Showing papers in "Journal of Polymer Science Part A in 1980"

New telechelic polymers and sequential copolymers by polyfunctional initiator‐transfer agents (inifers). VII. Synthesis and characterization of α,ω‐di(hydroxy)polyisobutylene

Abstract: Detailed understanding of the mechanism of initiation and chain transfer in BCl3-coinitiated isobutylene polymerization led to the efficient synthesis of symmetric telechelic polyisobutylenes carrying ∼CH2C(CH3)2Cl groups at either end of the molecule Cl-PIB-Cl. The synthesis is based on the use of inifers, i.e., bifunctional initiator-transfer agents that effect controlled initiation and propagation in the absence of chain transfer to a monomer. Specifically, the synthesis of Cl-PIB-Cl was achieved by the p-dicumyl chloride/BCl3/isobutylene/CH2Cl2 system. According to the inifer mechanism each Cl-PIB-Cl contains two terminal tertiary chlorines and one phenyl group at the interior of the chains. The structure of this new symmetric telechelic polymer has been established by detailed characterization studies including a sensitive new gel permeation chromatography (UV plus RI) analysis method, 1H-NMR, kinetic experiments, and chemical derivatization. The Cl-PIB-Cl molecule is a key intermediate for the synthesis of hosts of new materials, e.g., triblock copolymers, α,ω-diolefins, and α,ω-difunctional polymers.

The characteristics of lanthanide coordination catalysts and the cis‐polydienes prepared therewith

Abstract: The stereoregularity of polydienes is almost the same in regard to the individual elements of the lanthanide series, whereas the activity of the Ln catalysts in diene polymerization varies from one to the other within the series. The latter may be attributed to the difference in the number of electrons that occupy the 4f orbitals. It has been proved that the polymerization of dienes with Ln catalysts under certain conditions proceeds by a “living polymer” mechanism. With regard to the polymerization of butadiene, the most active catalyst is a Nd3+species a new binary system of NdCl3-3ROH + AlR3 has been discovered. The cis- 1,4 content in polybutadiene is about 97% and the 1,2 content, less than 1%. For the polymerization of isoprene with a Nd3+ catalyst system, the effects of ligand and alkyl groups in AIR3 on cis-1,4 content (ca. 95%) in polyisoprene can be neglected. For the copolymerization of butadiene and isoprene, the cis-1,4 contents of these two monomeric units in the copolymer are greater than 95% the reactivity ratios r1 and r2 are determined. and the Tg's of the copolymers of various compositions deviate slightly from the calculated values for random copolymers. A linear relationship exists between the yield strength from the stress-strain curve of Ln-polvbutadiene and its [n] This relationship is verified by Ln-polyisoprene and natural rubber but different slopes are obtained

Polymer syntheses via aromatic nitro displacement reaction

Abstract: Nucleophilic displacement of activated aromatic nitro groups with aryloxy anion is a versatile and useful reaction for the synthesis of aromatic ethers. Preparation of various aromatic monomers and polymers containing ether linkages is described.

Thermal cis-trans isomerization of cistransoidal polyphenylacetylene

Abstract: Solution and solid-state thermal cis-trans isomerization of cis–transoidal polyphenylacetylene was investigated. At temperatures higher than 120°C, cis-trans thermal isomerization in solution is accompanied by cyclization, aromatization, and scission of the polymer chain. Both spectral and kinetics data showed that at temperatures lower than 120°C, not only cis-trans thermal isomerization takes place but also intramolecular cyclization.

Polymerization in water‐in‐oil microemulsion systems. I

Abstract: Phase diagrams for monomer (methyl acrylate containing microemulsions) are shown and described. Polymerizations of a series of microemulsified monomer reveals the expected linear dependence of 1/DS vs. [S]/[M] for pentanol acting as a chain transfer agent and giving a value of 5.1 × 10−4 for Cs. No break in molecular weight behavior was shown as a result of micellization at higher water contents. A comparison of molecular weights obtained by various classical methods (solution, emulsion, bulk) are also given.

Plasma polymerization. II. An ESCA investigation of polymers synthesized by excitation of inductively coupled RF plasma in perfluorobenzene and perfluorocyclohexane

Abstract: The plasma polymers formed in glow and nonglow regions of an inductively coupled RF plasma with perfluorobenzene and perfluorocyclohexane are discussed as a function of operating conditions of the plasma by means of ESCA. The core levels of the plasma polymers are shown to be strikingly different but characteristic of a well-defined but complex polymerization scheme. For the nonglow regions fluorine incorporation is shown to be greater than for polymers prepared in the glow regions and a preponderance of CF2 features is apparent. Perfluorobenzene deposits polymer faster than perfluorocyclohexane and changes in component composition of the C1s profile are studied as a function of operating conditions of the gas plasma.

Estimation of morphology of composite polymer emulsion particles by the soap titration method

Abstract: The occupied area (Am) of a sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate molecule adsorbed on particles was measured by the soap titration method. The Am values are 214, 133, and 53 A2 for poly(methyl acrylate) (I), poly(methyl methacrylate) (II), and polystyrene (III), respectively. For methyl metharylate-styrene copolymer emulsions the additivity was established between the Am value and copolymer composition. Composite emulsion particles consisting of I/II, I/III, and II/III were prepared by seeded emulsion polymerization. For these emulsions the relationship between polymer composition at the surface layer calculated from the Am value and that in a particle calculated from the polymerization process was investigated. This relationship is remarkably affected by the order of polymerization, the hydrophilicity of polymer, the flexibility of the seed polymer, and the monomer addition method. The models of the morphology of these composite particles explain the results successfully.

Asymmetric polymerization of triphenylmethyl methacrylate by optically active anionic catalysts

Abstract: Triphenylmethyl methacrylate (TrMA) was polymerized with two types of asymmetric anionic catalyst, lithium (R)-N-(1-phenylethyl)anilide (LiAn) and (-)-sparteine–butyllithium complex (Sp–BuLi), at −78°C. Both catalysts yielded optically active polymers. The polymers obtained with LiAn in toluene and tetrahydrofuran (THF) showed specific rotations [α] of from −50° to −90° (in THF). The [α] of the polymer obtained with Sp–BuLi in toluene was positive and increased with polymer yield reaching above +300°s, whereas the polymer obtained in THF showed a low [α] (ca. +7°). Gel permeation chromatograms of both polymers obtained with LiAn and Sp–BuLi in THF exhibited rather narrow molecular weight distributions, whereas those obtained in toluene showed at least two or three components with markedly different molecular weights. The circular dichroism (CD) spectrum of the polymer obtained with Sp–BuLi showed strong positive peaks at 208 and 232 nm and a weak band at 250–280 nm; the polymer produced with LiAn showed a similar spectrum with opposite sign. The poly(methyl methacrylate)s derived from these poly(TrMA)s were highly isotactic but showed negligible rotations ([α] ± 2° in toluene). The polymer of high molecular weight showed clear polarization under a polarizing microscope and the low polymer obtained with LiAn appeared to show flow birefringence in chloroform at room temperature.

Cellulose organic solutions: A nuclear magnetic resonance investigation

Abstract: Four solvents of cellulose have been studied by using 13C-NMR spectroscopy. All these solvents, N-methyl morpholine-N-oxide, methylamine, hydrazine, and paraformaldehyde (PF), contained dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a cosolvent. Oligomers of cellulose of DP = 10 soluble in hot DMSO have been used as model compounds. 13C chemical shifts and line shapes show that three of the mentioned solvents are “true solvents” of cellulose. On the other hand, dissolution of cellulose in DMSO-PF system occurs by the formation of a statistical derivative of cellulose. Enriched 13C bacterial cellulose on C-1 and C-6 positions have been used to identify the 13C positions mainly in DMSO-N-methyl morpholine-N-oxide system. This solvent has been found to be degradative for the macromolecule when the solution is kept at 100°C over a long period. Viscosity measurements show a reduction of the molecular weight in these conditions. Polarimetry indicates that no glucose is present in solution and hence there is a statistical break of the chain. Enriched cellulose solution in DMSO–N-methyl morpholine-N-oxide has been also used for relaxation time (T1) determination both of the solvent and of the enriched carbons of the polymer. Nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) was found to be 1.8 for C-1 and 2.1 for C-6 showing that relaxation phenomenon is not purely dipolar. T1 values of 97 and 65 msec are found for C-1 and C-6 of cellulose, in good agreement with the values known for polysaccharides. Determination of T1 for the different carbon atoms of the solvent DMSO-N-methyl morpholine-N-oxide with and without cellulose shows a large reduction of T1 for N-methyl morpholine-N-oxide molecule. This denotes a slower molecular motion of this molecule and a preferential interaction with the cellulose macromolecule.

Mechanism of thermal degradation of polyurethanes investigated by direct pyrolysis in the mass spectrometer

Abstract: Direct pyrolysis in the mass spectrometer (MS) yielded unequivocal evidence regarding the mechanism of thermal decomposition of N-monosubstituted and N-disubstituted polyurethanes. It was ascertained that direct pyrolysis in the MS detects the primary thermal fragments that originate from polyurethane pyrolysis. This is particularly useful when, as in the thermal decomposition illustrated in eq. (1), it is necessary to distinguish between primary and secondary thermal fragments in order to assess the thermal degradation mechanism. Our results indicate that N-monosubstituted polyurethane V undergoes a quantitative depolycondensation process. Instead, the thermal decomposition of the N-disubstituted polyurethane VI which occurs selectively in eq. (1) is demonstrated by the detection of thermal fragments that contain secondary amine and olefinic end groups. Finally, polyurethane VI shows a higher thermal stability with respect to polymer V because of the absence of the depolycondensation process, which accounts for the thermal degradation of the N-monosubstituted polyurethane V.

Photoinitiated cationic polymerization by dialkyl‐4‐hydroxyphenylsulfonium salts

Abstract: On irradiation with ultraviolet light, dialkyl-4-hydroxyphenylsulfonium salts undergo reversible photodissociation and in the process generate ylids and Bronsted acids. When the anions are nonnucleophilic in character, as, for example, BF4−, AsF6−, PF6−, and SbF6−, the strong acid which is produced is capable of initiating cationic polymerization. The polymerization of several monomers was carried out to demonstrate the general applicability of these new photoinitiators.

Complex triarylsulfonium salt photoinitiators. II. The preparation of several new complex triarylsulfonium salts and the influence of their structure in photoinitiated cationic polymerization

Abstract: Complex triarylsulfonium salts bearing the thiophenoxy chromophore have been synthesized. The effects of the position of attachment of the thiophenoxy group on the rate of photolysis and in the photoinitiated cationic polymerization of various monomers have been investigated. Other salts in which the thiophenoxy group has been oxidized to the sulfoxide and the sulfone also were prepared to examine the effects of the oxidation state of the sulfur-bearing chromophore on the efficiencies in photoinitiated cationic polymerization. All complex salts having extended conjugation not impeded through positional isomerization or blocked through oxidation of the thiophenoxy chromophore are more reactive than the corresponding triphenylsulfonium salts in cationic polymerization.

Polymerization in lyotropic liquid crystals. I. Change of structure during polymerization

Abstract: Polymerization was made at 60°C in a lyotropic liquid crystal of sodium undecenoate and water. The liquid crystalline structure prior to polymerization was identified by optical microscopy and low-angle x-ray diffraction as an array of hexagonal closely packed cylinders with the hydrophobic part of the soap in the center of the cylinders. During polymerization the structure became isotropic at 60°C. Cooling to 20°C transformed the structure to a lamellar liquid crystal–a reversible transition. The structure of the lamellar phase was interpreted as a polyethylene backbone from which deformed decanoate chains reached toward the aqueous layer. Molecular models showed the model to accept head-tail, head-head, and tail-tail configurations in cis and trans conformations with the exception of the cis tail-tail configuration.

Comparison of the precision of estimation of copolymerization reactivity ratios by current methods

Abstract: Six recently proposed methods for analyzing copolymerization composition data have been compared to a nonlinear least-squares analysis to ascertain the precision of the six methods in determining reactivity ratios. Data used were simulated for five hypothetical monomer pairs with three different types of experiment design and contained error structures similar to those observed experimentally. The results of the comparisons suggest that retrospective analyses of existing copolymerization data should only be done with a nonlinear least-squares analysis. For new data, the design of experiments is of great importance, and when done properly allows the use of some of the linear least-squares methods of analysis.

Polymer flammability. II

Abstract: The responses of a polymer flame to changes of specimen diameter, ignition position, and stability of the burning surface were determined. These extrinsic flame parameters restricted the transport of oxygen from the environment to the burning surface. With increasing restriction the oxygen demand from the environment for self-sustained combustion increased from a minimum oxygen demand at maximum access of environmental oxygen to the burning surface. This increase in oxygen demand was measured and correlated with surface oxygen concentrations estimated from the diffusion data of Part I. The minimum oxygen demand was demonstrated as characteristic for a given polymer and intrinsic in its chemical structure. This minimum oxygen demand, termed intrinsic combustibility, has been correlated with a polymer's thermooxidative stability, measured by thermogravimetric analysis at specific conditions. An intrinsic combustibility scale for polymers is given. In contrast, polymer flammability, as commonly measured in air, is interpreted as a variable property that depends on the extent of the interaction between extrinsic parameters, which are set by the testing configuration, with intrinsic combustibility.

Sequence distribution in polyethylene/tetramethylene terephthalate copolyesters by 13C‐NMR

Abstract: 13C-NMR gives sequence information in copolyesters synthesized from ethylene glycol (EG), 1,4-butane diol (BD), and methyl terephthalate (TP). The EG-TP-EG and BD-TP-BD blocks are distinguishable from the unsymmetrical diester sequence EG-TP-BD. The carbonyl and aromatic quaternary carbons of terephthalate have different chemical shifts but identical relaxation times and nuclear Overhauser enhancements in the three different triad sequences. Peak areas indicate random copolymerization of the three copolyesters studied.

Synthesis of poly(ester carbonate) copolymers

Abstract: The synthesis of poly(ester carbonate) copolymers based on bisphenol A, terephthalic acid, and phosgene is reviewed, and a new synthetic route is described leading to polymers which are different from those obtained by methods described in the literature The most important features of the new method are quantitative incorporation of the dicarboxylic acid into the polymer and absence of undersirable side reactions Synthesis of the random copolymer in which the dicarboxylic acid and carbonic acid groups are present in about equal molar amounts is discussed Solution properties, effects of Mn and copolymer composition on Tg, sequence length distribution, the effect of ester interchange reactions on molecular weight distribution, and effects of monofunctional chain termination on molecular weight of the final product are also discussed

A chemical study of thermally activated chromic titanate on silica ethylene polymerization catalysts

Abstract: Thermally activated ethylene polymerization catalysts which contain chromium and titanium on silica differ from those catalysts which contain only chromium on silica. The characteristics of chromium-titanium catalysts vary with the method of incorporating the titanium and the thermal activation procedure. Titanated catalysts of the kind examined in this article have faster initiation and a higher polymerization rate per unit catalyst weight than corresponding catalysts without titanium. High-density polyethylene produced by this type of titanium-chromium catalyst tends to have a higher melt index and a broader molecular weight distribution than polyethylene made with chromium on silica catalysts. Iodometric titration showed that reduction from the initial hexavalent chromium to trivalent occurs when the dry, catalyst starting material is treated with titanium tetraisopropoxide. A study of the reaction between chromium trioxide and titanium tetraisopropoxide in carbon tetrachloride revealed that (1) it is not necessary to have a reaction between surface silanols and titanium tetraisopropoxide for the reduction to occur, and (2) the reaction product has an absorption near 660 nm in the visible range. Comparison of spectra showed that chromium trioxide on silica reduced by isopropyl alcohol has a shifted absorption, i.e., 600 nm. These findings are interpreted to mean that titanium atoms come sufficiently close to chromium atoms to change their electron density in the starting material and remain close neighbors in the activated catalysts. The interpretation is further supported by ESCA data and leads to the proposal that in this case the activated catalysts contain titanium chromate structures.

Polymerization of acetylene and its monosubstitutes in the presence of halides and oxohalides of molybdenum and tungsten

Abstract: MoCl5, WCl6, and OMoCl4 were found to be effective initiators for the polymerization of acetylene and its monosubstituted derivatives RCCH. The polymerization proceeded in homogeneous and heterogeneous media and was carried out in nonpolar (chloroalkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons) and polar (THF, acetone, dioxane, carboxylic acids) solvents to give a high yield of polymers.

Molecular weight distribution in emulsion polymerizations

Abstract: A mathematical formulation is given which describes the evolution of the number distribution of the molecular weight (MWD) of linear polymer chains that grow in emulsion polymerization systems. The resulting set of coupled ordinary differential equations takes into account the microscopic events of free radical entry, exit, chain annihilation, bimolecular termination (by combination and disproportionation), and chain transfer in a mono- or polydisperse system. Simple analytic solutions are presented for systems in which the number of particles, as well as the average number of free radicals per particle, is constant and in which the rate coefficients are size independent. These solutions indicate that compartmentalization of the free radicals in the latex particles results in a significant increase in the polydispersity of the polymer produced by emulsion polymerization, compared with that in bulk systems. The theory shows that significant mechanistic information may be obtained from experimental MWDs and that, in principle, experimental conditions may be prescribed to grow a desired MWD. The MWDs are presented in a novel manner that facilitates the comparison of theory with experiment.

Thermal degradation of a series of polyester polyurethanes

Abstract: A series of polyester polyurethanes with a range of polyester contents was prepared from an ethylene glycol/propylene glycol/adipic acid polyster, butane diol, and methylene bis (4-phenyl isocyanate) (MBPI). They were thermally degraded under vacuum and the products of degradation were identified. The urethane linkages decompose first as the temperature is increased and the stability increases with polyester content. Reaction mechanisms were proposed which account for the principal features of the reaction and the products of degradation.

Organosilane polymers. II. Poly(ethylmethyl‐co‐dimethylsilylene) and poly(methylpropyl‐co‐dimethylsilylene)

Abstract: Polydimethylsilylene is a largely crystalline, high-melting polymer that is soluble only above 200°C and does not thermoform below its decomposition temperature. Introduction of ethyl and propyl substituents into the linear silylene system by random copolymerization of dimethylsilylene with ethylmethyl- and methylpropylsilylenes leads to tractable polymers that are soluble in common solvents at normal ambient temperatures.

The kinetics of condensation of phenolic polyflavonoid tannins with aldehydes

Abstract: The rate constants and free energies of activation of the acid-and base-catalyzed reactions of floroglucinolic and resorcinolic flavonoid A rings of pine and wattle tannins, respectively, as well as the model compounds resorcinol, floroglucinol, and catechol, with formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, n-butyraldehyde, isobutyraldehyde, and furfural, were obtained. Second-order kinetics were found to fit these reactions. Indication and proof of the existence of unstable aldehyde ether bridges and their fast rearrangement at ambient temperature to alkyl bridges for fast-reacting phenols or phenolic compounds, such as tannins, were obtained for the first time. The dependence of the reaction kinetics on the concentration of OH- catalyst was investigated. Anomalies in the behavior of wattle tannin with aldehydes and n-butyraldehyde with phenols were observed and partially explained. The results led to a slightly different interpretation of the wattle tannin flavonoid structure.

Effect of simultaneous polyaddition reaction on the curing of epoxides

Abstract: Epoxy-amine curing reactions were theoretically studied using expectation theory taking into account the different reactivities of (1) the primary and secondary amine hydrogens and (2) the secondary hydroxyl group generated when an amine reacts with an epoxy group. The curing compositions and the fractional conversions at the gel point were computed. Generally the hydroxyl groups react slower than the amines and user these conditions, the reactivity of the OH group has a significant effect only when there is an intial excess of epoxide over the amine. The hydroxyl activity effectively increases the functionality of the epoxides and gelation can occur where it may not be expected.