A Perfect Couple: PLP/SEC/ESI-MS for the Accurate Determination of Propagation Rate Coefficients in Free Radical Polymerization

Update and Critical Reanalysis of IUPAC Benchmark Propagation Rate Coefficient Data

We present an updated and expanded dataset of benchmark propagation rate coefficient (kp) data obtained from pulsed laser polymerization (PLP) of 13 vinyl monomers (styrene, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, butyl...

Mass spectrometry as a tool to advance polymer science

In contrast to natural polymers, which have existed for billions of years, the first well-understood synthetic polymers date back to just over one century ago. Nevertheless, this relatively short period has seen vast progress in synthetic polymer chemistry, which can now afford diverse macromolecules with varying structural complexities. To keep pace with this synthetic progress, there have been commensurate developments in analytical chemistry, where mass spectrometry has emerged as the pre-eminent technique for polymer analysis. This Perspective describes present challenges associated with the mass-spectrometric analysis of synthetic polymers, in particular the desorption, ionization and structural interrogation of high-molar-mass macromolecules, as well as strategies to lower spectral complexity. We critically evaluate recent advances in technology in the context of these challenges and suggest how to push the field beyond its current limitations. In this context, the increasingly important role of high-resolution mass spectrometry is emphasized because of its unrivalled ability to describe unique species within polymer ensembles, rather than to report the average properties of the ensemble.

Hyphenation of size-exclusion chromatography to mass spectrometry for precision polymer analysis – a tutorial review

Herein we demonstrate how SEC-ESI-MS can be used to analyze complex polymers, a significant challenge in contemporary polymer chemistry.

Molecular Weight and Tacticity of Oligoacrylates by Capillary Electrophoresis - Mass Spectrometry

Oligo(acrylic acid) efficiently stabilizes polymeric particles, especially particles produced by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) (as hydrophilic block of an amphiphilic copolymer). Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has a far higher resolution power to separate these oligomers than the commonly used size exclusion chromatography. Coupling CE to electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection unravels the separation mechanism. CE separates these oligomers, not only according to their degree of polymerization, but also according to their tacticity, in agreement with NMR analysis. Such analysis will provide insight into the role of these oligomers as stabilizers in emulsion polymerization, and into the mechanism of the RAFT polymerization with respect to degree of polymerization and tacticity.

Detailed investigation of the propagation rate of urethane acrylates

Propagation rate coefficients are provided—for the first time—for an entire class of urethane moieties containing acrylates, which display an extremely high propagation rate.