Capitalizing on Protecting Groups to Influence Vinyl Catechol Monomer Reactivity and Monomer Gradient in Carbanionic Copolymerization

everal vinyl catechol-based monomers with systematically varied acetal protecting groups suitable for carbanionic polymerization are introduced. All monomers are based on the 4-vinyl benzodioxole or 5-vinyl benzodioxole structure and differ in the nature of the protecting group for the catechol functionalities. Different symmetric ketones are used for the protection of the diol functionality. Polymers with average molecular weight from 2500 to 25 000 g mol−1 (Mw/Mn < 1.15) are obtained from homopolymerization of the protected monomers. All monomers are examined regarding the influence of the protecting group on the copolymerization behavior with styrene, using in situ 1H NMR kinetic studies…