Effect of solvent on the initiation mechanism of living anionic polymerization of styrene:A computational study

For living anionic polymerization(LAP),solvent has a great influence on both reaction mechanism and kinetics.In this work,by using the classical butyl lithium-styrene polymerization as a model system,the effect of solvent on the mechanism and kinetics of LAP was revealed through a strategy combining density functional theory(DFT)calculations and kinetic modeling.In terms of mechanism,it is found that the stronger the solvent polarity,the more electrons transfer from initiator to solvent through detailed energy decomposition analysis of electrostatic interactions between initiator and solvent molecules.Furthermore,we also found that the stronger the solvent polarity,the higher the monomer initiation energy barrier and the smaller the initiation rate coefficient.Counterintuitively,initiation is more favorable at lower temperatures based on the calculated results ofΔG_(TS).Finally,the kinetic characteristics in different solvents were further examined by kinetic modeling.It is found that in benzene and n-pentane,the polymerization rate exhibits first-order kinetics.While,slow initiation and fast propagation were observed in tetrahydrofuran(THF)due to the slow free ion formation rate,leading to a deviation from first-order kinetics.

Synthesis and Characterization of Star-branched Polyisobutylene by Combination of Anionic Polymerization and Cationic Polymerization

A star-shaped multifunctional styrene-isoprene copolymer was synthesized with n-BuLi as initiator, divinyl benzene as coupling agent, cyclobexane as solvent by living anionic polymerization. Using this polymer as grafting agent, a novel star-shaped branched polymer, containing several polyisobutylene, was prepared via cationic ~aolymerization. The star PS-b-PI and star-branched polyisobutylene were characterized by GPC, ＇HNMR and FT-IR, and the effects of different adding order and the amount of grafting agent were investigated.

SYNTHESIS OF BLOCK COPOLYMER BY INTEGRATED LIVING ANIONIC POLYMERIZATION-ATOM TRANSFER RADICAL POLYMERIZATION(ATRP)

Alpha-trichloroacetoxy terminated polystyrene oligomer (PS-CH2CH2OCOCCl3) and poly-(styrene-b-butadiene) oligomer [P(S-b-B)-CH2CH2OCOCCl3)] were synthesized by living anionic polymeri-zation using n-butyllithium as initiator. Then the PS-CH2CH2OCOCCl3 (PS-Cl-3) or P(S-b-B)-CH2CH2O-COCCl3 (PSB-Cl-3) was used as the macroinitiator in the polymerization of(meth)acrylates in the presence of CuX/bpy. AB diblock and ABC triblock copolymers were prepared by the integrated living anionic polymerization (LAP)-atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The structures of the PSB-Cl-3 and the P(S-b-MMA) were identified by FTIR and H-1-NMR spectrum, respectively. A new way to design block copolymers (the combination of LAP and ATRP) was developed.

Synthesis of an Amphiphilic Dendrimer-Like Block Copolymer and Its Application on Drug Delivery

Dendrimer-like amphiphilic copolymer is a kind of three-dimensional spherical structure polymer. An amphiphilic dendrimer-like diblock copolymer, PEEGE-G2-b-PEO（OH）12, constituted of a hydrophobic poly（ethoxyethyl glycidol ether） inner core and a hydrophilic poly（ethylene oxide） outer layer, has been successfully synthesized by the living anionic ring-opening polymerization method. The intermediates and targeted products were charac-terized with 1H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The application on drug delivery of dendrimer-like diblock copolymer PEEGE-G2-b-PEO（OH）12 using DOX as a model drug was also studied. The drug loading content and encapsulation e ciency were found at 13.07% and 45.75%, respectively. In vitro release experiment results indicated that the drug-loaded micelles exhibited a sustained release behavior under acidic media.

Synthesis of α-Bromine-Terminated Polystyrene Macroinitiator and Its Initiation of MMA Polymerization by ATRP

In the present paper the synthesis of block copolymers via the transformation from living anionic polymerization (LAP) to atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was described. α-Bromine-terminated polystyrenes(PStBr) in the LAP step was prepared by using n-BuLi as initiator, tetrahydrofuran (THF) as the activator, α-methylstyrene (α-MeSt) as the capping group and liquid bromine (Br_2) as the bromating agent. The effects of reaction conditions such as the amounts of α-MeSt, THF, and Br_2 as well as molecular weight of polystyrene on the bromating efficiency (BE) and coupling extent (CE) were examined. The present results show that the yield of PStBr obtained was more than 93. 8% and the coupling reaction was substantially absent. PStBr was further used as the macroinitiator in the polymerization of methyl-methacrylate (MMA) in the presence of copper (I ) halogen and 2, 2' -bipyridine (bpy) complexes. It was found that the molecular weight of the resulted PSt-b-PMMA increased linearly with the increase of the conversion of MMA and the polydispersity was 1. 2-1.6. The structures of PStBr and P(St-b-MMA) were characterized by ~1H NMR spectra.

Application of Polymers in Low Permeability Formations

For low-permeability sandstone reservoir with big channel, we researched the novel deep profile method alternative injection of anionic and cationic polymer. Evaluating various factors on adsorption capacity through lab test, the results show that with the increase of temperature, the adsorption capacity decreases and the cationic polymer is easier to be absorbed. With the increase of salinity, adsorption time or polymer concentration, the adsorption capacity increases. The adsorption equilibrium concentration of cationic polymer is 1500 mg/L;adsorption equilibrium time is 8 h. The adsorption equilibrium concentration of anionic polymer is 1000 mg/L;adsorption equilibrium time is 6 h. Physical simulation experiment shows that alternative injection of anionic and cationic polymer is better than injection of single polymer, and preferential injection of cationic polymer is better than preferential injection of anionic polymer. With the increase of injection rounds, sealing capacity gets better, but in view of cost, the rounds should not be more than 3. The profile control technique can obviously enhanced oil recovery, and water displacement recovery increases 41%. 2 wells were tested successfully in Henan Oilfield in June 2010. Approximate 154.47 tons of incremental oil was obtained with 2% water-cut decrease.

Synthesis of Star-like Polybutadienes by a Combination of Living Anionic Polymerization and “Click” Coupling Method

Three-arm and four-arm star-like polybutadienes （PBds） were synthesized via the combination of living anionic polymerization and the click coupling method. Kinetic study showed that the click reaction between the azido group terminated PBd-t-N3 and the alkyne-containing multifunctional linking reagent was fast and highly efficient. All coupling reactions were fully accomplished within 40 min at 50 ℃ in toluene in the presence of the reducing agent Cu（0）, proven by 1H-NMR, FTIR and GPC measurements. For the coupling reactions between the PBd-t-N3 polymer and dialkyne-containing compound, the final conversion of the coupled PBd-PBd polymer was ca. 97.0%. When a PBd-t-N3 polymer was reacted with trialkyne-containing or tetraalkyne-containing compound, the conversion of three-arm or four-arm PBd was around 95.5% or 87.0%, respectively. Several factors influencing the coupling efficiency were studied, including the molecular weight of the initial PBd-t-N3, arm numbers and the molar ratio of the azido group to the alkynyl group. The results indicated that the conversion of the target products would be promoted when the molecular weight of the PBd-t-N3 was low and the molar ratio of the azido to alkynyl groups was close to 1.

Real-time Monitoring of Living Cationic Ring-opening Polymerization of THF and Direct Prediction of Equilibrium Molecular Weight of Poly THF

A convenient real-time monitoring of monomer concentration during living cationic ring-opening polymerizations of tetrahydrofuran（THF） initiated with methyl triflate（Me OTf） has been developed for kinetic investigation and determination of equilibrium monomer concentration（[M]e） via in situ FTIR spectroscopy in combination with a diamond tipped attenuated total reflectance（ATR） immersion probe. The polymerization rate was first order with respect to monomer concentration and initiator concentration from the linear slope of ln（[M]0-[M]e）/（[M]-[M]e） versus polymerization time at different temperatures in various solvents. [M]e decreased linearly with initial monomer concentration while increased exponentially with increasing polymerization temperature. The equilibrium also strongly depends on solvent polarity and its interaction with monomer. The equilibrium polymerization time（te） decreased with increasing solvent polarity and decreased linearly with increasing [M]0 in three solvents with different slopes to the same point of bulk polymerization in the absence of solvent. Equation of Mn,e = 72.1/（0.14–0.04[M]e） has been established to provide a simple and effective approach for the prediction for the number-average molecular weight of poly THFs at equilibrium state（Mn,e） in the equilibrium living cationic ring-opening polymerization of THF at 0 °C.

ABA TRIBLOCK COPOLYMERS WITH PENDANT HYDROXYL GROUPS PREPARED BY CONTROLLED CATIONIC POLYMERIZATION AND THEIR USE AS DELIVERY CARRIER FOR PACLITAXEL

To improve the hydrophilicity ofpoly（styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene） （SIBS）, this study focuses on the synthesis of novel functional ABA triblock copolymer thermoplastic elastomers （TPEs） with polyisobutylene （PIB） as rubbery segments. The precursor poly{（styrene-co-4-[2-（tert-butyldimethylsiloxy） ethyl]styrene）-b-isobutylene-b-（styrene-co-4-[2- （tert-butyldimethylsiloxy）ethyl]styrene）}（P（St-co-TBDMES）-PIB-P（St-co-TBDMES）） triblock copolymer was first synthesized by living sequential cationic copolymerization of isobutylene （IB） with styrene （St） and 4-[2-（tert- butyldimethylsiloxy）ethyl]styrene （TBDMES） using 1,4-di（2-chloro-2-propyl）benzene （DiCumC1）/titanium tetrachloride （TiCla）/2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine （DtBP） as the initiating system. Then, P（St-co-TBDMES）-PIB-P（St-co-TBDMES） was hydrolyzed in the presence of tetra-butylammonium fluoride to yield poly{[styrene-co-4-（2-hydroxyethyl）styrene]-b- isobutylene-b-[styrene-co-4-（2-hydroxyethyl）styrene]} （P（St-co-HOES）-PIB-P（St-co-HOES）） with pendant hydroxyl groups. P（St-co-HOES）-PIB-P（St-co-HOES） used as the paclitaxel carrier was also investigated in this study. Comparing with SIBS, P（St-co-HOES）-PIB-P（St-co-HOES） has exhibited better compatibility with paclitaxel and higher release rate.

A User-friendly Living Cationic Polymerization: Degenerative Chaintransfer Polymerization of Vinyl Ethers by Simply Using Mixtures of Weak and Superstrong Protonic Acids

Mixtures of a weak protonic acid and a trace amount of superstrong protonic acid were used for the simple control of the cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers via a degenerative chain-transfer mechanism, in which the former acid works as a precursor of the chain transfer agent (CTA) or the dormant species and the latter works as a source of the cationic propagating species. The addition of mixtures of phosphoric acid dibutyl ester ((n=BuO)2PO2H) or 1 -octanethiol (n-C8H17SH) and a trace amount of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TfOH) to a solution of isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) at -78℃ resulted in polymers with controlled molecular weights, which were basically determined by the feed ratio of IBVE to the weak protonic acid, and narrow molecular weight distributions (Mw/Mn≈ 1.1). These results were almost the same as those obtained using their prepared adducts of IBVE as CT As in the presence of a trace amount of TfOH under similar conditions. Methanesulfonic acid (CH3SO3H), whose adduct of IBVE has not been isolated due to instability, was similarly used in conjunction with trace TfOH to result in controlled molecular weights but slightly broader MWDs (Mw/Mn = 1.2-1.8). These results indicate that the sulfoxonium ion is also an effective intermediate in the cationic DT polymerization in addition to the phosphonium and sulfonium intermediates derived from (n=BuO)2PO2H and C8H17SH, respectively. The simple living cationic polymerization was thus achieved by using a combination of a weak protonic acid and a trace amount of TfOH, which are both easily available, low cost, free from metal, and easy to handle, without need for preparation of the initiator.

Amphiphilic Dendrimer-like Copolymers with High Chain Density by Living Anionic Polymerization

We report here a method for the preparation of amphiphilic dendrimer-like copolymers with dendritic polystyrene (PS) core and protonated poly(2-vinyl pyridine)(P2VP) or poly(methacrylic acid)(PMAA) shell. The method employed the efficient coupling reaction of anionic living polymer chains and chlorosilane. The synthesis started from a functionalized 3rd generation dendritic polystyrene, G3PS-g-SiCl, used as the precursor. The dendrimer-like copolymer of styrene and 2-vinyl pyridine, G3PS-g-P2VP, was synthesized by direct coupling of living P2VPLi to the precursor. The dendrimer-like copolymer of styrene and Zer/-butyl methacrylate, G3PS-g-PtBMA, was synthesized by an indirect procedure in which a living polymer containing mainly PtBMA segment was attached to the precursor. Both methods resulted in the formation of dendrimer-like copolymers with the high molecular weights (up to 8.5 × 10^6 Da), large molecular sizes (diameter up to 73 nm), and dense shells (number of arms up to 1300). These products, G3PS-g-P2VP and G3PS-g- PtBMA, were protonated with trifluoroacetic acid and acidic hydrolyzed, respectively. After transformation, amphiphilic dendrimer-like copolymers, G3PS-g-P2VPH^+ and G3PS-g-PMAA, were obtained. Preliminary results on the solution properties of the amphiphilic products were presented.

Photo-induced Living Cationic Copolymerization of Isobutyl Vinyl Ether and Vinyl Ether with Carbazolyl Groups

In this work, a fluorescent monomer 2-（9-carbazolyl） ethyl vinyl ether（CEVE） was synthesized in our lab, and its photo-induced living cationic copolymerization behavior with isobutyl vinyl ether（IBVE） was investigated in detail using diphenyliodonium chloride（DPICl）/2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone（DMPA） and zinc bromide（Zn Br2） initiating system in dichloromethane solution at 5 °C, -5 °C, and -15 °C, respectively. The living nature of this copolymerization system was confirmed by adding fresh comonomer method after the copolymerization almost finished. In addition, the obtained fluorescent copolymer poly（IBVE-co-CEVE） has a low glass transition temperature（Tg）, below -10 °C.

Synthesis of Alkyne-functionalized Polymers via Living Anionic Polymerization and Investigation of Features during the Post-“thiol-yne” Click Reaction

"Thiol-yne" click reaction has already been widely applied in synthesis and modification of new polymer structures or novel materials due to its specific features. However, in most studies, only chain-end strategy was employed when using the di-addition feature of thiol-yne reaction, thus the in-chain di-addition strategy could endow us with a broader space to develop the synthesis of advanced polymers. Therefore, in this paper, the features of in-chain mono and di-addition were investigated when modifying the alkynefunctionalized polymers to prepare grafted polymers via thiol-yne click reaction. The results showed that it is almost impossible to obtain the in-chain di-adducts even under excess feeding of chain-end thiol-functionalized grafts, while only the in-chain mono-adducts could be obtained efficiently. Further researches investigated that the controlled grafting could be encountered when carrying out the thiol-yne click reaction between chain-end alkyne-functionalized polystyrenes and chain-end thiol-functionalized polystyrenes under proper feedings. Therefore, the effect of steric?hindrance might be the primary reason for the alternative grafting via thiol-yne click reaction between in-chain and chain-end alkyne-functionalized polymers.

Electro-selective interconversion of living cationic and radical polymerizations

Orchestrating conflicting polymerization mechanisms in a single polymerization process through one external stimulus is a prerequisite to achieve in-situ selective synthesis of different monomers. Here we report an electrochemically controlled mechanism transformation that enables selective activation of living cationic or radical polymerization via an alternating voltage and dual electrocatalysts. Using identical mixed-monomer condition, a variety of desired block copolymer structures, including diblock, multiblock, random, and tapered copolymers can be obtained by simply varying the periods or phases of the alternating potential. Moreover, merging this electro-interconverted polymerization with a flow-chemistry technique can streamline preparation of functional polymer materials with complex multiblock structure. This study would offer a new vision on large-scale electrochemical synthesis of sequence-defined polymers.

星形多臂丁苯共聚物的分子结构设计与合成

以正丁基锂为引发剂、苯乙烯与丁二烯为单体、双四氢糠丙烷为极性结构调节剂、六氯乙硅烷为偶联剂,采用活性负离子聚合技术设计并合成了一系列具有星形结构的多臂丁苯共聚物(S-g-SSB-6)。使用凝胶渗透色谱分析了S-g-SSB-6的分子量及其分布、偶联臂数和偶联效率,使用旋转流变仪测试了S-g-SSB-6、以SiCl_(4)为偶联剂的星形多臂丁苯共聚物及线型结构丁苯共聚物(L-SSB)的流变性能,并考察了支链长度和支链柔顺性对S-g-SSB-6流变性能的影响。结果表明,S-g-SSB-6的偶联臂数达到4.1、偶联效率均大于80%;相同重均分子量下S-g-SSB-6的熔体黏度较L-SSB更低、流体流动性更好;当支化度相同时,S-g-SSB-6的熔体黏度随着单臂分子量和分子链刚性的增加而增大。

微反应器内阳离子聚合研究进展

阳离子聚合是制备高分子材料的重要方法之一。因阳离子聚合反应活性高、可控性差,采用传统的方式对其进行深入研究难度往往很大。微反应器技术因其优异的过程控制能力在阳离子聚合研究中表现出得天独厚的优势。本文介绍了微反应器内传统阳离子聚合和活性阳离子聚合的研究进展,论述了微反应器对提高异丁烯、乙烯基醚类单体阳离子聚合反应可控性、反应效率以及机理研究的重要作用,探讨了阳离子聚合体系和装备理性设计的方向。

Mechanistic Transformations Involving Radical and Cationic Polymerizations

Mechanistic transformation approach has been widely applied in polymer synthesis due to its unique feature combining structurally different polymers prepared by different polymerization mechanisms.Reported methods for the formation of block and graft copolymers through mechanistic transformation involve almost all polymerizations modes.However,certain polymerization processes require extensive purification processes,which can be time-consuming and problematic.Recent developments on controlled/living polymerizations involving radical and cationic mechanisms with the ability to control molecular weight and functionality led to new pathways for mechanistic transformations.In this mini-review,we systematically discussed relevant advances in the field through three main titles namely(i)from radical to cationic mechanism,(ii)from cationic to radical mechanism,and(iii)application of specific catalyst systems for both radical and cationic polymerizations.

2,2-二(5-甲基-2-四氢呋喃基)丙烷在丁二烯-苯乙烯阴离子聚合中的结构调节能力

以正丁基锂(n-BuLi)为引发剂,2,2-二(5-甲基-2-四氢呋喃基)丙烷(BMTFP)、乙基四氢糠基醚(ETE)、双四氢糠丙烷(DTHFP)为极性调节剂,在不同调节剂用量及聚合温度下进行丁二烯-苯乙烯的阴离子共聚合反应。利用^(1)HNMR和GPC对丁苯共聚物的微观结构、相对分子质量及其分布进行了表征和测试。结果表明,BMTFP聚合体系中无副反应发生,共聚物相对分子质量分布较窄,符合活性阴离子聚合的特点;BMTFP对丁苯共聚物具有较强的微观结构调节能力,在聚合温度为50℃、n(BMTFP)∶n(n-BuLi)=2.0∶1.0时,丁苯共聚物中1,2-结构相对含量可以达到69.7%,苯乙烯微嵌段含量趋近于0。且在相同条件下,BMTFP与ETE、DTHFP对丁苯共聚物微观结构的调节能力处于同一水平,但BMTFP的合成中所需的主要原料来源于生物基平台化合物,从环境保护、能源安全以及潜在的经济价值等方面考虑,BMTFP在制备高乙烯基溶聚丁苯橡胶方面具有良好的发展前景。

活性可控聚合制备热塑性弹性体研究进展

从负离子聚合、正离子聚合、开环聚合、可控自由基聚合等聚合方法入手,总结了不同类型热塑性弹性体合成技术的研究进展,以及其他如超分子化学与聚合物合成相结合等热塑性弹性体研究的新领域和新方向。

双端呋喃官能化聚异戊二烯的合成及表征

采用阴离子聚合方法,以双锂引发剂引发异戊二烯聚合并以2-((环氧乙烷-2-基甲氧基)甲基)呋喃(FGE)为封端剂制备双末端含呋喃基团的聚异戊二烯。利用核磁共振和红外光谱对呋喃官能化聚异戊二烯的封端效率进行检测;利用凝胶渗透色谱、基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱和差示扫描量热仪对其相对分子质量及分布和热性能进行分析。结果表明,官能化封端效率大于95%;聚异戊二烯的分子量分布指数(PDI)为1.07(<1.1),符合活性阴离子聚合窄分布的特点;由于聚异戊二烯的1,4-结构含量较低且链端存在的呋喃环使得内旋转位阻增大,双端呋喃官能化聚异戊二烯的玻璃化转变温度比未封端的略有升高。这种高效呋喃封端方法为构建理想动态交联网络的橡胶材料提供了新的途径。