Synthesis of End-group Functionalized Poly(octadecyl vinyl ether)

✍ Scribed by Lievens, Serge S.; Goethals, Eric J.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 405 KB
• Volume: 41
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0959-8103
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0126(199611)41:3<277::aid-pi593>3.0.co;2-#

✦ Synopsis

The cationic polymerization of octadecyl vinyl ether (ODVE) initiated by trimethylsilyl iodide and 1,l-diethoxyethane in the presence of ZnI, in toluene at 0°C and 10°C has been investigated. For molecular weights lower than 6000, a linearity of M,, with conversion was observed, but for higher molecular weights a strong deviation from calculated values, assuming a living mechanism, was found. Kinetic analysis of the polymerization and the variation of molecular weight as a function of conversion was in agreement with a transfer to monomer with k,,/k, 0.006 at 10°C. Analysis of the polymers obtained by termination with methanol provided evidence that the alkenyl ether end-groups formed by the transfer reaction lead to the same acetal end-groups as the active species. As a consequence, it is possible to prepare functionalized polyODVE polymers by end-capping with alcohols. This was confirmed by the synthesis of polyODVE macromonomers by end-capping with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate.