Thermal polymerization, fluorinated

Despite the body of evidence in favor of the Mayo mechanism, the formation of diphenylcyclobutanes (90, 91) must still be accounted for. It is possible that they arise via the 1,4-diradical 94 and it is also conceivable that this diradical is an intermediate in the formation of the Diels-Alder adduct 95 (Scheme 3.64) and could provide a second (minor) source of initiation. Direct initiation by diradicals is suggested in the thermal polymerization of 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorostyrene where transfer of a fluorine atom from Diels-Alder dimer to monomer seems highly unlikely (high C-F bond strength) and for derivatives which cannot form a Diels-Alder adduct. 

Numerous avenues to produce these materials have been explored (128—138). The synthesis of two new fluorinated bicycHc monomers and the use of these monomers to prepare fluorinated epoxies with improved physical properties and a reduced surface energy have been reported (139,140). The monomers have been polymerized with the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A, and the thermal and mechanical properties of the resin have been characterized. The resulting polymer was stable up to 380°C (10% weight loss by tga). 

The use of weakly coordinating and fluorinated anions such as B(C6H4F-4)4, B(C6F5)4, and MeB(C6F5)3 further enhanced the activities of Group 4 cationic complexes for the polymerization of olefins and thereby their activity reached a level comparable to those of MAO-activated metallocene catalysts. Base-free cationic metal alkyl complexes and catalytic studies on them had mainly been concerned with cationic methyl complexes, [Cp2M-Me] +. However, their thermal instability restricts the use of such systems at technically useful temperatures. The corresponding thermally more stable benzyl complexes,... 

Using a fluorinated benzocyclobutene-based monomer (Figure 18.4) should provide at least one advantage over the already promising properties of fluorinated poly(j9-xylylene). All the desirable properties such as low dielectric constant and low affinity for water should remain but the thermal stability should be enhanced because of the cross-linking that would accompany the generation of these films. The synthesis and polymerization paths for poly(octafluorobisbenzocyclobutene) are depicted in Scheme 5. 

Fluorinated radicals play a significant role in synthetic organo-fluorine chemistry, for example, in electrophilic radical addition to alkenes, single-electron transfer reactions (SET), telomerization of fluoroalkenes with perfluoroalkyl iodides, polymerization to fluoropolymers and copolymers, and thermal, photochemical and radiation destruction of fluorocarbons. Furthermore, such free radicals are of interest for studying structures, reaction kinetics and ESR spectroscopic parameters.38... 

Although alcohols can be fluorinated directly with selenium tetrafluoride, yields can be disappointing because of rearrangement/polymerization due to the presence of hydrogen fluoride produced during the reaction. Higher yields have been obtained when the reaction is performed in the presence of 1 equivalent of pyridine, which forms a 1 1 donor-acceptor complex with selenium tetrafluoride. The reaction proceeds in two distinct steps first is the reaction of the alcohol with the complex to form an alkoxyselenium trifluoride, the second is the thermal decomposition to the alkyl fluoride. 

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