer was filtered and then subjected to fractionation. Good solvents for backbone and side chain polymers were used during the fractionization, using a Soxhlet apparatus under N2 for 24 hours. The soluble fractions were isolated by vacuum-removal of solvent. Usually, the total soluble fractions were less than 5 % of the product. The major insoluble fraction was PE graft copolymer, which was completely soluble in xylene or trichlorobenzene at elevated temperatures. 

Polymers containing azo groups as part of their backbone chain can be used for the synthesis of block copolymers. The azo-containing prepolymers can, for example, be synthesised by condensing small molecule azo compounds with functionalized polymers, by partial decomposition of polymeric azo compounds in the presence of a monomer or via polymer analogue reactions. Block copolymers are obtained when those prepolymers are decomposed in the presence of another monomer. 

The recent development of living cationic polymerization systems has opened the way to the preparation of rather well defined star homopolymers and miktoarm star polymers [19 and see the chapter in this volume]. Divinyl ether compounds were used as linking agents in a manner similar to the DVB method for anionic polymerization. Typically the method involves the reaction of living polymer chains with a small amount of the divinyl compound. A star polymer is formed carrying at the core active sites capable of initiating the polymerization of a new monomer. Consequently a miktoarm star copolymer of the type AnBn is produced. 

It is important to appreciate that polymer produced by an anionic chain-growth mechanism can have drastically different properties from one made by a normal free radical reaction. Block copolymers can be synthesized in which each block has different properties. We mentioned in Chapter 4 that Michael Szwdrc of Syracuse University developed this chemistry in the 1950s. Since that time, block copolymers produced by anionic polymerization have been commercialized, such as styrene-isoprene-styrene and styrene-butadiene-styrene triblock copolymers (e.g., Kraton from Shell Chemical Company). They find use as thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), polymers that act as elastomers at normal temperatures but which can be molded like thermoplastics when heated. We will discuss TPEs further in Chapter 7. 

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