Controlled Cationic Polymerization of p-Methylstyrene in Ionic Liquid and Its Mechanism

Ionic liquid (IL) as a green solvent is entirely composed of ions; thus, it may be more than a simple solvent for ionic polymerization. Here, the cationic polymerization of p-methylstyrene (p-MeSt) initiated by 1-chloro-1-(4-methylphenyl)-ethane (p-MeStCl)/tin tetrachloride (SnCl₄) was systematically studied in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([Bmim][NTf₂]) IL at −25 °C. The results show that IL did not participate in cationic polymerization, but its ionic environment and high polarity were favorable for the polarization of initiator and monomer and facilitate the controllability. The gel permeation chromatography (GPC) trace of the poly(p-methylstyrene) (poly(p-MeSt)) changes from bimodal in dichloromethane (CH₂Cl₂) to unimodal in IL, and polydispersities M_w/M_n of the polymer in IL showed narrower (1.40–1.59). The reaction rate and heat release rate were milder in IL. The effects of the initiating system, Lewis acid concentration, and 2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine (DTBP) concentration on the polymerization were investigated. The controlled cationic polymerization initiated by p-MeStCl/SnCl₄ was obtained. The polymerization mechanism of p-MeSt in [Bmim][NTf₂] was also proposed.

Ultrafast and green ionic liquid-mediated controlled cationic polymerization towards amphiphilic diblock copolymers

IL-mediated ultrafast ambient temperature living cationic polymerization of styrene (St), yielding well-defined PSt and polystyrene-b-poly(isobutyl vinyl ether) diblock copolymers with acceptable dispersity values (Đ ≤ 1.21) is reported.

On the limitations of cationic polymerization of vinyl monomers in aqueous dispersed media

We investigate the effects of chain transfer to monomer and chain transfer to water on the molecular weight of polymers obtained by cationic polymerization in aqueous dispersed media.

Characteristics and Mechanism of Vinyl Ether Cationic Polymerization in Aqueous Media Initiated by Alcohol/B(C₆F₅)₃/Et₂O

Aqueous cationic polymerizations of vinyl ethers (isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE), 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether (CEVE), and n-butyl vinyl ether (n-BVE)) were performed for the first time by a CumOH/B(C₆F₅)₃/Et₂O initiating system in an air atmosphere. The polymerization proceeded in a reproducible manner through the careful design of experimental conditions (adding initiator, co-solvents, and surfactant or decreasing the reaction temperature), and the polymerization characteristics were systematically tested and compared in the suspension and emulsion. The significant difference with traditional cationic polymerization is that the polymerization rate in aqueous media using B(C₆F₅)₃/Et₂O as a co-initiator decreases when the temperature is lowered. The polymerization sites are located on the monomer/water surface. Density functional theory (DFT) was applied to investigate the competition between H₂O and alcohol combined with B(C₆F₅)₃ for providing a theoretical basis. The effectiveness of the proposed mechanism for the aqueous cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers using CumOH/B(C₆F₅)₃/Et₂O was confirmed.

Synthesis of highly reactive polyisobutylenesviacationic polymerization in ionic liquids: characteristics and mechanism

The cationic polymerization of isobutylene (IB) was systematically studied in a 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([Bmim][PF₆]) ionic liquid at −10 °C.

Synthesis of random copolymer of isobutylene with p-methylstyrene by cationic polymerization in ionic liquids

Poly(isobutylene-co-p-methylstyrene) (IB/p-MeSt) random copolymer is a new generation of polyisobutylene-based elastomer. The cationic copolymerization of IB with p-MeSt was thoroughly examined by using various initiating systems in [Hmim][NTf2] at −30°C. The effects of initiating systems and monomer feed ratio on the monomer conversion, molecular weight and copolymer composition are discussed. The polymers were characterized by 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight-mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF-MS) to determine their chemical composition and molecular structure. The results show that high polarity, high viscosity and ionic environment of ionic liquids (ILs) influenced the copolymerization. The corresponding mechanism of cationic copolymerization in ILs is also proposed.

Investigation of the interactions between 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids and isobutylene using density functional theory

To identify ionic liquids (ILs) that could be used as solvents in isobutylene (IB) polymerization, the interactions between IB and eight different ILs based on the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium cation ([Bmim]⁺) were investigated using density functional theory (DFT). The anions in the ILs were chloride, hexafluorophosphate, tetrafluoroborate, bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide, tetrachloroaluminate ([AlCl₄]^-), tetrachloroferrate, acetate, and trifluoroacetate. The interaction geometries were explained by changes in the total energy, intermolecular distances, Hirshfeld charges, and the electrostatic potential surface. The IL solvents were screened by comparing their interaction intensities with IB to the interaction intensities of reference ILs ([AlCl₄]^--based ILs) with IB. The microscopic mechanism for IB dissolution was rationalized by invoking a previously reported microscopic mechanism for the dissolution of gases in ILs. Computation results revealed that hydrogen (H) bonding between C2-H on the imidazolium ring and the anions plays a key role in ion pair (IP) formation. The addition of IB leads to slight changes in the dominant interactions of the IP. IB molecules occupied cavities created by small angular rearrangements of the anions, just as CO₂ does when it is dissolved in an IL. The limited total free space in the ILs and the much larger size of IB than CO₂ were found to be responsible for the poor solubility of IB compared with that of CO₂ in the ILs.

Characteristics and mechanism of styrene cationic polymerization in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ionic liquid

There has recently been a wide range of trends in the use of ionic liquids (ILs) as reaction solvent for various polymerization processes.