Nitroxide-Mediated Photo-Controlled/Living Radical Polymerization of Methacrylic Acid

The photo-controlled/living radical polymerization of methacrylic acid (MAA) was performed at room temperature by irradiation with a high-pressure mercury lamp using azo initiators and 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl as the mediator in the presence of (4-tert-butylphenyl)diphenylsulfonium triflate (tBuS) as the accelerator. Whereas the bulk polymerization yielded polymers with a bimodal molecular weight distribution in both the absence and presence of tBuS, the solution polymerization in methanol produced unimodal polymers with the molecular weight distribution of 2.0 - 2.3 in the presence of tBuS. The molecular weight distribution of the resulting poly (MAA) decreased with an in- crease in tBuS. The dilution of the monomer concentration also reduced the molecular weight distribution. The use of the initiator with a low 10-h half-life temperature also effectively controlled the molecular weight. The livingness of the polymerization was confirmed by obtaining linear increases in the first-order conversion versus time, the molecular weight versus the conversion, and the molecular weight versus the reciprocal of the initiator concentration.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF WELL-DEFINED BLOCK COPOLYMERS CONTAINING PENDANT,SELF-COMPLEMENTARY QUADRUPLE HYDROGEN BONDING SITES

The title block copolymer (defined as PSUEA) containing pendant,self-complementary quadruple hydrogen bonding sites has been prepared successfully by three steps.First,poly(styrene-b-2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) (defined as PSHEA) was prepared by living radical polymerizing 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) initiated by polystyrene (PSt) macro- initiator,which was prepared via nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP) technique.After treated by excessive 3-isocyanatomethyl-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexyl isocyanate (IPDI),...

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GRAFT COPOLYMERS BASED ON POLY(p-PHENYLENE TEREPHTHALAMIDE) BACKBONE AND WELL-DEFINED POLYSTYRENE SIDE CHAINS

A novel dualfunctional monomer, 2-（2＇,2＇,6＇,6＇-tetramethyl-piperidinyl-1＇-oxy）methylbenzene-1,4-dioyl chloride hydrochloride, with two acid chloride groups for step-growth polymerization and a nitroxide group for the mediation of living radical polymerization was synthesized. It was first copolymerized with terephthaloyl chloride and p- phenylenediamine at a feed molar ratio of 1：3：4 in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone containing 10 wt% calcium chloride at -10℃ to yield a poly（p-phenylene terephthalamide） based macroinitiator, which initiated radical polymerization of styrene at 125℃ to obtain a series of poly（p-phenylene terephthalamide）-g-polystyrenes. A combinatory analysis of proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elementary analysis, thermogravimetry and gel permeation chromatography indicated that the macroinitiator induced the radical polymerization of styrene to proceed in a well- controlled way. The molecular weight of side-chains increased with an increase of monomer conversion, and the molecular weight distribution index remained lower than 1.5. The graft copolymers showed a remarkably improved solubility in N- methyl-2-pyrrolidone and much depressed crystallinity in bulk.

Aggregation-induced emission polymers via reversible-deactivation radical polymerization Special Collection:Distinguished Australian Researchers

Aggregation-induced emission(AIE)is a unique phenomenon whereby aggregation of molecules induces fluorescence emission as opposed to the more commonly known aggregation-caused quenching(ACQ).AIE has the potential to be utilized in the large-scale production of AIE-active polymeric materials because of their wide range of practical applications such as stimuli-responsive sensors,biological imaging agents,and drug delivery systems.This is evident from the increasing number of publications over the years since AIE was first discovered.In addition,the evergrowing interest in this field has led many researchers around the world to develop new and creative methods in the design of monomers,initiators and crosslinkers,with the goal of broadening the scope and utility of AIE polymers.One of the most promising approaches to the design and synthesis of AIE polymers is the use of the reversible-deactivation radical polymerization(RDRP)techniques,which enabled the production of well-controlled AIE materials that are often difficult to achieve by other methods.In this review,a summary of some recent works that utilize RDRP for AIE polymer design and synthesis is presented,including(i)the design of AIE-related monomers,initiators/crosslinkers;the achievements in preparation of AIE polymers using(ii)reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer(RAFT)technique;(iii)atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP)technique;(iv)other techniques such as Cu(0)-RDRP technique and nitroxide-mediated polymerization(NMP)technique;(v)the possible applications of these AIE polymers,and finally(vi)a summary/perspective and the future direction of AIE polymers.

Degradable and Recyclable Polymers by Reversible Deactivation Radical Polymerization

Reversible deactivation radical polymerization(RDRP)provides unprecedented control over polymer composition,size,functionality,and topology.Various materials,such as linear polymers,star polymers,branched polymers,graft polymers,polymer networks,and hybrid materials,have been prepared by RDRP.The ability to control polymer topology also enabled precision synthesis of well-defined polymer topologies with degradable functional groups located at specific locations along a polymer chain.This review outlines progress in the synthesis of degradable polymers designed by RDRP,organized by topology and synthetic route.Recent progress in the depolymerization of polymers using RDRP mechanisms is highlighted and critically discussed.

Recent advances in “living”/controlled radical polymerization of phosphorus-containing monomers and their potential applications

Special research attention has been paid to phosphorus-containing materials and their corresponding applications. This mini review considers recent publications devoted to the "living"/controlled radical(co)polymerization of phosphorus-containing monomers. In addition, different properties of the polymers involved in the phosphonate group in various chemical environments are demonstrated, and their potential applications are briefly discussed.

Synthesis, UV-curing Behavior and Surface Properties of Fluorinecontaining Vinyl Ether Polymers

Five fluorine-containing vinyl ether monomers were prepared by the reaction between 2-vinyloxy ethanol, a fluorinated alcohol and hexafluorobenzene in the presence of sodium hydride in dimethylformamide. Two representative properties of these monomers, UV-curing behavior initiated by a cationic photo-initiator PAG 201 and surface free energy of coating films, were investigated. Photo-polymerization proceeded both rapidly and completely with a high double-bond conversion （〉 90%） and a fast curing rate （maximum curing time 〈 21 s） for three monomers. The surface energies of the monomers and the resulting polymer films were then investigated. The minimum surface free energy of the UV-cured homopolymer films reaches 7.1 mJ/m2. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data show that the low surthce tension is influenced by fluorine content in the soft segments and fluorinated chains＇ migration to the surface. The five monomers exhibit low viscosity, low surface energy, good thermal stability and good photo-polymerization properties, which make them great candidates for UV coating and photoresist applications.