Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
5189504 Polymer 2006 8 Pages PDF
Abstract
The initiator-fragment incorporation radical polymerization was extended to a copolymerization system of a trivinyl monomer. The copolymerization of trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TMPTM) as a trivinyl monomer with α-methylstyrene (MSt) was examined at 70 and 80 °C in toluene using dimethyl 2,2′-azobisisobutyrate (MAIB) of high concentrations as initiator. When the concentrations of TMPTM, MSt and MAIB were 0.30, 0.60 and 0.50 mol/l, the copolymerization proceeded homogeneously without gelation at 80 °C to yield soluble hyperbranched copolymer in a yield of 65%. The copolymer formed for 8 h consisted of 37 mol% of the TMPTM unit, 42 mol% of the MSt unit and 21 mol% of the methoxycarbonylpropyl group as initiator-fragment, where 22% of the vinyl groups of the incorporated TMPTM units remained unreacted. The copolymer showed an upper critical solution temperature (32 °C on cooling) in a tetrahydrofuran(THF)-water [44:10 (wt/wt)]. Reflecting the hyperbranched structure, the viscosity of a copolymer solution in toluene was very low. The porous film was prepared directly by casting a THF solution of the hyperbranched copolymer on a cover glass. The copolymer molecules are radially arranged on the surface layer of the spherical pores as showed by polarized optical microscope imaging.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Chemistry Organic Chemistry
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