The effect of reaction conditions on the chain end structure and functionality during dehydrochlorination oftert-chlorine-telechelic polyisobutylene by potassium tert-butoxide

Dehydrochlorination of tert-chlorine-telechelic polyisobutylene with potassium tert-butoxide in refluxing tetrahydrofuran is quantitative after 22 h, but results in ca. 3% endo olefin chain ends which are not reactive in some subsequent functionalization reactions. The formation of these undesired structures is most likely due to simultaneous thermally induced HCl loss. Lower temperatures and longer reaction times led to exclusive formation of external double bonds in some cases but to incomplete dehydrochlorination.

Endfunctional Polymers by Functionalization of Living Cationic Chain Ends with 1,1-Diphenylethylene

Abstract A new functionalization method has been developed for the synthesis of 2,2-diphenylvinyl(DPV)-telechelic polyisobutylene (PIB). First, living carbocationic polymerization (LCCP) of isobutylene (IB) is quantitatively end-quenched with a nonpolymerizable olefin, 1,1-diphenylethylene (DPE). This process yields a mixture of diphenyl substituted vinyl and tertiary chlorine endgroups. Treatment of the resulting polymer with potassium-tert-butoxide (tBuOK) leads to the quantitative formation of DPV-telechelic PIB which is a potential macroinitiator precursor for living anionic polymerizations.

Specialty and advanced polymers by carbocationic macromolecular engineering

This study briefly surveys a variety of new advanced polymeric materials and controlled synthetic processes available by carbocationic macromolecular engineering techniques and having potential commercial interest. These recent developments, mainly by living carbocationic polymerization, have led to new opportunities in polymerization process control, and in designing microstructure, functionality, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution (MWD) and thus properties of a wide variety of unique polymer systems. The fundamentals of these new emerging technologies and the novel materials offered by them, such as macromonomers, telechelics, polymers with pendant functional groups (liqui…

Comparison of living polymerization systems

Recent developments in the field of living polymerization are surveyed. Comparison of the available mechanistic and kinetic information is made for living anionic, cationic, free radical, group transfer, ring-opening metathesis, Ziegler-Natta and immortal polymerizations. This evaluation indicates that the majority of living polymerizations involve quasiliving equilibrium between active (propagating) and dormant (nonpropagating) polymer chains. On the basis of the kinetics of a general model for quasiliving and ideal living polymerizations it is concluded that ideal living polymerization is a special subclass of quasiliving polymerizations. Classification of living polymerization systems is…

Kinetic treatment of slow initiation in living carbocationic polymerization and investigation of benzyl halides as initiators for the polymerization of isobutylene

In contrast to earlier conclusions it is demonstrated that kinetic analysis of incremental monomer addition (IMA) experiments for living carbocationic polymerizations with slow initiation leads only to the ratio of apparent rate constants of initiation and propagation. The apparent rate constants depend on the true (bimolecular) rate constants and on the positions of the equilibria between dormant and active states of initiator and polymer chain ends, respectively. The same considerations are true for other living processes involving dormant species, e.g., group transfer polymerization or controlled radical polymerization. Slow initiation of living carbocationic polymerization of isobutylen…

Synthesis of Linear and Star-Shaped Block Copolymers of Isobutylene and Methacrylates by Combination of Living Cationic and Anionic Polymerizations

A new synthetic route for the preparation of polyisobutylene (PIB)-based linear and star-shaped block copolymers was developed by combining living carbocationic and anionic polymerizations. Living PIB chains were quantitatively endcapped with 1,1-diphenylethylene, leading to 1,1-diphenyl-1-methoxy (DPOMe) or 2,2-diphenylvinyl (DPV) termini, or both. Both the DPOMe- and DPV-terminated PIBs, and the mixtures of both endgroups were quantitatively metalated with K/Na alloy, Cs metal, or Li dispersion in THF at room temperature. The resulting stable macrocarbanion obtained by metalation with K/Na alloy was used to initiate living anionic polymerization of tert-butyl methacrylate (tBMA) yielding …

Synthetic approaches towards new polymer systems by the combination of living carbocationic and anionic polymerizations

This study summarizes recent efforts to obtain by combination of living carbocationic and anionic polymerizations block copolymers which are potential precursors for building new well-defined polymeric architectures with microphase separated morphology. Living carbocationic polymerization (LCCP) yields telechelic polyisobutylene (PIB) chains with a variety of useful endgroups, such as tert-chlorine, isopropenyl, primary hydroxyl, tolyl etc. When tolyl-ended PIB was used as precursor for macroinitiator of living anionic polymerization of 2-(tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy)ethyl methacrylate (tBuMe2SiOEMA), mixtures of homopolymers and block copolymers were formed due to incomplete lithiation of t…

Synthesis strategies and properties of smart amphiphilic networks

This paper briefly surveys recent developments in the field of amphiphilic networks (APN) which are a new class of crosslinked polymer systems consisting of covalently bonded hydrophobic and hydrophilic chain segments. The covalent bonds between immiscible hydrophobic and hydrophilic polymer chains prevent demixing and yield polymer networks with unique structure and properties. Telechelic macromonomers provide the basis for the first generation of APNs obtained by copolymerization of the macromonomer with selected low molecular weight monomers. Synthesis of a variety of APNs using methacrylate-telechelic polyisobutylene (PIB) macromonomers prepared by living carbocationic polymerization (L…

Synthesis of linear and three-arm star tert-chlorine-telechelic polyisobutylenes by a two-step conventional laboratory process

A two-step conventional laboratory process was developed for the synthesis of mono- and difunctional linear and three-arm star tert-chlorine-telechelic polyisobutylenes (PIB) with desired molecular weights (MW) and narrow molecular weight distribution (MWD) by living carbocationic polymerization (LCCP). This polymerization method applies easy to handle operations and chemicals. LCCP of isobutylene (IB), was carried out in CH2Cl2 as solvent and with BCl3 as coinitiator in the first step to obtain soluble low MW PIB prepolymer with narrow MWD. This was followed by addition of hexane, TiCl4 and additional monomer in the second step to prepare PIBs with desired MW and narrow MWD in practically …

Junction Dynamics in Telechelic Hydrogen Bonded Polyisobutylene Networks

4-Urazoylbenzoic acid groups are attached to the chain ends of polyisobutylene. The cooperative assembling process of these polar groups is studied by DSC and dielectric and dynamic mechanical spectroscopy. The melting of the ordered clusters occurs in the temperature range 380-390 K. Distortions within the U4A clusters (Σ process) are monitored below the melting temperature T m with dielectric spectroscopy. On a larger length scale, these distortions also lead to stress relaxation which can be probed by dynamic mechanical measurements. Near T m , the relaxation ofU4A multiplets (α* relaxation) is detected with dielectric spectroscopy. In this temperature range, dynamic mechanical measureme…

Stable Carbanions by Quantitative Metalation of Cationically Obtained Diphenylvinyl and Diphenylmethoxy Compounds:  New Initiators for Living Anionic Polymerizations