Quasiliving atom transfer radical polymerization of styrene and n-butyl acrylate as non-fluorous monomers in a fluorinated solvent, benzotrifluoride

Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization and Related Olefin Metathesis Reactions in Benzotrifluoride as an Environmentally Advantageous Medium

A tremendous number of solvents, either as liquids or vapors, contaminate the environment on a daily basis worldwide. Olefin metathesis, which has been widely used as high-yielding protocols for ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP), ring-closing metathesis (RCM), and isomerization reactions, is typically performed in toxic and volatile solvents such as dichloromethane. In this study, the results of our systematic experiments with the Grubbs G1, G2, and Hoveyda-Grubbs HG2 catalysts proved that benzotrifluoride (BTF) can replace dichloromethane (DCM) in these reactions, providing high yields and similar or even higher reaction rates in certain cases. The ROMP of norbornene resulted not only in high yields but also in polynorbornenes with a high molecular weight at low catalyst loadings. Ring-closing metathesis (RCM) experiments proved that, with the exception of the G1 catalyst, RCM occurs with similar high efficiencies in BTF as in DCM. It was found that isomerization of (Z)-but-2-ene-1,4-diyl diacetate with the G2 and HG2 catalysts proceeds at significantly higher initial rates in BTF than in DCM, leading to rapid isomerization with high yields in a short time. Overall, BTF is a suitable solvent for olefin metathesis, such as polymer syntheses by ROMP and the ring-closing and isomerization reactions.

The electrospinning of the copolymer of styrene and butyl acrylate for its application as oil absorbent

Electrospun polystyrene materials have been employed as oil absorbents, but they have visible drawbacks such as poor strength at low temperature and unreliable integrity because of brittleness and insufficient cohesive force among fibers. Butyl acrylate can polymerize into flexible chains, and its polymer can be used as elastomer and adhesive material. Thereby it is possible to obtain the material that has better performance in comparison with electrospun polystyrene material through the electrospinning of the copolymer of styrene and butyl acrylate. In this work, a polymer was synthesized through suspension polymerization by using styrene and butyl acrylate as comonomers. The synthesis of the copolymer of styrene and butyl acrylate was verified through dissolution and hydrolysis experimental data; as well through nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. The viscous flow activation energy of the solution consisting of copolymer and N, N-dimethylformamide was determined via viscosity method and then adopted to establish the entanglement characteristics of butyl acrylate’s chain segments. Finally, in order to electrospin the copolymer solution into fibrous membrane, the effects of monomer feed ratio and spinning parameters were investigated. The prepared fibrous membrane was found to have a potential use as oil absorbent.

Fibrous membranes electrospun from the suspension polymerization product of styrene and butyl acrylate for oil–water separation

Fibrous membranes electrospun from the copolymer of styrene and butyl acrylate could separate oil from water due to their excellent hydrophobicity.

Synthesis of poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate)-polyisobutylene ABA block copolymers by the combination of quasiliving carbocationic and atom transfer radical polymerizations

Systematic investigations are carried out on the synthesis of a series of new, unique ABA-type triblock copolymers consisting of the hydrophobic and chemically inert polyisobutylene (PIB) inner and the hydrophilic comb-shaped poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) (PPEGMA) polymacromonomer as an outer block. Telechelic PIB macroinitiators with narrow molecular weight distributions (MWD) are synthesized by quasiliving carbocationic polymerization of isobutylene with a bifunctional initiator followed by quantitative chain end derivatizations. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of PEGMAs with various molecular weights is investigated by using these macroinitiators. It is found that CuBr is an inefficient ATRP catalyst, while CuCl leads to high, nearly complete conversions of the PEGMA macromonomers. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analyses reveal slow initiation of PEGMA at relatively high PIB/PEGMA ratios or with PEGMAs of higher molecular weights due to steric hindrance between the macroinitiator and macromonomer. The occurrence of slow initiation, and not permanent termination, is proven by highly efficient ATRP of a low-molecular-weight monomer, methyl methacrylate, with the block copolymers as macroinitiators. Successful synthesis of PPEGMA-PIB-PPEGMA ABA block copolymers is obtained by using either low-molecular-weight PEGMA or relatively low macroinitiator/macromonomer ratios. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicates phase separation and significant suppression of the crystallinity of the pendant poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains in these new block copolymers.