New Syntheses of Graft Copolymers Using the DPE-Technique: Cationic Graft Copolymerization

Abstract

A new one-step synthesis of a set of macroinitiators for cationic polymerization via radical polymerization is presented. The macroinitiator consists of poly(meth)acrylate random copolymers with p-chloromethylstyrene. It was synthesized by controlled radical polymerization of a monomer mixture of (meth)acrylate and p-chloromethylstyrene in the presence of 1,1-diphenylethylene (DPE) using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator. The resulting macroinitiators were used for the cationic ring-opening polymerization of cyclic ethers yielding graft copolymers which were characterized by GPC and NMR.

Keywords:

• DPE-system
• Radical polymerization
• Macroinitiator
• Chloromethylstyrene
• Block copolymers
• Graft copolymers
• Cyclic ether

Acknowledgments

P. C. Wieland thanks Dr. B. Raether and Dr. Y. Heischkel from the BASF AG for fruitful discussions and the BASF AG for financial support. N. Stoeckel thanks Dr. Dames, Dr. Nießner and Dr. Görtz from the BASF AG for fruitful discussions, the BASF AG for financial support and the Technische Universität München.