Strong Brønsted Acid as a Highly Efficient Promoter for Group Transfer Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate

Density Functional Investigation on α-MoO3 (100): Amines Adsorption and Surface Chemistry

The (100) surface of α-MoO₃ should possess overwhelmingly more exposed Mo atoms than the (010), and the exposed Mo has been extensively considered as an active site for amine adsorption. However, α-MoO₃ (100) has drawn little attention concerning the amine sensing mechanism. In this research, adsorption of ammonia (NH₃), monomethylamine (MMA), dimethylamine (DMA), and trimethylamine (TMA) is systematically investigated by density functional theory (DFT). All four of these molecules have high affinity to α-MoO₃ (100) through interaction between the N and the exposed Mo, and the affinity is mainly influenced by both the characteristics of the molecules and the geometric environment of the surface active site. Adsorption and dissociation of water and oxygen molecule on stoichiometric and defective α-MoO₃ (100) surfaces are then simulated to fully understand the surface chemistry of α-MoO₃ (100) in practical conditions. At low temperature, α-MoO₃ (100) must be covered with a large number of water molecules; the water can desorb or dissociate into hydroxyl groups at high temperature. Oxygen vacancy (V_O) can be generated through the annealing process during sensor device fabrication; V_O must be filled with an O₂ molecule, which can further interact with adsorbed water nearby to form hydroxyl groups. According to this research, α-MoO₃ (100) must be the active surface for amine sensing and its surface chemistry is well understood. In the near future, further reaction and interaction will be simulated at α-MoO₃ (100), and much more attention should be paid to α-MoO₃ (100) not only theoretically but also experimentally.

Precision synthesis for well-defined linear and/or architecturally controlled thermoresponsive poly(N-substituted acrylamide)s

We describe the progress in precision polymerizations of specific kinds of N-alkylacrylamides and N,N-dialkylacrylamides to produce polymers showing thermoresponsive properties in aqueous media, which representatively include the reversible-deactivation radical polymerizations...

Catalytic (3 + 2) annulation of donor-acceptor aminocyclopropane monoesters and indoles

The efficient catalytic activation of donor-acceptor aminocyclopropanes lacking the commonly used diester acceptor is reported here in a (3 + 2) dearomative annulation with indoles. Bench-stable tosyl-protected aminocyclopropyl esters were converted into cycloadducts in 46-95% yields and up to 95 : 5 diastereomeric ratio using catalytic amounts of triethylsilyl triflimide. Tricyclic indoline frameworks containing four stereogenic centers including all-carbon quaternary centers were obtained.

Copolymers incorporated with β-substituted acrylate synthesized by organo-catalyzed group-transfer polymerization

Various copolymers incorporated with β-substituted acrylates, such as alkyl crotonates (e.g., methyl crotonate (MC), ethyl crotonate (EC), isopropyl crotonate (iPC), and n-butyl crotonate (nBC)) and methyl cinnamate (MCin), were synthesized by group-transfer polymerization (GTP) using a silicon-based Lewis acid catalyst. In addition to β-substituted acrylates, α-substituted acrylates (e.g., methyl methacrylate (MMA) and n-butyl methacrylate (nBMA)) were examined as comonomers. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) characterizations of the obtained copolymers revealed that each monomer component was incorporated sufficiently. The thermal stabilities of the resulting copolymers were investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), indicating that the glass-transition temperature (Tg) of the copolymers can be widely varied over a relatively high-temperature range by selecting the optimal comonomer. More specifically, the Tg values of poly(MC-random-EC) (MC/EC molar ratio = 50/50), poly(MC-random-nBC) (MC/nBC molar ratio = 50/50), poly(MC-random-MCin) (MC/MCin molar ratio = 54/46), and poly(nBC-random-MCin) (nBC/MCin molar ratio = 56/44) were 173, 130, 216, and 167 °C, respectively.

Unique acrylic resins with aromatic side chains by homopolymerization of cinnamic monomers

Cinnamic monomers, which are useful chemicals derived from biomass, contain α,β-unsaturated carbonyl groups with an aromatic ring at the β-position. Homopolymers synthesized by addition polymerization of these compounds are expected to be innovative bio-based polymer materials, as they have both polystyrene and polyacrylate structures. However, polymerization of these compounds by many methods is challenging, including by radical methods, owing to steric hindrance of the substituents and delocalization of electrons throughout the molecule via unsaturated π-bonding. Herein we report that homopolymers of these compounds with molecular weights (Mn) of ~18,100 g mol−1 and controlled polymer backbones can be synthesized by the group-transfer polymerization technique using organic acid catalysts. Additionally, these homopolymers are shown to have high heat resistance comparable to that of engineering plastics. Overall, these findings may open up possibilities for the convenient homopolymerization of cinnamic monomers to produce high-performance polymer materials.

Polymerization of Polar Monomers Mediated by Main-Group Lewis Acid-Base Pairs

The development of new or more sustainable, active, efficient, controlled, and selective polymerization reactions or processes continues to be crucial for the synthesis of important polymers or materials with specific structures or functions. In this context, the newly emerged polymerization technique enabled by main-group Lewis pairs (LPs), termed as Lewis pair polymerization (LPP), exploits the synergy and cooperativity between the Lewis acid (LA) and Lewis base (LB) sites of LPs, which can be employed as frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs), interacting LPs (ILPs), or classical Lewis adducts (CLAs), to effect cooperative monomer activation as well as chain initiation, propagation, termination, and transfer events. Through balancing the Lewis acidity, Lewis basicity, and steric effects of LPs, LPP has shown several unique advantages or intriguing opportunities compared to other polymerization techniques and demonstrated its broad polar monomer scope, high activity, control or livingness, and complete chemo- or regioselectivity, as well as its unique application in materials chemistry. These advances made in LPP are comprehensively reviewed, with the scope of monomers focusing on heteroatom-containing polar monomers, while the polymerizations mediated by main-group LAs and LBs separately that are most relevant to the LPP are also highlighted or updated. Examples of applying the principles of the LPP and LP chemistry as a new platform for advancing materials chemistry are highlighted, and currently unmet challenges in the field of the LPP, and thus the suggested corresponding future research directions, are also presented.

Organocatalyzed Group Transfer Polymerization

In contrast to the conventional group transfer polymerization (GTP) using a catalyst of either an anionic nucleophile or a transition-metal compound, the organocatalyzed GTP has to a great extent improved the living characteristics of the polymerization from the viewpoints of synthesizing structurally well-defined acrylic polymers and constructing defect-free polymer architectures. In this article, we describe the organocatalyzed GTP from a relatively personal perspective to provide our colleagues with a perspicuous and systematic overview on its recent progress as well as a reply to the curiosity of how excellently the organocatalysts have performed in this field. The stated perspectives of this review mainly cover five aspects, in terms of the assessment of the livingness of the polymerization, limit and scope of applicable monomers, mechanistic studies, control of the polymer structure, and a new GTP methodology involving the use of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane and hydrosilane.

Synthesis of AB block and A2B2 and A3B3 miktoarm star-shaped copolymers using ω-end-functionalized poly(methyl methacrylate) with a hydroxyl group prepared by organocatalyzed group transfer polymerization

The metal-free synthesis of an AB block copolymer, and A₂B₂ and A₃B₃ type miktoarm star-shaped copolymers consisting of PMMA and PDLA arms was achieved.

Synthesis of end-functionalized poly(methyl methacrylate) by organocatalyzed group transfer polymerization using functional silyl ketene acetals and α-phenylacrylates

The α and ω-end-functionalization of PMMA by organocatalyzed GTP was achieved using functional silyl ketene acetals and α-phenylacrylates.

Organic acids as efficient catalysts for group transfer polymerization of N,N-disubstituted acrylamide with silyl ketene acetal: polymerization mechanism and synthesis of diblock copolymers

The GTP of N,N-disubstituted acrylamide using organic acid and silyl ketene acetal was intensively investigated.

B(C6F5)3-catalyzed group transfer polymerization of alkyl methacrylates with dimethylphenylsilane through in situ formation of silyl ketene acetal by B(C6F5)3-catalyzed 1,4-hydrosilylation of methacrylate monomer

The B(C₆F₅)₃-catalyzed GTP of alkyl methacrylates using hydrosilane has been studied in this study.

Dinuclear silylium-enolate bifunctional active species: remarkable activity and stereoselectivity toward polymerization of methacrylate and renewable methylene butyrolactone monomers

Novel dinuclear silylium-enolate active species, consisting of an electrophilic silylium catalyst site and a nucleophilic silicon enolate initiating site that are covalently linked as single molecules, and their unique polymerization characteristics and kinetics are reported. Such unimolecular, bifunctional propagating species are conveniently generated from activation of ethyl- and oxo-bridged disilicon enolate (i.e., disilyl ketene acetal, di-SKA) compounds with [Ph(3)C][B(C(6)F(5))(4)]. Both the ethyl- and oxo-bridged dinuclear species are much more active for the polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) than the mononuclear SKA-based active species, exhibiting an approximate rate enhancement by a factor of 12 and 44, respectively. The oxo-bridged silylium-enolate species is considerably more active and controlled than the ethyl-bridged one, with their differences being even more pronounced in polymerizing a renewable monomer, γ-methyl-α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone. The polymerization by the oxo-bridged silylium-enolate active species follows first-order kinetics in both monomer and silylium catalyst concentrations, indicating a unimolecular propagation mechanism which involves an intramolecular delivery of the polymeric enolate nucleophile to the monomer activated by the silylium ion electrophile being placed in proximity in the same catalyst molecule. Highly stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), with a syndiotacticity up to 92% rr, can be produced in quantitative yield using the oxo-bridged propagator at low temperature.